1. Drew Brees : Even with Sean Peyton out last year and the merry go round at the helm, Brees still finished atop the points for QB’s in 2012. I think a repeat is in the making for this year.
2. Aaron Rodgers : Numbers wise Rodgers had a down year but with that being said he finished third in points last year and added a strong RB in the draft.
3. Peyton Manning : Bringing in Welker for the slot will amplify their offense even more than it was last year. Plus the addition of Montee Ball to the back field reminds me of when Fox had the bash brothers in Carolina.
4. Tom Brady : This is kind of high for me, but on shear talent Brady deserves to be here. Losing Welker to Denver, and the uncertainty of Gronk. I think Brady could have an off year. But I will reassess the situation closer to my next rankings.
5. Cam Newton : Third year in the league and I think it’s his time to shine. The rushing yards might dwindle a little bit if Carolina decides to run the RBs more, but inside 5 yards is Cam’s specialty. He gets you rushing TDs which other players aren’t, and I think his passing game will thrive this season.
6. Matt Ryan : With arguably the best WR duo, in Jones and White. Also added Jackson in the backfield, I’m a little cautious to see if it’s a big change from Turner.
7. Robert Griffin III : His second year in the same system, we will see how he comes back from his knee injury last year.
8. Matthew Stafford : Brought in Reggie Bush to assist their backs, should be a nice receiver out of the back. Still has Megatron, which would boost any QB.
9. Andrew Luck : Led the Colts to the playoffs last year, finished in the top 10 in fantasy. Don’t see much improvement from this year. Solid top ten QB.
   

   Jan 6, 2013; Baltimore, MD, USA; Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck (12) during the AFC Wild Card playoff game against the Baltimore Ravens at M

10. Eli Manning : If they keep Cruz, Eli could move up. If Cruz leaves that would only leave Nicks as the proven WR. He will move further down the totem pole if there is no Cruz.
11. Tony Romo : As a professional QB, he has his moments that make you shake your head. But in the fantasy world last year he finished right above Luck. He can have a huge game, just no consistency, and had multiple games with multiple interceptions.
12. Joe Flacco : Winning the Super Bowl last year was a high, coming into this season he lost a big target in Boldin. Still has the down field threat, so I predict a couple big games this year.
13. Colin Kaepernick : San Francisco drafted WR, TE and RB in draft. But the biggest impact players were brought in through free agency with Boldin and Manningham.
14. Russell Wilson : One of the biggest moves in free agency this year was Seattle’s addition of Percy Harvin. Still have the beast in the backfield so the passing game can only get better for Wilson.
15. Andy Dalton : Got a TE in the draft, still has Green to throw to which saves Dalton as far as fantasy goes.
16. Sam Bradford : With the loss of Jackson, I think they will have a tougher time throwing the ball this year. But they did get two WRs in this draft that has played together for a while.
17. Josh Freeman : Still has some weapons to throw to, defense was helped a lot in this year’s draft, plus the addition of Revis. So I think Freeman will get more opportunities this year, I am just not sure what he is going to do with them.
18. Matt Schaub : Added Hopkins in the draft which I think will complement Johnson in the passing game, still a strong RB coming out of the backfield.
19. Michael Vick : Brought in a good TE in the draft. They have a new head coach, could have a great year this year. Might move up in later rankings.
20. Jay Cutler : Not the most consistent QB in the bunch, but he does have a plethora of talent around him. Even a blind squirrel finds a nut occasionally.

Tune in next week as I look over the top 20 RBs. I don’t think anyone in Carolina will make that cut… Thanks for reading.

Over the years fantasy football has become rapidly more popular for football fans young and old. It brings you closer not only to your favorite team but also the entire league. Depending on how serious you take it, fantasy football could be a full time job, or just a hobby that you do sporadically. Either way you look at it, fantasy football gives fans a different perspective on the game, and has brought a lot of fans closer to the game which has allowed it to grow into what it is today. I have played for only 5-10 years so far, but have learned plenty from my experience with it. From being in a league that no one really cares about to being the commissioner no one can stand. At the end of the day you have to remember it’s just a game, unless there is money involved then it is a little more than that.

Over the next couple weeks I am going to post my pre-training camp rankings for each position as it pertains to a typical fantasy football line up. Each and every league is different, and depending on which league you are in the rankings might not make much sense. For example in a point per reception league, I would rank Wes Welker higher than I would rank Victor Cruz. Cruz will get more yards probably, but with a slot receiver like Welker his yardage might be similar to Cruz’s but Welker will have more receptions to get to that point. So even though my rankings might not reflect how your league is setup, I am just doing a general ranking according to a standard league. It also depends on the size of your league, the bigger the league the tougher it will be to get quality players. So it really depends on the amount of effort you decide to put into Fantasy Football. But I would love comments and questions about the players, trades, etc. throughout the year. Depending on the interest, who knows, maybe Cat Crave will start a fantasy football league for all of us to compete against one another. Thanks for reading and please stay tuned for my first rankings – QB’s 1-20. Is Cam Newton in the top 5? Check in next week to find out.

