notjustagame23@gmail.com

An obvious standout from Denver’s success last season could be attributed to the defense. While the offense struggled to produce points, the defense kept the game close each and every week.

Tim Tebow produced heroics would of never been if not for the defense. The way Tebow performed last minute was like a shot clock winding down in the NBA, he did it when least expected. Denver decided to move forward from last years weekly cinderella showcase, and try and advance with future hall of fame quarterback, Peyton Manning.

Instantly fantasy owners are reveling at the fact of a healthy Peyton Manning. John Elway and the Denver Broncos fans are as well. There is no denying the accuracy and knowledge that Manning has behind center. He reads defenses better than any quarterback in the NFL at the line of scrimmage. His audibling is an innate ability that few quarterbacks can do with such high frequency.

Expecting Manning to comeback and shine like his glory days in Indianapolis is unrealistic. He has not thrown a meaningful throw in the NFL since the Colts playoff loss to the New York Jets in January of 2011. It has been a roller coaster experience just for Manning to get full clearance to return to where he is at now.

Owners and the football world know though that the Broncos passing offense will produce more results than a year ago. The Tebow offense was catered to limitations and that led to an offset of designed runs, and heavy carries for Willis McGahee.

Just because Manning will add to the offense does not lessen McGahee’s value. McGahee seems like he has been in the NFL forever. Everyone remembers his blownout knee while in college at Miami. Many did not expect him to recover in the way he did. Quietly in the NFL, McGahee has been very consistent. With Buffalo and several years in Baltimore.

When signed by the Denver Broncos he figured to be at his last pitstop before fading out of the NFL, like what happens to most veterans. Instead the Tebow factor probably helped boost his career. Denver needed to run the football and did so with McGahee, Moreno and Lance Ball. When Moreno went down, McGahee became the focal point for the Broncos running game, and shined like a number one fantasy back.

Will this year be differentfor McGahee? At age 30 you are not supposed to have strong seasons. Do not discount McGahee for the reason alone. Throughout his career he is one of few backs that did not get overworked on a yearly basis.

The duel backfield that fantasy owners started to dread a few years ago, has been apart of McGahee’s entire career. The most carries he ever had was his second year in Buffalo at 325. His carries have never been alarming, so his legs are still fresh to handle a solid workload, even at age 30.

With an added dimension of passin to the Broncos offense that should open thins up even more for McGahee. He hits the hole hard and has solid vision to gain extra yards even after contact. Knowshown Moreno is coming off his knee injury so he will not be a threat this season to have a major impact. Rookie Ronnie Hillman will likely be the back to gain some carries in Denver’s offense.

That will not hurt McGahee. He will be the red zone back, and get 65-70% of Denver’s rushing touchdowns this season. He was eight yards away last year of having a career high in rushing yards. Fantasy owners were likely frustrated with the fact he only reached paydirt four times last season.

You can say his touchodwns were “Tebowized”.

He likely would of had at least double his touchdowns or near ten if it was not for Tebow’s eleven rushing touchdowns. McGahee is devalued right now in fantasy drafts going as a low number two fantasy back. For those that draft a quarterback and wide receiver high, and believe they may be in trouble with McGahee as their second back should not fret. Double digit touchdowns should be an easily achievable number for McGahee and a back to back 1,000 yard season.

By Zack Cimini

notjustagame23@gmail.com

Two weeks are completed officially in the preseason. Fantasy drafts done before now were pretty much tune ups for the ones forthcoming. Throw your outdated fantasy magazine away, and keep coming here for weekly rankings and daily fantasy updates.

1. Arian Foster- A couple of seasons ago, Foster was undrafted in most leagues just as he was by NFL executives. Now he is at the top of the list for fantasy running backs.

2. Chris Johnson- One year as Johnson had last year is going to make too many fantasy owners shy away from drafting him above a couple other backs. He has looked like the Chris Johnson we have come to know. Resembling that Chris Johnson would push even Arian Foster off the top spot.

3. LeSean McCoy- McCoy is durable and a safe bet to continue thrashing opposing defenses. He is right up there with Ray Rice in terms of what he can do out of the backfield.

4. MJD- MJD needs to get himself back in the Jaguars team facility. I’m sure he is keeping himself in shape but holdouts have typically been detrimental to running backs. With an improved Gabbert, MJD should even be more of a threat.

5. Ray Rice- Look for Rice’s numbers to dip slightly. The Ravens defense is not as sharp as it’s been, which means the offense will throw the football more. It’s good for the long term protection of Rice, but not what fantasy owners want to hear.

6. DeMarco Murray- Since when has a third round pick stormed the NFL quite like Murray? He was a true surprise. Now at full speed, Murray should continue his destruction.

7. Darren McFadden- Health is a big question mark with McFadden or he could easily be right up there with Foster and Chris Johnson. Having not stayed healthy for an entire season yet, he has to remain a bottom first round pick.

8. Ryan Mathews- Mathews is the back now that people like to put the most uncertainty on. Why? He is a young back with fresh legs, that is coming off a solid year. Young backs with talent such as Mathews usually break in even higher following a year like Mathews had.

