Bleacher Report - Articles by Jason Braine

Soldier Up: Matt Forte's Fantasy Value

Jason Braine — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 01:52:15 -0400

When the Bears drafted Matt Forte in the second round, 44th overall, in the 2008 NFL Draft, they landed one of the top running backs in a very talented rookie class.

Forte lived up to the expectations of his coaches as an every-down back.

Forte finished last season with 1,238 rushing yards and eight touchdowns. He also had 63 receptions for 477 yards. He totaled 12 touchdowns—eight rushing and four receiving.

Last season, Forte had only three games in which he rushed for more than 100 yards. The best rush defense he achieved this against was the Colts' (ranked 24th). The other two teams were the Rams (ranked 29th) and the Lions (ranked 32nd).

Forte did manage to reach more than 100 yards of total offense in eight games. Two of these games were against top-five rushing defenses.

Not bad for a rookie rusher.

This offseason, the bears made two moves that should boost Forte’s production. The Bears acquired Jay Cutler in a trade from the Denver Broncos. The Bears also added seven-time Pro Bowl tackle Orlando Pace.

In addition to signing Pace, the Bears also acquired Frank Omiyale.

Pace's presence will allow Chris Williams to move to the right tackle position, also allowing Omiyale to move from tackle to right guard.

This is a big improvement for the Bears' offensive line in 2009.

With the upgraded offensive line and Cutler under center, Forte is almost guaranteed to improve upon his 2008 rushing stats.

Forte’s 1,238 rushing yards came from 316 rushing attempts. This is only a 3.9 rushing average. For the '09 season, look for Forte to carry the ball more than 300 times, and have an increased rushing average of 4.2 to 4.5 yards per carry.

Last season, Forte led the Bears in receptions with 63.

With Cutler under center look for this number to drop. Even though Forte proved he was a solid receiving option in last season, Cutler is a strong–armed QB who likes to take chances down field more than checking down to his backs.

In 2008, Payton Hills led the Broncos backfield with 14 receptions. Cutler targeted Hills only 17 times.

Last season the Broncos went through more running backs than Chad Ocho Cinco went through touchdown celebrations.

All of the Broncos' running backs combined had a total of 46 receptions. Cutler targeted them just 63 times.

Kyle Orton targeted the Bears' backfield a whopping 103 times. Forte was targeted 77 times out of the 103.

In Chicago, the receivers are not as talented as those Cutler had in Denver. Look for Cutler to target his backfield more like in 2007, when he targeted the Denver backfield 80 times.

Look for about 75 percent of the passes to the backfield to go to Forte, which will give him a solid 45-50 receptions.

Some of Forte’s favorable matchups against the run are:

Weeks One and 14 against the Packers (ranked 26th)
Week Three against the Seahawks (18th)
Week Four against the Lions (32nd)
Week Six against the Falcons (25th)
Week Seven against the Bengals (21st)
Week Eight against the Browns (28th)
Week Nine against the Cardinals (16th)
Week 13 against the Rams (29th)

This year, Forte plays against five teams with rush defenses ranked better than 15th. These teams are Pittsburgh (ranked third), San Francisco (13th), Philadelphia (fourth), Minnesota (first), and Baltimore (third).

Forte’s fantasy playoff schedule includes:

Week 14 Packers (ranked 26th)
Week 15 Ravens (third)
Week 16 Vikings (first)

With the Bears' key additions of an upgraded offensive line and Cutler under center, along with Forte’s impressive rookie season and a schedule that is favorable against the run in ’09, Forte is one of the safest picks at running back in the top of all drafts.

He warrants strong consideration to go No. 2 overall after Adrian Peterson is off the board.

I project Forte to have around 1,400-1,500 rushing yards, 400 receiving yards, and 10-15 touchdowns.

Forte did have a hamstring injury during OTAs. His progress needs to be monitored during training camp and the preseason to see if he has fully recovered.

The Burning Question: Michael Turner's Fantasy Value

Jason Braine — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 09:03:33 -0400

Michael “the Burner” Turner's fantasy stock has taken a big increase this year. Last year he came out of nowhere and burned many defenders. Turner had 376 carries for 1,699 yards and 17 touchdowns.

He is projected as high as the No. 2 overall based on last years performance. The question is can he do it again?

Last season the Falcons had one of the easiest run schedules in the League.

Turner racked up 1,397 of his yards against nine teams in 12 games. Out of those nine teams the highest ranked defense against the run was the Saints at 17th.

