Ask the Experts

ASK THE EXPERTS appears weekly during the season with answers to a new question being posted Thursday morning. How the guest experts responded when we asked them:

What is your preliminary top 12 for the 2009 season?

MIKE NAZAREK

1. Maurice Jones-Drew, JAX - He's the NEW MAN for the Jags with Fragile Freddie soon to be gone.
2. Adrian Peterson, MIN - Could be the next 2,000-yard rusher.
3. DeAngelo Williams, CAR - Has finally emerged as an elite fantasy STUD RB.
4. Matt Forte, CHI - No back did more for his team than Forte did in 2008.
5. Michael Turner, ATL - His 16-TD season in 2008 might be tough to beat.
6. Brian Westbrook, PHI - When healthy, he can still dominate.
7. Steven Jackson, SL - I'm standing by him for one more year. Will his health hold up?
8. Frank Gore, SF - Would be a top 5 fantasy player if the 49ers had a real QB.
9. Marion Barber, DAL - His last-season injuries are a bit of a concern.
10. Larry Fitzgerald, ARZ - Showed he can carry a team on his shoulders with or without Boldin.
11. Andre Johnson, HOU - Took it to new levels in 2008.
12. Chris Johnson, TEN - His explosion is too tough to contain!
Just missing the cut...Steve Slaton - Will the Texans lean on him as much they did in 2008? Brandon Jacobs - If he stays healthy, he could crack the top 10. Drew Brees - The new top choice at QB in a pass-happy offense.

Nazarek is the CEO of Fantasy Football Mastermind Inc. His company offers an online rookie draft kit, preseason draft guide, customizable cheat sheets, fantasy auction & regular drafting programs, weekly in-season fantasy newsletters, injury reports and free NFL news (updated daily) at its web site. He is the reigning four-peat champion of the SI.com Experts Fantasy League, a nationally published writer in several fantasy magazines and a columnist for SI.com. For more info go to www.ffmastermind.com. Nazarek can be reached at 702-568-7118 or miken@ffmastermind.com.

CHRIS LISS

1. Adrian Peterson - top talent behind solid offensive line.
2. Michael Turner - workhorse on improving offense.
3. DeAngelo Williams - would be No. 1 but for Jonathan Stewart.
4. Matt Forte - player who does it all - Bears offense probably won't be much worse.
5. Brian Westbrook - as good as anyone when he's 100 percent healthy; getting up there in mileage.
6. Larry Fitzgerald - should be a monster again.
7. Chris Johnson - explosive player behind tremendous offensive line.
8. Steve Slaton - all purpose runner in solid offense.
9. Frank Gore - just needs to stay healthy in what should be a run-first offense.
10. Maurice Jones-Drew - could see more carries if Fred Taylor's gone.
11. Brandon Jacobs - injury prone, but a touchdown machine behind a great offensive line.
12. Calvin Johnson - just think of what he would have done with average quarterbacking.
(hon. mention: Andre Johnson, Randy Moss, Drew Brees.)

RotoWire.com is a leading independent provider of fantasy sports news on the web, covering all the news as it breaks, combining innovative analysis with an easy-to-use format. The site’s content has won numerous awards and has earned partnerships with ESPN, Yahoo! Sports, FoxSports, XM Satellite Radio, NFL.com, NBA.com and many other sites and networks. To sample site content, take advantage of their free 10-day trial.

JEFFREY KAMYS

1. Adrian Peterson - The big play ability makes him No. 1.
2. Michael Turner - All the pieces remain in place on offense.
3. Steve Slaton - Seems safer than others at this spot.
4. DeAngelo Williams - The committee is an issue, so he has some risk here.
5 LaDainian Tomlinson - Wasn't 100% in regards to health in 2008, rebound in 2009.
6. Brian Westbrook - Everyone should be back again in 2009.
7. Larry Fitzgerald - The new Jerry Rice.
8. Matt Forte - Should build on a solid 2008, more of the same.
9. Ryan Grant - The offense is deadly.
10. Clinton Portis - Solid contributor, the offense should be better.
11. Larry Johnson - Ran well once KC got a QB.
12. Maurice Jones-Drew - Ran well with a bad o-line in 2008.

