[Saturday Edition]
Friday Football Diary
Dear Diary
Now that the NFL draft is over, I’m trying to digest the past several months with player releases, to player signings, to coaching changes, and how all of this will affect player production this coming season.
For instance, in Seattle will T.J.’s arrival to the Northwest have a greater impact on his numbers or quarterback Matt Hasselbeck? How about Deion Branch, how will this affect him or will he even be around?
When you look at the Cowboys after releasing Owens, you have to ask will Romo remain a top tier quarterback. How about Jason Witten, already arguably one of the best tight ends in fantasy, could his production take a greater leap? Then of course there is receiver Roy Williams, how good is he really?
There were a lot of significant injuries in 2008 that will play a big part in looking at player production in 2009. Is Tom Brady 100%, and can he return to his MVP form of 2007? And how about players like Reggie Bush, Earnest Graham, Darren McFadden, and Marques Colston, whose injury plagued 2008 season could have some owners overlooking them early in upcoming fantasy drafts.
With so many factors to consider for this coming fantasy season, has anything really changed all that much? Let’s take a look ahead at 2009 and here are my top selections for each of the following positions, QB, RB, WR, and TE.
Now that the NFL draft is over, I’m trying to digest the past several months with player releases, to player signings, to coaching changes, and how all of this will affect player production this coming season.
For instance, in Seattle will T.J.’s arrival to the Northwest have a greater impact on his numbers or quarterback Matt Hasselbeck? How about Deion Branch, how will this affect him or will he even be around?
When you look at the Cowboys after releasing Owens, you have to ask will Romo remain a top tier quarterback. How about Jason Witten, already arguably one of the best tight ends in fantasy, could his production take a greater leap? Then of course there is receiver Roy Williams, how good is he really?
There were a lot of significant injuries in 2008 that will play a big part in looking at player production in 2009. Is Tom Brady 100%, and can he return to his MVP form of 2007? And how about players like Reggie Bush, Earnest Graham, Darren McFadden, and Marques Colston, whose injury plagued 2008 season could have some owners overlooking them early in upcoming fantasy drafts.
With so many factors to consider for this coming fantasy season, has anything really changed all that much? Let’s take a look ahead at 2009 and here are my top selections for each of the following positions, QB, RB, WR, and TE.
Who’s Looking good for 2009….
Top QB:
There are just too many questions and considerations to take into account before you can just automatically assume Tom Brady will be king again. After his phenomenal run last season, hands down quarterback Drew Brees will at the top of everyone’s list at th quarterback position. Over the past two season Brees has just passed for over 9,400-yards and thrown 58 touchdowns, best of the best. With healthy support around him in 2009, he’ll have a shot at reaching big numbers once again.
Top RB:
At running back could be a little difficult, because there are a few versatile backs that if healthy could challenge, but then that might be the biggest difference. In his second season as a pro running back in the NFL the Viking’s Adrian Peterson played in all 16 games and rushed for over 1,750-yards to lead the league. Now he’s looking to bulk up a bit in 2009 and with some of the recent talk going around concerning a new arm under center, get ready for even more All-Day. He will be unanimously regarded as the best set of legs in just about every fantasy draft.
Top WR:
There is likely to be a lot of debate on this one, but despite seeing what he did in the post season, Larry Fitzgerald will be the second best receiver in 2009. Down in Houston there is quite a talented set of hands that belong to one Andre Johnson. As good as some of the others are in this league, there’s no receiver as dominant as Johnson was in 2008. Last season he led the league in both receptions as well as yardage. He also had double figure receptions in seven games, missing eight by one when he finished with nine catches back in Week 5. If Schaub can sustain his health for 2009, these two could become quite a tandem in 2009.
Top TE:
With Tony Gonzalez moving to Atlanta and Terrell Owens vacating Dallas, if there was a close gap between Tony G. and Jason Witten, it just may have gotten a little bit wider. Witten has clearly established himself as one of the best in this league, but with T.O. out he becomes the teams primary go-to receiver. Over the past two seasons Witten has averaged 88 receptions and five touchdowns. Without Owens around, expect similar if not better numbers from Witten, but he’ll easily improve the five touchdowns in 2009.
Just getting started…
With fantasy still a couple of months away, there’s going to be plenty to talk about leading up to drafts and the 2009 opening kickoff. But before I leave you with these four picks, let me make mention of a couple of names that I think could be big in 2009 and definitely worth watching;
Following a disappointing injury filled 2008, look for the Rams Steven Jackson to return to his 2006 form. In Cincinnati, if Carson Palmer is healthy and Chad “Ocho Cinco” can get his act together, both could have comeback seasons. Finally, in the Northwest another quarterback-receiver tandem could re-ignite in 2009. If Hasselbeck is over the injuries that plagued him last season, both he and receiver Deion Branch should benefit greatly from the arrival of T.J. Houshmandzadeh.
Again, I am just getting started and we’ve got a long way to go before training camps even open.
Check back every week for more “Friday Football Diary”
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