2011 NFL Predictions: 32 Players Primed for Most Impressive Statistical Seasons

Every season in sports provides plenty of drama, ranging from underachievers to teams that are overrated. There’s the rookie sensation and the veteran letdown. There are trades that make franchises look brilliant and those that leave fans scratching their heads.

The unpredictability is part of why people love football as much as they do.

Take for example the 2010 NFL breakout star, Arian Foster. Most people had no idea who Foster even was until the guy who drafted him in their fantasy league bragged about making such a selection.

Every team experiences surprises and letdowns; it’s part of the game. But before you become amazed at some of the names who achieve success this upcoming season, let’s go team by team and see which player most logically would be primed for a career-best campaign.

This slideshow encompasses all 32 NFL franchises in alphabetical order. The predictions are based on a variety of situations that could lead to fantastic seasons. Some players will directly benefit from trades and free agency while others may be stepping into their prime years.

Here are the 32 players to keep an eye out for in 2011:

Arizona Cardinals: Kevin Kolb

Kolb was the Opening Day starter for the Eagles before suffering a concussion at the hands of Packers linebacker Clay Matthews a quarter-and-a-half into the contest.

After losing his job to Michael Vick’s amazing comeback, Kolb would be demoted back to second string on the depth chart. Kolb started three more games between Week 5 and 7 while Vick nursed a rib injury. He also started the regular-season finale in a meaningless game against Dallas.

Kolb will have a huge statistical year in 2011, especially with wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald playing in a contract year.

Oh, he’s in the NFC West too. That always helps.

Atlanta Falcons: Dunta Robinson

Robinson was the big free-agent signing of the Falcons a year ago. A native of Athens, GA, Robinson joined the hometown Dirty Birds. His first season with Atlanta was on par with his career averages.

A big 2011 could be awaiting the eighth-year cornerback. Robinson hasn’t recorded more than two interceptions in a season since his rookie campaign with the Texans in 2004 in which he swiped six passes.

An improved defensive line with the addition of Ray Edwards will mean more pressure on opposing quarterbacks. The more pressure, the better the chances poor throws are made. Nothing excites a corner like an under-thrown curl route. His chance for a career year looks as great as ever.

Baltimore Ravens: Ray Rice

Ray Rice makes this as a result of the losses Baltimore endured this offseason.

Having to make moves to stay under the salary cap, the Ravens released longtime veterans Willis McGahee, Todd Heap and Derrick Mason. Those three have new homes with the Broncos, Cardinals and Jets, respectively.

Minus those key offensive players, Baltimore will lean on Rice as heavily as it ever has. Rice has ran for over 2,500 the last two seasons combined, so to say he’s due for a “breakout” year would be incorrect.

Rice has a chance to put up some serious numbers not only on the ground but in the passing game too. Fantasy owners should make Rice a late first-round to early second-round pick.

Buffalo Bills: Jarius Byrd

Jarius Byrd took the league by surprise when he intercepted nine passes in his rookie season of 2009.

Byrd, much like Rice, will benefit personally from an offseason transaction. His former secondary-mate, Donte Whitner, has made the cross-country trip to play for the 49ers. Whitner’s absence at strong safety will mean Byrd could have more responsibilities in coverage, thus more chances for picks.

The AFC East is a very pass-happy division with Tom Brady and Mark Sanchez under center. Odds would state too that the more passes thrown to a secondary in which Byrd covers more will lead to better numbers.

Plus, consider Buffalo had the third-best league average for passing yards allowed per game. The Bills secondary is legit.

Carolina Panthers: Jon Beason

The Panthers have seen nothing but great things from former Miami Hurricanes linebacker Jon Beason over his four-year NFL career.

Beason, 26, has never missed a game to date and has recorded a minimum of 138 combined tackles three times. His 2010 campaign proved to be his worst ever with just 121 combined tackles—still, phenomenal numbers.

Carolina is in the toughest division in football with Tampa Bay, Atlanta and New Orleans. Some new running backs to those teams—Mark Ingram and Jacquizz Rodgers, to be specific—enter the NFC South looking to balance their respective offenses. Beason and the rest of the Panthers front seven will get more chances at tackles and forced fumbles if teams throw less and less.

Chicago Bears: Roy Williams

Plenty has been made of the Roy Williams-Mike Martz reunion tour with the Chicago Bears.