Last season Turner only faced four teams with a defense ranked in the top 15.

In those four games in those he had only one touchdown, which was against Minnesota (ranked first). In those same four games, Turner also only had one game of over 100 yards, which came against his old team the San Diego Chargers (ranked 11th).

The other two teams on that list, Turner faces again. The Chicago Bears will play in Atlanta in week six. The Philadelphia Eagles will also play in Atlanta week 13.

Last Year the Bears were ranked fifth against the run and Turner only had 54 yards against them. The Eagles were ranked fourth and against the run; Turner had just less than 60 yards (58).

This season the Falcons have one of the toughest run schedules in the league.

Turner will only face four teams this season with defenses that are ranked worse than 15th in the league.

He will face the Saints (ranked 17th), the Buccaneers (ranked 19th), the Panthers (ranked 20th), and the Bills (ranked 22nd).

This year, in Weeks two and 10, Turner will face the Carolina Panthers.

Last year, the Panthers were ranked 19th against the run. In the first game against Carolina, Turner rushed for a 56 yards and one touchdown. In the second game, he rushed for 117 yards and four touchdowns.

In Weeks Eight and 14, the Falcons will play the New Orleans Saints.

The Saints were ranked 17th against the run last year. In the first game last year, Turner rushed for 96 yards and one touchdown. In the second game, Turner rushed for 61 yards and one touchdown.

In Weeks 12 and 17, the Falcons will play against Tampa Bay.

In the first game, which was at Tampa Bay last year, Turner only rushed for 42 yards. In the second game at Atlanta, Turner rushed for 152 yards and scored a touchdown.

This year, Turner will also face the Miami Dolphins, Washington Redskins, New York Giants, and New York Jets. All of these teams, along with the Eagles and Bears, were ranked in the top 10 against the run.

Turner's run schedule is much tougher than last year. With how he performed against the tough run defenses the outlook for ’09 is not as bright.

However, the Falcons did make a key addition to their offense with TE Anthony Gonzales.

Also with this being Matt Ryan’s second year some of the pressure will be taken off Turner. He will not face as many eight men boxes in the ’09 season.

Many argue that as Matt Ryan got better last year that Turner got better. I want to take a look at the five worst performances Turner had in ’08. And, compare them to Ryan’s stats.

Week Two at Tampa Bay (ranked 19th against the run)
Turner had 14 carries for 42 yards. A rushing average of 3.0.
Ryan completed 13 of 33 passes yards for 158 yards and 2 interceptions.

Week Four at Carolina (ranked 20th)
Turner had 18 carries for 56 yards. A rushing average of 3.1.
Ryan completed 21 of 41 passes for 158 yards.

Week Six Chicago (ranked fifth)
Turner had 25 carries for 54 yards. A terrible 2.2 average.
Ryan completed 22 of 30 passes for 301 yards, and 1 touchdown.

Week Eight at Philadelphia (ranked 4th)
Turner had 17 carries for 58 yards. A rushing average of 3.4.
Ryan completed 23 of 44 passes for 277 yards with 2 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions.

Week 14 at New Orleans (ranked 17th)
Turner had 18 carries for 61 yards and 1 touchdown. A rushing average of 3.4.
Ryan completed 24 of 33 passes for 315 yards with 1 touchdown, and 1 interception.

Here are Turner’s five best performances.

Week One Detroit (ranked 32nd)
Turner had 22 carries for 220 yards, and 2 touchdowns. A rushing average of 10.0.
Ryan competed 9 of 13 passes for 161 yards and 1 touchdown.

Week Five at Green Bay (ranked 26th)
Turner had 26 carries for 121 yards, and 1 touchdown. A rushing average of 4.7.
Ryan completed 16 of 26 passes for 194 yards, and 2 touchdowns.

Week Nine at Oakland (ranked 31st)
Turner had 32 carries for 139 yards, and 0 touchdowns. A rushing average of 4.5.
Ryan completed 17 of 22 passes for 220 yards, and 2 touchdowns.

Week 15 Tampa Bay (ranked 19th)
Turner had 32 carries for 152 yards, and 1 touchdown. A rushing average of 4.7.
Ryan completed 15 of 23 passes for 206 yards, and 2 interceptions.

Week 17 St Louis (ranked 29th)
Turner had 25 carries for 208 yards, and 1 touchdown. A rushing average of 8.3.
Ryan completed 10 of 21 passes for 160 yards with 1 touchdown, and 2 interceptions.

