Q:  I have the fifth pick in a point per reception league, and quarterbacks get six points per touchdown pass.  I’m assuming LDT, AP, SJ and Addai will be gone.  Would you pick Frank Gore or Tom Brady here?  PPR makes me think Gore, but 6 points per TD pass?  That screams Brady, I’m stuck!

- Ben M. ~ Cape Cod, MA 

  Not only should you go with Brady, you’ve gotta hope he’s not gone before he gets to you at 5.  Let’s do it mathematically:  4,000 yards, 40 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, 4 lost fumbles = 404 points.  1,400 yards, 12 touchdowns, 2 lost fumbles, 70 receptions = 273 points.

Now, obviously there is a position discrepancy, but if you have the opportunity to get a player who will score over 400 points (He’ll probably be the only player in the NFL that does that in this league), you’ve gotta take that.  Six points a touchdown pass, for a guy who very likely will throw more than 35 touchdowns this year, is absolutely the deciding factor.  Although I love Frank Gore in PPR leagues, you can’t get a better pick in the first round than where you are.  Not only will you pick up Brady, you’ll have a good chance of picking up a Reggie Bush, Willis McGahee or Laurence Maroney type when it comes back to you.  And for PPR, I’d say Reggie Bush is a phenomenal consolation prize.

Good luck, and happy drafting!

Come along with me as we go through my second fantasy draft this year. This league has 8 teams, with the following roster positions on each team: QB, QB, RB, RB, WR, WR, TE, W/T, W/T, W/R, K, DEF, D, D, D, DB, DB, DL, DL.

The last seven positions are independent defensive players (IDPs). These are a staple of leagues in which I am the commissioner. The other trademark of a Bobby-managed league is PPR, or point-per-reception. These two features add different dynamics to the fantasy leagues, and involves more thinking, research, and preparation. Usually, in my Sigma Tau Gamma league (I was in this fraternity in college, and we still keep up fantasy leagues), there are 12-14 teams. However, baseball is the more popular game, and only the 8 most competitive fantasy managers signed up for this league. That is the reason I added two extra positions at QB and W/T. Another quarterback and another wide receiver would force people to look deeper into the positions to find their last roster spots, and bench players.

Adding a second quarterback to a league of 8 teams means that on your teams bye week, you have to reach into a crop of players like Aaron Rodgers, Jon Kitna and Jason Campbell as opposed to Matt Hasselbeck, David Garrard and Marc Bulger. As you can see, the talent level drops off considerably at that point. So now you know the set up, let’s get on to the madness…

Round 1

The 1st round went as planned, with no surprises at all. This, of course, was even more foreseeable in an 8 team league. After LDT (You’ll never hear me call Ladainian Tomlinson LT, there already was an LT, and he was the greatest linebacker of all time. More on nicknames much later…), Adrian Peterson, Brian Westbrook, Steven Jackson, Joseph Addai, Randy Moss and Marion Barber flew off the board, I had the opportunity to draft twice in a row. Pick 8 was no question. I queued Tom Brady, happy to get the best QB in the world with the last pick in the first round. Another great aspect of picking last, is you can let your time go down to nothing twice to make one decision. For instance, I knew I was taking Brady, so I had three minutes to choose a running back between Frank Gore, Clinton Portis, Marshawn Lynch, LJ and Ryan Grant. I decided Gore was the safest choice, and reports are that he’s leaner and meaner this year at camp. Besides this, he is probably the best receiving back in this group, and this being a PPR league, that’s kind of important.

Round 2

Those backs all went immediately in the same order listed right after my selection of Gore. This, of course, means I would have been totally screwed had I gone with TO or Reggie Wayne at that spot. Are we learning yet? Regardless of the fact that TO and Wayne may very well score more points than Gore, the ridiculous early run on running backs that happens every year sometimes warrants going for a tailback when a higher-scoring player is available to you. After Grant, Peyton Manning, TO, and Romo rounded out round 2.

Round 3

The guy with the third pick, one of my dearest friends, Craig, selected Reggie Wayne. This was a great move, as he ended up with the best running back, one of the absolute best receivers, and the third-ranked quarterback. This was very smart, despite the fact I wouldn’t allow Tony Romo on my team unless I had no other choice. He lucked out with LDT, then filled the other most important positions with his back-to-back picks. Besides my personal dislike for Tony Romo, he couldn’t have played this much better. I may have to look out for him later. Round 3 continued with Andre Johnson (who I will certainly try to trade for later this week), Braylon Edwards, MJD, Laurence Maroney, Brandon Jacobs, Willis McGahee, and my crazed outburst of joy when T.J. Houshmandzadeh slipped to me with the last pick of the third round of a PPR league. I queued him instantly and began the tough job of searching for my next guy. Housh falling to me in a PPR league when I had a QB and RB already could only have been divine intervention. This was the fantasy football equivalent of the best looking girl in school asking you to prom because all the guys she wanted to go with had dates already. I know, it never happens, and neither should this! Now, I had to search for the best available player, period. I had a crop of WR’s including Steve Smith, Larry Fitzgerald, Marques Colston, Torry Holt and Wes Welker, with Jamal Lewis, Michael Turner, Reggie Bush, Willie Parker and Darren McFadden. Drew Brees was also tempting here, but I knew I could wait a bit and still grab a high quality quarterback.