Kamys is president of Dr. Stats Fantasy Sports. His company, via the web, offers player news, injury reports, cheat sheets, projections, weekly matchups, statistics, and a customized team tracker. Dr. Stats Fantasy Sports also e-mails preseason newsletters and reports throughout the season. For more info visit www.docstats.com or send email to webmaster@docstats.com.

IAN ALLAN

I assumed a 12-team league, with two running backs and three wide receivers, and a scoring system of 6 points for TDs, 4 for TD passes, 1 for every 20 passing yards and 1 for every 10 run/rec yards. With that in mind, the top of my draft board would look something like this ...
1. Adrian Peterson
2. Matt Forte
3. Maurice Jones-Drew
4. DeAngelo Williams
5. Steven Jackson
6. Steve Slaton
7. Michael Turner
8. Larry Fitzgerald
9. Calvin Johnson
10. Steve Smith
11. Andre Johnson
12. Drew Brees
13. Roddy White
14. Peyton Manning.
I don’t see much difference between the top 5 players. Williams was the best running back last season, but I’m dropping him behind a few guys. Williams won’t catch nearly as many passes as Jones-Drew or Forte; Carolina also has another starter-caliber back (Jonathan Stewart), and he should be used more extensively in 2009.

Allan is the senior writer for Fantasy Football Index magazine. He’s also one of the main content contributors for that company’s website, www.fantasyindex.com. His IAN ALLAN’S MAILBAG column is posted on Fridays.

LOUIS TRANQUILLI

1. Adrian Peterson-The new best offensive player in football, hopefully Brad Chidlress will figure out how to use him correctly.
2. Drew Brees- No reason to believe Sean Payton will become a conservative coach.
3. Philip Rivers- The Chargers became his team in 2008, in 2009 he will make the push as an elite fantasy QB.
4. Jay Cutler-Josh McDaniels led the Patriots attack that featured Wes Welker and Randy Moss, Cutler has his version in Marshall and Royal.
5. Larry Fitzgerald-Y ou're seeing him alone in the playoffs. He will be the main WR target in 2008, I don't think he'll be sharing with Boldin.
6. Chris Johnson-T he Titans formula won't change, and that formula starts with Johnson being the lone playmaker for this offense.
7. Peyton Manning- He had a weird year in 2008; mostly due to the knee injury. I think he storms back to Fantasy greatness.
8. Maurice Jones Drew- He didn't let me down in 2008, he was a solid player then finished as a stud. He could easily be the No. 1 RB with this whole job.
9. Andre Johnson- Matt Schaub was on fire to finish the season; and Johnson was with him. He is in a division of weak DBs and will be dominant.
10. Reggie Wayne- He wasn't as explosive in 2008, but that had so much to do with Peyton hurting. he's a stud.
11. Calvin Johnson- There is one guy to make plays, and this is the guy in Detroit.
12. Tony Romo- Parties, babes and a bad practice habit? He should be a Raiders QB!-He still has a stud offense with Witten and Roy Williams, and if T.O. hangs around he'll be even better.
My top 12 is focused on WRs and QBs at this point. I've already done some FF poinst scored analysis and the RB position has become weak at the top and strengthened in depth due to so many split jobs. The 3 guys I have in my top 12 represent players that are either overwhelmingly talented or just an enormous part of their teams offense.

Louis Tranquilli is the founder and the primary "brains" (if you stretch it) of BFDFANTASYfootball.com. BFD is about giving advice to players from a player. Lou's been a highly successful owner in many high stakes contests. BFD is giving away 50 fantasy football teams in 2008.

