Well it’s time to start scouting and preparing for the 2009 fantay football season.  Read the blogs and the magazines, check player rankings, research last year’s stats.  It will be a lot of fun.  I can’t wait to start creating my fantasy football cheat sheets and calculate the average draft position of every player.

My favorite players headed into this 2009 fantasy football are Tom Brady, Randy Moss, Maurice Jones-Drew, Greg Jennings, Brandon Jacobs, Stephen Gostkowski, and Joseph Addai, – I think the Colts will be running it more.  My fantasy football losers are Marvin Harrison, Ocho Cinco, Tony Romo, Carson Palmer, and Eli Manning.  I wonder if we’ll ever see Cadillac Williams again.  Derrick Ward could be a huge sleeper.

If anybody knows where I can find a good 2009 fantasy football draft kit, let me know by leaving a comment.  I can’t wait to start researching my upcoming league drafts.

TheFantasyBlogger started a mini fantasy football draft kit site this year by posting a pdf for the 2008 fantasy football busts.  Among those listed were Dallas Clark, Peyton Manning, Donovan McNabb, Ryan Grant, Darren McFadden, and Carson Palmer.  The only two that have been wrong to date are Greg Jennings and Frank Gore.  Next year, more free downloadable documents will be available including projections and cheat sheets for all relevant fantasy positions.

FantasyFootballStarters.com has everything you need fantasy football including free software tools, cheat sheets, forums, and blogs.  Their software encompasses trade, team and draft analyzer.  They also boast up-to-date fantasy football predictions every week which is very important and rare in the fantasy season and you can simply use their free tools all season or upgrade your membership to take the fantasy football advice to the next level.

Reggie Wayne

Height: 6-0

Weight: 198

Date of Birth: 11-17-78

College: Miami Hurricanes

College Details

During his time at “The U”, Wayne set the school record for career receptions (173) with the second most yards (2,510). Also during his time in Miami Reggie had a 37 game reception streak (school record) and a 7 game touchdown streak (2^nd in school history). With all of the talented players that have come through Miami, Wayne ranks right up there with the best of the best.

Yearly Pro Summary

2001: Starting just 9 games as a rookie, Wayne caught just 27 balls for 345 yards and no touchdowns. 2002: His sophomore season was an improvement in every category…other than starts. Starting just 7 games, but seeing action in all 16, Wayne’s numbers nearly doubled when he caught 49 passes for 716 yards and 4 touchdowns.

2003: Progressing in each of his three seasons Wayne became a full-time starter for the Colts in 2003. Starting all 16 games for the first time in his career Reggie caught 68 passes for 838 yards and 7 touchdowns.

2004: Bursting onto the scene in 04 Wayne forced himself into the mind of fantasy owners world-wide. His 77 receptions, 1,210 yards, and 12 touchdowns made him a very nice option for Peyton Manning, thus helping to open the field for the talented Marvin Harrison.

2005: Fantasy GMs couldn’t wait to grab Wayne when the receivers started coming off the board in their drafts. He was a “sexy” pick that many expected great things from after his 2004 outburst. Unfortunately Wayne came back down to Earth in 05 catching 83 balls for only 1055 yards and just 5 touchdowns.

2006: Reggie had 1,310 yards and 9 touchdown helping owners look past the mediocre 2005 season. Wayne had a couple scoring droughts during the season that caused some frustration for his Fantasy owners (1 touchdown over the final 5 weeks).

Reputation

Reggie has only one thing stopping him from being a top 5 Fantasy WR and that thing is Marvin Harrison. Wayne is known for being a great route-runner with top notch speed, but he is still the #2 option on his own team.

Outlook

Wayne continues to put up decent yardage but isn’t looked at in the Red-Zone nearly enough. One would figure that Harrison would slow down sooner or later and Wayne would benefit from the decline, but it doesn’t seem to be happening. That being said, Wayne is still a top 10 receiver this year and has the potential to move that ranking up closer to the Chad Johnson’s of the Fantasy world.