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Round 4

Reggie Bush. Definitely. Three things helped me come to the Bush decision:

1. It was down to Wes Welker and him, and as much as I would love to have the co-reception leaders from last year, quality running backs were simply going too fast. It truly hurt me to leave Welker and Colston there, as I had them on my team last year, and they helped me to win the Super Bowl of both my leagues. Yes, we had been through a lot together. And, I swear I could almost hear Wes whimper a little as I placed the cursor over Reggie’s name.
2. Antonio Gates is considerably closer to the pack now than he has been in recent years. It was simply too early for a tight end.
3. Reggie Bush caught 73 passes last season despite missing the final four games due to injury. Had he had a great last few games, he could have won the reception title as a running back; no easy feat.

After four rounds, I’m sitting pretty with Tom Brady, Frank Gore, T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Reggie Bush, and I couldn’t be happier.

Sure enough, after I voted Reggie, the receiver run began. In what seemed like a matter of seconds, Steve Smith, Larry Fitzgerald, Marques Colston, Torry Holt, Wes Welker and Plaxico Burress went, with Jamal Lewis in the mix somewhere. My next turn would have to result in at least one more receiver if I was going to get a halfway decent one.

Round 5

Luckily, the run slowed a tiny bit with the picks of Drew Brees, Michael Turner, Willie Parker and Darren McFadden, but Brandon Marshall, Chad Johnson (5th round? What has happened to his draft value?), and Anquan Boldin each went too. The only mistakes I saw in this round were Michael Turner and Willie Parker, who I predict will be in fantasy-useless platoons by the fourth exhibition game. Mistakes, but not enough to unleash the vicious insults I was sitting on. I couldn’t wait for someone to really screw up something big. This is what fantasy drafts are all about. I went with Carson Palmer to complete my quarterback tandem. I decided I’d rather have two 30 touchdown QB’s than select two wide receivers back to back here.

Round 6

This is where I encountered an intriguing decision. Just a week or two before this draft, I read an article on Yahoo! sports titled Santonio Holmes vs. Greg Jennings. Interestingly, this was the decision I faced after taking Palmer. Seriously, how often does this happen? I honestly think I like Greg Jennings better, but I went with the better quarterback instead. Santonio Holmes had a very good season last year, and very comparable to Jennings. GJ has incredible talent and speed, but will likely have to compete with Donald Driver, James Jones and an assortment of above-average tight ends (two, actually), for catches. Holmes has Hines Ward and Heath Miller, and he’s emerging as the clear favorite for his 32 touchdown-tossing leading man, Ben Roethlisberger. That, to me, pushes him over the top. As an added bonus, everyone in my draft room missed the opportunity to bash me for drafting the one NFL player who recently had naked pictures of him escape to the internet. That could have been embarrassing. This was another case of abandoning one of the key components of my 2007 title run. But, as the Patriots have proved over the better part of the last decade, success sometimes means having to say a cold goodbye. Also, I simply don’t trust Aaron Rodgers yet. Without warning, the tight end rush started. Gates, Jason Witten, Kellen Winslow and Tony Gonzalez all going along with Ben Roethlisberger, Derek Anderson, Earnest Graham, Roy Williams, Roddy White and Marvin Harrison going in rounds 6 & 7 before I chose the last pick of round 7.

Round 7

DeAngelo Williams - Boy do I have man-love for this guy. After his impressive debut in an exhibition game, people suddenly started taking notice nation-wide that maybe Jonathan Stewart can’t walk onto this team and take the starting running back job as a rookie. Maybe the Panthers’ first round pick of two years ago has some talent and deserves a shot to start now that DeShaun Foster is gone. Maybe?

Round 8

With two empty W/T slots remaining and another ex-member of my championship team (Dwayne Bowe) going just before DeAngelo, I had to choose another receiver, and Lee Evans looked very tempting in this spot. He was supposed to explode last year with J.P. Losman, who turned out to be a joke at QB. Maybe with Trent Edwards, the predictions will simply be a year too early. Here’s hoping.

The rest of the round continued with a couple more tight ends, Dallas Clark and Chris Cooley, wideouts Hines Ward, Laveranues Coles and Chris Chambers, along with Thomas Jones and Donovan McNabb. I was absolutely shocked at how intelligently this draft was progressing. I was definitely right about the competitiveness about this 8 person league.

