Fantasy Football Nfl Position Rankings

When slotting fantasy football kickers, there are myriad factors which should be considered. After looking at all of them, I've determined my favorite option for Week 11 is Matt Prater. The Broncos are desperately in need of a win this weekend in a pivotal home tilt against the Chargers. With Kyle Orton banged up, expect the Broncos to try and shorten the game by running the ball and making short throws. These kinds of drives often end up stalling in the red zone. Only two teams have allowed more field goals this season than the Chargers, who have allowed 13 of their 16 field goals in 31 red zone trips. Predicting the top kicker for the week is the most difficult of any position because of all the variables that go into kicker points, but I'm rolling with Prater this week.

---

---

For anybody paying close enough attention to realize the offering by the fantasy gods that is the Bengals' home stretch, you begin your three-game win streak here in Week 11. Starting with this week's matchup against the Raiders, this marks the beginning of an Oakland, Cleveland, Detroit three-game run -- all of which are sure to be top-five matchups in our rankings. This week, we mark the Bengals at numero uno.

The second best start this week goes to the Pittsburgh Steelers, who should avenge a tough loss against the aforementioned Bengals with a cupcake matchup versus a Kansas City team that has now lost its starting running back and best receiver in two short weeks. Coupled with a Pittsburgh defense that is tied for third in the NFL in sacks and have forced eight fumbles, the Chiefs are in trouble and Pittsburgh fantasy owners can sleep well.

---

---

It was hard not to feel a little burnt by Vernon Davis last week. He talks the good talk and it was impossible not to back him up in this space. Well, rest assured that last week was just a speed bump in the ways of fantasy football. Davis should return to his lofty position amongst the elite pass-catching tight end options this week. The 49ers will make sure Davis is involved early and often and a rebound seems to be in the cards.

One other guy known for his talking more so than most and hasn't been gaining a lot of talk in this space is Kellen Winlsow. Ah yes, it's time to acknowledge the solid season he is having. He's thriving on a pretty bad football team, but that doesn't matter to us fantasy owners. Show us the stats and talk all you want soldier, we like it that way. He's got a great rapport building with Josh Freeman and clearly is the best option for the Bucs. He draws the Saints this weekend and he'll be sniffing for the end zone and seeking to continue his ascension. And that's why he's leading us off this week. As for the rest of the ranks ...

---

---

Sidney Rice, come on down! You're the next contestant on ... Who Wants to Be a WR1!

Rice, you've joined a list of relatively unheralded wideouts that have emerged as fantasy superstars in 2009, along with the likes of Steve Smith (not the one you drafted in the first five rounds in August), Mike Sims-Walker, and most recently, Miles Austin.

What brought you to this point? How about a 201-yard performance on just seven catches; does that do anything for you?

Moving forward, Rice is a clear-cut WR2 that will flirt with bouts of WR1-dom. If he can throw WR1 numbers up on a consistent basis, my Ronnie Brown-less season might be saved.

On to the rankings ...

---

---

With nine games in the books, Ricky Williams -- despite being behind Ronnie Brown on the Dolphins' depth chart -- sits at 13th in fantasy points among running backs. Brown is ninth, so the Dolphins have themselves a pretty dynamic duo. For Week 11, they get to feast on the Carolina Panthers' 25th-ranked run defense Thursday night.

And Ricky's left alone in the backfield. With Brown nursing a foot injury, Williams will shoulder the bulk of the Miami offense. He's quite capable, as we've seen in spurts this season. He had 20 carries for over 100 yards last week. This week, he's gonna get the ball more often and run wild. Only the new "big three" are better options.

---

---

Your No. 1 QB overall isn't Tom Brady or Peyton Manning. It isn't Drew Brees or early-season hero Matt Schaub either. It's the one and only Aaron Rodgers.

Rodgers presents the perfect example of why it's unnecessary to draft a QB in the first two rounds. He was a late-third or early-fourth round pick in most leagues and he's performing just as well as the big boys.

Sure, Brady and Manning offer you peace of mind, but with the RB and WR rankings constantly in flux, it's a much better idea to load up on talent at each of those positions, then snag a QB like Philip Rivers, Ben Roethlisberger, Kurt Warner, Donovan McNabb or Tony Romo a bit later. You could probably win your league with one of these guys and a good group of RBs and WRs. Teams with Manning or Brady and a weaker group of RBs and WRs will likely have more trouble in the playoffs.

---

---

What do you get when you have the league's fourth-highest scoring kicker squaring off -- in a dome, no less -- against the team who has allowed the most kicking points in the NFL? An easy No. 1 fantasy kicker ranking, that's what.

Ryan Longwell has only been outscored by three other kickers this season -- and one of them is on a bye this week. He's made 13 of 14 field goal attempts and all 29 extra points. The Lions have been on the receiving end of 27 extra points and 14 field goals thus far in 2009. Expecting double digit points from your kicker is rarely feasible -- due to the fickle nature of kickers -- but you can do so here, Longwell owners.

---

---

Start licking those chops folks, because we have not seen such a potentially impactful bunch of defense-friendly matchups since very early in the season. A number of the league's best defensive units play cream puff games this week, which means the return of some big scores.

The top slot goes to the Saints, who get the honor of walking all over the hapless Rams. What do you get when you cross a team that scores an average of 9.6 points per game with a team that has 16 interceptions, 7 forced fumbles, and 7 defensive touchdowns? The answer: about 25 fantasy points for the Saints' defense.

---

---

The list of reliable, legit and valuable fantasy tight end options is shrinking with each injury. We still know who can and can't trust to an extent, but there is certainly a big plunge into uncertainty and inconsistency once we go past the usual suspects. In this odd year of ups and downs at the tight end position, it couldn't be more fitting that the once cast aside and left for dead Vernon Davis leads the way this week and perhaps for the remainder of the season.

Davis has shed the bust label and now he's even talking up a storm heading into Thursday night against the Bears. Surprisingly, I won't be shocked if he backs up all the smack. Yes, it's that kind of season.

---

---

For anyone who drops by the chats, you know I'm a huge fan of Mike Sims-Walker. I suggest him as a start repeatedly nearly every week. Finally, those MSW haters out there can rejoice, because for one week, I'm cooling my jets with him.

He's up against the New York Jets, and who do you think Darrell Revis will be shadowing? The eminently stoppable Torry Holt or our guy MSW? Yeah, I thought so.

He's likely too good to bench for most of you, but if you're debating between MSW and another top-20 option for that last starting spot, I'd go with the
other guy.

---

---