LestersLegends.com

I’ve been invited to participate in Fantasy Trader’s fantasy football roundtable.

This week’s topic:
If one were to prorate Jamaal Charles’ final eight games of 2009 to a full season, he’d handily outscore Adrian Peterson and betters all RB’s not named Chris Johnson in PPR formats. What are your expectations for Charles in 2010?

Click here for the full article.

My response:
I began calling him Chris Johnson Lite at the end of the year because of his ability to rip off a long run or two seemingly every game. He posted a phenomenal 5.9 yards per carry, and had 1131 total yards with 8 TDs in the last eight weeks. That’s 141.4 yards and a score per game for half a year.

His beastly numbers impressed me enough to have him as my 11th rated RB heading into next year. While I can’t dismiss his numbers, I do get that Steve Slaton type vibe from Charles. I just don’t know if there’s an encore.

Kansas City has just about nothing going for them on offense outside of Charles. My guess is he’ll face a lot more eight and nine man fronts. Teams will dare the Chiefs to beat them with the run. I just don’t know that he can stand up to that sort of defensive pressure.

Jamaal Charles is the type of player that I will most likely not own in 2010. I can’t imagine a league with an owner that doesn’t hold him in higher regard than I do, and I’m OK with that.

1.  St. Louis Rams:  Ndamukong Suh, DT, Nebraska
I know they need help on offense, but you to properly build a team you need quality play on both lines of scrimmage. They addressed the offensive line last year with Jason Smith, bypassing Mark Sanchez. They’ll make another sound decision when they grab Suh, the best defensive player in the country.

2.  Detroit Lions:  Russell Okung, OT, Oklahoma State
They drafted their franchise QB last year so now it’s time to protect their investment.

3.  Tampa Bay Buccaneers:  Gerald McCoy, DT, Oklahoma
Tampa Bay needs some serious help on defense, and adding a top defensive tackle is a good start.

4.  Washington Redskins:  Jimmy Clausen, QB, Notre Dame
Mike Shanahan won’t likely stick with Jason Campbell as his QB of the future. Campbell could have one year left in him as Clausen develops.

5.  Kansas City Chiefs:  Eric Berry, S, Tennessee
Kansas City needs help on both sides of the ball. They could try to trade down to avoid a big rookie contract. If they stay put they go with the best available, and that’s Berry.

6.  Seattle Seahawks:  Sam Bradford, QB, Oklahoma
I know Pete Carroll said Matt Hasselbeck is his guy, but he’s more the present than the future. Bradford could learn from Hasselbeck for a year or two before taking over the reins.

7.  Cleveland Browns:  Joe Haden, CB, Florida
As much as the Browns need a WR, they’re better served adding a premium cornerback.

8.  Oakland Raiders:  Bruce Campbell, OT, Maryland
Al won’t grab the fastest WR in the draft, at least not with this pick. He’ll take this giant (6′7″) to bolster his offensive line.

9.  Buffalo Bills:  Anthony Davis, OT, Rutgers
He won’t make up for passing on Michael Oher last year, but it’s a start. Offensive-minded Chan Gailey knows you need strong line play before an offense can hum.

10.  Jacksonville Jaguars, Rolando McClain, LB, Alabama
Playing in the same division with the league’s best QB (Peyton Manning), RB (Chris Johnson), and WR (Andre Johnson), the Jags need to go defense here. McLain is the top inside linebacker in the draft.

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I was invited to do a 2010 fantasy football mock draft. Here’s the draft order.

1 Rotowire
2 ProFSA.com
3 FantasyFootballWhiz
4 RotoPicks
5 Lesters Legends
6 Bruno Boys
7 Fantasy Football Maniaxs
8 Junkyard Jake
9 FantasyFootballTrader
10 Fanatic Fantasy Football
11 FantasyMojo.com
12 FantasyFootballStarter

Thirteenth Round Pick
I was debating grabbing Pittsburgh Defense last round or a backup TE. I opted for the D, and two of the backup TE’s I was considering (Carlson, Keller) went off the board. Fortunately the position is deep and I still have the Millers to decide between.

Drafted Team 
QB1:  Matt Schaub (3)
QB2:  Matt Ryan (8)
RB1:  Michael Turner (1)
RB2:  Rashard Mendenhall (2)
RB3:  Felix Jones (5)
RB4:  LenDale White (11)
WR1:  Santonio Holmes (4)
WR2:  Michael Crabtree (6)
WR3:  Percy Harvin (7)
WR4:  Julian Edelman (10)
TE1:  Visanthe Shiancoe (9)
TE2:  Heath Miller (13)
DEF1:  Pittsburgh (12)

I was invited to do a 2010 fantasy football mock draft. Here’s the draft order.