Round 9

This is where most teams grabbed their second quarterback. After Heath Miller went first, Matt Hasselbeck, David Garrard, Marc Bulger and Jay Cutler all went, along with someone named Jerricho and the first white wide receiver to play for the Eagles since Vince Papali. I chose to jump on a tight end here before the run went too far without me, and I scooped up Jeremy Shockey. I’ve never chosen him in any draft in any year before, but I’ve got a good feeling about him this season. He’s in a pass-happy offense with a great quarterback who longs for a big, fat target in goal-line situations. Plus I want him on my team so I can immediately be put on notice when his hillbilly lifestyle conflicting with a city nearly entirely populated by black Americans. I can’t wait!

Round 10

If tight ends hadn’t been selling like hotcakes (whatever that means), I would have gone with the best defensive lineman and defensive back with my consecutive picks, but instead, i was forced to play a hand of one tight end and one Patrick Willis: The #1 name in tackling. I still had a W/T spot open, but I knew I could grab someone valuable down the line that no one would have thought of until they caught a touchdown in week 1. The only problem with this pick, who will definitely bring me more points than any third-rate wide receiver going at this point, is that it caused an avalanche of defensive team picks I simply didn’t see coming. After Willis, round 10 went Minnesota (what?), San Diego, Jake Delhomme, Matt Schaub, D.J. Williams, Donald Driver, New England.

Round 11

Edgerrin James, Chicago, Jon Beason, New York Giants (whoops), Pittsburgh, Eli Manning, Brett Favre. Now that’s a defensive team run. If you’re keeping score (or not), that’s 6 defensive teams in between my 10th and 11th picks of the draft. I had to pick Dallas here, right? I mean they’ve added depth all around, and a future hall of famer at middle linebacker, that’s worth something, right? And a good defense is always aided by a good offense, which you can’t argue against Dallas having. Yes, I am getting defensive, and I don’t care. I was forced into this. At the very least, by choosing a defensive team here, and another defensive player (the best defensive back is still available if you haven’t noticed), I can guarantee that the next couple of rounds will be filled with defensive players, and the best two remaining defensive teams. This means I get to make a good choice at W/T with my next pick. Now I’m manipulating the draft with my consecutive picks. Now I’m having fun.

Round 12

Antonio Cromartie. Yeah, that’ll work. The best defensive back in the game to add to my best tackling linebacker in the game. This’ll throw people into a fit, I’m sure of it. I just stoked the fire of panic in my opponents, and I couldn’t be happier. I started looking at receivers to fill my last spot, when the draft suddenly took an unintentionally hilarious turn for the worse. The following is the exact order of picks in round 12, and I’m not even close to kidding:

1. Antonio Cromartie (Thank you, thank you very much…)
2. Nick Folk (Whoops…)
3. Shayne Graham (Oh man, double whoops…)
4. Adam Vinatieri (…)
5. Nate Kaeding (What… what is going on?!)
6. Ernie Sims (Back on track…)
7. Stephen Gostkowski (WHAT THE $*@&!?!?!?)
8. Charles Woodson

I was so angry. I had waited 11 rounds to hurl the first insults at the knucklehead who drafted a kicker too early, and it inexplicably happened with five teams at once. There is no excuse, explanation or precedent for such an occurence. Not only were there plenty of IDPs left who would score way, way more points than a kicker, there were plenty of potentially high-scoring receivers and running backs for bench spots or final active roster spots! This bothered me so much, until these five completely useless picks allowed me to steal the guys in 13 & 14.

Round 13

Finally, people started grabbing their defensive players en masse. Asante Samuel, Will Blackmon (This is why you pre-rank players if you don’t plan on showing up for the draft), Bernard Berrian, Jared Allen, Mike Vrabel, Willie Andrews (Take what I just said about showing up and pre-ranking, except this time, shout it out loud when you read it), Travis Williams (This pick is the equivalent of receiving a UPS’ed ziplock bag of dog dung for no reason. Something tells me this guy won’t be happy when he sees I picked DeMeco Ryans after he selected the 5th string linebacker and special teams nobody from the Atlanta Falcons). My DeMeco Ryans pick was immediately followed by…

Round 14

Brian Urlacher. God bless those place-kicking loving idiots of the fantasy universe, they just bought my ticket to the playoffs. Of course, after these picks, they IDP onslaught continued, this time with effective players going off the board such as Jason Taylor, London Fletcher, Terrence McGee, E.J. Henderson, Lofa Tatupu and Ed Reed all went, then the best pick of the draft. And by best, of course, I mean most unintentionally hilarious pick of all time.

Round 15; Pick 4; 116th overall: Adam Jones. Drafted in 2005, suspended since 2006. He has never made more than 51 total tackles or intercepted more than 4 passes. This is seriously the strangest part of the Adam Jones saga. Poeple seem to have him confused wtih a cornerback who actually made a difference in the games he played in. His career stats are reflective of an athletic corner who was occasionally in the right place in the right time. What upsets me so much abou tthis is not that someone took him too early in a fantasy draft, but that a great cornerback nickname was wasted on a painfully average D-back who hasn’t played since Roger Goodell first took over as commissioner.

