It’s Time to Start your Fantasy Draft!

Good news fantasy football fans! The NFL lockout is over and teams will slowly start to assemble to prepare for the upcoming 2011 NFL season. This is good news for everyone who is interested in the game. It is also good news that no regular season games will be missed, there will be some kind of free agency period and the league got back to work just in time to make things interesting for the upcoming season.

Some fantasy football players may have already gone ahead and had their fantasy drafts. That may cause some problems for a few of these owners further on down the road. Depending on where players that were eligible for free agency end up as well as where players are traded to, things could be a lot different than when a person had their fantasy draft prior to the end of the lockout.

So what should a person do in this situation? Don’t give up on your team. You should be able to make some adjustments including picking up free agents and making some trades to help make your team ready for the coming season. Since the others in your league drafted at the same time you can bet that they would be willing trade partners because they need to fix their teams as well.

For those of you that have yet to draft your teams you have an opportunity to make this season a great one. If you wait until later to do your fantasy draft you will be in a lot better shape than you would be if you had your draft immediately. The longer you can wait the better off you will be and that is a rule to live by.

Free agency is going to be fast and furious so keep an eye on what’s going on with your favorite players (those that might be free agents) to see where they end up when the smoke clears. There promises to be a lot change and you want to be sure that you are on top of that change before you draft.

Is the 2011 Fantasy Football Season Coming?

If you have been watching the news or reading your favorite football news sites on the internet, you may have heard that both the players and the owners have been meeting on a regular basis to discuss a deal that would end the lockout and get football started once again.

But there is also some talk that the negotiations, while frequent are still not going as well as everyone had hoped and that both parties could be a long ways away from coming to an agreement. Time is clearly ticking for the start of the season and some important milestones for playing games are coming up quickly so a deal has to be reached soon.

As I mentioned in a previous posting, you may want to wait until after a deal has been reached to attempt to draft your fantasy football team. With there being a lot of uncertainty as to free agency and how it will be conducted as well as what is happening to certain players during the offseason is waiting to draft your fantasy team good advice?

But of course, the biggest question right now is whether or not the NFL is going to get a deal done by the time they are supposed to start playing games and by the time you have your fantasy football draft.

Consider these triggers and milestones for the upcoming season.

The Chicago Bears and the St. Louis Rams were to start training camp a week earlier than the other teams in league to kick off the start of the NFL preseason. Their start date is supposed to be the 22nd of July. They are scheduled to play in the Hall of Fame game on the 7th of August and it doesn’t look that game is going to happen.

So what happens now? Does the NFL push the preseason out and keep those preseason games while starting the season a little later? Do they nix some or all of the preseason games and jump right into the season? Do they take a few games off the regular season in order to get properly ready for the regular season?

Anything is possible as the two sides continue to negotiate a deal. Fantasy football fans will be keeping a close eye on the negotiations as the sides get ever closer to a deal and the offseason can officially begin. Once that agreement is signed we will all know much more about how things are going to turn out with free agency and the regular season.

So what does this have to do with fantasy football? Free agency is still going to have to take place before the preseason so there are some changes that will be made by some of the players that will be eligible for free agency. If you have already had your fantasy draft you may want to take a look at what you have done and make some changes. If you haven’t had your fantasy draft then you should be in very good shape.

So never fear fantasy football fans. A deal is almost here and there will be a full season of football (and fantasy football to enjoy). It’s about time that the owners and the players realized that they cannot continue to stay stuck in neutral like they have been for the past few months. They have almost ruined a good thing and hopefully they will be able to bring the league back stronger and better than it was before.

Fantasy Football Insider: Which Defenses could be the Top Fantasy Defenses of 2011?

With the NFL lockout still looming large over everything there hasn’t been much aside from the draft to give teams a shot at trying to improve themselves for next season. Along with that, it will be difficult for teams to restock and reload making it much more difficult to predict which teams might be better next season.

NFL defenses, like kickers, are kind of a forgotten part of a good fantasy football team. A good defense can score just as much or more than a quarterback or running back can at times and pretty soon defenses will become one of the most sought after positions in fantasy drafts. Some people have even drafted defenses as high as number one in a few fantasy drafts.