SCOTT PIANOWSKI

I'm sure my May list will look much different, but here's Volume 1.0.
1. Adrian Peterson: A boom or bust back, but he's got the highest upside.
2. DeAngelo Williams: Hard to believe he sat behind DeShaun Foster for two years.
3. Maurice Jones-Drew: It's very likely Fred Taylor won't return.
4. Michael Turner: Keep in mind he's not used as a receiver.
5. Larry Fitzgerald: Uncoverable and still young, but Warner has to stay.
6. Frank Gore: Singletary wants running game to be team's identity.
7. Marion Barber: This still could be a dynamic offense.
8. Matt Forte: Not flashy but reliable in many roles.
9. Steven Jackson: A tall back who takes on extra punishment.
10. Andre Johnson: The AFC's biggest matchup problem.
11. Drew Brees: Sean Payton never met a pass play he didn't like.
12. Brian Westbrook: Approaching 30 and never plays a full season.
Notable Omissions: Peyton Manning (safest QB pick in any season); Steve Slaton (runs tougher than his size); Chris Johnson (dynamic home-run hitter); Brandon Jacobs (another high-contact concern); LaDainian Tomlinson (perhaps the trickiest call of them all); Tom Brady (good luck getting info from the Pats).

Pianowski is a fantasy expert for Yahoo! Sports. His work regularly appears on Yahoo's Roto Arcade Blog (rotoarcade.com), and you can also email him at pianowski31@yahoo.com.

SAM HENDRICKS

1. Matt Forte- He is Da Bears #1 resource, but his rank will be lower in a non-PPR league.
2. Adrian Peterson- Based on a 2009 with no injuries (fingers crossed).
3. Brian Westbrook- If McNabb is back, Westbrook excels for one more year.
4. Michael Turner - "Burner" Turner will only get better but may face a tougher schedule.
5. Marion Barber- Could be higher but hs bruising running style presents more of a chance for injuries.
6. M. Jones-Drew- Top 3 in 2008; the ony question will be if he can handle full RB duties.
7. Andre Johnson- The best WR and imagine if Schaub would stay healthy.
8. L Tomlinson- The question is if LT will be at SD. Sproles looks mighty good right now.
9. De Williams- RBBC with Jonathan Stewart lowers his rank a bit.
10. L. Fitzgerald- Perhaps the best WR but loses some stats when there are two other 1000 yard WRs on the team (Boldin, Breaston).
11. Brandon Marshall- Imagine what he can do with a full season and no distractions; surely the new HC will not waste this asset.
12. Drew Brees- 5000 yards and such consistency. I see nothing to slow his passing stats down. Heck maybe Shockey will catch a TD pass in 2009.
Honorable Mention: Steven Jackson.

Hendricks is the author of Fantasy Football Guidebook and the recently released Fantasy Football Almanac 2008 which are both available at his website, www.ffguidebook.com, at all major bookstores, and at www.amazon.com. He is an 18-year fantasy football veteran who regularly participates in the World Championship of Fantasy Football (WCOFF) and will participate this year in the inaugural season of the Fantasy Football Players Championship (FFPC).