Wouldn’t Ed Reed be a much better fit for this nickname? Or Rashean “Pacman” Mathis? Terrence “Pacman” McGee? Asante “Pacman” Samuel? Someone who actually gobbled up passes to make the nickname make sense? I can’t possibly be the only one who is upset about this.

Round 15

I ended round 15 with the only offensive player chosen in that round: Chris Henry. I loved this pick because he’s extremely talented, and if he truly has changed his ways, he’ll definitely score a touchdown in every game he’s not suspended for. I’ll spare you the rest of the IDPs chosen, so here is how my final roster ended up looking:

QB - Tom Brady (1)

QB - Carson Palmer (5)

RB - Frank Gore (2)

RB - Reggie Bush (4)

WR - T.J. Houshmandzadeh (3)

WR - Santonio Holmes (6)

TE - Jeremy Shockey (9)

W/T - Lee Evans (8)

W/T - Chris Henry (15)

W/R - DeAngelo Williams (7)

K - Mason Crosby (24)

DEF - Dallas (11)

D - Troy Polamalu (19)
D - Brian Urlacher (14)
D - Will Witherspoon (16)
DL - Patrick Willis (10)

DL - DeMeco Ryans (13)

DB - Antonio Cromartie (12)

DB - Oshiomogho Atogwe (17)

BN - Julius Jones (18), James Jones (20), Joey Galloway (21), Chris Johnson (22), James Hardy (23), Deuce McAllister (25)

A few final thoughts on this draft:

• I feel like I absolutely, positively, grand larceny, 20 years to life stole Julius Jones in this draft. A very talented, 27-year-old running back who is going to shoulder the majority of the workload in Seattle in the 18th round? Yes, please. Behind the strength of a very good offensive line led by Walter Jones, who at 34, could still keep an SUV out of its own driveway, Jones is bound for very goodness this season (I’m tempted to say greatness, but he’ll probably share some time with Maurice Morris before proving he’s far better suited to be a starter). In the 18th round, when other people were taking all IDPs and the top 6 ranked kickers were already gone (read that again… don’t laugh… I dare you to try it… seriously), to get a starting running back on a playoff-bound team in a bad division, I’ll take that, please. Medium-well. No onions.
• Because of simply showing up to the draft and waiting until the second-to-last round to draft a kicker, and having a list of the highest-scoring IDPs in this particular league, I ended up with a defensive team full of absolute studs. Under normal circumstances, there is no reason Patrick Willis, DeMeco Ryans, and Antonio Cromartie should ever end up on the same team. With a healthy Polamalu, Will Witherspoon and Brian Urlacher, it will take an act of God, or a shared bye week oversight by me for me to lose an advantage in defensive points. I’m not tooting my own horn, seriously. Take a look. Would you replace anyone on that defensive roster with anyone? It was as if I drafted mine, then everyone else took what was left. How many times do I have to tell you people to know the league you’re drafting in BEFORE you draft? I can’t wait to reject the first trade offer for Patrick Willis involving someone’s backup tight end and backup defensive team. I really can’t wait.
• A tip to those who haven’t drafted yet - Look at my 8th and 24th round picks. These may be far more important than you know.
• Lee Evans: Was supposed to have a pro-bowl caliber season last year, and disappointed. Very talented, and now with Trent Edwards throwing to him far more often that J.P. Losman ever did (and more accurately), he should come through. However, since I took what I consider a as a risk with this pick, I also picked Chris Henry for an active spot, as well as James Jones, Joey Galloway and James Hardy for bench spots in case Evans doesn’t pan out. The very simple lesson here is to back up your gambles! Don’t draft Aaron Rodgers for your bye week if you have Peyton Manning and Carson Palmer for your QB spots. Worry about that when the bye week actually rolls around. You only have so many bench spots and they could mean the difference between a championship and a bronze medal.
• Mason Crosby: I can’t explain how important it is not to draft a kicker until the second-to-last round. It makes me literally vomit into my mouth when people take one before every position is filled with at least one backup at running back and wide receiver. Kicking is so completely arbitrary that is literally insane to try and get a “good” one. Past “top kickers” have included Robbie Gould and Neil Rackers. Think anyone saw those coming? Your best bet (And this is why I still include kickers - there is a way to draft kicking effectively) is to try and get someone with a strong leg (note: Adam Vinatieri, while very accurate, does not have a strong leg), on a team with no serious, bruising goal line threat. The more they get rejected in goal line situations, the more these red zone drives will result in field goals. My guy Mason has a heck of a leg, one of the best in the league, with a great offense, but Ryan Grant to me is not a “I’m walking right over your defensive line whether you like it or not” kind of guy. He’s great, but Aaron Rodgers as a rookie and Grant as a second-year back will probably result in quite a few field goals, in addition to Crosby’s already great leg.
• Two more things: People are taking the Giants’ defense too early, and Tom Brady too late. Tom Brady is the best quarterback in the world, and he’s got a great offensive line in front of him. The only receiver he lost was Donte Stallworth, and he didn’t throw to him much anway. He still has the best receiver in the game in Moss, the Million-catch Man in Wes Welker, and Chad Jackson, who most people don’t know, but was the second-best receiving prospect in the 2006 draft after Santonio Holmes. Hopefully with a chance this season, he will break out as well. As for New York’s defense: They lose more than half of their team! And, oh, yeah… Osi Umenyiora is now out for the year. So, we can go ahead and stop drafting them amongst the top defenses in the game, right? Right. Thanks, Bobby. You’re welcome.

