2008 Fantasy Football Downloadable Draft Kit

2008 Fantasy Football Downloadable Draft Kit Comprehensive Draft Preparation Guide | football.cbssports.com | Updated: August 26, 2008 3 great ways to Play football.cbssports.com Customize your own Fantasy Football league Run your own fully customizable league with control over league members, the draft, rules, scoring and more! • Unlimited access to live scoring • Customizable league rules, scoring and more • Dynasty (keeper) league capability and much more! Play Free Fantasy Football Join or create your own Free Fantasy Football league which includes FREE season-long live scoring, stats, expert analysis and more! • Season-long live scoring and stats • Public and private leagues • Access on your mobile phone ComPete For Cash with Fantasy Football Premium games The same great Fantasy Football game as Free, but with 4 levels of intense competition. Purchase a team in a 12-team league to play for cash prizes up to $3,500! • Live scoring, stats and expert analysis • Choose from 4 levels of prizes • Access on your mobile phone SIGN UP NOW SIGN UP NOW SIGN UP NOW Visit football.cbssports.com to learn more. 2008 Fantasy Football Downloadable Draft Kit | 3 2008 Fantasy Football Downloadable Draft Kit | 4 2008 Fantasy Football Downloadable Draft Kit | 5 Draft Day Cheat sheet Quarterbacks T Brady, NE P MaNNiNg, iNd T roMo, daL d BrEEs, No C PaLMEr, CiN B roEThLisBErgEr, PiT d aNdErsoN, CLE d MCNaBB, Phi B FavrE, NyJ E MaNNiNg, Nyg J dELhoMME, Car J CuTLEr, dEN M BuLgEr, sTL K WarNEr, ari d garrard, JaC M hassELBECK, sEa P rivErs, sd J CaMPBELL, Was M sChauB, hou J KiTNa, dET v youNg, TEN a rodgErs, gB T EdWards, BuF J garCia, TB J russELL, oaK T JaCKsoN, MiN C PENNiNgToN, Mia K orToN, Chi J o'suLLivaN, sF B CroyLE, KC M ryaN, aTL K BoLLEr, BaL bye 4 4 10 9 8 6 5 7 5 4 9 8 5 7 7 4 9 10 8 4 6 8 6 10 5 8 4 8 9 6 7 10 running backs L ToMLiNsoN, sd B WEsTBrooK, Phi a PETErsoN, MiN s JaCKsoN, sTL M LyNCh, BuF M BarBEr, daL J addai, iNd F gorE, sF C PorTis, Was L JohNsoN, KC J LEWis, CLE W MCgahEE, BaL r graNT, gB M JoNEs-drEW, JaC E grahaM, TB d MCFaddEN, oaK K sMiTh, dET J JoNEs, sEa M TurNEr, aTL W ParKEr, PiT B JaCoBs, Nyg r Bush, No L MaroNEy, NE L WhiTE, TEN T JoNEs, NyJ r BroWN, Mia d WiLLiaMs, Car E JaMEs, ari F TayLor, JaC s youNg, dEN M ForTE, Chi r JohNsoN, CiN C TayLor, MiN J NorWood, aTL J sTEWarT, Car F JoNEs, daL C JohNsoN, TEN r MENdENhaLL, PiT J Fargas, oaK r WiLLiaMs, Mia M Morris, sEa W duNN, TB d MCaLLisTEr, No a grEEN, hou r riCE, BaL L WashiNgToN, NyJ s sLaToN, hou d rhodEs, iNd L BooKEr, Phi T BELL, dET F JaCKsoN, BuF K JoNEs, Chi d Ward, Nyg L JordaN, NE P ThoMas, No B JaCKsoN, gB J CharLEs, KC a PETErsoN, Chi K FauLK, NE a sTECKEr, No d FosTEr, sF C PErry, CiN T duCKETT, sEa a haLL, dEN M PiTTMaN, dEN bye 9 7 8 5 6 10 4 9 10 6 5 10 8 7 10 5 4 4 7 6 4 9 4 6 5 4 9 7 7 8 8 8 8 7 9 10 6 6 5 4 4 10 9 8 10 5 8 4 7 4 6 8 4 4 9 8 6 8 4 9 9 8 4 8 8 WiDe receivers R Moss, NE T oWENs, DAL B EdWards, CLE R WayNE, IND L FiTzgEraLd, ARI A JohNsoN, HOU M CoLsToN, NO S sMiTh, CAR T hoLT, STL T houshMaNdzadEh, CIN P BurrEss, NYG W WELKEr, NE A BoLdiN, ARI C JohNsoN, CIN C JohNsoN, DET R WiLLiaMs, DET G JENNiNgs, GB M HarrisoN, IND D BoWE, KC H Ward, PIT S HoLMEs, PIT J GaLLoWay, TB L CoLEs, NYJ B MarshaLL, DEN B BErriaN, MIN L EvaNs, BUF D DrivEr, GB R WhiTE, ATL J CoTChEry, NYJ C ChaMBErs, SD S Moss, WAS P CrayToN, DAL N BurLEsoN, SEA D STaLLWorTh, CLE S RiCE, MIN R Curry, OAK D JaCKsoN, PHI B ENgraM, SEA I BruCE, SF D MasoN, BAL A GoNzaLEz, IND J WaLKEr, OAK M CLayToN, BAL J GaFFNEy, NE R WiLLiaMs, JAC J PorTEr, JAC J Hardy, BUF K WaLTEr, HOU V JaCKsoN, SD J GagE, TEN L RoBiNsoN, ATL E RoyaL, DEN D HaCKETT, CAR M BooKEr, CHI A RaNdLE EL, WAS C HENry, CIN K CurTis, PHI D BraNCh, SEA A TooMEr, NYG M MuhaMMad, CAR E WiLFord, MIA A Davis, HOU T giNN, Jr., Mia D BENNETT, STL R BroWN, PHI bye 4 10 5 4 7 8 9 9 5 8 4 4 7 8 4 4 8 4 6 6 6 10 5 8 8 6 8 7 5 9 10 10 4 5 8 5 7 4 9 10 4 5 10 4 7 7 6 8 9 6 7 8 9 8 10 8 7 4 4 9 4 8 4 5 7 tight enDs J WiTTEN, daL a gaTEs, sd C CooLEy, Was K WiNsLoW, CLE T goNzaLEz, KC J shoCKEy, No v davis, sF d CLarK, iNd T hEaP, BaL h MiLLEr, PiT T sChEFFLEr, dEN o daNiELs, hou g oLsEN, Chi L sMiTh, Phi a CruMPLEr, TEN L PoPE, ari B WaTsoN, NE d KELLEr, NyJ z MiLLEr, oaK J CarLsoN, sEa K Boss, Nyg M LEWis, JaC r MCMiChaEL, sTL d LEE, gB d CLarK, Chi B uTEChT, CiN r royaL, BuF a FasaNo, Mia C BaKEr, NyJ d ThoMas, NE a sMiTh, TB B harTsoCK, aTL bye 10 9 10 5 6 9 9 4 10 6 8 8 8 7 6 7 4 5 5 4 4 7 5 8 8 8 6 4 5 4 10 7 Def/spec teams viKiNgs, MiN BEars, Chi ChargErs, sd sTEELErs, PiT CoLTs, iNd Jaguars, JaC sEahaWKs, sEa PaTrioTs, NE TiTaNs, TEN BuCCaNEErs, TB EagLEs, Phi PaCKErs, gB BiLLs, BuF CoWBoys, daL BroWNs, CLE giaNTs, Nyg rEdsKiNs, Was ravENs, BaL JETs, NyJ PaNThErs, Car CardiNaLs, ari raidErs, oaK TExaNs, hou ChiEFs, KC 49Ers, sF LioNs, dET BroNCos, dEN doLPhiNs, Mia FaLCoNs, aTL raMs, sTL BENgaLs, CiN saiNTs, No bye 8 8 9 6 4 7 4 4 6 10 7 8 6 10 5 4 10 10 5 9 7 5 8 6 9 4 8 4 7 5 8 9 kickers s gosTKoWsKi, NE a viNaTiEri, iNd N FoLK, daL P daWsoN, CLE s grahaM, CiN J BroWN, sTL r BiroNas, TEN M CrosBy, gB N KaEdiNg, sd N raCKErs, ari J Kasay, Car K BroWN, hou J sCoBEE, JaC J haNsoN, dET J rEEd, PiT r LoNgWELL, MiN d aKErs, Phi M graMaTiCa, No M NugENT, NyJ o MarE, sEa s suishaM, Was r gouLd, Chi M BryaNT, TB J ELaM, aTL J NEdNEy, sF M sTovEr, BaL r LiNdELL, BuF s JaNiKoWsKi, oaK M PraTEr, dEN d CarPENTEr, Mia B CuNdiFF, KC bye 4 4 10 5 8 5 6 8 9 7 9 8 7 4 6 8 7 9 5 4 10 8 10 7 9 10 6 5 8 4 6 2008 Fantasy Football Downloadable Draft Kit | 6 Draft strategies by Jamey eisenberg senior Fantasy writer What’s the best way to draft a Fantasy team? That’s the question we get asked here the most this time of year. And there are several ways to answer it, but two distinct approaches to consider in 2008. a.) Is it better to draft running backs first since getting a stud is so hard to come by? b.) Should you wait on running backs and get the best quarterback and wide receivers with your first three picks? Both strategies work to varying degrees, but obviously it’s getting the right players that make the difference between a Fantasy championship and last place. We all know you’d rather be the one holding the trophy then the first pick in next year’s draft. Typically, barring an injury, most picks in the first two or three rounds will be solid players. Sure, you’ll get the occasional bust, but usually your top picks come through if they stay healthy. Going into a draft, you should be ready for what’s going to happen after the first round. That’s how you’ll win your Fantasy league. The owner who took Braylon Edwards in the eighth round, Jason Witten in the ninth round or LenDale White in the 10th round last year based on their average draft positions on CBSSports.com was probably pretty successful. And those are the types of players we’ll try to help you find this year. There are plenty of strategies to employ when drafting your Fantasy team. There’s the tried-and-true philosophy of drafting running backs first because they typically have the most value. You want to get the guy who’s going to touch the ball 30 times a game and has the chance to gain yards, catch passes and most importantly, score touchdowns. But, judging by last year with the way running backs were injured or failed to produce, you can still be successful by building your team a different way. We’ll show you why it might be better to start your team with quarterbacks and wide receivers before drafting running backs. The Fantasy Football bible may tell you it’s running backs first and fill in everything else later. But that might not be the only way to draft. As experienced Fantasy owners will tell you, the game is changing, and your philosophy should as well if you want to keep up. Old school Getting a stud running back is a dire need, especially in today’s game where more teams are going to tandems. And Fantasy owners want to get the best ones early, which is understandable. Last year, 14 running backs went in the first 20 picks based on their average draft positions. That will likely happen again this year and probably until the end of time. It’s a strategy that typically works, especially if you land two dominant running backs with your first two picks. But this strategy backfired for plenty of owners last year. Of the 14 top running backs, only LaDainian Tomlinson and Brian Westbrook finished among the top 20 players overall in Fantasy points in standard scoring leagues. Only seven finished among the top 20 running backs (Joseph Addai, Willis McGahee, Frank Gore, Willie Parker, Steven Jackson, Tomlinson and Westbrook). Still, owners will go to the well again, and for good reason. There is enough talent at quarterback that you can wait until the middle rounds to draft your starter. For example, Brett Favre finished as the seventh-best Fantasy scorer in 2007, and he was drafted in the ninth round according to his average draft position. Derek Anderson and Kurt Warner, two of the top 10 overall Fantasy scorers last year, weren’t drafted in the majority of leagues. And at wide receiver, Randy Moss, Plaxico Burress and Brandon Marshall were all drafted in the fifth round or later, and they were three of the top 10 Fantasy options at their position. That shows that you can wait on drafting quarterbacks and wide receivers and still get talent. At running back, you want to get the workhorse who will be the centerpiece of your Fantasy team. And yes, there are plenty of choices, with injured stars returning like Larry Johnson and Ronnie Brown. There also are talented rookies expected to start in Oakland (Darren McFadden), Carolina (Jonathan Stewart) and Detroit (Kevin Smith). And new starters have emerged around the league, with Julius Jones going to Seattle, Michael Turner going to Atlanta and Marion Barber now expected to be the man in Dallas. You want to make sure you get your desired player, which is why it makes sense to draft him right away. If you believe running backs win championships, which is a strategy I have followed my entire career, draft them early. And if you trust you can build a team based on depth at 2008 Fantasy Football Downloadable Draft Kit | 7 quarterback, wide receiver and tight end, then take a third running back in the top five rounds. You can never have enough good running backs, and building depth at the position with quality players is a great way to win a Fantasy title. New school While the elite running backs faltered last year, quarterbacks thrived. Based on a standard scoring league, the top 10 players overall in Fantasy points were all quarterbacks (Tom Brady, Tony Romo, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, Ben Roethlisberger, Anderson, Favre, Matt Hasselbeck, Carson Palmer and Warner). That shows you how valuable passers are in Fantasy leagues. If the traditional idea is to get the best running backs early, why wouldn’t the same concept apply to quarterbacks, since they are proven to be better? It’s doubtful we’ll ever see a Fantasy league where the first 10 picks are quarterbacks. There is obviously depth at the position, and you can still get the fifth best quarterback in Big Ben in the eighth round, which is what happened last year. But maybe it’s a good idea to start your team with a quarterback in the first round. And it doesn’t have to be Brady or Manning. If you’re at the end of the first round and Brady and Manning are gone, take Romo or Brees. Then you can