While in weeks two and four if Ryan was better we would have seen an increase in Turner's numbers.

While the games against Tampa Bay made both his best and worst performances. Ryan only had around 50 more yards, and still had two interceptions.

The big difference maker in week two vs. 15 is the location of the game.

Weeks six, eight, and 14 were some of Turner's worst. They were also Ryan’s best as far as passing yards.

All of Turners best games were against some of the worst Run defenses in the league.

Tampa Bay is the only one he will face again.

Even though they are in the same division Turner will only play them once during the fantasy season since the second game is played in week 17. The good news is Week 17 will be the away game.

If you draft Turner No. 2 overall after Adrian Peterson. With the expectation that Turner will repeat his ’08 performance. Be prepared to be disappointed.

With the addition of Tony Gonzales, and Matt Ryan getting better look for Turner to still carry the ball over 300 times. More around 325-350 carries verses the 376 carries last season.

Also, with the tough run schedule look for his rushing average to drop from 4.5 yards to around 3.5-3.9 yards a carry.

He should have around 1,300-1,400 yards.

Michael Turner's fantasy playoff schedule is:

Week 14 New Orleans (ranked 17th) at home.

Week 15 at New York Jets (ranked 7th).

Week 16 Buffalo (ranked 22nd) at home.

Look for his touchdown number to drop now that they have another red zone threat in Tony Gonzales. I project Turner to have around 11—14 touchdowns this season.

Turner is not a big part of the passing offense either. Last season he had 6 receptions for 41 yards.

Turner should still be a top five running back this season. However Matt Forte, and MJD are better options to consider before drafting Turner.

Mojo Rising: Maurice Jones-Drew's Fantasy Value

Jason Braine — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 01:08:48 -0400

Since the decision for Maurice Jones-Drew to become the featured back in Jacksonville was made, MJD’s fantasy value has taken a huge boost.

Behind Fred Taylor in the depth Chart MJD has been a No. 2 or No.3 option on most fantasy rosters.

Now that he is the featured back in Jacksonville. He has moved to a solid first round pick. MJD is projected to go any were from No. 2 overall to No. 5 in most fantasy drafts this year.

Last season Maurice Jones-Drew totaled 1,389 yards and 14 touchdowns. MJD had 824 rushing yards with 12 touchdowns. He also had 62 receptions for 565 yards and 2 touchdowns.

MJD managed to put up those numbers not only behind Fred Taylor on the depth chart. Also the Jaguars offensive line was decimated with injuries.

Last season, both starting guards, Vince Manuwai and Maurice Williams, were injured in week one and missed the rest of the ’08 season.

Center Brad Meester also missed six games during the season as well.

During the offseason the Jags were dedicated to improving their O-Line. They signed free agent Tra Thomas. Their first two drafts picks were OT Eugene Monroe, and OT Eben Britton.

Jones-Drew has never had less than 1,100 total yards and 9 touchdowns in a season.

The biggest question for MJD this season is can he carry the load of the rushing game in Jacksonville.

Let's take a look at all of the games from last year that he had 15-plus carries:

The first time was Week Three at Indianapolis. Last year, the Colts ranked 24th against the rush on defense. In that game, Jones-Drew had 19 carries for 107 yards and one touchdown.

Week Six was against the Denver Broncos. The Broncos' defense was ranked 27th against the rush last year. Jones-Drew carried the ball 22 times and had 125 yards and two touchdowns.

Week 11 was against the Tennessee Titans. Jones-Drew had 17 carries for 66 yards and two touchdowns. The Titans were ranked sixth against the rush last year.

Week 16 was against the Colts in Jacksonville. Jones-Drew had 20 carries for 90 yards but also failed to score a touchdown.

Jones-Drew also failed to score against the Ravens in Week 17 last season. He did have 23 carries and 78 yards against the defense that ranked third against the run.

Even though there are still questions with MJD, he has a lot of upside. He is a small, fast, powerful, elusive, versatile back. Much like the Eagles “Mr. everything” Brian Westbrook. However, MJD is much more durable and has only missed one game in three years with Jacksonville.

He has carried the ball an average of 176 times in his three seasons in Jacksonville.

Last season was the most with 197 attempts. He did have an all time low rushing average with only 4.2 yards per carry.

In his rookie season MJD’s average carry was 5.7 yards with 166 rushing attempts. In ’07 his average was 4.6 yards with 167 attempts.