1 Rotowire
2 ProFSA.com
3 FantasyFootballWhiz
4 RotoPicks
5 Lesters Legends
6 Bruno Boys
7 Fantasy Football Maniaxs
8 Junkyard Jake
9 FantasyFootballTrader
10 Fanatic Fantasy Football
11 FantasyMojo.com
12 FantasyFootballStarter

Twelfth Round Pick
Assuming Troy Polamalu returns healthy, the Steelers Defense will be one of the strongest units in football next year. They get to the quarterback and force a lot of turnovers. They generally don’t allow a lot of scoring either. All recipes for success when choosing a fantasy defense.

Drafted Team
QB1:  Matt Schaub (3)
QB2:  Matt Ryan (8)
RB1:  Michael Turner (1)
RB2:  Rashard Mendenhall (2)
RB3:  Felix Jones (5)
RB4:  LenDale White (11)
WR1:  Santonio Holmes (4)
WR2:  Michael Crabtree (6)
WR3:  Percy Harvin (7)
WR4:  Julian Edelman (10)
TE1:  Visanthe Shiancoe (9)
DEF1:  Pittsburgh (12)

Time for another edition of Fantasy Football Out on a Limb.  I scour the rosters to select a player who I feel will outperform a higher profile player in that given week.  I base my decisions on match-ups, how the players are trending, and the ever-important hunch.  To mix things up I’ll occasionally do some two on one match-ups or even pit RB or WR duos against each other.  Sometimes I’ll spot a player some points.

For the Super Bowl I will pick one matchup for Quarterback, Running Back, and Wide Receiver.

Scoring
6 points for rushing or receiving TD
4 points for a passing TD
0.1 points per yard for rushing or receiving
0.05 points per passing yard.

Last Week
Vince Young over Donovan McNabb:  Loser VY2.55, McNabb 10.5
Frank Gore over Adrian Peterson:  Loser Gore 1.5, AP 2.2
Steve Smith over Vincent Jackson:  Loser Smith 10.8, V-Jax 18.2
Pro Bowl Picks:  0-3

Season Record
Regular Picks: 41-40-1
Super Stretch Picks:  8-12
Playoffs Picks:  6-5
Pro Bowl Picks:  0-3
Overall: 55-60-1

Super Bowl XLIV Picks

Peyton Manning over Drew Brees +2
There isn’t much separating these two franchise QBs. I’m choosing the Colts to win the game, and I think Manning will be the Super Bowl MVP. Brees should have a solid game as well, but even with two spotted points, I think Manning comes out victorious.

Donald Brown over Reggie Bush
Both are secondary options in the running game, but I believe Brown will be more productive. I expect him to get plenty of touches towards the end of the game as Indianapolis wraps up another Super Bowl victory.

Reggie Wayne, Austin Collie, Pierre Garcon over Marques Colston, Devery Henderson, Robert Meachem, Jeremy Shockey, and David Thomas
I’m mixing it up by taking the Colts’ WR triplets over the Saints triplets and their top two tight ends. The Saints WRs combined for 2705 yards and 21 TDs during the regular season while the Saints quintet combined for 3525 yards and 24 TDs. Even without putting Dallas Clark into the equation, I’m banking on the Colts’ wides.

Here’s a breakdown of playoff fantasy rankings for Super Bowl XLIV.

Quarterbacks
1. Peyton Manning
2. Drew Brees

Running Backs
1. Pierre Thomas
2. Joseph Addai
3. Donald Brown
4. Reggie Bush

Wide Receivers
1. Reggie Wayne
2. Marques Colston
3. Austin Collie
4. Pierre Garcon
5. Devery Henderson
6. Robert Meachem

Tight Ends
1. Dallas Clark
2. Jeremy Shockey
3. David Thomas

Kickers
1. Matt Stover
2. Garrett Hartley

Defenses
1. Indianapolis Colts
2. New Orleans Saints

I was invited to do a 2010 fantasy football mock draft. Here’s the draft order.

