Seven Weeks down; ten to go. And the NFL class of 2008 is making its presence felt on Sundays (and Mondays for that matter). Big Week 7 performances from Chris Johnson and Matt Forte showed the fantasy world that these first year guys mean business.

John Carlson caught one for a score for the second straight game and Darren McFadden is still vying to touch the ball in Oakland. The Rams offense woke up in Week 7’s upset over Dallasm which could translate into good numbers for Donnie Avery, while the Jets demise to the Raiders in OT may mean it’s time to give up on Dustin Keller for the rest of ‘08. Read more »

The NFL season is more than one-third complete and its been an exciting six weeks. Now that we have a relatively decent grasp on what’s occurred and what to expect for the rest of the ‘08 campaign I thought it would be a good time to sit back, analyze some results and talk about the immediate future of the NFL. Read more »

As their inaugural campaign progresses, many of the NFL’s top young talents are beginning to feel the wear and tear of a 16-game professional season. Eddie Royal of the Broncos missed Week 6 action with an ankle injury and Dallas’ Felix Jones left the Cowboys loss at Arizona with a hamstring problem.

Many of those who were healty enough to play, however, contributed greatly to their teams’ success. Matt Ryan didn’t turn the ball over and threw a beautiful 26-yard out pattern to set his team up for the game-winning field goal. He also hit fellow top-rookie Harry Douglas for 96 yards on the day. Even St. Louis had a good weekend as rookie Donny Avery led the team in receiving during their first win of 2008. Read more »

The NFL’s class of 2008 has made its presence felt through the first quarter of the season. Week 5 proved to be no different as many rookies found their way into the endzones and impacted fantasy games everywhere during a time when depth was huge due to bye weeks and injuries.

For the third straight week, Houston’s Steve Slaton looked great. It certainly doesn’t seem like he’s only started three games as a pro. And in Dallas, Felix Jones taught the Cowboys a valuable lesson by following up his zero-touch effort in Week 4 with an impressive showing of 96 yards on nine carries including a 33-yard touchdown scamper. Read more »

At the quarter-point of the season, we have started to learn some things about many of the young players making their professional debuts. And with major injuries and plenty of scores to be had, the rookies were busy in Week 4.

Sunday proved to be full of surprises, as Felix Jones got zero touches in the Cowboys loss to Washington, and Darren McFadden took a back seat to Michael Bush as he attempted to play through a case of turf toe. Facing one of the league’s great run defenses, Chris Johnson managed to score his first and second career rushing touchdowns. Read more »

We want to get cute with our Week 3 wide receiver rankings, but it’s just not wise to bet against the likes of Brandon Marshall, Terrell Owens and Plaxico Burress to put up big days. There are really no surprises in the top 15 projected wideouts, with the lone exception being Carolina’s Steve Smith, who returns from a two-game suspension.

We are also cautiously optimistic that the Cincinnati Bengals offense will get back on track, which would mean quality performances by the duo of T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Chad Johnson. For at least one more week, both of these guys should remain fixtures in fantasy lineups, so don’t push that panic button just yet. Read more »

Time to shake things up in our Week 3 rankings, especially at the top where the unthinkable happened - LaDainian Tomlinson lost his weekly home at No. 1 to Adrian Peterson. More struggling backs were bumped from the top five, as we try and let go of our preseason draft stocks and start seeing reality for what it is.

Reality is, Steven Jackson and Joseph Addai are no longer more desirable than Clinton Portis and Marion Barber. Ditto for Randy Moss, who was passed by Terrell Owens as our No. 1 wide receiver after seeing New England’s revamped offense with Matt Cassel at the helm. Read more »

There is much difficulty in pulling the trigger on a player who is guaranteed to miss three crucial weeks of the season. So, when it was announced that Denver Broncos wide receiver Brandon Marshall would have his three-game suspension reduced to one, the young wide receiver surged up rankings boards and altered the fantasy football landscape.

One of the league’s premier talents is finally being selected where his skill level dictates he should. This season’s class of wide receivers was already deep, but the added certainty for Marshall creates yet another dimension. Now, what’s left in the wide receiver pool is a group of nearly 20 players who could produce like No. 1 receivers for fantasy teams. Marshall is a legitimate No. 1 option and moves into the position’s top 10 rankings. Read more »

In fantasy, a sleeper is comprised of equal parts talent and opportunity. Some of fantasy owners’ biggest frustrations happen when young talent wastes away while veterans serve as mediocre starters. Before the season begins, it’s important to assess when and where the opportunities could come, and who’s in line to receive them.

Among those with the most immediate chance to prove himself as a fantasy contributor is Eagles rookie wideout DeSean Jackson. The Eagles’ already-thin group of receivers got even thinner when it was announced that Kevin Curtis could miss nearly half the season with a sports hernia surgery. Fellow rookie Ray Rice and Steve Slaton could also gets early opportunities because of injuries. Read more »