2011 Fantasy Footbal Preview

Reggie Thompson
The Paw Print

That time of year has come again; the weather is cooling, the leaves are changing, and professional football is just around the corner as the defending Super Bowl champ Green Bay Packers take on the previous trophy keepers, the New Orleans Saints, on Thursday for the premiere game of the season.  With the season almost underway, so comes the fantasy football season.  Prepare for your upcoming draft by looking at who you have the green light to choose and who’s yielding the red warning flag.

Quarterbacks
Green Lights
Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions- If you miss on the elite Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, and Tom Brady, here’s a guy you may want to consider in later rounds.  A year ago, Stafford only played three games after injuring his right throwing shoulder on two occasions: once in week one against the division rival Chicago Bears and again in week nine versus the New York Jets.  If he is kept healthy in 2011, this former first overall pick could do some damage to opposing defenses. He showed signs of greatness this preseason, completing 37 of 52 passes (71.2 percent) for 353 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions in the four games.

Red Flags
Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts-In past years, one might consider this next quaterback as a lock for some good fantasy points. This year, a second look 0may be necessary.  Arguably the best quarterback in the league, Manning started every game in his NFL career since day one, accumulating 208 consecutive starts.  Unfortunately for Manning and fantasy owners, that streak will probably come to an end  as the four-time Most Valuable Player is listed as doubtful for the Colts’ season opener against the Houston Texans with a neck injury and some loss of arm strength.  This is uncharted territory for the veteran, so it is unknown what to expect for this season.  Drafting Manning would be a risky move, not necessarily the worst one, but owners should be cautious.

Running Backs
Green Lights
Peyton Hillis, Cleveland Browns- Coming off a great year, the Madden 12 cover boy is gearing up to continue helping the Browns take the next step forward.  Sizing up at 6 foot, 2 inches and 250 lbs., this work horse can put points on the board, especially in the opponents 20-yard line (redzone).  In 2010, 10 of his 11 rushing touchdowns were, in fact, in the redzone.  Anticipate him maintaining that trend in 2011.
Red Flags
Arian Foster, Houston Texans- Foster was in the news recently tweeting for the lack of “awesomeness” in the hamstring injury he suffered in the 30-7 preseason Week three win over the San Francisco 49ers.  Though the tweet was meant to be humorous, the injury itself is no joke.  Hamstring injuries have a tendency to nag a player throughout the season.  However, Foster does intend on playing week one against the Colts.

Wide Receivers
Green Lights
Mike Wallace, Pittsburgh Steelers- This young receiver caught the eyes of many and showed he is an exciting player and true threat to defenses.  In 2010, Wallace averaged 21.0 yards per catch en route to 1,257 receiving yards.  He missed his quarterback in “Big” Ben Roethlisberger in the first four games last year due to Roethlisberger’s suspension, but in 2011, with no penalties of any sort, this aerial attack could get off to a great start.

Red Flags
Brandon Lloyd, Denver Broncos-  Lloyd is commencing his second season as a Bronco with a second head coach in John Fox.  Lloyd benefited from the solid offensive system that previous head coach Josh McDaniels installed in 2010 and ranked the best fantasy receiver last year as he collected 209 fantasy points (first among receivers).  Fox’s offense, however, gears toward running the football, hence Lloyd may not be as successful, similar to his years prior to joining the Mile High team.

Tight Ends
Green Lights
Jason Witten, Dallas Cowboys- Witten is a true competitor and puts up great stats year in and year out.  He lead all tight ends last season with 154 fantasy points and caught 94 passes for 1002 yards and nine touchdowns.  Reuniting with starting quarterback Tony Romo, who missed 11 games with a broken collarbone, Witten could quite possibly build on last years statistics.

Red Flag
Antonio Gates, San Diego Chargers- Gates is suffering from plantar fasciitis, an inflammation in the bottom of the foot.  It is unknown how long this injury will last, but with veteran tight end Randy McMichael, the Chargers may not have to rush him back to the field.

Defense/Special Teams
Green Lights
Pittsburgh Steelers- Probably the surest bet in football, the Steelers defense should once again reign as one of the top defenses in the league.  With returning players such as safety Troy Polamalu and linebackers James Harrison, Lamar Woodley, and Lawrence Timmons, Pittsburgh can dominate once again.
(On the rise) Detroit Lions-  With a defensive line consisting second year defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, veteran Kyle Vanden Bosche, and 2011 first round pick, defensive tackle Nick Fairley, the Lions are ready to pounce.  As the New England Patriots, primarily Tom Brady, found out in week three of the preseason, this team can wreak havoc in the backfield.

Red Flag
Oakland Raiders- In the offseason, the Raiders seemed to make poor personnel decision after another, but none worse than not getting a deal done with shutdown corner Nnamdi Asomugha.  With this key defensive player gone, it is unlikely that Oakland will once again finish in the top five fantasy defenses as they did a year ago.
Well, fantasy owners, take into account all of these ideas  and happy drafting!

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