PRE SEASON FANTASY FOOTBALL PPR (QB, RB, WR) TOP 30

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Fantasy Football PPR Pre Season Top 30

(RB1, QB4 etc. are showing the order at each position, and how many of each I have ranked)

This list is my early rankings of the top 30 players out of the QB, RB and WR positions. I will evaluate the TE position soon, and will include them into my overall rankings next Saturday. I generally play in a 10 to 12 team league, and find that this list can also act as a 3 Round Mock, which is why I have it separated after every 10 picks.

1. Lesean McCoy RB1 – Was a TD machine, plays in a loaded offense and will produce in the receiving category.

2. Arian Foster RB2 – Same as above, I figure these two will both be taken 1st in many leagues.

3. Ray Rice RB3 – Rice has been very consistent and is easily the best player on his offense.

4. Aaron Rodgers QB1 – The 1st QB. Rodgers has proved his consistency, and can get you points through the air and on the ground.

5. Maurice Jones Drew RB4 – Similar to Rice, MJD was a beast last year leading the league in rushing. You have to wonder about his durability with the amount of carries he gets every year, but he should be a lock for 1700 total yards and 10-15 td’s.

7. Matt Forte RB5 – Forte is one of the last ‘ sure things ‘ at the RB position, and is now in a very talented offense with Cutler and the addition of Brandon Marshall. Cutler should target Marshall often and open up even more room for Forte this season.

8. Calvin Johnson WR1 – Calvin Johnson has raised himself to one of the elite players regardless of any position in the league. Pros: TD’s, lots of targets and his playmaking ability. Cons: Just got paid, Madden curse. He should be the first WR taken in most drafts.

9. Adrian Peterson RB6 – Peterson would be above of Forte and probably make a case for being taken 1st overall if he hadn’t injured his knee. I have him placed here due to my skepticism about his health, but he could wind up being a steal at the end of round 1.

10. Andre Johnson WR2 – Before last season he was averaging about 100 catches and 1450 yards a season for the prior 3 years. He has yet to be a double digit TD producer, but as long as him and Schaub are healthy he should get back to that level.

Value Watch: 6 RB’s taken, 2 QB’s, 2 WR’s

11. Marshawn Lynch RB7 – Lynch ended the last half of the season on a tear, and was a TD scoring machine. The Seahawks recently acquired Matt Flynn and should have Sidney Rice back healthy, which are both good things for Lynch. He isn’t a big receiving option, but if he can produce 1500 total yards and 12-15 td’s he will be worth taking.

12. Darren McFadden RB8 – It’s always boom or bust with McFadden. In 2010 he showed us what he’s capeable of with 1600 total yards and 10 td’s, yet let everyone down last year. If he can stay healthy, he is the Raiders offense, and without Michael Bush, he should have the opportunity to make alot of plays this year.

13. Michael Turner RB9 – Turners had back to back 1300 yard rushing seasons, and is just a few years removed from a 1,699 yard season. He also has had more than 10 td’s 4 years in a row. If this wasn’t a PPR league, he’d be rated higher, but he doesn’t factor into the passing offense very often.

14. Wes Welker WR3 – Welker gets catches, and last year showed he can get in the end zone. With 122, 1,569 and 9 TD’s, you could argue him being ahead of Andre Johnson. He’s Brady’s #1, and he could even be higher than this.

15. Cam Newton QB4 – Newton blew up last year. I was one of the people fortunate enough to snag him up in Free Agency after nobody drafted him. 4,700 total yards and 35 total TD’s. That’s elite production, and in an offense with 2 good running backs, defenses shouldn’t be able to key on Steve Smith, the only question is if he can duplicate the 14 rushing TD’s last year.

16. Tom Brady QB5 - 

17. Roddy White WR4

18. Mike Wallace WR5

19. Brandon Marshall WR6

20. Ryan Matthews RB10

 

21. Larry Fitzgerald WR7

22. AJ Green WR8

23. Matt Stafford QB5

24. Phillip Rivers QB6

25. Jamaal Charles RB11

26. Mike Vick QB7

27. Victor Cruz WR9

28. Reggie Bush RB12

29. Trent Richardson RB13

30. Eli Manning QB8

J-E-T-S: Seperation of Church and State, Tebow to NY

Anyone hear NFL Network Reporter slip up and call Mark Sanchez, Mark Sancho? Hilarious. Anyways, news of the day now that the Manning Sweepstakes are over, the Jets finalized a deal with Denver that sends Tim Tebow to New York for a 4th and 6th round draft pick. Seems reasonable, seeing as Tebow’s value reportedly will only be that of an H-Back or Wildcat formation option. That being said Tebow carries a rather hefty price tag if he truly is to be used in such a limited fashion.

Apparently Tim and Mark Sanchez spoke earlier today, and have been close friends in the last few years. If Sanchez feels the least bit scorned by this, we may never know. Sanchez was placed in a similar situation as Alex Smith when the Jets showed interest in signing Peyton Manning. Yet, they followed that up once they were out of the race, with a 3 year contract extension. Not exactly the deal you want if you hope to be the franchise QB.

