The Fantasy Football Blog

Sorry there was no update Wednesday. Family emergency called me out of the office early.

Anyway, let's get to some links.

ESPN has a big feature on Fantasy NUTS.

I'm so sick of reading a new story every time Terrell Owens (DAL-WR) breathes. I feel icky just posting this story.

ESPN breaks down the entire AFC team-by-team.

Brad Evans gives you the Auction rules.

You shouldn't have Matt Leinart (ARZ-QB) on your fantasy team. But if you have USC basketball player Brynn Cameron on your PAC-10 women's basketball fantasy team, it's time to look for help elsewhere, at least for now.

I'll be honest: As a big Vince Young (TEN-QB) fan, I don't think this is a very good idea.

Wanna take the Peter King Challenge? And no, this has nothing to do with sucking down Starbucks.

Sticking with King, he goes through every team's best case scenario.

Chad Pennington (NYJ-QB) is the starter. Over/under on first injury: 14 quarters of play. I'll take the under.

See you Friday with the tight end/kickers/defenses extras.

Watched Carson Palmer (CIN-QB) on Monday Night Football and it looks like he's pretty much fine. That's pretty incredible considering how late in the season he hurt his knee last year and how much has been written about his mental state.

Anyway, Palmer made all the throws, avoided the rush well and stepped into his throws. Looks like he should be essentially back to normal from the start this season. Good news for owners of the Cincinnati receivers and of Palmer, of course.

Also
New Orleans traded Donte Stallworth (PHI-WR)

From the "Are you serious?" vault, the Raiders signed Jeff George (OAK/retirement home-QB). Are you serious?

T.O. (DAL-WR) has his excuse for being late to practice. Anyone else just want him to go away?

Kerry Collins (TEN-QB) finally landed.

Finally, if you think baseball is the only pro league with steroid issues, you're crazy.

See you Wednesday.

It’s wide receivers week. Here we go:

Top 50 Wide Receivers
1. Steve Smith, CAR
2. Torry Holt, STL
3. Chad Johnson, CIN
4. Larry Fitzgerald, ARZ
5. Marvin Harrison, IND
6. Hines Ward, PIT
7. Terrell Owens, DAL
8. Reggie Wayne, IND
9. Donald Driver, GB
10. Anquan Boldin, ARZ
11. Darrell Jackson, SEA
12. Chris Chambers, MIA
13. Plaxico Burress, PIT
14. Randy Moss, OAK
15. Rod Smith, DEN
16. Terry Glenn, DAL
17. Deion Branch, NE (Sounds like he’ll sign soon)
18. Derrick Mason, BAL
19. Matt Jones, JAX
20. Eddie Kennison, KC
21. Roy Williams, DET
22. Andre Johnson, HOU
23. Santana Moss, WAS
24. TJ Houshmandzadeh, CIN
25. Joe Horn, NO
26. Donte Stallworth, NO
27. Joey Galloway, TB
28. Laveranues Coles, NYJ
29. Lee Evans, BUF
30. Javon Walker, DEN
31. Antonio Bryant, SF
32. Troy Williamson, MIN
33. Keenan McCardell, SD
34. Muhsin Muhammad, CHI
35. Ernest Wilford, JAX
36. Drew Bennett, TEN
37. Eric Moulds, HOU
38. Michael Clayton, TB
39. David Givens, TEN
40. Keyshawn Johnson, CAR

DEEP SLEEPERS — Take a look at Doug Gabriel (OAK-WR) who has been practicing as the No. 2 guy ahead of Jerry Porter (OAK-WR). Also, Jabar Gaffney (PHI-WR) could emerge as a good target for Donovan McNabb (PHI-QB). Keep an eye on Darius Watts (DEN-WR), who is the No. 3 receiver to start the season, but would move even higher if old Rod Smith or injury risk Javon Walker (Denver-WR) break down. Finally, Jerricho Cotchery (NYJ-WR) may just be a huge surprise this year.

KEEPERS — Fitzgerald is the No. 2 receiver in keepers and Wayne jumps up to the top 5. A little deeper, Matt Jones could be a big steal in deep keeper leagues, as could Lee Evans and Troy Williamson.

See ya Tuesday.

