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Cunningham’s effortless 98′ season, quickly vanished in 1999

On this father’s day I thought what better day to release my first installment of fantasy quarterback rankings. The same veteran quarterbacks are expected to lead the way in 2014. Much like in 1999, another year dominated by expected veteran quarterbacks, is there a steep decline coming?

In that year prolific quarterbacks suddenly became too old in a span of weeks. Quarterbacks like Steve Young, Randall Cunningham, Troy Aikman, Dan Marino, and a few others saw the door on their careers suddenly come to a screeching halt. Marino’s was by age, but Aikman, Young, and Cunningham had injuries that ravaged their old bodies.

Keep in mind Randall Cunningham was coming off a career year in 1998 with an aerial assault weekly with Randy Moss and Cris Carter. It’s still truly one of the most free flowing seasons a quarterback has had in the last 25 years. Each game Cunningham seemed to be connected.

It was a tough time in the NFL watching the old quarterbacks exit and a new breed of quarterbacks enter. Many failed, Akili Smith, Tim Couch, Cade McNown, and a long list of others.

Keep that in mind when drafting the top veteran quarterbacks with high picks. None are invincible. Here is my first rankings of quarterbacks for the 2014 season.

1. Colin Kaepernick
I fully expect Kaepernick to be outrank current prognostications with this forth coming season. People and fantasy owners expected too much out of the young quarterback last year. Now with a full year under his belt, Kaepernick is going to demonstrate why the 49ers are poised to take that next step. His blazing speed is not going anywhere. The true surge of his fantasy value will come via his improvement of studying the 49ers playbook and working with his wide receivers.

2. Aaron Rodgers
From a handicapping standpoint I profiled that Rogers and the Packers could be in trouble this season. Many are high on them, but I believe they will fall short again. From a fantasy football standpoint there is no doubt that Rodgers will continue to excel; barring any injuries.

3. Andrew Luck
This should be the season that Luck supplants the veteran trio that has been dominating the top five of fantasy football (Brees, Brady, Manning). I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Colts unveil more designated rollouts and quarterback keepers. He has the legs to cause havoc in proper open space. The ceiling still hasn’t been met from Luck, and likely won’t for a few more seasons.

4. Peyton Manning
I have my doubts with Manning this season. He has now completed two seasons as a Bronco after a full year off from surgery. People have quickly forgotten how much rehab Manning had to endure to get back on the field. In fact he had a return stretch where it looked like his arm may never get back to full strength (3 INT’s vs Falcons, etc.) But he shook that rust off and hasn’t looked back. He still has the mental fortitude to shape wins for the Broncos, but has the script been written by the Seahawks? They took away the quick check downs and that was it for Denver. More and more teams may start being more aggressive with an aging Manning.

5. Drew Brees
Will the Saints keep marching in? I was impressed with Brees last season more than any other top performing quarterback. The reason for that was because the Saints had an unusual unreliable offensive system. Whether it was at running back or even receiver, Drew Brees really did not have that main weapon besides Jimmy Graham. Graham truly made the difference in his season. Expect Brees to hold steady as a middle of the pack top ten fantasy quarterback.

6. Nick Foles
Chip Kelly made one of the more gutsy moves last year by pulling the plug on Mike Vick. Many coaches would have let a quarterback controversy roll over into the next season. Instead Vick was allowed to sign as a free agent elsewhere, and the Eagles didn’t have to fork out a heavy amount of money on a quarterback. They know who their starter is in Foles. Many want to label Foles as a system quarterback—so be it. He’ll keep getting the job done.

7. Tom Brady
Brady has kept himself in outstanding shape to further prolong his career the proper way. Some keep themselves in shape to just get by, but Brady believes he is in the best shape of his career. Judging by his body weight he looks to be telling the truth. Something Donovan McNabb could not accomplish in his mid 30’s. Brady is no longer that weekly dominating fantasy quarterback. He’ll have a few duds of low yardage or low touchdown numbers. He keeps his top ten ranking with his steadiness of reliability.

8. Cam Newton
Newton somehow dodged a fantasy bust label with a strong finish to the season. Through the first half of the year though he was looking like a nightmare in Charlotte. Rumors were swirling that the Panthers could be looking for the next option at quarterback along with axing Ron Rivera. They turned things around as a team and did so with a very basic offense. It’ll be interesting to see if they keep things going in that direction. Newton is a borderline top twelve to fourteen quarterback with his arm, but his legs catapult his worth as a top ten quarterback.

