LestersLegends.com

.
Nobody took home the prize last week because Adrian Peterson was hurt. I’m rolling out the contest again. This time you have to guess the combined passing yards for Aaron Rodgers and Matthew Stafford in Week 12.
.
Whoever comes the closest without going over takes home an XL LestersLegends t-shirt.
.
As always, be original. If somebody guessed a total you want, you’ll have to come up with another one. Just leave a comment with your best guess.
.
.

.
Calvin Johnson a.k.a. Megatron is a bad man. He has 36 catches for 564 yards and nine touchdowns through six games. He’s on pace for 96 catches for 1504 yards and 24 touchdowns.
.
Detroit Metal loves Megatron and is sponsoring a contest to guess his fantasy points against Atlanta this coming Sunday. We’ll do six points for a touchdown and 0.1 points for every yard he gets. His average score this year is 18.4 points.
.
Whoever comes the closest without going over takes home the prize.
.
As always, be original. If somebody guessed a total you want, you’ll have to come up with another one. Just leave a comment with your best guess and be sure to check out Detroit Metal.

.
Fantasy Loudmouth is sponsoring our fantasy football contest this week featuring two of the most talked about quarterbacks on the young season.
.
All you have to do is guess the combined passing yards for Tony Romo and Matthew Stafford in Week 4. Whoever comes the closest without going over takes home the prize.
.
As always, be original. If somebody guessed a total you want, you’ll have to come up with another one. Just leave a comment with your best guess and be sure to check out Fantasy Loudmouth.

Click here to enter the 2011 LestersLegends fantasy football team name contest!
.

.
Brandon Pettigrew returned from his ACL injury to have 71 catches for 722 yards and four touchdowns in his sophomore season with the Detroit Lions. Those are solid numbers, but hardly the type of numbers that make you want to blindly plug him in your fantasy lineup each week.
.
Pettigrew had his moments, picking up at least 75 yards and/or a touchdown in seven of his 16 games. He had at least 50 yards in three other games giving him ten games of at least a decent fantasy performance. For those of you in PPR leagues, he had at least five receptions on seven occasions.
.
The problem with Pettigrew was when he was off, he was really off. He had 36 or fewer yards in seven games. He bailed his fantasy owners out with a touchdown in three of those starts, but that’s still a troubling statistic.
.
The theory that a healthy Matthew Stafford should lead to an improved Pettigrew is debatable. In the three games that Stafford played Pettigrew had just six catches for 32 yards. He had two touchdowns from Stafford, but with that kind of yardage, it’s hardly enough for Pettigrew to average more than five points in non-PPR leagues in those games. Stafford did, however, play in Pettigrew’s best games as a rookie.
.
The Lions have a lot of weapons on offense. Perhaps the most they have had since the days of Barry Sanders and the run and shoot. Pettigrew’s size makes him an attractive option near the goal line, especially since Megatron commands so much attention.  The big yardage days could be hard to come by though.
.
Pettigrew’s Mock Draft Central ADP puts him as the eighth tight end, which is right around where I have him. I don’t think he’s elite, but I still consider him a TE1. If I did draft Pettigrew I would most likely add a high end TE2 so I could play the match-ups.
.
What’s your take on Brandon Pettigrew?
.
.

Also check out:

• 2011 Early Fantasy Football QB Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy Football RB Rankings
• 2011 Early Fantasy Football WR Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy Football TE Rankings

.
Adrian Peterson delivered once again despite playing on the Vikings’ sinking ship. He ran for 1298 yards and 12 touchdowns. He added 36 catches for 341 yards and another score. After being dogged by fumbles, he improved his ball control by coughing up just one fumble all year. Peterson is once again in the conversation for the first overall pick in fantasy leagues. He shouldn’t slip by the top four or five picks even in PPR leagues. With a rookie quarterback he’ll likely be called upon to take some of the pressure off. Toby Gerhart showed he was capable towards the end of the year, and should see an increase in touches this year. He remains strictly a handcuff though.
.
Matt Forte bounce back from a somewhat disappointing 2009 season by running for 1069 yards and six touchdowns. He averaged a career high 4.5 yards per carry. Forte also added 51 catches, his third straight year with 50+, for 547 yards and three more scores. Forte figures to be a high-end RB2 in non-PPR leagues and a low-end RB1 in PPR leagues. Chester Taylor will keep Forte fresh and provide veteran insurance should Forte go down, but isn’t a hot fantasy commodity.
.
Jahvid Best will operate between the 20s, but rookie Mikel Leshoure will get the touch carries near the goal line as well as closing out games. Best deal with turf toe last year which sapped his explosiveness, but injuries have been commonplace for Best. He has the ability to put up huge numbers, but is a fantasy risk even as an RB2 because of his injury concerns and Leshoure’s presence. It’s possible that both Best and Leshoure could each have weekly fantasy value.
.
Green Bay has a bit of a mess at running back. For starters, we already know that they are first and foremost a passing team. We also know Aaron Rodgers always steals a few rushing touchdowns per year. With Ryan Grant and James Starks sharing carries, there may not be a reliable weekly option barring injury. The Packers added Alex Green in the draft who will likely handle third down duties and further muddy the water.
.
.