But are defenses worthy of such a high pick? Probably not but they do have some value and could deserve some middle round consideration.

So what teams are going have the best defenses next season? Is it even possible to tell with the lockout going on?

Let’s make an attempt to try to figure out which defenses could be at the top of the fantasy football rankings for 2011.

In no particular order, here are five NFL defenses that you should look at drafting in your fantasy draft later on this summer.

Pittsburgh Steelers-The Steelers always seem to have very good defenses and you can expect them to have another good one next year as well. With the same group of guys returning, including such stars as safety Troy Polamalu and linebacker James Harrison this unit will be one the most sought after in fantasy football this year.

Chicago Bears-The Bears will be bringing back many of the same guys from last season and have even made an upgrade on their defensive line (by drafting Oregon State defensive tackle Stephen Paea) so things are looking up for the Bears. They will definitely be one of the top defenses selected late this summer.

San Diego Chargers-The Chargers may not have had the best record in the NFL last year and they even failed to make the playoffs but what a lot of people don’t know is that they had the best defense statistically last season. The Chargers shouldn’t take a step back in that category this season as there shouldn’t be too many changes (in fact they made some upgrades during the draft to help make some improvements) and their defense will be one of the hottest defenses in fantasy football drafts this summer.

Green Bay Packers-The Packers had one of the best defenses in the NFL last season and with some of their top players coming back from injury this year their defense should be even better in 2011. This unit is filled with talent at each position and has the capability of putting up a lot of points in every game.

There will be a lot fantasy owners trying to pick up Green Bay’s defense early on in fantasy drafts.

New York Jets-The Jets have gone out and changed some things on defense for the 2011 season and it promises to be another good year for the Jets. Head coach Rex Ryan is going to make sure that his defense remains one of the top defenses in the NFL so if you need a solid defense for your fantasy football team you might want to take a look at the Jets “D”.

Fantasy Football Insider: Who could be the Top Fantasy Running Backs in 2011?

The NFL lockout continues as the 2011 NFL Draft comes to a close and we are all now stuck in a state of “football limbo”. There won’t be much movement at all now in the NFL as we wait for things to get settled so teams are going to remain pretty much the same way that the did last year until all of this is settled.

With NFL teams taking to the air much more now than they have in the past it’s safe to say that the role of the running back on an NFL team has diminished. We have seen this happen over the past few years but fantasy football fans should not let themselves worry about the production from running backs.

Running backs are an important part of any fantasy roster and can have huge games which allow fantasy owners to win games and win their leagues.

Some of the top fantasy football running backs during the 2010 season include Houston’s Arian Foster, Cleveland’s Peyton Hills and Tennessee’s Chris Johnson and these players promise to have good seasons in 2011.

But will they be ready for the 2011 season thanks to the lockout? Will the 2011 season even be ready for them?

Let’s assume that the season is going to go on as normal? Which players will be the top running backs in 2011?

We will find out as we look at the top five fantasy running backs heading into the 2011 season.

(Note: This is in no particular order).

1. Chris Johnson-Tennessee Titans-Tennessee’s quarterback situation is going to a little tenuous in 2011 so they will probably try to rely on Johnson much more this coming season. This means big dividends for fantasy football owners that pick Johnson. If you can get him early take him.

2. Peyton Hillis-Cleveland Browns-The Browns will have quarterback Colt McCoy starting to open the season and as they try to ease him into his starting role it’s possible that they could use the running game to help take some of the pressure off of McCoy. Hillis is now a proven running back and will help the Browns have success on the ground next year.

3. Matt Forte-Chicago Bears-The Bears ended up having a lot of success on offense, especially in the second half of the season and he’s a valuable dual threat both running the ball and catching it. The Bears will continue to use him often as a key part of their offense and he should see some strong numbers again in 2011.

4. Adrian Peterson-Minnesota Vikings-Peterson is always an ideal pickup in any fantasy football season and he might be called upon early and often if the Vikings have rookie Christian Ponder as their starting quarterback. Look for him to have a big season in 2011 as long as he can stay healthy and hold onto the ball.