9. Michael Turner- Atlanta seems ready to not only take over the NFC South but erase the memory of their wild card loss to the New York Giants. With New Orleans hit with question marks, Atlanta has their foot on the gas to storm by. Turner does not have to be a weekly force with yardage. With the explosiveness of the Falcons offense he is a lock for double digit touchdowns.

10. Matt Forte- He now has his contract, which should have been restructured a few seasons ago. Forte does not seem like the type of back that would decline after getting a paycheck. He has been the Bears offense the last two seasons. Additions of Alshon Jeffries, Brandon Marshall, and Mike Bush should be more to the benefit of Forte than hurting his stats. The offense will be more in sync and lead to bigger plays for Forte.

11. Steven Jackson

12. Reggie Bush

13. Ahmad Bradshaw

14. Frank Gore

15. Adrian Peterson

16. Shonn Greene

17. Marshawn Lynch

18. Jamaal Charles

19. Isaac Redman

20. Donald Brown

21. Doug Martin

22. Ryan Williams

23. Fred Jackson

24. Trent Richardson

25. Jonathan Stewart

26. Darren Sproles

27. Beanie Wells

28. Willis McGahee

29. BenJarvus Green-Ellis

30. Mark Ingram

31. DeAngelo Williams

32. Roy Helu

33. Stevan Ridley

34. CJ Spiller

35. James Starks

36. Kevin Smith

37. LeGarrette Blount

38. Michael Bush

39. Cedric Benson

40. Peyton Hillis

41. Toby Gerhart

42. Keiland Williams

43. Rashad Jennings

44. Ben Tate

45. Daniel Thomas

46. Jason Snelling

47. Robert Turbin

48. David Wilson

49. Kendall Hunter

50. Taiwan Jones

by Zack Cimini

notjustagame23@gmail.com

Watching preseason games to determine fantasy sleepers is sometimes like watching college basketball conference tournaments. The tease is widely there but the results once actuality of season play begin can falter quickly. Out in Indianpolis post-Peyton Manning era has begun with a rawkus start.  Comparisons for the future are what the media want to facinate on with Andrew Luck.

For fantasy football participants the relevancy of a transformation offense is enough to begin drooling. Sleeperville is here in Indianapolis.

The last two seasons for the Colts have been marked by rising pressure. In 2010 the offense just did not click the same. Running back Joseph Addai who had been a main force for Manning and company began faltering to injuries. The year before he succumbed to below four yards a carry.

As an organization the Colts have bypassed with ease at finding a top caliber running back during Peyton Manning’s tenure. From Marshall Faulk, Edgerrin James, Dominic Rhodes, and Joseph Addai. Perhaps the last two backs benefitted more to having Manning as their quarterback than anything else. Regardless, fantasy football players could expect predictable positive results from Colts players.

Addai held on the last two seasons as a Colt basically because they had not found a solid replacement. First round pick, Donald Brown from UCONN struggled going from college to the NFL ranks. His time share with Joey Addai was one of the worst tandems in the NFL, and only rose Manning’s need to carry the team with his arm.

Last offseason the Colts decided to try another upgrade at running back by drafting Delone Carter out of Syracuse. Carter had a solid career at Syracuse and came out with one of the better physical capabilities in the draft. He moves the pile and has a knack for being a steady consistent back.

With a new coach and quarterback, many have not known which route the Colts will take at running back. Carter remained high on many lists going into mini-camps as a fantasy football sleeper. When given the opportunity in games last season, Carter never stood out. Fumbling three times did not help his cause on only a little over 100 total carries.

The Colts will be comfortable splitting the workload amongst Brown and Carter and may even intermix carries with Vick Ballard. Brown’s open field breakaway speed poses a higher demand. It’s his consistency with regular carries that hurts Brown.

Last year Brown finally cracked over four yards a carry on his young three year career. He seems to be developing properly and looking for proper angles that he can use to his advantage. Brown should be considered a definite number three running back for your upcoming drafts, and could crack your starting lineup at points this season.

As for Carter, if Luck can get the offense moving, he can be a goal line touchdown weapon. Barring injury from Brown it’ll be hard to see Carter getting an increased amount of carries from the near one hundred he had a year ago.

By Zack Cimini

notjustagame23@gmail.com　

There once was a time that fantasy owners could rely on drafting a rookie running back and expect solid fantasy football numbers initially. The last few years though teams have steered away from drafting running backs high in the draft. The tandem back system and new approach has made the impact of rookie running backs lower on the fantasy map.

Trent Richardson has changed that for 2012. The rookie is expected to make huge waves in season one. Will Richardson have top tier value or just be a dependable number two running back?

In Cleveland running backs have enjoyed success even if it has been short lived. From Jamal Lewis, Jerome Harrison, and Peyton Hillis. Cleveland has done quite the shuffling at running back, which was one of the main reasons they decided to draft Richardson. To end their quest to find a back for a year to year basis.

Lets compare Peyton Hillis and Trent Richardson. Hillis is a bruiser type back more in the old mold of Mike Alstott. He went from being a short yardage back in 2010 to the feature back that relished the role. His versatility with the ball just was not there, as he is a straight north and south runner. Blame the madden curse, but Hillis needed a new environment after a publicized battle last season with the Browns.