Steven Jackson
St. Louis Rams

Fantasy Football

Position: Running Back
Height: 6-2
Weight: 231
Date of Birth: July 22, 1983
College; Oregon State

College Details: 1st ever OSU player to leave early for the NFL after a career yardage total of 4,445 rushing and receiving yards, 2nd in school history. Jackson is also 2nd in scoring in Beaver annals with 366 points, 10th in Pac-10 history.

2004: Decent rookie season with 673 yards rushing, 189 receiving and 4 scores while splitting time with Marshall Faulk.
2005: Started to come into his own with 1,046 rushing and 320 receiving with 10 touchdowns.
2006: Big breakout year as Jackson exploded with 2,334 total yards and 16 TDs with dreads flapping all the way.

Rep: The former National Honor Society student out of Las Vegas who was a sprinter on the track team and 2 year starter in basketball runs with a combination of power, speed, and hands seldom seen in a back his size.

Outlook: This season look for an even bigger year for Jackson with similar yardage but more touchdowns. He is somewhat fumble prone so I’m sure that will be a point of emphasis, but look for him to be the #2 back in fantasy football in ‘07.

Travis Henry
Denver Broncos

Fantasy Football Outlook

Position: Running Back
Height: 5-9
Weight: 215
Date Of Birth: Oct. 29, 1978
College: Tennessee

College Details: Holds Rocky Top records for rushing attempts, rushing yards, and 100 yard games and 2nd in career rushing touchdowns. Split time for 2 years with Jamal Lewis of Cleveland.
2001: Solid start in Buffalo with 909 total yards and 4 touchdowns on rebuilding team.
2002: Surprised the NFL with 1,747 total yards and 13 Tds
2003: Another good year with 1,514 yards rushing and receiving and 10 scores
2004: Fell out of favor in Buffalo giving way to Willis McGahee, falling to 371 yards and no scores.
2005  After a trade to the Titans for a 3rd rounder, Henry gained only 452 yards in a crowded backfield.
2006: In the 2nd year in his 2nd home of Tennessee, the Frostproof, FL product returned to form with just under 1,300 total yards and 7 touchdowns, gaining contract leverage as an unrestricted free agent along with yards.

Rep: Tough, physical runner with a low center of gravity and great lower body strength, although he has 28 fumbles in 6 years, losing 15.

Outlook: Reportedly the every down back Mike Shanahan has been craving ever since Portis left. Mike Bell will get some carries, but with a team that annually is among the leaders in rushing attempts there should be plenty to go around for Henry to get 1,200-1,500 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Randy Moss
New England Patriots

Fantasy Football

2007 Outlook

Position: Wide Receiver
Height: 6-4
Weight: 210
Date Of Birth: Feb. 13, 1977
College: Marshall

College Details: After failing to gain entrance to Notre Dame and getting kicked off the team at Florida State, this Rolling Stone returned home to Marshall in his home state of West Virginia. There only 2 years, Moss shattered Thundering Herd receiving records to the tune of 3,529 yards and a stunning 53 touchdowns more than doubling the previous record.

1998: Stunned the teams that passed over him in the draft by snaring 1,313 yards worth of passes with a rookie record 17 touchdowns.
1999: TDs dipped slightly to 11, but yardage increased by 100 to 1,413.
2000: Another 1400+ receiving yards and rebounded to 15 scores.
2001: Routine 1,233 yards and 10 TDs in “off” year
2002: Career high in catches with 106, but yards per catch down to 12.7 due to the infamous “Randy Ratio”. 7 Tds.
2003: Rebounded to career highs with 111 receptions for 1,632 yards and tied season TD high with 17.
2004: Suffered his first real injury missing several games with a badly sprained ankle, still had over 700 yards and 13 touchdowns in a little over half a season. Made more headlines for “mooning” Packer fans than anything he did on the field that year.
2005: Traded to Raiders where he had a big debut at New England. Finished with 1,005 yards and 8 scores when he wasn’t berating Norv Turner.
2006: By far the worst season of his career as a porous O-line couldn’t give the musical chair QBs time to get the ball down the field. 553 yards and only 3 TDs.

Rep: There is not room to chronicle every controversy of Moss’ career from admitting to smoking pot to “playing hard when I feel like it” to dragging a meter maid down the street with his car. Moss is darn near impossible to cover man to man with his height, speed, long arms and vertical leap. Doesn’t like to go over the middle of the field vs. zones. Touchdown machine.

