LestersLegends.com

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Here’s a first look at the LestersLegends 2012 team defense rankings.
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1.  San Francisco 49ers
They Niners had the number two scoring defense (14.3 ppg) and the number four total defense (308.2 ypg). Harbaugh has them playing tough nose football and they have the benefit of playing in a week division.
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2.  Pittsburgh Steelers
Year in and year out the Steelers are among the NFL’s top defenses. They were number one in scoring (14.2 ppg) and total defense (271.8 ypg) last year. They play in a tougher division so I’ll give the Niners the nod, but it’s close.
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3.  Baltimore Ravens
Yes, they lost Terrell Suggs, but I think he’ll be able to play at some point. They also reloaded by adding Courtney Upshaw in the draft. Ed Reed is on the fence about playing, but I see at least another year from him. The Ravens ranked third in scoring defense (16.6 ppg) and total defense (288.9 ypg).
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4.  New York Jets
The Jets had a drop in scoring defense, ranking 20th at 22.7 ppg. They still ranked fifth in total defense at 312.1 ypg. They have made some decent additions and I expect a return to form.
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5.  Philadelphia Eagles
The Birds were tenth in scoring (20.5 ppg) and eight in total defense (324.9 ypg). Their first three picks were on the defensive side of the ball and DeMeco Ryans will help plug up the middle.
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6.  Houston Texans
They lost Mario Williams, but they did just fine without him last year finishing fourth in scoring (17.4 ppg) and second in total defense (285.7).
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7.  Cincinnati Bengals
The Benglas finished ninth in scoring (20.2 ppg) and seventh in total defense (332.2 ypg). They added two promising rookies in the first three rounds of the NFL Draft (Kirkpatrick, Still).
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8.  New England Patriots
They were 15th in scoring (21.4 ppg) despite ranking 31st in total defense (411.1 ypg). They added two first round defense players (Jones, Hightower) and four in the first three rounds.
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9.  Green Bay Packers
The Pack ranked dead last in total defense (411.6 ypg) but like the Pats were much better in scoring defense (19th @22.4 ppg). They also went defense-heavy in the draft with five defensive players in the first four rounds.
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10.  New York Giants
The Super Bowl came on at the right time, like their previous Super Bowl run. They ranked 25th in scoring (25.0 ppg) and 237th in total defense (376.4 ypg), but they dealt with a lot of injuries. They put a lot of pressure on the QB.
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Also check out:

• 2012 Early Fantasy Football QB Rankings
• 2012 Early Fantasy Football RB Rankings
• 2012 Early Fantasy Football WR Rankings
• 2012 Early Fantasy Football TE Rankings
• 2012 Top Five Rookie Fantasy Football Quarterbacks
• 2012 Top Five Rookie Fantasy Football Running Backs
• 2012 Top Five Rookie Fantasy Football Wide Receivers
• 2012 Top Five Rookie Fantasy Football Tight Ends
• 2012 NFL Draft First Round Skill Players: A Fantasy Perspective

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Here’s an early look at 2012 LestersLegends fantasy football tight end rankings.
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1.  Calvin Johnson, Detroit Lions
Megatron was an absolute beast last year with 96 catches for 1681 yards and 16 scores. He’s number one and it’s not really close.
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2.  Wes Welker, New England Patriots
What knee injury? All Welker did last year was catch 122 passes for 1569 yards and nine TDs. With Gronk and Aaron Hernandez it is hard to key in on Welker. Not to mention the addition of Brandon Lloyd.
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3.  Hakeem Nicks, New York Giants
Victor Cruz put up better numbers last year, but Nicks was a force as well with 1192 yards and seven TDs.
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4.  Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals
Michael Floyd should relieve some of the attention on Fitz, who had his fourth 1400-yard season.
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5.  Victor Cruz, New York Giants
After 1536 yards and nine TDs there should be plenty more salsa dancing in 2012.
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6.  Steve Smith, Carolina Panthers
He’ll be 33, but he still has plenty of speed and an emerging quarterback.
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7.  Roddy White, Atlanta Falcons
Recorded his fourth 1200-yard season and has 29 scores over the past three years.
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8.  Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons
At times he was even better than Roddy. He should really emerge in his second season.
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9.  Jordy Nelson, Green Bay Packers
He has sneaky quickness and a great rapport with the best QB in the game. Scored 15 times last year.
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10.  Andre Johnson, Houston Texans
He makes me nervous because he couldn’t get healthy last year. He finished strong though and should be a great value this year.
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11.  Brandon Marshall, Chicago Bears
Assuming he stays out of trouble he should build on the 1214 yard, six TD season as he’s reunited with Jay Cutler.
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12.  Mike Wallace, Pittsburgh Steelers
For now I consider him likely to return to the Steelers. He has elite speed and is coming off his second big year. Look for more of the same.
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13.  Greg Jennings, Green Bay Packers
Was limited to 13 games last year, but still caught nine TDs with 949 yards.
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14.  Marques Colston, New Orleans Saints 
Continues to produce 1000-yard seasons. He’s averaging 1040 yards and eight TDs per year in his six seasons.
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15.  A.J. Green, Cincinnati Bengals
Had a great rookie year (1057 yards, seven TDs). Look for even more.
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16.  Brandon Lloyd, New England Patriots
Played with a ridiculous bad cast of QBs in his time with Denver and St. Louis last year. Brady should help him improve on the 966 yards and five scores.
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17.  Percy Harvin, Minnesota Vikings
The Vikes will have to figure out a better way to use Percy and Adrian Peterson at the same time. He was dominant at times, and should continue to be productive both running and catching the football.
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18.  Dez Bryant, Dallas Cowboys
928 yards and nine TDs last year with plenty of room to grow. Will have to stay healthy to join the elite.
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19.  Reggie Wayne, Indianapolis Colts
Wayne will take on the role of Andrew Luck’s security blanket. The Colts still figure to be behind most of the time and forced to throw a bunch.
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20.  Miles Austin, Dallas Cowboys
I think Dez has surpassed him, but there is still plenty there.
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21.  DeSean Jackson, Philadelphia Eagles
Coming off a disappointing season (961 yards, four TDs). He’ll be hit or miss, but he should be much better in 2012.
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22.  Vincent Jackson, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
He isn’t in as fantasy-friendly a situation, and you’ll have to worry that he won’t be as motivated after getting paid. Still, he’s got a great speed-size combo and should remain a difficult cover.
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Also check out:

• 2012 Early Fantasy Football QB Rankings
• 2012 Early Fantasy Football RB Rankings
• 2012 Early Fantasy Football TE Rankings
• 2012 Early Fantasy Football DEF Rankings
• 2012 Top Five Rookie Fantasy Football Quarterbacks
• 2012 Top Five Rookie Fantasy Football Running Backs
• 2012 Top Five Rookie Fantasy Football Wide Receivers
• 2012 Top Five Rookie Fantasy Football Tight Ends
• 2012 NFL Draft First Round Skill Players: A Fantasy Perspective

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1. Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots:  1327 yards and 17 TDs (plus a rushing score). Gronk is ridiculous.
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2.  Jimmy Graham, New Orleans Saints:  Hard to argue with 1310 yards and 11 TDs.
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3.  Vernon Davis, San Francisco 49ers:  Really blossomed during the NFL Playoffs. He’s too big for defensive backs and too fast for linebackers.
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4.  Aaron Hernandez, New England Patriots:  910 yards and seven scores. Versatile and an amazing compliment to Gronk.
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5.  Jason Witten, Dallas Cowboys:  Ho hum. Another 900+ yard season for Witten.
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6.  Tony Gonzalez, Atlanta Falcons:  He just keeps on churning.
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7.  Antonio Gates, San Diego Chargers:  Given his age in comparison to Gonzo I never thought he’d be a riskier option. That just isn’t the case. If he can stay healthy, he can produce. That just seems to be too big of a challenge though.
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8.  Jermichael Finley, Green Bay Packers:  The potential remains, but it’s put up or shut up time if he wants to be considered elite. Staying healthy would be a start.
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9.  Brandon Pettigrew, Detroit Lions:  Made big strides last year catching 83 balls for 777 yards and five scores.
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10.  Fred Davis, Washington Redskins:  Emerged last year before his suspension. Should be a security blanket for RG3.
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Also check out:

• 2012 Early Fantasy Football QB Rankings
• 2012 Early Fantasy Football RB Rankings
• 2012 Early Fantasy Football WR Rankings
• 2012 Early Fantasy Football DEF Rankings
• 2012 Top Five Rookie Fantasy Football Quarterbacks
• 2012 Top Five Rookie Fantasy Football Running Backs
• 2012 Top Five Rookie Fantasy Football Wide Receivers
• 2012 Top Five Rookie Fantasy Football Tight Ends
• 2012 NFL Draft First Round Skill Players: A Fantasy Perspective