So, that three-team trade certainly gave us some much-needed clarity in a few different places last night.

Here's the deal: Atlanta sends Ashley Lelie (WR); Washington gets TJ Duckett (ATL-RB) and Denver gets draft picks.

Now, what does it mean to fantasy owners? Four thoughts:

1) Michael Jenkins (ATL-WR) and Roddy White (ATL-WR) aren't quite the sleeper candidates they were before the deal. Lelie should now be Michael Vick's (ATL-QB) deep threat and Alge Crumpler (ATL-TE) will the first look on short yardage. There are only so many balls to go around, especially on a team that likes to run the ball so much. Jenkins or White could emerge as a strong option, but it's less likely now.

2) Um, forget about Ladell Betts (WAS-RB) because Duckett should be the No. 2 guy behind injured Clinton Portis (WAS-RB) right now. With Portis dealing with a shoulder injury all season, Duckett could have more value as a Redskin than he would have as a Falcon.

3) Apparently, the Falcons coaches believe rookie Jerious Norwood (ATL-RB) is the real deal and he'll be the backup of Warrick Dunn (ATL-RB).

4) Darius Watts (DEN-WR) is the No. 3 guy for the Broncos and he's behind a very old Rod Smith (DEN-WR) and a player coming back from major injury in Javon Walker (DEN-WR). Needless to say, Watts is a sleeper candidate.

***
Stephen Gostkowski (NE-K) won the job and is a decent fantasy option.

Drew Henson (DAL-QB) apparently can't cut it in football or baseball.

T.O. (DAL-WR) is still limping.

SI.com on Braylon Edwards (CLE-WR) and Charlie Frye (CLE-WR).

A little early again today, but here's Wednesday's links.

Despite losing one potential trading partner when the New York Jets traded for Kevan Barlow (NYJ-RB) from San Francisco, Atlanta is still trying to move T.J. Duckett (ATL-RB), which would be huge for deep rookie sleeper Jerious Norwood (ATL-RB).

Richard Harris writes about the most overvalued fantasy players for SI.com. I didn't realize Koren Robinson (MIN-WR) was still being valued at all. He was ignored in my drafts this weekend. Ron Dayne (DEN-RB), too. Kind of a cop-out.

Everyone's been wondering if Tony Romo (DAL-QB) could really overtake Drew Bledsoe (DAL-QB) as the starter this season. Jerry Jones says no. But, honestly, that change could absolutely happen in Week 6 if Bledsoe is struggling.

CBS Sportsline wraps up Week 2 of the preseason.

Here's the note off the SI.com Scorecard Daily Truth/Rumors:

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said that Drew Bledsoe was not in jeopardy of losing his starting job to backup Tony Romo. He said there never was a controversy. -- Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Yahoo Sports on the Barlow fantasy fallout.

ESPN on Madden 07.

See you Thursday.

I'm posting this a little early, but consider it my Tuesday posting for this week.

As I mentioned last week, I had an interesting coincidence fall on this past weekend as both a serpentine draft league and an auction league were scheduled for this weekend. It was my first time in an auction football league and I was interested to see how it would go.

First came Saturday’s draft league. It’s a deep 10-team league that starts 2 Team QBs, 3 RBs, 4 WRs, 2 TEs, 2 Ds and 2 Ks each week.

I was fortunate enough to land the No. 3 pick in the draft — the perfect spot this season — and had my No. 1 guy, Shaun Alexander (SEA-RB) fall to me. I stayed with RBs through the first three rounds and ended up with Reggie Bush (NO-RB) and Chester Taylor (MIN-RB) as my other two starters.

I followed with a QB (Philly) and a bunch of WRs. Overall, I think my team is pretty good, but I need Bush and Taylor to be formidable if I’m going to have a chance to win the whole thing.

T-Gonz falling: Tony Gonzalez (KC-TE) was the fourth TE selected and was chosen in the sixth round. It appears that owners are believing that he may be asked to block more than ever this year with the retirement of tackle Willie Roaf. Taken ahead of Gonzalez was Antonio Gates (SD-TE) in round four and Jeremy Shockey (NYG-TE) and Todd Heap (BAL-TE) in round six. The Gonzalez pick was the first of six straight TEs — L.J. Smith (PHI-TE), Alge Crumpler (ATL-TE), Jason Witten (DAL-TE), Randy McMichael (MIA-TE) and Chris Cooley (WAS-TE).

