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Training camp will be here before you know it. It’s a perfect time to revisit the 2013 fantasy football tight end landscape.
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1. Jimmy Graham, New Orleans Saints
Graham caught 85 passes last year for 982 yards and nine touchdowns. He has 20 TDs in the past two seasons combined.
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2. Aaron Hernandez, New England Patriots
With Wes Welker moving on to the Denver Broncos and Rob Gronkowski injury issues, Hernandez will have a chance to put up special numbers. He will, of course, have to stay healthy himself. In ten games last year Hernandez caught 51 passes for 483 yards and five touchdowns.
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3. Jason Witten, Dallas Cowboys
Witten caught 110 passes for 1,039 yards last year. His downside is his touchdown total (three). That can be overlooked, particularly in PPR leagues, because of his consistency and durability.
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4. Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots
Gronk is a high-risk, high-reward option. He’s the best tight end in the game when healthy. He could miss the start of the season and the risk of re-injuring seems great at this point.
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5. Kyle Rudolph, Minnesota Vikings
Rudolph won the Pro Bowl MVP, but doesn’t mean he’ll automatically ascend to greatness. I believe he has the physical tools to make the leap, particularly if Christian Ponder can take a step forward. Rudolph caught nine touchdowns last year.
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6. Tony Gonzalez, Atlanta Falcons
Gonzo continues to go strong. He’s 37, but showed no signs of slowing last year when he caught 93 passes for 930 yards and eight touchdowns. Julio Jones and Roddy White command so much attention on the outside that Gonzo is free to work the middle of the field.
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7. Vernon Davis, San Francisco 49ers
I’m still a little concerned with Davis after his disappointing 2012 season that netted 41 catches for 548 yards and five touchdowns. He got on the same page as Colin Kaepernick with two 100-yard games. With Michael Crabtree on the shelf with an Achilles injury, look for heavy involvement from Davis.
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8. Dennis Pitta, Baltimore Ravens
Pitta caught 61 passes for 669 yards and seven touchdowns last year. With Anquan Boldin in San Francisco, look for Pitta to become more of a focal point in the offense.
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9. Antonio Gates, San Diego Chargers
Gates disappointed last year, finishing with 49 catches for 538 yards and seven touchdowns. He has averaged nine touchdowns for each of the last nine seasons.
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10. Owen Daniels, Houston Texans
Daniels caught 62 passes for 716 yards and six touchdowns. He’s always an injury risk, but he’s productive when he can stay healthy.
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11. Greg Olsen, Carolina Panthers
Olsen caught 69 passes for 843 yards and five touchdowns. He’s one of Cam Newton’s favorite targets.
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12. Jared Cook, St. Louis Rams
Perhaps a change of scenery will allow Cook to realize his potential. His yardage dropped from 759 to 523 yards last year, but he should see improvement with Sam Bradford and the Rams.
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13. Jermichael Finley, Green Bay Packers
Finley has the physical tools to be a great tight end, but his hands and injuries seem to get in the way. He had 667 yards and two touchdowns last year. Finley could easily beat those numbers, but consistency has been an issue.
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14. Brandon Myers, New York Giants
Myers caught 79 passes for 806 yard and four touchdowns for the Oakland Raiders last year. The Giants have had a revolving door at tight end the past few years, but they all have been solid fantasy contributors. Myers should keep it going.
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15. Martellus Bennett, Chicago Bears
Bennett caught 55 passes for 626 yards and five touchdowns for the New York Giants last year. He should benefit from Brandon Marshall’s presence.
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Training camp will be here before you know it. It’s a perfect time to revisit the 2013 fantasy football running back landscape.
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1. Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings
What more is there to be said about All Day. An injury that could threaten the career of most NFL running backs was shrugged off like a hangnail. All Peterson did was challenge the NFL record with 2,097 yards while posting his sixth straight season with double-digit touchdowns.