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Here’s an early look at 2012 fantasy football running back rankings.
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1. Arian Foster, Houston Texans:  Closed the season averaging 169.3 total yards with five TDs in his past four games. With 1841 total yards and 12 total TDs in 13 games, he’s clearly still the top back in the game.
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2.  LeSean McCoy, Philadelphia Eagles:  Turned in a beast of a year with 1624 total yards and 20 TDs. I don’t see him putting up those numbers again, but he is clearly elite.
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3.  Ray Rice, Baltimore Ravens:  2068 total yards and 15 TDs. He’s as electric as they come.
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4.  Ryan Mathews, San Diego Chargers:  Had 1546 total yards in 14 games. With Mike Tolbert in Carolina, look for a surge in TDs and a serious breakout for Mathews. Assuming he can stay healthy of course.
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5.  Maurice Jones-Drew, Jacksonville Jaguars:  Year in and year out he continues to produce. Led NFL last year with 1606 yards (1980 total). He also scored 11 touchdowns.
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6.  Chris Johnson, Tennessee Titans:  He definitely wasn’t his normal self last year, and I don’t expect him to return to the 2009 level, but 1800 total yards and double-digit touchdowns wouldn’t be a stretch.
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7.  Marshawn Lynch, Seattle Seahawks:  Beast mode was back in a big way. It seems like he’s been in the league forever, but he’ll turn just 26 later this month.
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8.  Matt Forte, Chicago Bears:  He’s upset with his contract, but when he’s healthy he does it all.  Michael Bush will cut into his value, but it should also keep him fresh.
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9.  Adrian Peterson,  Minnesota Vikings:  Assuming his knee rehab goes well, he will climb this list.
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10.  Michael Turner, Atlanta Falcons:  Continues to put up big numbers. Many thought he’d slide last year and he had 1508 total yards and 11 TDs.
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11.  Darren McFadden, Oakland Raiders:  He could put up monster numbers with Michael Bush gone, but he’ll have to stay on the field.
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12.  Jamaal Charles, Kansas City Chiefs:  Peyton Hillis will get the tough yards, but Charles should still get a ton of carries between the 20s.
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13.  Frank Gore, San Francisco 49ers:  He’s still the lead back, and while Brandon Jacobs’ arrival could take some TDs away, it will also keep him fresh.
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14.  DeMarco Murray, Dallas Cowboys:  He was a beast midseason, but slowed down the stretch. He still has big time potential.
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15.  Steven Jackson, St. Louis Rams:  There is a lot of mileage on the tires, but he can still get it done. He had 1478 total yards last year.
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16.  Reggie Bush, Miami Dolphins:  Am I “all in” with Reggie? Not exactly. I did think he’d have a nice run in Miami and he didn’t disappoint.  He was more of a running back than I imagined and less of a receiver. I think he can be even more productive when Miami utilizes him better in the passing game.
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Also check out:

• 2012 Early Fantasy Football QB Rankings
• 2012 Early Fantasy Football WR Rankings
• 2012 Early Fantasy Football TE Rankings
• 2012 Early Fantasy Football DEF Rankings
• 2012 Top Five Rookie Fantasy Football Quarterbacks
• 2012 Top Five Rookie Fantasy Football Running Backs
• 2012 Top Five Rookie Fantasy Football Wide Receivers
• 2012 Top Five Rookie Fantasy Football Tight Ends
• 2012 NFL Draft First Round Skill Players: A Fantasy Perspective

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Now that Peyton Manning has found a home, we can begin to look at the 2012 fantasy football quarterback landscape.
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1. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers: I had him ranked number one last year. 4643 passing yards, 257 rushing yards, 48 total TDs (45 passing), six INTs later I haven’t changed my opinion.
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2. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints: The team is in a crap storm right now, and he will miss Sean Payton, but Brees shattered the passing record last year with 5476 yards and 46 TDs.
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3. Tom Brady, New England Patriots: I foolishly thought the because he had some monster games along with some stinkers that he wasn’t a top five fantasy QB last year. I won’t make that mistake again. Adding Brandon Lloyd to Gronk, Welker, and Hernandez makes him even more dangerous.
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4.  Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers:  They added Mike Tolbert, which could cut into the 14 TDs he ran for last year. Still with 4051 passing yards, 21 passing scores, and 706 rushing yards it’s hard not to imagine another monster fantasy year from Cam.
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5.  Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions:  Am I giving him too much credit? Hard to say that when you have the game’s most dominating receiver. Not to mention coming off a 5038 yard, 41 TD season.
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6.  Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys: Romo threw for 4184 yards, 31 TDs, and just ten INTs. He has as many weapons as anybody.
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7.  Eli Manning, New York Giants: With more passing yards (4933) than Peyton ever threw, along with 29 TDs, and two Super Bowl rings, it’s safe to say he’s out of his brother’s shadow.  Call me crazy, but I think he’s a safer fantasy play too.
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8. Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers: 4624 yards and 27 TDs is considered a bad year (20 INTs) for Rivers. I’ll take that to the bank.
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9.  Peyton Manning, Denver Broncos: He’s Peyton so I suppose I have to give him the benefit of a top ten ranking, but he’s in a new place, where weather could play a factor, and potentially worse weapons puts Peyton in an unfamiliar spot (out of the top five).
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10.  Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons: With Roddy White and Julio Jones there aren’t many QBs with a better 1-2 punch at WR at their disposal.
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11.  Michael Vick, Philadelphia Eagles:  Last year was a disaster for Vick, though he threw for a career high 3303 yards. I expect more rushing TDs and some explosive games, but you are going to have injury issues.
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12.  Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers:  With Mendenhall likely missing the whole season, the Steelers will be relying on Big Ben more than ever. Even if Mike Wallace goes elsewhere the Steelers have weapons in place. Jay Cutler, assuming Brandon Marshall isn’t suspended just misses the cut.
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Also check out:

• 2012 Early Fantasy Football RB Rankings
• 2012 Early Fantasy Football WR Rankings
• 2012 Early Fantasy Football TE Rankings
• 2012 Early Fantasy Football DEF Rankings
• 2012 Top Five Rookie Fantasy Football Quarterbacks
• 2012 Top Five Rookie Fantasy Football Running Backs
• 2012 Top Five Rookie Fantasy Football Wide Receivers
• 2012 Top Five Rookie Fantasy Football Tight Ends
• 2012 NFL Draft First Round Skill Players: A Fantasy Perspective

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Here are the Lester’s Legends Super Bowl XLVI fantasy football wide receiver rankings.
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He wasn’t the main factor last week, but Hakeem Nicks still has been the biggest wide receiver beast of the 2011-12 NFL Playoffs with an insane 335 yards and four TDs. He presents one heck of a match-up problem for the Patriots, who have been susceptible to the passing game all year long.
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Wes Welker could and probably should have caught 15-20 passes the last time these two teams squared off in the Super Bowl. The Giants had no answer for him. The same scenario played out in Week 9 when Welker caught nine passes for 136 yards and a touchdown. The Giants should focus on Gronk and Hernandez, which would allow Welker to pick them apart with precision.
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Victor Cruz is the biggest game breaker. He had seven games (including playoffs) with at least 119 yards and five with at least 142 yards. He “only” had 91 yards in the first meeting, though Nicks missed that game.
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Mario Manningham is the Giants’ version of Aaron Hernandez. You can’t shut down three players so when you focus on Gronk and Welker or Nicks and Cruz, someone (Manningham or Hernandez) becomes a nice target for a smart quarterback that knows to take what the defense gives him. Manningham has scored in all three playoff games.
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Deion Branch has Brady’s confidence, but he is often an afterthought. If Gronk is limited or knocked out early, Branch could see more looks.
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Julian Edelman is more likely to do damage returning a kick than in the passing game.
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Also check out:

• Super Bowl XLVI Fantasy Football QB Rankings
• Super Bowl XLVI Fantasy Football RB Rankings
• Super Bowl XLVI Fantasy Football TE Rankings
• Super Bowl XLVI Fantasy Football DEF Rankings
• Super Bowl XLVI  Fantasy Football K Rankings
• Super Bowl XLVI Pick

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This isn’t a Super Bowl that features elite running backs.  That’s nothing new though. There really hasn’t been an elite RB in the Super Bowl since Marshall Faulk. Rashard Mendenhall had good numbers last year, but I wouldn’t go so far as to call him elite.
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There isn’t a running back with at least 700 yards in Super Bowl XLVI. While they didn’t pile up a ton of yards, BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Ahmad Bradshaw, and Brandon Jacobs have 27 touchdowns between them.
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To me the top running back in this game is Ahmad Bradshaw. The Giants are a different team when he’s playing his game. He had 126 total yards in the NFC Championship as the G-Men knocked off the Niners. While he didn’t reach double-digit rushing TDs this year, he did finish with 11 total in 12 games. He has the ability to get yards both running the ball and catching it out of the backfield.
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I’ll go with BenJarvus Green-Ellis at number two, but despite 28 carries in the past two games and never having lost a fumble, you never know what Bill Belichick will do. Stevan Ridley could easily get more work. The Firm will likely get the ball at the stripe though so that gives him the edge over the remaining backs.
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At number three I like Brandon Jacobs. He is definitely going to get his touches. He will likely get a shot at the goal line. If the Giants do get a lead, his power running could help grind it out.
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At four I like Stevan Ridley. Fumbling issues cost him the chance to play during the AFC Championship, but Belichick could want him in the big game. He’ll obviously have to hold onto the ball though.
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At five I’ll rank Danny Woodhead. He could see a few carries, as well as some passes out of the backfield. If Gronk isn’t at 100 percent, the Patriots may have to use different looks.
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Also check out:

• Super Bowl XLVI Fantasy Football QB Rankings
• Super Bowl XLVI Fantasy Football WR Rankings
• Super Bowl XLVI Fantasy Football TE Rankings
• Super Bowl XLVI Fantasy Football DEF Rankings
• Super Bowl XLVI  Fantasy Football K Rankings
• Super Bowl XLVI Pick

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