Ask the Experts

ASK THE EXPERTS appears weekly from the preseason through the NFL playoffs with answers to a new question being posted Thursday morning. How the guest experts responded when we asked them:

What is your preliminary Top 10 for 2010?

SAM HENDRICKS

No real surprises yet. RBs who are not in a RBBC situation are valuable and dominate the Top 10, along with a few top WRs.

1) Chris Johnson, TEN RB – Best RB on the field today, I could watch him 24/7.
2) Adrian Peterson MIN RB – Boom or Bust, especially with fumbles.
3) Maurice Jones-Drew JAX RB –1300 yards and 15 TDs what’s not to like?
4) Ray Rice BAL RB - Assuming a PPR league since his 74 receptions help.
5) Frank Gore SF RB – SFs workhorse.
6) Andre Johnson HOU WR – The top WR hands down.
7) Steven Jackson STL RB – Impressed with his work ethic on a terrible Rams team in 09.
8) Ryan Grant GB RB – Surprise, surprise.
9) Reggie Wayne IND WR – May lose some points to the new WRs.
10) DeAngelo Williams CAR RB (toss up with Michael Turner ATL RB).

Sam Hendricks is the author of Fantasy Football Guidebook, Fantasy Football Tips and Fantasy Football Almanac 2009, all available at his website, www.ffguidebook.com, at all major bookstores, and at www.amazon.com. He is a 19-year fantasy football veteran who regularly participates in the World Championship of Fantasy Football (WCOFF), National Fantasy Football Championship (NFFC) and finished 7th overall in the 2008 Fantasy Football Players Championship (FFPC).

LOUIS TRANQUILLI

1) Peyton Manning - With Austin Collie and Pierre Garcon now on board I can't see anyone beating Peyton for the yardage championship.
2) Aaron Rodgers - Look at the history of Head Coach Mike McCarthy; he squeezed Pro Bowl seasons out of Aaron Brooks. Rodgers is in a monster offense.
3) Drew Brees - There really aren't any RBs on the Saints roster, they chose to use their best player. Brees.
4) Andre Johnson - He was again incredible, and the division is going to remain soft vs. the pass.
5) Ray Rice - Will he be our No. 1 RB? there is a chance, we were the ONLY place you could find him inside the Top 10 in 2009.
6) Chris Johnson - BFD ranked him No. 3 in 2009. No reason to think he will suddenly falter.
7) Adrian Peterson - AD remains a Top 10 guy because he clearly has so much talent and TD scoring ability.
8) Reggie Wayne - The No. 1 player must have the No. 1 WR; who will be getting help next season from Collie and Garcon.
9) Matt Schaub - The offensive system and Andre Johnson make Matt a new Top 10 player.
10) Calvin Johnson - Don't lose faith in one of the most gifted athletes to ever play the position. Matthew Stafford will improve.

Tranquilli is the founder and the primary "brains" (if you stretch it) of BFDFANTASYfootball.com. BFD is about delivering the information players want, not fluff, just opinions that matter to fantasy football players. Lou has worked with NFL players and gives a unique perspective because of it.

MIKE NAZAREK

1) Chris Johnson, TEN - Undeniably the most explosive elite RB in the league.
2) Ray Rice, BAL - Has just come into his own as a starter, and signs point to Willis McGahee's release.
3) Maurice Jones-Drew, JAX - Running neck and neck with A.P. if Favre returns in 2010.
4) Adrian Peterson, MIN - Makes the top 4 based upon Favre playing in 2010. Otherwise, he won't have as many chances to score.
5) Frank Gore, SF - As talented as any other top 5 RB, but injuries remain a concern.
6) Andre Johnson, HOU - Stayed healthy and proved to all he is truly an elite fantasy WR.
7) Steven Jackson, SL - A top 8 RB in 2009 despite a bad back and little help around him. Just think what he can do with Some help in 2010!
8) Miles Austin, DAL - Can he keep his big play abilities flourishing now that he'll have a big target on his back? I think he can.
9) Jamaal Charles, KC He proved he can be a stud RB with that big second half in 2009.
10) Reggie Wayne, IND He's far from finished. Just make sure if you draft him you can replace him for weeks 16 and 17.

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 has been playing fantasy football since 1988 and 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.

