Everyman's Fantasy

With all the accuracy of Zoltar eating a fortune cookie, The EveryMan sheds light on the 2009 fantasy season.

Quarterbacks

- Only one of last year's young guns to rank in the top #5 at qb will repeat. His name isn't Aaron Rodgers or Jay Cutler.

- Old standby's Tom Brady and Peyton Manning will both regain their spots in the top 5. Last season, Manning was 6th, Brady a less-impressive 54th (just behind the esteemed Jim Sorgi)

- Peyton's younger and larger tongued brother (who is also now the league's highest paid player) will continue his trend of not being a viable fantasy starter. In his 4 years as a starter, E-why (you try saying a name like that with a St. Bernard tongue hanging out of your mouth) has never cracked the top 12. That won't change.

- Both players involved in this off-season's quarterback scramble, Kyle Orton and Jay Cutler, will be longing for days of yore as they fall off dramatically from last year's performance. Cutler, who ranked #4 last year and whose new number one option, a converted kick returner, is a far cry from young studs Brandon Marshall and Eddie Royal, will find himself as a fringe starter in 12 teams league. But the good news is, at least he'll be a starter. Orton, who has never been a viable fantasy option except as a bye week stopgap, will be lucky to hold onto his starting job through October, and will fall into complete fantasy obscurity as he rides the pine in the Mile High City.

Running Backs

- There is absolutely no way this year's rookie class replicates the performance of last year's bunch, when Matt Forte (#5), Steve Slaton (#7) and Chris Johson (#11) all finished as RB1's. If any rookie will break into the top 10, and I'm skeptical of that, it will be Knowshown Moreno running behind Denver's incredible offensive line.

- Nor will Forte, Slaton and Johnson all replicate the success they had as rookies. Forte, the one with the least flash, is a lock to finish back in the top 10, as he is guaranteed a heavy workload on an offense with very few weapons. Look for Johnson to lose some touches to the newly svelte LenDale White, but still finish just outside the top 10, and put up numbers similar to last season. I love Slaton's ability but worry about his size. He'll fall from elite level to a good RB2, and check in right around #15 when all is said and done.

- This year's forgotten man, Mr. LaDanian Tomlinson, will establish himself once again as a top 3 running back and challenge for the fantasy crown. The talk of his “disappointing” season last year is highly exaggerated (he had 225 fantasy points and ranked sixth among running backs) and he is healthier. Buy low, if possible.

- Carolina's Smash and Dash will only get better this season, running behind a line that could open holes big enough for LenDale circa 2008. The production will be more evenly distributed this season, with Jonathan Stewart finishing within 40 points of his backfield mate (and last years top running back) DeAngelo Williams, while they both claim top-20 fantasy status.

- Despite being a near unanimous first pick, “Purple Jesus” will not, I repeat, will not, end the season as the league's highest scoring running back. Nor will other potential #1 picks Maurice Jones-Drew or Michael Turner.

- The man who will: Steven Jackson, who finally stays healthy for a full 16 games.

Wide Receiver

- When the dust settles, Larry Fitzgerald will come out on top of a season-long tussle with Randy Moss for the crown of top wideout. Both will easily surpass Fitz's league-leading 221 points last season, and both will have 15 or more touchdowns. Calvin Johnson will also score over 220 fantasy points and finish third.

- TO will be a top 10 wideout. Greg Jennings will not.

- Last season's biggest fantasy busts at wide receiver, Chad Ochocinco, Braylon Edwards, and Roy Williams all find themselves as number ones and with something to prove. Edwards will bounce back and be a low level WR1, but the other two will struggle with inconsistency, being nothing better than a bad WR2.

- Hide the women and children, the white receiver revolution is upon us! For those of you who thought that the days of Tim Dwight, Joe Jurevicius, and Kevin Curtis were the Golden Years, think again. This will be the first time in anyone's memory that three white receivers go over 1,000 yards. Wes Welker will do it for a third straight year, and with Brady back, will double his touchdown total of last year. Kevin Walter, who actually had more fantasy points than Welker last year, will continue to play a great second banana to Andre Johnson and break through for his first 1,000 yard season of his career. Anthony Gonzalez, the perfect fit for a Manning-lead system, will make the third year leap, surpassing 1,000 yards and hauling in seven or more touchdowns.

- While its anyone's guess who will be this year's top rookie receiver, it is guaranteed that none will equal the production of 2008's top rook, DeSean Jackson, who amassed 118 points on 1,008 total yards and 4 touchdowns. Michael Crabtree, by far the most talented of the class, has the skill to make an impact but is currently holding out, something that will not sit well with hardline coach Mike Singletary. Jeremy Maclin, the other potential star of this group, is in every way a Jackson clone, including the jersey he'll be wearing on his back, which will hinder his ability to get enough touches.

- Hines Ward will finish the season with more fantasy than his younger, more ballyhooed (and Superbowl MVP) teammate Santonio Holmes.

Tight End

- The Big Three became the Big Four last year, with Dallas Clark sneaking his way past Antonio Gates into the third fantasy tight end spot. This year, Kellen Winslow, even with a rookie head coach and revolving door of quarterbacks, will regain his “soldja” form of 2007 and make it a tight knit group of five atop the leader at tight end. All will have over 125 points.

- Three more tight ends will break 100 fantasy points; Visanthe “The Purple Snake” Shiancoe (who had 101 last year), the every consistent Chris Cooley, and Zach Miller, one of the Raiders few weapons.

- Brent Celek, everyone's “super sleeper” this year, will be a serviceable tight end (which is more than you can say for the once-franchised LJ Smith) but with all the weapons in the Eagles arsenal, won't see enough balls to break into the top 8.