The StatMan  

We ran out of time on our last show (#23) to present our 2009 Fantasy Football preview. Our league draft is scheduled for the night before the season begins on Thursday. If you have not had your draft yet, I have listed my top 10 fantasy players at each position, along with a couple of sleepers who I think will be worth the gamble of drafting them this season. 

For these picks, I am applying a fantasy scoring system with extra rewards for longer touchdowns, yardage, and versatility, such as rushing touchdowns for quarterbacks and receiving touchdowns for running backs.  Kickers score extra points for longer field goals.  Defense and special teams include sacks, interceptions, and fumble recoveries for the defense and returns for touchdowns by both the defense and special teams.

Even if you have already had your draft, you can take a look to see if you have any of these sleepers or how many players in the top 10 per position you have on your team.

TOP 10
QUARTERBACK
1. Drew Brees NO
2. Tom Brady NE
3. Peyton Manning IND
4. Philip Rivers SDG
5. Aaron Rodgers GBY
6. Donovan McNabb PHL
7. Matt Ryan ATL
8. Kurt Warner ARZ
9. Jay Cutler CHI
10. Tony Romo DAL

RUNNING BACK
1. Adrian Peterson MIN
2. Michael Turner ATL
3. LaDainian Tomlinson SDG
4. Matt Forte CHI
5. DeAngelo Williams CAR
6. Maurice Jones-Drew JAX
7. Chris Johnson TEN
8. Steven Jackson STL
9. Brandon Jacobs NYG
10. Brian Westbrook PHL

WIDE RECEIVER
1. Larry Fitzgerald ARZ
2. Andre Johnson HOU
3. Calvin Johnson DET
4. Greg Jennings GBY
5. Randy Moss NE
6. Steve Smith CAR
7. Terrell Owens BUF
8. Reggie Wayne IND
9. Roddy White ATL
10. Anquan Boldin ARZ

TIGHT END
1. Jason Witten DAL
2. Dallas Clark IND
3. Chris Cooley WSH
4. Antonio Gates SDG
5. Tony Gonzalez ATL
6. John Carlson SEA
7. Visanthe Shiancoe MIN
8. Owen Daniels HOU
9. Greg Olsen CHI
10. Kellen Winslow TBY

KICKER
1. Stephen Gostkowski NE
2. Jason Elam ATL
3. Rob Bironas TEN
4. Ryan Longwell MIN
5. Mason Crosby GBY
6. David Akers PHL
7. Adam Vinatieri IND
8. Nate Kaeding SDG
9. Robbie Gould CHI
10. Neil Rackers ARZ

DEFENSE/SPECIAL TEAMS
1. Pittsburgh Steelers PIT
2. Minnesota Vikings MIN
3. Tennessee Titans TEN
4. Baltimore Ravens BAL
5. Chicago Bears CHI
6. New York Giants NYG
7. New England Patriots NE
8. Philadelphia Eagles PHL
9. New York Jets NYJ
10. San Diego Chargers SDG

SLEEPERS
QUARTERBACK
Joe Flacco BAL - Flacco should continue to rise and his fantasy numbers will be good, which you do not expect from a Baltimore QB.

Matt Hasselbeck SEA - Hasselbeck has been around so long, can we call him a sleeper? T.J. Houshmandzadeh and John Carlson are prime targets for Hasselbeck.

RUNNING BACK
Darren Sproles SDG - Tomlinson should sit a little more and Sproles just needs a little more action to be startable in fantasy.

Fred Jackson BUF - Jackson will start for Marshawn Lynch during the first three games of the year while Lynch serves his suspension.

WIDE RECEIVER
Chris Henry CIN – Say what you will about his past, but Henry has had a great preseason and I like him more than I like Laveranues Coles in fantasy.

Bernard Berrian MIN - When the opposing defense stacks the box to stop Adrian Peterson and Brett Favre does air it out, Berrian will be waiting.

Nate Washington TEN – Washington has a ring from Pittsburgh and is still on the rise for a team that desperately needs a top receiver.

TIGHT END
Visanthe Shiancoe MIN - Shiancoe is another receiving sleeper for the Vikings. The overload on trying to stop the run will open up options short and deep. Shiancoe was good last year and he’ll be better this year.

Brent Celek PHL - The Eagles are only carrying 2 TE and Celek is a good safety valve for either Donovan McNabb or Michael Vick.

KICKER
Kris Brown HOU - If Schaub stays healthy, which is a big "if", the Texans will move the ball very, very well.

John Kasay CAR - The running game is so integral to Carolina and it’s getting better, but if they stall in the red zone, veteran Kasay can help put points on the board.

DEFENSE/SPECIAL TEAMS
San Diego Chargers SDG - With Shawne Merriman back and with Darren Sproles handling some of the return work, they’ll peek into the top 10.