build your team another way. Instead of taking running backs right away, start your Fantasy team with a quarterback and two wide receivers in some combination of your first four picks with one running back mixed in. Moss finished with just eight Fantasy points less than Tomlinson last year, and six wide receivers finished in the top 30 players overall in Fantasy points (Moss, Edwards, Terrell Owens, Reggie Wayne, Chad Johnson and Larry Fitzgerald). close to what happened last year. Getting good running backs is what wins Fantasy leagues. But getting a great quarterback and two stud wide receivers early might just be the road less traveled that still leads to the Fantasy pot of gold. Draft overview I recently took part in three drafts and an auction with the idea of using different strategies based on where I selected. While I tried to employ different ideas in terms of drafting quarterbacks or wide receivers ahead of For example, if you start your team running backs, I wasn’t able to follow with Moss, Owens and Palmer, you that exactly due to my draft position. have three players in the top 23 overThe auction gives you an idea of all from last year. Since receivers how to spend your money, and the and quarterbacks are more durable drafts are good examples to follow than running backs, you should only on where certain players might fall. have to replace those starters during bye weeks and aren’t locked into handcuffing your top picks. See Draft results on the next page In following this strategy, there are two things that must happen. When you start drafting running backs in the fourth round or later, you have to hit on the right guys. Last year, five of the top 12 Fantasy running backs in standard scoring leagues were all drafted in the fourth round or later (Adrian Peterson, Clinton Portis, Jamal Lewis, Marshawn Lynch and Barber), so you can get a stud past the first two rounds. The other thing you have to do is jump on free agents. Earnest Graham, Ryan Grant and Kenny Watson finished in the top 24 Fantasy running backs, and all three went undrafted in most leagues. You have to grab these types of players when they breakout or even before to fill out your roster if you want to succeed. It’s a risk passing on running backs early and hoping for quality guys to fall your way. But you might find it beneficial if 2008 resembles anything cbssports.com mock Drafts NEW For FaNTasy FooTBaLL This yEar, TEsT your draFT sTraTEgy iN a MoCK draFT so you’LL BE PrEParEd WhEN your rEaL draFT arrivEs. MoCK draFTs arE aBsoLuTELy FrEE aNd avaiLaBLE To EvEryoNE, No MaTTEr WhErE you PLay. JoiN a MoCK draFT aT CBssPorTs.CoM/ FaNTasy 2008 Fantasy Football Downloadable Draft Kit | 8 Draft 1 1. raNdy Moss , Wr, NE 2. PEyToN MaNNiNg, QB, iNd 3. MauriCE JoNEs-drEW, rB, JaC 4. aNQuaN BoLdiN, Wr, ari 5. sELviN youNg, rB, dEN 6. KEviN sMiTh, rB, dET 7. saNTaNa Moss, Wr, Was 8. ahMaN grEEN, rB, hou 9. ryaN ToraiN, rB, dEN 10. doNTE sTaLLWorTh, Wr, CLE 11. oWEN daNiELs, TE, hou 12. BraNdoN JaCKsoN, rB, gB 13. N.y. giaNTs, dsT 14. NaTE KaEdiNg, K, sd Draft 2 1. sTEvEN JaCKsoN, rB, sTL 2. Larry FiTzgEraLd, Wr, ari 3. T.J. houshMaNdzadEh, Wr, CiN 4. rEggiE Bush, rB, No 5. MiChaEL TurNEr, rB, aTL 6. LENdaLE WhiTE, rB, TEN 7. LEE EvaNs, Wr, BuF 8. doNovaN MCNaBB, QB, Phi 9. Todd hEaP, TE, BaL 10. BryaNT JohNsoN, Wr, sF 11. PhiLiP rivErs, QB, sd 12. JaBar gaFFNEy, Wr, NE 13. Josh BroWN, K, sTL 14. EagLEs, dsT Draft 3 1. LadaiNiaN ToMLiNsoN, rB, sd 2. aNdrE JohNsoN, Wr, hou 3. MarQuEs CoLsToN, Wr, No 4. EarNEsT grahaM, rB, TB 5. rEggiE Bush, rB, No 6. MarC BuLgEr, QB, sTL 7. KEviN sMiTh, rB, dET 8. BoBBy ENgraM, Wr, sEa 9. vErNoN davis, TE, sF 10. BryaNT JohNsoN, Wr, sF 11. aaroN rodgErs, QB, gB 12. Chris BroWN, rB, hou 13. JaBar gaFFNEy, Wr, NE 14. MarK CLayToN, Wr, BaL 15. sEahaWKs, dsT 16. NEiL raCKErs, K, ari auction BriaN WEsTBrooK, rB, Phi ($27) MauriCE JoNEs-drEW, rB, JaC ($17) MarQuEs CoLsToN, Wr, No ($14) darrEN MCFaddEN, rB, oaK ($13) roy WiLLiaMs, Wr, dET ($9) MarC BuLgEr, QB, sTL ($5) saNTaNa Moss, Wr, Was ($3) vErNoN davis, TE, sF ($3) Chris ChaMBErs, Wr, sd ($2) JaBar gaFFNEy, Wr, NE ($1) dEshauN FosTEr, rB, sF ($1) JasoN WrighT, rB, CLE ($1) BraNdoN JaCKsoN, rB, gB ($1) JasoN CaMPBELL, QB, Was ($1) Kris BroWN, K, hou ($1) EagLEs, dsT ($1) Draft 1: This is the first time since my first Fantasy draft in 1998 that I took a receiver in Round 1. The last time was Cris Carter, and this time it’s Randy Moss at No. 9. I got lucky that Manning fell to Round 2, but that could be because the other owners were scared of his knee injury. Jones-Drew was my first running back, but getting the Broncos tandem of Young and Torain and then getting Smith, Green and Jackson adds plenty of depth. With Boldin, Santana Moss and Stallworth, I like my receivers. And when drafting Brady, Manning and even Romo, pass on a backup quarterback unless the draft is 16 rounds. You can add a No. 2 quarterback off the waiver wire. Draft 2: I picked No. 5 overall in this draft and felt fortunate Jackson was still there and followed that with two No. 1-quality receivers in Fitzgerald and Houshmandzadeh. Getting three players like this to start a draft is a great way to go. I was concerned about my running back depth but was still able to land Bush, Turner and White with my next three picks, which locked up the position. Evans gave me a solid trio at receiver, with Johnson and Gaffney as sleeper candidates. I ignored quarterbacks in this draft, but getting McNabb and Rivers will make up for it with the rest of the talent on the roster. Heap also was great value in Round 9 as a No. 1 tight end. Draft 3: The strategy here is something most owners might want to consider when they draft first or second. Take L.T. or your second running back of choice and then come back with the two best receivers. You can still get great value in the fourth or fifth rounds for your second running back (maybe not as good as Graham or Bush), and now you have four studs as your starters at important spots. Following that, as I did, you can take a quarterback or add more depth at running back and wide receiver. Then fill out your lineup with your tight end. This league starts two running backs, two wide receivers and no flex, so you can see I’m loaded with talent. Auction: My auction strategy is too spread out my $100 budget as best as possible and have some saved toward the end for some value buys. I did that here, getting three standout running backs in Westbrook, Jones-Drew and McFadden. I did the same thing with my starting receivers in Colston and Williams and then was able to get Moss and Chambers for $5 combined. Depth at running back is a concern, but I added backups I feel can make an impact this year with Foster, Wright and Jackson. I like Wright and Jackson a lot, and they are worth taking with late-round picks or $1 buys in all leagues. 2008 Fantasy Football Downloadable Draft Kit | 9 by Dave richard senior Fantasy writerr sleepers totaling close to 1,200 yards with decent touchdown potential as the Bears’ likely starting running back. Average draft position: 84.01/7th round CBSSports.com 2008 projection: 900 RuYds, 4 TD, 200 ReYds his quarterback? Jackson is a sleeper in the deeper drafts compared to standard 14- and 15-round leagues. Average draft position: 162.84/14th round CBSSports.com 2008 projection: 375 RuYds, 2 TD; 150 ReYds our slePeers For 2008 FaNTasy FooTBaLL oWNErs PridE ThEMsELvEs oN draFTiNg sLEEPErs. ThE PLayErs Who arEN’T oN ThE radar iN augusT BuT gET oN ThE radar iN sEPTEMBEr arE aLWays sWEETEr To oWN 2. James hardy, wr, buffalo When Buffalo went shopping for a receiver in the 2008 draft, they went for size more than anything else since their receiving ThaN ThE oBvious sTuds EvEryoNE has oN ThEir corps is overloaded with smallish speedy TEaMs To BEgiN WiTh. NaiL a sLEEPEr iN your guys. They landed the tallest receiver in the draFT, aNd your TEaM is aLrEady a LEg-uP oN draft in Hardy, a 6-foot-5 behemoth from your FELLoW oWNErs. Miss oN oNE, aNd iT’s Indiana who made a collegiate career out NoT Too Bad BECausE No sLEEPEr is draFTEd of catching touchdowns. Hardy has good WiTh a high PiCK. speed to go along with his size, but his LasT yEar, WE TouTEd BrETT FavrE, JEFF awesome vertical ability and solid hands garCia aNd saNToNio hoLMEs as sLEEPErs make him a candidate to get involved early on in the Bills’ offense. Even though rookie iN our MagaziNE. This yEar, our LisT is LoNg receivers tend to struggle in the NFL, he aNd LoadEd WiTh vETEraN PLayErs, NoN-FirsTshould land a role and be capable of decent rouNd rooKiEs aNd EvEN PLayErs you MighT production with upside to start in deeper NoT havE PrEviousLy hEard oF. aNd WE’vE Fantasy leagues. An early preseason hamProvidEd a variEd LisT oF sLEEPErs -- FroM string issue shouldn’t limit him much. guys draFTEd iN EvEry LEaguE To guys Who MighT oNLy gET NaBBEd WiTh a LaTE-rouNd PiCK iN ThE dEEPEsT oF draFTs. 4. tarvaris Jackson, Qb, minnesota Jackson finds himself at the helm of a very interesting offense. True, he’ll do a lot of handing off to Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor, but he’s also expected to do more passing to WR Bernard Berrian, the Vikings’ speedy newcomer who should stretch opposing defenses. Between Berrian and the rushing 1-2 punch, other Vikings receiving options like Sidney Rice and Bobby Wade should see soft coverage they can take advantage of. Tack on his propensity to run with the football (260 rush yards, three rush TDs in 2007), and Jackson should produce good enough numbers to be at least a one-week replacement for Fantasy owners to count on in 2008. A sprained knee suffered in the preseason could hobble him at the start of the regular season, but that’s your only worry. Average draft position: 1 60.67/14th round CBSSports.com 2008 projection: 2,300 PaYds, 15 PaTD; 150 RuYds, 2 RuTD aLL avEragE draFT PosiTioNs aNd ProJECTioNs as oF aug. 22, 2008 Average draft position: 140.61/12th round CBSSports.com 2008 projection: 625 ReYds, 5 TD 3. brandon Jackson, rb, green bay 1. matt Forte, rb, Chicago T The momentum for Forte began building the minute the Bears drafted him in Round 2 of the 2008 NFL Draft. It ramped up when he began meshing with the offense during offseason minicamps, and it took off when the Bears waived Cedric Benson. Some people feel that Kevin Jones could put a damper on Forte’s production, but Jones is seven months removed from reconstructive knee surgery and not expected to steal significant reps. Forte will lose some playing time to Jones and Adrian Peterson, but the reality is that the rookie is capable of being used between the tackles or in the flats as a receiver and thus has a very real shot at While Ryan Grant has become the darling of the Packers backfield, Jackson has fallen in line behind him on the depth chart. And while it’s Fantasy 101 to have the backups of your primary RBs on your roster, Jackson might end up with a bigger role than people expect. Grant, who settled on a new contract in the middle or training camp but didn’t play much preseason ball because of a hamstring injury, will still have the bulk of the work. Jackson’s versatility as a receiver (11 catches in three starts last season) could make him a candidate for third-down work, and maybe a little more. Moreover, how reliable is Grant to keep up the production he amassed in the second half of 2007 without Brett Favre as 5. zach miller, te, oakland It was only one game, but it was a telling one. In JaMarcus