Dave's Top Ten Fantasy Picks

Priest Holmes- (Kansas City Chiefs, Running Back) The on going battle between Priest Holmes and Ricky Williams for the number one pick on draft day can be argued from either side. Both are amazing prospects for the up and coming season, but we decided that Holmes would take the number one pick overall in the end. We made this decision based upon the lack of key offensive players that the Chiefs have. With Holmes being seemingly the key to their offensive success you can expect to see him with the ball for the majority of the game. If Holmes continues on the pace he set last season he could be biting at the heals of Marshall Faulks touchdown record. But nothing is ever perfect and there is a flaw behind this star. In late March of last year Holmes underwent hip surgery to speed up the healing of his past injury. The pressure will be on Holmes this season since the Chiefs have yet to fill the holes in their offensive line. He is the big player on their team and all the pressure will be on him and his injured hip. The bottom line: well if Holmes manages to stay healthy this season then he will be racking up the numbers seeing as he is the key to the Chiefs offense.
Ricky Williams- (Miami Dolphins, Running Back) A new team and a new set of numbers for this amazing back. Now with Miami Williams has a good core team that allows Williams to shine. The whole Miami team has become a force to be reckoned with and this is just one of their many weapons. You can definitely expect big numbers coming from Williams as the Dolphins make their run for the play-offs. While in Miami Williams managed to pull off four of the longest plays in his entire career. In yards alone he was able to rack up 1,853 and averaged 4.8 yards per carry. He was also able to score an amazing 16 touchdowns, which was topped by our number 1 pick (Priest Holmes) with 21 touchdowns. With a quality offensive line in front of him opening up the holes in the defense Williams can expect amazing yard totals for the next season. The downside of this fairy tail may come as a repeat from last season because when Miamis starting quarterback, Jay Fiedler, went down so did the rest of the offense. The numbers of the whole team suffered and if Fiedler goes down again then you may see a repeat of those number losses. Bottom line: Williams is a dream fantasy football player and we expect just as much this year as last. He was coming in at number one, but we had to move him into a close second because of Holmes high scoring numbers.
Marshall Faulk- (Saint Louis Rams, Running Back) Last year for the Rams was a disaster season, the likes of which can kill the numbers of star players like Marshall Faulk. Some still argue that Faulk should be the number 1 pick overall, but it has become a tight fight for that number one spot. With Williams, Holmes, and Faulk gaining the numbers they have been three fantasy football teams will be happy to grab any of these big names. The brightest hope for Faulks numbers is the fact that the Rams seem to be having problems in their quarterback position. With the stability of Warner in question Faulk is the only consistent offensive option that the Rams have. The offensive line of the Rams has seen much suffering after the last season especially with the loss of two of its key players, center Dave Wohlabaugh and offensive right tackle Kyle Turley, but Faulk has said he is going to dedicate his all to working harder in the off season. The only dark side of this bright moon would be the fact that he is more injury prone then most fantasy football platters would like to see from a starting back. Bottom line: Over the past two years of football Faulk had the number one spot without question, but after the performance of the Rams last year it is questionable as too how his performance will be affected.
Rich Gannon- (Oakland Raiders, Quarterback) Another close fight for number one in the position would be between Mike Vick and Rich Gannon. Rich Gannon wins out over Mike Vick only because he has been constantly a big point grabber, delighting all of the fantasy teams who were lucky enough to grab him. In past drafts I have seen Gannon hang around far into the draft before he was picked up. Then I have also seen the looks of amazement from the other players as they saw Gannon coming in with 30-point weeks. While the Raiders may not be the team that is constantly winning games, but Gannon is constant in making big points in the long run. While surrounded by big name offensive players such as Jerry Rich the Raiders coach, Bill Callahan, will allow Gannon to sling around the ball at his whim, having confidence in the other players around him to make the big plays. Bottom line: there is no reason at all why this years should be unlike the last few with Gannon scoring bug and bringing much joy to fantasy players everywhere.
Mike Vick- (Atlanta Falcons, Quarterback) many people, including me, were quite amazed at the performance of second year quarterback Mike Vick. He helped bring the Falcons all the way up to the play-offs and even led them to a victory over play-off seasoned veterans the Green Bay Packers. Ever since he was picked first by the Atlanta Falcons many have been keeping a close eye on this amazing rookie. He hasnt let them down either. After his first year as a starting quarterback Mike Vick pulled in amazing numbers with 2,936 passing yards, 16 passing touchdowns, and 777 rushing yards. This man is a valuable asset to a team for his rushing and passing yards. He handles both aspects with the greatest of ease. Although Vick does seem to favor the run to the pass he still has gained valuable points. So with only four games in which Vick passed for more then 240 yards he wont be bringing in the points in that area, most likely. Expect to see him being more effective with the run. Bottom line: the prospect of this third year quarterback is amazing. With a good running game covered he is still working on bringing home the bacon with his passing yardage and while he may have seemed like a bit of a wild card last season expect to see good results from this now somewhat seasoned rookie.