With his new role as the featured back he should see at least 300 carries. Don’t expect the high averages in ’06 and ’07. With the upgraded line he should average around 4.2-4.5 yards a carry. He should reach around 1,300 rushing yards this season.

Jones-Drew is also a vital part in the Jaguars passing attack. Last season he caught a career high 62 receptions, and 565 yards. In ’06 he had 46 receptions for 436 yards. In ’07 MJD had 40 receptions for 407 yards.

In the ’09 season don’t look for him to repeat the 62 receptions. He still should post around 45-50 receptions, and around an additional 400 yards.

Also I project MJD to score 15-20 total touchdowns in ’09.

Some of MJD’s favorable match ups against the run are.

Week One and 15 against the Colts (ranked 24th)

Week Two against the Cardinals (ranked 16th)

Week Three and 13 against the Texans (ranked 23rd)

Week Five against the Seahawks (ranked 18th)

Week Six against the Rams (ranked 29th)

Week Nine against the Chiefs (ranked 30th)

Week 11 against the Bills (ranked 22nd)

MJD will also face the Titans, Jets, and Dolphins. Those three teams were ranked in the top 10 against the run in ’08.

Jones-Drew’s fantasy playoff schedule includes.

Week 14 Dolphins (ranked 10)

Week 15 Colts (ranked 24th)

Week 16 New England (ranked 15th)

Maurice Jones-Drew should have a very productive ’09 season. He should warrant consideration as the No. 2 overall after Adrian Peterson is taken in all drafts this year.

Matt Forte and Michael Turner will also be in the mix as the top backs taken after Adrian Peterson in most drafts this season.

Fantasy Football: Top 5 Contract Seasons For ’09

Jason Braine — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 03:38:42 -0400

Nothing motivates more than money. When an NFL player is in a contract year there is a lot of Motivation at stake. Last season Kurt Warner was in a contract year. He passed for 4,583 yards 30 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions. Also leading his team to the Super Bowl. During the pre-season Warner was not even named the starter. He became one of the best sleeper picks in the ’08 season for many fantasy owners. As much as a contract year can motivate players to post big numbers. It can also have a negative effect. When players start to hold out from team activities. It can have a very negative effect. The longer the Issue goes unresolved the worse the impact can be. Any player that misses out on training camp and pre-season it will have a negative impact on his performance. Here is my list for the top contract seasons for ‘09 that could have a big impact for fantasy owners.

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Fantasy Draft Strategy: Quarterbacks by Platoon—Part II, Matt Schaub

Jason Braine — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 05:05:24 -0400

Don’t like spending early-round picks on a quarterback? Here’s one option that could give your fantasy a much-needed boost.

Last season Matt Schaub passed for 3,043 yards, 15 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. He also added 68 yards on the ground and two rushing touchdowns.

Schaub does, however, have injury concerns heading into this season. Last year he missed five games—four due to a knee injury, and one as a result of the flu.

In the last four games Schaub passed for 1,281 yards, five touchdowns, and two interceptions. If he can pick up where he left off in 2008, Schaub could end the season as a high-end No. 1 fantasy QB.

Outside of Schaub's potential to break out this year, another attraction he has for fantasy owners is his potential playoff schedule.

In Week 14, Schaub plays against the Seattle Seahawks who ranked 32nd against the pass last year. In Week 15, the St. Louis Rams, while Week 16 brings the Miami Dolphins. Last season, the two teams ranked 19th and 27th against the pass, respectively.

This season the Texans will face only two teams who were ranked in the top 10 against the pass last year, the Indianapolis Colts (fourth) and the Oakland Raiders (10th).

Even though the Colts and Texans are in the AFC South, Schaub has only played in one game against the Colts. In Week Three of the 2007 season he passed for 236 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions.

Since they are division rivals the games between the Colts and Texans are usually very high scoring. If Schaub is hot it could make it hard to sit him when they play the Colts in Weeks Nine and 12.

If Schaub can stay healthy, he will more than likely be your starter, except for his bye in Week 10.

Schaub's 10 missed games in his last two years makes him a high-risk, high-reward player. When deciding who to take as your back-up/platoon QB, make sure that you have someone that you are confident can give you decent numbers on any given week.

My ideal target for a platoon with Schaub is Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger.

Big Ben made Steelers fans very happy by winning the Super Bowl last season, however, he was a bit of a disappointment for fantasy owners. Roethlisberger finished the regular season with 3,301 yards, 17 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions.