5. Darren McFadden-Oakland Raiders-After a long wait Raiders fans and those fantasy football owners that selected him got what they wanted out of McFadden and being that they have the head coach that was last year’s offensive coordinator coming back he may get even more touches this season and could do even better than he did last season.

There could be a couple rookie running backs that might be worth a mid round look. Guys like New Orleans Saints Mark Ingram and Detroit’s Mikel Leshoure could have good seasons. Keep an eye on these guys as the season progresses as they might be worth a longer look.

Fantasy Football Insider: Who Could be the Top Fantasy Quarterback in 2011?

It’s true, we haven’t seen anything happening in terms of preparations for the 2011 season thanks to the lockout. We can only assume that so far, things are going to be similar to what they were in 2010 and that there isn’t going to be a whole lot of movement in the league this offseason.

If that is indeed the case then it will be much easier figuring out who the top quarterbacks will be in fantasy football next season. Just take a look at those players that finished at the top of the league in fantasy passing last year. They include Philadelphia’s Michael Vick, Indianapolis’ Peyton Manning and New England Patriot Tom Brady.

We know that these teams may not see that much change depending on what happens with this on again off lockout. If there isn’t any free agency which is always possible then the top quarterbacks from last year should remain pretty much the same this year. If there is some kind of free agency then yes things will change.

So ultimately, who will be the top quarterbacks next season? Let’s take a look at those players that should be the top five fantasy quarterbacks in 2011 (in no particular order).

Peyton Manning-Indianapolis Colts-Granted, Manning did end up having a down season last year and that was a direct result of some injuries to his key receivers and the fact that fourth and fifth string players were playing as starters on a regular basis. With good health at the receiver position he should excel this season.

Drew Brees-New Orleans Saints-Brees continues to be one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL despite some of the handicaps that he has had at the receiver position. If their defense can keep things at bay on their end then Brees should have a good season and could be either the second or third quarterback taken in most fantasy drafts next year.

Tom Brady-New England Patriots-The Patriots have one of the best offenses in the NFL year in and year out and Brady will be one of the most sought after quarterbacks in fantasy football again next season. He remains a solid option and has the weapons to have yet another good season with New England.

Matt Ryan-Atlanta Falcons-The addition of Julio Jones is going to make the Falcons passing game much better in 2011 and with that Ryan should see an increase in production. The Falcons will be aiming for the Super Bowl this season as they are close to reaching their goal so look for a lot of good numbers out of Ryan.

Michael Vick-Philadelphia Eagles-Vick won’t have to worry about someone trying to take his job (i.e. Kevin Kolb) as he has that starting job locked up and ready to go. Look for him to have another productive season in 2011 and if the team has their weapons put into place and healthy he could be hard to stop next season.

So keep your eye on these quarterbacks as they should be the top players that you should have interest in heading into the 2011 Fantasy Football season.

Fantasy Football Insider: What if there isn’t Free Agency

Those who like to play fantasy football and are into it heavily enjoy taking time out to watch what happens in free agency. Players move from team to team and can either move into a good situation or into a bad one. What happens when your favorite fantasy player moves from one team to another? There are a lot of things to consider.

You have to consider the situation that the player is going into. If it’s a wide receiver, does the player’s new team pass the ball a lot? Do they have a good quarterback? Imagine taking Reggie Wayne out of Indianapolis and putting him somewhere like Oakland. His fantasy value could easily go down because of the quarterback situation in Oakland.

But right now, we are dealing with the fact that there is no free agency thanks to the lack of an agreement between the NFL’s owners and its players. Will there be free agency this year or is it not going to happen? Let’s see what not having free agency would do to your fantasy team in 2011 and what effect it might have on the quality of play both in the NFL and in fantasy football.

Free agency is such an important part of a team’s rebuilding that it has become a pretty important event for teams. Just look at what the Bear’s did last season. They managed to get one of the top pass rushers in Julius Peppers and it made a big difference for them on defense. They were able to get some pressure on the passer and their defense stepped up and helped lead them to the NFC Championship.

