Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

The Bruno Boys Fantasy Football staff is pleased to announce the release of our 2010 Fantasy Football Draft Guide (click to download). The action packed Draft Guide has everything you need to get ready for your upcoming fantasy football draft. Some of the content includes….

— In-Depth Player Profiles For Over 270 Players

— Fantasy Football Consensus Cheat Sheet

— Cheat Sheet Rankings from NINE Staff Writers

— Fantasy Football PPR Cheat Sheet

— Fantasy Football IDP Cheat Sheet

— Fantasy Football Top 150 Rankings

— 12-Team Staff Mock Draft

....  And Much Much More!

DOWNLOAD NOW: 2010 Fantasy Football Draft Guide (click to download)

Make sure to check back throughout the preseason as we will continue to update our 2010 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheets (click to download) in order to bring to you the latest information needed to dominate on draft day.

If you have any fantasy football questions you can contact us at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

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Kickers are not exactly highly sought after fantasy football players. Generally they are taken in the last rounds of the draft and are rarely on the same fantasy roster the entire season. Some managers even choose to stream kickers based on match-up, the idea being that point totals for kickers are based more often on the success of their offense than actual ability. No matter how you treat the position, it is a spot that needs to be filled and like in real life, can be the difference between being a champion or the first loser. Anyone who has ever won a match-up by less than three points can attest to the importance of even a few extra points to a success of the team as a whole. That means it’s crucial to have a quality kicker week in and week out even if you’re drafting the position in the last round.

Below are five kickers to target late who could have break out seasons and be that big contributor your fantasy football team needs to put it over the top. When reading about the 2010 Fantasy Football Sleeper Kickers selections, remember these three rules Bruno Boys uses to classify “sleepers”: 1) players who have a chance of outperforming their projection and player ranking; 2) players that should give you a nice return on your draft pick/auction price; 3) some sleepers are also undervalued, not all.

Dan Carpenter, K, Miami Dolphins – Carpenter is only entering his third NFL season, but has already proven himself to be one of the best in the business. He is coming off a strong Pro Bowl season in which he posted an 89-percent field goal percentage, good for fifth in the league for kickers with more than 20 attempts. This isn’t unprecedented for him, either. In 2008 he kicked at an 84-percent clip and went 40-40 on extra points, so we can assume the talent is real and that his 2009 Pro Bowl selection wasn’t a fluke. He also plays in Miami, where it’s 80 degrees and sunny 365 days a year. There might be rain from time to time; however, a passing seagull poses a bigger threat to his accuracy than the Florida weather ever will.

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As much as fantasy football owners hope to find sleepers during the middle-to-late rounds of the draft, the ultimate success of your fantasy season can boil down to how well you avoid the busts - especially among those guys that you draft in the first five rounds. Just because a player makes the bust list, doesn’t necessarily mean you have to avoid him completely on draft day (though we’ll let you know who to avoid altogether). Some, not all busts are overvalued players, while the majority have seen their situations change (e.g., new team, new coaching staff, upgrade or downgrade of players around them, injuries, etc.) or are likely to have a hard time living up to expectations. Use our 2010 Fantasy Football Busts Tight Ends list as a guide to move some players down your draft board.

Jeremy Shockey, TE, New Orleans Saints – As mentioned in our tight end sleeper article, Shockey is now entering his ninth season in the NFL and has yet to play a full 16-game season. For such a big name, Shockey has also never had more than seven touchdowns and 900 yards receiving in a single season, so he has always been relatively overvalued. This season could prove to be the year that Shockey slips into obscurity because the Saints now have two tight ends, David Thomas and rookie Jimmy Graham, who can push aside the veteran.

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The tight end position in fantasy football has always added a certain element of strategy to the game. Having a tight end spot reserved on rosters forces owners to stray from just worrying about running backs and wide receivers and deciding on whether or not they want to take a top-tier tight end, and when they want to draft their stud. 

Many top tight ends can be considered WR2 options, but if you miss out on a stud, you can get stuck with a dud in your lineup all season. This year, more than any other years, the talent at tight end is rich. With job splits and injuries, however, many tight ends will emerge from the waiver wires and become solid pieces to fantasy lineups down the stretch. The following 2010 Fantasy Football Sleeper Tight Ends list is made up of both lesser names with loads of potential value, or mid-range players that have a chance to break into the top tier this season. 

Tony Scheffler, TE, Detroit Lions – After two productive years as a member of the Denver Broncos (pushing 1,000 receiving yards before injury in 2008), Scheffler languished under Josh McDaniels in 2009. McDaniels follows the Mike Martz philosophy that tight ends should be great blockers first, so a good receiving tight end like Scheffler was bound to struggle in that situation. He’s now in Detroit with a blossoming quarterback, and he has an opportunity to regain his form and become a solid fantasy football tight end in 2010. He has shown no effects of injuries that kept him out of minicamp, and coach Jim Schwartz has said Scheffler is a key to keeping the pressure off of star wide receiver Calvin Johnson. 