Well, it’s been fun everyone. I hope you learned a lot, and had some fun. I certainly did, and I’m psyched to find out who I’m going to play in this year’s Super Bowl. Happy Drafting!

Sure, this entry is a long time coming, but I needed time to let some things sink in. Namely, the Red Sox traded Manny Ramirez!! For those people who love him, and those people who despise him, and the others who simply enjoyed his production but couldn’t care less about his personality, one thing is universally true: Manny Ramirez was the greatest free agent signing in the storied, 100+ year history of the Boston Red Sox. Smashing home runs of both frequency and distance that made many a Bostonian’s head spin. From 2003 to 2007, he, along with David “Big Papi” Ortiz formed arguably the most dreaded 3-4 combination since baseball started being played professionally in the 19th century. There was not a pitcher alive that didn’t fall asleep with them on their mind on the night before a start against Boston.

His antics earned him several thousand equally unique and equally accurate reputations. He has been a kid in a Hall of Famer’s body, a selfishly lazy clutz with a perfect swing, an incredibly hard-working professional who cared more about having fun than winning a game, and a goofball with an uncanny ability to make up for ridiculous errors with clutch 3-run home runs or bases clearing wall ball doubles.

However, problems started mounting this season when, after he finally embraced the “Manny being Manny” nickname/slogan, he warped it into “Manny being a Maniac.” What once presented as humorous quirks (disappearing into the Green Monster to relieve himself, holding his arms up for 10 seconds celebrating a home run, only to have the ball short-hop the wall resulting in him almost being thrown out at first base, etc.), turned into uncomfortable, inappropriate incidents such as pushing a senior citizen after not getting his way, insulting Sox ownership with uncalled-for “two faced” criticisms, and stating unequivocally that the Red Sox didn’t deserve a hitter like him.

That’s not the Manny we’ve come to accept, and many of us to love. Jerry Remy, the Red Sox color commentator and biggest Manny Ramirez fan in the known universe, even said during the game following the trade that it was time for Manny to go. When the guy who has stuck up for you, explained your otherwise inexplicable mood swings to your fans and supported you since your first homer in your first at-bat in a Sox uniform at Fenway Park, says you’ve been too much of a pain in the collective butt of the Sox organization, it’s time to part ways.

So, despite losing a great hitter in Manny (inarguably one of the greatest hitters of all time), the Red Sox picked up a very good hitter in Jason Bay, still in his prime, instead of at the tail end of it, like Ramirez. They picked up exponentially better defense, another year at less money, and that ever-so-important but completely immeasurable chemistry that has allowed the Sox to catapult themselves into a strong Wild Card lead.

I, for one, will miss Manny. He broke up, shattered actually, the monotony of an endless summer of balls and strikes with inexplicable laughter, inexcusable errors and diving cutoffs of throws from the outfield and completely unexplainable petting of Julian Tavarez’s head. There was the attempted sale of his grill on E-Bay, which was banned by the online auction company after bids reached over $100 million. Then there was maybe the best “Manny” play of all time, when, in a game against the Orioles at Camden Yards, Kevin Millar smoked a ball to left field that seemed sure to sail over Manny’s head. Just then, to the shock and awe of the hundreds of thousands watching on TV and in person, Manny made a fantastic running, over-the-shoulder leaping catch, ran up the left field wall to stop his momentum, high-fiving a perfectly placed Red Sox fan in the first row. Then, once he was back on the ground, he whirled around to throw the ball back to the infield, which Dustin Pedroia relayed to Kevin Youkilis to double off an Aubrey Huff who fell asleep on the basepaths. Even watching the replays, one had trouble believing what had just happened.

He’s been our friend for many years. Like any friendship, we’ve had our ups and downs. He’s gotten too drunk at a party and hugged our girlfriends for 15 seconds too long. He’s said something inappropriate in front of an elderly member of our family, but he also came through for us as well. He’s held our hair back when we got sick, and he’s been a wingman when we needed to distract a potential hookup’s annoying friend. He’s been everything to us except an everyday, run-of-the-mill, boring baseball player. He’s been family. Often weird, sometimes cute, frequently frustrating, infinitely talented, occasionally infuriating, but always family.

