FBG Staff/Expert Rookie Rankings (1 Viewer)

[Chadstroma]

Just added my preliminary rookie rankings - LINK Bash away.

Forte at 26th, eh?

yea, why so low?

 

[Chadstroma]

Just added my preliminary rookie rankings - LINK Bash away.

Forte at 26th, eh?

I don't understand all the Forte love??? He went to a team that already has Benson and AP(2). I think at best he will share carries, and probably not even be the primary ball carrier.

You obviously did not watch many Bears games last year.

 

[Sigmund Bloom]

Post Draft Bloom 100

 

[Sigmund Bloom]

Forte at RB11? Wow. Redraft OR dynasty he should be much higher than this. He went in the 2nd round and he's only got Benson, Peterson, and Wolfe to compete with. Not a sterling competition.

I'm not a big Forte fan. Like I said in the other thread, I think he'll be OK, but not great. We'll see. I think there are other backs that have more talent and opportunity to thrive than him. Perhaps I'm wrong on Forte, we'll see.

More talent, maybe, more opportunity, no way.

 

[LHUCKS]

Post Draft Bloom 100

Smith too low, Forte too high. Forte will be a below average starter at best.

 

[EBF]

Nice. There is going to be so much variance in rookie drafts this year. More than any year I can remember.

 

[LHUCKS]

Post Draft Bloom 100

Giving up on Lendale already?Torain is going to surprise.

 

[teamroc]

Post Draft Bloom 100

Smith too low, Forte too high. Forte will be a below average starter at best.

"Bears fans everywhere can breath a sigh of relief, the Cedric Benson era is over. Forte is not nearly as talented as the threesome in front of him, and the Bears have their share of problems on the O Line and at QB, so Forte might have tough sledding at first, but you have to take an everydown back who should be given the job at #4 even if Russ Lande thought he was only NFL backup quality - which still makes him the best RB on the roster. "So Bloom pretty much says the guy has average talent, but he's the best Bears RB? So draft him at 1.04?

That's laughable. He's on a horrible offense, he's an average RB, probably a career backup, but hey he'll get a shot to start! Shoot him up the rankings!

Brandon Jackson thinks Forte is overrated.

BUT

Thank god Bloom has finally put Felix Jones in his place. People taking him in the 1st round of rookie drafts are delusional.

 

[Sigmund Bloom]

Post Draft Bloom 100

Smith too low, Forte too high. Forte will be a below average starter at best.

"Bears fans everywhere can breath a sigh of relief, the Cedric Benson era is over. Forte is not nearly as talented as the threesome in front of him, and the Bears have their share of problems on the O Line and at QB, so Forte might have tough sledding at first, but you have to take an everydown back who should be given the job at #4 even if Russ Lande thought he was only NFL backup quality - which still makes him the best RB on the roster. "So Bloom pretty much says the guy has average talent, but he's the best Bears RB? So draft him at 1.04?

That's laughable. He's on a horrible offense, he's an average RB, probably a career backup, but hey he'll get a shot to start! Shoot him up the rankings!

Brandon Jackson thinks Forte is overrated.

BUT

Thank god Bloom has finally put Felix Jones in his place. People taking him in the 1st round of rookie drafts are delusional.

It really shouldn't be that surprising that I have Forte #4 when you consider my thoughts on him a few months ago, when I ranked him 11th:

I was very uneasy leaving Forte out of the initial top 10. I've had him as high as 7th in rough draft versions of the 100. I like his chances, mostly because he's a well-rounded back. Forte is well-suited to be a feature back with his power running style, size, and excellent pass catching skills. The main reason I hesitate to completely buy into Forte is that he doesn't flash anything that will make a team want to make him the anointed back of the future. He's a very good back, but not exceptional in any way. With more and more part-time backs with some exceptional part of their game coming into the league, I wonder if Forte will ever get a chance to be the workhorse he was at Tulane for an extended period. Then again, with the injury frequency in the NFL, Forte should get a shot in his first 2 or 3 years no matter where he lands, and I like his chances of impressing. I may talk myself into putting him back at 7 before I finish writing this piece.