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2. Arian Foster, Houston Texans
Foster scored 17 touchdowns last year, 15 on the ground. He had 1,424 yards rushing and 217 yards receiving. That’s three straight monster years for Foster. He did see a 400-yard drop in receiving yards, which is a slight cause for concern.
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3. Trent Richardson, Cleveland Browns
Richardson had 1,317 total yards and 12 touchdowns despite dealing with knee, rib, and ankle injuries. If he can stay healthy, I believe he can challenge All Day for the top spot.
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4. Doug Martin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
While I believe Richardson will be even better in 2013, I think Martin takes a small step back. Simply because the 1,926 total yards and 12 touchdowns set his bar so high. That said, this dual threat should remain one of the top fantasy backs.
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5. C.J. Spiller, Buffalo Bills
Spiller averaged a ridiculous 6.0 yard per carry. He gained 1,703 total yards on 250 touches. He should get closer to the 300 mark, which should put him over 2000 total yards.
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6. Marshawn Lynch, Seattle Seahawks
Lynch doesn’t typically give you the monster games like some of the other elite backs can produce, but he’s about as steady as they come. He had 1,786 total yards and 12 touchdowns last year.
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7. Jamaal Charles, Kansas City Chiefs
Lost in Peterson’s incredible season was Jamaal Charles’ similarly impressive return from his own knee injury. At times the Chiefs went away from Charles, but he still managed to produce 1,745 total yards. Another season removed from the injury, Charles should be even better in 2013.
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8. Ray Rice, Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens may have officially made the transition from Rice being the focal point on offense to Joe Flacco, but Rice isn’t out of the picture just yet. He remains one of the most dynamic running backs in the league with an ability to produce on the ground and in the passing game while having a strong nose for the end zone.
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9. Alfred Morris, Washington Redskins
Morris is coming off a 1,690 total yard, 13 touchdown season, but he does have the stigma of playing for Mike Shanahan. I think that is less of an issue than Robert Griffin III’s health. That and defenses adjusting to the Pistol offense.
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10. LeSean McCoy, Philadelphia Eagles
2012 was a season to forget for Eagles fans and McCoy owners alike. Shady should be much better in Chip Kelly’s offense.
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11. David Wilson, New York Giants
Wilson should have the chance to carry the load for the G-Men. He has the tools to breakout in a big way.
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12. Maurice Jones-Drew, Jacksonville Jaguars
Mojo’s season was a complete disaster, but he’s still on the right side of 30 (28 in March). I expect him to be the focal point of the Jaguars’ offense once again and a strong bounceback candidate.
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13. Chris Johnson, Tennessee Titans
Johnson was held under 25 yards rushing in four of the first five games, but managed to get back on track. He averaged 92.2 total yards per game. His window is closing (he’ll be 28 in September), but he should still have a couple of good seasons in him.
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14. Matt Forte, Chicago Bears
Forte is an impressive talent, and while he is able to play through injuries, how often is he limited by them? He also doesn’t punch the ball in frequently enough to be even a mid-level RB1.
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15. Stevan Ridley, New England Patriots
Bill Belichick is even harder to figure with running backs than Mike Shanahan. Ridley had an impressive 12 touchdowns, but he does little in the passing game to help his yardage total.
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16. Steven Jackson, Atlanta Falcons
Michael Turner ran for 800 yards and ten touchdowns last year for the Falcons. Steven Jackson had 1,363 total yards and four touchdowns last year for an inferior St. Louis Rams team. With Julio Jones, Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez commanding so much attention, S-Jax should be able to put up even better numbers than last year.
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17. Frank Gore, San Francisco 49ers
Gore finished with 1,448 total yards and nine touchdowns. Gore turned 30 so it shouldn’t be a surprise if his touches decline a little during the season. With his massive offensive line, that shouldn’t stop Gore from turning in another solid year.
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18. DeMarco Murray, Dallas Cowboys
Murray brings as much risk as reward to the table. He has shown flashes, but has also missed nine games in two years. He averages 4.8 yards per carry and has 61 receptions in two years.