The reason for bringing Williams back to a Martz offense is because of his track record in such a system. When Williams was with the Detroit Lions in 2006, he had a career-best 82 receptions for 1,310 yards. Martz was his offensive coordinator.

The deal with the Bears was inexpensive and low risk. If Williams can replicate those statistics with Chicago, then the one-year, $2 million contract he signed was a great value. If he struggles, then the deal was for a small amount of money and expires in 16 games.

Williams should get plenty of attention from Jay Cutler. Martz will try to show his previous successes were due to his play-calling duties. Williams should catch at least 60 balls for close to 1,000 yards.

Cincinnati Bengals: Carlos Dunlap

Carlos Dunlap played in 12 games during his 2010 rookie campaign without a single start.

Because of the team’s offseason moves, Dunlap is slated to be the starting right defensive end. The left tackles inside the AFC North are reputable—Jonathan Scott, Michael Oher and Joe Thomas—and may make getting into the backfield tough for Dunlap.

However, Dunlap did an unbelievable job for the Bengals with the limited amount of playing time he saw. Dunlap recorded just 24 tackles with 9.5 of those being sacks. In the final eight games of the year, Dunlap picked up at least half a sack in seven of those games.

Big things are possible for Dunlap. Seeing him get 16 starts could mean big defensive numbers for Cincinnati. 

Cleveland Browns: Colt McCoy

The Browns made some personnel changes this offseason by showing head coach Eric “Man-genius” Mangini the door and welcoming Pat Shurmur as a replacement to that position.

A story reported by Les Carpenter of Yahoo! Sports Wednesday morning highlights how Shurmur’s presence in Cleveland will have a profound effect on Colt McCoy.

In the story, Carpenter cites sources familiar with the situation last year of how McCoy was basically an outcast on his own team. He received his game plans days after the other quarterbacks did and was never taken under Mangini’s wing. All that will change with Shurmur.

Shurmur is an offensive-minded coach who is credited with modeling Donovan McNabb in his prime with the Eagles. Last season with the Rams, Shurmur served as the offensive coordinator for rookie Sam Bradford and nearly got the team to the playoffs without St. Louis’ best receivers healthy.

McCoy seems to be in good hands now, and for that reason he should have more control and say in this 2011 Browns offense. The future is now in Cleveland.

Dallas Cowboys: Felix Jones

The Dallas Cowboys have had a crowded backfield with Marion Barber, Felix Jones and Tashard Choice for years.

With Barber now in Chicago, it appears to be Jones’ chance to take over as the primary running back for the Cowboys.

It’s tough to put up solid stats when touches are shared amongst three players. Jones did get 185 carries in 2010 putting up a very respectable 800 yards. Imagine what Jones is capable of doing with more touches and less competition in the backfield.

As of now, it appears Jones will be the starter with Choice serving as the backup. Choice last season touched the ball 66 times as a running back, which is approximately three times as many touches as Jones.

Denver Broncos: Knowshon Moreno

Things still need to be settled for the starting quarterback position in Denver between Kyle Orton and Tim Tebow. When the dust settles and one of them receives the Opening Day nod, the offense will be either very pro-style (Orton) or more reliant on the ground attack (Tebow).

Reports from Denver said initially the job was Tebow’s to lose. Now it’s starting to sound more like Orton gives the Broncos the best chance to win right now.

The goal of new head coach John Fox has been to always run first and pass on 3rd down. So that logic would say that regardless of Orton or Tebow under center.

The beneficiary of this circumstance? Knowshon Moreno.

Moreno’s touches were cut by 65 from 2009 to 2010 even though Moreno started more games in 2010 than he did in 2009. If Fox can balance the offense properly, Moreno’s workload will be more productive.

Detroit Lions: Matthew Stafford

Matthew Stafford has to be healthy for an entire NFL season eventually, right?

Shoulder injuries have held Stafford back in his early career thus far. Writers in Detroit have referred to Stafford as being constructed like a China doll—fragile.

This season could be a make-or-break year for Stafford and the Lions. It makes no sense to invest in a quarterback that can’t stay healthy. Patience is being tested in Detroit between the two parties.

Stafford is certainly capable of producing big numbers, especially with Calvin Johnson on the roster. If he can somehow manage to keep his shoulder in its socket, then Lions fans may finally see the numbers that can be produced from a former first-round draft pick.

Green Bay Packers: Greg Jennings

During the Packers' Super Bowl XLV run, no receiver was more clutch than Greg Jennings.

