Fantasy Football's Top-50 Rankings for PPR Leagues, Part One

By taking Brady with the fourth pick, you know you’re going to have the best QB every week (maybe Manning or Romo will be in the ballpark). He’s not throwing 50 touchdowns again, but he’s a safe bet for 35 (13 for Moss, seven for Welker, six for Gaffney, and nine for the field) and will probably throw 40 (17 for Moss, eight for Welker…).

Drafting Brady gives you the highest-scoring player in fantasy and also brings the bonus of not having to draft a backup (Even though his bye is in Week Four, that’s usually long enough to figure out which of your late-round sleepers is definitely not panning out).

5) Randy Moss 

In the end, I gave Brady the nod over Moss due to health, the fact that receiver is deeper than QB, and the fact that Brady doesn’t light up a joint every blue moon.

Moss is going to be the best WR in your league. He’s a difference maker. I’m not saying that the next two picks aren’t, it’s just that picking Moss and Grant, or Moss and Jones-Drew is going to get more points than taking Peterson and one of the Grant/Mojo/Manning-type players you can pick up in Round Two.

I know the draft is more than two rounds, but once you get into the third round, more and more guys have question marks. There’re plenty of quality guys that you can pluck from the free agent pool and will take a spot on your team (Grant, Anderson, and Watson, to name a few from last year).

None of those guys will give you an advantage like Moss does.

6) Adrian Peterson

I don’t need to talk about how great he is, so I’ll say this: Every defense that plays the Vikings will develop a game plan which revolves around stopping him. He’s inconsistent, Tarvaris Jackson, he has a history of injuries, and (this can't be stressed enough) Tarvaris Jackson.

Plus, if you pick him, you have to take Chester Taylor, which is fine if you’re in a league where you can take him in the eighth or ninth, but kind of sucks if you’re in a league where someone like me is going to make you use a sixth or seventh-round pick on him. I’m constantly flipping him and Addai.

7) Joe Addai

Last year was as good as he’s going to be. He’s not getting many more touches because the Colts don’t need to give him more touches on a consistent basis to win. So why risk his health by giving him the ball 20-25 times a game when most games you can give it to him 15-20 times and distribute those other touches to Rhodes and Keith in return for a small drop off in production?

8) Marion Barber

There is no reason not to like this guy. He plays for a high-powered offense behind a strong O-line for a talented coordinator. His specialty is running in the red zone. He catches passes, and he’s coming out of a time-share. I don’t buy the idea that he runs too hard to take more then 20 carries a game. I think that’s ridiculous.

The only worry I have here is that much like Addai and the Colts, they don’t need to give him the ball 25 times to win.

9) Clinton Portis

Last time he was drafted in the top 10, he missed half the season. There are always backs taken in the first round who breakdown and kill their teams. Some you can predict (Johnson, Alexander), and others you can’t (Jackson). I honestly can’t tell if I have reason to be worried, or if I’m being paranoid.

10) Frank Gore

These last three backs can really go in any order. I think Portis is the most reliable, (but I have a nagging feeling he gets hurt this year), Barber should be a solid No. 1 back, but Wade Phillips is the same man who once tabbed Rob Johnson as a franchise QB and just last year kept giving carries to Julius Jones when it was clear that Barber was a far better option.

Gore should catch the most passes, he’s the best player, and he has the most upside of the three. He also plays for the worst offense, QB, and offensive line.

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