Roethlisberger’s 2008 expectations were much higher after finishing the 2007 season with 3,158 yards, 32 touchdowns, and only 11 interceptions.

This season I would look for the Steelers QB to bounce back from his stats last year. He has a schedule that favors the pass this season even though the Steelers are a run-first team.

The Steelers play six teams that were ranked 25th or worse against the pass last season, and only face three teams that were in the top 10.

The only team they play in the top 10 that is not in the AFC North is the Green Bay Packers in Week 15.

Though Roethlisberger has been known to be hurt, he shouldn't miss much time, if any, due to his excellent size and strength.

With Ben’s toughness and easy schedule I think he is the perfect QB to pair up with Schaub for the 2009 season.

With Schaub's potential, Roethlisberger is not the only QB with whom you could pair him for success. However, my advice would be to avoid Eli Manning since they have the same bye week. Also stay away from Matt Hasselbeck. Having two injury prone QBs on your roster could end up being very frustrating.

Fantasy Draft Strategy: Quarterbacks By Platoon, Part 1 - Matt Ryan

Jason Braine — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 20:15:36 -0400

There is a chance that you might not land one of the top quarterbacks in this year's fantasy draft. Despite what some might believe, all is not lost. Taking a low end No. 1 QB can prove to be beneficial to your team.

Taking a low end No. 1 QB means that your other key positions have more depth, since you did not spend an early pick on a quarterback.

Last year if you drafted quarterbacks like Philip Rivers, Aaron Rodgers and Jay Cutler there is a good chance you went deep into the playoffs.

The top three quarterbacks for last year are the same for this year. The difference is the order they will be taken. Last year's first was Tom Brady, second Payton Manning, and third Drew Brees.

This year drew Brees is projected to be the No. 1 while Payton Manning is second and Tom Brady is third on most projections sheets.

We will throw Tom Brady's season from last year out of this equation. No one could have predicted that he would have a season ending injury in the first game.

Drew Brees was the top QB last year with 5,069 passing yards, 34 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. Brees put up 370 fantasy points in a standard scoring league.

Payton Manning, who is projected to be the number two QB taken this year, had 4,002 yards passing, 27 touchdowns and 12 interceptions totaling 308 fantasy points in a standard scoring league.

Philip Rivers, Jay Culter and Aaron Rodgers were all projected to be low end No. 1 options for the 2008 season. All three of these quarterbacks out performed the number two overall QB Payton Manning.

Philip Rivers had 4,009 passing yards, 34 touchdowns and 11 interceptions totaling 316 fantasy points last year.

Aaron Rodgers had 4,038 yards, 28 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. Rodgers ended up with 345 fantasy points last season.

Jay Cutler, had 4,526 passing yards 25 touchdowns and 18 interceptions, ending the season with 327 fantasy points.

If you decide to go with a low end No. 1 QB this season as your first pick, he might not end up as big of fantasy studs as Rodgers, Cutler and Rivers did last year. So how about a quarterback by platoon strategy for the 2009 season. But who are the best Quarterbacks to pair with the choice that you made?

In the upcoming weeks I want to take a closer look at schedules, bye weeks and a few history lessons so that you can already know who the best options are in a QB by platoon strategy.

Matt Ryan had an impressive rookie season leading the Falcons to the playoffs. Ryan had 3,440 Yards 16 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. For the 2009 season look for these numbers to increase. With the addition of Tony Gonzales at TE the Falcons could become a very high powered offenses this year.

Matt Ryan should be consider a low end No. 1 option at the QB spot. He will be about the 10th quarterback taken in most drafts this summer. This makes him a perfect candidate for a QB by platoon strategy.

If you draft Ryan this year as your number one option, you will probably start him more weeks than not. The week that you are guaranteed that you will need someone else to start is Week 4, the Falcons bye week.

Other quarterbacks that have the same bye week as Ryan are: Kurt Warner, Donavon McNabb and Jake Delhomme.

Outside of the bye week the Falcons will play four teams that ranked in the top 10 against the pass last year. Week 7 they will play at Dallas (ranked 8th). In week 9 they play Washington (ranked 6th) at home. In week 12 the Falcons will host Tampa Bay (ranked 3rd). And, in week 13 they will play against Philadelphia (ranked 5th) at home.

The two teams in this list that we can get a history lesson from are Tampa Bay and Philadelphia.