Russell’s only start last season, the Raiders QB hit fellow rookie Miller for 84 yards on eight catches. That has continued early on this preseason as Miller has 48 yards on four catches with a touchdown. With the Raiders expected to take advantage of Russell’s arm this year, along with a deep and talented running game to balance it out, Miller figures to be the safe short-area target for the Raiders to lean on. He began to fulfill that role last year -- 24 of his 44 catches were for first downs. He should be just productive 2008 Fantasy Football Downloadable Draft Kit | 10 enough to be a low-end No. 1/top-end No. 2 Fantasy tight end. Average draft position: 163.68/14th round CBSSports.com 2008 projection: 400 ReYds, 5 TD 8.Kevin smith, rb, Detroit Smith is in the same situation as Matt Forte, but without the waived veteran running back in front of him. After a busy career at UCF that saw him notch over 900 carries and 4,600 yards in three seasons, Smith was picked with the top pick in Round 3 of the 2008 draft by the Lions. Smith has spent time with the first-team offense (he has started a couple of times) and has looked much better than his counterpart, Tatum Bell, who is the only real threat to take the starting job away from Smith. Smith has good quickness, speed and agility, and he’s familiar with the zonerun scheme that the Lions utilize. So long as Detroit doesn’t add another back, Smith should see plenty of work. Average draft position: 76.02/7th round CBSSports.com 2008 projection: 1,000 RuYds, 6 TD; 175 ReYds 10. ben utecht, te, Cincinnati The Bengals have decided to add a tight end to Carson Palmer’s arsenal of talent, and good-hands man Ben Utecht, whom was signed as a restricted free agent this offseason, is the choice. With over 30 catches in each of his last two seasons with the Colts, the Bengals figure Utecht to be a different kind of threat than their receivers offer them, giving QB a more secure short-area target for first downs and the like. The Bengals say they want to run the ball more, but we all know that they find a way to throw a lot, too. Utecht will only benefit from that and should be a terrific sleeper in deeper leagues. Average draft position: 169.05/14th round CBSSports.com 2008 projection: 375 ReYds, 3 TD 6. Dennis northcutt, wr, Jacksonville A Fantasy afterthought for much of his career, Northcutt surprised many folks last season by amassing 601 receiving yards and four touchdowns with the Jaguars. The team tried to improve its receiving corps this offseason with Jerry Porter, but he suffered a torn hamstring and is now a question mark to produce big stats in 2008. Troy Williamson was also acquired, but he’s been a bust since entering the league. Veteran Jaguars receiver Matt Jones was also busted for drug possession and isn’t a lock to make the final roster. Considering that starting quarterback David Garrard leaned heavily on Northcutt last season en route to the playoffs, it wouldn’t surprise us if he did it again in 2008, making Northcutt a decent reserve option you can steal very late in drafts. Average draft position: N/A (beyond 15th round) CBSSports.com 2008 projection: 450 ReYds, 3 TD 9. steve smith, wr, n.y. giants When the Giants dealt tight end Jeremy Shockey to New Orleans, Fantasy owners began clammoring for Kevin Boss to be the next great Fantasy find. Boss might put together some solid games, but second-year receiver Smith should wind up outproducing Boss. Remember that while Boss had a huge catch in Super Bowl XLII, he only caught five passes in the postseason and nine in the regular season. Smith didn’t make much of a dent in the regular season because of a broken shoulder blade but finished third on the team in receptions in the postseason with 14. Boss could be a decent TE capable of hauling in a touchdown every three games or so, but Smith should come up some consistent receiving numbers. If we had a late-round pick to spend on one of these Giants, we’d take Smith first. Average draft position: 181.11/16th round CBSSports.com 2008 projection: 350 ReYds, 5 TD 12. Jason wright, rb, Cleveland File this one under “protect your starting running backs.” Browns starter Jamal Lewis had a tremendous 2007, then received a nice three-year contract this offseason. If you believe in older running backs cooling off and sitting out games with injuries they might have played through before they got a lot of guaranteed money, then Wright is right for you. In one start last year he totaled 98 yards with a touchdown and had five games with at least three receptions. Whether you’re interested in protecting Lewis, or just drafting late in a very deep Fantasy league, Wright has a shot at putting up really nice numbers behind the Browns’ quality offensive line if given the chance in ‘08. Lewis already has been nicked up this preseason. Average draft position: N/A (beyond 16th round) CBSSports.com 2008 projection: 200 RuYds, RuTD; 125 ReYds 7. Jerious norwood, rb, atlanta Like several other speedsters around the NFL, Norwood is a running back we’ve been waiting a long time for. With a thick lower body and great hands to compliment his quickness, Norwood has averaged 6.2 yards per carry over 200 rushes in his first two seasons with 10 runs of 20-plus yards. New Falcons head coach Mike Smith came to town from Jacksonville, where a two-headed running back thrashed teams for the last two seasons and helped his defense rest easy. A similar plan might be in place even though the Falcons paid Michael Turner a lot of money to run in Atlanta. Either way, Norwood is too good of a rusher to dismiss in the middle rounds of drafts. Average draft position: 136.88/12th round CBSSports.com 2008 projection: 525 RuYds, TD; 325 ReYds, TD 2008 Fantasy Football Downloadable Draft Kit | 11 1. nate burleson, wr, seattle by Jamey eisenberg senior Fantasy writer breakouts our breaKouts For 2008 Here’s what I learned about the definition of the term “breakout.” It’s something on the verge of a significant increase. It’s slang for a prison escape or acne. In acting, it’s when a marginal character becomes a main character based on audience support. In Fantasy Football, a breakout player is someone you might have heard of but is now ready to shine. A player who Average draft position: might have been drafted in the past but 106.6/8th round will now become a definite starter and CBSSports.com 2008 projection: possibly a star. Last year, some breakout players were Roddy White, LenDale White, Wes Welker, Jason Witten, Derek Anderson and Tony Romo. They went from relative obscurity to helping many Fantasy owners into the playoffs last year. This year, we’ll try to help you find those players with our own breakout list. Some of these players have changed teams or offensive coordinators or are just getting an opportunity after sitting on the bench. Others started to show last year that they are ready to take off and become a star. While all of these players won’t necessarily become Fantasy standouts, there’s a good possibility their value will improve from last year. The hope is that these breakouts will help your Fantasy team and not turn into acne. All average draft positions and projections as of July 24, 2008 2. Kevin boss, te, n.y. giants Burleson has been a surprise Fantasy option twice in his career. In 2004, Burleson had 68 catches for 1,006 yards and nine touchdowns. Then last year, he caught 50 passes for 694 yards and nine touchdowns. This season, with Deion Branch trying to recover from a torn ACL, and Bobby Engram dealing with a contract situation, Burleson could be the Seahawks best receiver. He wasn’t worth drafting in Fantasy leagues last year, but this year Burleson has the chance to start in some leagues. If he can build off last year, which is something we expect him to do, then he could end up as a No. 2 Fantasy option. players around him with talent. Plan on drafting Daniels as a low-end No. 1 option, but don’t be surprised when he ends the year among the elite tight ends. Average draft position: 130.84/10th round CBSSports.com 2008 projection: 594 receiving yards, five touchdowns 4. Vernon Davis, te, san Francisco Davis should have been a breakout player last year but again dealt with injuries and poor quarterback play. This year, with the addition of offensive coordinator Mike Martz, Davis should finally become a star. Martz has never had a tight end of Davis’ caliber, but he will use Davis more like a wide receiver. If Alex Smith or Shaun Hill know what’s good for them, they will throw to Davis as much as possible. He should emerge as top-five Fantasy tight end this season. Average draft position: 83.95/6th round CBSSports.com 2008 projection: 733 receiving yards, six touchdowns 752 receiving yards, six touchdowns The Giants did Fantasy owners a favor by trading Jeremy Shockey to New Orleans. That not only helped Shockey’s Fantasy value, but it made Boss into a low-end No. 1 Fantasy option. Boss played well when Shockey broke his leg last year, and the Giants like to throw to the tight end a lot, especially near the red zone. Look for Boss to be a decent source of receptions and emerge as one of the Giants best players in 2008. He’s one of the few Giants with upside this year. Average draft position: N/A undrafted CBSSports.com 2008 projection: 464 receiving yards, four touchdowns 5. Calvin Johnson, wr, Detroit Johnson had a frustrating rookie season last year when he suffered a back injury that lingered all season. He finished with 48 catches for 756 yards and four touchdowns, but he will shatter those stats this year. Johnson has said 1,200 yards is within reach, and he is capable of reaching double digits in touchdowns. Go into the season with Johnson as a No. 3 Fantasy receiver, but he should finish the year as a solid No. 2 option. The Lions won’t throw the ball as much this season, but Johnson will still get enough opportunities to make plays. Average draft position: 67.67/5th round CBSSports.com 2008 projection: 859 receiving yards, seven touchdowns 3. owen Daniels, te, houston If Daniels can get a full season from Andre Johnson and Matt Schaub then he has the chance to be one of the top tight ends in the NFL. Schaub can get Daniels the ball, and Johnson will draw plenty of coverage. Daniels is a solid target in the red zone and has the potential for 75 catches and 900 yards. But the key is having healthy 6. santonio holmes, wr, Pittsburgh Holmes was a starting Fantasy receiver for many owners last year, so it’s hard to call him a breakout. But this year should be his best one yet, and he will emerge as an elite Fantasy option. This is Holmes’ third season in the NFL, which is typically the year receivers have a breakout. And 2008 Fantasy Football Downloadable Draft Kit | 12 Holmes has plenty of upside, especially with Hines Ward starting to decline in production. Holmes is being drafted as a No. 3 Fantasy option, but he will finish the year as a potential top 12 receiver. It all comes down to Ben Roethlisberger continuing to look in Holmes’ direction. Average draft position: 57.46/4th round CBSSports.com 2008 projection: 904 receiving yards, six touchdowns 3,478 passing yards, 18 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, 53 rushing yards 10. michael turner, rb, atlanta Turner has done well as LaDainian Tomlinson’s backup in San Diego the past four seasons, and now he gets the chance to start. The Falcons have said he will lose some carries to Jerious Norwood, but Turner should still get about 20 touches a game. He also is a capable receiver out of the backfield, which should help with a rookie quarterback in Matt Ryan. Plan on using Turner as a No. 3 Fantasy option with the chance to start most weeks if he can live up to the hype. Average draft position: 47.38/4th round CBSSports.com 2008 projectivon: by Jamey eisenberg senior Fantasy writer busts Potential busts For 2008 Every Fantasy Football owner wants to know what players to avoid in their draft. You always want to get a player on the verge of a breakout and not a bust. Last year, you were happy with Marshawn Lynch but hated Thomas Jones. Derek Anderson came out of nowhere, but Marc Bulger was beset with injuries and couldn’t stay on the field. 