10 Bold Predictions from Top Fantasy Football Writers

As fantasy football addicts search for more information to feed their addictions and casual players awaken from the football slumber we have taken advantage of the slow time between OTAs and training camp to poll the experts. Fantasy Football Spin, www.ffspin.com, reached out to our network of friends and partner sites and asked them to give us bold predictions for the coming fantasy football season. The response was outstanding, and in this article we provide you with the top 10 bold predictions.

Stay on top of what all of what all of the NFL news means for fantasy football at FFSpin.com.

Hakeem Nicks will be a Top 10 Fantasy Football WR

Jim Day of FantasyFootballWhiz.com gives us this gem. He sees Hakeem Nicks as a guy that will use his strong finish in 2009 to catapult him into the top 10 in fantasy production.

Nicks got off to a slow start in 2009 because of injuries, but once on the field, he quickly started to show the qualities that made him a 1st round pick for the Giants in 2009.

He ended up the season tied for 1st in rookie receiving yards with 790, 3rd in average yards per catch for any receiver with more than 30 receptions, tied for 2nd in touchdowns, 2nd for most touchdowns, 2nd in both most 20+ yard receptions and 40+ yard receptions, plus he led ALL receivers in average yards after catch per reception.

Look for Nicks to continue to build on a strong rookie season and become one of the top WRs in the game.

Aaron Rodgers is a Blue Chip Bust Candidate

Rick Perkins of FantasyFootballTrader.com is usually spot on and he says the Packers signal caller may disappoint fantasy owners who jump on him early...

Now I'll qualify my bold prediction with a big bolded admission that my reasoning is little more than a hunch. Our rankings have been very good among our fantasy peers the last few years - and the fact that our guru has Rodgers #2 behind only Drew Brees is not lost on me. In fact, I strongly recommended Rodgers to our readers in 2009.

That said, Rodgers' is one of my blue-chip bust candidates in 2010. There is a documented correlation between QB's taking more than 40 sacks in a season (51 for Rodgers in 2009) suffering a significant decrease in stats the following year.

Note: I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the fact that the Pack were much better at protecting Rodgers over the second half of 2009.

But another flag for me is Donald Driver (he of two offseason knee surgeries) suffered a serious decline in production to close out the year. Apologists can point to the emergence of Jermichael Finley as sufficient reasoning and James Jones could be poised in year three so it's not a glaring concern, like I said—just a flag.

At his current ADP (1.10) mockers at FFCalculator.com are selecting Rodgers ahead of all WR's not named Andre Johnson. That represents a large error in expected value from a QB whose risk of injury I believe is much greater than average. Find a way around Rodgers in 2010. Grab that top 5 WR instead if your plan is to veer from the RB/RB model in the first two rounds of your draft.

Devin Hester will be a Top 20 Fantasy Football WR

Mike Clay of FantasyDC.com is known as numbers guy. He slices and spins the numbers and helps his readers finish at the top of their leagues. He went out on a limb for us, however, and gave us three predictions that made the final cut...

Devin Hester will lead the Bears in receptions en route to a top 20 fantasy season among WRs – There is a ton of buzz surrounding Johnny Knox and Devin Aromashodu, but don’t overlook the veteran playmaker Hester. The former Miami Hurricane averaged 4.4 receptions/game last season, which translates to 70 receptions in 16 games. Mike Martz is in town to tune an already pass heavy offense, Jay Cutler will improve his interception rate, and the Cutler-Hester connection now has a season under its belt.

Considering Hester will, again, be the WR1 in what should be the league’s pass heaviest offense, he’s looking at statistics in the area of 70 catches, 1,000 yards, and 6 scores.

Tony Romo may Finish as the #1 Fantasy Football QB

Rob Warner of FFSpin.com thinks that the Cowboys signal caller has finally shaken the tendency to blow every big moment. Maybe he is even ready to place football ahead of golf and the celebrity lifestyle. Rob thinks he will do big, big things in 2010...

Tono Romo is armed with a fully loaded arsenal of offensive talent which was bolstered when Jerry Jones traded up to grab WR Dez Bryant in the 2010 draft. Head Coach Wade Phillips has already been quoted saying “Dez Bryant is the most impressive rookie I’ve seen practice in 33 years of coaching."