Ryan has struggled against Tampa Bay. He has yet to throw a touchdown in their previous two meetings. In the first game Ryan had 158 yards and two interceptions. The second game he had 206 yards and 2 interceptions.

Ryan did fare better against Philadelphia last season. Ryan had 277 yards with 2 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions.

Looking at weeks 4, 7,9,12,and 13. My top choice to pair with Matt Ryan is Eli Manning.

Eli had his second worst season as a Giant in 2008. He passed for 3,238 yards, 21 touchdowns, 18 interceptions. Last season for Eli was a tail of two halves as well; With Plaxico Burress and without. The loss of Plaxico for this season puts him ranked as around the number 15 QB. Manning could fall further than that in some drafts.

Looking at Eli's Schedule in weeks 4,7,9,12,and13.

Week 4 Kansas City Chiefs who ranked 26th against the pass last year.

Week 7 Arizona Cardinals who ranked 21st against the pass last year.

Week 9 San Diego Chargers who ranked 31st against the pass last year.

Week 12 Denver Broncos who ranked 30th against the pass last year.

Week 13 Dallas Cowboys who ranked 8th against the pass last year.

Out of these matchups, week 13 against Dallas is the least favorable for Eli. However Dallas is a division rival, and they play in New york. Last year when these two teams met in New York, Eli had 147 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Also week 13 is when the Falcons host the Eagles. Last year in Philadelphia Ryan still produced good numbers.

Other quarterbacks to consider when drafting Matt Ryan.

Ben Roethilsberger

Week 4 San Diego Chargers (ranked 31)

Week 7 Minnesota Vikings (ranked 22nd)

Week 9 Denver Broncos (ranked 30th)

Week 12 Cincinnati Bengals (ranked 11th)

Week 13 Oakland Raiders (ranked 10th)

Trent Edwards

Week 4 Miami Dolphins (ranked 27th)

Week 7 Carolina Panthers (ranked 17)

Week 9 Bye

Week 12 Miami Dolphins (ranked 27th)

Week 13 New York Jets (ranked 29th)

Jay Cutler

Week 4 Detroit Lions (ranked 28th)

Week 7 Cincinnati Bengals (ranked 11th)

Week 9 Arizona Cardinals (ranked 21st)

Week 12 Minnesota Vikings (ranked 22nd)

Week 13 St Louis rams (ranked 19th)

Strategy Season: Building a Succesful Fantasy Team in the Draft 101

Jason Braine — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 05:55:30 -0400

This article is not as much for all of you veterans out there. This is more for all of the rookies, and those who have very little experience with fantasy football. Whom are looking for some advice before draft day.

There are three keys to fantasy success. First is the draft. The draft is the building block for the entire season. Second is the waiver wire. The third key is luck. Luck goes both ways, good and bad. You can score the second highest points in you league, but, due to bad luck, you lose since you played the team with the highest. Good luck is when you score the second lowest score in the league, but win since you played the team with the lowest.

This article I just want to focus on a good draft strategy.

Now the most important part is to be prepared. Read as much as you can and study players before the draft. The more you know, the better off you will be. Now most first year players will not be as prepared as the veterans. Just because you are new does not mean that you cant be knowledgeable.

To every draft, you need to bring cheat sheets. These can be found on all major web sites and in magazines. I print off all of the cheat sheets I can find, and buy a couple of magazines, not that I need all of them. But at a live draft, I look around to see what the others are using, and since all of them vary to some degree, it helps me know more of what the others are thinking. This helps me better plan what players I think will still be there in the next round.

Before the draft, find out and become familiar with the rules of the league. They can all vary, so pay attention. Look to see if there are any positions that the point system favors or does not favor. For example, if QBs get one point for every 25 yards, six points for a TD, negative two points for an interception, QBs will be very valuable in this league. On the other hand, if the point system gives quarterbacks one point for every 50 yards, four points for a TD, negative two points for an interception and negative one point for a sack. they will be of less value in this league.

Also be familiar with how the rosters are to be set up. If a league starts two RBs, and three WRs, it would be wise to take more WRs early. If the league starts two RBs, two WRs, and a flex. I recommend taking more RBs early.

The first five rounds of the draft are what I call "drafting the core." Theses are the rounds that you will be drafting starters in key positions. Knowing the rules of the league can help in determining your strategy.