Jennings hauled in 21 catches for 303 yards and two Super Bowl touchdowns during the NFL playoffs last winter. Jennings, at the age of 27, may be entering the prime of his NFL career and is poised to put up some serious numbers.

Situation also helps benefit Jennings moving forward. Longtime Green Bay Packer receiver Donald Driver, 36, is not expected to re-sign with the franchise after his current contract expires at the end of this season.

Other competition for Aaron Rodgers' passes includes Jordy Nelson, James Jones and Jermichael Finley. Jennings is the most explosive of the bunch, so it may be his receiving corps going forward.

Houston Texans: Mario Williams

Houston Texans fans can’t necessarily brag about their team’s defense, which finished 30th in the league overall last year. The lone bright spot to offset the league’s worst pass defense was having the league’s 13th-best run defense.

A large part of what makes the Texans go defensively is defensive-end-turned-outside-linebacker Mario Williams.

Williams, the former first overall draft pick in 2006, has been great in his NFL career. The Texans have seen in five years that indeed it was smarter to draft Williams over Reggie Bush, who fell to the Saints one pick later.

Williams is averaging 9.6 sacks a season. With some of the changes the Texans 3-4 defense is undergoing, it would not be surprising to see Williams have a career year in 2011.

Indianapolis Colts: Ernie Sims

It's been a while since linebacker Ernie Sims had a solid football season.

Sims’ 2009 season was shortened in half due to injury. The 2010 season was his first with the Eagles since becoming a Detroit Lion. Despite playing the full season, he ended with just 55 combined tackles. His previous low for a full season was 133.

The AFC South is full of running backs with Arian Foster, Maurice Jones-Drew and Chris Johnson. Sims will get plenty of chances to make tackles when teams rush as often as they do inside the division.

He might be the most talented and underrated player in the linebacking crew.

Jacksonville Jaguars: Marcedes Lewis

The quarterback’s best friend is the tight end. That statement is especially true when a team just lost its best receiver and is bringing in a rookie to transition as the new franchise quarterback going forward.

For all those reasons, Marcedes Lewis will get plenty of targets this season. Whether Blaine Gabbert or David Garrard starts for the Jaguars, Lewis will be the primary receiver in Jacksonville’s offense.

The loss of Mike Sims-Walker to the Rams via free agency also helps Lewis’ personal stats. He will get plenty of looks being the primary weapon aside from Maurice Jones-Drew.

Kansas City Chiefs: Dexter McCluster

Versatility is a key weapon to having a long-tenured NFL career. Being able to work on offense or defense and also serving an impact role on special teams is what separates the boys from the men.

Not being a first-string receiver is what weighed down Dexter McCluster in his first season. McCluster found trouble staying at one position for too long before being moved again.

Todd Haley is a smart, offensive-minded coach and will find a way to get McCluster more involved for the Chiefs. The wide receiver crew is a full table right now with Dwayne Bowe, first-round pick Jonathan Baldwin and free-agent signing Steve Breaston all ahead of McCluster. Somehow, McCluster will find a way to get his touches.

Fantasy owners can find value with McCluster if points are awarded for kick and punt returns.

Miami Dolphins: Daniel Thomas

Miami will be bringing in an entirely new backfield for the 2011 season. Ronnie Brown is now an Eagle and Ricky Williams makes his home in Baltimore.

So who will carry the load for the Dolphins?

Try the injury-prone Reggie Bush and Kansas State rookie Daniel Thomas on for size.

I have no doubt Bush will go down at some point to a leg problem, so Thomas may see significant time. Keep him on the radar for deeper fantasy leagues as a guy to consider using a waiver-wire transaction on.

Little is known about Thomas other than that his 6’1” stature shows he could be a 3rd-and-long and potential goal-line back for Miami. His value will have to be determined with what other roles the Dolphins use Bush for.

Minnesota Vikings: Chad Greenway

Chad Greenway will most likely start at outside linebacker in the Vikings 4-3 defense.

As of the current depth chart, Greenway will be the left outside backer. This is relevant for the Vikings because half of the defensive line is gone. Pat Williams and Ray Edwards are both memories of Minnesota.

Greenway is coming off a career season with 144 combined tackles and a forced fumble. The Vikings will need to use Greenway on the left side of the defense effectively because of the inexperience and a new defensive scheme.

New England Patriots: Albert Haynesworth

It’s been some time since Albert Haynesworth has been a serious threat to offenses. After rising to the caliber of a top-five defensive player with the Titans, Haynesworth cashed out and took a huge deal with the Redskins.