So, the Sox organization finally said goodbye to a member of our family. A member who deservedly won a World Series MVP in 2004 (although one could argue very easily the credentials of Keith Foulke for the award). He was an integral part of perhaps the greatest thing to ever happen to Boston sports. And, in case you haven’t noticed, we take our sports pretty seriously. For 86 years, Boston pined for baseball glory; Manny and friends made it happen. One can argue how much his playful attitude and all-around goofiness helped unseat the straight-laced Yankees from their perch above the A.L. East, but to me, there is no argument.

In order for what was left of the Yankees dynasty to come crumbling down, the Red Sox needed to be everything New York wasn’t. In 2004, they were just that. Even down three games to none in the ALCS, they were determined, loose, and almost insanely confident. Considering coming back from 0-3 had never been done since the playoffs started being played, some would say this insane confidence warranted a diagnosis from a mental health professional. But, they perservered. On the strength of great pitching (including the best post-season performance of all time from Curt Schilling in Game 6), timely offense (including the greatest stolen base in the history of baseball, preceded by the greatest “I’m doing this whether you like it or not” smirk from Dave Roberts since Arnold Schwarzenegger strode through tear gas to disable 20 SWAT team agents in Terminator 2: Judgement Day), and clutch, game ending hits from David Ortiz which, let’s face it, he’s not getting even close to if he’s not hitting in front of Manny Ramirez.

Despite the fact it was absolutely the right move to make, that it was time for Manny to go, and what a good and potentially great hitter Boston got in return for this year and next, I’ll miss the guy. And, if you don’t think you will as a Sox fan, remember this column when you’re bored during a Sunday afternoon ame and there is nobody in the Boston dugout petting the head of a relief pitcher or conducting a silent, in-depth interview with himself for the dugout camera. Fans of the Los Angeles Dodgers are going to learn that Hall of Fame hitting + some intentional comedy + lots of unintentional comedy - hair cuts = Manny Ramirez, and that truly makes me jealous.

Thanks for all the memories, Manny, and I do mean all. The good, the bad, the ugly, the bizarre, the exciting, and the kind of joyous ones that only come from the 1st World Series championship for the most loyal fan base in sports in 86 years. Thank you, Manny Ramirez.

First, a word of warning: These aren’t all sleepers. In fact, some of the following players are just guys that I picked two rounds too early last year and ended up being brilliant because of it, and I simply want to brag. But, along with my boasting, I’m also recommending you don’t hesitate to draft them too early again, as well. Sorry this was so long after my Top 10 Avoisions… It took me a while to decide which secrets to give the people I would soon be playing in fantasy leagues. So, on with the guys you’ll be glad you picked this season…

1. Wes Welker, WR - New England Patriots

This is exactly what I was talking about before. Last season, I selected Welker in the 4th round of a PPR (Points per Reception) league, and won the league due in large part to it. After being harshly mocked, and consistently harrassed during the draft, Wes responded for me by leading the entire NFL in receptions. It was especially humiliating to my opponents when in a twelve team league, Welker ended up the 18th highest scoring fantasy player. This means, in the end, I actually drafted him a round after he deserved to be. Sometimes it pays to be a crazed, New England homer.

2. Jeremy Shockey, TE - New Orleans Saints

After an injury-ruined 2007 in which Shockey, one of the more dangerous receiving tight ends in the game, caught 57 passes for 619 yards and only three scores; substantially less than the 64, 727, 7 he averaged the three previous years. I absolutely expect a return to elite tight end stats with Brees as his quarterback this year. Also, giving Drew Brees a new, big target in goal line situations, Sportsomedy officially predicts a new career high in touchdown receptions for the nutty Shockey. He will also definitely provide NFL fans with two to three uncomfortably hilarious situations where he criticizes a teammate in a way that only he finds funny. I am honestly giddy to see how a hillbilly “good ole boy” with an attitude gets himself into trouble with the media where white people are the minority. This can only be a great thing for the world of unintentional comedy. I only hope it gets twice as much media attention as it really deserves.

3. DeAngelo Williams, RB - Carolina Panthers

Okay, this guy was trapped behind DeShaun Foster for the first two years of his career, but now, Foster’s in San Francisco. However, because Carolina foolishly (no… foolishly is not the right word… how about… insanely) squandered their first round pick in 2008 on Jonathan Stewart, the rookie is somehow ranked above the now third-year, former first round pick. How does that make the least amount of sense? Why do I have to be the one person who is constantly sticking up for this guy? Here is a scouting report from espn.com of Williams’ professional football potential:

“Athletic, explosive, and shifty. Has speed and acceleration to press the hole. Shows good vision and instincts. Has quick feet and change of direction skills.”

The report also mentions above average lower body strength and tackle breaking ability. What in the world does this guy have to do to prove he can carry the load for this terrible team? You want to keep him as a career backup because… why? Because you can’t stop drafting running backs when you have about 27 other serious concerns on your team?

Anyway, here’s what fantasy managers need to know: Jonathan Stewart is a rookie. Coach John Fox is no dummy and will allow the incumbent veteran every opportunity to secure his job (look at how long Foster go the majority of the carries over Williams despite having visible disadvantages in raw talent and potential). So, although Stewart will be the first name you see on “Carolina RB” when you’re drafting, make no mistake: Williams is the starter, and has the physicality and desire to be a top-flight fantasy running back.

