TheDailyBlitz.com

Not only did Drew Brees become the first player to have two 5,000-yard seasons, but this time he broke Dan Marino's previous single-season record of 5,084 passing yards.

In fact, he shattered it.

The Saints quarterback threw for 5,476 as he broke the record in his 15th game of the season. Brees broke a number of other records this year including completions (468), completion percentage (71.2 percent) and 300-yard games (13).

In his two postseason games this year, Brees threw the second- and third-most yards ever in a playoff game after Cleveland's Bernie Kosar. Brees completed 73 of 106 passes for 928 yards, seven touchdowns and two interceptions in those two games.

If you include the playoffs, Brees threw for 6,404 yards, 53 touchdowns and 16 interceptions in 18 games this year.

That said, he's unlikely to win the league's MVP award.

In my predictions of postseason awards a month ago, I thought Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers would win the MVP and Brees would win the Offensive Player of the Year award, which is the way it turned out.

It made sense.

Brees was more prolific, Rodgers was more efficient.

Rodgers was nearly perfect this season.

Although 15 quarterbacks threw more pass attempts than Rodgers (502), no quarterback had more fantasy points. Rodgers set the NFL record for passer rating (122.5) and broke the franchise record for passing touchdowns (45) while throwing a career low of six interceptions as a starter.

Here are some more notes on quarterbacks:

- As Rodgers sat out, Packers backup quarterback Matt Flynn set the franchise record with 480 passing yards and six touchdowns against the Lions in the regular-season finale. With the Dolphins naming Joe Philbin, who was the Packers offensive coordinator as their new head coach, the Flynn-to-Miami speculation has begun for the soon-to-be free-agent signalcaller.

- Brees wasn't the only 5,000-yard passer this season. New England's Tom Brady (5,235) and Detroit's Matthew Stafford (5,038) both reached the 5,000-yard milestone and New York's Eli Manning, Super Bowl XLVI MVP, just missed it by 67 yards.

- After playing only 13 games in his first two seasons, Stafford played a full 16-game season, was named AP Comeback Player of the Year and led the Lions to their first playoff appearance since the 1999 season. Perhaps with better health for their running backs (Mikel LeShoure, Jahvid Best, Kevin Smith, etc.) next year, Stafford will throw a few less times. That said, he threw a league-high 663 times, which is the third-highest in league history after Drew Bledsoe (691 in 1994) and Peyton Manning (679 in 2010).

- One of the biggest wildcards going into the 2012 season will be the status/health of Peyton Manning, who missed the entire season with his neck injury. Manning is due a $28 million roster bonus on March 8th. Not only are the Colts are virtually guaranteed of drafting Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck with the first overall pick in this year's draft, they are expected to release Manning as well.

- Panthers quarterback Cam Newton had a record-setting rookie campaign and ran away with the Offensive Rookie of the Year award (see past winners). Not only did Newton break the record for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback (14), he became the first player in NFL history to throw for 4,000-plus yards (4,051) and run for 700-plus yards (706).

- Similar to Newton as a dual-threat quarterback, Philadelpia's Michael Vick had a disappointing season. Not only did Vick miss three games and fail to reach 4,000 total yards (3,303 passing yards and 589 rushing yards), but he ran for only one touchdowns. In 2010, Vick ran for nine touchdowns. With his size and style of play, Vick will always have a higher-than-average risk of injury (missing games), but fantasy owners have the potential to reap huge returns on a per-game basis.

- Although he did not become the team's starting quarterback until Week 7, Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow had the second-most rush attempts (122) and rushing yards (660) at the quarterback position this year. Counting his two postseason starts, however, Tebow threw for 200-plus yards only three times and had less than 100 passing yards in two starts.

- Tampa's Josh Freeman regressed considerably in his third season. After posting a 25:6 touchdown-to-interception ratio in 2010, Freeman threw only 16 touchdowns and a league-worst 22 interceptions.

- Rams quarterback Sam Bradford, the No. 1 overall pick in 2010, missed six games last year, but he struggled when he was on the field. Bradford's completion percentage dropped from 60.0 percent in 2010 to 53.5 percent in 2011 and he threw only six touchdowns in the 10 games he played last year. While the Rams will likely lose Brandon Lloyd via free agency, many mock drafts have the Rams taking Oklahoma State wide receiver Justin Blackmon, the back-to-back Biletnikoff winner.

- Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan threw a few less passes in 2011 (566) than he did in 2010 (571), but he set career highs in passing yards (4,177) and touchdowns (29). Although Ryan threw more interceptions this year than last, he had a 20:4 touchdown-to-interception ratio after the bye and it's expected that the Falcons will transition to becoming more of a passing offense.

Here are our 2012 fantasy football quarterback rankings:

1. Aaron Rodgers, Packers
2. Drew Brees, Saints
3. Tom Brady, Patriots
4. Cam Newton, Panthers
5. Matthew Stafford, Lions
6. Tony Romo, Cowboys
7. Philip Rivers, Chargers
8. Eli Manning, Giants
9. Michael Vick, Eagles
10. Matt Schaub, Texans
11. Matt Ryan, Falcons
12. Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers
13. Tim Tebow, Broncos
14. Peyton Manning, Colts (soon-to-be free agent?)
15. Andy Dalton, Bengals
16. Jay Cutler, Bears
17. Joe Flacco, Ravens
18. Josh Freeman, Buccaneers
19. Ryan Fitzpatrick, Bills
20. Carson Palmer, Raiders
21. Matt Moore, Dolphins
22. Mark Sanchez, Jets
23. Alex Smith, 49ers
24. Matt Cassel, Chiefs
25. Sam Bradford, Rams

Note: We excluded rookies from our rankings and will include them after the 2012 NFL Draft in April.

More 2012 Rankings: RBs - WRs - TEs

2012 NFL Mock Drafts: Kevin Hanson - Brendan Donahue - Our Mock Draft Database

To keep track of our updates, follow @EDSFootball on Twitter and/or "like" us on Facebook.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 06:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Jaguars had the league's worst-ranked offense, which makes what running back Maurice Jones-Drew did all that more impressive.

Jacksonville averaged only 259.3 yards per game of total offense, but that was primarily due to their deficiencies in the passing game. The Jaguars averaged only 136.2 passing yards per game in 2011.

Despite having to face many eight-men fronts, Jones-Drew led the NFL in rushing with 1,606 yards. And perhaps more impressively, he became the first running back in league history to rush for at least 80 yards in 15 of 16 games.

Along with Atlanta's Michael Turner, MJD was one of only two running backs to go over 300 carries. MJD had a league-high 343 carries, which is the fourth-most over the past five seasons.

Here are some more notes on running backs:

- Ravens running back Ray Rice set career highs in rushing yards (1,364) and receiving yards (704) plus he scored a total of 15 touchdowns, which shatters his previous career high of eight. Rice has three straight seasons with 1,200-plus rushing yards and 500-plus receiving yards and 60-plus receptions.

- Broncos running back Willis McGahee, who turned 30 in October, was one yard shy of 1,200 yards for the third time in his career and the first time since 2007. That said, he had a career low in rushing touchdowns (four) last year.

- Seattle running back Marshawn Lynch finished the season with 1,204 rushing yards and 212 receiving yards with 13 total touchdowns last year. He was particularly tough from Week 9 on. He rushed for 100-plus yards six times in his final nine games including against the 49ers, the league's top-ranked run defense.

- In the 11 games he finished, Bears running back Matt Forte was an absolute stud. During those 11 games, he had 985 rushing yards and 490 receiving yards on 52 receptions and he was on pace for 2,145 yards from scrimmage for the season.

- Despite missing three games, Houston's Arian Foster carried the ball 278 times for 1,224 yards and 10 touchdowns and had 53 receptions for 617 yards. Counting the postseason, Foster had nine 100-yard rushing games and three 100-yard receiving games in 15 games last year. Through the postseason, Foster has 656 carries for 3,125 yards and 29 touchdowns plus 127 receptions for 1,272 yards and four touchdowns in 31 games over the past two seasons.