1 Rotowire
2 ProFSA.com
3 FantasyFootballWhiz
4 RotoPicks
5 Lesters Legends
6 Bruno Boys
7 Fantasy Football Maniaxs
8 Junkyard Jake
9 FantasyFootballTrader
10 Fanatic Fantasy Football
11 FantasyMojo.com
12 FantasyFootballStarter

Eleventh Round Pick
LenDale White will likely have a new home in 2010. Perhaps he will reunite with Pete Carroll in Seattle. Justin Forsett is a solid back, but I’m not sure he can handle the full load. White could be used in a 50-50 split with Forsett and serve as the goal line back. This is a low-risk pick at this point in the draft, but could turn into a great value depending on where he lands.  Even if he stays in Tennessee, you would hope they would utilize LenDale more simply to avoid overuse of Chris Johnson.

Drafted Team
QB1:  Matt Schaub (3)
QB2:  Matt Ryan (8)
RB1:  Michael Turner (1)
RB2:  Rashard Mendenhall (2)
RB3:  Felix Jones (5)
RB4:  LenDale White (11)
WR1:  Santonio Holmes (4)
WR2:  Michael Crabtree (6)
WR3:  Percy Harvin (7)
WR4:  Julian Edelman (10)
TE1:  Visanthe Shiancoe (9)

Nobody should have been surprised when Kurt Warner decided to hang it up. Not after the vicious hit he took against the Saints. There was a lot of money left on the table, but Warner isn’t motivated by money.

So what is the fantasy fallout from his retirement? First of all, the QB rankings have to be adjusted. I had Warner ranked 11th because of the retirement speculation. I may be higher on Matt Leinart than most as I have him ranked at 17th. That means the QBs ranked 11th through 16th get bumped a spot (click to see rankings).

Though Leinart has shown little to date, he goes into the offseason with a chance to earn the starting job. I know he’s been in that situation before, but he doesn’t have a former MVP breathing down his neck. I can’t imagine he didn’t learn under Warner’s guidance. Plus, he’s got weapons galore. Would I want his as a fantasy starter, no. However, he could be a solid backup and spot starter.

Even if Leinart holds his own next year, he’s not Kurt Warner. The WRs are going to take a hit. I bumped Larry Fitzgerald down a notch (click to see rankings). I left Boldin where he’s at because of the chance he have a new home in 2010. Steve Breaston is the wildcard. If Boldin leaves, he could have some value. I’m afraid if he stays, Breaston will be no more than a spot starter. Guys like Early Doucet and Jerheme Urban saw their fantasy value sink even lower.

The RBs should be the big winners in this situation. Ken Whisenhunt is from a run-heavy background, and he has two talented backs in Beanie Wells and Tim Hightower. Beanie should be the workhorse back on the ground. Don’t rule out Tim Hightower being a flex option as well. He should get his share of carries and see plenty of Matt Leinart check downs.

While the Cardinals won’t have as potent an offense in 2010, they should still have several key fantasy performers.

Sara Holladay, everybody’s favorite Fantasy Football Librarian, studied the preseason rankings of 48 fantasy football sites. The results just came in on the New York Times Fifth Down Blog (click to see article).

I am pleased to announce that LestersLegends.com finished 8th for accuracy across all positions. The ranking was bolstered by a 6th place ranking in fantasy QBs and a 5th place ranking in fantasy WRs.

If you want to take a look at my early 2010 fantasy rankings, click here.

I was invited to do a 2010 fantasy football mock draft. Here’s the draft order.

1 Rotowire
2 ProFSA.com
3 FantasyFootballWhiz
4 RotoPicks
5 Lesters Legends
6 Bruno Boys
7 Fantasy Football Maniaxs
8 Junkyard Jake
9 FantasyFootballTrader
10 Fanatic Fantasy Football
11 FantasyMojo.com
12 FantasyFootballStarter

Tenth Round Pick
I don’t get the feeling that Wes Welker will be ready to rack up Tom Brady receptions any time soon. Brady displayed confidence in Julian Edelman, and will look for him early and often next year. I don’t expect a ton of TDs, but 80 catches for 1000 yards and 5 TDs isn’t out of the question.

Drafted Team
QB1:  Matt Schaub (3)
QB2:  Matt Ryan (8)
RB1:  Michael Turner (1)
RB2:  Rashard Mendenhall (2)
RB3:  Felix Jones (5)
WR1:  Santonio Holmes (4)
WR2:  Michael Crabtree (6)
WR3:  Percy Harvin (7)
WR4:  Julian Edelman (10)
TE1:  Visanthe Shiancoe (9)