tiggerpolice

Draft boards: Not just for nerds
By Mike Wilkening (mwilkening@pfwmedia.com)
June 3, 2005





Updated at 12:20 p.m. EDT, June 3, 2005

At PFW, we spend much of June getting ready for July and August. So some of the editors took time Thursday afternoon to write fantasy football reports to be unveiled on our Web site in the coming weeks. Every once in a while we’d steal glances at the televisions at our desks. Most were tuned to the Scripps National Spelling Bee, and I know what you’re thinking — nerds watching nerds.

Some may believe it’s too early to start thinking about fantasy football, but I disagree. I tend to think this is the right time to start your analysis for the upcoming season, particularly if you’re in a competitive league.

A good first step is simply ranking your top players. I’ve found that creating my own draft board pays dividends on draft day. I make decisions with more quickness and more confidence, for I know whom I like — and whom I’ll gladly allow to slide to another owner.

So here’s my first crack at a draft board. I’ve ranked my top 60 players, regardless of position and regardless of where I believe they will be selected on draft day. (Obviously, style your board to your needs and preferences.) I used the 2005 PFW/CBS SportsLine.com Fantasy Football Guide, which will be in stores later in June, as a reference. I have made some notes at various points on my board to highlight particularly intriguing players. Again, these are my rankings, not the consensus of the editors:

1. Colts QB Peyton Manning
2. Chiefs RB Priest Holmes
3. Chargers RB LaDainian Tomlinson
4. Seahawks RB Shaun Alexander
5. Colts RB Edgerrin James — Not a great red-zone back, but he’s likely to approach 2,000 total yards. A safe pick.
6. Raiders WR Randy Moss
7. Vikings QB Daunte Culpepper
8. Packers RB Ahman Green
9. Saints RB Deuce McAllister
10. Patriots RB Corey Dillon
11. Bills RB Willis McGahee
12. Bengals RB Rudi Johnson
13. Eagles WR Terrell Owens
14. Colts WR Marvin Harrison
15. Redskins RB Clinton Portis — Colleague Jeff Reynolds and I have talked about where to draft Portis. I initially said I would draft him in the top 10 without blinking, but as I kept editing this board, he kept falling and falling …
16. Eagles QB Donovan McNabb
17. Texans RB Domanick Davis — Such a big scorer down the stretch a season ago, but such a drag early in the campaign.
18. Cowboys RB Julius Jones — Scored a touchdown per game in his last seven starts of 2004.
19. Rams WR Torry Holt
20. Ravens RB Jamal Lewis
21. Rams RB Steven Jackson — He was the only running back with more than 100 carries to gain 5.0 yards per tote.
22. Lions RB Kevin Jones
23. Jets RB Curtis Martin
24. Raiders RB LaMont Jordan
25. Packers WR Javon Walker
26. Bengals WR Chad Johnson
27. Colts WR Reggie Wayne — He must be considered as a No. 1 wideout in all leagues.
28. Chiefs QB Trent Green
29. Giants RB Tiki Barber
30. Packers QB Brett Favre
31. Saints WR Joe Horn
32. Chargers TE Antonio Gates — The best of a strong TE group. Unless you prefer …
33. Chiefs TE Tony Gonzalez — … this guy.
34. Broncos RB Tatum Bell
35. Eagles RB Brian Westbrook
36. Vikings WR Nate Burleson — I will be stunned if he doesn’t score 10 touchdowns.
37. Seahawks WR Darrell Jackson
38. Texans WR Andre Johnson — I would be leery of drafting him as a No. 1 wideout; I’m just not confident that QB David Carr will get the pass protection he needs to be productive.
39. Titans RB Chris Brown
40. Dolphins RB Ronnie Brown
41. Steelers WR Hines Ward
42. Seahawks QB Matt Hasselbeck
43. Rams QB Marc Bulger
44. Lions WR Roy Williams
45. Raiders QB Kerry Collins — Can you trust him to be consistent for a full season? That is the question to answer before draft day. I still haven’t sorted it out.
46. Falcons QB Michael Vick
47. Buccaneers WR Michael Clayton
48. Broncos WR Ashley Lelie
49. Patriots QB Tom Brady
50. Falcons RB Warrick Dunn
51. Dolphins WR Chris Chambers
52. Jaguars RB Fred Taylor — I had him ranked 10 spots higher on my initial board, but after further review, that was a little too lofty for him as he recovers from offseason knee surgery. However, I am reluctant to pull him from my board; if healthy, he's the most talented back on the roster — and better than any available veteran back. Kudos to reader Rick Dise of Columbus, Ohio, for sending his thoughts on the Taylor issue this morning.
53. Saints QB Aaron Brooks — Maligned, but you can win with him.
54. Buccaneers RB Cadillac Williams
55. Raiders WR Jerry Porter
56. Titans WR Drew Bennett
57. Colts WR Brandon Stokley — According to our yardage-league rankings, he was the 11th-most productive wideout last season. Underrated.
58. Giants WR Plaxico Burress
59. Colts TE Dallas Clark
60. Bears WR Muhsin Muhammad



Watch this Web site for details about the launch of the 2005 Fantasy Inner Circle, PFW's premium coverage of fantasy football, in July. The Fantasy Inner Circle will debut with many commentaries on players and teams, followed by preseason draft boards and much more.

http://www.profootballweekly.com/PFW...ning060305.htm

FireVenturi

tom brady and vick out of the top 40? huh?

Euphoria

what crap

TheDeuce

OK this thing is total crap.....
I think LT might have something to say about that. So would Priest and Deuce.