9. RG3
The Redskins ran a gauntlet attack last season. Their wide open offense did not produce wins, but kept fantasy owners happy. RG3 has been away from the spotlight this offseason, unlike last year. Hopefully his focus has not deviated. He has the talent to rise above his critics and respond similar to the way Lebron James did in Miami. The Redskins decision to rest RG3 the last two games could prove to be one of the best moves not getting constant media attention.

10. Matt Ryan
Ryan had one of those inevitable seasons that all quarterbacks have happen. Atlanta had been side stepping issues at running back for too long. The addition of Steven Jackson just was not enough. The year was further compounded by endless injuries to the Falcons receivers. A bounce back season should be in-store in the toughest division in football for Matty ice. DeVaunte Smith could end up being a welcome addition for Matt.

Others
11. Russ Wilson
12. Philip Rivers
13. Tony Romo
14. Ryan Tannehill
15. Matt Stafford
16. Jay Cutler
17. Ben Roethlisberger
18. Johnny Manziel
19. Andy Dalton
20. Sam Bradford
21. Alex Smith
22. Joe Flacco
23. Eli Manning
24. Carson Palmer
25. EJ Manuel
26. Jake Locker
27. Ryan Fitzpatrick
28. Josh McCown
29. Mike Vick
30. Matt Schaub
31. Matt Cassel
32. Chad Henne
32.

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What type of fantasy owner are you when it comes to receivers? Three roster starting spots are vital on a given week, and you need to plan accordingly. But do not be one of those owners that has drafts to have limitless options. You do not want to have six or seven receivers on your fantasy roster. Draft to fulfill needs and draft strong but try to keep your wide receiver depth at five. That way you are not being burden with too many tough decisions for your third receiver starting spot on Sunday. If you have to pick out of four receivers to select for your third starting spot on Sunday, that’s just a 25 percent chance of picking the right guy.

I’d rather have to make that decision between three guys. You can analyze the matchups better and should make more of an appropriate decision. Nothing is worse than having one of your bench wide receivers go off on a given weekend. It just creates more of an indecisive move for you the following week. Automatically inserting that receiver the next week causes a tailspin of inputting the wrong receiver as he puts up a dud performance. Stick with your guns and limit your options. You’ll get a better result and if worse comes to worse, do a proper trade to upgrade instead of working with poor depth.
Here are updated wide receiver rankings for August 23rd.

1. Calvin Johnson
2. AJ Green
3. Dez Bryant
4. Larry Fitzgerald
5. Julio Jones
6. Brandon Marshall
7. DeMaryius Thomas
8. Andre Johnson
9. Randall Cobb
10. Reggie Wayne
11. Victor Cruz
12. Roddy White
13. Mike Wallace
14. Torrey Smith
15. Hakeem Nicks
16. Danny Amendola
17. Dwayne Bowe
18. Eric Decker
19. DeSean Jackson
20. Jordy Nelson
21. Marques Colston
22. Steve Smith
23. Antonio Brown
24. Pierre Garcon
25. Mike Wallace
26. Wes Welker
27. Greg Jennings
28. TY Hilton
29. Cecil Shorts
30. Golden Tate
31. James Jones
32. Stevie Johnson
33. Michael Floyd
34. Miles Austin
35. Tavon Austin
36. Lance Moore
37. Chris Givens
38. Josh Gordon
39. Sidney Rice
40. Anquan Boldin
41. Emmanuel Sanders
42. Alshon Jeffrey
43. Mohamed Sanu
44. Kenny Britt
45. Brian Hartline
46. Rod Streater
47. Reuben Randle
48. Santonio Holmes
49. Brandon Gibson
50. Jacoby Jones
51. Justin Blackmon
52. Andre Roberts
53. Malcolm Floyd
54. Darrius Heyward-Bey
55. Brandon LaFell
56. Denarius Moore
57. Riley Cooper
58. Ryan Broyles
59. Kenbrell Thompkins
60. Aaron Dobson
61. Cordarrelle Paterson
62. Robert Woods
63. Greg Little
64. Kendall Wright
65. Keenan Allen

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Yesterday was the debut of the first installment of quarterback rankings. Today here are the top forty before mini-camps start. Running backs have the biggest shifts of anyone throughout the season, due to the plethora of system backfields in the NFL. A guy buried in preseason camps can rise suddenly to getting a share of the load, or even taking over due to a main injury like CJ Spiller did last season.

