It’s that time of the year again: fantasy football season. Fantasy football is a fun, exciting way for fans to feel as if they are a part of what actually happens on Sundays in the NFL. Fantasy football is actually quite simple and for some people can consume their lives for the few months that football is in season.

Anybody that plays can tell you that building a completely balanced team is the key to winning your league. That being said, here are the top 5 players at each position for fantasy with some breakdowns of players and what their upside and downside will be during this upcoming 2014 fantasy football season:

Adrian Peterson should be the #1 overall pick in every fantasy football league.
By Mike Morbeck, via Wikimedia Commons

Running Backs (RB):

1. Adrian Peterson: For the last few years since his return from injury, AP has just been filthy and he will again in 2014 be a monster. Peterson is basically the Vikings’ entire offense with the exception of wideout Cordarrelle Patterson. With his quarterback to either be Matt Cassel or rookie Teddy Bridgewater, Peterson is primed to have another great year as long as he stays healthy.
2. Matt Forte: Having Forte this high may come to a surprise of many but when healthy, Forte is an absolute beast. He can catch, he can run, he can do it all. The Bears look primed to have a very scary offense that centers around Forte especially if Cutler injuries himself yet again.
3. LeSean McCoy: Shady McCoy is coming off a breakout season with Chip Kelly and his offense. McCoy will have another stellar season but his production will fade, as teams defenses will figure out ways to slow down Kelly and his offense.
4. Jamaal Charles: Charles was everything for the Chiefs last season and so he put up some exceptional numbers. I just don’t see the Chiefs relying so heavily on Charles again in 2014 but that doesn’t mean he won’t put up numbers. Charles is still a main option in that offense and will continue to be.
5. Eddie Lacy: Not seeing Marshawn Lynch in the top 5 will make some people angry but I believe that Eddie Lacy has taken over the fifth spot. I am fearful that Lynch will get caught-up in the Super Bowl champion hype and it will affect his numbers slightly. Plus, Lacy has a lot to prove being so that he doesn’t endure a sophomore slump. 

Quarterback (QB):

1. Peyton Mannng: Despite the Super Bowl meltdown, need I even say more about this one?
2. Aaron Rodgers: I am looking for Rodgers to have a great season in 2014. He is healthy and wants to remind everyone just who the king of the QBs is. Watch out for Rodgers in 2014.
3. Drew Brees: Brees and the Saints were so close to beating Seattle in Seattle in the playoffs. The Saints always have an explosive offense, which makes Brees a top fantasy QB every year.
4. Matthew Stafford: Just having Calvin Johnson as your number 1 WR, you are going to make the top 5 despite all the turnovers. Stafford will look to cut down on the turnovers and if he does so, the Lions may have a chance at the playoffs this season.
5. Matt Ryan: I know this is a gamble putting him here but I believe with a healthy Julio Jones and Roddy White, the Falcons can have their scary offensive attack back. Plus the addition of speedster Devin Hester will help Ryan and the Falcons.

Wide Receiver (WR):

1. Calvin Johnson: Johnson scares anyone who goes up against him even in fantasy because he is that good. He will have another amazing season so fantasy owners be afraid if he isn’t in your lineup.
2. Dez Bryant: Whom else do the Cowboys have on offense? Their offense mainly consists of Tony Romo throwing deep to Bryant for the touchdown and after that it’s a mix of runs by Murray and some balls to Jason Witten. Bryant will have another breakout year.
3. AJ Green: Green has been one of the more consistent fantasy wide receivers in his first three seasons and more of the same in 2014. Andy Dalton and Green have a connection and Green will take advantage of that yet again. Green will have another pro bowl year in 2014.
4. Demaryius Thomas: Thomas would be higher than 4 if the Broncos didn’t have so many other weapons for Manning to throw to. Still Thomas is a deadly wide-out to go up against as he can explode for a few touchdowns in one game.
5. Julio Jones: When healthy, Jones is a top five wide receiver in the NFL. He is back and looks to be healthy and should be who we all know he is. Picking between him and Brandon Marshall was a difficult one but Jones gets the slight edge because of the Falcons weaker running back situation.

