Fantasy Football Draft Advice

In this past week's fantasy football tailgate (every Sunday from 10:30 AM ET to kickoff, come check it out!), someone asked us what we thought the first round would be for next season's drafts. Since we never want to disappoint, let's check it out. Here is one man's opinion on how the first round will shake out next year in standard scoring formats. This is using what we've seen thus far in 2009, plus what I expect to see the rest of the way. The first pick isn't really a secret, if you've been reading me the past two weeks.

1. Chris Johnson, RB, Titans - As I said, I haven't been secretive about this. He's gonna end up with 2,500 yards from scrimmage and close to 20 touchdowns this year. And he's only getting better.

The landscape of fantasy football changes on a whim. One thing always leads to another -- an injury here, a news report there, and the next thing you know everyone is scrambling to get up to speed. That's why the trick is to stay one step ahead of the curve. Much like actual stocks, the values of individual players waver on a daily basis.

As we prepare to close out those last few drafts left or attempt to gauge where our team stands, it's important to track our assets. Or should I say get a better feel for where their value stands in the current market. Here's a quick look through eyes, ears, experiences and observations at some early risers, guys on the decline and others who have just held steady. This is your quick-hitter post-draft edition, so pay close attention.

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OK, it's not like the Detroit Lions were going to make the playoffs under the guidance of Daunte Culpepper. If anything the choice to start Matthew Stafford over Culpepper was based solely on the fact that Lions management realized they weren't going to be any better or worse. It also comes down to a depressed football town in a depressed economy and yes, putting people in the seats on Sunday. Culpepper was a causality even if he probably was good for at least two more wins.

However, do we really care that much about who the Lions' starting QB was/is gonna be in the fantasy football world? Of course not, all we care about is how this will help or hurt the investment many of us made in Calvin Johnson. From the glass is half-empty perspective, we see this as doom. A starting rookie QB with loads of inexperience trying to be the butter to our No. 1 WR's bread. Then again, from the glass is half-full perspective do we really care who throws the ball to Megatron? He's an animal.

Let's weigh in on the pros and cons before we panic.

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Cut-N-Go is Fantasy Football FanHouse's daily gathering of links from around the web, covering the goings-on in NFL Training Camp which have an impact on fantasy value.

Taking over the helm from Sports Illustrated's Jimmy Traina over at Hot Clicks, today one of the sports world's most colorful characters, Chris Cooley shares his sleeper fantasy picks for the 2009 fantasy season. Cooley's picks look good, though he doesn't exactly swing for the fences, preferring safer bets like Chad Ochocinco and Anthony Gonzalez to deeper sleepers. Chris makes an interesting selection in Brent Celek however, after he made waves late last season with one particularly notable postseason game where he lassoed in 10 balls and two touchdowns.

If Cooley's sleepers don't pique your interest, he also shares a half naked picture of his wife for whatever reason.

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Cut-N-Go is Fantasy Football FanHouse's daily gathering of links from around the web, covering the goings-on in NFL Training Camp which have an impact on fantasy value.

It's the final week before the marbles get raised just a little. How about it's the week we all have at least one fantasy draft? Does that sound better? It's that dreaded "why do they play these games again" week. Most of us are more focused on who we're going to draft and who we're going to be rooting for in Week 1 than the final preseason game. Still though, it's always time to pay attention. Slight, but steady attention.

You already know the saga that is Brandon Marshall, but what else happened on this Thursday?

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It's about that time. Preseason football is coming close to an end and fantasy football drafts are popping up like crazy. In the first edition of Fantasy Football Cram Session, Tom Herrera, Matt Snyder and I speak about our recent FanHouse fantasy football draft and try hard not to mention the names of the guilty parties who reached too high for certain picks.

We also spent some time talking about stars who fell farther in the draft then we thought they would (Clinton Portis was one of the biggest) and we mentioned what should be done in fantasy drafts with guys like Terrell Owens, Brandon Marshall and Michael Crabtree.

If you would like to see the results of our draft as you listen you can click here. You'll find the podcast after the jump.

If you're part of one of the many leagues that waits until the last preseason game has concluded, to minimize the effect of injuries on an already-drafted team, then you've got a draft right around the corner. If you've already drafted, you're likely getting peppered with trade offers, thanks to the awesome team you drafted with the help of our free draft kit and Rotoworld's premium draft kit. Links to both can be found below.

What's on the fantasy football universe's mind this week? What do you do with Brandon Marshall? Who are the undrafted gems in your league that have the best chance at a breakout season? Come join us at 6 PM ET today to ask questions and discuss all things fantasy football.

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Cut-N-Go is Fantasy Football FanHouse's daily gathering of links from around the web, covering the goings-on in NFL Training Camp which have an impact on fantasy value.

If it feels like we talk about Brandon Marshall a lot in this space, that's because we do. There's good reason though, since Marshall is one of the most asked about players in fantasy football due to his fluctuating draft value. In our recent FanHouse league draft, Marshall fell to the fifth round and the chat feedback ranged from "nice pick" to "lol, good luck with that one."

Now the Marshall-to-Jets angle is circulating again, two weeks after the first report that New York was interested.

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Cut-N-Go is Fantasy Football FanHouse's daily gathering of links from around the web, covering the goings-on in NFL Training Camp which have an impact on fantasy value.

One of the common draft trends I've noticed in fantasy football over the years is how even the slightest injury can scare people away. Take Knowshon Moreno, for instance, who suffered an MCL sprain just over two weeks ago. Since that time, Moreno's draft stock has sunk from a fourth-round pick to an average draft position of 67.04, according to Mock Draft Central.

Before, many considered Moreno a draft risk because of the hype. Now? We have a big value opportunity.

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Cut-N-Go is Fantasy Football FanHouse's daily gathering of links from around the web, covering the goings-on in NFL Training Camp which have an impact on fantasy value.

The Kansas City Chiefs got really bad news on Sunday after quarterback Matt Cassel went down Saturday night with an injury.

It appears, according to Jason Cole of Yahoo! Sports, that Cassel could miss the season opener as he'll be out two to four weeks with a strained medial collateral ligament in his knee. The injury isn't expected to require surgery but will force Tyler Thigpen into action.

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