Sometimes one player can make all the difference or even just a few guys in a few of the right places can make things better. Free agency works very well for some teams and can help them get to the next level and that’s either out the basement or into the playoffs while for others it can be detrimental.

Fantasy owners keep track of which players are going where and how it is felt that the player will affect the team’s performance and how it’s going to affect the player’s performance. Guys who were previously very productive could win up in unproductive situations and their value could plummet causing them to fall far in fantasy drafts.

If there is no free agency then there will be extremely limited player movement meaning that your favorite fantasy prospects (and those that would have been free agents this season) are going to stay right where they were last year (depending on how the new contract comes out). This could be good or bad depending on who your player is and what team they are on.

No free agency may make it much easier for fantasy football players to do their research much better and in a much shorter time because there are fewer moves to track. But, if there are those out there that were crossing their fingers in hopes that their favorite fantasy player may end up going to a better team and a better situation, you may have to wait a while.

So fantasy football fans should be wary of what happens if there is no free agency this off season. You may want to move away from some of your favorite fantasy prospects (those guys that are stuck on the same team as they were last year and failed to produce adequate numbers) and look for other guys that you feel may have productive seasons. It may be a little more difficult but in the end it will pay off.

2011 NFL Draft Top Fantasy Prospects: The Tight Ends

Ask anyone who is familiar this year’s 2011 NFL Draft and they will tell you that the tight end group coming out isn’t as strong as it’s been in recent seasons. There is clearly little depth all the way through the group so it’s going to be slim pickings for NFL teams in the draft this year.

Right now, it doesn’t look like this draft is going to have many, if any, tight ends that you may want to pay attention to when your fantasy football draft comes up in a few months. The tight end position may not be one of the most productive fantasy positions in fantasy football but a good tight can help you win games and can sometimes help lead you to a big victory.

Rookie tight ends are overlooked considerably in a fantasy draft because they end up being the biggest “unknowns” when it comes to a fantasy draft. It’s hard to know what the team that drafts them is going to do with them when they come into the NFL. Are they going to use them as a pass catcher or a blocker? Will they start right away? Will they even make the team?

All of this makes it difficult for any fantasy owner to validate a pick for a rookie tight end. And in this year’s draft, with no clear cut and “solid” talent at the tight end position at the top fantasy owners might decide to forgo drafting one and wait to see what they do.

As mentioned, there are some factors that go into trying to figure out if there is a rookie tight end worth taking. The whole blocker versus pass catcher debate is one thing that you would have to consider when looking at a rookie tight end as you would the situation that they are going into. A team that utilizes its tight ends a lot in the passing game, such as the New England Patriots is the ideal spot for a rookie to land whereas looking at a tight end that may end up with the Chicago Bears could be a waste of valuable research time.

You must also look at the team that the player is going to and what their quarterback situation is and how often they pass the ball. As we discussed with the wide receivers, it’s important to now just what the tight end is walking into in terms of who the starting quarterback is, how well that quarterback has played and just how often he throws the ball to his tight ends. Obviously if it’s a tight friendly offense then it wouldn’t be a bad idea to look at situation and consider a late round flier on the prospect.

As mentioned, this draft isn’t going to feature a lot of depth and talent at the tight end position. The following is a list of the top six tight ends in the 2011 NFL Draft with the first one thought to go somewhere in the middle to late second round:

1. Kyle Rudolph-Notre Dame
2. Luke Stocker-Tennessee
3. Lance Kendricks-Wisconsin
4. Jordan Cameron-USC
5. D.J. Williams-Arkansas

Rudolph will easily be the first tight end selected and could be someone that you would want to keep an eye on in your fantasy draft depending on where he lands. But remember, he spent all of last season injured so he might be a risky prospect in your fantasy draft.

What is the best advice for drafting a rookie tight end this fantasy football season? Wait. With no clear cut standout appears to be coming out at the position in this draft so keep an eye on these guys as the season goes on and see if there is someone that you might want to pick up on waivers. It’s a great idea to let these guys play a couple games before putting one of them on your roster.