7. aaron rodgers, Qb, green bay If Rodgers can get past the Brett Favre fiasco this offseason then he has a chance to be a successful starting quarterback. The talent surrounding Rodgers is incredible with Greg Jennings, Donald Driver, James Jones and Donald Lee, the running game should thrive and the offensive line is solid. All Rodgers has to do is not make too many mistakes and stay healthy, which has been a concern when he was a backup. Rodgers should be drafted as a No. 2 Fantasy option, but the talent around him could elevate him to a starter by the end of the year. Average draft position: 121.71/10th round CBSSports.com 2008 projection: 3,695 passing yards, 21 touchdowns, 18 interceptions, 114 rushing yards 1,122 rushing yards, five touchdowns, 20 When looking at players who are catches, 150 receiving yards going to be a bust, you always want 11. selvin young, rb, Denver When last season ended, Broncos coach Mike Shanahan said Young was only going to get about 15 touches a game. Then Shanahan released Travis Henry, which elevated Young into the starting role. He will still share carries with Michael Pittman and rookie Ryan Torain, but Young has now emerged as solid Fantasy option. You should draft Young as a No. 3 running back, but he could start for you early on. He has the chance to rush for 1,000 yards, and if he can find the end zone on a regular basis, his Fantasy value will rise. to target players coming off a big year or changing teams to see if they can duplicate the previous year’s success. Sometimes injury plays a role, and sometimes there are just unrealistic expectations to live up to. Then, of course, there’s always age. We tend to dislike older players, and if someone has their AARP card, you don’t want them on your Fantasy team. 8. matt schaub, Qb, houston Schaub was on his way to a breakout season last year before a shoulder injury and concussions ruined his 2007 season. It also didn’t help that he lost star receiver Andre Johnson for most of the year. Johnson should be fine for the start of the season, and if Schaub can stay healthy, he has the chance to emerge as a starting Fantasy option. He has good weapons around him and the talent to pass for plenty of yards and touchdowns, which is what Fantasy owners want. Draft Schaub as a No. 2 option, but don’t be surprised if he ends the season as your No. 1 quarterback. Average draft position: 132.16/11th round CBSSports.com 2008 projection: The best thing you can do before your Fantasy draft is target players you definitely don’t want on your team. Maybe Average draft position: they’ll surprise you with a good season, 67.12/5th round but when you think a player is going CBSSports.com 2008 projection: to be a bust, typically that’s how they 1,061 rushing yards, four touchdowns, 18 end up catches, 128 receiving yards 1. ronnie brown, rb, miami Reports heading into training camp say Brown is on track to start the season after suffering a torn ACL in Week 7 last year. Typically it takes most running backs 12 to 18 months to make a full recovery, so Brown would be ahead of schedule. He still has to face contact and deal with making sharp cuts. Last year, Brown finished the season with 602 rushing yards and four touchdowns and 39 catches for 389 2008 Fantasy Football Downloadable Draft Kit | 13 yards and a touchdown. Project that over a full season, and Brown would have had 1,367 rushing yards and nine touchdowns and 89 catches for 889 receiving yards and two touchdowns, which would have made him the No. 1 Fantasy running back in standard scoring leagues ahead of LaDainian Tomlinson. If you think Brown can do that again coming off the knee injury, you’ve been hanging out with Ricky Williams. And speaking of Williams, he’s going to take carries away from Brown this year, which will hurt his value. If you draft Brown as a No. 3 Fantasy option, you’re in good shape. Anything higher is expecting too much. 3. matt hasselbeck, Qb, seattle It’s never a good thing when your best receiver suffers a torn ACL, your favorite target is a potential hold out, you lose your third best receiver as a free agent and your only other reliable target is needed more on special teams in returns than as a receiver. That’s what Hasselbeck is facing this year. Deion Branch is out to start the season, Bobby Engram is disappointed with his contract, D.J. Hackett is in Carolina and Nate Burleson creates more plays returning kicks than he does on offense. While Burleson will make a solid impact on offense this year, and Engram should be fine to start the season, those receivers -along with Ben Obomanu, Courtney Taylor and Logan Payne -- aren’t scaring many opposing defenses. Rookie tight end John Carlson should help, but Hasselbeck might finish the season as a No. 2 Fantasy option instead of as a starter. He won’t approach 3,966 yards and 28 touchdowns again this year like he did in 2007. offensive coordinator Al Saunders will put more emphasis in the running game with Steven Jackson. It adds up to Holt being drafted as a No. 1 Fantasy option but possibly finishing the year as a disappointment. Average draft position: 35.93/3rd round CBSSports.com 2008 projection: 1 00 catches, 1,233 receiving yards, eight touchdowns 5. Chad Johnson, wr, Cincinnati Johnson had 93 catches for 1,440 yards and eight touchdowns last year, which made him an elite receiver in standard scoring leagues. But those stats were deceiving because Johnson was more bust than boom. He went scoreless in 12 of 13 games from September to December and scored all his touchdowns in four games. He also only had five games with more than 100 yards. And now he’s unhappy with his contract and has a bad ankle coming into the year. He’s going to play under his current deal, but at what point will he start whining again like he did during the offseason? Jerry Rice doesn’t expect Johnson to do well this year. “Chad is a creative guy with the celebrations, and he’s productive on the field,” Rice said in an interview with CBSSports.com this offseason. “But right now he’s an unhappy camper. As long as he’s unhappy, he’s not going to have a productive year. “ Average draft position: 34.87/3rd round CBSSports.com 2008 projection: 86 catches, 1,241 receiving yards, eight touchdowns Average draft position: 50.22/5th round CBSSports.com 2008 projection: 927 rushing yards, five touchdowns, 24 catches, 207 receiving yards, one touchdown 2. ryan grant, rb, green bay When last season ended and early this offseason, Grant looked like a stud coming into 2008. But his contract situation has kept him from taking part in minicamps and possibly training camp, and I’m concerned he won’t be able to duplicate last year’s performance, especially if he gets paid a huge contract and loses that motivation. Grant ran for 956 yards and eight touchdowns and caught 30 passes for 145 yards in only seven starts. On top of that, with Brett Favre retiring, Grant could face more defenders at the line of scrimmage, which means fewer holes to run through. He was great as a breakout last year, but this season he will share playing time with Brandon Jackson, DeShawn Wynn and possibly Vernand Morency. Grant is going to be drafted in the second round, but he won’t live up to second-round status. Average draft position: 73.17/7th round CBSSports.com 2008 projection: 3,349 passing yards, 24 touchdowns, 13 interceptions, 94 rushing yards 4. torry holt, wr, st. louis Holt hasn’t had less than 81 catches and 1,100 yards since his rookie year in 1999 and has 48 touchdowns the past five seasons. Last year, despite the Rams offense falling apart due to injuries, Holt still caught 93 passes for 1,189 yards and seven touchdowns. Now the rest of the offense is healthy, but Holt might not be 100 percent. The knee pain he dealt with last year hasn’t gone away. Along with that, he’ll be 32 this year and could see more coverage without Isaac Bruce, who is now in San Francisco. Opposing defenses will focus on Holt and take their chances with Drew Bennett, Donnie Avery and Randy McMichael in the passing game. And new 6. Jon Kitna, Qb, Detroit You’re saying to yourself right now: How can a quarterback who passed for more interceptions (20) than touchdowns (18) last year be a bust this year? Well, the thought here is don’t draft Kitna in any league. I know he still passed for 4,068 yards last year and 4,208 yards in 2006 and plays with one of the best receiving tandems in Roy Williams and Calvin Johnson. But the loss of offensive coordinator Mike Martz and the Lions promise to run the ball more in 2008 is Average draft position: 23.24/2nd round CBSSports.com 2008 projection: 1,236 rushing yards, eight touchdowns, 25 catches, 156 receiving yards 2008 Fantasy Football Downloadable Draft Kit | 14 more than enough to leave Kitna on the waiver wire. He takes too many sacks and forces the ball into coverage, which hurts his Fantasy value. Williams and Johnson will help Kitna get close to 20 touchdowns, but his yardage will suffer now that Martz is gone. Kitna went from a top 10 option last year to someone who shouldn’t be drafted in 2008. Average draft position: 148.75/13th round CBSSports.com 2008 projection: 3,536 passing yards, 20 touchdowns, 18 interceptions, 96 rushing yards suspension. Even if he’s ready to start the season, he’s going to find it hard to live up to last year’s performance of 102 catches, 1,325 yards and seven touchdowns. The Broncos passing game could also take a hit with no legitimate No. 2 receiver opposite Marshall, and tight end Tony Scheffler still dealing with foot problems. Marshall is entering his third year, which is typically when receivers have a breakout season, but this could be a year when Marshall regresses based on what happened last year. If you can get Marshall as a No. 3 Fantasy option, then you are in good shape. Anything more than that is a risk. 10. lenDale white, rb, tennessee White had a breakthrough season last year with 1,110 rushing yards and seven touchdowns and was on track to be a quality starting option this season. But then the Titans spent a first-round pick on Chris Johnson, who will take reps away from White, along with second-year back Chris Henry. White also has a nagging knee injury, which could linger into training camp. He could still be a good source of touchdowns, but his yardage will decline with the acquisition of Johnson. White has now fallen to a No. 3 Fantasy option, but he might be better used as a fourth running back. If he proves viable early in the year, start him off your bench. But if he falters as expected, then your team will struggle if White is penciled in as a starter. 