4. Ben Roethlisberger, QB - Pittsburgh Steelers

Continuing to prove my expectations ridiculously shortsighted, Roethlisberger tossed 32 touchdown passes with the assistance of his reliable friend Hines Ward and emerging super-receiver Santonio Holmes. As much as I initially wanted to hate this guy (Patriot fans will surely recall the incessant “Is he the next Tom Brady?” questions from every TV analyst in his rookie year), he’s making it extremely hard to do so. He’s charming in interviews, clearly a leader on the field, as tough to bring down as a 275-pound Michael Vick, and increasingly great at the art of downfield passing. Remember when people would say the Steelers had a shot in a game as long as Big Ben didn’t have to throw too much? Those days are long gone.

For some reason, most people would still rather roll the dice with a mostly unproven Tony Romo. And, hey, if that’s what their insane strategy is, because espn.com or Y! sports told them to do so, then so be it. I’ll take his higher passing totals as well as his occasional rushing stats a round or two later.

5. Dwayne Bowe, WR - Kansas City Chiefs

This may be a tough one to reach for, as he probably won’t fall far in most leagues after his breakout campaign in ‘07. But, he shouldn’t. With a healthy LJ to take pressure off the passing game, Dwayne Bowe possesses the ideal size and strength to be a legitimate #1 as well as a lethal red-zone threat when the opposing defense is overly concerned with Larry Johnson and Tony Gonzalez. If you’re caught between Bowe and a similiar caliber receiver, roll the dice with the KC Kid.

6. Matt Forte, RB - Chicago Bears

Usually, I don’t spring for rookie running backs in fantasy football (I leave that kind of rook-love for baseball, or tall receivers who can jump to the moon), but Forte is one I can see taking the starting job over sooner rather than later. Since the release of Cedric Benson, who appeared appeared on the Bears’ injured list as “Cedric Benson (Drunk)” and “Cedric Benson (Pepper-sprayed Eyes)” in consecutive weeks before finally being cut, the Bears are left with Forte and the bad Adrian Peterson. Since the Bears would probably like to cut down on their fumbles by about 20 per season, that just leaves Forte. The Bears just may be willing to roll the dice with the young guy. Personally, I can’t wait for the torrent of threads comparing Forte to Ryan Grant. You heard it here first! Of course, you’ll be sick to death of it by week 6, so on second though, scratch that.

7. Marc Bulger, QB - St. Louis Rams

Be not afraid! His offensive line was made up of his starting right guard and the 1972 Los Angeles Raiders, and he had broken ribs for God’s sake! He’s a quarterback? Now, I only played QB in pop-warner, but from what I remember, it would be pretty difficult with the bones that not only protect your lungs and other vital organs, but the bones that do the most stretching and moving when you pass the ball, being snapped in numerous places.

Fact is, he still has Torry Holt; arguably the best route-runner, and one of the best overall receivers in the game. In addition, he has quite possibly the most physically gifted running back as well (who, by the way, was injured for a good portion of last season also!). With Steven Jackson back and healthy, and an offensive line resembling something more like a group of guys willing to protect someone instead of patients at an intensive care ward, Marc Bulger should be right back on his game.

8. In this spot, I briefly though about writing a Man-Love letter about Greg Jennings (approaching top-5 receiver status), Frank Gore (leaner, meaner and a ton to prove), Steven Jackson (looking at unrestricted free-agency at the end of this season, and my personal choice at #2 in PPR leagues as opposed to Adrian Peterson), but instead, I’ll give my assistance where it’s truly needed, at the shallowest of shallow positions - Tight End.

After Antonio Gates, Jason Witten, Kellen Winslow, Tony Gonzalez, Dallas Clark and Chris Cooley (throw in a happy, healthy Jeremy Shockey in New Orleans), that leaves almost half the teams in a 12 team league (5 of 12) without a stud at tight end. Granted, this is neither comparable to the shortstop dropoff in baseball (after Reyes, Rollins and Ramirez you may as well wait until the last round and pick whatever rookie you want to keep track of that year), nor the dropoff at tight end just a few years ago, when Antonio Gates was the only logical pick before the 12th round. However, if you’ve been picking the glamorous positions, and all of a sudden you find yourself with an empty TE spot after the top 7 are gone, it’s time to stop waiting. You don’t want to be the guy cursing Todd Heap’s name after you realize he doesn’t have anyone with any legitimate training at quarterback throwing the ball to him.

After the top 7, all of whom accumulated similar fantasy points to Anquan Boldin, Greg Jennings and Bernard Berrian, managers are left to choose between a maddeningly similar crop of Vernon Davis, Tony Scheffler, Heath Miller, Owen Daniels and Benjamin Watson.