- Foster's teammate Ben Tate finished with 942 rushing yards and 98 receiving yards. Tate rushed for 100-plus yards four times last year.

- Philadelphia's LeSean McCoy, the Eagles' second-round pick in 2009, set career highs in carries (273), rushing yards (1,309) and rushing touchdowns (17). McCoy sat out Week 17, but he scored at least one touchdown in every game he played except for Weeks 11 and 16.

- Miami's Reggie Bush nearly doubled his previous career high with 1,086 rushing yards on 216 carries. Like McCoy, Bush sat out Week 17. Before that, Bush rushed for 100-plus yards in four straight games and no running back had more rushing yards than Bush (519) during that four-game span.

- From Weeks 7 to 12, no running back had more rushing yards than Cowboys rookie DeMarco Murray (761). (Rams running back Steven Jackson (593) had the second most during that span.)

- Three elite running backs are coming off torn ACLs: Minnesota's Adrian Peterson, Kansas City's Jamaal Charles and Pittsburgh's Rashard Mendenhall. Of the three, Charles' injury happened the earliest (Week 2), which gives him the best chance to be ready for opening day.

- Jets running back Shonn Greene set career highs across the board: carries (253), rushing yards (1,054) and touchdowns (six) in addition to receptions (30) and receiving yards (211). That said, Greene was mostly mediocre aside from a two-game span in Weeks 13/14: 46 carries for 217 yards and four TDs plus six receptions for 84 yards.

- Speaking of mediocre, Titans running back Chris Johnson had a lackluster season with the exception of a four-game span. Johnson rushed for a total of 486 yards and had three of his four 100-yard games of the season during that stretch. In the other 12 games, however, Johnson had 177 carries for 561 yards (3.17 yards per carry) and one rushing touchdown.

- For the third straight season, Bengals running back Cedric Benson has rushed for more than 1,000 yards. That said, only three backs have had more carries than Benson (895) over the past three seasons. Both Brendan Donahue (see his mock) and I (see my mock) have the Bengals using one of their two first-round picks on a running back.

- In the final six games of the season, the Redskins had five 100-yard rushing games by rookie running backs. Roy Helu, their fourth-round pick, had three of them and Evan Royster, a sixth-round pick, had two of them.

- Only four players had more rushing touchdowns than New England's BenJarvus Green-Ellis (11). Of the players with double-digit rushing touchdowns, The Law Firm had the fewest rushing yards (667), by far.

Based on standard scoring (i.e., not point-per-reception (PPR) scoring), here are our 2012 fantasy football running backs rankings:

1. Ray Rice, Ravens
2. Arian Foster, Texans
3. LeSean McCoy, Eagles
4. Maurice Jones-Drew, Jaguars
5. Matt Forte, Bears
6. Marshawn Lynch, Seahawks
7. Ryan Mathews, Chargers
8. Darren McFadden, Raiders
9. Chris Johnson, Titans
10. Jamaal Charles, Chiefs
11. DeMarco Murray, Cowboys
12. Steven Jackson, Rams
13. Frank Gore, 49ers
14. Michael Turner, Falcons
15. Fred Jackson, Bills
16. Adrian Peterson, Vikings
17. Ahmad Bradshaw, Giants
18. Michael Bush, Raiders
19. Darren Sproles, Saints
20. Reggie Bush, Dolphins
21. Roy Helu, Redskins
22. Willis McGahee, Broncos
23. Shonn Greene, Jets
24. Beanie Wells, Cardinals
25. Mark Ingram, Saints
26. C.J. Spiller, Bills
27. LeGarrette Blount, Buccaneers
28. Cedric Benson, Bengals
29. Rashard Mendenhall, Steelers
30. DeAngelo Williams, Panthers
31. Jonathan Stewart, Panthers
32. Peyton Hillis, Browns
33. Ben Tate, Texans
34. BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Patriots
35. Jahvid Best, Lions
36. Brandon Jacobs, Giants
37. Pierre Thomas, Saints
38. Kevin Smith, Lions
39. Toby Gerhart, Vikings
40. Donald Brown, Colts
41. Daniel Thomas, Dolphins
42. Ryan Williams, Cardinals

Note: We excluded rookies from our rankings and will include them after the 2012 NFL Draft in April.

More 2012 Rankings: QBs - WRs - TEs

2012 NFL Mock Drafts: Kevin Hanson - Brendan Donahue - Our Mock Draft Database

To keep track of our updates, follow @EDSFootball on Twitter and/or "like" us on Facebook.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 06:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Detroit's Calvin Johnson had some (very) good seasons going into the 2011 season.

With elite size (6-5, 235 pounds) and athleticism, however, Megatron seemed capable of even more, especially with improved quarterback play. Not only did Matthew Stafford, the top overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft, stay healthy for 16 games, he is one of only (now) four quarterbacks in NFL history to throw for 5,000-plus yards.

Meanwhile, Johnson blew away his previous career highs. In 2011 (previous highs in parenthesis), Johnson had 96 receptions (78) for 1,681 yards (1,331) and 16 touchdowns (12).

Only six players in NFL history had more receiving yards in a season.

Before 2011, the last player(s) to finish with 1,600 yards in a season were Torry Holt and Randy Moss back in 2003. Plus, Moss and Johnson were the only two receivers to have at least 1,600 yards and 16 touchdowns in the same season.

Johnson had a little bit of dryspell from Weeks 10 to 14 -- no 100-yard games and only one touchdown in five games.

In his next (and final) four games counting the Lions' playoff loss, however, Megatron had three 200-yard games. During that four-game span, he had 36 receptions for 771 yards and six touchdowns!

Hands down, he goes into 2012 season as the clear No. 1 fantasy wide receiver and it's not close.

Here are some more notes on wide receivers:

- Based on data from Pro Football Reference, a player has reached 110-plus receptions 25 times in NFL history. Over the past five years, Patriots slot receiver Wes Welker has done it four of those 25 times. Welker finished with career highs in yards (1,569) and touchdowns (nine) and his 122 receptions was one shy of his previous career high.

- Rookie receivers A.J. Green and Julio Jones made big splashes as rookies despite a lack of an offseason to get acclimated to their respective offenses. Green became the first rookie to finish with at least 1,000 yards since Marques Colstson did in 2006. Jones had 54 receptions for 959 yards and eight touchdowns, but he missed three games and would have likely finished with more than 1,000 yards had he stayed healthy for all 16 games.

- The top rookie receiver in the 2012 NFL Draft is Oklahoma State receiver Justin Blackmon, who has won the Biletnikoff award in back-to-back seasons. During the past two seasons, Blackmon has tallied 232 receptions for 3,304 yards and 38 touchdowns.

[Related: Take our poll on whether Blackmon or another prospect will be the second pick in this year's draft.]

- After not catching a single pass in 2010, Giants receiver Victor Cruz burst onto the scene in Week 3 and finished the season with 1,536 receiving yards, which ranked him third in the NFL behind Megatron and Welker. In addition, it set a franchise record. Cruz had more receptions (82), yards (1,536) and touchdowns (nine) than Hakeem Nicks (76-1,192-7).

- Green Bay's Jordy Nelson had a huge performance in Super Bowl XLV and seemed poised to break out in 2011 with the possible barrier of too many talented passcatchers in the Packers offense. Like Cruz, Nelson was "snubbed" in not being named initially to the Pro Bowl. Nelson finished the season with 68 receptions for 1,263 yards and 15 touchdowns.

- Steelers second-year receiver Antonio Brown, the team's sixth-round pick in 2010, had a breakout season: 69 receptions for 1,108 yards but only two (receiving) touchdowns. If your league awards points for return yards, Brown ranked fifth in the NFL in kick return average (27.3 yards) and 10th in punt return average (10.8).