Your strategy of course starts in the first round. The three positions you should be looking at taking are RB, WR or QB. Personally, I like to take a RB, but I am not opposed to either taking a WR or a QB.

If you decide to take a QB, you will more than likely be weak at either RB or WR depending on what positions you key in on in the next couple of rounds. Also, taking either a RB or WR means you will more than likely not end up with at least the top one or two QBs on your roster.

Now, in building the core of my team, my favorite strategy is to take a RB in the first, then a WR in the second. For the third round, I will either take another RB or WR depending on what position the next best player is. Now a valuable piece of advice is let the draft fall to you. In other words, don't overdraft. If it is the second round, don't draft a player that is going to go in the third just because you like him.

In the fourth round, I will go opposite what I went in the third. So if I take a RB in the third, I will take a WR in the fourth. The fifth round I will target either a QB, or an elite TE. If the QBs that are left on the board, I think I can get in a later round, and there are no elite TEs left. I will draft another RB or WR, depending on who is the best player on the board.

After your core is drafted, you will want to start filling in any holes and drafting depth. The most important depth is at the RB and WR position. Now, I am sure that even you rookies have heard tht you don't take a defense to early and wait until the last round to take a kicker. I will not take a defense until at least round nine. I will want at least my starting QB, four RBs, three WRs, and one TE before I will consider taking a defense.

That does not mean I will take a defense in round nine. If there is a good backup QB that I think will be better than the top defense on the board I will go that route. If do go that route, then I will take a DST no later than round eleven.

Now, taking a kicker in the last round is a very good rule to live by. However, if everyone lives by this rule, then don't feel bad for taking one in the second to last round. Depending on where you draft in the last round, it could mean a big difference on the kicker that you get. I have won games by a kicker before.

During the draft, one of my psychological tricks I like to do is baiting. Now this only works in a live draft. Here is what bating is. If I am targeting a player, I will not say a word about him. Instead, I will bring up casual conversation about a player that I don't want. This trick starts to work around rounds three or four. In the later rounds, this trick starts to work better.

I hope for all you that are new to fantasy this year. If you have read this article, I hope that you have found it helpful in the planning of your fantasy draft strategy.

Top Four Fantasy Running Backs To Draft After Adrian Peterson

Jason Braine — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 20:08:29 -0400

If you have the No. 1 overall draft pick in your fantasy league this year, the selection is easy. You select Adrian Peterson. Peterson rushed for 1,700 yards and 10 touchdowns last year. Peterson is a threat to reach 2,000 yards and double digit touchdowns this year. He is the smart pick at No. 1. This year there has been a big change in the top running backs. Names like LT, Brian Westbrook, Clinton Portis, Joesph Addai and Steven Jackson have fallen far on most projection sheets. This year names like Michael Turner, DeAngelo Williams, Maurice Jones-Drew and Matt Forte are top this year. So which one do you take after Peterson? (Note: The rankings of these players are not my opinion. Nor are they necessarily in the order I would rank them. I took a projection sheet from a popular Web site. I chose a Web site that many will use in this years fantasy draft. I felt that this method better fit this article)

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NFL Fantasy Strategy: 5 Players With Valuable Handcuffs

Jason Braine — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 06:22:53 -0400

Phrases like splitting carries, sharing time, running back by committee. All of these are phrases that fantasy owners do not like to here. Lets face it that is how it is now in the NFL. The days of the featured back are almost a thing of the past. Instead of shying away from the philosophy fantasy owners should embarrass it. This is my list of running backs if you draft you should consider targeting their handcuff in the draft. Before we move on I do have a few rules I use when handcuffing a running back I drafted. 1. Do not handcuff more than one running back. This will limit the depth of your roster and could end up hurting you team during bye weeks. 2. For the most part draft the handcuffs in later rounds. there are a few exceptions to this rule, but not many. 3. Don't just handcuff the first running back you draft, simply because he is you top guy.

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Who Will Be This Year's Michael Turner? Five Fantasy Football Sleepers for '09

Jason Braine — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 06:15:08 -0400

Even though we more than three months away from football season. All of us die hard Fantasy addicts are preparing for the 2009 season. One of the major keys to success in fantasy football is your draft stratagy. There is nothing that can set a team apart from the others than getting the bargin sleepers in the late Rounds. Kudos to all of you whom Drafted the likes of Michael Turner, Chris Johnson, and Kurt Warner. Here is part of my 2009 fantasy football Stimulus package and 5 fantasy sleepers. To target on draft day.

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