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The parity in the NFL makes fantasy football statistics harder to predict than other fantasy sports such as basketball. In fantasy basketball, many players are consistent with their career averages regardless of the situation they’re playing in. Fantasy football couldn’t be more opposite. Consistent statistical seasons are hard to find over time from any position in fantasy football, but especially at wide receiver. Receivers are a fickle bunch and often have a great statistical year one year, followed by a horrible statistical year the next. So many factors affect whether they are successful, such as changing quarterbacks midseason or the rise of a unknown running back. Whatever it is, fantasy football owners are used to dealing with the surprises that make fantasy football so much fun to begin with. Here are seven wide receiver for the 2010 season that made our list of 2010 Fantasy Football Sleeper Wide Receivers.

Johnny Knox, WR, Chicago Bears – Knox had a solid rookie season in 2009, registering 45 receptions for 527 yards and five touchdowns. He was one of the few bright spots in Chicago’s somewhat dysfunctional offense. A fifth-round pick from Abilene-Christian College, Knox also excelled on special teams, averaging 29 yards per return. New offensive coordinator Mike Martz brings his pass-happy offensive playbook to the Bears this season. Martz is responsible for the St. Louis Rams’ “Greatest Show on Turf” offense from 1999 to 2001 that made stars out of receivers Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt. Knox compares favorably to these former Ram standouts. Martz was also successful in Detroit, turning the somewhat forgettable quarterback Jon Kitna into a 4000-yard passer. 

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Check out our 2010 Fantasy Football Top 150 Rankings based on standard scoring leagues (4 points for passing TDs, 6 points for all other TDs).

::RANKINGS AS OF 8/30/2010::

2010 Fantasy Football Top 150 Rankings

  1. Chris Johnson, RB (TEN)
  2. Adrian Peterson, RB (MIN)
  3. Maurice Jones-Drew, RB (JAC)
  4. Ray Rice, RB (BAL)
  5. Michael Turner, RB (ATL)
  6. Andre Johnson, WR (HOU)
  7. Frank Gore, RB (SF)
  8. Steven Jackson, RB (STL)
  9. Aaron Rodgers, QB (GB)
10. Drew Brees, QB (NO)

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As much as fantasy football owners hope to find sleepers during the middle-to-late rounds of the draft, the ultimate success of your fantasy season can boil down to how well you avoid the busts - especially among those guys that you draft in the first five rounds. Just because a player makes the bust list, doesn’t necessarily mean you have to avoid him completely on draft day (though we’ll let you know who to avoid altogether). Some, not all busts are overvalued players, while the majority have seen their situations change (e.g., new team, new coaching staff, upgrade or downgrade of players around them, injuries, etc.) or are likely to have a hard time living up to expectations. Use our 2010 Fantasy Football Busts Running Backs list as a guide to move some players down your draft board.

Brandon Jacobs, RB, New York Giants – Jacobs played through a torn meniscus in his left knee in 2009, and that led to a disappointing season despite a career-high 224 carries.  The workload seems to have hurt him, as he averaged just 3.7 yards per carry and scored just five touchdowns, after scoring 15 touchdowns and rushing for 1,089 yards in 2008.  Jacobs’ size (6’4”, 264 pounds) and bruising running style has made him injury prone throughout his career, and the fact he signed a sizable contract extension prior to last season may have affected his general assertiveness or “edge” as a runner (see Shaun Alexander, 2005-2006). 

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Earlier in the week we took a look at the latest Average Draft Position Risers in drafts according to Mock Draft Central and now it is time to see who is falling on draft day. While most guys fall due to injury, there are many players who start out the summer months looking like solid players, however, as the preseason goes on they start to decline in value. Let’s take a look at 10 players who saw a significant decrease in ADP over the last week

Braylon Edwards, WR, New York Jets

ADP This Week: 96.64
ADP Last Week: 82.06

What is surprising is how high people were selecting Edwards at and ADP of No.82 overall. That is a Round 7 pick for a guy who has been a constant underachiever for two straight seasons. In fact, our staff is once again down on him in 2010 and ranked him No.38 at the wide receiver position No. 107 in our Top 150 Rankings. Edwards’ sliding should not be a big shock due to the inconsistencies and the risk that comes with this selection. If he does not establish himself as a regular option for quarterback Mark Sanchez early in the season it could be a long season for those who draft Edwards.

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The two auction articles I wrote have generated many questions and comments by email and the Bruno Boys Forum. I have to admit, I am really psyched that so many fantasy football owners are giving auction drafts a try and are thinking and planning on a different level than most other fantasy owners. This week, I decided to take the best questions I’ve received and answer them in a mailbag format. These mailbags are going to be a regular feature here at Bruno Boys. If you have a fantasy football theory question, feel free to email me at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Your email just might make my next mailbag. Here are the questions that made this week’s mailbag…

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With the level of attrition at the running back position, fantasy football owners who unearth a sleeper or two on draft day can have a decided advantage over the course of the season.  The following players make our 2010 Fantasy Football Sleeper Running Backs list.

LeSean McCoy, RB, Philadelphia Eagles – The offseason departure of Brian Westbrook opens the door for McCoy to become the Eagles’ primary ball carrier.  As a rookie in 2009, he set an Eagles’ rookie record of 637 rushing yards along with 40 receptions for 308 yards.  His touchdown total (four) was a little lackluster; however it stands to rise with a full workload in 2010. McCoy’s fantasy football value is good in standard leagues, yet receives a bump in Points Per Reception (PPR) leagues.  He is currently ranked 10th in our running back cheat sheet for PPR leagues.
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