- Vikings receiver Percy Harvin set career highs in receptions (87) and receiving yards (967) and tied his career high in receiving touchdowns (six). Harvin was much better after the bye (56-633-6) than he was before it (31-334-0). From Week 10 to 17, only Atlanta's Roddy White (57) and Welker (56) had as many receptions as Harvin (56). In addition to his receiving stats, Harvin carried the ball 56 times for 345 yards and two touchdowns as well.

- Oakland's Darrius Heyward-Bey, the first wide receiver drafted in 2009, shattered his previous career highs with 64 receptions for 975 yards and four touchdowns. While there was an inexplicable two-game stretch with no receptions in the middle of the season, DHB finished strong: 21 receptions for 355 yards and two touchdowns in the final three weeks of the season.

- Colts receiver Pierre Garcon had only three games with double-digit fantasy points in 2011, however, none of them were for 10 to 19 fantasy points. Garcon had either 24-plus fantasy points (three times) or eight or less fantasy points (13 times).

- Carolina's Steve Smith had a bounce-back year and finished with 840 yards more than he had last year. Smith finished the season with 79 receptions for 1,394 yards and seven touchdowns. That said, Smith was much more productive in the eight games before the bye (46-918-4) than he was in the eight games after the bye (33-476-3).

- In the seven games starting with Week 13, Denver's Demaryius Thomas had 75-plus yards in six games including a 204-yard performance in the playoffs. During that seven-game span, Thomas had 35 receptions for 745 yards and four touchdowns.

- Cowboys receiver Laurent Robinson was a touchdown-scoring machine. From Weeks 8 to 17, Robinson scored all 11 of his touchdowns this season.

- Bucs receiver Mike Williams followed up his strong rookie season with a disappointing performance. While he had exactly 65 receptions in both seasons, he finished with only 771 yards (964 in 2010) and three touchdowns (11 in 2010) last year.

- Before tearing his ACL and MCL in the third game of the season, Titans receiver Kenny Britt had back-to-back 100-yard games to begin the year. In those two games, Britt totaled 14 receptions for 271 yards and three touchdowns. If there's anything positive with the injury, it happened early in the season, which gives him a better chance of being ready for the start of the 2012 season. That said, it usually takes a full season before a player returns back to pre-injury levels, if he does.

Based on standard scoring (i.e., not point-per-reception (PPR) scoring), here are our 2012 fantasy football wide receiver rankings:

1. Calvin Johnson, Lions
2. Andre Johnson, Texans
3. Hakeem Nicks, Giants
4. Larry Fitzgerald, Cardinals
5. Wes Welker, Patriots
6. Greg Jennings, Packers
7. Roddy White, Falcons
8. Mike Wallace, Steelers
9. A.J. Green, Bengals
10. Victor Cruz, Giants
11. Julio Jones, Falcons
12. Jordy Nelson, Packers
13. Brandon Marshall, Dolohins
14. Vincent Jackson, Chargers
15. Dez Bryant, Cowboys
16. Miles Austin, Cowboys
17. Percy Harvin, Vikings
18. Steve Smith, Panthers
19. Marques Colston, Saints
20. Jeremy Maclin, Eagles
21. Kenny Britt, Titans
22. Antonio Brown, Steelers
23. Dwayne Bowe, Chiefs
24. Steve Johnson, Bills
25. Demaryius Thomas, Broncos
26. Santana Moss, Redskins
27. Brandon Lloyd, Rams
28. Laurent Robinson, Cowboys
29. Denarius Moore, Raiders
30. Michael Crabtree, 49ers
31. DeSean Jackson, Eagles
32. Torrey Smith, Ravens
33. Mike Williams, Buccaneers
34. Reggie Wayne, Colts
35. Santonio Holmes, Jets
36. Pierre Garcon, Colts
37. Mario Manningham, Giants
38. Anquan Boldin, Ravens
39. Lance Moore, Saints
40. Darrius Heyward-Bey, Raiders
41. Sidney Rice, Seahawks
42. Malcom Floyd, Chargers
43. Johnny Knox, Bears
44. Eric Decker, Broncos
45. Titus Young, Lions
46. Jabar Gaffney, Redskins
47. Deion Branch, Patriots
48. Danny Amendola, Rams
49. Jacoby Ford, Raiders
50. Robert Meachem, Saints
51. Greg Little, Browns
52. Nate Washington, Titans

Note: We excluded rookies from our rankings and will include them after the 2012 NFL Draft in April.

More 2012 Rankings: QBs - RBs - TEs

2012 NFL Mock Drafts: Kevin Hanson - Brendan Donahue - Our Mock Draft Database

To keep track of our updates, follow @EDSFootball on Twitter and/or "like" us on Facebook.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 06:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

When you begin to discuss fantasy tight ends, the conversation has to start with a pair of second-year players that had the two best years anyone has ever had at that position from a statistical standpoint.

Although they finished sixth and seventh in the NFL in receiving yards, tight ends Rob Gronkowski and Jimmy Graham were two of only three players to finish with 90-plus receptions for 1,300-plus yards and double-digit touchdowns along with Lions receiver Calvin Johnson.

Gronkowski finished the season with 1,327 yards and 17 receiving touchdowns, both of which were single-season records for a tight end, on 90 receptions. Graham had more receptions (99) but slightly fewer yards (1,310) and less touchdowns (10).

Before a high-ankle sprain slowed down Gronkowski, both of them continued to roll in the postseason.

In two playoff games, Graham had 12 receptions for 158 yards and three touchdowns. Before suffering the high-ankle sprain, Gronkowski had 15 receptions for 232 yards and three touchdowns in his first two playoff games before Super Bowl XLVI.

How rare is the 90-1,300-10 season that both Graham and Gronkowski had?

Based on data from Pro Football Reference, it has happened 38 times in NFL history. In the previous three seasons, the only two players to reach those levels in the same season were Roddy White (2010) and Larry Fitzgerald (2008).

While Gronkowski and Graham are clearly at the top of the fantasy football tight end class, the position is as talented and productive as ever.

Here are some more notes on tight ends:

- Gronkowski's teammate Aaron Hernandez missed two games, but he still finished with 79 receptions for 910 yards and seven touchdowns. Based on his production of 65 yards per game, Hernandez would have likely given the Pats two 1,000-yard tight ends if he had played all 16 games. In addition, Hernandez was used as a rusher more frequently down the stretch.

- Eagles tight end Brent Celek got off to a slow start after a down season in 2010 but came on strong. In his first six games before the bye, Celek had only 13 receptions for 115 yards and one touchdown. In 10 games after the bye, Celek had 49 receptions for 696 yards and four touchdowns. In his final three games, he did even better: 13 receptions for 290 yards and scored a touchdown in each game.

- After missing a few games early in the season due to his foot, San Diego's Antonio Gates had 56 receptions for 704 yards and seven touchdowns in 11 games. Hopefully he'll be able to stay on the field for a full season, but there's a good chance that the foot injury will continue to slow him down in the future considering it's lingered over the past two years.

- Tennessee's Jared Cook has a ton of upside and positive momentum heading into 2012. In his final three games, Cook finished with 21 receptions for 335 yards and a touchdown. (That said, Cook had a strong finish to the 2010 season, but he got off to a slow start in 2011.)

- Lions tight end Brandon Pettigrew, the team's other first-round pick in 2009, finished with career highs across the board: 83 receptions, 777 yards and five touchdowns. Pettigrew is a solid low-end TE1, but he is even better in point-per-reception (PPR) leagues than those with standard scoring.

- Solid but inconsistent, Jets tight end Dustin Keller finished with 65 receptions for 815 yards and five touchdowns. In the first three weeks this season, he had 16 receptions for 249 yards and two touchdowns. In Weeks 2 to 4 in 2010, Keller had 17 receptions for 241 yards and five touchdowns. Stated another way: Keller had 490 yards and seven TDs in those six games and only 1,012 yards and three TDs in the other 26 games over the past two years.

- Speaking of inconsistency, Packers tight end Jermichael Finley, who is due to become a free agent this offseason, had three fantasy points or less in five games this season. Although he set a career high in touchdowns (eight), he had his lowest yards-per-game average (47.9) since his rookie season.

- Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez, who has 1,149 career receptions for 13,338 yards, has decided to play another season, which makes sense considering how productive he was. Gonzalez finished with 80 receptions for 875 yards and seven touchdowns in 2011.

- Dallas tight end Jason Witten set five-year lows in both receptions (79) and yards (942), which is partly due to the production of the Cowboys top three receivers: Miles Austin, Dez Bryant and Laurent Robinson.

Here are our 2012 fantasy football tight end rankings (using standard scoring -- i.e., not PPR scoring):

1. Rob Gronkowski, Patriots
2. Jimmy Graham, Saints
3. Jason Witten, Cowboys
4. Antonio Gates, Chargers
5. Vernon Davis, 49ers
6. Aaron Hernandez, Patriots
7. Jermichael Finley, Packers
8. Tony Gonzalez, Falcons
9. Brandon Pettigrew, Lions
10. Fred Davis, Redskins
11. Dallas Clark, Colts
12. Owen Daniels, Texans
13. Jermaine Gresham, Bengals
14. Brent Celek, Eagles
15. Kellen Winslow, Buccaneers
16. Dustin Keller, Jets
17. Jared Cook, Titans
18. Greg Olsen, Panthers
19. Anthony Fasano, Dolphins
20. Heath Miller, Steelers
21. Tony Moeaki, Chiefs
22. Marcedes Lewis, Jaguars
23. Scott Chandler, Bills
24. Kyle Rudolph, Vikings
25. Evan Moore, Browns
26. Ed Dickson, Ravens

Note: We excluded rookies from our rankings and will include them after the 2012 NFL Draft in April.

More 2012 Rankings: QBs - RBs - WRs

2012 NFL Mock Drafts: Kevin Hanson - Brendan Donahue - Our Mock Draft Database

To keep track of our updates, follow @EDSFootball on Twitter and/or "like" us on Facebook.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 06:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Now the Giants have won their second Super Bowl (over the Patriots) in the past five years (list of all winners), it is time to start looking forward to the upcoming season.

That is, if you haven't done so already.

Based on odds from Sportsbook.com, neither the Giants nor the Patriots are early favorites to win Super Bowl XVLII. Here are the teams with the best odds:

- Green Bay Packers: +500 (5/1)
- New Orleans Saints: +600 (6/1)
- New England Patriots: +700 (7/1)
- New York Giants: +1,000 (10/1)
- Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens, Houston Texans and Philadelphia Eagles: +1,200 (12/1)
- San Diego Chargers: +1,500 (15/1)
- New York Jets, Dallas Cowboys, San Francisco 49ers, Atlanta Falcons, Detroit Lions: +2,000 (20/1)

[UPDATE: Earlier this morning, the Giants were at +2,000. As of 6 p.m., they are now +1,000. The other odds did not change.]

The longest of long shots are (all at +10,000, 100/1): Jacksonville Jaguars, Cleveland Browns, St. Louis Rams, Minnesota Vikings, Washington Redskins and Tampa Bay Buccaneers

If you're looking for 2012 NFL Draft information, here is some information you'll find on our site:

- 2012 NFL Mock Drafts: Kevin Hanson - Brendan Donahue
- 2012 NFL Mock Draft Database
- List of underclassmen eligible for the 2012 NFL Draft

We are also in the process of releasing our initial 2012 Fantasy Football rankings, which will happen early this week. For a mock draft we are doing, click here.

To keep track of our updates, follow us on Twitter and/or "like" us on Facebook.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 07:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

More than in any other sport, getting things right in the NFL Draft is critical to a team's ability to create and maintain long-term success.

In most cases, it is not necessarily the player(s) selected in the first round each year that leads to that success. It is the ability to find players in the later rounds of the draft or even the undrafted free agents that can contribute.

As we get closer to the draft, we will include mock drafts that go beyond the first round.

Last week, Brendan Donahue released his first 2012 NFL Mock Draft,

Here is how I see the first round unfolding:

1. Indianapolis Colts (2-14) - Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford

We've seen the results without a healthy Peyton Manning, a four-time league MVP. The trio of Kerry Collins, Curtis Painter and Dan Orlovsky led the Colts to two wins and subsequently the No. 1 overall pick in this year's draft. And we've seen the results with a healthy Manning: double-digit wins in 11 of 12 seasons. It is looking less and less likely that Manning, who will turn 36 this year, will be on the Colts' roster to receive a $28 million bonus he's due on March 8th. Fortunately for Indianapolis, who may or may not have decided to move on weeks ago, Luck is one of the best quarterback prospects to come along in a long time.

2. St. Louis Rams (2-14) - Matt Kalil, OT, USC

It is possible (even likely) that one of the quarterback-needy teams will trade up to the No. 2 spot to take Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III. While the Rams trading down is a very real possibility, I'm going to keep them here, for now.

Much of this month, I felt like the pick would be receiver Justin Blackmon, especially with Brandon Lloyd expected to leave via free agency (and perhaps to follow Josh McDaniels to New England). Instead, I have the Rams going with Kalil, an athletic offensive tackle from USC and the brother of Panthers Pro Bowl center Ryan Kalil. No team allowed more sacks than the Rams (55) last year. Although St. Louis had injuries along their line, Jason Smith has been a bust so far and the team may even cut him if he doesn't agree to a pay cut.

[Related: Take our poll on which player will be selected second overall.]

3. Minnesota Vikings (3-13) - Morris Claiborne, CB, LSU

If the Rams trade down (and RG3 goes second overall), I would expect the Vikings to take Kalil. Only four teams allowed more sacks than Minnesota. However, their pass defense was atrocious last year and they have to face the Packers and Lions four times a year. No team allowed more passing touchdowns (34) than the Vikings and no team intercepted fewer passes (eight). Especially after Dre Kirkpatrick's brush-in with the law earlier this month, Claiborne is clearly the top corner in this year's draft class.

4. Cleveland Browns (4-12) - Robert Griffin III, QB, Baylor

If the Browns don't trade up to take RG3 and he's still available here (I'm beginning to sound like a broken record), the Browns won't pass up the opportunity to take this year's Heisman Trophy recipient (see past winners). Accurate, athletic and intelligent, Griffin completed 72.4 percent of his passes and was just shy of 5,000 combined yards -- 4,293 passing yards and 699 rushing yards -- in 2011. For his career, Griffin has a 78:17 touchdown-to-interception ratio not counting his 33 rushing touchdowns.

5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-12) - Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama

The Bucs would probably prefer to take Claiborne at this spot with Ronde Barber nearing (or maybe coming to) the end of his career and the off-the-field issues of Aqib Talib. That said, I don't think the Bucs take Kirkpatrick, who created some questions about his character as noted above. Richardson has an impressive combination of size, strength and speed and is one of the best running back prospects in years.

6. Washington Redskins (5-11) - Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State

There is plenty of speculation that the Redskins will try to trade up to select RG3. If they don't, they will boost their passing game with the draft's most-talented pass-catcher. Blackmon, who is the back-to-back Biletnikoff recipient, has 232 receptions for 3,304 yards and 38 touchdowns combined over the past two seasons.

7. Jacksonville Jaguars (5-11) - Quinton Coples, DE, North Carolina

If Blackmon is still available at No. 7, they won't hesitate to get their "franchise" quarterback a legitimate weapon in the passing game. (Granted, Blaine Gabbert looked horrible -- and scared -- last season, but the Jags arguably have the league's worst receiving corps). While many question Coples' motor, he is the premiere pass-rusher in the draft and the Jags have ranked in the bottom 10 in sacks for the past three years in a row.

8. Miami Dolphins (6-10) - Riley Reiff, OT, Iowa

Although the Dolphins have an elite left tackle in Jake Long, the top overall pick in 2008, they could certainly use an upgrade on the right side to replace Marc Colombo. Along with Kalil and Jonathan Martin, Reiff is one of the three best offensive tackles in this year's draft class.