Steal?: The owner who took the New Orleans Team QBs in Round 12 (119 overall) could get a great reward if Drew Brees is healthy. Lots of potential value that late.

PART 2

Sunday was an entirely different ball of wax. It’s a league I’ve been in forever and we decided this year to change to an auction format. With 12 teams, we start the standard 1 QB, 2 RBs, 3 WRs, 1 TE, 1 D, 1K and then have 9 back ups. We had $200 auction dollars to fill the roster.

Anyway, I decided to do something a little wacky, partially to see if it would work and partially to be able to share the results here.

I decided to spend 64 percent of my money on two players — my two running backs. I figured that I could get two of the top five backs and then wanted to see what I would be left with from there.

Anyway, I ended up with Tiki Barber (NYG-RB) for $54 early, which I think turned into a good price after Clinton Portis (WAS-RB) went for $56, Edgerrin James (ARZ-RB) went for $52 and Steven Jackson (STL-RB) went for $50.

Then I went big for the top guy on my board, Alexander, and spent $74 on him. So right away I had just $58 left for 16 spots. I knew my depth was going to take a hit, but if the two backs stay healthy, it might be enough to compete for the title.

Anyway, my QB ended up being Dallas ($14) and I tried to stay cheap at WR with Matt Jones (JAX-WR) for $10, Rod Smith (DEN-WR) for $10 and Antonio Bryant (SF-WR) for $4. Not exactly a murderers row, but I’m hoping Jones makes the leap this year. The (hopefully) saving grace good be at TE, where I got Cooley for $4.

Anyway, I’m not in love with my teams as much as I was last year in the first league, but I’m interested to see how they turn out. Of course, if Alexander suffers from the Madden cover jinx, I’m in a whole lot of trouble.

Best value?: Mike Bell (Denver-RB) wasn't nominated until late in the auction and still went for just $4. That could be an incredible value if he does hold onto the starting job (which he looked ready for on Saturday.

Left with $$: There's nothing worse than having a bunch of dollars left at the end of an auction with virtually no one to spend it on. Here are a few of the late bids because of owners have too much money remaining: Kevan Barlow (NYJ-RB) for $25 (before he was traded), Jerious Norwood (ATL-RB) for $8 (that was me), Curtis Martin (NYJ/Hospital-RB) for $10. Yuck.

Last main draft is next Saturday. It’s actually the work one, which is always interesting.
Here are my teams from the two leagues from this weekend with the number of starters in parentheses:

Saturday
QBs (2) - Philadelphia, Denver, Houston
RBs (3) - Alexander, Bush, Taylor, Tatum Bell (DEN-RB), Derrick Blaylock (NYJ-RB), Brian Calhoun (DET-RB), Ciatrick Fason (MIN-RB), Samkon Gado (GB-RB), Mewelde Moore (MIN-RB), Jerious Norwood (ATL-RB)
WRs (4) - Terry Glenn (DAL), Jones, Smith, Hines Ward (PIT-WR), Doug Gabriel (OAK-WR), Eric Moulds (HOU-WR)
TEs (2) - Crumpler, Ben Troupe (TEN-TE)
Ks (2) - Jay Feely (NYG-K), Mike Nugent (NYJ-K)
D (2) - Miami, Pittsburgh

Sunday
QBs (1) - Dallas, New Orleans, Green Bay
RBs (2) - Alexander, Barber, T. Bell, Brandon Jacobs (NYG-RB), Maurice Morris (SEA-RB), Norwood
WRs (3) - M. Jones, R. Smith, A. Bryant, Gabriel, Reche Caldwell (NE-WR)
TEs (1) - Cooley, Troupe
K (1) - Feely
D (1) - San Diego

Here are the top 40 RBs on my draft board:

