Time to shake it up.

No more standing by and watching top dogs Adrian Peterson and LaDainian Tomlinson get out-produced by the likes of Clinton Portis, Frank Gore and Marion Barber. That trio is no doubt a placeholder until A.P. and L.T. break out of their funks, but the body of work still deserves the recognition.

Philosophically, we’ll be treating this poll just like an AP Top 25 in college football. Just because a team keeps winning, it doesn’t mean it has chance after chance to retain the No. 1 ranking. Peterson was the equivalent of, say, Georgia eking past Alabama-Birmingham, Jacksonville State and Troy: while he technically didn’t lose a ton of ground, he didn’t gain any of it, either. Read more »

Some new faces crack our top 101 rankings, but the list has the same distinct look to it with a virtually unaltered top 10. That could change next week, though, because Vikings running back Adrian Peterson is officially on probation as our top-ranked player. The only question standing in the way of a Week 6 demotion is, who else deserves the top spot?

LaDainian Tomlinson has issues of his own and comes off a lackluster Week 5 effort. Frank Gore is having a fine, fine season, but his game just doesn’t scream “best player in fantasy football.” Clinton Portis is ever-so-slowly inching his way there, but doesn’t have half the big-game explosion of Peterson. We knew going in that Peterson would be inconsistent, so he gets at least one more week to prove just how good he can be. Read more »

Youth movement has been a good theme for 2008, with an influx of rookie running backs, dominant performances by young quarterbacks Jay Cutler and Philip Rivers, and lost confidence in some of the game’s best veterans LaDainian Tomlinson, Randy Moss and Peyton Manning. There are no signs of halting the movement, so youth have continued their invasion of our pre-Week 4 edition of the Fantasy NFL 101.

Second-year back Adrian Peterson narrowly fended off a healthy-looking Tomlinson for No. 1 honors, while Frank Gore and Marion Barber jumped Brian Westbrook, who is questionable this week with an ankle strain. Two more young backs are waiting in the wings in Marshawn Lynch (No. 6) and Joseph Addai (No. 8). Read more »

Any good fantasy owner looks at and analyzes his team on a week-by-week basis. What happens the week before can, and most often will, dramatically affect what happens the following week. So, on the eve of Week 2, don’t forget what happened last Sunday, and then apply that information to your lineups.

Injuries to Tom Brady and Marques Colston certainly will have an impact on their respective teams. Also, as we take a look ahead to Week 2, while we expect big things from Julius Jones and Jerricho Cotchery, we can’t say the same about Donovan McNabb.
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We like to consider the needs of fantasy owners before our own here at ImaginaryGridiron.com. Your fantasy needs are important, yes, but we also care a great deal about your emotional well-being and stability during a rollercoaster ride of a season. Tom Brady and Marques Colston owners are especially in need of a hug this week, and we’re here to lie and tell them that everything will be OK.

We’re also here to set your sights on the proper things this weekend. First, Sunday’s must-see games, the ones that should be watched and/or recorded, if at all possible. Next, we’ll optimistically tackle the players who got out of the gates strong and look to have the staying power to go well beyond preseason expectations. And lastly, we’ll talk about 10 not-so-fortunate players who could prove to be 2008 busts. Read more »

Alright, fantasy owners, it’s time for some useful yet arbitrary rankings heading into Week 2 action. We’ve touched up our preseason top 200, narrowed it down to 101, and added notes for each player. The same drill will follow each and every week of the season.

The list of suspects who improved on their preseason draft stock is well known by now. Willie Parker, Donovan McNabb, Michael Turner, Reggie Bush, Matt Forte and Chris Johnson are some of the hottest commodities in fantasy football. But, take a look at Bills running back Marshawn Lynch and Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo; while their stat lines didn’t blow anyone away, there are signs for better-than-expected gains. Read more »