9. Carolina Panthers (6-10) - Dre Kirkpatrick, CB, Alabama

Regardless of how free agency shakes out, the top two teams in the NFC South (New Orleans and Atlanta) have elite passing attacks. As noted earlier, Kirkpatrick will have some 'splaining to do (as Ricky Ricardo would say) about his off-field issues. But the Panthers get a cornerback with elite size (approximately 6-3) to pair up with Chris Gamble.

10. Buffalo Bills (6-10) - Courtney Upshaw, DE/LB, Alabama

Only the Titans (28) and Bucs (23) had fewer sacks last year than the Bills (29). Defensive tackle Marcell Dareus, Upshaw's teammate at Alabama and the Bills' first-round pick last year, led the team in sacks last year with only 5.5. Upshaw will help.

To see the full first-round mock, click here.

For more mocks from around the internet, check out our 2012 NFL Mock Draft Database.

To keep track of our updates, follow me on Twitter and/or "like" us on Facebook.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 08:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Earlier today, we released the first iteration of Brendan Donahue's 2012 NFL Mock Draft.

Here is how he projects the first round to begin:

1. Colts - Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford: This is already a done deal according to owner Jim Irsay. Luck has been rated as the best QB prospect since John Elway so this is pretty much a no-brainer especially now that the Colts have made it clear that they are clearing house and going into a full rebuilding mode.

2. Rams - Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State: I could see the Rams being tempted by a team trying to trade up to get RG3 and moving this pick, but if they stay put I look for them to add the most dynamic weapon available in the draft. Although I don't have Blackmon as highly rated as Calvin Johnson, I do see him having an instant impact in the NFL and developing into a Pro Bowl receiver down the road.

3. Vikings - Matt Kalil, OT, USC: Maybe the safest pick in the entire draft.  The clear cut best tackle in the draft and someone that the Vikings can put on Chrisian Ponder's blind side and protect him for the next 10 years (this is if Ponder plays for the next ten years...). If Rams trade their pick or pass on Blackmon for some reason, look for Vikings to snatch him up here.

4. Browns - Robert Griffin III, QB, Baylor: The Heisman winner has been rapidly moving up draft boards and could eventually move up to #2 come draft day but for this mock were going to assume everyone drafts where they are slated and the Browns would be very happy to draft RGIII here. I think they are ready to concede that Colt McCoy is not a franchise QB in the NFL and will jump at the opportunity to add one here.

5. Bucs - Morris Claiborne, CB, LSU: Based on how the Bucs finished the year, they could clearly use help in just about every area. With Blackmon off the board however, I look for them to add the best cornerback available in Morris Claiborne. A big physical corner who is also considered the best cover corner in the draft is exactly what they need as they battle in the same division with the air attacks of the Saints and Falcons.

See the full first round here.

For more mock drafts, visit our 2012 NFL Mock Draft Database.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 08:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Over the weekend, we updated our 2012 NFL Mock Draft Database and, as expected, Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck is still the consensus No. 1 overall pick.

Assuming Luck goes to Indianapolis at No. 1, there is less clarity about who the Rams will take with the second overall pick.

Or will they trade the pick away to a quarterback-needy team like Washington?

If the Rams don't trade the pick, they are unlikely to take Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III, who was the 2011 Heisman Trophy recipient.

After all, they took Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford with the first overall pick in 2010 (see all previous No. 1 overall picks).

Assuming the Rams don't trade the pick, then they will likely select USC offensive tackle Matt Kalil, who is the brother of Panthers center Ryan Kalil, or Oklahoma State wide receiver Justin Blackmon, who is the back-to-back Biletnikoff winner.

Who will be the second overall pick? Will the Rams trade the pick? Is Luck a lock as the first overall pick?

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 07:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Soon enough, the Associated Press will announce the winner(s) of various NFL awards. Technically, that will happen on February 4th from 9-11 p.m. on NFL Network.

But why wait one month? I'm going to tell you now which players (and coach) will win the awards. In fact, I'm also going to tell you who the runner up will be as well.

Without further ado, here are my thoughts on who will win each respective award:

Most Valuable Player (MVP): Aaron Rodgers, Packers

- Runner-up: Drew Brees, Saints

One can certainly argue that Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, the reigning league MVP, had an MVP-like season. Not only did Brady lead the Patriots to 13 wins and the No. 1 seed in the AFC, but he threw for the second-most yards (5,235) in any season in NFL history. That said, the quarterback that threw for the most in NFL history did so this season as well: Saints quarterback Drew Brees (5,476).

As great of a season as Brady had, the MVP voting will likely come down to Brees and Rodgers. Brees threw for more yards than Rodgers (5,476 to 4,643), one more touchdown (46 to 45) and completed a higher percentage of his passes (71.2 to 68.3 percent). In fact, Brees set the single-season mark for completion percentage in addition to 300-yard games (13) as well.

If Rodgers did not sit out Week 17, he would have come close to (or reached) the 5,000-yard mark as Brees, Brady and Detroit's Matthew Stafford did. After all, backup Matt Flynn threw for 480 yards and six touchdowns, both of which are franchise records, on Sunday. Perhaps Flynn's great performance is an argument against Rodgers, but Rodgers has been nearly flawless this season and the Packers have won a league-best 15 games.

Rodgers set the NFL record for highest quarterback rating (122.5) and started the season with 12 straight games with a passer rating of 100-plus. In addition, he set the franchise record with 45 passing touchdowns and threw only six interceptions in 502 pass attempts. For the fourth straight season, Rodgers has rushed for at least three touchdowns and 200 yards.

Offensive Player of the Year: Drew Brees, Saints

- Runner-up: Aaron Rodgers, Packers

While I think Rodgers will win the MVP (as noted above), I can see Brees taking home the award for Offensive Player of the Year. Rodgers was more efficient (he threw 155 less pass attempts than Brees), but he led the NFL in passer rating and yards per attempt (9.2).

Brees was more prolific setting records in passing yards, completions (458) and 300-yard games and leading the league in passing touchdowns. He closed out the season with seven straight 300-yards games and threw a total of 14 touchdown passes in his final three games.

Out of these two players, there is no wrong choice as both have had remarkable seasons and it wouldn't surprise me if we see co-MVPs.

Continue reading "2011 NFL Offseason Awards: Predicting the Winners" »

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 06:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

With the NFL regular season over, this will be our final Consensus NFL Power Rankings for the 2011 season. From this point, the playoffs determine whether or not the Packers should still be the No. 1 unanimous choice at the top of the power rankings.

Twelve teams have the power to determine their own fate; the other 20 teams can only watch and start rebuilding for 2012 and beyond. And some teams (St. Louis, Tampa Bay and Indianapolis) have already fired their head coach and/or general manager.

Here are some stats on this week's consensus rankings:

- Biggest jump from last week: San Diego Chargers (+4.75)
- Biggest drop from last week: Oakland Raiders (-3.75)
- Team with widest difference between high and low rank: New York Jets and Oakland Raiders (8)

[See this week's full rankings.]

As part of our weekly power rankings, we will feature one question that all four rankers will answer.

Here is this week's question (followed by our responses): Which wild card team has the best shot to get to (and perhaps win) the Super Bowl?

John (follow John on Twitter): I'd love to say that the Falcons have the best chance to get to the Super Bowl as a wild card. They've really come on and have been playing very well down the stretch. However, the NFC is just too strong, and I don't see either Atlanta or Detroit getting through two or possibly all three of the top three seeds (Packers, 49ers and Saints). Realistically, the Steelers are the wild card team with the best chance to go all the way. They have already beaten the top-seeded Patriots and although they have lost twice to the Ravens, historically the Steelers have been very good against them (including knocking them out of last year's playoffs). The Steelers are good offensively and defensively, and they've certainly been there before. If they are healthy enough, they are the wild card team with the best chance to make the Super Bowl.