7. Jamal lewis, rb, Cleveland Lewis won’t be as bad as Shaun Alexander in 2006 or Ahman Green last year, but those are recent examples of aging running backs who get paid and then falter. In 2007, Lewis re-emerged as a starting Fantasy option in his first year with the Browns, rushing for 1,304 yards and nine touchdowns and catching 30 passes for 248 yards and two touchdowns. He got a three-year contract extension, which means he loses the motivation of playing for money. He also will be 29 when the season starts and has seven full seasons in the NFL, which typically is when a running back starts to slow down, especially someone with his running style. That said, he plays behind a great offensive line with tremendous talent around him, so Lewis won’t totally falter this year. But if you’re counting on Lewis to be a starting Fantasy option, you’re going to be disappointed. He will end up as a top reserve or possibly worse. Average draft position: 50.57/5th round CBSSports.com 2008 projection: 81 catches, 1,068 yards, seven touchdowns 9. ben roethlisberger, Qb, Pittsburgh Big Ben had a career year in 2007 with 32 touchdown passes and 34 total touchdowns with his rushing scores. It’s doubtful he’ll reach 30 touchdowns again this year since his previous career high was 18. The Steelers drafted running back Rashard Mendenhall to improve their rushing in the red zone, which would mean less passing touchdowns for Roethlisberger. He’s still a candidate for about 25 total touchdowns, and he should be a solid No. 1 Fantasy option. But don’t overestimate Big Ben’s value and draft him ahead of Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Tony Romo, Drew Brees, Carson Palmer or Derek Anderson. Roethlisberger also doesn’t throw for many yards with no 300-yard passing games in his last 23. Average draft position: 67.36/6th round CBSSports.com 2008 projection: 1,068 rushing yards, seven touchdowns, 12 catches, 70 yards Average draft position: 26.29/3rd round CBSSports.com 2008 projection: 304 carries, 1,178 yards, seven touchdowns, 21 catches, 166 yards Average draft position: 42.49/3rd round CBSSports.com 2008 projection: 3,302 passing yards, 25 touchdowns, 16 interceptions, 167 rushing yards, two touchdowns 8. brandon marshall, wr, Denver Talk about a bad offseason, Marshall went from a Fantasy darling to a potential Fantasy dud. He severed an artery in his arm and had some off-field troubles that could lead to a possible 2008 Fantasy Football Downloadable Draft Kit | 15 auction Values Qb/rb/wr/te/K/DeF This list is designed to help you plot out your league drafts and give you a general idea of where players should be drafted in your league. It can also be used as a tiebreaker when you’re debating between two players at different positions in your draft. We recommend you to compare this to our positional rankings in the previous section, which break down Fantasy players by position. These rankings will be updated online through the start of the season based on depth chart changes, personnel moves and preseason injuries. For the latest updated rankings, go to http://fantasynews.sportsline.com/fantasyfootball/rankings/top200 QuarTErBaCKs 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Tom Brady NE $23 (Bye: 4) Peyton Manning IND $20 (Bye: 4) Tony Romo DAL $17 (Bye: 10) Drew Brees NO $16 (Bye: 9) Carson Palmer CIN $13 (Bye: 8) Derek Anderson CLE $13 (Bye: 5) Ben Roethlisberger PIT $12 (Bye: 6) Brett Favre NYJ $9 (Bye: 5) Donovan McNabb PHI $8 (Bye: 7) Jay Cutler DEN $8 (Bye: 8) Eli Manning NYG $7 (Bye: 4) Marc Bulger STL $7 (Bye: 5) Kurt Warner ARI $7 (Bye: 7) Matt Hasselbeck SEA $7 (Bye: 4) Jake Delhomme CAR $6 (Bye: 9) David Garrard JAC $6 (Bye: 7) Jason Campbell WAS $5 (Bye: 10) Jon Kitna DET $5 (Bye: 4) Philip Rivers SD $5 (Bye: 9) Matt Schaub HOU $4 (Bye: 8) 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 Aaron Rodgers GB $4 (Bye: 8) Vince Young TEN $3 (Bye: 6) Trent Edwards BUF $3 (Bye: 6) Jeff Garcia TB $3 (Bye: 10) JaMarcus Russell OAK $2 (Bye: 5) Tarvaris Jackson MIN $2 (Bye: 8) Chad Pennington MIA $1 (Bye: 4) J.T. O'Sullivan SF $1 (Bye: 9) Kyle Orton CHI 0 (Bye: 8) Troy Smith BAL 0 (Bye: 10) Brodie Croyle KC 0 (Bye: 6) Matt Ryan ATL 0 (Bye: 7) Joe Flacco BAL 0 (Bye: 10) Chris Redman ATL 0 (Bye: 7) Rex Grossman CHI 0 (Bye: 8) Gus Frerotte MIN 0 (Bye: 8) Alex Smith SF 0 (Bye: 9) Kevin Kolb PHI 0 (Bye: 7) Sage Rosenfels HOU 0 (Bye: 8) Matt Leinart ARI 0 (Bye: 7) ruNNiNg BaCKs 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 LaDainian Tomlinson SD $35 (Bye: 9) Brian Westbrook PHI $33 (Bye: 7) Adrian Peterson MIN $31 (Bye: 8) Steven Jackson STL $30 (Bye: 5) Joseph Addai IND $26 (Bye: 4) Clinton Portis WAS $23 (Bye: 10) Frank Gore SF $22 (Bye: 9) Marion Barber DAL $20 (Bye: 10) Marshawn Lynch BUF $20 (Bye: 6) Larry Johnson KC $20 (Bye: 6) Maurice Jones-Drew JAC $18 (Bye: 7) Jamal Lewis CLE $17 (Bye: 5) Earnest Graham TB $16 (Bye: 10) Willis McGahee BAL $16 (Bye: 10) Ryan Grant GB $16 (Bye: 8) Darren McFadden OAK $15 (Bye: 5) Brandon Jacobs NYG $15 (Bye: 4) Reggie Bush NO $14 (Bye: 9) Laurence Maroney NE $14 (Bye: 4) Edgerrin James ARI $12 (Bye: 7) Michael Turner ATL $12 (Bye: 7) Willie Parker PIT $12 (Bye: 6) Thomas Jones NYJ $12 (Bye: 5) Julius Jones SEA $11 (Bye: 4) Kevin Smith DET $11 (Bye: 4) LenDale White TEN $11 (Bye: 6) Ronnie Brown MIA $10 (Bye: 4) DeAngelo Williams CAR $10 (Bye: 9) 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 Chris Johnson TEN $4 (Bye: 6) Justin Fargas OAK $4 (Bye: 5) Jerious Norwood ATL $3 (Bye: 7) Rashard Mendenhall PIT $3 (Bye: 6) Ahman Green HOU $3 (Bye: 8) Ricky Williams MIA $2 (Bye: 4) Ray Rice BAL $2 (Bye: 10) Deuce McAllister NO $2 (Bye: 9) Leon Washington NYJ $2 (Bye: 5) Steve Slaton HOU $2 (Bye: 8) Maurice Morris SEA $1 (Bye: 4) Warrick Dunn TB $1 (Bye: 10) Dominic Rhodes IND $1 (Bye: 4) Tatum Bell DET $1 (Bye: 4) Derrick Ward NYG $1 (Bye: 4) Lorenzo Booker PHI $1 (Bye: 7) Brandon Jackson GB $1 (Bye: 8) DeShaun Foster SF $1 (Bye: 9) Kevin Jones CHI $1 (Bye: 8) Aaron Stecker NO $1 (Bye: 9) Kevin Faulk NE $1 (Bye: 4) Fred Jackson BUF 0 (Bye: 6) Chris Perry CIN 0 (Bye: 8) Adrian Peterson CHI 0 (Bye: 8) Andre Hall DEN 0 (Bye: 8) T.J. Duckett SEA 0 (Bye: 4) Jamaal Charles KC 0 (Bye: 6) LaMont Jordan NE 0 (Bye: 4) 2008 Fantasy Football Downloadable Draft Kit | 16 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 Selvin Young DEN $9 (Bye: 8) Matt Forte CHI $8 (Bye: 8) Fred Taylor JAC $8 (Bye: 7) Rudi Johnson CIN $8 (Bye: 8) Chester Taylor MIN $7 (Bye: 8) Felix Jones DAL $5 (Bye: 10) Jonathan Stewart CAR $5 (Bye: 9) 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 Kenny Watson CIN 0 (Bye: 8) Michael Pittman DEN 0 (Bye: 8) Pierre Thomas NO 0 (Bye: 9) Ladell Betts WAS 0 (Bye: 10) Chris Taylor HOU 0 (Bye: 8) Tim Hightower ARI 0 (Bye: 7) Darren Sproles SD 0 (Bye: 9) W idE rECEivErs 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 Randy Moss NE $21 (Bye: 4) Terrell Owens DAL $19 (Bye: 10) Braylon Edwards CLE $17 (Bye: 5) Larry Fitzgerald ARI $17 (Bye: 7) Reggie Wayne IND $17 (Bye: 4) Marques Colston NO $16 (Bye: 9) Andre Johnson HOU $15 (Bye: 8) Steve Smith CAR $15 (Bye: 9) T.J. Houshmandzadeh CIN $14 (Bye: 8) Plaxico Burress NYG $13 (Bye: 4) Wes Welker NE $13 (Bye: 4) Torry Holt STL $13 (Bye: 5) Chad Johnson CIN $13 (Bye: 8) Anquan Boldin ARI $13 (Bye: 7) Calvin Johnson DET $12 (Bye: 4) Roy Williams DET $12 (Bye: 4) Greg Jennings GB $12 (Bye: 8) Santonio Holmes PIT $11 (Bye: 6) Marvin Harrison IND $11 (Bye: 4) Hines Ward PIT $10 (Bye: 6) Brandon Marshall DEN $9 (Bye: 8) Laveranues Coles NYJ $8 (Bye: 5) Dwayne Bowe KC $8 (Bye: 6) Bernard Berrian MIN $7 (Bye: 8) Chris Chambers SD $7 (Bye: 9) Joey Galloway TB $7 (Bye: 10) Roddy White ATL $7 (Bye: 7) Jerricho Cotchery NYJ $7 (Bye: 5) Lee Evans BUF $7 (Bye: 6) Santana Moss WAS $6 (Bye: 10) Donald Driver GB $6 (Bye: 8) Donte' Stallworth CLE $5 (Bye: 5) Patrick Crayton DAL $4 (Bye: 10) Nate Burleson SEA $4 (Bye: 4) Sidney Rice MIN $3 (Bye: 8) DeSean Jackson PHI $3 (Bye: 7) Anthony Gonzalez IND $3 (Bye: 4) Ronald Curry OAK $3 (Bye: 5) Derrick Mason BAL $3 (Bye: 10) Isaac Bruce SF $3 (Bye: 9) 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 Bobby Engram SEA $3 (Bye: 4) James Hardy BUF $3 (Bye: 6) Justin Gage TEN $2 (Bye: 6) Jerry Porter JAC $2 (Bye: 7) Javon Walker OAK $2 (Bye: 5) Vincent Jackson SD $2 (Bye: 9) Jabar Gaffney NE $2 (Bye: 4) Mark Clayton BAL $2 (Bye: 10) Laurent Robinson ATL $2 (Bye: 7) Reggie Williams JAC $1 (Bye: 7) Kevin Walter HOU $1 (Bye: 8) Antwaan Randle El WAS $1 (Bye: 10) Steve Smith NYG $1 (Bye: 4) Marty Booker CHI $1 (Bye: 8) Muhsin Muhammad CAR $1 (Bye: 9) Kevin Curtis PHI $1 (Bye: 7) Chris Henry CIN $1 (Bye: 8) Ted Ginn Jr. MIA $1 (Bye: 4) Eddie Royal DEN $1 (Bye: 8) Deion Branch SEA $1 (Bye: 4) Devin Hester CHI $1 (Bye: 8) D.J. Hackett CAR $1 (Bye: 9) Donnie Avery STL $1 (Bye: 5) Ernest Wilford MIA $1 (Bye: 4) Amani Toomer NYG $1 (Bye: 4) Dennis Northcutt JAC 0 (Bye: 7) Reggie Brown PHI 0 (Bye: 7) Andre Davis HOU 0 (Bye: 8) Brandon Stokley DEN 0 (Bye: 8) Robert Meachem NO 0 (Bye: 9) Arnaz Battle SF 0 (Bye: 9) Shaun McDonald DET 0 (Bye: 4) Darrell Jackson DEN 0 (Bye: 8) Derek Hagan MIA 0 (Bye: 4) Bobby Wade MIN 0 (Bye: 8) Roscoe Parrish BUF 0 (Bye: 6) Michael Jenkins ATL 0 (Bye: 7) Mike Furrey DET 0 (Bye: 4) Steve Breaston ARI 0 (Bye: 7) Brad Smith NYJ 0 (Bye: 5) 2008 Fantasy Football Downloadable Draft Kit | 17 TighT ENds 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Jason Witten DAL $10 (Bye: 10) Kellen Winslow CLE $9 (Bye: 5) Antonio Gates SD $9 (Bye: 9) Tony Gonzalez KC $8 (Bye: 6) Chris Cooley WAS $8 (Bye: 10) Dallas Clark IND $7 (Bye: 4) Jeremy Shockey NO $6 (Bye: 9) Vernon Davis SF $5 (Bye: 9) Todd Heap BAL $5 (Bye: 10) Heath Miller PIT $4 (Bye: 6) Owen Daniels HOU $4 (Bye: 8) Alge Crumpler TEN $3 (Bye: 6) Greg Olsen CHI $3 (Bye: 8) Tony Scheffler DEN $3 (Bye: 8) Benjamin Watson NE $2 (Bye: 4) 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 L.J. Smith PHI $2 (Bye: 7) Dustin Keller NYJ $2 (Bye: 5) Zach Miller OAK $1 (Bye: 5) Leonard Pope ARI $1 (Bye: 7) Donald Lee GB $1 (Bye: 8) Kevin Boss NYG $1 (Bye: 4) Randy McMichael STL $1 (Bye: 5) John Carlson SEA $1 (Bye: 4) Anthony Fasano MIA 0 (Bye: 4) Marcedes Lewis JAC 0 (Bye: 7) Ben Utecht CIN 0 (Bye: 8) Desmond Clark CHI 0 (Bye: 8) Alex Smith TB 0 (Bye: 10) Robert Royal BUF 0 (Bye: 6) Chris Baker NYJ 0 (Bye: 5) KiCKErs 1 Stephen Gostkowski NE $2 (Bye: 4) 2 Nick Folk DAL $2 (Bye: 10) 3 Josh Brown STL $2 (Bye: 5) 4 Phil Dawson CLE $2 (Bye: 5) 5 Shayne Graham CIN $1 (Bye: 8) 6 Adam Vinatieri IND $1 (Bye: 4) 7 Rob Bironas TEN $1 (Bye: 6) 8 Nate Kaeding SD $1 (Bye: 9) 9 Mason Crosby GB $1 (Bye: 8) 10 Neil Rackers ARI $1 (Bye: 7) 11 John Kasay CAR $1 (Bye: 9) 12 Kris Brown HOU $1 (Bye: 8) 13 Jason Hanson DET 0 (Bye: 4) 14 Josh Scobee JAC 0 (Bye: 7) 15 Ryan Longwell MIN 0 (Bye: 8) 16 Jeff Reed PIT 0 (Bye: 6) dEFENsivE sPECiaL TEaMs 1 Vikings MIN $3 (Bye: 8) 2 Chargers SD $3 (Bye: 9) 3 Cowboys DAL $2 (Bye: 10) 4 Jaguars JAC $2 (Bye: 7) 5 Patriots NE $2 (Bye: 4) 6 Steelers PIT $2 (Bye: 6) 7 Seahawks SEA $2 (Bye: 4) 8 Bears CHI $2 (Bye: 8) 9 Redskins WAS $1 (Bye: 10) 10 Buccaneers TB $1 (Bye: 10) 11 Giants NYG $1 (Bye: 4) 12 Ravens BAL $1 (Bye: 10) 13 Packers GB $1 (Bye: 8) 14 Eagles PHI $1 (Bye: 7) KiCKErs BUF $1 (Bye: 6) 15 Bills 16 Raiders OAK 0 (Bye: 5) 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 Olindo Mare SEA 0 (Bye: 4) Martin Gramatica NO 0 (Bye: 9) Mike Nugent NYJ 0 (Bye: 5) Matt Bryant TB 0 (Bye: 10) David Akers PHI 0 (Bye: 7) Jason Elam ATL 0 (Bye: 7) Shaun Suisham WAS 0 (Bye: 10) Robbie Gould CHI 0 (Bye: 8) Matt Stover BAL 0 (Bye: 10) Rian Lindell BUF 0 (Bye: 