*Fading*- Frank Gore-

Credit Gore for his overall durability over the years. We all know though the time shelf of a running back is limited. We’ve seen the best of the best over the last ten years succumb to the wall of wear and tear and running back age. Gore will be no different. Expect a decline in production this year and for the 49ers to realize Gore is not the main focus of the offense anymore. Something they discovered during portions of last season.

*Mr. Consistent (in terms of value)*- Reggie Bush

Bush is one of those fantasy draft day players that falls in almost every draft. No one wants the old Brian Westbrook type, especially one that has an uneven amount of carries each week. The disparity of carries and workload from Bush drives down his value draft day. He more than makes up for it with his big play abilities and double digit production fantasy games. He will be a bigger threat in a Detroit Lions offense than he was in Miami. Look for him to do things he should of done while a Saint.

*Ranked Too High*- CJ Spiller

Spiller finally burst onto the scene last year after years of Bills fans waiting. He has always had the home run ability and the Bills let him run wild last year with their poor quarterback play from Ryan Fitzpatrick. That and no defense could stop him. He is not a guy that is going to carry the load twenty times a game, and therefore I believe his ranking as a top three fantasy back is artificial.

1. Adrian Peterson
2. Jamaal Charles
3. Doug Martin
4. Arian Foster
5. LeSean McCoy
6. Alfred Morris
7. Ray Rice
8. Trent Richardson
9. Marshawn Lynch
10. CJ Spiller
11. Chris Johnson
12. Matt Forte
13. Steven Jackson
14. David Wilson
15. Darren McFadden
16. MJD
17. DeMarco Murray
18. Reggie Bush
19. Le’Veon Bell
20. Frank Gore
21. Stevan Ridley
22. Chris Ivory
23. Ryan Matthews
24. Darren Sproles
25. Jonathan Stewart
26. Lamar Miller
27. Eddie Lacy
28. BenJarvus Green-Ellis
29. Vick Ballard
30. Montee Ball
31. Mark Ingram
32. Rashard Mendenhall
33. Bryce Brown
34. Mikel LeShoure
35. Andre Brown
36. DeAngelo Williams
37. Giovani Bernard
38. Fred Jackson
39. Ryan Williams
40. Shane Vereen

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Bye Weeks: Detroit, Dallas, Tampa Bay, and Oakland

Who will be the big play wide receivers in week five? Atlanta has shown to have the best duo at wide receiver. A big reason for that is because of Hakeem Nicks injury woes. Denver though is quietly having a tandem of their own succeed in Eric Decker and DeMaryius Thomas.

Will Greg Jennings get back on the field soon enough to get the Packers passing attack back in the top ranks? That remains to be seen but here are week five’s wide receiver rankings based on matchups.

1. Roddy White
2. AJ Green
3. Larry Fitzgerald
4. Andre Johnson
5. DeMaryius Thomas
6. Brandon Marshall
7. Jordy Nelson
8. DeSean Jackson
9. Torrey Smith
10. Victor Cruz
11. Wes Welker
12. Julio Jones
13. Mike Wallace
14. Eric Decker
15. Michael Crabtree
16. Anquan Boldin
17. Dwayne Bowe
18. Steve Smith
19. Reggie Wayne
20. Antonio Brown
21. Brandon Lloyd
22. Pierre Garcon
23. Marques Colston
24. Brian Hartline
25. Percy Harvin
26. Justin Blackmon
27. Sidney Rice
28. Danny Amendola
29. Malcolm Floyd
30. Ramses Barden
31. James Jones
32. Jeremy Maclin
33. Lance Moore
34. Alshon Jeffrey
35. Leonard Hankerson
36. Davone Bess
37. Kevin Walter
38. Andre Roberts
39. Nate Washington
40. Brandon Lafell
41. Andrew Hawkins
42. Greg Little
43. Donnie Avery
44. Jerome Simpson
45. Randy Moss
46. Chaz Schilens
47. Robert Meachem
48. Donald Jones
49. Jon Baldwin
50. Kendall Wright