Washington, which was undergoing a 4-3/3-4 defensive change, found that Haynesworth would refuse to play the nose tackle position for the new scheme. Two years of hitting their heads against a brick wall brought along change in the form of addition by subtraction.

Only the Bill Belichick effect can be enough to straighten out the troubled defensive lineman. If Belichick can’t get him into his previous form, nobody can. Look for Haynesworth to have a big season for the first time in years.

New Orleans Saints: Lance Moore

It seems every year the Saints feature a new breakout receiver with their dynamic passing attack and Drew Brees at the helm. Maybe this year, the newly paid Lance Moore will be the guy.

Moore is the second receiver behind Marques Colston and ahead of Devry Henderson and Robert Meachem. Catches are hard to come by with four quality receivers. One of Moore’s best qualities is that he makes the most of his touches.

Colston is a reliable 1,000-yard receiver—a feat Moore has never accomplished. The addition of Ingram in the backfield means that the Saints ground attack will be more reliable, meaning play action and passing could go for bigger gains.

New York Giants: Hakeem Nicks

2010 was good to Giants receiver Hakeem Nicks. He caught nearly 80 passes and clipped the 1,000-yard mark. On top of that, he found the end zone 11 times.

Eli Manning has developed some nice chemistry with Nicks in his two seasons with the Giants. Nicks could get more targets in the offense too because of the news late Wednesday night that Steve Smith signed a one-year deal with the division-foe Eagles. Losing Kevin Boss to Oakland helps the importance of Nicks to the offense as well.

Nicks looks poised to have a huge 2011 being the primary target. Realistically, all the changes around him could add an additional 200-300 yards and two more scores. Fantasy owners should target Nicks as a high-priority receiver.

New York Jets: Bart Scott

The retirement of Kris Jenkins as the Jets nose tackle means that Rex Ran’s wacky 3-4 defensive blitzes will need help from other areas of the defense—more specifically, the linebackers.

Ryan will look to Bart Scott to solidify the interior defense. Playing inside linebacker, Scott was one of the Ravens who followed Ryan from Baltimore to New York.

Scott has been a role model and leader for the Jets defense having played every game for the last six seasons. Ryan will surely come up with some new coverage and blitz plays for Scott to get him more involved. His previous high for total tackles in a year came with the 2006 Ravens when he recorded 103. Scott should easily surpass that this season.

Oakland Raiders: Kevin Boss

Kevin Boss is about to blow up as the new Raiders tight end. If he receives any of the attention Zach Miller got before he left for Seattle, Boss will be on track for career highs in catches, yards and touchdowns.

Raiders quarterback Jason Campbell has never been afraid to rely on the tight end in the passing game. When in Washington, Campbell fueled Chris Cooley. While with the Raiders, Campbell played into the importance of Miller. Things should be the same with Boss.

Boss’ previous career-best year happened in 2009 when he caught 42 balls for 567 yards and five scores. Every one of those categories should rise in 2011 with Campbell checking down often.

Philadelphia Eagles: Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie

This was perhaps the most obvious selection out of all 32 NFL teams. When Philadelphia signed Nnamdi Asomugha, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie must’ve been doing backflips at home. Playing corner next to Asomugha is like batting behind Albert Pujols—ultimate job security.

With offenses losing an entire side of the field to throw to because of Asomugha, Rodgers-Cromartie will see plenty of action. His previous high for interceptions in a season was six, but the extra number of chances he will get playing defensive back may boost that stat dramatically.

The Eagles still have to decide how to work their third high-caliber corner into the mix with Asante Samuel. It’s highly unlikely Samuel will only come on the field for nickelback packages. He should be on the field more often than just that. It will be very interesting how Philly mixes all three Pro Bowlers onto the field together.

Pittsburgh Steelers: Brett Keisel

Brett Keisel received lots of attention during last year’s Super Bowl run because of his playoff beard. It was really his play on the field, though, that made football fans start paying attention to this up-and-coming defensive end.

Keisel is entering his ninth NFL season, all of which have been with the Steelers. After a solid 2006 season with 5.5 sacks and a career-high 56 total tackles, Keisel has proved to be more consistent in more recent memory.

So much attention is paid to the front seven of Pittsburgh’s defense—linebackers especially—that opportunities for defensive linemen to make plays often come unnoticed. That should be the case with Keisel this season, who is due for another star-studded campaign.