Sean (visit Sean's website): I am choosing Pittsburgh even without Mendenhall for the playoffs. It was really a process of elimination. The Bengals have only beat one team over .500 this year and that was the Titans. Detroit is playing the Saints, who look really good, and the Falcons (if they win and if the Saints win) have a date in Green Bay next week. New England and Baltimore are both beatable in the AFC.

Dan (follow Dan on Twitter): It seems that lots of wildcard teams have been making moves into the Super Bowl lately, and the team that will have the best shot to get to and win the SuperBowl would be the Steelers. Pittsburgh is battle-tested and they know what it takes to get to and win the championship. All of the AFC teams have question marks, and if there is a team that is built to win three on the road, I trust Roethlisberger and LeBeau's defense over any of the other wildcards.

Kevin (follow Kevin on Twitter): While I don't think any of the wild card teams will actually make it to the Super Bowl this year, the path of least resistance is through the AFC. Along with the Packers last year, the Steelers are the other team in NFL history that has won the Super Bowl despite being a No. 6 seed. If there's a wild card team that can do it, I'd go with the team that has already done it (recently).

See how all 32 teams were ranked in our final 2011 Consensus NFL Power Rankings.

Related: our Consensus NBA Power Rankings

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 06:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Every year we start talking about the first day of the NFL Draft. Which players are going number one, two and three? Where will Andrew Luck end up? Does he deserve to be number one? Will he be a boom or a bust? But we always fail to look at the day three guys, that seventh-round pick, that stretch that your favorite team took that you either couldn’t believe or didn’t even notice because you turned off the draft.

Well, today we will look back at the last ten years drafts and highlight the 10 best players on the last day or final rounds of the draft. Of those players, these are the 10 players I believe have made the biggest impact and have helped their team or another team because of a trade or free agency. These guys are the ones we like to call in the fantasy realm, “sleepers.”

10. T.J. Houshmandzadeh, WR, Oregon State (selected with the 204th pick of the 2001 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals)

He was drafted in a year where Santana Moss, Reggie Wayne, Chad Johnson (Ochocinco), Drew Brees and many more were drafted. Housh has two 1,000-yard years with six years of 900 or more yards. This says a lot when five of those years were when he was the No. 2 receiver behind Chad Johnson (Ochocinco).

9. Michael Turner RB Northern Illinois (selected with the 154th pick of the 2004 NFL Draft by the San Diego Chargers)

Drafted as a backup for LT, he has truly been a breakout star for the Atlanta Falcons. Turner has four 1,000-yard years with three consecutive years of 1,000 yards or more. He had a career high of 1,699 yards in 2008 and helped the Atlanta Falcons to consecutive winning seasons for the first time in franchise history and playoff berths in three out of the last four years he has been in Atlanta.

8. Matt Cassel, QB, USC (selected with the 230th pick of the 2005 NFL Draft by New England Patriots)

Drafted as the backup for “The Golden Boy,” Cassel's start in Week 2 of the 2008 season was his first start in a game since high school, and he led the Patriots to a win, which extended the Pats' regular-season winning streak record to 21 games before a loss the next week. He led the Pats to an 11-5 record, but failed to make the playoffs. He was traded to the KC Chiefs in 2009.

7. Ryan Fitzpatrick, QB, Harvard (selected with the 250th pick of the 2005 NFL Draft by the St. Louis Rams)

Fitzpatrick took the Wonderlic Test and on the NFL's official website reported that he made a perfect score, while setting a speed record by completing the exam in nine minutes. On September 20, 2010, Fitzpatrick was named the new starting quarterback of the Buffalo Bills and has thrown for over 3,000 yards in each of his two years as a starter.

6. Marques Colston, WR, Hofstra (selected with the 252nd pick of the 2006 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints)

As a rookie, Colston had a breakout year with 70 receptions with 1,038 yards and 8 touchdowns. Colston has had 1,000-yard years in five of his six seasons. He helped lead the New Orleans Saints to their first Super Bowl victory in 2010. Colston becomes a free agent in 2012.

Continue reading "Top 10 NFL Draft Steals of the Past 10 Years: Offensive Skill Players" »

Posted by Robert Parmer at 07:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Fortunately for fantasy owners, five top receivers play in the final matchup of the regular season when the Giants host the Cowboys in a game that will decide the NFC East champion.

With both teams controlling their own destiny, there is plenty of incentive for both teams, which is critical for Week 17 fantasy success.

Giants receiver Victor Cruz ranks third in the NFL in receiving yards and needs 142 yards to reach 1,500 for the season. Including his breakout performance in Week 3, Cruz has six 100-yard games this season. More impressively, however, he has nine games with at least 90 receiving yards this season. And no player has more yards than Cruz (1,341) since Week 3.

Meanwhile, teammate Hakeem Nicks ranks 11th in the league with 1,116 yards, which is a career high. Limited to only one reception for 20 yards against the Jets last week (yes, I guess Revis is indeed a "decent" cornerback), Nicks had 27 receptions for 411 yards and two touchdowns in his previous four games. In his first matchup against the Cowboys, Nicks had eight receptions for a season-high 163 yards.

One of the concerns with the Cowboys receivers this week is the ability of quarterback Tony Romo to play with his bruised hand. It was good news that he was able to practice on Wednesday.

Since becoming a Cowboy, Laurent Robinson had his worst game of the season last week: one reception for five yards and no touchdowns. With the rapport that Romo and Robinson have had, those numbers would have likely been different if Romo hadn't suffered the hand injury.

Before last week, Robinson scored a total of nine touchdowns in his previous eight games.

The one player to catch a (last-minute) touchdown for Dallas was Miles Austin and he has now caught a touchdown in three consecutive games since returning from his hamstring injury. In the seven games Austin has played since his first hamstring injury, he has yet to have more than 74 receiving yards in a game.

Teammate Dez Bryant led the team in receiving last week with six receptions for 62 yards, but he ended his three-game streak of scoring a touchdown. Bryant had scored a touchdown in five of his previous six games before last week.

[Related: Take our poll on who will win the NFC East.]

Here are some notes on wide receivers that will play in Week 17:

- No receiver has more receiving yards than Denver's Demaryius Thomas over the past four games. Thomas and Lions receiver Calvin Johnson actually have identical stats during that four-game span: 22 receptions for 414 yards and three touchdowns each.

- Patriots receiver Wes Welker has set a career high in yards (1,518) and touchdowns (nine), but he needs another seven receptions to tie the career high (123) he set in 2009.

- Bengals rookie receiver A.J. Green has 63 receptions for 1,031 yards and seven touchdowns. Only 12 rookies have had more receiving yards than Green during their rookie season. He is only the fourth rookie to reach 1,000 receiving yards since 2000.

- Ravens rookie receiver Torrey Smith is having a solid rookie season: 45 receptions for 808 yards and seven touchdowns. In his past eight games, Smith has four games with a score and double-digit fantasy points and four games with three or less fantasy points.

- Chargers receiver Vincent Jackson is dealing with a groin injury and considering the team is eliminated from the playoffs, it seems unlikely that he'll play. Meanwhile, Malcom Floyd has been spectacular in three of his past four games. In those three games, Floyd has 95-plus yards and a touchdown (or at least 15 fantasy points).

- Going into the final week of the season, Colts receiver Pierre Garcon has set a career high in receptions (68), yards (925) and touchdowns (six, tied previous career high). In his first matchup against the Jaguars, he had three receptions for 30 yards. Garcon has averaged only 28.5 yards per game in his four matchups against the Jaguars compared to more than 50 yards per game against other division rivals: Titans (53.4) and Texans (55.5).

- Two of the eight players that have at least five 100-yard receiving games this season play for the Falcons: Roddy White and Julio Jones, who both have exactly five. Scoring in three straight games, Jones has two of his five 100-yard games and a total of four touchdowns during that span. White's four-game scoring streak ended last week, but he has back-to-back games with 10-plus receptions and 125-plus yards.