Forte is not a freak, but he's very efficient, physical, and born to be a workhorse. Even in that puke offense, Benson was on his way to a thousand yard season before getting hurt. Forte can get 1200 if he's the man and stays healthy, and he can add 300 as a pass catcher. On the floor of the draft, we were told Forte was the #1 back on the Bears board - He will get a lot longer look than Brandon Jackson got, even if he doesnt do well at first.

 

[cstu]

A few things jumped out at me. Ranking a Detroit Lion #2. This is a bad organization. Even if Smith turns out to be better than his draft position, the chances that Millen puts a competent team around him to help him succeed is virtually nil. Ranking Jordy Nelson #32 and the 13th WR. Ted Thompson has drafted WRs in rds 2 or 3 in each of the last 4 drafts.They are Terrance Murphy (looked great in camp before suffering a career ending injury). Greg Jennings. James Jones. Jordy Nelson. Nelson was the highest draft choice out of the four. There may not be a clear path to the #1, but this is dynasty.I like out of the box thinking, but paying attention to history will help over the long run.

I like Nelson as well. Driver has maybe a couple years left and by then there's a chance Nelson becomes the #1. One of those guys you draft realizing you won't get much from until year 3. The kid has Hines Ward written all over him.

 

[cstu]

Post Draft Bloom 100

Considering I drafted pretty close to the way you have them ranked,

 

[Jeff Haseley]

Wow. Very interesting.

Quite a few I'm curious on, but I'm not sure if you wanted this turned into a discussion thread. Lavelle Hawkins, WR, TEN . 4th WR, 10th overall. Ahead of quite a few big names, looking forward to a little insight with this one.

Lavelle has a great opportunity to emerge as a starting WR and since the ranking is all about production, I see him having a pretty good year, getting reps from the get go. Also keep in mind it was Hawkins that had more receptions than teammate DeSean Jackson this year. His route running and separation IMO are better than Jackson's. His competition at Tennessee is Roydell Williams, Brandon Jones and Justin Gage. It's not like he has Fitzgerald and Boldin ahead of him. While Hawkins could stand to gain more playing weight, he's going to be a good WR for Vince Young. I like his chances of performing fairly well with Tennessee. Call it hunch, but that's how I see it.

 

[Cecil Lammey]

I've done my QB & RB, working on the WRs right now.

LET THE TORAIN TRAIN BANDWAGON START RIGHT NOW!

 

[LHUCKS]

LET THE TORAIN TRAIN BANDWAGON START RIGHT NOW!

 

[brock]

Just added my preliminary rookie rankings - LINK Bash away.

Wow, that's bad. I honestly don't even know where to start. Like, really really bad. I just looked at it again, hoping that I was wrong. Just take your rankings down. Honestly.

 

[switz]

Thank god Bloom has finally put Felix Jones in his place. People taking him in the 1st round of rookie drafts are delusional.

Jones is guaranteed to see a ton of touches, not many of the RBs drafted can say that.

 

[moderated]

I've done my QB & RB, working on the WRs right now.LET THE TORAIN TRAIN BANDWAGON START RIGHT NOW!

if he makes the roster i might jump on.

 

[Sigmund Bloom]

Thank god Bloom has finally put Felix Jones in his place. People taking him in the 1st round of rookie drafts are delusional.

Jones is guaranteed to see a ton of touches, not many of the RBs drafted can say that.

MBIII is going to get starter money if he re-signs, so MBIII walking next year is the only way I see Jones getting a ton of touches, unless a ton is 120-150.

 

[EBF]

Torain is better than Mike Bell. Whether or not he can beat out Travis Henry is another question though. He might need an injury or a pot bust to get on the field. Denver is the perfect landing spot for him though. He can be productive there.

 

[FUBAR]

What's up with the Simpson hate?

 

[LHUCKS]

Torain is better than Mike Bell.

Understatement of the century...and that's coming from an AZ homer that has pretty much seen every single college game from both of these kids.

 

[switz]

Thank god Bloom has finally put Felix Jones in his place. People taking him in the 1st round of rookie drafts are delusional.

Jones is guaranteed to see a ton of touches, not many of the RBs drafted can say that.

MBIII is going to get starter money if he re-signs, so MBIII walking next year is the only way I see Jones getting a ton of touches, unless a ton is 120-150.

