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 »

Gone are the days where Antonio Gates is the clear cut No. 1 tight end in fantasy. In are the days of more parody at the position, with an influx of superb, athletic pass catchers playing tight end. Gates has been stamped out and cloned to the point where he’s no longer a must-have selection for those who put a premium on tight ends.

Jason Witten and Kellen Winslow emerged as elite options with career seasons in 2007. Neither figures to slow down in ‘08, and both could again challenge Gates for top-scoring tight end honors. Read more »

Conventional wisdom says running back is the most important position in fantasy football, and that’s why owners will likely spend at least two very high picks on them. Getting not only a stud running back to anchor your team, but depth at the position, is normally viewed as a recipe for success. It is a recommended strategy, but you need to be careful this year.
 
Generally, not only have NFL teams have been airing it out more, but they have been switching to “two-headed” monsters at running back, therefore cutting down on your No. 1 back’s carries (See: Dallas, Minnesota, Jacksonville, New Orleans, Oakland etc.). As a result, there are less conventional every-down, star running backs out there, so the days having to immediately load up on running backs may be dwindling, just ever so slightly. Read more »

The 2008 quarterback class will be headlined by familiar names, and there’s nothing to suggest that the top fantasy signal callers will be changing anytime soon. With a historic season from Tom Brady, the continued excellence of Peyton Manning, and the emergence of Tony Romo and Ben Roethlisberger as legitimate fantasy studs, the gap between the top of the class and the middle is as big as ever.

However, that’s not to say that owners who do not take a quarterback in the first four rounds will be starved of options. There are plenty of lower-ranked QBs with a high ceiling, such as Jay Cutler, Marc Bulger, and the newest Manning with a Super Bowl ring on his finger, Eli. They won’t be putting up three TDs every game, but they’re solid and cost-effective. Read more »