2009 Fantasy Football Breakout Players: AFC North

Every year there are multiple players at each position that have breakout seasons and put their name on the fantasy football map.

In 2008, we saw players like Matt Cassel, Aaron Rodgers, Michael Turner, Derrick Ward, Antonio Bryant and Dwayne Bowe put together what is considered breakout season and because of this they will be highly targeted in 2009 fantasy football drafts.

With it never being to early to start planning for your fantasy football draft, the Bruno Boys offer you their opinion on what players will flourish in 2009 and have a breakout season.

In this installment of 2009 Fantasy Football Breakout Players we bring to you the AFC North division.

--------------------

Cincinnati Bengals: After being released by the Chicago Bears and latching on with the Cincinnati, Cedric Benson had something to prove.

Drafted with the fourth overall pick in the 2005 draft, Benson was supposed to change the whole dynamic of the Bears running game, but that headed south fast.

Benson combined three sub-par seasons, with a DUI and a BUI (boating) and eventually was given his pink slip from the Windy City.

However, this could have been the best thing that happened to the troubled veteran, as Benson was signed by the Bengals, was starting by mid-season and had 932 total yards.

The reason why we are high on Benson is because he flourished at the end of last season and everything has fell into place for him from a personnel standpoint. 

Over the Bengals final three games Benson went for 462 yards from scrimmage and with the Bengals drafting OT Andre Smith to bulk up the offensive line it should open up even more holes.

Plus, All-Pro quarterback Carson Palmer returns from an arm injury which will prevent teams from scheming around Benson.

From a personnel standpoint, Cincinnati released former first-round pick Chris Perry and did little to improve the running back position during the off-season. 

Going into your 2009 fantasy football draft, you should target Benson as a low-end RB2 or high-end RB3 as this looks to be the year he figures it all out.

Also Consider: WR Chris Henry (if Ocho Stinko leaves town), TE Chase Coffman

--------------------

Pittsburgh Steelers: A broken hand ended the season of running back Rashard Mendenhall just one month in and prevented fantasy football owners across America to see how talented he really is.

When the Steelers drafted Mendenhall with the 23rd overall pick in the 2008 draft it was to eventually faze Willie Parker out of the offense and a healthy Mendenhall in 2009 could be the beginning stages of the transition. 

We aren't saying that Parker won't get his touches and yardage, but you can expect Mendenhall to play a more significant role as the weeks go by.

Plus, Mendenhall should be the primary ball carrier around the goal-line and all fantasy football players know that a one-yard touchdown is still 6 fantasy points!   

Look for the Steelers to start the season with a 70-30 split of touches with Parker getting the bulk, but by seasons end you can expect it to be closer to a true RBBC with Mendenhall being the fresher back and gaining momentum come fantasy football playoff time.

Enter your draft targeting Mendenhall as a RB4 with hopes that he plays his way into a RB3/Flex option each week. The ideal situation would be to own both Parker and Mendenhall and play the hot hand.   

Also Consider: WR Limas Sweed (big red zone target)

--------------------

Baltimore Ravens: It's slim pickings in Baltimore as the Ravens have talent but the system will prevent any player from being considered a "breakout" fantasy football option.

You can make a case for wide-out Mark Clayton, who turned into a WR3 over the final six weeks of the 2008 season, but he's about reached the height of his potential.

Another option is second-year running back Ray Rice, but with Le'Ron McClain and Willis McGahee still in Baltimore he won't see consistent touches. Last but not least is signal caller Joe Flacco, who is a great leader at the quarterback position but he won't have enough opportunity to be a weekly fantasy option.

Flacco threw the football just 26 times per game in '08, averaged 185.7 passing yards per contest and the Bruno Boys don't see those number increasing outside of moderation in 2009.

Like most years, the Ravens will be a run first team that relies on their defense to force turnovers and make big plays as the offense spends the majority of the time grinding it out on the ground.

Also Consider: WR Mark Clayton, QB Joe Flacco, RB Ray Rice (will he get enough touches?)

--------------------

Cleveland Browns: It's still a mystery as to who the starting quarterback will be in Cleveland, but at this point it looks like head coach Eric Mangini will go with Brady Quinn over Derek Anderson.

Also Consider: WR Brian Robiskie (rookie should play right away)

--------------------

READ MORE BRUNO BOYS CONTENT HERE... WWW.BRUNOBOYS.NET