1. Shaun Alexander, SEA
2. Larry Johnson, KC
3. LaDainian Tomlinson, SD
4. Tiki Barber, NYG
5. LaMont Jordan, OAK
6. Edgerrin James, ARZ
7. Rudi Johnson, CIN
8. Clinton Portis, WAS
9. Ronnie Brown, MIA
10. Cadillac Williams, TB
11. Domanick Davis, HOU
12. Willis McGahee, BUF
13. Steven Jackson, STL
14. Reuben Droughns, CLE
15. Warrick Dunn, ATL
16. Reggie Bush, NO
17. DeShaun Foster, CAR
18. Willie Parker, PIT
19. Brian Westbrook, PHI
20. Chester Taylor, MIN
21. Corey Dillon, NE
22. Jamal Lewis, BAL
23. Kevin Jones, DET
24. Cedric Benson, CHI
25. Julius Jones
26. Joseph Addai, IND
27. Frank Gore, SF
28. Deuce McAllister, NO
29. Thomas Jones, CHI
30. Tatum Bell, DEN
31. Fred Taylor, JAX
32. Ahman Green, GB
33. Greg Jones, JAX
34. Mike Bell, DEN
35. Derrick Blaylock, NYJ
36. Chris Brown, TEN
37. Dominic Rhodes, IND
38. DeAngelo Williams, CAR
39. Marion Barber, DAL
40. Laurence Maroney, NE

KEEPERS -- If you are in a keeper league, Larry Johnson leaps to No. 1 overall and LT goes to No. 2. Also, Reggie Bush is in the No. 5-6 range, while guys like Barber and Dunn probably drop five or six spots each.

BACKUPS TO WATCH -- It seems like there are always a few backups who could be studs if only given the shot. Here are my nominees for this year: Najeh Davenport (GB-RB), Chris Perry (CIN-RB), Brandon Jacobs (NYG-RB).

DEEP SLEEPERS -- Aside from the backups I listed above, here are a few sleepers in the deepest leagues. They could help either by getting end zone touches or in case of an injury: Duce Staley (PIT-RB), Mike Anderson (BAL-RB), Ladell Betts (WAS-RB), rookie Jerious Norwood (ATL-RB).

See you Tuesday.

This weekend is THE fantasy football weekend for me this year. I have two "drafts" in two days and they are in different formats.

One Saturday, I'll have a serpentine draft in a league with a bunch of friends and I was forunate to get the No. 3 overall pick. Obviously, I'll be taking whichever of Larry Johnson (KC-RB), Shaun Alexander (SEA-RB) or LaDainian Tomlinson (SD-RB) fall to me. Can't really lose in that situation. Funny, though, I have absolutely no feel for which one will get to me. Should be interesting.

Then, on Sunday, I'll be taking part in my first-ever fantasy football auction. I've done a few years of auction baseball (which is far superior to drafting baseball) and a league I've been in forever is making the switch this season. I have a feeling I'm going to be terrible in that one this year, so I'm cramming all the auction-based notes I can get in my head.

If you are in a similar situation, here's a good link from CBS Sportsline on auction values.

Should be an interesting weekend. I'll be sure to post my thoughts on the first two drafts of the year next Tuesday.

Tomorrow, we'll have the running back preview column in the paper and some bonus stuff on here, including my top 40 rankings for the position.

One quick link tonight:

Oops, Lee Suggs failed his physical with the New York Jets, prompting them to send the running back back to Cleveland.

Well, it didn't take long for the first potential big injury to derail everyone's draft board. Just a week after I recommended Clinton Portis (WAS-RB) as the No. 4 overall player, he went down with a shoulder injury in preseason action.

Now, I'm not sure how long he'll be out for, so I wouldn't drop him too far just yet, but if you have a draft this weekend and there's no more info on his situation, I'd probably drop him to No. 7 and be sure to grab backup Ladell Betts (WAS-RB) in the seventh or eighth round to be safe.

If you are one of the four people who think Peter King hasn't written enough about Brett Favre (GB-QB), then I have good news for you.

A little more news: Matt Leinart (ARZ-QB) finally signed. ... It appears the Jets are worried about Curtis Martin (NYJ-RB) enough to trade with Cleveland for Lee Suggs. There are an awful lot of B-minus/C-plus backs in the Jets' backfield at this point.

A little fun: NFL.com posts its fantasy rules.

Michael Smith on Willis McGahee (BUF-RB), 2005 fantasy team killer.

CBS Sportsline's David Gonos has some player vs. player debates.

