2009 Fantasy Football Expert Mock Draft (Round 1)

The 2008 fantasy football season might have just ended but that doesn't mean you can sit back and relax until it gets closer to the 2009 fantasy football season. The off-season is when you scout players, look at coaching changes and plow through game log after game log to find consistency at each position. Since our job never ends here at Bruno Boys Fantasy Football, we teamed up with five other fantasy publications and started a 2009 Fantasy Football Mock Draft.

Below you will find round-by-round recaps of the mock draft, in which ten fantasy football experts show you a glimpse of what your 2009 draft might look like. The recaps that follow each selection are written by the team that is drafting that specific player. 

Scoring used for the 2009 Fantasy Football Expert Mock Draft:

4 Points - Passing TD's
6 Points - All other TD's
1 Point - 25 passing yards
1 Point - 10 rushing/receiving yards

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ROUND 1

1.01:  Junkyard Jake - RB Adrian Peterson

Unlike in 2008, where the No. 1 pick was seemingly a toss-up between Peterson and Tomlinson, in 2009 Peterson may very well be the safest player to take at the No. 1 spot. Although Peterson’s 10 TD's were disappointing, he contributed a very consistent 110 yards per game, exceeding the century mark for rushing yards in 10 of 16 games played.

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1.02:  Fantasy Football Xtreme - RB Michael Turner

Michael Turner rushed for 1,699 yards and 17 touchdowns in 2008 - He averaged 4.5 yards a pop and dropped eight 100-yard outings—That’s a better fantasy campaign than even I expected, and Turner was my number one breakout candidate heading into that 2008 fantasy season.

The only downside with Turner is that he carried the football 377 times in ‘08, but last season was his first NFL season with more than 80 carries— He will be fine in 2009! Only Steven Jackson deserves consideration over Turner, but in the end this is an easy call for me.

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1.03:  FantasyPros911.com - RB LaDainian Tomlinson

I could have went with a safe pick like DeAngelo Williams or Brian Westbrook, but I have a gut feeling that LaDainian Tomlinson will be back in 2009. Even though we’ll see him drop out of the first overall pick in 2009, and some may say he disappointed in 2008, he was still the sixth ranked running back with 212 fantasy points.

Tomlinson’s backup, Darren Sproles is a free-agent, and at this point I think he’ll jump ship, similar to what Michael Turner did a year ago. That being said, I’m looking for a revitalized LT in 2009 and see him finishing as a one of the top three running backs at season end.

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1.04:  Fantasy Football Librarian - RB DeAngelo Williams

After a slow start to the 2008 season, Williams closed out the season with a strong showing and finished as the top back with 1,518 rushing yards and 18 rushing TD's (plus a decent 22 receptions and 2 rec TD's) despite the presence of Jonathan Stewart.

I predict that Williams will continue to thrive under a system of shared carries with Stewart and will repeat some of his multi-TD games in 2009, making him another unstoppable beast next season.

Sure, he needs to continue to put up those big TD numbers in order to remain a top back, but I’m willing to risk that he’s more than likely to impress again. I was tempted to go with Forte or Westbrook here but think Williams might be the better bet for the important trio of staying strong all season, remaining injury free and putting up big numbers.

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1.05:  Bruno Boys Whooley - RB Matt Forte

If you want consistency for your 2009 season, look no further than Chicago Bears’ running back, Matt Forte. In a stellar rookie campaign, Forte amassed double digit fantasy points in all but 3 games, and in those three games, he didn’t miss by much going for 7, 8, and 9 fantasy points.

He’ll continue to be a focal point of the Bears’ offense and should hover around 20-25 carries throughout the year. This consistent back should have no problem avoiding the sophomore slump.

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TO READ THE REST OF ROUND ONE CLICK BELOW...

2009 Fantasy Football Expert Mock Draft (Round 1)