120-150 carries, I agree. But he'll also see receptions, get lined up at WR at times, and be a KR. He should see the ball in his hands over 200 times next season easily.McFadden will see tons of oppsStewart will see tons of oppsMendenhall (I like better than FWP) will share time at least this yearJohnson will have a limited roleForte and Smith may see a lot of opps this year, but they are the type of RBs that teams upgrade from in short timeJerry "Coach" Jones is going to make sure Felix gets the ball in his hands, unless Felix absolutely sucks. Think Reggie Bush 'forced' opportunities.

 

[Mr. Peterson]

Just added my preliminary rookie rankings - LINK Bash away.

Wow, that's bad. I honestly don't even know where to start. Like, really really bad. I just looked at it again, hoping that I was wrong. Just take your rankings down. Honestly.

Do you do this just to get a rise out of people? This can't be serious rankings, are they?K.Smith at 2?

Rice at 25?

Forte at 26?

M.Ryan at 20?

Caldwell at 9?

Hawkins at 10?

Really? Are you serious? Can we please get some sort of explanation?

 

[FUBAR]

What's up with the Simpson hate?

Bueller...

 

[Rockchild]

I like rankings that are different. It encourages us to stop and reevaluate our view of certain players and situations. We may still think that we're right and they're crazy,lol, but discussion is better than groupspeak.

 

[Rushmore]

What's up with the Simpson hate?

I agree, but I can somewhat understand if the thought is that one of the two between Simpson and Caldwell will make a name for himself of the two. As a Bengal fan, I am loving the options that the club has given itself. I think they will both make names for themselves and have no problem with the selections. One of the two, according to these rankings will be very good value. I think you'll see one of these two suprpass Jordy and probably a few more on htese rankings.

 

[Cecil Lammey]

my rookie rankings are up!

 

[Craig_MiamiFL]

I tried to find a scenario not to put Mendenhall #1 and I couldn't with the weapons on that offense in the future. I thought he was the best RB in college football last year, so my opinion of him as a enters the league really doesn't change much. A year or two down the road, I really view him no differently than the situation Addai is in. (I think Mendenhall is a vastly superior RB.)

Talent wise, I put Mendenhall ahead of McFadden. Situation wise, until Russell can show he's a viable NFL QB, I don't think this is close really either.

Stewart: Who knows how Fox will use him. Foster was stuck. Williams was stuck. Easy thing to say is that he'll use him in a timely fashion (will believe it when I see it). Delhomme looks to only have a couple years (if beyond this one) as a starting QB. Then they have to find a new QB of the future (not convinced yet Moore is the viable option).

 

[Bob Henry]

I've had my rankings in there for the past few days. I'm willing to put myself out there.. just know that at this time of the year, even post-draft, they are very fluid and subject to changes throughout the summer as we get more information about how they are doing in their team's offenses, positional competition, etc.

Take the Bengals WRs as an example. Simpson and Caldwell immediately become two players of interest. I'm not convinced that Mario Urrutia may not become a factor either. Just because he was undrafted doesn't mean he couldn't surpass either of those two players. Until we see how they take to the team's offense, how they are utilized and who makes a bigger impression in mini-camps, we're pretty much swinging from the hip with our own interpretations of their talents and how they may fit into the team (also with respect to projections).

Giddy up.

 

[Sigmund Bloom]

Rookie rankings up - already a couple of changes from the initial post draft 100 - this is where youll find my current rankings, with a rookie minicamp update coming to the 100, and at least once version that reflects the first few weeks of camp.

 

[Rushmore]

I've had my rankings in there for the past few days. I'm willing to put myself out there.. just know that at this time of the year, even post-draft, they are very fluid and subject to changes throughout the summer as we get more information about how they are doing in their team's offenses, positional competition, etc.

Take the Bengals WRs as an example. Simpson and Caldwell immediately become two players of interest. I'm not convinced that Mario Urrutia may not become a factor either. Just because he was undrafted doesn't mean he couldn't surpass either of those two players. Until we see how they take to the team's offense, how they are utilized and who makes a bigger impression in mini-camps, we're pretty much swinging from the hip with our own interpretations of their talents and how they may fit into the team (also with respect to projections).

Giddy up.