LaDainian Tomlinson- (San Diego Chargers, Running Back) For awhile Tomlinson was the center of play that San Diego revolved around, but now with the addition of David Boston (from the Arizona Cardinals), full back Lorenzo Neal, and several other key offensive players you can expect to see big results from this offense. The passing game of the team as a whole declined after their number 1 receiver (Curtis Conway) became injured. After that episode they were forced to rely mainly on their rushing game and were soon labeled as one-dimensional. Now they are looking to improve their offensive threat and Tomlinson seems like just the man to help out. Bottom line: if the passing game can get settled into this team then it may give more openings for Tomlinson to score big points. Either way he is a reliable player and a safe pick for your fantasy team.
Peyton Manning- (Indianapolis Colts, Quarterback) There isnt much to say about Peyton Manning that hasnt been said before year after year after year. All that really says to a fantasy team owner is that he is constantly getting the job done and racking up the points. He has long since established himself as one of the leagues best passers and when youre averaging around 4,000 passing yards per season that isnt a hard thing to do. The owner of the Colts has struck gold with the amazing combination of Manning and his star receiver Marvin Harrison (although one could argue that if a team stalled out Harrison then they would effectively shut down the offense). The pair have racked up any number of points and have won the Colts many important games. The only key thing to watch out for in Mannings performance is the fact that he has been known to throw quite a few interceptions. With the addition of receivers Brandon Stokley and Reggie Wayne he has some new faces to throw to this season. Bottom line: you can expect a performance from Manning that is the same if not better then the usual excellent effort he puts into his game.
Randy Moss- (Minnesota Vikings, Wide Receiver) With the lack of big name receivers in the Vikings offensive line Moss has seen his share of the ball. Now while his big yardage games werent enough to carry the whole Minnesota team to an amazing record. These stats were however enough to bring smiles to the faces of fantasy owners everywhere. But being the only big name on an offense does have its downsides. For one the defense will know exactly who to keep their eyes on. This in the end could (and most likely will) bring up issues of slowing down Moss speeding feet, but even that can be contemplated. The fact is for awhile now Moss has been the only big name on the Vikings offense and that hasnt seemed to damper his stats enough to remove him from our top 10 list. Actually if we had to rate overall his status as a wide receiver we would place him somewhere in the number 3 spot close behind San Franciscos Terrell Owens and the Colts Marvin Harrison (who also suffers from being the key receiver for his team). Moss has an evil side that upsets not only his teammates, but could cost his performance in the end. He has been known to say that he only plays hard when he feels like it. Bottom line: being the only big face on the offense allows the defense to keep him in check, but so far that hasnt really effected Moss performance. As for his relation problems, well if he actually put the effort into his game then we could ultimately see greater results then usual.
Donovan McNabb- (Philadelphia Eagles, Quarterback) I could personally go on for hours and hours about this player, but I will try and make it brief as possible. McNabb is an amazing quarterback who has time and time again proved to many loyal Eagles fans that he means business. When it comes down to the big games, however, he lets them down. When McNabb was first signed to the Eagles he played with energy I have never seen from a quarterback. He seemed like he was not only playing the game, but he was loving it. After every touchdown he would do his patented dunk through the goal posts. Now he just doesnt seem to play with that same passion ever since he signed that big contract. McNabb is perhaps the highest paid player in the NFL and I think he is sort of struggling beneath that pressure. He is trying to hard and has stopped playing with that pizzazz that he once had. But he still made it on your top 10, so why are you sounding so negative? Well let me tell you why. He has what seems like a good group of mostly capable receivers to which he can throw the ball. Also, like Mike Vick, McNabb is not only a great passing threat, but a threat on the ground as well. When he is stuck without a person to throw to and sees an opening he will take it and mostly it works nicely. Bottom line: with Andy Reids trigger happy offense they are constantly coming hard on offense and trying to make the big plays. McNabb has the potential to go big and the tools he needs to accomplish this task. Well just have to see how he comes back after that ankle injury.
David Boston- (San Diego Chargers, Wide Receiver) Possibly the greatest prospect for the upcoming season would be Boston. With a new team behind him he has a chance to truly shine. When he was with the Arizona Cardinals he was able to get 98 catches, 1,598 yards, and 8 touchdowns. Now imagine how many points he can put up with more offensive threats such as LaDainian Tomlinson and Drew Bledsoe in the same jersey as him. Also Drew Brees could possibly make Boston the biggest threat on the field and a golden fantasy player. Now defenses playing San Diego are faced with the question of who to watch. Do you watch the fast-footed running back Tomlinson or do you put more emphasis on the new threat downfield in David Boston? Bottom line: I really dont know what else to say about this open and closed situation. Its simple, Boston has the potential to rack up big fantasy stats and the only problem we can see him facing would be his knee surgery that benched him for most of last season. San Diego may have thrown the big money in the right place this time, but that knee injury may dictate a limit to Bostons potential.