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19. Reggie Bush, Detroit Lions
Bush hasn’t reached 300 yards receiving since 2009, but that should change in Detroit’s offense. Matthew Stafford attempted 727 passes last year, and is fond of throwing to running backs. Bush will have to share with Mikel Leshoure, which limits both backs’ values.
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20.  Darren McFadden, Oakland Raiders
Speaking of risk vs. reward, Run DMC is the epitome of that scenario. With all of the hype he’s received, he still just has had just one productive season. If you own McDadden, you’ll have to worry about his availability all year.
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Also check out:

• 2013 Updated Fantasy Football QB Rankings
• 2013 Early Fantasy Football WR Rankings
• 2013 Updated Fantasy Football TE Rankings
• 2013 Early Fantasy Football K Rankings
• 2013 Early Fantasy Football DEF Rankings

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We aren’t even a week removed from the Super Bowl, but what better time to start exploring the 2013 fantasy football quarterback landscape. There has been a changing of the guard at the QB position, which will be quite evident as you peruse the rankings.
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1. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers
Rodgers continues to pile up the numbers. He threw for 4295 yards and 39 touchdowns with just eight interceptions. That’s 84 touchdowns and 14 interceptions in the past two seasons. He’s also always good for 200 yards or more on the ground with a couple of rushing touchdowns.
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2. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints
Back-to-back 5000-yard seasons. Are you serious? 89 touchdown passes. His interceptions (33 over the past two years) and lack of a ground game bonus keep him out of the top spot, but he’s close.
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3. Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers
Cam was a monster down the stretch. He still didn’t deliver a ton of passing touchdowns, but he was close to the 4000-yard mark. Plus, he has ran for at least 700 yards and eight touchdowns in each of his first two seasons. There were a lot of young quarterbacks that received the hype thanks to their team’s success, but in fantasy terms, Cam is the best young quarterback.
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4. Tom Brady, New England Patriots
Brady will never confuse anyone for being a mobile quarterback, but he does have seven rushing touchdowns over the past two seasons. You already know what he brings to the table with his arms. Plenty of yards and touchdowns with a low interception total.
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5. Andrew Luck, Indianapolis Colts
The more mobile quarterbacks (RG3, Colin Kaepernick and Russell Wilson) got plenty of love, which almost overshadowed just how fine of a season that Luck had. Replacing a legend, Peyton Manning in Luck’s case, is never easy, and Luck did about as fine a job as Rodgers (Favre) or any other quarterback has. Year two should be special.
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6. Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons
I think Ryan puts up better numbers with his arm than Luck, but Luck has a little of Rodgers’ ability in that he can give you the bonus points with his feet. Luck and Ryan are in the same tier, in my opinion, I just give Luck a slight edge. That said, Ryan has two of the game’s top receivers. Last season was not a fluke. He should challenge 5000 yards and 35 touchdowns.
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7. Peyton Manning, Denver Broncos
What else can be said about Peyton Manning? He certainly didn’t disappoint in his new home. While his arm strength wasn’t what it once was, you can’t help but be impressed by the 4659 yards, 37 touchdowns and just 11 interceptions.
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8. Colin Kaepernick, San Francisco 49ers
Kaepernick has the “it factor”. He is equally as impressive with his arms as he is his feet. That’s saying a lot. He’ll have to improve in the red zone to take the next step as a quarterback, both in fantasy and reality. Losing Michael Crabree hurts his value, but I am confident that he’ll overcome the loss.
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9. Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions
Stafford quietly approached the 5000-yard mark for the second straight year. He had 20 touchdowns to 17 interceptions. He should provide great value as a low-end QB1.
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10. Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks
Wilson had modest passing totals (3118 yards, 26 touchdowns), but he only threw ten interceptions. He also ran for 489 yards and four touchdowns. The addition of Percy Harvin adds dramatically to Wilson’s appeal.