Here are my Top 25 fantasy quarterbacks in a head-to-head yardage league:

1. Peyton Manning, IND
2. Tom Brady, NE
3. Matt Hasselbeck, SEA
4. Donovan McNabb, PHI
5. Eli Manning, NYG
6. Jake Delhomme, CAR
7. Drew Bledsoe, DAL
8. Daunte Culpepper, MIA
9. Carson Palmer, CIN
10. Trent Green, KC
11. Marc Bulger, STL
12. Mike Vick, ATL
13. Jake Plummer, DEN
14. Kurt Warner, ARZ
15. Drew Brees, NO
16. Ben Roethlisberger, PIT
17. Brett Favre, GB
18. Aaron Brooks, OAK
19. David Carr, HOU
20. Byron Leftwich, JAX
21. Philip Rivers, SD
22. Chris Simms, TB
23. Steve McNair, BAL
24. Jon Kitna, DET
25. Mark Brunell, WAS

DEEP SLEEPER -- The one guy not in my top 25 that I wonder about it Billy Volek (TEN-QB). He's shown some flashes here and there in spot duty for McNair and will at least start the first six or seven games of the season. Maybe he can produce well enough to keep Vince Young (TEN-QB) on the bench for the entire season. That would almost certainly be the best thing for Young.

WHEN TO DRAFT THEM -- As I said in last week's blog entry, I wouldn't take any QB until the second round and even then it would only be if P. Manning somehow fell late in that round. Brady is a good third round pick and Hasselbeck (fourth), E. Manning and McNabb (both fifth) would follow.

KEEPER LEAGUE -- If you are in a deep keeper league, guys like Eli Manning and Palmer are both guys to keep a close eye on. Someone like Favre, Bledsoe or Warner drop way down on the list.

NEXT WEEK -- We already covered a bunch of the running back issues in the first column, but next week will have a deeper look at the position.

See you again on Tuesday for the next blog entry.

More and more leagues are opting to draft team QBs instead of individual players. Why? Because it's there are a limited number of players at the position and you can't stack your team with five backup QBs to handcuff with your starter.

So, if you are worried that Drew Brees' (New Orleans-QB) arm won't hold up, you don't have to draft Brees, Jamie Martin, Todd Bouman, Adrian McPherson, Jim Everett, Chris Evert and Archie Manning in order to protect the position. Instead, you simply draft Brees.

It's an interesting wrinkle and I think it works in deeper leagues, like the ones with 16 teams or the 8-12 team leagues that start two QBs. This way, you aren't cluttering your bench with backups and it gives you a chance to dig deeper at the running back and wide receiver position.

In 8-12 team leagues that start one QB, it doesn't seem worth it. There's no way you'll need to start a backup if that team's starter gets hurt. There are enough QBs to go around in those leagues. You should have at least three legitimate starters at QB in those leagues and if you've doublechecked your bye weeks when assembling your team, you should be all set.

Check back tomorrow as the new column will be posted (focusing on QBs) and the blog will deal with some extra topics and the top 25 QBs ranked for your draft.

See you then.

Well, this is technically fantasy baseball news, but the general principle is big for fantasy football fans as well.

Fantasy baseball leagues are allowed to use player names and statistics without licensing agreements because they are not the intellectual property of Major League Baseball, a federal judge ruled Tuesday.

Here's the entire story.

Looks like we may have to hold our breaths on Domanick Davis (Hou-RB) this year. Peter King says Davis is having knee issues and is being held out of practice. We'll have to keep an eye on the situation as preseason goes on, but I'd probably stay away from him until the fourth or fifth round (at least) if I had a fantasy draft this weekend.

ALSO
A few thoughts on Sunday night's preseason opener:

1) Aaron Brooks (OAK-QB) doesn't exactly look like a new man with his new team. In fact, he looks a lot like the same old mediocre guy who stunk it up in New Orleans. Maybe that will change when he's had some more time with Randy Moss (OAK-WR).

2) In limited action, both Donovan McNabb (PHI-QB) and Brian Westbrook (PHI-RB) looked pretty good and healthy. McNabb could prove to be a big steal in drafts where he's not among the top three QBs taken. Westbrook still worries me, but he'll be a decent second RB. Just have a strong third.