Bryant will likely replace underachieving Roy Williams and should alleviate some of the double teams faced by 2009 breakout receiver Miles Austin and also open up the field for TE Jason Witten. Over the past three seasons, Romo has averaged 29 touchdowns and 4000 yards and in 2009 he showed an added poise in the pocket while tossing only 9 interceptions.

The presence of a dynamic running game led by game breaker Felix Jones and Marion the Barbarian will force defensive coordinators to pick their poison when facing the Cowboy offense. The offensive line remains one of the bigger lines in the NFL but must improve their pass protection after allowing six sacks in a humiliating playoff loss to Minnesota.

As an added bonus the Cowboys face the 3rd most favorable schedule for quarterbacks and the No. 1 ranked schedule for receivers. In weeks 14-16 (fantasy playoffs)—weather should not be a factor for the passing game as Dallas faces Philly (17th vs. pass) and Washington (8th) at home and Arizona (23rd) on the road. The match-ups are moderate but having two games at home should result in strong passing numbers.

Jermichael Finley will be the #12 Fantasy Football Tight End

FantasyFootballXtreme.com specializes in this kind of stuff. Last year these guys brought told us Ray Rice had a shot at being the top RB and they were right. So, when Smitty and crew at Fantasy Football Xtreme speak about bold predictions, we should listen closely...

Jermichael Finley has officially moved to our No. 1 tight end in both our redraft league rankings and our dynasty league rankings. Some call this prediction a bit too bold, but Finley is the real deal.

Every year I have a few huge predictions, like Michael Turner being a top 5RB in 2008. Or Ray Rice being a top 10RB in 2009. Well, Jermichael Finley is going to be the league's best tight end in 2010 and I don't think it will even be close.

I predict Finley scores 10+ touchdowns, grabs 70-80 balls and pulls in 1,000-1,100 yards in 2010. As I just posted on our forums in a Jermichael Finley topic, it's not always entirely fair to prorate season-long stats using a small sample size... that said, Finley started to get consistent playing time and targets later on in the season, so let's take a look at his last five games, including his mediocre 34-yard outing. Using just his last five contests, Finley averaged 5.6 receptions for 67 yards and .08TDs per game. On 16 games, that amounts to 89 catches for 1,078.4 and 12.8TDs.

Again, let me be the first one to say that to use just five games isn't an accurate way to project full-season stats, but honestly I think those numbers are entirely possible in 2010. In fact I just predicted them above. Mark it down!

And don't hesitate to take Finley as your league's first tight end take in 2010 drafts (of all kinds). No one is going to be laughing at you when Finley drops strong WR2, or better, type fantasy stats!

Wes Welker will be the #2 Fantasy Football Receiver

Here is the second prediction from FantasyDC.com to make our list...

Andre Johnson and Wes Welker will finish 2010 as the top scoring PPR wide receivers. Projecting such a finish for Andre Johnson is anything but bold, but Wes Welker at number two should grab your attention. Many are extremely skeptical that Welker can be back in uniform by week one, but recent reports seem to indicate otherwise. I’m predicting a slow start to the season for him, but he will be back to his old self by week three or four and will end up with 120 receptions and 1,300 yards. Considering Welker’s recent ADP, he will still be on the board when you are up in round four. Don’t pass him up.

Alex Smith will be a Top 12 Fantasy QB

Jim Day of FantasyFootballWhiz.com is buying Alex Smith as he embarks upon what is likely his final opportunity to dodge the "Bust" label...

Many thought that the Niners would look to the draft in 2010 to grab a QB of the future, but what they really did was show that they are completely behind Smith, their 2005 1st round pick. Smith has had many ups and downs over his short career; multiple shoulder injuries to his throwing shoulder, has had to deal with 5 new offensive coordinators in his five years in the league, and has had to sit behind QBs like Shaun Hill and JT O'Sullivan.

In 2010 the team is fully committed to Smith and showed it by going into the draft determined to help their young QB grow. This will be his second year in Jimmy Raye's offensive system which should enable Smith to feel more comfortable. In the draft they grabbed two top offensive linemen in Anthony Davis and Mike Iupati to help solidify a shaky offensive line. Then they acquired a speedy WR in Ted Ginn Jr to stretch the field. When you add Ginn to 2nd year WR Michael Crabtree, TE Vernon Davis and perennial top 10 RB Frank Gore, you start to see that the pieces are indeed falling into place for Smith to become a top QB.

