All World All Sports Blog

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-Digger's Daily-

Picking up where we left off last week. Let's turn our attention back to fantasy football drafts. Tonight's installment - ranking top NFL Wide Receivers.

All World All Sports Top 20
1 - Andre Johnson (HOU) Is Andre ready to crack 2000 yards? Probably not - he'll come close. 1800 yards, 15 TD.
2 - Greg Jennings (GB) Get ready for a tremendous season. Might end up as top fantasy scorer.
3 - Roddy White (ATL) Could become Atlanta's TD machine.
4 - Larry Fitzgerald (ARI) Extremely fun to watch. Big time fantasy scorer in recent seasons. Only 3 100 yd games in '10.
5 - Calvin Johnson (DET) Strong 1st half in '10. Fizzled late.
6 - Vincent Jackson (SD) Troubles in distant rear view mirror. Get ready for a big season.
7 - DeSean Jackson (PHI) Speedster gives opposing defenses fits.
8 - Mike Wallace (PIT) 7 100 yard games in 2010.
9 - Mike Williams (TB) Freeman's go to TD WR.
10- Hakeem Nicks (NYG) Is 2011 Nicks breakout season?
11- Dwayne Bowe (KC) 5 100 yard games, 5 multiple TD games. Grab him if you can.
12- Brandon Lloyd (DEN) Great fantasy 1st half until double teams & QB change slowed him down.
13- Santonio Holmes (NYJ) Will be Sanchez go to guy.
14- Wes Welker (NE) When in doubt, select one of Brady's favorite targets.
15- Jeremy Maclin (PHI) Yep, another Philly speedster. Grab them while you can.
16- Dez Bryant (DAL) Pure speed. Good fantasy #2 WR. Don't waste a 1st round pick on him. Huge potential, too many issues in Dallas.
17- Marques Colston (NO) Talented. Unfortunately for fantasy coaches - Brees spreads the ball to everyone.
18- Steve Johnson (BUF) Buffalo's main (only) threat.
19- Plaxico Burress (NYJ) Look out - Plaxico's back with something to prove.
20- Brandon Marshall (MIA) Miami's STILL searching for Dan Marino's replacement.

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2010 - Atlanta dethroned New Orleans. Tampa Bay came out of nowhere to win 10. Carolina was an embarrassment winning only two games. It'll be Atlanta vs New Orleans in 2011 with Tampa not living up to new expectations.

1 - New Orleans Saints
Offense: Big time firepower led by Drew Brees. Running game is always questionable in New Orleans pass first attack. Rookie RB Mark Ingram might change their plan if he's able to run vs NFL defenses. Darren Sproles is a speedy back and kick returner. Plenty of deep threats at WR. 400+ points well within reach.
Defense: Ball hawks get a boost with new NFL kickoff rules. Speedy defense was #4 overall last season but struggled big time vs run oriented attacks. New faces on D line and LB will certainly help correct short comings.
Prediction: 2011 version of Saints could be better than Super Bowl winning squad. 12-14 wins.

2 - Atlanta Falcons
Offense: Efficient and getting better. Threats at all positions creates one of NFL's most balanced attacks. RB Turner has scored 39 TD's in past 3 seasons. Wideouts need to make big possession plays to keep drives moving.
Defense: Young CB's getting better - it's their make or break season. Pass rush is key to helping secondary. If the D line steps up then Atlanta is a Super threat.
Prediction: Fun team to watch. 2011 could be their year. At least 11 wins.

3 - Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Offense: NFL's surprise unit in 2010. Can they duplicate/improve in 2011? Perhaps. 2nd year QB Freeman's 25-6 TD-INT ratio was superb. RB Blount needs to have a big season & Freeman hopes to keep blossoming.
Defense: Very young unit played well enough in 2010. They future is bright. Inexperience will set them back a step in 2011.
Prediction: Hard to imagine a 10 win repeat performance. Expecting a .500 season.

4 - Carolina Panthers
Offense: Cam Newton (Auburn) is the new man in town. Carolina's offense has been terrible in recent seasons. Newton has all the tools to quickly turn this franchise into a powerhouse. Question - can he perform vs NFL defenses? Time will tell - sooner than later. Decent offensive line, good RB's, talented ball catchers will all contribute if Newton is a quick study.
Defense: Don't get too down on this bunch. They've been plagued by recent inept offenses putting them in near impossible defensive positions - short fields and spending more time defending than offense attacking.
Prediction: Anything more than 5 wins is a positive first step.

NFC South will become one of NFL's most exciting divisions in years to come.

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-Digger's Daily-

Green Bay Packers enter 2011 as reigning champions. Repeating is always a difficult task in the NFL. Green Bay has what it takes. Or do they? Time will tell. Here's how the NFC North shakes out in 2011.

1 - Green Bay Packers
Offense: All systems go. Aaron Rodgers has plenty of targets. Offensive line solid. Play calling excellent. All key ingredients. Only question mark is keeping running backs healthy.
Defense: 2010 was a bounce back season for Green Bay's defense. They're a solid bunch who figure capitalize immensely thanks in large part to new kickoff rules. Good luck attempting 80 yard drives on every possession vs these guys.
Prediction: North winners - 12 wins.

2 - Chicago Bears
Offense: Offensive line hasn't improved much for the Bears who ranked near the bottom in 2010 (30th). Jay Cutler will be on the run again in '11. Chicago managed to win the North last year in spite of many shortcomings. Cutler needs to stop throwing drive ending interceptions. Sometimes tossing the ball out of bounds is a better ball possession formula.
Defense: 2010 bend but don't break style saved the day and directly led to Chicago winning the division. Bears strength is point of attack setting the stage for linebackers & secondary to make big plays. They'll have to do it again or it will be a long season.
Prediction: 9 wins is within reach. If offensive line surprises - then Bears will challenge Green Bay. It's a longshot.

3 - Detroit Lions
Offense: Lions remain inconsistent. Big plays or big busts. Either way, this franchise is moving in the right direction - finally! Key to success is offensive line and decision making by QB Stafford. Lack of cohesiveness has been a theme for many years in Motor City. Will 2011 be the year these guys make it happen?
Defense: Front four is solid. Linebackers good vs run. Secondary - not good. They allowed opposing QB's to complete at a rate of 64$ in 2010. It's hard to stay in games without disrupting passing attacks. Expect improvement in all areas.
Prediction: 6 wins is a no brainer. Anything more is a sign Detroit is truly on the rise.

4 - Minnesota Vikings
Offense: Guess who isn't um-retiring? The Favre experiment has finally ended. One great season, one pathetic season. Adrian Pederson is the offense. Fumbling has always been an issue as highlighted in 2009 NFC Championship Game. He's great when no one touches him - keeps coaching staff wincing when surrounded by tacklers. Speedy receivers and talented TE. Problem for 2011 - QB.
Defense: Once thought one step from becoming elite unit of NFL. They're showing signs of cracking. Still solid, but slowing vs run & pass rush. These guys will be on the field for long stretches if offense fails to chew up clock again. Expect a burnt out unit when 4th quarter rolls around.
Prediction: It could be ugly. 6 wins might be a stretch.

Next up NFC South.