FSH: SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL NOTES

July 12th, 2009 7:37pm PST

Sunday Night Football Notes

Here Comes Fantasy 2009

Six Months in the Making….
For some of us, it’s never too soon, but finally nearly six months in the making and it’s that time again. Fantasy Football 2009 is here and with many leagues drafts set to commence as early as over the next couple weeks, fantasy magazines are hitting the stands. Don’t forget to pick your copy up!

It didn’t take long for the diehard fan to trudge his way through the NFL offseason, with Free-agency, the NFL Draft, mini-camps, and plenty of player-signings. The past several months of the offseason seem like a blur, but if you have been following the happenings week-to-week, you have not lost site of what is important; Fantasy Football.

Now that the countdown has begun and we are only about two weeks away from training camps opening across the league, maybe it would be a good idea to do a quick review of what we know, what we should watch for, and what to avoid.

What We Know:
With training camps right upon the fantasy football legion, we know who are number ones will be heading into camp this season. Under center, following his blistering 5,000-yard passing escapade, the Saints quarterback Drew Brees will ring in as this season number one fantasy quarterback. Following his first NFL rushing title season, the Vikings running back Adrian Peterson is likely to top all boards as the number one running back taken in fantasy. In the desert following his awesome display throughout the playoffs, very few will even try to argue that the Cardinal’s wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald is not number one. With no T.O. to get in the way, the Cowboy’s tight end Jason Witten should elevate this game in 2009 to hold up the preseason hype of being the best at his position.

What to Watch:
In Denver, if the Bronco’s can manage to hang onto their top receiver quarterback Kyle Orton could benefit greatly as a mid-level pick with tremendous upside. Despite all the loud talking, one receiver that should be paid attention to this preseason will be the Bengal’s own Chad OchoCinco. With Palmer healthy, Chad is a Pro-Bowler with plenty of upside, if he can keep it straight this season. Last postseason may have just been a small preview of his potential, but the Eagle’s tight end Brent Celek is going to be one worth watching.

What to Avoid:
This season there is going to be some tricky situations developing around the NFL that could raise some difficult choices for fantasy owners. The dreaded RBBC is back and in New England this could prove to be the death of a salesman or fantasy owner; too many backs to consider, none offering enough upside to invest. Cleveland, Detroit, Arizona and New York (Jets) could also be tricky places to find any consistency with one back. Another situation to avoid, stay away from the Dolphins, Buccaneers, Titans, Ravens, and Raiders receivers, mediocrity and inconsistency could plague the passing games here.

While these are only my musings and thoughts on the matter to date, fantasy football is finally here, so we’ll have plenty to discuss in the coming days and weeks!

By David Ortega

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