Outlook: What Moss does this season will be determined mostly by how he meshes with no-nonsense Bill Belichick and the face of the franchise, Tom Brady. If he behaves, look for 900-1,200 yards and 8-12 TDs. If he has problems with the way the Pats spread the ball around….his will be a short stay in Foxborough. I look for Randy to get along much like troubled Corey Dillon in his first year and put up solid but not spectacular numbers. Worth a gamble as a #2 WR.

Donovan McNabb
Philadelphia Eagles

Player Profile

Position: Quarterback
Height: 6-2
Weight: 240
Date Of Birth: Nov. 25, 1976
College: Syracuse

College Details: Redshirted as freshman then started every game for the remaining 4 years of career with a record of 33-12. Big East Player Of The Year 3 years running from 96-98. Voted Big East Offensive  Player Of The Decade for the 90’s with his 9,950 total yards and 96 TDs. Key reserve on the Orange basketball team that lost to Kentucky for the NCAA championship in 1996.

1999: Played in 12 games starting the last 6 as a rookie finishing with 948 yards passing and 313 rushing and 8 TD passes with 7 INTs.
2000: In his first full season as a starter McNabb started the turnaround of the franchise with 3365 yards through the air and 629 on the ground with 27 total touchdowns against 13 interceptions.
2001: Yardage declined by about 200 total yards with 27 TDs once again.
2002: Suffered the first of several injuries in recent years with 2,749 total yards and 23 scores in only 10 games, ruining what would have been a career year.
2003: Ordinary year by McNabb’s standards with a pedestrian 3,571 yards total and 19 touchdowns in spite of starting all 16 games.
2004: With the TO circus having come to town Donovan ignored taunts by “football expert” Rush Limbaugh to have his career year with season highs in passing yards with 3,875 and 31 touchdowns with only 8 picks. Lead the Eagles to their first Super Bowl appearance in almost a quarter century losing to the Patriots.
2005: In the 2nd year of the circus things unraveled first with TO’s suspension and then McNabb’s own injury. Had over 2,500 yards and 16 scores in only 9 games.
2006:Yet another injury ended his season early after a hot start. Finished with 2,647 yards passing and 18 TDs in only 10 games.

Rep: Team leader who has ignored being booed on draft day by Eagle fans who wanted Rickey Williams, asinine comments by publicity seekers posing as “experts”, being accused of being out of shape by an immature teammate and multiple injuries to excel when he has been healthy.

Outlook: It’s all about the injuries. If McNabb can stay healthy Peyton Manning is the only QB who can top his numbers in fantasy football for a full season but has to be considered a gamble due to missing 19 games in the last 5 years. If healthy for 16 games look for 4,000+ yards and 30+ TDs. Buyer beware and draft a good backup if you pull the trigger on Donovan in the 4th round or so.

Terrell Owens
Dallas Cowboys

Position: Wide Receiver
Height: 6-3
Weight: 218
Date Of Birth: Dec. 7, 1973
College: Tennessee-Chattanooga

College Details: 1st team All-Southern Conference as a Soph. and Sr.3 years on the basketball team which made an NCAA appearance, anchor on the 4×100 relay team as a Sr., once scored 4 touchdowns in a game vs. Marshall, majored in merchandising.

1996: Started out as 3rd receiver on a team with Jerry Rice and 1st round pick in the same draft, JJ Stokes. Debuted with 35 catches for 520 yards and 4 scores.
1997: Carved out more of a role with Stokes’ struggles, 60 receptions for 936 yards and doubled TDs to 8.
1998: Only 7 more catches but the first of many 1,000+ seasons with 1,097 and 14 touchdowns with another rushing.
1999: Regressed to 754 on another 60 catches with only 4 scores.
2000: Exploded to 97 receptions for a career high 1,451 yards and 13 TDs. Started the self-promotion gimmicks with the strutting on the midfield star in Dallas.
2001: Another fine year with 93 catches for 1,412 yards and career high in TDs with 16.
2002: The beat went on with 100 catches for 1,300 and 13 with 79 yards rushing and another score.
2003: 80 receptions for 1,102 yards and 9 touchdowns but overshadowed by contract dispute, squabbles with Jeff Garcia and other teammates and numerous drops.
2004: Soared with the Eagles in his new home until late season injury curtailed what could have been have been career highs in nearly every category. 77 catches for 1,200 yards and 14 scores in 13.5 games.
2005: Headed for even better numbers until Andy Reid had enough and pulled the plug on TO’s antics. 47 catches for 763 yards and 6 TDs in 7 games before his suspension for the season by the team. Signing with agent Drew Rosenhaus before the season and critical  comments about McNabb caused the Eagles to put TO, who released a children’s book, in timeout.
2006: Between an uneasy relationship with Bill Parcells, an injured finger and trouble meshing with Drew Bledsoe it was an up and down season with a lot of drops. Still 1,180 yards and 13 scores  puts the volatile Owens in pretty select company.