Tight Ends (TE):

1. Jimmy Graham: Graham is a touchdown machine because of his size and speed. Also having Drew Brees as his quarterback doesn’t hurt either. Graham looks to repeat his astounding 2013 season in 2014.
2. Rob Gronkowski: The key for Gronk is staying healthy. We all know what he can do when he’s actually on the field but his health has been an issue the last few seasons for the Patriots.
3. Julius Thomas: Thomas made a name for himself with the help of Peyton Manning in 2013, but much like his counterpart Demaryius Thomas, the Broncos have so many weapons where Thomas could be left out depending on the week.
4. Vernon Davis: When the 49ers throw the football, Davis is usually target number-one but they prefer to pound the ball and throw on third down. Davis will get his TDs and numbers but don’t expect him to exceed expectations.
5. Jordan Cameron: He had a hot start to the 2013 season only to cool down a bit towards the end. Yet with Josh Gordon likely to be indisposed, Cameron will and should be targeted more often. He is a great sleeper tight end option.

Defense/Special Teams (DST):

1. Seattle Seahawks: The NFL’s best defense in 2013 will again be dominant. You can’t go wrong with the Seahawks at all.
2. San Francisco 49ers: Like the Seahawks, you can’t go wrong with the 49ers. They are a physical and strong defense that will hit the opponent hard.
3. Carolina Panthers: I am actually scared to put this defense so high on here but I can’t overlook what they did last season. I am a big believer in showing what you can do in consecutive years so you prove that it wasn’t a one-year wonder. The Panthers will need to do that in order to maintain a top spot on here.
4. Cincinnati Bengals: Overlooked for some reason by the poor performance by Andy Dalton, the Bengals defense has quietly been one of the best every season for the last few years. They were a top-three defense without two of its best players last year so yeah, they deserve to be here.
5. Kansas City Chiefs: This defense has the most takeaways last season. That’s worth a lot.

Kicker (K):

1. Matt Prater: Prater is a benefactor of the Broncos explosive offense, but he is suspended for the first four games so beware if you have him on your roster until he comes back.
2. Justin Tucker: Tucker is a stud and you don’t usually hear that about a kicker. He makes just about everything and doesn’t crumble under pressure, which is exactly what you want in a kicker.
3. Stephen Gostkowski: Like the Broncos, the Patriots have a high-powered offense, which benefits Gostkowski. Nonetheless he is a good kicker and you can’t go wrong with selecting him.
4. Mason Crosby: Crosby is a consistent kicker who plays for a good offensive team. Like the others on this list, he is a quality selection.
5. Blair Walsh: Although Walsh plays for a bad team, he is a good pickup for a kicker in fantasy. Walsh can help any fantasy team get over the hump with his consistency.

I got kicked out of my fantasy football league.

LaDainian Tomlinson used to be a SURE THING in fantasy football. There are no more sure things, including me keeping up with my fantasy football team… By Dirk [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Fellow fansmanshipper — Andy Stevens — is our league commissioner. He offered me a trade early in the season that seemed like a good one so that he could get Green Bay’s defense. I widely ignored his request. It wasn’t really purposeful. I just wasn’t in the habit of checking things and never could quite get there. Also, I didn’t change my team’s lineup for at least 3 straight weeks.

So, about two weeks ago, Andy took control of my team. I was notified via email. I no longer had control of “Sneaky Sneaky” in the California Penal League, or whatever it was called. I can’t even see it on my Yahoo! profile anymore. It’s gone. Like it never even existed.

Do I feel guilty? — a little. I’ve fielded an efforted — if mediocre — team for the past 6-8 seasons. There’s an amount of pride in that. Here’s my take on the NFL and especially fantasy football: the players and product on the field are amazing, but for a casual fantasy football player, it’s become harder to compete. There are no more “guarantees” at the running back position and there is so much information out there that someone can spend time researching and have a huge advantage. There are far less “gut feelings” that are right.

Because I generally enjoy gut feelings paying off, and with no time to research (among other reasons I’m sure), fantasy football league had generally out-grown me. I could no longer keep up.

I’ve talked to Andy since then, but my banishment hasn’t come up. It’s probably because I don’t really have the time or energy to care and because he understands. And I think I’ll just stick to baseball from here on out.

Also, to the rest of the guys in that league, sorry. It’s been a busy year — on the road for over 100 days already and trying to build this site in my spare-time. So Sneaky Sneaky turned into a ghost ship.