6) Sebastian Janikowski OAK 0 (Bye: 5) Joe Nedney SF 0 (Bye: 9) Matt Prater DEN 0 (Bye: 8) Dan Carpenter MIA 0 (Bye: 4) Billy Cundiff KC 0 (Bye: 6) Lawrence Tynes NYG 0 (Bye: 4) Colts IND 0 (Bye: 4) Titans TEN 0 (Bye: 6) Texans HOU 0 (Bye: 8) Jets NYJ 0 (Bye: 5) 49ers SF 0 (Bye: 9) Browns CLE 0 (Bye: 5) Broncos DEN 0 (Bye: 8) Cardinals ARI 0 (Bye: 7) Panthers CAR 0 (Bye: 9) Lions DET 0 (Bye: 4) Chiefs KC 0 (Bye: 6) Rams STL 0 (Bye: 5) Saints NO 0 (Bye: 9) Dolphins MIA 0 (Bye: 4) Bengals CIN 0 (Bye: 8) Falcons ATL 0 (Bye: 7) 2008 Fantasy Football Downloadable Draft Kit | 18 ranKings toP 100 Rank 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 Player, Position, Team LaDainian Tomlinson RB,SD Brian Westbrook RB,PHI Adrian Peterson RB,MIN Tom Brady QB,NE Steven Jackson RB,STL Joseph Addai RB,IND Peyton Manning QB,IND Clinton Portis RB,WAS Frank Gore RB,SF Marion Barber RB,DAL Marshawn Lynch RB,BUF Larry Johnson RB,KC Randy Moss WR,NE Tony Romo QB,DAL Terrell Owens WR,DAL Braylon Edwards WR,CLE Larry Fitzgerald WR,ARI Reggie Wayne WR,IND Maurice Jones-Drew RB,JAC Drew Brees QB,NO Jamal Lewis RB,CLE Marques Colston WR,NO Andre Johnson WR,HOU Earnest Graham RB,TB Willis McGahee RB,BAL Steve Smith WR,CAR Ryan Grant RB,GB Darren McFadden RB,OAK Brandon Jacobs RB,NYG Carson Palmer QB,CIN Reggie Bush RB,NO Laurence Maroney RB,NE T.J. Houshmandzadeh WR,CIN Plaxico Burress WR,NYG Wes Welker WR,NE Torry Holt WR,STL Chad Johnson WR,CIN Derek Anderson QB,CLE Ben Roethlisberger QB,PIT Anquan Boldin WR,ARI Calvin Johnson WR,DET Edgerrin James RB,ARI Roy Williams WR,DET Jason Witten TE,DAL Michael Turner RB,ATL Willie Parker RB,PIT Kellen Winslow TE,CLE Thomas Jones RB,NYJ Julius Jones RB,SEA Kevin Smith RB,DET Bye 9 7 8 4 5 4 4 10 9 10 6 6 4 10 10 5 7 4 7 9 5 9 8 10 10 9 8 5 4 8 9 4 8 4 4 5 8 5 6 7 4 7 4 10 7 6 5 5 4 4 Rank 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 Player, Position, Team LenDale White RB,TEN Antonio Gates TE,SD Greg Jennings WR,GB Santonio Holmes WR,PIT Marvin Harrison WR,IND Ronnie Brown RB,MIA Hines Ward WR,PIT Tony Gonzalez TE,KC Chris Cooley TE,WAS Brett Favre QB,NYJ Brandon Marshall WR,DEN DeAngelo Williams RB,CAR Donovan McNabb QB,PHI Selvin Young RB,DEN Matt Forte RB,CHI Laveranues Coles WR,NYJ Dwayne Bowe WR,KC Fred Taylor RB,JAC Dallas Clark TE,IND Bernard Berrian WR,MIN Chris Chambers WR,SD Joey Galloway WR,TB Roddy White WR,ATL Jerricho Cotchery WR,NYJ Jay Cutler QB,DEN Lee Evans WR,BUF Rudi Johnson RB,CIN Chester Taylor RB,MIN Santana Moss WR,WAS Donald Driver WR,GB Jeremy Shockey TE,NO Eli Manning QB,NYG Marc Bulger QB,STL Donte' Stallworth WR,CLE Patrick Crayton WR,DAL Matt Hasselbeck QB,SEA Jake Delhomme QB,CAR Vikings DST,MIN Nate Burleson WR,SEA Vernon Davis TE,SF David Garrard QB,JAC Todd Heap TE,BAL Sidney Rice WR,MIN Felix Jones RB,DAL Heath Miller TE,PIT Jonathan Stewart RB,CAR DeSean Jackson WR, PHI Chargers DST, SD Anthony Gonzalez WR, IND Ronald Curry WR, OAK Bye 6 9 8 6 4 4 6 6 10 5 8 9 7 8 8 5 6 7 4 8 9 10 7 5 8 6 8 8 10 8 9 4 5 5 10 4 9 8 4 9 7 10 8 10 6 9 7 9 4 5 Report Updated as of: 8/25/08 12:20 PM EST To see the latest top 100 go here: http://fantasynews.sportsline.com/fantasyfootball/rankings/top200 2008 Fantasy Football Downloadable Draft Kit | 19 another player, such as a sleeper running back. scouting Qbs by Dave richard senior Fantasy writer Draft prep: Variety, timing keys to drafting QBs We’re a season removed from 2007, but the impact from last year is being felt in Fantasy leagues everywhere. The upstart and startling production from guys like Derek Anderson, Brett Favre, Ben Roethlisberger and Tony Romo combined with Tom Brady’s 50 passing touchdowns have put the quarterback position in the Fantasy spotlight. True, in most Fantasy leagues you start at least twice as many running backs as you do quarterbacks, but unprecedented production from a lot of quarterback in 2007 is driving up the demand in signal-callers. In addition, the glut of committee backfields that teams are copying from each other is flooding the running back market. The end result is that owners are now studying passers as diligently -- if not more so -- than they study running backs. What should your plan be for drafting a quarterback in 2008? We preview how the draftboard will shake out in your standard-scoring league in drafts this summer. For extensive information about any NFL quarterback, check out that player’s profile page. Round 1 Two names are head and shoulders above the rest of the Fantasy quarterback class: Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, and for obvious reasons. Not only do both of them play in up-tempo offenses that cater to the passing game, but they also have fabulous receivers at their disposal. Expecting anything less than 4,000 passing yards and 30 touchdowns is a gross error. It’s obvious why they’re going in the first round of most leagues: Fantasy owners view Brady and Manning as low-risk, high-reward options. They’re established players who don’t usually deliver low points on a weekly basis and play well whether their team wins or loses. They’re also quarterbacks you’d rarely consider benching, so drafting a backup isn’t even a necessity. That means another roster spot opens up on your team for The downside to drafting Brady or Manning is just as obvious as the upside: Picking one of them means passing on a top-caliber Fantasy running back. True, running backs are stat producers when playing in the right environment, and the first-round rushers qualify, but stud running backs get hurt more often and generally disappoint more often than stud quarterbacks. If your league rewards six points for all touchdowns, or favors quarterbacks in any way, then going with Brady or Manning with a middle-to-late pick in Round 1 is a no-brainer. Rounds 2-3 If you pass on a stud running back in Round 1, you’re probably going to have trouble finding one in Rounds 2 and 3. Miss on a quarterback, though, and you’ll still find some very attractive options soon thereafter. Many Fantasy owners see a lot of value in nabbing Tony Romo (the consensus No. 3 Fantasy QB) and Drew Brees with a pick between 13th and 36th overall. Like Brady and Manning, Romo and Brees are expected to reach 4,000 passing yards in 2008. Where they differ from Brady and Manning is in the touchdown department, where both are expected to lose some TDs to their respective running attacks. Interceptions are also more of a possibility with these two. Brees is also a bit injury prone and Romo opens himself to injury with his aggressive style of play. Still, there is nothing wrong with going with a quarterback in Rounds 2 and 3, particularly if you struck gold with a running back in Round 1 and or 2. If you do, Romo or Brees should be who you take. A backup is a recommended option for both players. Rounds 4-7 Like any position in a Fantasy draft, the deeper you wait to pick, the less desirable the talent. That said, several quarterbacks who were picked at this point and beyond last year turned out to be steals. The quarterbacks in play at this point are Derek Anderson, Carson Palmer and Ben Roethlisberger, and all three carry more risk with less reward than the four previous passers. Anderson is brimming with upside as the centerpiece in the Browns’ offense, but he has just one year of experience under his belt and just got paid. Roethlisberger is also coming off a career year and an offseason contract extension and has never been a huge yardage guy -- 2007 was large for him because of the Steelers’ passing in the red zone, something that should still be fairly consistent this season, 2008 Fantasy Football Downloadable Draft Kit | 20 though rookie running back Rashard Mendenhall might steal touchdowns from Big Ben and his receivers. Palmer has the tools and teammates to be a 30-touchdown passer but has only done it once in four years as the Bengals’ starter. Despite each passer’s pros and cons, the truth is that once these three guys are off the board, Fantasy owners left without a quarterback will begin struggling to find one they can look at and deem reliable. That’s why Anderson, Palmer and Roethlisberger are likely to be gone by Round 6 of most drafts, not Round 7. And because these three carry some risk, drafting a solid backup is a must. Rounds 8-10 We’ve found that the remaining teams in drafts that don’t have a starter will grab one around this point, usually the middle of standard Fantasy drafts. But teams looking to hoard talent at quarterback will also be considering a passer here, so if you’re still searching, you need to act quickly. Four of the five names you’ll see drafted next are familiar: Marc Bulger, Matt Hasselbeck, Eli Manning and Donovan McNabb. With all four, you have a pretty good idea of what you are getting and what the positives and negatives are. The fifth member of the group, and the true wild-card of the 2008 Top-12 Fantasy class, is Jay Cutler of the Broncos. Entering his second season as a starter, Cutler has the ability to be a gunner but has a suspect crew of offensive talent around him (made even more suspect by the offseason issues surrounding his most reliable receiving outlet, WR Brandon Marshall). If you’ve waited this long for a starting quarterback, our recommendation is to take not one of these guys, but two of them, potentially with back-to-back picks. Because these quarterbacks have so many question marks around them, your best bet is to hedge and draft a pair of them and platoon them until one becomes the clear starter. If you get one from this group but the rest get drafted, then the plan of attack is to take the best available No. 2 quarterback according to our rank list and use him in the platoon. Beyond Round 10 The last strategy worth considering is “punting” on the top Fantasy quarterbacks and drafting two (or even three) from the pool of No. 2 Fantasy quarterbacks, a pool that includes Jason Campbell, Jake Delhomme, David Garrard, Philip Rivers, Aaron Rodgers and Matt Schaub. On paper, all five of these guys are appealing because they have solid receivers to throw to, a good offensive line in front of them and a really nice running game to balance the offense. But they all carry plenty of risk, more than any of the 12 aforementioned quarterbacks. How long will it take Jason Campbell to thrive in Jim Zorn’s West Coast offense? Is Jake Delhomme fully recovered from Tommy John surgery? Will David Garrard repeat his efficient, nearly turnover-free campaign of a year ago while connecting with career underachiever Jerry Porter? Is Philip Rivers healthy and capable of consistently throwing for over 200 yards per game? Can Aaron Rodgers pick up where Brett Favre left off? Will Matt Schaub play 16 games, and will his best receiver, Andre Johnson, play them with him? The only way we’d recommend drafting two or three of these quarterbacks is if you get to the point in Rounds 8 through 10 in your draft, you still don’t have a quarterback and are dead-set against anyone in the bottom half of our Top 12. We’ve seen owners do this and end up with a star-studded team at all the other positions. If those owners choose wisely among these quarterbacks, they’ll be extremely competitive in 2008. 