3) I hate preseason football.

4) See you Wednesday.

Peyton Manning is the lone non-running back in my top 20. (AP)


Before we move into the second round of our mock draft, let’s look back at round one, which was posted in today’s column:

1. Shaun Alexander, Seattle, RB
2. Larry Johnson, Kansas City, RB
3. LaDainian Tomlinson, San Diego, RB
4. Clinton Portis, Washington, RB
5. Tiki Barber, New York Giants, RB
6. LaMont Jordan, Oakland, RB
7. Edgerrin James, Arizona, RB
8. Rudi Johnson, Cincinnati, RB
9. Ronnie Brown, Miami, RB
10. Cadillac Williams, Tampa Bay, RB

SECOND ROUND

11: Domanick Davis, Houston, RB
What a difference one No. 1 pick makes. Davis could have dropped into the third or fourth round if the Texans made Reggie Bush (New Orleans-RB) their choice instead of Mario Williams (Houston-DL). Instead, Davis is likely to be the benefactor of new coach Gary Kubiak’s system, which turned mediocre backs into superstars in Denver. If David Carr (Houston-QB) can improve as much as Kubiak expects, this might even be a little low for Davis.

12. Willis McGahee, Buffalo, RB
Yes, he was a big disappointment last year (1,247 rushing yards, five TDs) and a lot of that was because of the dismal play of J. P. Losman (Buffalo-QB). You have to wonder if Losman or Kelly Holcomb (Buffalo-QB) will improve enough to keep opponents from loading up the line.
McGahee has top-six talent, but he’s stranded right now.

13. Steven Jackson, St. Louis, RB
No one was happier to see coach Mike Martz get shown the door than Jackson, who has shown a ton of ability and was incredibly misused in Martz’s system. If the powerful back is used properly and can avoid the kinds of knee/hip injuries that have slowed him in his first two years, Jackson could turn into a stud back.

14. Peyton Manning, Indianapolis, QB
Yes, it takes until the 14th pick to consider any non-RB and Manning, of course, is the first guy to go. His production dropped way off from 2004 (4,557 yards, 49 TDs) to 2005 (3,747 yards, 28 TDs), but he’s still easily the top QB. Also, with James’ departure to Arizona, the Colts could throw even more (as hard as that is to imagine) this year. I wouldn’t take another QB until the fourth round.

15. Reuben Droughns, Cleveland, RB
At this point, we are down to the guys with major question marks. Either they don’t get the goal line touches, they may lose carries in a committee approach or they are rookies. Of that group, I like Droughns the most. He proves last year (1,232 yards, two TDs) that his time in Denver wasn’t a fluke and I think he has a shot to at least get in the end zone six times. Plus, you know Romeo Crennel wants to pound the ball as much as possible.

16. Warrick Dunn, Atlanta, RB
He’s probably the most overlooked guy in the draft every year, but Dunn keeps producing yardage. He finished last year with 1,416, but loses goal line touches to Michael Vick (Atlanta-QB) and T.J. Duckett (Atlanta-RB). He’ll help you out enough to take him here, though.

17. Reggie Bush, New Orleans, RB
Let’s be honest, there’s no way Bush doesn’t make a big splash right away. He’s going to get at least 15 carries per game and Drew Brees (New Orleans-QB) is going to throw to him quite a bit. Despite the presence of Deuce McAllister (New Orleans-RB), I still expect Bush to break 1,200 combined rushing/receiving yards and score 10 touchdowns. He’s that talented.

18. DeShaun Foster, Carolina, RB
Foster is quickly becoming the new Fred Taylor (Jacksonville-RB) of fantasy football — tons of talent, tons of risk. Foster played in 15 games last year, but got just 205 carries because of worries about health and splitting carries to take some of the load off. He finished with 879 yards and three TDs. He could absolutely double those numbers. He could also get hurt early on and be nicked up all season. This is a headache pick. Make sure to get a good No. 3 back if you take Foster.

