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Are
you ready for some … fantasy football?
By
Trent Loomis
Managing Editor
It's
late August and there is only one thing
on the die-hard sports fan's mind other
than baseball pennant races and summer Olympics–fantasy
football.
There
are over 12 million people signed up for
fantasy football this year, which has been
growing each year faster than Orlando Pace's
waistline.
First,
before you even sign up in a football league,
you must choose the best type of service
to join, and this year Yahoo is the reigning
champ for fantasy sports. There is CBS Sports
line and ESPN, but neither of the two measures
up to the user-friendly Yahoo.
In
fact, I am still awaiting my championship
trophy from ESPN from last year, which I
am sure I will never see.
Secondly,
it's better to join a group with several
of your friends which ultimately makes for
17 weeks of relentless smack-talking, but
if you cannot get together with your pals,
then you can sign up in a public league
with a bunch of fathers from the Midwest,
who creatively name their teams, "Packers
Rule," or "Go Rams."
One
thing everyone must remember is that no
matter how much time you take preparing
yourself for the draft, the winner will
be a lucky one. There is no telling who
will get injured (Anquan Boldin, Correll
Buckhalter), who will have a down year,
who will be suspended for drugs (Jamal Lewis),
or who will retire (Ricky Williams). Last
year I won my league with John Kitna as
my quarterback (QB) and Rudi Johnson as
my running back (RB).
The
trick of any football draft is to draft
running backs first, the top receivers second,
and QB's last due to the fact that you only
need one of them.
However,
here is a list of QB's that could go in
the first round. Hey, if Tom Brady can go
in the first round of my draft, anything
is possible.
Quarterbacks
1. Daunte Culpepper-An off-season workout
regiment centered on running the ball will
make those rushing touchdowns rise dramatically.
He also has some guy named Randy Moss to
throw to.
2. Donovan McNabb-Always could run the ball
and now he has T.O. to throw to.
3. Peyton Manning-Almost a lock to throw
for 300 yards per game with a couple of
touchdowns.
4. Steve McNair-The guy is a trooper. He'll
be on the field producing no matter what.
5. Matt Hasselbeck-The Seahawks' young QB
had a great 2003, and in a contract year
will only get better.
6. Mike Vick-Barring any injury, his scrambling
ability and revamped offense will not only
make him the most exciting QB to watch,
but a productive one as well.
7. Brett Farve-His numbers might not be
as flashy as others on the list, and he
does throw interceptions like they're going
out of style, but he is fun to root for
on a high-powered offense.
Sleepers: Rich Gannon, David Carr, Chris
Simms, Eli Manning and Jeff Garcia.
Running
Backs
1. Priest Holmes-Will have more touchdowns
this year than any other player aside from
a QB.
2. Ahman Green-His offensive line is the
best in the biz and like Holmes, he can
catch the ball too.
3. LaDainian Tomlinson-Great back on a rancid
team.
4. Deuce McAllister-Had a great year last
year and will have an even better one in
2004.
5. Shaun Alexander-Has never been injured
and is only getting better.
6. Clinton Portis-A big question mark because
he leaves the rushing-friendly Broncos for
the Redskin experiment.
7. Edgerrin James-Kind of an enigma. If
he is healthy, look for old Edgerrin numbers.
Sleepers: Rudi Johnson, DeShaun Foster,
Kevin Jones, Brian Westbrook.
Receivers
1. Randy Moss-Guaranteed 100 catches, 1,500
yards and 17 touchdowns.
2. Marvin Harrison-Peyton likes to throw.
Marvin likes to catch. This is a match made
in heaven.
3. Terrell Owens-Even more motivated than
before, T.O. will make things happen in
Philly.
4. Torry Holt-With the new rule changes
that favor receivers, look for Holt to maintain
his pro-bowl numbers.
5. Chad Johnson-Coming off a breakout year
where he caught 90 passes, look for Carson
Palmer to look his way even more.
6. Darrell Jackson-Basically, good QB's
will need someone to throw to, and Jackson
will get his catches.
7. Hines Ward-Has surpassed Plaxico as the
main receiving threat in Pittsburgh.
Sleepers: Andre Johnson, Peerless Price,
Kelley Washington, Jerry Porter.
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