2011 NFL Draft Top Fantasy Prospects: Wide Receivers

With rookie running backs being the easiest position to draft a rookie in for your fantasy draft wide receivers, aside from quarterbacks, may be the most difficult. There have been some rookie wide receivers that had great years right out of the gate (remember Anquan Boldin’s first season in the NFL) while others, such as Oakland’s Darius Heyward Bey struggled in their first NFL season and anyone who took them in their fantasy draft are probably still upset at the decision.

If you are thinking about taking a rookie wide receiver in your fantasy draft this summer you may want to consider several of the factors presented in this article before making any decision on who you would want to draft.

Some of the things that you would want to look at before drafting a rookie wide receiver include the most obvious and that’s what team he is going to. A team that passes the ball a lot would be idea situation for any wide receiver so if a wide receiver that you are interested is playing for a team like the Indianapolis Colts or the New Orleans Saints then you may want to consider drafting a wide receiver in your fantasy draft.

If the receiver goes to a team that struggles throwing the ball (But wants to throw it more because they are drafting a top of the line wide receiver) then you may want to think about drafting the player for a while before actually doing so.

For example, the Washington Redskins are showing some interest in both Georgia’s A.J. Green and Alabama’s Julio Jones. Think about their quarterback situation. No one knows if Donavan McNabb is going to be there next year and if they don’t bring in another quarterback that leaves Rex Grossman to throw the ball to any new wide receiver that they bring in.

That is not a good scenario for any rookie wide receiver.

With that, you need to check the quarterback situation for the team that your target rookie is going to. This naturally is a strong consideration when making a decision. You can have a team that has a quarterback that likes to throw the ball but doesn’t complete many of those passes. You can also have a quarterback that’s a great passer but doesn’t stay healthy enough to make a difference during the season.

Knowing the situation that your target receiver is going into will only help to make sure that you don’t make a mistake by wasting a valuable fantasy draft pick.

One final thing to look at is what role the receiver will play in the new offense. Most receivers taken in the first to third rounds are intended to be starters or at least solid contributors during their first season with their team. If your guy is poised to be a starter then it would be much easier to draft him as opposed to someone who isn’t going to be a clear cut starter.

The 2011 NFL Draft is not that deep in wide receiver talent so you may want to keep your concerns of drafting a rookie wide receiver to one of the six following players who are rated as the top six wide receivers in the upcoming draft:

1. A.J. Green-Georgia
2. Julio Jones-Alabama
3. Jonathan Baldwin-Pittsburgh
4. Torrey Smith-Maryland
5. Leonard Hankerson-Miami (Fl)
6. Randall Cobb-Kentucky

Green and Jones are assured of going in the first round while it’s possible that Baldwin and Smith could get drafted in the bottom half of the first round. Green and Jones could be solid fantasy draft picks while you may want to wait on some of the other guys and see how they start before picking them up off of waivers as the season goes on.

So keep an eye on these younger wide receivers to see how they do and then take into consideration some of the factors laid out here so that can you see if you want to draft a rookie wide receiver or wait for them to do something before picking them up on waivers.

Remember that you have to do your research on these rookies if you want to have success on your fantasy team.

RotoWire Fantasy Football Guide 2009

One of the things I'll be doing this summer is reviewing and updating you on as many Fantasy Football books and magazines as possible. My budget will have a lot to do with how many but hopefully I'll manage to do most of the big ones anyway. For now, I plan to update you on when they come out and then I'll add reviews as I pick them up.
The RotoWire Fantasy Football Guide 2009 ships July 15th and should be everywhere by July 25th. It will include the following according to their website:

• Player Rankings & Profiles For More Than 250 Players!
• Comprehensive Cheatsheets & Projected Stats
• Will Carroll's Injury Analysis
• College Fantasy Football Preview
• Top rookies, sleepers, projected 2009 stats and more!

I obviously haven't seen this magazine yet, but RotoWire.com is one of the most reliable sites for Fantasy Football News on the internet. They have a great group of writers/experts who I'm certain will deliver quality product. Rotowire also offers a discount on their premium service to magazine buyers. You can check out the offer at the link above.