The Falcons let their own veteran sack artist, DE John Abraham, pursue free agency. This leaves a gaping vacuum in the pass-rusher department on their roster.

Umenyiora has played his entire career with the New York Giants, and with his two rings would be a great example and reminder of their ultimate goal. He and New York Head Coach Tom Coughlin have had a falling out in recent years and a fresh start on a contending team would be his own ideal place to land, I’m sure.

Assuming Osi does sign with the Falcons, it probably won’t change their draft strategy all that much. Having one good pass rusher on a team is having one too few, and Atlanta will probably look early in their own draft for one.

Ezekiel Ansah was talked about with the Falcons a mere 6 weeks ago, and my my how his stock has risen. He’s top-ten material now, possibly top-five. With Tony Gonzalez Favre-ing it up, they don’t have a pressing need for getting his immediate successor in the first round. They may decide to let Tyler Eifert and Zach Ertz, the two top-tier TEs in the draft, slide by their spot near the bottom of the first round and either wait around or possibly even trade up in the second round to pick up whichever one might make it.

Jan 7, 2013; Miami, FL, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide running back Eddie Lacy (42) runs with the ball against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the second half of the 2013 BCS Championship game at Sun Life Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

They’ve dumped declining RB Michael Turner to be replaced with a man only 18 months or so younger, and with a lot more carries off the tread in longtime St. Louis Rams RB Steven Jackson so there doesn’t appear to be a huge need there, either, unless perhaps they take a shine to an Eddie Lacy, which is a distinct possibility.

Even if the case winds up as none of the above, the point is that the Falcons would have a lot of room for the “Mystery and Maneuver” they need heading into next month’s draft. Remember, this is the franchise that traded up into the top ten for Julio Jones a few years ago.

If they want to trade up to 14th overall to catch a guy that they like a lot, I’m sure Carolina Panthers’ GM David Gettleman is willing to entertain the possibilities. I think he would go for swapping firsts with Atlanta if the Falcons threw in a second and a 4th or 5th, or a 2nd or 3rd next year…something along those lines, at any rate.

It’s common wisdom that in a draft deep in players at most of your positions of need, more is better even if you have to drop a dozen spots at the top in the draft order to do so. Assuming the there is no obvious “surprise value” guy there that the Panthers could really use, trading down means losing very little in reality while gaining a 3rd body in the top two rounds.

That translates into three probable starters in terms of talent, and could allow them to get that DT, OG, and OT that could really re-inject some youth, talent and toughness into a pair of lines that remain a work-in-progress.

Or, perhaps, a pair of young DTs to work into the eventual starting lineup, plus either that tackle or a guard for the offense would be the route to go as Rivera enhances his defense up the middle – a soft spot in recent years.

December 29, 2012; Bronx, NY, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers wide receiver Tavon Austin (1) is tackled by Syracuse Orange cornerback Wayne Morgan (2) during the third quarter of the New Era Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The problem?

Last year, the Panthers wanted to trade down from #9 but found no suitors. The end result was fine with me as they took the kid I prayed they would in Defensive Rookie of the Year, Luke Kuechly. If they couldn’t trade back last year, how could they trade out of #14?

Remember, all it takes is for one team to fall in love with a guy and they’ll go up after him. As I mentioned, the Falcons did that in the trade with Cleveland to get the rights to draft and chose Julio Jones. He and Roddy White are as good a pair of outside wideouts as you’ll find in the entire NFL, and with Tony Gonzalez back, what if the Falcons wanted to get a slot receiver to complete the multi-fanged assault?

That slot WR possibility could be West Virginia’s Tavon Austin. He’s a small guy at 175 pounds but has been durable throughout his entire career in football overall, and with sub 4.3-40 speed he’s a slightly smaller version of Percy Harvin…and if comes both without the attitude and the migrane headaches, he would be a legitimate value to some team at #14, should he be there, but by the same token he’s probably not a guy who is going to crack the top-ten.

Since he’s also the draft’s most explosive offensive player, that might put the Panthers in a prime spot to draft down from and get them what would amount to an upgrade from that lost third-round pick.

When you have as many holes to fill as the Carolina Panthers do, I sure hope the Falcons sign Osi.

Maybe the Panthers can get a starting tackle to block him with.