2008 Fantasy Football Downloadable Draft Kit | 21 QuarTErBaCK ByE-WEEK ChEaT shEET ByE WEEK No. 1 FaNTasy QBs oN ByE WEEK 4 ToM Brady (NE); MaTT hassELBECK (sEa); ELi MaNNiNg (Nyg); PEyToN MaNNiNg (iNd) dErEK aNdErsoN (CLE); MarC BuLgEr WEEK 5 (sTL) BEN roEThLisBErgEr (PiT) WEEK 6 WEEK 7 WEEK 8 WEEK 9 WEEK 10 doNovaN MCNaBB (Phi) Jay CuTLEr (dEN); CarsoN PaLMEr (CiN) drEW BrEEs (No) ToNy roMo (daL) No. 2 FaNTasy QBs WiTh ProJECTEd good MaTChuPs JaKE dELhoMME (vs. aTL); TrENT EdWards (aT sTL); david garrard (vs. hou); PhiLiP rivErs (aT oaK) JaKE dELhoMME (vs. KC); Tarvaris JaCKsoN (aT No); PhiLiP rivErs (aT Mia); aaroN rodgErs (vs. aTL) JasoN CaMPBELL (vs. sTL); Tarvaris JaCKsoN (vs. dET); JaMarCus russELL (aT No); MaTT sChauB (vs. Mia) JasoN CaMPBELL (vs. CLE); JaKE dELhoMME (vs. No); MaTT sChauB (vs. dET); viNCE youNg (aT KC) TrENT EdWards (aT Mia); david garrard (vs. CLE); PhiLiP rivErs (aT No) david garrard (aT CiN); Tarvaris JaCKsoN (vs. hou); MaTT LEiNarT (aT sTL); JaMarCus russELL (vs. aTL) drEW BrEEs (aT aTL); MaTT hassELBECK (aT Mia); PhiLiP rivErs (vs. KC); MaTT sChauB (vs. CiN) scouting rbs by Dave richard senior Fantasy writer Draft prep: Backs more plentiful than ever kings, but even he splits carries with To fully understand how the landscape has Chester Taylor. The Steelers have changed, you need to become familiar with yet to define roles for Willie Parker and rookie Rashard Mendenhall. The the varieties of running backs out there. Falcons, Panthers, Broncos, Bears, • Full-time running backs regularly get Texans, Lions and Dolphins all have over 20 touches per game including work rushing quandaries waiting to be at the goal line and on most third downs. solved, too. • Primary running backs near 20 touches per game with goal-line work but are pulled for most third downs and other occasional situations. • Running down backs work in tandem with a passing down back and line up exclusively in running formations. Most, but not all, of these players are goal-line backs. • Passing down backs work in tandem with a running down back and work mostly in passing situations and formations. Not many are goal-line backs. • Utility running backs are running backs who can line up all over the field and be effective. Usually, these runners have excellent receiving skills. • Short-yardage/goal-line backs (also known as Fantasy vultures) are expected to be in when an offense either needs a few yards for a first down or a touchdown. Even with these classifications, not every running back is covered. Adrian Peterson starts and gets goal-line carries for the ViBut with all these spin-off varieties of running backs, there’s one huge positive for Fantasy owners. This year, more than any other year, the player pool at running back is as deep as the Grand Canyon. True, not many running backs will start the season as “megabacks,” but there are so many players who should average 15 touches per game and have a shot at 100 total yards each week (assuming the matchup is at least decent). Draft strategy There’s not many draft strategies when it comes to running backs. Most Fantasy owners want to gobble up as many as they can, along with one “insurance policy” to cover their best running back in case he gets hurt. If anything, your running back draft strategy will coincide with how you view players at other positions. For instance, if your heart is set on getting Tom Brady, you are effectively The good ol’ days of Fantasy Football were great. Back then, most every NFL team had one running back that would take on the bulk of the workload. Only occasionally would a team use more than one running back to split carries roughly in half. In those days, you hoarded as many full-time rushers as you could, drafting the backups with late-round picks just in case a starter got hurt. The NFL has evolved, and in turn has made the prospect of drafting Fantasy running backs harder. That’s running backs -- plural. Take a gander at the NFL’s depth charts and you’ll see that you can count the number of teams that truly use a “full time” running back on one hand. Because clubs don’t want to lose running backs to injury, many have gone to a committee backfield in an attempt to keep all rushers on the roster fresh. 2008 Fantasy Football Downloadable Draft Kit | 22 passing on any top-10 Fantasy running back. If you want to pick up two wide receivers after you go running back in Round 1, then your second running back will be good but not great. For those of you who insist on spending your first three picks on running backs, be aware that the advantages you would have had in previous years aren’t going to be there in 2008 because of the multitude of rushers with similar expectations available. That said, if you do go with the three-running back strategy, make sure you get three really stellar running backs. Tier it up The best way to break down running backs is to sort them by tiers, or levels of expected production. It goes without saying that you should pick from the highest tier available whenever you’re picking a running back. Perhaps the most significant pre-draft exercise you should do is set your running back tiers. As a result, your drafting will go much smoother and without many conundrums. If you’re in a pinch, you can use the one below (essentially our running back rank list with minor tweaks). We’d recommend this list for those owners in standard-scoring leagues. TiEr 1 1,500 ToTaL yards, 12+ Tds LadaiNiaN ToMLiNsoN BriaN WEsTBrooK sTEvEN JaCKsoN adriaN PETErsoN JosEPh addai CLiNToN PorTis TiEr 2 1,400 ToTaL yards, 10+ Tds FraNK gorE MarioN BarBEr MarshaWN LyNCh Larry JohNsoN WiLLis MCgahEE TiEr 3 1,300 ToTaL yards, 9+ Tds ryaN graNT MauriCE JoNEs-drEW EarNEsT grahaM JaMaL LEWis LaurENCE MaroNEy TiEr 4 1,200 ToTaL yards, 7+ Tds JuLius JoNEs BraNdoN JaCoBs rudi JohNsoN EdgErriN JaMEs rEggiE Bush ThoMas JoNEs MiChaEL TurNEr darrEN MCFaddEN LENdaLE WhiTE JoNaThaN sTEWarT tier 5 1,000 ToTaL yards, 6+ Tds WiLLiE ParKEr roNNiE BroWN sELviN youNg MaTT ForTE FrEd TayLor KEviN sMiTh tier 6 900 ToTaL yards, 5+ Tds ChEsTEr TayLor ahMaN grEEN dEaNgELo WiLLiaMs dEuCE MCaLLisTEr rashard MENdENhaLL JusTiN Fargas tier 7 800 ToTaL yards, 4+ Tds JErious NorWood FELix JoNEs LEoN WashiNgToN riCKy WiLLiaMs Chris JohNsoN ryaN ToraiN Chris BroWN tier 8 QuaLiTy rEsErvEs aNd BaCKuPs TaTuM BELL WarriCK duNN doMiNiC rhodEs saMMy Morris dEshauN FosTEr dErriCK Ward T.J. duCKETT FrEd JaCKsoN ray riCE 2008 Fantasy Football Downloadable Draft Kit | 23 Plan for byes One running back rule that hasn’t changed is to be aware of the bye weeks for your ballcarriers. Drafting a bunch of running backs only to see them share the same bye week is a tactical nightmare that can be easily avoided. The best plan of attack is to plot your running backs around the bye weeks of the top rushers you get. Keep in mind that if you draft two great rushers and a third comes available and has the same bye week as one of your first two, you should still draft him and deal with the bye week problems later. ruNNiNg BaCK ByE-WEEK ChEaT shEET ByE WEEK TEaMs oN ByE WEEK 4 CoLTs, doLPhiNs, giaNTs, LioNs, PaTrioTs, sEahaWKs BroWNs, JETs, raidErs, raMs WEEK 5 WEEK 6 WEEK 7 WEEK 8 WEEK 9 WEEK 10 BiLLs, ChiEFs, sTEELErs, TiTaNs CardiNaLs, EagLEs, FaLCoNs, Jaguars BEars, BENgaLs, BroNCos, PaCKErs, TExaNs, viKiNgs 49Ers, ChargErs, PaNThErs, saiNTs BuCCaNEErs, CoWBoys, ravENs, rEdsKiNs TEaMs WiTh ProJECTEd FavoraBLE ruNNiNg MaTChuPs 49Ers (aT No); BiLLs (aT sTL); BroWNs (aT CiN); ChargErs (aT oaK); ChiEFs (vs. dEN); JETs (vs. ari); PaNThErs (aT aTL); ChargErs (aT Mia); CoWBoys (vs. CiN); PaCKErs (aT aTL); viKiNgs (aT No) BEars (aT aTL); JETs (vs. CiN); raidErs (aT No); rEdsKiNs (vs. sTL); saiNTs (vs. oaK); TExaNs (vs. Mia); CoWBoys (aT sTL); giaNTs (vs. sF); JETs (aT oaK); PaNThErs (vs. No); TExaNs (vs. dET) ChargErs (aT No); EagLEs (vs. aTL); JETs (vs. KC); PaNThErs (vs. ari); PaTrioTs (vs. sTL); ravENs (vs. oaK) BEars (vs. dET); BroNCos (vs. Mia); CardiNaLs (aT sTL); FaLCoNs (aT oaK); Jaguars (aT CiN); raidErs (vs. aTL); viKiNgs (vs. hou) FaLCoNs (vs. No); Jaguars (aT dET); JETs (vs. sTL); PaNThErs (aT oaK); saiNTs (aT aTL); sEahaWKs (aT Mia); TExaNs (vs. CiN) 2008 Fantasy Football Downloadable Draft Kit | 24 scouting wrs by Dave richard senior Fantasy writer Draft prep: Big dropoff in receivers for 2008 Strangely, there is a huge drop-off between the receivers expected to reach 1,000 yards this season and the ones who might have the potential to do so but aren’t a lock for it. If you miss on too many of the 1,000yard guys, you’ll be struggling to fill your starting receiver spots in 2008. For extensive information about any NFL wide receiver, check out that player’s profile page. Preseason ToP 10 FanTasy Wrs 2007 2008 Marvin Harrison randy Moss CHad JoHnson Terrell oWens Torry HolT Braylon edWards Terrell oWens larry FiTzgerald sTeve sMiTH reggie Wayne reggie Wayne Marques ColsTon anquan Boldin sTeve sMiTH roy WilliaMs andre JoHnson larry FiTzgerald T.J. HousHMandzadeH Javon Walker CHad JoHnson Round 1 Unless your league heavily tips the scales in favor of wide receivers, the only Round 1 consideration is Randy Moss, and even that is a bit of a stretch. The player you’re taking in Round 1 is supposed to be a cornerstone for your roster, a guy you can count on for at least 15 Fantasy points per week. To count on Moss for that kind of weekly production is to expect the Patriots to mimic their over-aggressive passing attack from a season ago, and for Moss to stay healthy throughout. Moss hasn’t had back-to-back 16-game seasons since 2002-03 and will enter the 2008 season at 31. Moreover, expecting him to match or exceed his 1,493-yard and record-breaking 23-touchdown season is very ambitious. Your better option is to choose either a running back who has a shot at 1,400 total yards and 10 touchdowns or a stellar quarterback (Tom Brady or Peyton Manning). Round 2 In the past, maybe one or two receivers would trickle off the board toward the end of this round. This year, expect at least four wide receivers to be gone before Round 3. Many Fantasy owners are taking a running back-wide receiver approach to their first two picks, opting to get a stud at each of the two positions that start multiple players. It’s a good idea so long as there isn’t a quality player being sacrificed at the cost of sticking to your game plan. Any receiver in the top five of our draft board is worth a pick in Round 2. Anyone else would be a reach. Going two rounds without a wide receiver isn’t a bad thing, as you’ll soon read. Round 3 In many drafts we’ve seen so far this summer, this is the “get your receiver” round. As few as five and as many as nine wideouts should get snapped up here. Because of this, Round 3 will be the pacesetter for your draft. Waiting until Round 3 to draft a receiver has its advantages. Not only should you still get a top-10 Fantasy choice, but you’ll be able to pair him with the two strong players at other positions you took in Rounds 1 and 2. Here are the various scenarios you might face at this point: • You drafted RB-RB in Rounds 1-2: Unless Brady, Manning or Tony Romo somehow make it this far, you shouldn’t think twice about getting the best available wide receiver. • You drafted QB-RB in Rounds 1-2: Unless a quality running back (figure a Top 15 back or higher) is there, you should definitely pick up a wideout. • You drafted RB-WR or QB-WR in Rounds 1-2 and you pick early in Round 3: Because you’re up so soon and won’t pick again for a while (as- Between significant injuries to the older receivers and exceptional play from the younger receivers, along with a record-setting campaign from Randy Moss, the players you’ll take first off the wide receiver pile this summer are dramatically different than the ones from one season ago. NFL offenses are changing. While some teams still preach balance with the run-pass ratio and others cling to the running game, a sizable amount of clubs are taking the approach of passing more to take advantage of mismatches in the secondary. It makes sense -- there’s a glut of talent across the league at running back and other positions, but not so much at cornerback. In fact, an NFL team is lucky to have one talented cornerback. Some have two, a few have three or more, but by and large offensive coordinators who have the personnel to attack mediocre secondaries (or have figured out how to take down Cover-2 defenses) are now doing so at will. Exhibit A: the 2007 New England Patriots. Our estimation is that any team with a strong-armed quarterback and a capable corps of receivers will try to pass their way to victory more often than not in 2008. So with that news, you’d expect there to be a bevy of reliable Fantasy receivers available, wouldn’t you? Guess again. 