Also check out:

• AFC East Running Back Situations
• AFC North Running Back Situations
• AFC South Running Back Situations
• AFC West Running Back Situations
• NFC East Running Back Situations

.
Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers is by far the best in the division. The writing was on the wall the wall he handled the Brett Favre situation while still delivering on the field. A concussion cost Rodgers from reaching 4000 yards for a third straight year, but fantasy owners can live with the 3922 yards, 28 TDs (11 INTs), 356 rushing yards, and four rushing TDs. If he’s not the best fantasy quarterback in the league, he is certainly a top three choice.
.
Chicago’s Jay Cutler cut his interception total from 26 to 16. His yardage (3274) and touchdowns (23) also dipped, but the Bears were winning and more committed to the run. He doesn’t have great weapons around him, but he makes do. The Bears drafted Gabe Carimi to provide some much needed improvement on the offensive line. His toughness may have come into question, but his arm strength never will. He’s a solid QB2 that is really hit or miss.
.
Detroit’s Matthew Stafford just can’t seem to stay healthy. The Lions did not invest heavily in their offensive line, as their play was actually not that bad. They did give him some complimentary weapons in the form of Titus Young and Mikel Leshoure to add to Calvin Johnson, Brandon Pettigrew, Nate Burleson, and Jahvid Best. Don’t look now, but the Lions are on the rise. If the injury bug bites again, Shaun Hill has shown that he’s more than capable to step up.
.
The Vikings finally addressed the quarterback situation with a long-term solution. Christian Ponder is a good fit for the offense and has the experience to play right away. The team will likely add a veteran to mentor Ponder, but it appears he’ll get his shot. If Sidney Rice does not return, the Vikings will need to give Percy Harvin some help at WR. Adrian Peterson will make the life of a rookie quarterback easier.
.
.
Also check out:

• AFC East Quarterback Situations
• AFC North Quarterback Situations
• AFC South Quarterback Situations
• AFC West Quarterback Situations
• NFC East Quarterback Situations

AP Photo/Carlos Osorio

Jahvid Best is an explosive running back. That is without question. The question is whether or not he can hold up to the punishment he’ll take as an NFL running back. Best has already had numerous surgeries (elbow, hip, shoulder) and missed time with a concussion. That is before playing a snap in the league where the defenders are bigger and faster than anything his played against to this point.

Best is in a good situation, playing for a young team like the Lions, that can allow him to learn on the job. His ability to break a long run at any time will offset some of the rookie mistakes. He’s also playing his home games on a turf field, which plays into his hand as a burner. On the flip side, though, is the injury concerns that come with playing on turf.

He doesn’t have very stiff competition for the starting gig. Kevin Smith, who has had a couple of solid seasons for the Lions, is coming off an torn ACL that came at the end of the season. Even if he gets back on the field, his explosiveness won’t return until at least next season. In fact, the  only competition he is facing is the ghost of Barry Sanders.

The Lions have struggled to replace the face of their franchise. James Stewart ran for 1184 yards and 10 TDs in 2000, but missed 13 games the next two seasons. Kevin Jones had a strong rookie showing with 1133 yards in 2004 before injuries set in.  Kevin Smith had 976 yards in 2008 before getting hurt the next year. The hope is that Jahvid Best will not only be productive this year, but for many years to come. His injury history worries me though.

Another thing that worries me is their defense. They should be a better unit with the additions of Ndamukong Suh and Kyle Vanden Bosch, but still will they keep the team in games long enough for them to establish the run?

It’s not like I dislike Jahvid Best, but I am way more skeptical than where he’s going in fantasy drafts (click to see where he ranks among RBs). According to Mock Draft Central, Best is going 37th overall (20th RB). There are too many questions to invest a late third/early fourth round pick on him.

Best is going ahead of proven RBs like Joseph Addai and Matt Forte. He’s also going ahead of QBs like Tony Romo, Philip Rivers, and Matt Schaub; WRs like both Steve Smiths, Michael Crabtree, and Chad Ochocinco; and every TE including Antonio Gates and Dallas Clark. Personally I would rather take a commodity that I have come to trust, rather than gamble on an oft-injured rookie RB.

What are your thoughts on Jahvid Best?