- Packers receiver Jordy Nelson has shattered his previous career highs of 45 receptions, 582 yards and two touchdowns. Nelson has 59 receptions for 1,101 yards and 12 touchdowns this year, but he may not be on the field for many snaps considering the Packers have secured home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

Here are our top 60 fantasy wide receivers for Week 17 (standard-scoring):

1. Calvin Johnson, Lions (at GB)
2. Wes Welker, Patriots (vs BUF)
3. Victor Cruz, Giants (vs DAL)
4. Roddy White, Falcons (vs TB)
5. Larry Fitzgerald, Cardinals (vs SEA)
6. Steve Smith, Panthers (at NO)
7. Miles Austin, Cowboys (at NYG)
8. Hakeem Nicks, Giants (vs DAL)
9. Marques Colston, Saints (vs CAR)
10. Stevie Johnson, Bills (at NE)
11. Brandon Marshall, Dolphins (vs NYJ)
12. Julio Jones, Falcons (vs TB)
13. A.J. Green, Bengals (vs BAL)
14. Mike Wallace, Steelers (at CLE)
15. Percy Harvin, Vikings (vs CHI)
16. Dez Bryant, Cowboys (at NYG)
17. Malcom Floyd, Chargers (at OAK)
18. Demaryius Thomas, Broncos (vs KC)
19. Dwayne Bowe, Chiefs (at DEN)
20. Santana Moss, Redskins (at PHI)
21. Jabar Gaffney, Redskins (at PHI)
22. Jordy Nelson, Packers (vs DET)
23. Santonio Holmes, Jets (at MIA)
24. Antonio Brown, Steelers (at CLE)
25. Laurent Robinson, Cowboys (at NYG)
26. Jeremy Maclin, Eagles (vs WAS)
27. Michael Crabtree, 49ers (at STL)
28. Darrius Heyward-Bey, Raiders (vs SD)
29. Denarius Moore, Raiders (vs SD)
30. DeSean Jackson, Eagles (vs WAS)
31. Torrey Smith, Ravens (at CIN)
32. Nate Washington, Titans (at HOU)
33. Brandon Lloyd, Rams (vs SF)
34. Mike Williams, Buccaneers (at ATL)
35. James Jones, Packers (vs DET)
36. Plaxico Burress, Jets (at MIA)
37. Reggie Wayne, Colts (at JAX)
38. Vincent Brown, Chargers (at OAK)
39. Pierre Garcon, Colts (at JAX)
40. Nate Burleson, Lions (at GB)
41. Doug Baldwin, Seahawks (at ARI)
42. Deion Branch, Patriots (vs BUF)
43. Greg Little, Browns (vs PIT)
44. Eric Decker, Broncos (vs KC)
45. Damian Williams, Titans (at HOU)
46. Titus Young, Lions (at GB)
47. David Nelson, Bills (at NE)
48. Jerome Simpson, Bengals (vs BAL)
49. Lance Moore, Saints (vs CAR)
50. Kevin Walter, Texans (vs TEN)
51. Randall Cobb, Packers (vs DET)
52. Robert Meachem, Saints (vs CAR)
53. Donald Driver, Packers (vs DET)
54. Golden Tate, Seahawks (at ARI)
55. Brandon LaFell, Panthers (at NO)
56. Andre Roberts, Cardinals (vs SEA)
57. Steve Breaston, Chiefs (at DEN)
58. Mario Manningham, Giants (vs DAL)
59. Andre Johnson, Texans (vs TEN)
60. Devin Aromashodu, Vikings (vs CHI)

If you're in a point-per-reception (PPR) league, here are our wide receiver PPR rankings for Week 17.

For more positions and/or flex rankings, visit our fantasy section.

To keep track of our fantasy updates throughout the week, you can (1) follow us on Twitter @EDSFootball or (2) "like" us on Facebook or both.

Good luck in Week 17!

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 06:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Bengals running back Cedric Benson does not seem to have a favorable matchup in Week 17 and I'm not saying he does.

His two best performances of the season came against the Browns as he had two of his three 100-yard games against his cross-state rivals. After you exclude his two games against Cleveland, his best game (fantasy-wise) came when he faced the Ravens the first time this season.

In that game, Benson only rushed for 41 yards on 15 carries, which is an average of 2.7 yards per carry. But he rushed for two touchdowns and finished with 16 fantasy points.

While it will be difficult to duplicate his Week 11 performance, this week's matchup is a win-and-you're-in proposition for Benson and the Bengals. In other words, there is plenty of incentive for the Bengals to leave it all on the field and perhaps give Benson a heavy workload.

In our rankings this week, Benson is a low-end RB2.

Here are some more running back notes for Week 17:

- Last year, Bucs running back LeGarrette Blount finished the season strong and became only the second undrafted free agent rookie running back to reach 1,000 rushing yards in a season. This year, Blount is crawling down the stretch. Even before getting benched for fumbling last week, Blount was not lighting up the fantasy scoreboard. In three of his last four games, Blount has 21 rushing yards or less (or two fantasy points or less).

- As we pointed out in Tuesday's poll of the day, Vikings running back Toby Gerhart has five consecutive games with double-digit fantasy points. During that five-game span, Gerhart has 70 carries for 346 yards and 16 receptions for 114 yards plus a total of four touchdowns. Since Week 5, however, the Bears have allowed only one running back (LeSean McCoy, 71 yards in Week 9) to rush for more than 70 yards.

- With Roy Helu inactive last week, Redskins running back Evan Royster got his first career start. He finished the game with a career-high 132 rushing yards.

- Seattle running back Marshawn Lynch took his touchdown-scoring streak into last week's game against the 49ers, who had not allowed a rushing touchdown all season, and one had to give. Lynch, who has now scored in 11 consecutive games, also became the first running back to rush for more than 100 yards against the Niners and now has six 100-yard games in the past eight weeks. During that eight-game span, Lynch has 855 rushing yards and nine touchdowns plus 15 receptions for 124 yards and a touchdown.

- Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall had his second 100-yard game of the season last week against the league's worst run defense (St. Louis). This week, he gets a rematch against one of the league's worst run defenses in Cleveland, who have been better in the past three weeks. From Weeks 8 to 13, the Browns allowed six 100-yard rushers. Since then, they haven't allowed any.

- Three weeks ago, Browns running back Peyton Hillis had only 10 carries for 25 yards against the Steelers on Thursday Night Football. In his past two weeks, however, Hillis has a total of 50 carries for 211 yards and a touchdown against the Cardinals and Ravens.

- Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew became the fifth player in NFL history to rush for 80-plus yards 14 times in a season. The other four are Eric Dickerson (1984), Barry Sanders (1997), Corey Dillon (2004) and Chris Johnson (2009). This week, MJD faces the Colts, who have allowed the third-most fantasy points to opposing running backs this season.

- In the process of throwing the ball 59 times, the Jets gave Shonn Greene only 14 carries against the Giants last week. After two games (Weeks 13 and 14) with 46 carries for 217 yards and four touchdowns, Greene has only 32 carries for 131 yards and no touchdowns in the past two weeks (Weeks 15 and 16). This week, the Jets face the Dolphins, who rank third in the NFL in rushing defense (93.4 yards per game allowed).

- Dolphins running back Reggie Bush has four consecutive games with 100-plus yards including his 203-yard performance during that span. No other running back has more rushing yards than Bush (519) during that span.