San Diego Chargers: Ryan Mathews

The Chargers backfield featured a different star each week. Competition between rookie Ryan Mathews and third-year rusher Mike Tolbert combined with injuries led to a 60/40 split in carries to the favor of Tolbert.

When the Chargers drafted Mathews from Fresno State, it was the intent to make him the featured back. The first season with that plan didn’t exactly go by the book, so perhaps 2011 will be a chance for Mathews to solidify his position as the dominant rusher.

Mathews was right about on league par with 4.3 yards per carry. If he can stay healthy and run for 250 attempts, a 1,000-yard season should be easy for Mathews.

San Francisco 49ers: Donte Whitner

Former Bills strong safety Donte Whitner tested the free-agent waters and moved across the country to take a position with San Francisco. In doing so, Whitner is entering a bad division where the chances for collecting turnovers are substantially higher.

Whitner will be replacing Taylor Mays on the depth chart at the strong safety position. Playing next to Whitner as of right now will be unproven fifth-year player Dashon Goldson. This looks like Whitner’s secondary to dominate.

By Seattle bringing in Tarvaris Jackson and the Cardinals dealing for Kolb, more passes will be thrown downfield in divisional games. Its simple logic for Whitner: The more inaccurate passes downfield, the higher the chance for interceptions.

Seattle Seahawks: David Hawthorne

It was hard selecting a player for the Seahawks. Looking at the offense, most players will suffer because of the presence of Tarvaris Jackson. The only player who will get more attention on offense will be Marshawn Lynch, but teams will focus solely on him.

On the defensive side of the ball, more players arise as candidates for breakout years. Perhaps the most noticeable is middle linebacker David Hawthorne. Hawthorne will be taking over the middle of the field from Lofa Tatupu, who was lost in free agency.

With a full year at the middle linebacker position, Hawthorne could make a serious run at a career high with tackles and sacks. 

St. Louis Rams: Sam Bradford

Bradford is undergoing changes with his offense in St. Louis.

Former offensive coordinator Pat Schumur is now the headman in Cleveland, meaning Bradford will have to relearn what he was taught in year one.

The former first overall draft pick may be going through a learning curve but he looks primed and ready for a tremendous 2011 season. Even without the same offensive coordinator, Bradford took enough steps forward last year that he is primed and ready to continue his progress.

Bradford will also be the beneficiary of healthy receivers. Brandon Gibson, Donnie Avery, Danny Amendola and free-agent Mike Sims-Walker will be the four primary receivers for the Rams offense.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Josh Freeman

Josh Freeman has developed into a true NFL leader. Not only did he arrange for all of his Buccaneers teammates to come together during the NFL lockout, but he has also revamped the entire Tampa Bay franchise.

Last season, Freeman led the Bucs to a 10-6 record, falling just short of the playoffs. Tampa Bay resides in the toughest division in the league. The fact that he was able to finish 2010 so strongly shows great promise for 2011.

Freeman’s first full season as the Bucs starting QB showed he had great control and precise passing skills. Another year to develop can only help the young man and could help the Buccaneers take another step forward.

Tennessee Titans: Cortland Finnegan

In just three NFL seasons, Cortland Finnegan has developed a reputation as one of the dirtiest players in the league. His scuffle with Texans wide receiver Andre Johnson showed just that.

Finnegan is the main corner in the Titans secondary. He isn’t known as much for his interceptions as he is for his hard hits and coverage skills. He does have 12 picks in his career, however.

Finnegan needs to play well in 2011 in order for the Titans to contend. His annual duties include attempting to shut down Reggie Wayne and Andre Johnson a total of four times. Seems simple enough.

Washington Redskins: Tim Hightower

Washington made some nice pickups this offseason at the wide receiver position to help out Rex Grossman and/or John Beck. One of the other smart moves made was helping out a newly developing passing game by adding a running back like Tim Hightower.

Hightower progressively got better in Arizona this last season compared to his first two campaigns. Hightower has attempted the same number of rushing attempts in all three seasons but his yards have grown, showing he's developing explosiveness.

With the same number of rushes, Hightower has gone from 399 to 598 to 736 yards respectively. But while his yards increase, his touchdowns have dropped from 10 to eight to five. If Washington can get Hightower more involved in the red zone, then he could be due for a nice run with the Redskins.

Follow Brett Lyons on Twitter @BrettLyons670.