In 2010 though Hillis was a fantasy gem, rushing for over 1100 yards and eleven touchdowns that year. That amount of touchdowns came without any scores the last five weeks of the season.

Richardson comes from the storied history of Alabama, and is a pontifical every down running back. Wearing down as the season stretches is a concern for rookies at any position. Ignore that factor with Richardson. He is built like a truck and barring injury will be fine for the entire season.

Cleveland’s quarterback situation will benefit Richardson as well. In the red zone when most teams would throw the football to their tight end or safety nets, the Browns will run more. Every down situations to control the game-clock will also mean more carries for Richardson. It is not wildly to anticipate Richardson to be a top ten to twelve fantasy football back in year one.

DeMarco Murray came out of nowhere last season as a rookie for the Dallas Cowboys because of injuries in the backfield. With Richardson, a high draft pick, young quarterback, and a backup that poses as a non-threat in Montario Hardesty, you can assume that Richardson is undervalued.

Fantasy owners do not like to draft based on no prior results. This benefits owners even more for Richardson, especially with the track record of top backs underperforming in year one the last few seasons.

By Zack Cimini

notjustagame23@gmail.com

There is a running back that should be on all radars. One that did not play a full down last year due to a season ending injury in the pre-season. With a full year of recovery and at worst an expected split load, mark down this running back to keep a watchful eye on your fantasy draft day.

Out in Arizona the main cog for fantasy production has continuously came at wide receiver with Larry Fitzgerald. With quarterbacks over the years such as Matt Leinart, Derek Anderson, Max Hall, Kevin Kolb, and John Skelton, Fitz has sidestepped the impossible to maintain fantasy stud status. This year the Cardinals believe they will finally take a post-Kurt Warner step forward.

In order for that to happen better balance offensively will have to occur. The defense has maintained its grit and kept the Cardinals in games. Offensively though the Cardinals are as stagnant as they come for a full four quarters. With a quarterback battle set to take place, the winner will be more interested in how they’ll be protected. Not just from the drop back position, but with a dependable reliable ball carrier.

Ryan Williams and Beanie Wells is a backfield tandem most do not circle or eye for probable fantasy points this upcoming season. Start paying attention. Both have had their injury woes through college and the pros, but it’s time for some good fortune to come to one of them.

Beanie Wells is still on the PUP list. The issue at hand has remained confidential, and Ken Whisenhunt has stated they do not expect Wells to even begin practicing for a couple more weeks. The fact that Wells has not participated in any drills has to raise concerns for expected early season fantasy performance. That opens the door for Ryan Williams to start the year off strong, and gain an advantage in the split backfield. Williams is going to sit out the first preseason Hall of Fame game against New Orleans, but is expected to get carries against Kansas City.

Arizona’s offense was putrid last season but still favorable in the running back department. With the distrust at quarterback they force feed the running back. An offensive trait Whisenhunt has carried over from Pittsburgh to Arizona. Over the course of the year from an injury standpoint, Williams is the home run threat versus Wells who is more of a power back.

If you use a draft strategy where you decide to jump on receivers or quarterbacks early, you’re going to be probing endlessly in desperation for a sleeper at running back. Williams should produce for you in deeper leagues and in standard leagues become a fantasy starter inserted a minimum of five to eight games. That’s even if Wells is fine and starts off the year with shared carries with Williams. Gamble on Williams and roll the dice for value for the long haul of the 2012 season.

By Vidur Malik

notjustagame23@gmail.com

As the playoff time begins, it’s important to solidify your backups in case your starters get some late-season rest. This will probably be the case for those of you who have Frank Gore on your team, as he hasn’t been at full-strength for a while.

Fortunately, his backup Kendall Hunter should provide some production, and you should consider picking him up. The Niners already locked up the NFC West and are now playing for playoff seeding, so even though their games are still meaningful, Gore doesn’t necessarily need to have big days these last few weeks. He’s been the team’s workhorse for several seasons now, but Hunter showed he is a capable runner himself this season.

Hunter’s stats aren’t impressive (82 carries for 322 yards and two touchdowns), but he has made the most of his chances during his rookie season, and when Gore was struggling early this year, there was even talk of Hunter cutting into Gore’s carries. Gore ultimately proved he could handle a starter’s workload, but Hunter has still gotten consistent reps and has caught 11 passes for 149 yards, demonstrating that he can use his quickness as a receiver as well.

Hunter has probably not made many headlines on the national scene, but you should capitalize on that and pick him up if he is available in your league. Chances are Gore will not receive 20 carries a game, and any reps he doesn’t get should go to Hunter. He’s solidified himself as the No. 2 running back in San Francisco, and his value should be at its peak now that the 49er starters could rest in preparation for the playoffs.

One of the most challenging aspects of the fantasy playoffs is figuring out which starters to bench. If Gore is on your team, read up on his updates and pick up Hunter as insurance. If Gore looks like he’ll play, you’ve still got one of the league’s best on your team. If he doesn’t play, you’ll put yourself in the best position to get points he would normally pick up by starting Hunter.