The 2011 Fantasy football season is set to start in less than a week and while I have not had an extensive amount of time to really take an in-depth look at all the positions, I have managed to catch quite a few preseason matchups make many notes. I am not going to offer my opinion as anything more than just that, but I will however add as an adamant fan of the NFL and the game of fantasy football, I pay attention.
As with most anything in life there is usually a beginning and when we start looking at fantasy football players, we need to start with the top; the Quarterback position.
When you draft (if your draft has yet to take place) or when looking back at your just completed draft, it’s no surprise to see the familiar names like Brees, Brady, and Rivers at the top of the list; as they should be. When we take a moment to look a little deeper into this year’s fantasy drafts there are several quarterback names that should garnish some attention, and by mid-season they will.
Signal-callers
After having a chance to watch a considerable amount of preseason I was able to catch quick a bit of action between the Lions and Patriots. And while I was impressed with Detriot’s first string’s defensive effort in the 1st half, I have to say that the young Mr. Stafford caught my attention as well. The Lion’s third year quarterback has looked stellar this preseason and seems to be the subject of a lot of preseason hype.
Stafford wasn’t necessarily given a whole lot of love on most pre-draft fantasy rankings, but with his impressive play this preseason (154.7 passer rating) folks are taking notice and his stock is definitely on the rise. In limited action this preseason Stafford has completed 25 of 33 passes (75.8% completions) and thrown five touchdowns. He’s an injury risk, yes, but I like his upside which could be big this season.
I have been hearing a lot of chatter from fellow fantasy football drafters about the second year quarterback in St. Louis, Sam Bradford. Even though I believe the Rams are still a team in rebuilding mode, I happen to agree with a lot of the fanfare surrounding the kid. With a solid ground game led by Steven Jackson to support the young passer, Bradford appears to be a star on the rise and could be nice mid-level quarterback in fantasy drafts, he definitely appears to be a keeper for dynasty owners.
A couple of other interesting names worthy of watching on your fantasy draft boards and early in the 2011 season are quarterbacks Donovan McNabb, Kyle Orton, Matt Hasselbeck, and Josh Freeman.
Last season the Buccaneers young arm Josh Freeman rose to the crop finishing with the league’s sixth highest passer rating; his 25 touchdowns also ranked in the top 10. With a returning core group of reliable hands, Freeman looks poised to put up another strong campaign.
In Minnesota, with the help of an elite ground attack, McNabb could possible have a bounce back season; something worth keeping an eye on. He did lose the Vikings best pass-catcher from two seasons ago in Sidney Rice, but already in the preseason we have seen hints that the cast (Harvin, Jenkins, and Berrian) he will be working with may be capable.
The Broncos’ quarterback Kyle Orton may be in a similar situation in Denver, being able to benefit from head coach John Fox’s influence in the running game. Success on the ground can only mean success in the vertical game with both Brandon Lloyd and Eddie Royal on the outside, Orton’s outlook could be promising.
When you have one of the league’s best ball carriers in Chris Johnson and a much improved line from his days in Seattle, Matt Hasselbeck has every reason to believe 2011 could be a much better campaign. The former Seahawk (now with Tennessee) was beat up pretty good last season, being sacked 29 times in 14 games; if he can stay vertical in 2011, it can only mean good things for fantasy owners.
The start of the NFL season is fastly approaching, but there’s still plenty of time to talk fantasy football and take a look at those players we like in the upcoming fantasy season.
By David Ortega
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