19. Willie Parker, Pittsburgh, RB
Parker exploded onto the scene last year after injuries to Duce Staley (Pittsburgh-RB) the now retired Jerome Bettis. He finished with 1,202 yards and five TDs because Bettis still took away his goal line chances. While Bettis is gone, it looks like Staley will be the short-yardage back and accrue the TDs. But Parker is still worth a pick at this point and a Staley injury would make him even more valuable.

20. Brian Westbrook, Philadelphia, RB
Westbrook and Parker are very similar and I would swap them in leagues that give points for receptions. Westbrook will absolutely lose carries to Ryan Moats (Philadelphia-RB) and won’t get much of a chance near the goal line. The Eagles will go easy on him, but if he plays in all 16 games (which he hasn’t done the last three years) he could give you a ton of value here.

Have a good weekend. See you Tuesday.

I’ll get into this and more in Friday’s column, where I break down my own first round of a mock draft, but the big question this year is, who’s No. 1?

It comes down to three players: Shaun Alexander (Seattle-RB), LaDainian Tomlinson (San Diego-RB) and Larry Johnson (Kansas City-RB).

Popular opinion had Johnson as the easy choice immediately after last season ended. After all, he had averaged 181 total yards and scored 17 touchdowns after being named the Chiefs’ starting RB for the final nine games.

It was an incredible run that propelled many of his fantasy owners to the championship.

But there are questions this season. KC lost two offensive linemen, including left tackle Willie Roaf, who is among the best of all time. The coaching staff is different as head coah Dick Vermeil retired and offensive coordinator Al Saunders took the same job in Washington. Now, Herm Edwards takes over. Plus, Johnson has never played an entire season and who knows how his body will react.

Tomlinson, last year’s No. 1 guy, is a worry because Drew Brees (NO-QB) moved on and is being replaced by Philip Rivers (SD-RB), who has yet to prove himself in any way. And we all saw how JP Losman’s (BUF-QB) awfulness killed Willis McGahee (BUF-RB) last year. Defenses will stack the line against LT and force Rivers to beat them. Until he does, LT could be in some trouble.

Alexander, meanwhile, is the oldest of the bunch. And while 28 isn’t exactly over the hill, he does have some miles packed on at this point. Plus, he lost a stud run blocker when guard Steve Hutchinson signed with Minnesota.

That said, I’m still going with Alexander. The reigning NFL MVP has a good quarterback (Matt Hasselbeck) to keep defenses honest and a great offensive-minded coach (Mike Holmgren) who will give him the ball early and often.

Check out the first column tomorrow along with a new blog entry. See you then.

Just about every major sports web site/newspaper has someone turning in training camp postcards this time of year. They are all worth a quick look over the course of the day.

Peter King is a filing fool. The SI super football reporter is travelling to a ton of camps and doing a blog. There are also a bunch of postcards to check out. I'd bookmark this and check it out during your daily lulls.

Len P. is doing something similar for ESPN. Today, he's writing about Chris Simms (TB-QB).

Also

CBS Sportsline's David Richard thinks you should give Ron Dayne (Denver-RB) a look.

The headline "Vick leaves Falcons practice with hamstring injury" probably scared a bunch of fantasy footballers. But it looks like he's fine.

Reggie Bush (NO-RB) finally gets to Saints camp. College teammate Matt Leinart (ARZ-QB) is still holding out.

Welcome to August, when it's 100 degrees outside and time to start cramming for your fantasy football draft.

The fantasy football blog will be updated Tuesday through Friday with notes, links and random thoughts through the start of the regular season.

Today, we'll start with a quick list and a link.

Here are a few key players who are in contract years this season.

Chris Simms (TB-QB)
Dominick Rhodes (IND-RB)
Ahman Green (GB-RB)
TJ Duckett (ATL-RB)
Najeh Davenport (GB-RB)
Chris Brown TEN-RB)
Deion Branch (NE-WR) -- depends on outcome of holdout
Tyrone Calico (TEN-WR)
Ernest Wilford (JAX-WR)
Jabar Gaffney (PHI-WR)
Bryant Johnson (ARZ-WR)
Daniel Graham (NE-TE)
Jeramy Stevens (SEA-TE)
Jason Witten (DAL-TE)
Eric Johnson (SF-TE)

LINK
Check out Len Pasquarelli's look at Ronnie Brown (MIA-RB) in Dolphins camp.

See you Tuesday.