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11. Robert Griffin III, Washington Redskins
RGIII remains just outside of the top ten, but has the potential to climb the rankings if his recovery goes well.
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12. Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys
Romo threw for 4,903 yards and 28 touchdowns last year. It was the fourth time in the past six years that Romo has thrown for at least 4,000 yards. Dez Bryant truly emerged last year. Romo is a great value pick.
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13. Eli Manning, New York Giants
Manning fell just shy of reaching 4,000 yards for the fourth straight year. He also threw 26 touchdown passes. He’s a guy to look at after the first ten quarterbacks come off the board.
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14. Michael Vick, Philadelphia Eagles
The run on NFC East quarterbacks continues. While Eli has little risk, Vick is just the opposite. He has the ability and the weapons to put up big numbers in Chip Kelly’s offense, but he hasn’t played a full season since 2006. The Eagles are going to play fast. Vick’s feet and asking price make him a solid gamble as your QB2.
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15. Joe Flacco, Baltimore Ravens
Flacco made an unbelievable run during the postseason that allowed him to break the bank. He has yet to put up big fantasy numbers, but he doesn’t hurt you with interceptions either. He still isn’t an elite fantasy quarterback, but he’s a very capable backup.
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Also check out:

• 2013 Updated Fantasy Football RB Rankings
• 2013 Early Fantasy Football WR Rankings
• 2013 Updated Fantasy Football TE Rankings
• 2013 Early Fantasy Football K Rankings
• 2013 Early Fantasy Football DEF Rankings

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It’s hard to get too excited about a wide receiver that finished with 11 catches for 156 yards and two touchdowns. After all, that’s a typical Sunday afternoon for the likes of Calvin Johnson. That is what St. Louis wide receiver Brian Quick racked up in 15 games.There is nowhere to go but up for Quick. Can he breakout in 2013?
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There isn’t even a particular game that you can pinpoint and use as an indicator for a big leap for Quick. There were six games in which Quick wasn’t even targeted. There were seven games in which he only caught one pass. That leaves two games in which Quick set a season high with a whopping two receptions. His season high for yards was just 39.
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Quick had a hard time making the leap from Appalachian State to the NFL. He averaged 974 yards and eight touchdowns over his last three years for the Mountaineers. It goes without saying that the talent level is on a much different plane in the National Football League. That said, there are plenty of stud receivers, such as Jerry Rice (Mississippi Valley State) and Terrell Owens (Tennessee-Chattanooga), that were able to perform at the next level. Even those two greats had a bit of an adjustment period.
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Quick has good size and athleticism. He still has a lot of work to do, but the Rams are convinced that he’s going to make a big leap this year.
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The Rams upgraded their offense by drafting Tavon Austin and bringing in tight end Jared Cook. They should occupy a lot of attention in the middle field, giving Quick freedom to work the outside. Consistency will likely remain an issue, but I’m anticipating major improvement. He’s a guy to take a chance on for your fifth wide receiver slot.
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AP Photo/Rich Schultz
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The New York Jets have become a punch line of sorts because of their comedy of errors at quarterback. Their passing attack offers little hope to make a impact for fantasy football owners. However, they could have a sleeper at running back.
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During the 2013 NFL Draft the Jets acquired Chris Ivory from the New Orleans Saints. He has shown signs in the past, but he never got an opportunity to show what he could do in a lead role. That will likely change in 2013.
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According to New York Post reports, Ivory has been impressive during the Jets’ OTAs. He has shown some flash to go along with his power. At this point, the starting running back job is his to lose.
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Ivory has just 256 career carries. More than half of them came in 2010. While it’s a small sample size, he has been effective. Ivory has run for 1,307 yards at a 5.1 yards per carry. He has also run for eight touchdowns.
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His career numbers are essentially a full-season workload for a feature back in the NFL. 1,307 yards and eight touchdowns would be numbers that any fantasy football owner would be happy with, particularly when you consider where he’ll likely go in fantasy drafts. There will obviously be a lot of movement between now and fantasy draft time, but he’ll likely go in the fourth round or later.