It’s been a fun 2012 so far. It just hasn’t been one that I’m able to keep up with my fantasy football league. I guess it’s not my league anymore…

And, in case you were wondering whether I’ve been paying attention to the NFL, I’ve been paying enough attention. This is the perfect time for Super Bowl picks. In the NFC, the two options are the Falcons and Giants. I’m going with the Falcons this year. In the AFC, things are a little freakier. I think the Ravens are a dark horse for the AFC championship game, but I’m picking the Texans. You’re welcome. Now back to work.

After the first two weeks, fantasy football managers are either doing cartwheels or wanting to take a bath with a plugged-in toaster over their first round running back selection. The top 10 running backs were without a doubt in a class by themselves compared to running back #11 and beyond.  That being said, the top 5 were also in a different tier in terms of talent and potential when compared to backs 5 through 10.  Here is a quick breakdown of the top 10 running backs picked (based on Yahoo! average pick in 10-team head to head leagues) after the first two weeks.

1. Arian Foster (1.9 ) – The hype machine tabbed Arian Foster as the next great workhorse. Last I checked, true workhorses don’t twit pic MRI’s of their injuries – they rub some dirt on it and get out there. I didn’t have the first pick in any of my leagues, but I told myself if I were faced with the evident dilemma, Foster or Peterson, I would side with Peterson.  Yes Peterson has proven to be injury prone but, ahem, you get the picture.  It doesn’t matter what your name is, as long as there is an “RB” next to it, you are inherently injury prone.  Anyhoo, Foster sat out the first game and was eased into the Texans week 2 contest, producing all of 40 total yards.  Bleh.  If Foster comes back healthy, predicting his level of success will be difficult, as in the next 8 weeks the Texans face just as many great defenses (New Orleans, Pittsburg, Baltimore, Tennessee) as they do questionable ones (Oakland, Jacksonville, Cleveland, Tampa Bay).  What kind of year will the #1 overall pick have?  This is the biggest mystery in fantasy football today.  

2. Adrian Peterson (1.9) – A.D. All Day so far looks to mean all day gaining yards and handing the ball to the back judge in the end zone, not spending all day having his knee scoped.  When early mock drafts were taking place, Foster was the resounding #1 overall pick and Peterson was a distant #2.  As the season began, they both actually had the exact same average draft position (1.9).  While 245 yards and 2 scores isn’t the buffet of production you generally expect out of Peterson, he is the type of guy that once he gets it rolling, can put up some gargantuan numbers.  Expect big things out of Peterson the next 3 weeks against an improved Detroit defense, and two struggling defenses, Kansas City and Arizona.  At the end of the season, I’ll have a Peterson over Foster “I told you so” moment.

3. Jamaal Charles (5.2) – Devastated.  Noose-tying.  Gun-swallowing.  All are descriptions for Charles owners after he did his ACL Sunday versus Detroit.  Charles was subsequently put on injured reserve by the Chiefs and will be out for the remainder of the season.  I believe injury or not, expecting the same outstanding year from Charles that he had last year was a bit of a stretch and he was being slightly over drafted.  If given the opportunity, I would (and in fact did) draft Ray Rice or Chris Johnson over Charles.  The worst part about the tragedy of tearing up his knee is it could have been avoided.  He landed on the Lions mascot.  Wrong place wrong time or… Conspiracy theory?  Naaahhh.. 

4. Ray Rice (5.3) – Rice has gained 245 total yards and has scored 3 times in the first two games, most of which came during a week 1 blowout win versus the Steelers.  The fact that Rice can do so well versus great defenses like Pittsburgh is an exciting thing for Rice owners, but the fact that he doesn’t show up for a lot of big time road contests like last Sunday at Tennessee could be a red flag.  But maybe Tennessee is just better than we thought?  (I knew there was a reason I pinpointed Tennessee’s defense as a second/backup defense).  Rice and the Ravens could struggle the next three weeks versus St. Louis, the New York Jets and Houston respectively, but look for Rice to break it wide open in the middle of the season, when the Ravens have a five-game stretch starting week 7 in which they play:  Jacksonville, Arizona, Pittsburgh, Seattle and Cincinnati.

