(Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)
It's that time of year again, football fans.
Most of you are preparing for your upcoming fantasy football drafts, trying to find the diamond in the rough.
I'm sure a lot of you guys are buying the magazines that come out every year, researching the stats and looking at the rankings.
I do the same.
But I'm here to give you guys my first-ever attempt at my fantasy rankings and predictions.
So kick back, have a good read, and enjoy it.
I'll start with running backs.
We all know the Adrian Peterson is the best back in the league, and will most likely go No. 1 in almost every draft this year.
Peterson will put up his numbers and, if he stays healthy, will continue to prove he is the best back in the league.
Peterson will get you your 1,000 yards, and 12 touchdowns. He is a flat out fantasy stud.
After Peterson there's a group of about four guys who can contend to be the best back in the league.
Including Peterson, you get what I call the "Fantasic Five," with a tie at fifth place. The Fantastic Five will be in every posistion article I write in my fantasy preview.
The Fantastic Five is the top five players at their posistion, fantasy wise.
My list goes as follows:
1. Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings.
Peterson is a fantasy monster. Last year he racked up 1,885 total yards. 1,760 of those were rushing. He only finished with 10 touchdowns, but split some time with Chester Taylor.
The thing to worry about with Peterson is fumbles. Last year he fumbled four times, and lost three of them.
Another thing to look at is his receiving production. For as good as a back that Peterson is, he only caught 21 passes for 125 yards and zero touchdowns.
But dont let those stats bring you down.
Peterson is a safe pick for No. 1 overall.
2. Michael "The Burner" Turner, Atlanta Falcons
We new this guy could play. When he got his contract from Atlanta, he showed just that.
Turner put up monster numbers last year. He had 1,699 yards on 376 attempts with 17 touchdowns.
Turner is a workhorse, but that might hurt him.
Getting the ball that much during a season does a lot to a running back. He might not be as good towards the end of the season as he was in the earlier parts of the year.
If Turner puts up those numbers again, he will be a great top-five pick. But can he carry the workload again? I believe he will.
Having Matt Ryan on your team isn't bad either. Ryan may take the pressure off Turner and have the defenses worried about the pass.
Thats when Turner is at his best.
3. Brian Westbrook, Philadelphia Eagles
Westbrook is a fantasy monster. Not only does he put up the yards and touchdowns, but the guy can catch as well.
In fact, last year he had 402 receiving yards on 54 receptions. A nice number for leagues that support the receiving category. Westbrook also notched five receiving touchdowns.
That gave him a grand total of 14 touchdowns.
Westbrook also missed two games last year due to injuries. A knock on him that could hurt his fantasy value.
This year's schedule also favors Westbrook. He only faces one team from the top five rushing defenses last season: the New York Giants.
The Eagles play them twice. So Westbrook could torch up some soft defenses.
4. Matt Forte, Chicago Bears
Forte had a great rookie season. Putting together a nice 1,000 yard season and adding eight touchdowns to boot. Forte was in on a lot of downs for the Bears. You can say he is an every-down back, which is hard to find nowadays in the NFL.
Forte had a good year receiving-wise also. Catching 63 passes for 477 yards and scored four touchdowns.
With the Bears acquiring Jay Cutler and no real threat at the wide receiver position, Fortes' numbers could go up. I expect Cutler to find Forte a lot in the open field.
One thing that worries me about Forte is the workload. Last year he was in on over 93 percent of the Bears' offensive possesions. Thats a lot for a rookie.
The Bears also face three of last years top-five rushing defenses. Pittsburgh, Arizona and Minnesota twice.
If the Bears plan to have a big year from Forte, they need to use him wisely.
T-5. Thomas Jones, New York Jets
Jones had a great rushing year last year. In fact, he lead the AFC in total rushing. Something thats not easy to do.
This is the same Thomas Jones that was a force for Chicago in their 2006 Super Bowl run. But he was traded so that Cedric Benson would be the No. 1 back in Chicago.
How's that move looking?
Jones should put up similiar numbers this year. With rookie Mark Sanchez as the quarterback, the Jets might give Jones the ball to take the pressure off Sanchez.
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