2/9 Fantasy Football Rankings, Top 25

Once again, working from 25 to 1. Numbers in parenthesis are last month's ranking.

25(NR). Antonio Gates, TE, SD-When healthy last season put up numbers that equalled that of the top wide receivers in the NFL. In just 10 games in 2010 he put up 50 catches, over 750 yards, and 10 touchdowns. Averaged over a full season, the result would have been 80 catches, 1200 yards, and 16 touchdowns. Clearly the top tight end

24(24). Phillip Rivers, QB, SD-The man throwing to Gates stays at 24. Primed for a very big 2011.

23(NR). Ahmad Bradshaw, RB, NYG-Overlooked in my previous ranking, set career highs in 2010 in carries (276), rushing yards (1275), and touchdowns (8). Fumbling could prove costly given Tom Coughlin's past.

22(NR). Ryan Matthews, RB, SD-Had a rocky rookie season, but showed life toward the end of the year, scoring five touchdowns in the final touchdowns in the final four weeks while rushing for a tad under 300 yards. Given his receiving ability could put up 1200-1500 total yards in 2011.

21(19). Tom Brady, QB, NE-Brady remains one of the top QB options and doesn't move much since last ranking.

20(21). Darren McFadden, RB, Oak-Stays steady as he should be the number one option in Oakland and if he can follow up his big 2010 season could eclipse his 2010 numbers

19(22). Greg Jennings, WR, GB-Top receiver for the league's top fantasy QB. With Driver's age Jennings could see a few more targets.

18(18). Hakeem Nicks, WR, NYG-Remains in the same spot since January, huge redzone target and as long as healthy should be among top scoring receivers

17(17). Dwayne Bowe, WR, KC-Based off his huge 2010 he has become the focal point of the Chief's passing game

16(15). Calvin Johnson, WR, Det-Finished among the receiving leaders in 2010, if Stafford is healthy in 2011 he could be the top scoring fantasy receiver.

15(9). Reggie Wayne, WR, Ind-His drop from last season is due to more of an evaluation on my part than anything he has done. I expect Wayne's targets and touchdowns to drop with a healthy Dallas Clark, a matured Pierre Garcon, and possibly a healthy Austin Collie. Still a top receiver but falls short of the lofty numbers I expect from Andre Johnson and Roddy White.

14(12). Frank Gore, RB, SF-Dropped a little due to injury history. I can't spend a first round pick on someone I don't trust to stay healthy. I think Jim Harbaugh can get him more involved, but the injuries are definitely a concern.

13(14). Ray Rice, RB, Bal-Stays as a borderline first rounder, a little drop from last season but Rice isn't enough of a touchdown threat for my liking.

12(4). Maurice Jones-Drew, RB, Jax-Biggest drop for me due to the knee injury. Reports show that he has no cartilage in his injured knee. That screams to me that he may be nearing the end in terms of being an elite fantasy talent. He may be capable of huge numbers, but I don't trust him right now without seeing him in preseason.

11(16). Aaron Rodgers, QB, GB-Rodgers was good in the regular season, but what he did in the playoff with a running game was nothing short of astounding. Could be a 35 TD, 4000+ guy that also rushes for 300-400 yards and scores 5+ rushing touchdowns. Is now the elite fantasy QB.

10(13). Rashard Mendenhall, RB, Pit-Has become the focal point of the Pittsburgh offense. No reason he can't put up 1200+ yards and double digit touchdowns year in, year out. Is a first rounder in all formats for me.

9(11). LeSean McCoy, RB, Phi-In the same boat as Mendy but is a slightly better receiving option. Depending on the quarterback situation in Philadelphia he is fully capable of being a top 5 fantasy running back.

8(10). Andre Johnson, WR, Hou-Has been one of the top receivers in football for 5 or so years now and remains a first rounder for me.

7(8). Roddy White, WR, Atl-Became the elite guy among fantasy receivers and will probably stay there for me throughout the entire offseason.

6(6). Steven Jackson, RB, STL-With Bradford at QB he is an elite fantasy back. Injuries are a slight concern but he has missed just one game last two seasons.

5(7). Michael Turner, RB, Atl-Had a great bounce back season in 2010 and should be a high draft pick in 2011.

4(2). Chris Johnson, RB, Ten-Dropped from the two spot for me. Coaching will be a question and as of now no QB does not spell a successful fantasy season. He has great talent but I expect his numbers to fall, I'm not sure how dramatic that fall will be.

3(5). Jamaal Charles, RB, KC-Keeps moving up my list. The man put up 6.3 YPC last season and over 1400 rushing yards in a time share. No one seems to recall how he tallied over 1400 total yards in 2009 and had 5.9 rushing yards. He could have a Chris Johnson 2009 type season. Possibly the top option in PPR leagues. Lack of touchdowns is a bit concerning.

2(3). Arian Foster, RB, Hou-I don't fully trust him and Ben Tate will probably get some carries but its hard to ignore 2220 total yards and 18 touchdowns although the man also had over 390 touches last season.

1(1). Adrian Peterson, RB, Min-Has proven it doesn't matter what his QB does or who the coach is he performs. The safest pick in the fantasy world.


There you go, the following guys dropped off my top 25

Peyton Manning (20)-The collection of top QBs makes grabbing one too early foolish
Vincent Jackson (23)-I feel I had him overvalued in the first ranking
Drew Brees (25)-See Peyton Manning, the interceptions scare me