Well, actually he was drafted in the 7th, but pretty darn close to being undrafted. I agree with you about Urrutia though. His size makes him certainly enticing as a redzone option for jump balls etc.

 

[Jeff Pasquino]

What's up with the Simpson hate?

I agree, but I can somewhat understand if the thought is that one of the two between Simpson and Caldwell will make a name for himself of the two. As a Bengal fan, I am loving the options that the club has given itself. I think they will both make names for themselves and have no problem with the selections. One of the two, according to these rankings will be very good value. I think you'll see one of these two suprpass Jordy and probably a few more on htese rankings.

Bloom asked me about this as well.Clerical error on my part (it happens). I had him about WR12 or 13 and just flat out missed putting him on the list.

 

[mdog1967]

"Point being, when you fall to the 7th round, its probably because you do not have the talent to be a successful NFL RB."There are always a few, Bradshaw is the latest, take a flier on him

Dam I was getting ready to throw the Bradshaw Card out till I read the second line. In general I do agree with you. There were some perceived issues with Bradshaw. Getting drafted in the year that so many character concerns percolated to the top of the NFL radar, and a stable corp of backs NFL wide made it real lucky he got drafted at all. Small school and a relative unknown back by many. Giants and Bradshaw lucked out, the exception not the rule.

 

[SayWhat?]

Jason Wood - No Chris Johnson or Brian Brohm in your top 40 rookies? Is that correct? If so, care to elaborate?

 

[smackdaddies]

A few things jumped out at me. Ranking a Detroit Lion #2. This is a bad organization. Even if Smith turns out to be better than his draft position, the chances that Millen puts a competent team around him to help him succeed is virtually nil. Ranking Jordy Nelson #32 and the 13th WR. Ted Thompson has drafted WRs in rds 2 or 3 in each of the last 4 drafts.They are Terrance Murphy (looked great in camp before suffering a career ending injury). Greg Jennings. James Jones. Jordy Nelson. Nelson was the highest draft choice out of the four. There may not be a clear path to the #1, but this is dynasty.I like out of the box thinking, but paying attention to history will help over the long run.

I assume these are rankings for this year fantasy impact, not career fantasy impact.If that is correct, Jordy is in the right place. He will be number 4 on the team this year. Lucky to get 24 catches and 2 td (THIS YEAR).In 2010 - he could be a 60 reception/8td guy.

 

[prymetyme25]

Just added my preliminary rookie rankings - LINK Bash away.

Wow, that's bad. I honestly don't even know where to start. Like, really really bad. I just looked at it again, hoping that I was wrong. Just take your rankings down. Honestly.

Do you do this just to get a rise out of people? This can't be serious rankings, are they?K.Smith at 2?

Rice at 25?

Forte at 26?

M.Ryan at 20?

Caldwell at 9?

Hawkins at 10?

Really? Are you serious? Can we please get some sort of explanation?

Although 2 is kinda high I can understand why. Smith is probably the most underrated back coming out this year. Running behind a medicore to average Oline wont be a shock to him as it will to the other running backs outside the TOP 3. Smith runs decepticely hard and play with a HUGE heart. I only question the knucklehead factor in Detroit as its not been a successful atmosphere lately or a professional one at that and he could get caught up into that feeing of kinda sliding by or losing mentality and not work as hard. Although I doubt it, it could happen. Hopefully someone there pushes him and keeps him working and shows him a professional attitude.

 

[KSUinSFO]

Definitely not for this year alone.

Speaking of which...

Rookie mistakes?

(Staff writer Vinnie Iyer is a fantasy football expert for Sporting News.)

April 30, 2008

Every year, it happens in your fantasy football draft: Some guy named Charlie College who thinks he moonlights as an NFL scout picks a whole bunch of rookies for his roster. He comes away smug, thinking he's got several young players who will be very productive for his team.

Hopefully, that's not you, but that doesn't mean you do away with drafting any rookies altogether. The key is figuring out who has the right talent, right position and right team situation to help you.

The general rule to consider when rating rookies is to forget all the quarterbacks and remember all the running backs. Rookie QBs rarely see enough playing time to be fantasy factors, and when they do, it usually comes with unsatisfactory stats. As for rookie running backs, you can pretty much add them all to the veteran pool. And with the rash of committees and injuries at the position, any one of them can be worthy of your starting lineup in a blink.