The 49ers Defense/Special Teams will be the Top Unit in Fantasy Football

FFSpin.com's Rob Warner believes that the presence of Patrick Willis, the luxury of playing in the NFC West, and the addition of Ted Ginn will conspire to make the Niners D/ST No. 1 in 2010...

Playing in the NFC West should ensure six games of fantasy bonanza against Arizona (Matt Leinart and no Anquan Boldin), St Louis (rookie QB Sam Bradford), and Seattle (34 year old Matt Hasselbeck). The also have favorable matchups against Oakland, Denver, and Tampa Bay.

Head Coach Mike Singletary was known as the “Minister of Defense” during his 12 year career with the Bears. In 1998, he was elected to the Hall of Fame and his propensity for toughness is evident in his defense. In 2009, the 49ers DST reached double digits fantasy points 10 times—including a week four game for the ages vs. St Louis when they recorded five sacks and three defensive touchdowns. The 49ers defense allowed 18 pts/ game in 2009 and is led by fantasy IDP monster Patrick Willis at linebacker. DL Justin Smith is a high motor player and in his 2nd season in SF (previous seven in Cincinnati) he posted six sacks and two fumble recoveries. The secondary remains a work in progress and nine year veteran CB Nate Clements could be moved to safety after he was benched for part of 2009. On the positive side FS Dashon Goldson had a breakout 2009 season with 95 tackles, four INTs, and three forced fumbles. Rookie safety Taylor Mays will add depth to the 49er pass defense.

The offseason addition of Ted Ginn Jr. should bolster the special teams unit. In three NFL seasons, Ginn has averaged 23 yds/kick return and has scored two touchdowns.

Lesean McCoy will be a Top 10 Fantasy Football Running Back

Smitty from FantasyFootballXtreme.com has proven he is not afraid to go out on a limb. He thinks that McCoy is about to post Brian Westbrook-like numbers in the Eagles young gun offense...

LeSean McCoy didn’t have the most productive rookie campaign, and I was a bit shocked that the Eagles didn’t use the rookie more often. The runner ran the ball just 155 times for 637 yards (4.1) and scored just 4TDs. He did pull in a solid 40 receptions for 308 yards, but overall, McCoy had a disappointing season last year. Use this to your advantage, as many will doubt him entering 2010. The Eagles’ coaching staff was to blame, though, and while they could still elect to misuse McCoy in 2010, my guess is that McCoy will finally be used much like Brian Westbrook was used during his elite NFL seasons in 2003-2008. I wouldn’t be shocked one single bit if McCoy finished as a top five to seven fantasy football running back when all is said and done in 2010. He is by far my top sleeper runner heading into 2010. I said the same thing about Ray Rice last off-season and I have a very similar gut feeling about LeSean McCoy this upcoming season. The best news? As of this moment here in the middle of June (2010), McCoy can be had in the late third-round (if not early fourth). This is an ABSOLUTE steal, just like Rice was last year. Draft McCoy as your third-drafted player in all upcoming fantasy football drafts. Then get ready for top seven RB upside!

Kevin Kolb will Finish in the Top 8 FF Quarterbacks

FantasyDC.com also focuses on one of the young skill position players for the revamped Philadelphia Eagles. Fantasy Football expert Mike Clay thinks Kolb is the real deal and will excel at the helm of the Birds explosive passing offense...

Kevin Kolb will prove to be the real deal. Many consider Kolb to be a backend starting QB in 12 team leagues this year. The bold have him as a borderline top 5 option thanks to the Eagles potent offensive attack, while the naysayers say he is too inexperienced and risky to rely on as a QB1. Although I think a top five finish would be pushing the envelope, I will be completely shocked if Kolb plays all 16 games and ends up outside the top 12. We know the Eagles will pass the ball a ton, we know he’s already produced when asked to do so, and we know a few talented, young-but-not-rookie quarterbacks who have been fantasy gold over the last few seasons. In 2008, his first season as the starter, 25 year old and three year vet Aaron Rodgers was third in scoring among quarterbacks. In 2006, also his first season as a starter, 25 year old and two year vet Philip Rivers ranked 8th among quarterbacks. In 2010, his first season as a full-time starter, 26 year old and 3 year vet Kevin Kolb will prove he is one of the more talented quarterbacks in the league. It will lead him to a top 8 finish among quarterbacks.