Rep: Where does one start? Great talent, goes over the middle, one of the best ever after the catch, extremely high maintenance, hard to deal with on and off the field. In short, an enigma, but for fantasy football ….still worth a 2nd or 3rd round pick. After all, you don’t have to deal with he or Rosenhaus.

Outlook: After Tony Romo took over midway through the season, TO picked up the pace considerably. With Wade Phillips’ hands off approach and Owens’ rapport (for now) with Romo, a suspension seems unlikely so expect 1,200 or more yards and 12-15 scores.

2007 Fantasy Football Profile

Brett Favre
Green Bay Packers

Position: Quarterback
Height: 6-2
Weight: 222
Date Of Birth: 10/10/1969
College: Southern Mississippi

College Details: Holds the school record for passing yards with 8,193, Touchdown Passes with 55 and surprisingly given his gun-slinger image is among the 50 least intercepted QBs in NCAA history with a rate of 2.9%. Notably, after a car wreck on July 14, 1990 in which Favre had 30 inches of his intestines removed he played in the season opener less than 2 months later leading the Golden Eagles to an upset over Alabama.

1991: Lost year under Jerry Glanville in Atlanta. Got into only 2 games completing ZERO of 4 pass attempts. When Brett used the excuse that he was late for practice due to a train wreck blocking the road Glanville said ”Son, you are a train wreck”. Whatever happened to that guy?
1992: After the trade to Green Bay, Favre immediately stood out with 3227 yards passing and 18 TDs under the tutelage of Mike Holmgren with another 198 yards rushing and a TD.
1993: Improved to 19 touchdowns but 24 INTs with 216 rushing and a single score.
1994: Holmgren’s teaching took hold with 3882 yards passing and 202 rushing with an impressive 33 TDs, the 1st of 5 straight seasons with 30 or more and another 2 on the ground. First of 3 straight MVP Awards.
1995: 1st season over 4,000 yards with ,413 and accounted for 41 scores.
1996: Super Bowl season with what was becoming a routine 3,899 yards and a career high 39 TD passes with 2 more running.
1997: 3,867/187/36 total touchdowns but came up short vs. Denver in January.
1998: Ho Hum. 4,212, 32 scores but 23 INTs.
1999: First time since ‘93 with more INTs (23) than TDs (22) first time since ‘91 without a rushing TD.
2000: Less than stellar by Favre standards 3812/20 with 16 picks.
2001: 3,921 yards passing, 33 total TDs with only 15 INTs in bounce back year.
2002: 3,658, 27 TD passes
2003: Yardage down to 3361 but still 32 scores capped by incredible performance on MNF at Oakland the night after the death of his Dad.
2004: 1st time over 4,000 yards passing in 5 years going over 30 TD passes for 3rd time in 4 years.
2005: Solid pass yards with 3,881 but an ugly 20-29 TD to INT ratio with 7 lost fumbles as Brett tried to carry the team without Javon Walker, Ahman Green and others injured.
2006: Another solid 3,885 yards but 1st time under 20 TDs since ‘92 and 23 turnovers.

Rep: As tough as they come with no missed starts in long career due to injury. Could hold all the passing records before his march to Canton, Ohio. Overcome a broken thumb, family tragedy and Father time along the way.

Outlook With young backs and few reliable targets, even Favre can’t expect much more than 3,800/20.