Wide receivers and tight ends typically have more of a grey area, but those positions happen to be very weak in the '08 rookie class. Only one player from either position was worthy of a first-round pick in the real draft.

Back to the backfield. Looking back at '07, first-rounders Adrian Peterson and Marshawn Lynch were, as expected, immediate-impact fantasy starters, but going down from Rounds 2 through 7, there were several other backs who put up numbers in stretches: Brian Leonard, Brandon Jackson, Chris Henry, Kolby Smith, DeShawn Wynn and Ahmad Bradshaw. Even five undrafted backs -- Selvin Young, Andre Hall, Fred Jackson, Pierre Thomas and Darius Walker -- had value late.

In the '08 draft, a whopping 25 running backs were selected. So let's start with the ones you should select in your standard 17-round fantasy draft, and then we'll break down the rest of the top 25 overall rookies.

DRAFT 'EM

Here are the rookies -- all running backs -- who should be selected in your standard 17-round fantasy draft, ranked in the order they should come off the board:

1. Darren McFadden, Raiders. Yep, once again, the top drafted back is the top fantasy rookie. It will be hard for McFadden to post Peterson-like numbers, but even splitting carries with Justin Fargas -- the way Peterson did with Chester Taylor last season -- should give the former Arkansas superstar a chance to thrive as a No. 2 fantasy back. McFadden can do plenty with a dozen-plus touches, and Lane Kiffin will continue to have Oakland pound the ball. Draft projection: Round 2 or 3

2. Rashard Mendenhall, Steelers. Willie Parker is coming off a season-ending fractured tibia and also had only two TDs last season. The Steelers still ended up scoring often inside the red zone because of Ben Roethlisberger 's short-passing prowess, but you can bet they prefer pounding it with a power back of Mendenhall's ilk. They need to get back to grinding out games to help Big Ben and to keep Parker fresh to reel off long runs. Mendenhall may not have big yardage, but double-digit TDs isn't a stretch. Draft projection: Round 4 or 5

3. Matt Forte, Bears. Not many saw Forte operate at Tulane, but he put up monstrous numbers, including some good running against the tough defense of Glenn Dorsey and eventual national champion LSU. Forte is strong and durable like his last name might indicate, and he also is sneaky quick. He'll come in driven to unseat underwhelming Cedric Benson, and the Bears will give him every chance to do so. If he wins the job, he can finish right behind McFadden as fantasy's second-best rookie back. Draft projection: Round 4 or 5

4. Kevin Smith, Lions. Many thought Mendenhall and the Motor City would be a perfect match, but Detroit preferred this other big back two rounds later. Not to be confused with his directorial namesake, Smith made plenty of noise with his prolific rushing seasons at Central Florida. Since No. 20 retired, the Lions have been "Chasing Barry," only to see a bunch of "Clerks" and "Mallrats" go through their backfield. They have confidence Smith can be a 20-touch guy and shine in their new zone-blocking scheme. We like the workload; we're just worried about how well he can produce right away in a transitional offense. Draft projection: Round 5 or 6

5. Chris Johnson, Titans. He was clearly the fastest back in the draft class, and Tennessee couldn't pass on the chance of adding Johnson's speed to complement LenDale White's power. The Titans' idea of helping Vince Young is being a run-first, run-often team. Offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger will find ways to get Johnson on the field and into the open field. He's already a better back than last year's Titans rookie, Chris Henry. If Johnson can work himself into a fair timeshare with White, watch out. Draft projection: Round 7 or 8

6. Felix Jones, Cowboys. Remember what Julius Jones did for Jerry Jones the past few years? Dallas is hoping for at least that from this Jones. So, about 800-plus yards and five TDs would be considered a great success in complementing the powerful production of Marion Barber. Jones will have some big yardage games, and he's at worst very valuable to your bench in case Barber goes on the shelf. Draft projection: Round 8

7. Jamaal Charles, Chiefs. Can we really trust Larry Johnson to become the workhorse stud he was in 2005 and '06? Charles also comes in as a more talented back than last year's rookie fill-in, Kolby Smith . KC made it a point to upgrade its offensive line, and Herman Edwards loves to run the ball, especially with a shaky QB situation. Either way, Charles will be key to that plan as a) an explosive complimentary back who gets 10-12 touches a game, or b) a supersub if Johnson battles more injury woes. Draft projection: Round 8 or 9