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Ivory only has three career receptions, but he has played with Darren Sproles, Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush. While he won’t confuse anybody for LaDainian Tomlinson, he should easily be more active in the passing game.
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Ivory has the potential to be a solid RB2, but you’re likely to secure him as your third running back. There is plenty of upside Ivory can stay healthy.
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After a breakthrough 2012 season, Michael Crabtree will likely miss the season with a torn Achilles’ tendon. This is a huge blow to his dynasty league owners.
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Crabtree finished 2012 with 1,105 yards and nine touchdowns. More importantly, he really clicked with Colin Kaepernick and finished strong, averaging 83.1 yards with six touchdowns in the final eight games.
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He really came on in the postseason. Crabtree averaged 95 yards and a touchdown in the Niners’ three playoff games.
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The injury puts a damper on Kaepernick’s outlook as he loses his primary target. Anquan Boldin, Vernon Davis and Frank Gore figure to benefit from the injury.
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Crabtree can be avoided in re-draft leagues. He can be kept in dynasty leagues with several keepers, but those with fewer keeper spots can cut ties.
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We continue on with our early fantasy football rankings. This time we take a look at the 2013 fantasy football team defense landscape.
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1. Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks allowed the fewest points last year, yielding just 15.3 points per game. They finished fourth in the league with 306.2 yards per game allowed. Adding Antoine Winfield’s veteran presence to an outstanding secondary anchored by Richard Sherman and Earl Thomas makes this an elite unit. Cliff Avril, who recorded 9.5 sacks last year for the Detroit Lions, gives them even more beef up front.
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2. San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers finished just behind the Seahawks with 17.1 points per game allowed. They ranked third in total defense with 294.4 yards per game allowed. Patrick Willis anchors the defense, while Aldon Smith, who recorded 19.5 sacks last year, is a total menace.
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3. Houston Texans
The Texans took a slight step back defensively last year, but still finished in the top ten in both scoring defense (20.7 ppg) and total defense (323.3 ypg). Their struggles were primarily in pass defense, but the addition of future first ballot Hall of Famer Ed Reed should help. Having a healthy Brian Cushing will also be huge. Oh, and they still have J.J. Watt.
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4. Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens will miss the leadership of Reed and Ray Lewis, but they reloaded. A clerical error allowed Elvis Dumervil to slip out of the Denver Broncos’ grasp. Baltimore snatched him up to pair with Terrell Suggs, who should be healthy after missing half of the season with an Achilles injury. Michael Huff came over from the Oakland Raiders to soften the blow of Reed’s departure.
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5. Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers led the league in total defense with 275.8 yards allowed per game. They ranked sixth in scoring defense (19.6 ppg). Troy Polamalu’s health will be the key to their success or lack thereof.
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6. Denver Broncos
The Broncos will miss Dumervil, but they still have Von Miller terrorizing opposing quarterbacks. Denver finished second in total defense (290.8 ypg) and fourth in scoring defense (18.1 ppg).
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7. Chicago Bears
Da Bears finished third in scoring defense (17.3 ppg) and fifth in total defense (315.6 ypg). A lot of their success last year was predicated on their ability to turn turnover into touchdowns. That isn’t something you can bank on every year.
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8. Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals finished sixth in total defense (319.7 ypg) and eighth in scoring defense (20.0 ppg). Geno Atkins (12.5 sacks) and Michael Johnson (11.5 sacks) form an underrated one-two punch.
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9. New England Patriots
The Patriots bend (373.3 ypg), but don’t break (20.7 ppg) on defense. Their offense tends to make opposing teams one-dimensional.
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10. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons had similar numbers as the Patriots (365.6 ypg, 18.7 ypg), which isn’t surprising since they have a potent offense of their own. They added Osi Umenyiora and rookie Desmond Trufant to bolster their defense.
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