Fantasy Football PPR Standouts

So far this season, I haven't written much about Point Per Reception (PPR) leagues. With PPR leagues continuing to increase in popularity, instead of doing full QB, RB, WR and TE rankings for PPR as well (rankings take a very long time) this article discusses some players whose values are significantly increased in PPR leagues.


Running Backs

Darren Sproles, NO - Sproles has always been much better in PPR than in standard leagues, however, he was never featured in an offense until last year in New Orleans. The Saints are great at giving their skill players the ball in space so expect another massive PPR season.

Darren Sproles, top 6 RB in PPR leagues

Hidden Gems: RBs Who Could Win Your League

Jammal Charles in 2009
Peyton Hillis in 2010
DeMarco Murray in 2011

All of these RBs were late rounders or undrafted in fantasy leagues that became fantasy stars and led many fantasy owners to their championships. It happens every year. In this column, I will list some sleeper RBs that could come out of the woodwork to have a significant role this year. Most of these guys will not be drafted in standard 10 team leagues but are good names to keep an eye on throughout the season.

Fantasy Football Pre-Season Buzz

We are now finished the 3rd week of pre-season games, so it's a good time to take a look back at some interesting story lines of the pre-season. Here are some of thoughts from pre-season action:
See my QB, RB, WR and TE rankings as well for a more detailed look at each player.

Peyton Manning looks awesome. Last night, he carved up the 49ers (the best defense in th NFL last year) going 10-12 for 122 yards and 2 TDs in just one quarter of action. He threw a lot of short/intermediate routes, but did take a couple of deep shots, one of which was a beautiful 38 yard pass to Lance Ball. It was a concern that his surgically repaired neck wouldn't be able to take hits, but he took a big one from linebacker Parys Haralson and jumped right back up. I am no longer worried about his injury risk and after finishing the preseason 30-42 (71%) for 343 passing yards, 2 TDs and 3 INT, he's my #7 QB.

Want to Play in a Fantasy Football League with FreeRotoAdvice?

I'm going to be starting a fantasy league with twitter followers. The draft will take place on Wed. August 29th @ 9pm EST. (If there is enough interest, I could do a second league on Thursday, August 30th @9pm)

If you want to play in the league, here's the way to get in:

2012 Fantasy Football Running Back Rankings

Tier 1:

1. Arian Foster, HOU - Last year, on a per game basis, Arian Foster scored the most fantasy points of all RBs. Sure Ben Tate will get a large number of carries (10+ per game) but the Texans have become a run-first team and there are more than enough carries to go around. A bigger and more physical back than Rice and McCoy, Foster has the best chance to finish the year as fantasy's top RB.

2. Ray Rice, BAL - One of the most dynamic players in the league and arguably the best pass catching RB, Rice is a super safe pick who will rack up fantasy points even without finding the endzone.

3. Lesean McCoy, PHI - Like Rice, McCoy is a very dynamic player, both rushing and catching the ball. McCoy's receptions declined from 78 to 48 last year, but he exploded for a career high 20 TDs (previous high of 9). I expect his receptions to remain in the 40-50 range and the TDs to decline.

2012 Fantasy Football Wide Receiver Rankings

Tier 1:
1. Calvin Johnson, DET - Megatron is in a tier all to himself. Far and away the best WR in the league last year, Megatron has 96 catches for 1681 yards and 16 TDs. Detroit's improving offense should make it more difficult for defenses to focus completely on him.

2012 Fantasy Football Tight End Rankings

Tier 1:
1. Jimmy Graham, NO - Only with 3 years of organized football under his belt, Graham is arguably the most athletic TE in the NFL. As Drew Brees' top option in the passing game his upside is astronomical. With his speed, size and jumping ability, Graham should continue to improve.
2. Rob Gronkowski, NE - Far and away the best TE in the NFL last year, was 6th among all position players in fantasy points, behind only Ray Rice, Lesean McCoy, Calvin Johnson, Maurice Jones-Drew and Arian Foster. With Brandon Lloyd coming on board as well, there are too many weapons in NE for Gronk to duplicate those numbers. The yardage and TDs should both decline.

2012 Fantasy Football Quarterback Rankings

Standard league, 4 pts/TD

Tier 1:

1. Aaron Rodgers, GB

2. Tom Brady, NE

3. Drew Brees, NO

Aaron Rodgers was by far the best QB in the league last year, 4600yds with 45 TD to only 6 INT. Plus, he runs too. All three QBs in this tier are extremely accurate, have lots of weapons and rarely turn over the ball. All 1^st round picks.