8. Steve Slaton, Texans. Funny how Houston hires an offensive-minded coach from Denver and the result is a similar revolving door in the backfield. Gary Kubiak has the zone blocking in place; now he needs a back who can stay on the field. Slaton can be Mr. Excitement like he was at West Virginia, but only if he can be Mr. Durable with his 5-8 frame. Both the Titans' Johnson and Slaton are home-run threats, but we need to see more before either can be seen as intradivision answers to the Jags' Maurice Jones-Drew. Draft projection: Round 9 or 10

9. Jonathan Stewart, Panthers. Carolina will have one of the league's most unpredictable offenses, considering Jake Delhomme's health, DeAngelo Williams' limited experience and a reshuffled offensive line. Questions surrounding Stewart's durability add to it. It's hard to get excited about the Panthers' running game, and if Williams starts as expected, Stewart, despite his "real" first-round status, looks to be a middle-round fantasy flyer. Draft projection: Round 9 or 10

10. Ray Rice, Ravens. Baltimore actually drafted two backs, Rice and Oklahoma's Allen Patrick, after choosing not to retain the backup services of Musa Smith. Rice looks like your best bet to pick as a late-round handcuff to Willis McGahee. Draft projection: Round 13 or 14

WATCH 'EM

The next 13 rookies you'll want to monitor in training camp and in the early part of the season to see if they take on a fantasy-friendly role sometime in '08:

11. Devin Thomas, WR, Redskins. Thomas was the consensus top-ranked receiver in the draft, only to fall to the second round as the second wideout selected. What appealed to Washington was his size and speed combo, an asset for new coach Jim Zorn's passing game. The best case: Thomas shows he's ready to start on one side, allowing Antwaan Randle El to go into the slot, where the vet works best.

12. Tim Hightower, RB, Cardinals. The Cards were expected to draft a back with Edgerrin James turning 30, and they went small school to land this big, power runner from Richmond. Coach Ken Whisenhunt likes to pound it to help open up the passing game, and it's uncertain if James, with all his past wear, can hold up for another entire season.

13. Dustin Keller, TE, Jets. Chad Pennington is best throwing short-to-intermediate routes, but he's never had an athletic receiving tight end of Keller's caliber. Kellen Clemens has a bigger arm, but like most young QBs, needs a security blanket underneath. So whoever wins the Jets' job should often be looking Keller's way, especially if the team parts ways with unhappy Chris Baker.

14. Dexter Jackson, WR, Buccaneers. The Bucs must have loved the name, considering he shares it with their one and only Super Bowl MVP. That Jackson made big plays at safety, this one made plenty of them catching passes at upstart Appalachian State. At this point, Joey Galloway is the Bucs' only firm starting receiver, and Jackson should at least get a shot at the No. 2 gig.

15. John Carlson, TE, Seahawks. There's some uncertainty in Seattle's passing game, which needs a nice-sized red zone target after D.J. Hackett left for Carolina as a free agent. The questions are how much Carlson stays on the field in other capacities and how long it takes him to develop a rapport with Matt Hasselbeck.

16. Jerome Simpson, WR, Bengals. You might have heard something about Chad Johnson being unhappy and possibly holding out of Cincy. Whatever happens, Cincy seems ready to move on without him. Simpson is part of the moving on. The Bengals also grabbed another wideout, Andre Caldwell, later in the draft, but this Coastal Carolina product has a real good shot for extensive playing time, either as a No. 3 to replace Chris Henry, or a No. 2 pressed into duty if the team remains without Johnson.

17. James Hardy, WR, Bills. Hardy needs to clean up his off-field act, and Buffalo needs to throw the ball more to take advantage of his immense on-field skills. Lee Evans is locked down as the speedy, big-play No. 1, and Hardy can be the ultimate complement as the No. 2-type red zone target. Hardy's scoring potential gets him on the fantasy radar.