2008 Fantasy Football Downloadable Draft Kit | 25 suming a standard ‘snake’ draft), your best move is to get a wide receiver before the run starts. Moreover, if you go with a running back here, you’re letting all the owners after you get two shots at the rest of the great wide receivers. There are enough running backs left to pick one in Round 4. • You drafted RB-WR or QB-WR in Rounds 1-2 and you pick late in Round 3: By the time your pick comes up, there might only be two or three truly desirable Fantasy receivers left. Take your chances that one will be around when you pick again in Round 4 and go with what should be either a stud quarterback or a quality running back with your third pick. After all, if everyone else is going wide receiver in Round 3, someone at another position will fall into your lap. • You drafted WR-WR in Rounds 1-2: You shouldn’t even be reading this. As you can see, most of these scenarios call for getting a wide receiver. Now you know why so many people are picking them up in Round 3. Rounds 4-7 Between these three rounds, any wide receiver with relatively high expectations will be picked. Miss on them, and your receiving corps will be riddled with question marks and ‘what ifs?’ ... assuming you didn’t load up on receivers earlier. Once you get past the top 25 receivers on our rank list, you’re swimming in rough seas. Sure, there are plenty of receivers out there, but they all come with uncertainties. That’s why your goal should be to shore up as many quality receivers as you can. One of the strategies we’ve found useful is drafting most (if not all) of your receivers by the end of Round 7. Whether you start two receivers or three with a ‘flex’ for a possible fourth, your best move is to corral as much talent as you can while it’s there, leaving those other receivers for someone else. Best of all, you’ll pick enough prominent receivers that choosing who to start and sit won’t be a weekly chore. Trust us, you do not want to be picking receivers you’re going to have to rely on past Round 7. Round 8 and beyond Welcome to the crapshoot that is drafting Fantasy wide receivers with middleto late-round picks. Last year, you were successful if you spent such a pick on Wes Welker, Bobby Engram, Greg Jennings or Santonio Holmes. But think of all the other middleto low-end receivers that flooded drafts last year that hurt Fantasy owners (do Mike Furrey, Joe Horn, Devery Henderson, Drew Bennett, Muhsin Muhammad, Brandon Jones, Ted Ginn Jr., Hank Baskett, Dwayne Jarrett, Jerry Porter, Terry Glenn, Matt Jones, Troy Williamson, Eddie Kennison, Robert Meachem and Mark Clayton ring a bell?). Player naTe Burleson PaTriCk CrayTon JaBar gaFFney anTHony gonzalez vinCenT JaCkson BryanT JoHnson Team seaHaWks CoWBoys PaTrioTs ColTs CHargers 49ers Is there a wide receiver strategy for your draft beyond Round 8? If you do your homework, there is. Focus only on wide receivers in pass-heavy offenses that aren’t injury prone. There aren’t many, but there will always be somebody that fits that bill. Do not consult a depth chart and take a player just because he’s the team’s No. 1 receiver. Do not pick a player because you remember him getting you 1,200 yards in 2005. And, do not focus on drafting a bunch of rookie receivers -- maybe one rookie wideout each season plays big in his first year (we like James Hardy of Buffalo to be that guy this year). Here are a couple of middle- to late-round receivers we’d suggest keeping an eye on in drafts. CommenT MigHT develoP inTo seaTTle's go-To Wr. sTill a solid deeP-Ball reCeiver. Passing gaMe. Will alWays Be in single Coverage in dallas' in addiTion To His qB, MigHT see TiMe iF Harrison is sTill HurTing. Will Be a loW-risk draFTee in iF THe PaTs are THroWing THe Ball again, gaFFney sHould PosT Career BesTs. never Has Had Big nuMBers, BuT He's never Been a regular in a MarTz oFFense. sTePPed uP lasT PosTseason, Has greaT size, '08. The last piece of advice we can offer is that if you draft a receiver late who doesn’t help your Fantasy team in the first couple of weeks of play, don’t hesitate to cut him for someone who can. There seems to be at least one wide receiver that comes out of nowhere to play beyond anyone’s expectations (Anquan Boldin in 2003, Marques Colston in 2006, Shaun McDonald in 2007). Don’t be patient -- winning Fantasy Football is about being aggressive and making transactions. So long as the receiver you want to bail on wasn’t taken with a prominent draft pick, don’t be shy to cut bait for someone who might help you win.. 2008 Fantasy Football Downloadable Draft Kit | 26 scouting tes by Dave richard senior Fantasy writer No. 2 Fantasy wide receiver. The advantage here is obvious -- getting one of these tight ends should result in higher weekly scores for your squad. The disadvantage? You’ll have to sacrifice a fourth- or fifth-round pick to get one of them, meaning that, in theory, you’ll be a little weaker at another starting position. You probably won’t know whether or not it’s worth it until you’re up in the draft and you see who else is available in those rounds. The next two There’s little reason to panic if you miss on Witten, Winslow and Gates, as Redskins tight end Chris Cooley and veteran Tony Gonzalez of the Chiefs are about as good. Both play in offenses that heavily rely on their participation and both are perennially healthy. Of course, they’ve got their flaws. Cooley is more about touchdowns than yards and Gonzalez is more about yardage than touchdowns. Both also play with suspect quarterbacks, though Cooley’s passer (Jason Campbell) has some upside. So when do Cooley and Gonzalez fly off draft boards? Depends on when the final member of “the big three” gets taken. In several drafts we’ve seen, owners tend to draft tight ends in chunks, and once the first three are off the board, these next two follow within a span of around 10 picks. They’ll both be gone by the end of Round 6. The rest Many Fantasy scribes will tell you not to panic if you miss on any of the Top 5 Fantasy tight ends. They’re right -- the remaining tight ends available in drafts all pretty much look the same and can be expected to produce roughly 500 yards and 4-5 touchdowns. Draft prep: Tight end strategy tricky as ever Between significant injuries to the Let’s make this simple: Either you’re concentrating on picking up one of the “big three” Fantasy tight ends, or you’re not. If you are, then you deserve kudos for attempting to get maximum production from a spot on your roster that would likely otherwise help your team only so much. And if you’re not, then you also deserve kudos -- for realizing that tight ends practically grow on trees, and finding one that plays every week isn’t a hard task, all the while adding a better player to your roster sooner via the draft. Because no Fantasy owner should draft more tight ends than they need to start, and no Fantasy owner should take one with a pick in the first three rounds, coming up with a strategy for drafting them isn’t as important as figuring out what you want to do with them. The big three Two years ago, we called the three best running backs in Fantasy Football “the big three” because a case could be made for any one of them going No. 1 overall in a draft. We’re borrowing that term this year to describe the three best Fantasy tight ends available: Jason Witten, Kellen Winslow and Antonio Gates. With these tight ends, the expectation is around 1,000 yards with seven or more touchdowns -- the kind of production you’d like to see from a That’s a big statement considering the players left at the position. But as you’ll see, the big names and big potential doesn’t mean likely production. Here are the best 11 tight ends after the aforementioned five -- we could ask 11 Fantasy owners to rank these 11 players and get 11 different answers with as many as six tight ends considered the best of the bunch. he reality is that none of these tight ends should be expected for 1,000 yards or more than six touchdowns. In fact, the majority of these guys will get closer to 600 yards and four touchdowns. With that information in mind, if you’ve whiffed on the first five tight ends, it probably means you’ll wait to fill that need until one of these guys comes to you with a lateround pick (higher if you go the Clark or Shockey route). We’re not saying it’s the best way to go, but if you’d rather build depth and quality at other positions, you’re likely picking from this pool. The last word is that while there are five studs and nearly a dozen decent tight ends, there are some that aren’t even listed here with some nice upside. The Cardinals’ Leonard Pope, Dustin Keller of the Jets, Oakland’s Zach Miller, Cincinnati’s Ben Utecht and John Carlson of the Seahawks all have the potential to latch on to the 11-man glut of tight ends. If you’re interested in getting a backup tight end, we’d recommend one of them. 2008 Fantasy Football Downloadable Draft Kit | 27 Player dallas Clark JereMy sHoCkey vernon davis Todd HeaP HeaTH Miller oWen daniels alge CruMPler greg olsen Tony sCHeFFler l.J. sMiTH BenJaMin WaTson TeaM ind no sF Bal PiT Hou Ten CHi den PHi ne noTe Had a Career year in '07 and Has sinCe Been Paid. aT leasT He CaTCHes PeyTon's Passes. sTill reCovering FroM a Broken leg and Bruised ego BuT Has uPside in neW orleans' Pass-HaPPy oFFense. loTs oF HyPe, BuT 24 gaMes, 774 yards and 7 Tds in TWo years To sHoW For iT. desPiTe CaM CaMeron, HeaP is inJury Prone and in a Poor Passing oFFense. no ConsisTenCy To His Play and a 550-yard Te desPiTe 18 Tds in THree seasons. Padded His yardage in seCond season, BuT CaugHT only THree TouCHdoWns. on PaPer He's solid For TiTans BuT a CHroniC knee and sagging average HurT HiM. MigHT Be THe Bears' BesT reCeiver desPiTe PedesTrian rookie season. He says FooT is Healed, We say BronCos' Passing gaMe MigHT noT Be so HoT. geTs a loT oF HyPe For a guy WHo's never ToPPed Five Tds or 682 reCeiving yards. Has yeT To Play a 16-gaMe season and Has one year WiTH More THan 450 yards. 2008 Fantasy Football Downloadable Draft Kit | 28 PraCtiCe maKes PerFeCt. Your draft is the most important part of your Fantasy Football season. Make the most of it. • Practice drafting in our live online draft room • Test your draft strategy against others • Enter as many drafts as you want • Practice based on scoring system and style • Use your results as your rankings for your actual draft • It’s easy - practice drafting today! SIGN UP NOW Visit cbssports.com/fantasy to learn more.