BOB HECK

1. Adrian Peterson: AP is the perfect blend of size and speed with a top O-line to boot. His lack of receptions hurts some but he says he wants to rush for 2,000 yards which is feasible if Minnesota lets him. Chester Taylor taking carries and some injury risk due to his aggressive running style are concerns, but not enough where we wouldn't be head-over-heels going to battle with AP each week.
2. Maurice Jones-Drew: 38 total TDs in a split role in his first 3 seasons - giddy up. MJD is poised for a monster 2009 season as he moves into the featured RB role.
3. DeAngelo Williams: DeAngelo is suddenly the most dynamic RB in football. Over the final nine games of the season, DeAngelo rushed for over 1,100 yards, averaged 6.5 yards per rushing attempt and scored 16 TDs. What's amazing is how effective he was between the tackles.
4. Larry Fitzgerald: Fitzgerald is one of these rare triple threat talents at WR – he is a strong possession WR, a deep threat, and also a deadly red- zone receiver. Fitz (just 26 when the season starts) has topped 1400 yards in back-to-back seasons averaging 11 TDs.
5. Drew Brees: Brees is just 29 and should be at the pinnacle of his career over the next 2-3 seasons. We wouldn't expect another 5,000 yard season, but Sean Payton brings good times to fantasy owner and Brees will again be an elite fantasy option.
6. Michael Turner: Turner exploded for 1,699 yards rushing his first-year as a starter. HC Mike Smith is a defensive coach and will continue to feature Turner. The only concern is he doesn't get involved in the passing game (just 6 receptions last year).
7. Chris Johnson: Johnson is simply electrifying. He posted a juicy 4.9 YPC average as a rookie, posted double-digit TDs and also added 43 grabs.
8. Matt Forte: Forte has great hands and nice speed (4.46 40-yard dash) and with his large build (6'1, 225 lbs) can do it all. Chicago built their offense around Forte and he is an elite option heading into 2009.
9. Andre Johnson: Johnson was staggering last year with 115 receptions and 1,575 yards (NFL leader on both counts). At 6'3", 223 pounds, the new TO has arrived.
10. Marion Barber: We thought Barber could crack 20 TDs last year but his aggressive running style caught up with him and he got hurt. Barber is still an elite talent, but Dallas has a deep stable of RBs that are going to be liberally mixed in.
11. Steven Jackson: The injury issues are starting to be a real concern, but Jackson (26 when the season starts) is a real beast when he's healthy. He'll continue to be a featured back, gets carries between the 20s, red zone work plus 3rd down receptions.
12. Brandon Marshall: Despite severing tendons in his arm, Marshall delivered his second-straight 100+ catch season. He hasn't topped 7 scores in a year, but Brandon gets a ton of red-zone looks and that will come. He plays with arguably the best young QB in the game in Jay Cutler and their rapport is only going to improve with more games together. Marshall (25) is entering just his 4th season in the NFL.

Heck is a founding partner at Dynasty Rogues, a fantasy football website filled with football enthusiasts, run by football enthusiasts. The company provides year-round dynasty and redraft fantasy football coverage and analysis, including Dynasty Rogues Radio and the Rogues Forum. The site can be reached at www.dynastyrogues.com.

ANDY RICHARDSON

There are a lot of backs I'm down on either because of age, the team around them, or my fear that they'll still be in pretty much a 50-50 committee even if it might seem otherwise. As a result....
1. Adrian Peterson - Too good not to continue to excel.
2. Michael Turner - Another great season upcoming, particularly with a QB who should only get better.
3. DeAngelo Williams - Jonathan Stewart is there, but Williams is better and Fox favors the veterans.
4. Chris Johnson - I'm a believer. He didn't let me down last year and I'm not jumping now.
5. Matt Forte - He does it all and the Bears won't have anyone else, again.
6. Steven Jackson - When he plays, he's dynamite, and St. Louis should be more competitive next season.
7. Frank Gore - New offense should be built around running the ball.
8. Larry Fitzgerald - Just like last year with Randy Moss, this is about where I'm willing to draft a wideout.
9. Drew Brees - There's enough sameness to the next few backs that I can see myself going quarterback here.
10. Steve Slaton - Tough not to like this guy, even if he ends up splitting the work with someone (which seems likely).
11. Maurice Jones-Drew - I can't help thinking Jacksonville will bring in somebody else to lighten the load, so no higher for MJD.
12. Andre Johnson - A close No. 2 at wideout.

Richardson has been a columnist and contributor to the Fantasy Football Index magazine and web site for the past seven years. His responsibilities include team defense and IDP projections, as well as various site features. He has run the magazine's annual draft and auction leagues since their inception. His A DAY OF FOOTBALL wrap-up column appears Mondays during the NFL season. For more information go to www.fantasyindex.com.

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