Here are our top 40 fantasy running backs for Week 17:

1. Maurice Jones-Drew, Jaguars (vs IND)
2. Ray Rice, Ravens (at CIN)
3. Marshawn Lynch, Seahawks (at ARI)
4. Ryan Mathews, Chargers (at OAK)
5. Frank Gore, 49ers (at STL)
6. Rashard Mendenhall, Steelers (at CLE)
7. Reggie Bush, Dolphins (vs NYJ)
8. LeSean McCoy, Eagles (vs WAS)
9. C.J. Spiller, Bills (at NE)
10. Michael Turner, Falcons (vs TB)
11. Michael Bush, Raiders (vs SD)
12. Willis McGahee, Broncos (vs KC)
13. Toby Gerhart, Vikings (vs CHI)
14. Kahlil Bell, Bears (at MIN)
15. Shonn Greene, Jets (at MIA)
16. Ahmad Bradshaw, Giants (vs DAL)
17. Chris Johnson, Titans (at HOU)
18. Beanie Wells, Cardinals (vs SEA)
19. Arian Foster, Texans (vs TEN)
20. Cedric Benson, Bengals (vs BAL)
21. Darren Sproles, Saints (vs CAR)
22. DeAngelo Williams, Panthers (at NO)
23. Felix Jones, Cowboys (at NYG)
24. Evan Royster, Redskins (at PHI)
25. Steven Jackson, Rams (vs SF)
26. Jonathan Stewart, Panthers (at NO)
27. Peyton Hillis, Browns (vs PIT)
28. Ben Tate, Texans (vs TEN)
29. Roy Helu, Redskins (at PHI)
30. Donald Brown, Colts (at JAX)
31. Pierre Thomas, Saints (vs CAR)
32. Kevin Smith, Lions (at GB)
33. Stevan Ridley, Patriots (vs BUF)
34. Mike Tolbert, Chargers (at OAK)
35. Brandon Jacobs, Giants (vs DAL)
36. Sammy Morris, Cowboys (at NYG)
37. LeGarrette Blount, Buccaneers (at ATL)
38. BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Patriots (vs BUF)
39. Darren McFadden, Raiders (vs SD)
40. Christopher Ivory, Saints (vs CAR)

If you're in a point-per-reception (PPR) league, here are our running back PPR rankings for Week 17.

For more positions and/or flex rankings, visit our fantasy section.

To keep track of our fantasy updates throughout the week, you can (1) follow us on Twitter @EDSFootball or (2) "like" us on Facebook or both.

Good luck in Week 17!

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 06:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has been nearly flawless this season as have the Packers, who have locked up home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs with their 14-1 record this season.

And without a doubt, Rodgers has carried plenty of teams to the fantasy promiseland. If your league crowns its champion after Week 17, however, you will (likely) need to look elsewhere.

It's unlikely that he'll take enough snaps to throw for the 357 yards he needs to reach 5,000 for the season. While I expect him to play a series, maybe two, there is no way that he plays more than backup quarterback Matt Flynn.

Rodgers has been really efficient this season as he has thrown 39 pass attempts or less every week except one (Week 13 vs. Giants). Although he ranks third in passing yards (4,643) and first in passing touchdowns (45), he only ranks 11th in pass attempts (502).

Coming off his first five-touchdown performance of the season, Rodgers has a 45:6 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Not only did he shatter his previous career best of 30 touchdowns (2009), but he set the franchise record and his six interceptions are his career low since he became the team's starter.

Here are some more quarterback notes for Week 17:

- Saints quarterback Drew Brees threw his 12th 300-yard game this season and became the NFL's single-season record holder in passing yards (5,087) last week. Fortunately for fantasy owners, Brees and the Saints will be vying for a first-round bye, which means Brees has a shot to play the whole game.

- Patriots quarterback Tom Brady needs only 103 yards to reach 5,000 on the season. Brady has thrown a touchdown every game this season and has only one passing touchdown in two games this season including last week. In that game, however, Brady did his best Cam Newton or Tim Tebow impersonation as he rushed for two touchdowns. In fact, he has three rushing touchdowns in the past two weeks.

- Speaking of Newton, the top overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, he threw for three touchdowns, which ties his career high, and rushed for another in the team's blowout win over the Bucs last week. On the season, Newton has 20 passing touchdowns and 14 rushing touchdowns, an NFL record for quarterbacks. In addition, he needs only 107 passing yards and 27 rushing yards to reach 4,000 passing yards and 700 rushing yards for the season.

- Tebow is coming off his worst game of the season as he threw four interceptions and completed only 43.3 percent of his passes. That said, he threw and ran for a touchdown. If the Broncos win, they are in the postseason.

- Speaking of quarterbacks rushing for touchdowns, Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez has rushed for six touchdowns this season after doing so three times in both of his first two seasons. Sanchez ended his streak of sub-200-yard games, but it took a career-high 59 pass attempts for him to do so. The Jets need the Bengals to lose and other help in order to advance to the postseason.

- Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton can lead his team to the postseason with a win over the Ravens this week. Dalton, who has had four straight games with less than 200 yards, had a career-high 373 yards against the Ravens earlier in the season.

- The final game of the regular season will decide the outcome of the NFC East (take our poll on who will win). In his last game against the Cowboys, Giants quarterback Eli Manning threw for 400 yards and two touchdowns. In his past two games, however, Manning has completed less than 50 percent of his pass attempts (only 32 of 67 attempts) for a total of 482 yards, one touchdown and four interceptions.

- What a disappointing season Tampa's Josh Freeman has had! After a 25:6 touchdown-to-interception ratio last year, Freeman has thrown only 14 touchdowns and has a league-high 19 interceptions. That is one more interception than he had in his rookie season.

Here are our fantasy quarterback rankings for Week 17:

1. Drew Brees, Saints (vs CAR)
2. Tom Brady, Patriots (vs BUF)
3. Cam Newton, Panthers (at NO)
4. Eli Manning, Giants (vs DAL)
5. Matthew Stafford, Lions (at GB)
6. Michael Vick, Eagles (vs WAS)
7. Matt Ryan, Falcons (vs TB)
8. Philip Rivers, Chargers (at OAK)
9. Tony Romo, Cowboys (at NYG)
10. Tim Tebow, Broncos (vs KC)
11. Ryan Fitzpatrick, Bills (at NE)
12. Joe Webb, Vikings (vs CHI)
13. Carson Palmer, Raiders (vs SD)
14. Mark Sanchez, Jets (at MIA)
15. Rex Grossman, Redskins (at PHI)
16. Andy Dalton, Bengals (vs BAL)
17. Kyle Orton, Chiefs (at DEN)
18. Joe Flacco, Ravens (at CIN)
19. Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers (at CLE)
20. Josh Freeman, Buccaneers (at ATL)
21. Alex Smith, 49ers (at STL)
22. Matt Moore, Dolphins (vs NYJ)
23. Matt Hasselbeck, Titans (at HOU)
24. Matt Flynn, Packers (vs DET)
25. John Skelton, Cardinals (vs SEA)
26. Dan Orlovsky, Colts (at JAX)
27. Josh McCown, Bears (at MIN)
28. T.J. Yates, Texans (vs TEN)
29. Tarvaris Jackson, Seahawks (at ARI)
30. Aaron Rodgers, Packers (vs DET)

Check out our rankings for other positions and/or flex rankings at TheTipDrill.com, our fantasy section.

To keep track of our fantasy updates throughout the week, you can (1) follow us on Twitter @EDSFootball or (2) "like" us on Facebook or both.

Good luck in Week 17!

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 06:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Earlier in the week, we updated our 2012 NFL Mock Draft Database and the consensus No. 1 pick in the draft is currently Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck.

So, the question is: Who will have the first overall pick in the draft?

Based on current NFL standings, the Colts own the "tie-breaker" to get the first pick over the Rams. However, the Colts are on a two-game winning streak and have a winnable game in Jacksonville in Week 17. In addition, they just moved up a spot in our consensus NFL power rankings for the first time this year.

On the other hand, the Rams face the 49ers, who are playing for the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoffs and the first-round bye that comes with it. Interestingly enough, one of the Rams' two wins came against the Saints, the team vying with the 49ers for the final first-round bye in the NFC.

Even though the Colts and Rams have "franchise" quarterbacks under contract in Peyton Manning and Sam Bradford, respectively, the value of the first pick is huge from a potential trade standpoint. Considering the fact that one of the top three quarterback prospects (USC's Matt Barkley) decided to return to school, it is even more important for teams to get a shot at Luck or RG3.

So, we ask the question again: Will the Colts or the Rams have the first overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft?

Related: Mock Draft Databases: NFL - NBA | 2011 NFL Draft Results - Former No. 1 Picks | NFL Standings

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 06:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)