5. Chris Johnson (5.3) – When drafting 4th, I was given the chance to draft either CJ or Charles with Peterson, Foster and Rice already off the board.  I took CJ.  Yes, I look like a genius now that Charles is out for the year, but to say Johnson has under produced through the first two weeks would be an understatement.  104 total yards and no scores in the first two weeks is baffling for a talent like Johnson.  Either teams are gearing up to stop him, he as lost a step, or Matt Hasselbeck and the passing game is just a better option right now.  Either way, in the next 6 weeks Johnson will benefit from matching up against struggling defenses like Denver, Indianapolis and Cleveland.  He will also suffer from having to match up against Pittsburgh and Houston.  His season could go two directions from here in my opinion – through the roof or in the tank.  For the sake of all Johnson owners, let’s hope it’s the former and not the latter.

6. Rashard Mendenhall (8.8) – Mendenhall’s 123 total yards and one score in the first two weeks isn’t a deal breaker, but also isn’t what is expected out of this rising back.  In the next 8 weeks Mendenhall will benefit from games against:  Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Arizona and Cincinnati; but he will also suffer from games against:  Houston, Tennessee, New England and Baltimore.  Due to this and the fact that Pittsburgh has always rotated a lot of backs, and the fact that their offense has been known to get pass happy when Big Ben is feeling it, the success of Mendenhall in the coming weeks is a 50/50 proposition at best.

7. Michael Turner (10.8) – After a breakout year in 2009 and a funk in 2010, looks as if The Burner is back in 2011.  286 total yards and a score in the opening two weeks is a good sign for Turner owners.  Anticipate The Burner and his tree-trunk sticks to avoid serious injury and possibly pile up close to a 2,000 total yard season and double-digit touchdowns.  With Tampa Bay, Seattle, Carolina and Indianapolis on the schedule in the coming weeks, I have a lot of faith in Turner carrying a lot of fantasy teams to big wins.  You’re welcome Turner owners.  Enjoy.

8. Darren McFadden (12.9) – Like Turner, all early indications are that McFadden is out-performing his average draft position of 12.9.  299 total yards and two scores in the first two weeks says as much, as a little nagging shoulder injury sure hasn’t held him back.  McFadden was an unreal talent in college at Arkansas, and was by far the best running back in the nation when he was an upper-classman.  After a few years of adjusting to the NFL, it looks as if McFadden is ready to take the league by storm.  The next three weeks could be rough as the Raiders play the New York Jets, New England and Houston.  The next three weeks after that though, McFadden could rack up some real damage, as Oakland faces Cleveland, Kansas City and Denver.  Don’t be surprised though if McFadden breaks the mold and takes those great defenses he is up against in the next three weeks to task.  He has the talent to do so.  And also don’t be surprised if McFadden is a top 5 pick next year.   

9. LeSean McCoy (13.8) – In a team of big name contracts it seems McCoy is a little over-shadowed.  He has managed to amass an astonishing 253 total yards and 4 touchdowns in the first two games, and yet the story is still about Michael Vick, DeSean Jackson and Nnamdi Asomugha.  I think McCoy likes being a bit under the radar, and when opponents are so quick to key on the other weapons Philly has, that’s when he takes advantage.  Let’s not be so quick to give him all the credit yet though, as Andy Reid has, as he always has, found creative ways to utilize the overall abilities of a multi-faceted back like McCoy.  McCoy could really flourish this season, as the Eagles don’t face a legitimate defense until week 12 against New England.  

10. Maurice Jones-Drew (15.6) – The great thing about Jones-Drew is that he has always pretty much played for a loser, and has still managed to put up big numbers.  Contrary to what he himself would lead you to believe (Jones-Drew is an avid fantasy player), MJD is no longer the top 3 pick he was in years past.  After the first two weeks he is about right where he should be numbers-wise for his average pick position of 15.6, 204 total yards and one score.  The next 6 weeks the Jags will face:  Carolina, New Orleans, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Houston.  I only see two cupcake defenses in that list.  Look for Jones-Drew to struggle a bit in the coming weeks.

What we learned?  We learned that you were just as well off picking towards then end of the first round as you were in the beginning of it.  When something like this happens it is always good for fantasy sports.  The old guard at the top may be slipping a little, but still has the chance to turn it around the rest of the season due to the overall talent in play.  And even better, the new guard that is right behind the old guard nipping at their heels is stepping up and playing a bit over their predictions.  We also learned that a top 10 back is going to suffer a season-ending injury just like he always does.  This is my 11th year playing fantasy football, and even though the names change, things stay the same.  All is well here.