Mike Trout, MVP?

Mike Trout's season has simply been the best ever for a rookie. There is no one even close. Ichiro's MVP as a 27 year old "rookie" performance in 2001? It doesn't hold a candle to what Trout has been doing. What we are witnessing is one of the best seasons ALL-TIME.

Mike Trout has every reason to smile after the amazing season he's been having

2012 Fantasy Football Busts

For those of you that have followed me throughout the pre-season, you have probably heard me discuss most of these names at one point or another. However, here is a list of some of my busts this season, with my current rankings in brackets. Note: When I say bust, I mean a player that will perform worse than their draft day ADP. That player could still be useful in fantasy leagues, but .

See my QB, RB, WR and TE rankings as well for a more detailed look at each player. Also, check out my 2012 Fantasy Football Sleepers.

2012 Fantasy Football Sleepers

For those of you that have followed me throughout the pre-season, you have probably heard me discuss most of these names at one point or another. However, here is a list of some of my favorite sleepers, with my current rankings in brackets.
See my QB, RB, WR and TE rankings as well for a more detailed look at each player. Note that guys I've written about a lot like Fred Jackson, Percy Harvin, Titus Young won't be touched on in this article even though based on their ADP, are big sleepers of mine.

The Perfect Fantasy Football Draft

In a perfect world, my fantasy football team would consist of Aaron Rodgers at QB, Arian Foster and Ray Rice at RB, Calvin Johnson and Larry Fitzgerald at WR, Jimmy Graham at TE and Lesean McCoy at flex. In this same world, I drive a Lamborghini, live in a mansion and am dating Miss Universe. Seeing as none of those things are going to happen anytime soon (and my girlfriend might kill me when she reads this), I sought out to draft the perfect fantasy team based on Average Draft Position (ADP).

Melky Cabrera Replacements

Just one week ago, I wrote about Melky in the blog entry Giants/Marlins team analysis. Melky burst on the scene last year with the Royals batting .305 with 18 HR, 102 runs, 87 RBI and 20 steals. This coming from a guy that had never hit above .280, 13 HR, 75 runs, 73 RBI, or 13 steals in any of his five previous major league seasons. In the pre-season I was skeptical, everything seemed to indicate a fluke year, and his trade to the Giants only made matters worse.

Well this year he didn't miss a beat, batting .346 with 11 HR, 84 runs, 60 RBI and 13 steals in 113 games. I bought in, maybe Melky had become a different player. Well, it turns out Melky actually was a different player. A player with an advantage....

On Wednesday, Melky was suspended 50 games for PEDs. After the suspension, he may go back to being the all-star he has played like the last two seasons, but I'll believe it when I see it. Regardless, in fantasy leagues, his suspension is a huge loss. Let's face it, you're not going to pick up a guy off the waiver wire that can duplicate his production, but here's some outfielders (ranked in order of who I would pick up first) that should ease the pain a bit:

10 Commandments of Fantasy Football Drafting

Draft day is one of the most fun days of the year, but it can also be very stressful and overwhelming. In this column, I present the ten rules to live by to help your draft run as smoothly as possible, and give you the best chance to win your league.

But remember, fantasy leagues are supposed to be fun, so here's a clip of the popular fantasy football show "The League", a must watch for every fantasy football fan:

So without further ado.... the Ten Commandments of Fantasy Football Drafting!!

Dwight Howard Trade Reaction

The saga I thought would never end....

He wants out...he wants to stay.....Orlando lied to him and he wants out again. For six months, that's all the basketball media was talking about. Where's Dwight going? When's will this Dwight-mare end?

Well, last night out of nowhere, a monster four-team trade and Dwight goes to none other than the Lakers!!!!

Giants and Marlins Fantasy Baseball Expectations

Last night, two teams exploded for double digit shutouts: San Francisco Giants 15-0 over the Cardinals and Miami Marlins 13-0 over the Mets.

Lets take a closer look at each of those offenses trending in different directions.....

San Francisco Giants



Kung Fu Panda, Cain, Melky and Posey

10 Fantasy Baseball Trade Targets for Stretch Run

With trade deadlines approaching in most leagues, a good trade could be just the thing to push you over the top in your fantasy baseball leagues.

These players are some of the best trade targets that will pay big dividends down the stretch.
(Fantasy batter statlines are listed as AVG/RUN/HR/RBI/SB)