18. Donnie Avery, WR, Rams. Avery was the first wide receiver taken in the real draft, and considering his speed, his role will likely be that of former Ram Kevin Curtis -- that is, an occasional No. 3 home-run threat behind two veteran starters, Torry Holt and Drew Bennett. Let's hope St. Louis goes more three-wide to increase Avery's immediate value, which is currently quite limited.

19. DeSean Jackson, WR, Eagles. Speaking of Curtis, he and Reggie Brown figure to stay ahead of Jackson on Philly's depth chart as Jackson settles to make his early mark in the return game and slot man in three- and four-wide sets. Still, the Eagles always seem to be looking for reliable options in the passing game, and they might look to get Jackson on the field often. He has the talent to tease as a fantasy No. 3; it just won't likely happen in '08.

20. Mike Hart, RB, Colts. Joseph Addai's incumbent backup, Kenton Keith, was a good sub last season, but Hart's experience and competitiveness should give him a decent shot at stealing the job. Keith's offseason arrest also opens the door a bit for Indy to install a more established, high-character back behind Addai. The Colts' coaches will find a place for Hart on the roster -- and if it's as Addai's No. 2, he will then be worth drafting late.

21. Early Doucet, WR, Cardinals. Concerns about durability pushed Doucet down to a team that already has two great starting wide receivers -- at least this season. With Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin drawing so much attention, Doucet will have a chance to rack up some big plays as the likely No. 3/slot replacement for Bryant Johnson, now a 49er. If Boldin gets traded, Doucet's value would shoot up.

22. Harry Douglas, WR, Falcons. Even without Bobby Petrino, Atlanta grabbed one of his most talented former Louisville players. At this point, only Roddy White is locked in to start as the No. 1 receiver. From No. 2 on, it's wide open for this rebuilding team. If the Falcons let loose with the rookies in the passing game after midseason, Douglas is capable of shining right away, especially if he clicks with QB Matt Ryan in camp.

23. Ryan Torain, RB, Broncos. Another rule to remember: Never rule out any running back in Denver. Mike Shanahan's backfield could easily become Torain's terrain once someone gets in trouble off the field, gets into Shanahan's doghouse on the field or gets hurt. Might as well just know the name now, a la formerly unheralded rookies Selvin Young and Andre Hall.

FORGET 'EM

Just to make the No. 1 rookie rule loud and clear:

24. Matt Ryan, QB, Falcons. Ryan has a better shot of seeing playing time than either JaMarcus Russell or Brady Quinn had going into '07. That's because Chris Redman is his main competition, and Atlanta has nothing to lose by playing Ryan often. In fact, showing Ryan the field early also may be a move to make fans forget about Michael Vick more quickly. That's nice and all, but Ryan is still just another young, unproven QB on just another bad, rebuilding team.

25 (tie). Joe Flacco, QB, Ravens; Chad Henne, QB, Dolphins; all other rookie QBs. Don't be enamored by those cool, similarly designed Blue Hen or Wolverine helmets. You're not taking either of these guys, regardless if you went to Delaware or Michigan. That goes for all the other quarterbacks drafted in '08. Flacco, Henne, Brian Brohm, John David Booty, etc. need to be great in camp just to establish themselves as potential No. 2 reality QBs this season.

Staff writer Vinnie Iyer is a fantasy football expert for Sporting News. Email him at viyer@sportingnews.com.

 

[Chachi]

I've done my QB & RB, working on the WRs right now.LET THE TORAIN TRAIN BANDWAGON START RIGHT NOW!

Is it ok if I bump this when Torain doesn't make the Broncos 53 man roster?

 

[Jeff Pasquino]

I see the confusion.

I'm asking the rest of the staff to chime in on what "Rookie Rankings" means.

I take it to mean Dynasty Draft Rookie Rankings, but I may not be in lockstep with others.

 

[Cecil Lammey]

I've done my QB & RB, working on the WRs right now.LET THE TORAIN TRAIN BANDWAGON START RIGHT NOW!

Is it ok if I bump this when Torain doesn't make the Broncos 53 man roster?

Let's do it! Hey, if there was hype for Ahmad Galloway, Cedric Cobbs, etc. the noise from the Torain Train should be deafening in August.

 

[FunkyPlutos]

Why doesn't Jason Wood have Chris Johnson in the top 40? Oversight or is there a particular reason?