SCOTT PIANOWSKI

1) Chris Johnson - Man, was it no fun having him on zero teams in 2009.
2) Maurice Jones-Drew - We haven't seen his best season yet.
3) Adrian Peterson - Needs the ball-security class that saved Tiki Barber's career.
4) Michael Turner - Was the No. 6 running back when he got hurt in Week 10.
5) Ray Rice - Undeniable skills but how many touchdowns will Cam Cameron siphon away?
6) Frank Gore - A little too much boom-or-bust for my liking but bottom-line numbers are there.
7) Andre Johnson - He can embarrass you with every route in the tree; not every elite receiver can.
8) Steven Jackson - Hopefully he's still upright when the Rams turn the corner someday.
9) Jamal Charles - Sure, he's undersized, but so is Chris Johnson.
10) Ryan Grant - I'd like to see more short-yardage work but this is an offense you want a piece of.
Larry Fitzgerald moves off this list with the retirement of Kurt Warner. Aaron Rodgers is definitely my No. 1 quarterback, but he'll have to wait until Round 2 at minimum.

Pianowski has been playing fantasy football for 15 years and writing about it for 12. He joined Yahoo! Sports in 2008 and has been blogging 24/7 on RotoArcade.com ever since.

IAN ALLAN

Answers for this kind of question can vary wildly based on league rules. If you’re talking a PPR format, wide receivers who catch 90-plus passes become a lot more valuable (particularly if you’re starting three of them or have a flex spot). A TD-only league is a completely different animal. And in a lot of league, the vast majority of owners won’t take a quarterback with a top-20 pick, reducing the value of that position. For the ballpark rankings below, I’m assuming 6 points for TDs and 1 for every 10 run/rec yards (increasing the value of running backs who can catch). I’m not putting any quarterbacks in my top 10 because there are a lot of really good ones and that position tends to be undervalued — so no Manning, Brees, Brady or the four Rs (Rodgers, Rivers, Roethlisberger, Ryan).
1) Adrian Peterson
2) Maurice Jones-Drew
3) Chris Johnson
4) Ray Rice
5) Andre Johnson
6) Rashard Mendenhall
7) Cedric Benson
8) Frank Gore
9) Michael Turner
10) Larry Fitzgerald

Allan is the senior writer for Fantasy Football Index. He’s been in that role since 1987, generating most of the player rankings and analysis for that publication. His work can be seen in Fantasy Football Index magazine, and also at the company’s website, www.fantasyindex.com.

BRYCE McRAE

1) Adrian Peterson
2) Chris Johnson
3) Maurice Jones-Drew
4) Ray Rice
5) Michael Turner
6) Steven Jackson
7) Ryan Grant
8) Frank Gore
9) Andre Johnson
10) Cedric Benson

KFFL.com offers fantasy football, fantasy baseball and fantasy NASCAR content. We have captured well more than a dozen expert league championships. Founded in 1996, KFFL offers award-winning daily news feeds, preseason draft guides, player rankings, sleepers, busts, weekly newsletters and more. KFFL is completely free! For more information, visit www.kffl.com.

JEFFREY KAMYS

1) Chris Johnson
2) Adrian Peterson
3) Ray Rice
4) Frank Gore
5) Andre Johnson
6) Aaron Rodgers
7) Maurice Jones Drew
8) Randy Moss
9) Peyton Manning
10) Steven Jackson

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.

ANDY RICHARDSON

1) Chris Johnson - A step back is likely, but you can't seriously make a case for anyone else.
2) Adrian Peterson - Made more of an impact as a pass catcher, plus Chester Taylor could be elsewhere next season.
3) Ray Rice - The best is yet to come for Rice.
4) Maurice Jones-Drew - Still the centerpiece of Jacksonville's offense.
5) Drew Brees - This is about where I'd depart from taking a franchise running back.
6) Jamaal Charles - This could change based on who Kansas City does or doesn't add, but he sure looked like a legit star down the stretch.
7) Aaron Rodgers - This may be too low for him next year, but I still think he takes too many hits.
8) Andre Johnson - Yes, I'd probably wait this long on a wideout.
9) Frank Gore - At this point there's a clump of runners with similar potential to consider. Today I'll edge Gore ahead of my next pick, as well as Michael Turner and Knowshon Moreno, but things could change.
10) Steven Jackson - A warrior, but all the hits and the losses will wear him down.

Richardson has been a columnist and contributor to the Fantasy Football Index magazine and web site for the past eight 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.

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