The two that stand out here to me are Watson and Scheffler. Daniels is close, and was a big contributor in PPR leagues last year, but the loss of Andre Johnson for a considerable time period led to him getting far more looks than he would normally (plus he simply didn’t score enough). Considering that the only tight ends with better touchdown per game percentages than Benjamin Watson (50%) were Dallas Clark (73%) and Antonio Gates (56%), I would go with the guy from the greatest scoring offense the NFL has ever seen, and be ery happy with that decision. When you’re in your leagues Super Bowl, and your opponent has to play Greg Olsen because San Diego chose to rest their starters, you’ll be ecstatic that New England is still rubbing it people’s faces before their bye week (after their Super Bowl loss, when I unleashed a scream not unlike Michael Corleone’s at the end of The Godfather III, they damn well better be sticking it to people with the same attitude they had for last year’s regular season). You don’t have to thank me now, but just remember you heard it here when you collect the league’s prize money.

9. You’re in trouble. While you grabbed a top-notch running back, quarterback, tight end and two #1 receivers, taking in all the glory of your dangerously well-rounded team. But, you have a huge problem staring you in the face now: You have a gaping hole at your #2 running back position. Not only are the “good, but not great” backs gone, but so are the “good bet” guys, such as Selvin Young. This is a guy who will probably be good, and start most of the year, but since he has Mike Shanahan as his coach, you can never totally rely on him not to be sidelined in favor of a less-talented backup for absolutely no reason anyone can come up with except for Shanahan.

Now, you’re looking at some combination of Chester Taylor, Rashard Mendenhall, Ahman Green (pulled groin already, boy it gets earlier every year, doesn’t it?), and Justin Fargas. All can have their upside argued ad nauseum. However, I like to put my eggs in a more talented basket. If choosing to gamble on your #2 back (and I never recommend doing it), I’d go with a guy that can win a job during training camp with sheer talent AND have the ability to take a game over at any time. As much as the aforementioned guys will excel in their respective platoons, these are not the guys you want to rely on for fantasy purposes. Before advancing to #’s 9 and 10 on the list, I’d like to reserve the right to change my mind about Mendenhall. Willie Parker scored all of two touchdowns last year, and Pittsburgh’s game favors his power-running style as opposed to Parker’s speed around the tackles. So if you’re choosing in this crop, Mendenhall is the clear favorite. Here are two guys no one gives much credit who could absolutely explode with no warning in 2008:

9. Jerious Norwood, RB - Atlanta Falcons

This extremely talented, lighting-quick back has been a force in the return game and in third down situations, but is ready to take over the job after the departure of Warrick Dunn. And, no, I haven’t forgotten that Atlanta grabbed a lifetime backup to take over the starting job. Michael Turner, although talented (and San Diego fans will tell you he’s the greatest backup running back to ever play the game), is in fact a lifetime backup. He’s started a few games when LaDainian was no longer needed in the regular season, or ailing a little, behind a big, mean, San Diego offensive line. With Matt Ryan now in control in Atlanta, this team (whose offensive line is not in any way San Diego’s) may favor a quicker, pass-catching back like Norwood over a power-running Turner wanting to go between the tackles.

Jerious Norwood has tremendous physicality and game-breaking ability. He is a dangerous receiving threat (averaging 10 yards a catch, 6 yards a carry). With Alge Crumpler gone, 3rd down and check-down situations will likely leave Norwood the best option. To make one last point, Michael Turner is not a sure thing! I know some people absolutely love this guy, but he’s started approximately 1 1/2 more games in his career than Aaron Rodgers! If you’re gambling on a 2-back, dip into the talent pool: Believe In Jerious Noorwood!

10. Chris Johnson, RB - Tennessee Titans

Yeah, he’s a rookie. Yeah, he’s currently buried on the depth chart behind a 2006 second round pick, and a 2007 second round pick. And, yeah, I know, he’s got the most generic, unfootballplayer-like name since Bob Smith led the NFC in rushing for the 2000 Vikings. But, look at the bright side: The Titans don’t really have a running back that has proven he really wants the job yet. The person most resembling a tailback on this team is the guy who is supposed to be playing quarterback, Vince Young. After an NFL combine where Johnson turned in a ridiculous 4.24 40-yard dash time, the fastest ever recorded by a back at the event, he shot up draft boards for every team. General Managers finally started to realize that a guy who amassed 385 million all-purpose yards in college was worth a look.

With only LenDale White (3.7 YPC) and Chris Henry standing in his way, Johnson has an opportunity to explode onto the scene sooner rather than later. If he went to USC instead of East Carolina University, you’d be sick of the Reggie Bush comparisons by now.

There you are, my friends. Use them wisely, and take whatever harassment and insults you receive during the draft with a smirk and peace of mind. Everyone gets good picks in the first ten rounds; what makes the difference between missing the playoffs and bringing the trophy home is taking smart gambles. Do a little research, pick out some favorite players with not only upside, but opportunity, and you’ll be the one hurling smarmy insults come January. Good luck, and happy drafting.