So where does Tebow fit in? He’s proved that he can win games in the NFL as a starting QB, albeit with the often criticized style of play he has. He’s won a playoff game. He clearly has shown SOME potential, yet nobody, including John Elway seems to believe in him as a quarterback with the skills to lead a championship caliber team. So what are the Jets saying about this?

“He’s a competitor. He’s a winner,” Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum said. “When you can add a player and a person like him, from our standpoint from working it over internally with our staff, with [owner Woody] Johnson, we felt there was a certain value we’d put on it. It was an unexpected opportunity and, again as you guys know, when there are opportunities we’ll evaluate them thoroughly and to add a dynamic playmaker we’re really excited about it.”

“Mark Sanchez is, has been and will be our starting quarterback,” Tannenbaum said. “We’re adding Tim to be our backup quarterback and to play in other roles and packages.”

Apparently Tannenbaum felt the need to actually call Mark Sanchez and reiterate the fact that he had faith in him as the starter. Interesting. Yet, the points he made of what Tebow brings to this franchise are valid. Yet, I don’t know if Tebow has quite earned the label ” dynamic playmaker ”. The Jets are planning on using Tebow in the Wildcat, and out of the backfield, probably in motion as well. Tebow showcased legitimate running ability with the Broncos, especially in Red Zone situations.

Now if Sanchez goes down, or if he plays poorly enough, do the other formations go out the window? Does Tebow become the new starting QB, running the same offense? That will remain to be seen, but one thing is for sure, Tebow will be competitive behind Sanchez, and in my opinion Sanchez is treading on some sort of slippery surface, I wouldn’t call it thin ice yet, but maybe a thicker version.

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/jets/plan_to_use_in_wildcat_vow_no_qb_uINEwbcZiLHx2UW2nhbZ0O#ixzz1ppgE9wCN

2012 NFL Free Agency – Why Peyton Made Denver the Pick

2012 NFL free agency — Peyton Manning picks Denver Broncos; Tim Tebow to be traded? – ESPN.

This is old news by now. But since I’m just getting this blog going, I can’t help but comment on the biggest Free Agent signing of the year. Peyton decided to join forces with John Elway in signing with the Denver Broncos, effectively de-Christianize-ing the entire state of Colorado by putting Tim Tebow’s future with the team in doubt.

Let’s take a look at the other 2 finalists in the Manning sweepstakes, why he may have passed them up, and why I personally feel they made more sense

San Francisco 49ers

Why it made more sense?

Easy. The 49ers made the NFC Championship Game with Alex Smith at Quarterback, had the #1 Defense, and are boasting an offense full of threats with Michael Crabtree, Vernon Davis, Frank Gore, and the new signings of Mario Manningham and Randy Moss. Straight cash homie.

Why he passed them up?

Early on in the Manning sweepstakes, I was watching NFL Network and heard Marshall Faulk ( a good friend of Peyton’s ) make mention of the fact that Peyton will go with an AFC team because him and Eli have goals of a Manning SuperBowl. I can understand that being a major goal, or that maybe they wouldn’t want to get in the way of one another making a SuperBowl appearance. Obviously, with San Fran even being in the running, Peyton knew that the offer of playing for the 49ers may have given him the best chance to win, regardless of them being in the NFC. In the end though, Peyton said it was an extremely hard decision, and maybe the ManningBowl was just enough reason for him to eliminate the team as an option, that, and the long move to the West Coast.

Tennesee Titans

Why it made more sense?

Before the 49ers were reported as working Peyton out, I thought the Titans were the clear favorite. Everything adds up perfectly for Peyton in Tennesee to finish his career. He was the QB for the Tennesee Volunteers, a local college hero. On top of that, his wife is from Tennesee as well. He’s 35, going on 36, and obviously aware of the fact that whoever he signed with was who he will end his career with. It’s the closest to home of any of the teams for him. Great family decision. The other big factor was being in the AFC South, a weak division at the moment, and one he knows better than any division in the NFL. The chance to take on the Colts twice a year and show Andrew Luck a thing or two would have garnered mainstream attention every time they faced eachother. The team also has some offensive weapons with Chris Johnson and Kenny Britt.

Why he passed them up?

Before Manning entered the FA market, the Tennesee Titans were a team in a slight rebuilding mode. They had just drafted Jake Locker the year before with a high pick, and already had a veteran QB in Matt Hasselbeck. Peyton mentioned his least favorite part of this process was seeing his friends at Quarterback potentially have their jobs in limbo, depending on where he signed. Maybe Peyton and Matt are friends, maybe Peyton recognizes he’s in the final years there and didn’t want to potentially end his buddies career as a starting QB in the NFL. Maybe not. In the end, I think Peyton assessed the direction the team was heading, and realized that the team was not as close to winning as Denver was.

So why Denver

All in all, Denver DOES make sense. It is kind of a best of both world’s compared to San Francisco and Tennesee. He stays in the AFC, doesn’t have the talent San Fran has, but goes to a team that is closer to winning now than Tennesee is. There is no doubt John Elway played a major part in influencing Peyton. Imagine if Michael Jordan was the GM for the Bulls and Lebron was a free-agent. Wouldn’t the feeling of joining a team led by one of your childhood hero’s, one of the greatest in the game, be pretty overwhelming? I can’t help but think that connection had some part in his decision.