The 2007 fantasy football season is over for most people, but that doesn't mean that you can't have fun thinking about how the 2008 draft will play out.
There’s still a lot that will happen between now and September – the rest of the playoffs, the draft, free agency, and those inevitable (and maddening) pre-season injuries – but the top few picks are set in stone already and likely won’t change for six months. So, if you had to draft right now, who would you take? It’s a fun exercise and also helps keep the fantasy fires burning during the long, cold off-season.
Top 5 Running Backs
- LaDainian Tomlinson, San Diego Chargers
- Brian Westbrook, Philadelphia Eagles
- Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings
- Joseph Addai, Indianapolis Colts
- Clinton Portis, Washington Redskins
LT still tops the list, due to his consistently great yardage and touchdown totals. Peterson may actually be better than Westbrook, but injury concerns and the fact that he splits carries with Chester Taylor is a cause for concern. Addai plays for the always-volatile Indianapolis offense, and Portis had a fine resurgent year with the Redskins, racking up 1,651 combined rushing/receiving yards.
Top 5 Quarterbacks
- Tom Brady, New England Patriots
- Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts
- Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys
- Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints
- Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers
After a 50-touchdown season, there’s no debate that Brady’s on top, right? Or is there? When Peyton Manning threw for 49 in 2004, he “only” managed 28 the next season. But Brady had a ton of new offensive talent 2007, most notably Randy Moss, and there’s little reason to think he won’t at least approach 40 touchdowns in ’08. Of the other four quarterbacks on this list, only Brees failed to throw for 30 touchdowns, but he made up for it with 4,428 passing yards, second only to Brady.
Top 5 Wide Receivers
- Randy Moss, New England Patriots
- Reggie Wayne, Indianapolis Colts
- Terrell Owens, Dallas Cowboys
- Chad Johnson, Cincinnati Bengals
- Braylon Edwards, Cleveland Browns
Like his teammate Brady, Moss is a shoo-in for the #1 spot. After that, there are question marks. Will a healthy Marvin Harrison steal Wayne’s thunder in Indy? Will Owens or Johnson explode and distract their teams? Is Edwards and the Cleveland offense for real? The answers are probably no, no, and yes, but even if you don’t get an elite receiver, there’s lots of depth available, as 20 wideouts topped 1,000 yards.
Top 5 Tight Ends
- Jason Witten, Dallas Cowboys
- Tony Gonzalez, Kansas City Chiefs
- Antonio Gates, San Diego Chargers
- Chris Cooley, Washington Redskins
- Jeremy Shockey, New York Giants
Jason Witten joins the ranks of elite tight ends after his 96-catch, 1,145-yard performance in 2007. You won’t go wrong with old standbys Gonzalez and Gates, either. Chris Cooley is still lesser known than Jeremy Shockey in most circles, despite averaging 65 catches (to Shockey’s 63) over the last three seasons, so you might be able to get him later than you’d expect.
