Playoff Predictions for the NFL’s Wild-Card Weekend

After watching ESPN’s documentary on the life and times of Jimmy “The Greek,” I have become inspired to rub my Drew Brees bobblehead doll (don’t have a crystal ball) and predict which teams will get out of the first round of the NFL playoffs.

Here are my predictions for this week’s wild-card contests:

Green Bay Packers at Arizona Cardinals

Sports fans look like they won’t be getting Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao anytime soon, so they will have to settle for Larry Fitzgerald vs. Charles Woodson this Sunday, which will still be pretty darn entertaining.

Green Bay and Dallas have become the trendy bandwagons to jump on in the last couple weeks, but remember Arizona is the team that enjoys limping into the playoffs only to hot-streak all the way to the Super Bowl.

The Cards are better now than last season when they were a Santonio Holmes two-step away from a Super Bowl championship. Arizona runs the ball better with Beanie Wells than they did with Edgerrin James, and the defense has gotten steadier and stauncher, allowing fewer points and yards than they did in 2008.

People forget that Green Bay’s offensive line is the worst remaining in the playoffs. Arizona sacks a lot of quarterbacks in home games and creates plenty of turnovers in playoff games. Aaron Rodgers will be spending more time chewing grass than celebrating in the end zone.

Arizona 27, Green Bay 24.

Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys

Dallas’ defense and running game have been superb since they destroyed New Orleans’ undefeated season hopes. DeMarcus Ware and Jay Ratliff have been dominant on the defensive line, and the three-headed monster of Felix Jones, Marion Barber and Tashard Choice is healthy and taking pressure off of Tony Romo and the erratic passing attack.

Donovan McNabb and Andy Reid follow the same pattern every playoff year. Their Eagles win their first playoff game but never win the Super Bowl. I think this season will be different. And no, Philly isn’t flying to the title game, not unless Ryan Howard and Chase Utley don some green uniforms.

Dallas 23, Philadelphia 17.

Baltimore Ravens at New England Patriots

Baltimore could have upended New England during the regular season if Mark Clayton could have caught a fourth-down pass that hit him point-first in his chest, and that was when Wes Welker’s ACL was stable and Tom Brady had all of his ribs intact.

Baltimore might be one of the better 9-7 teams in recent playoff time. Just look at their losses. All seven came against teams with winning records, including six against playoff teams. And they have only lost by more than 10 points once, with many of their defeats coming in the final minutes or seconds.

We saw how New England plays when Welker is not on the field. The Pats needed a miracle fumble on a last-minute kickoff return to slip by Buffalo at home to start the season, and they couldn’t move the ball a muscle without Welker when they lost to the New York Jets 16-9 in Week Two.

Other teams might be intimidated by Belichick, Brady and the whole Patriots machine. Not Baltimore, though.

Baltimore 24, New England 21.

New York Jets at Cincinnati Bengals

Here are two teams that play the same smashmouth style. Both prefer to run the ball on offense, but the Jets do it slightly better (first in rushing offense in NFL). Both rely on superior defenses, but the Jets’ unit is slightly better (first in total defense in NFL).

Their offense is also similar as neither team likes to throw the ball more than 10 yards downfield. The difference here is that Carson Palmer normally throws to his own receivers, while Mark Sanchez usually throws to the other team’s defensive backs. But if the Jets come out with the same type of game plan they have employed with Sanchez since he returned from his knee injury, they should be just fine. Cincinnati is the one AFC team that the Jets can get away with being ultra-conservative against, because the Bengals plays the same exact way.

If you like football games that are like UFC fights without the octagon cage, this game is for you. If you think passing the ball and zone defenses are for pansies, this game is for you. And if you like field goals and field position strategy, this game is definitely for you.

New York 16, Cincinnati 13.

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Three Reasons the San Diego Chargers Won’t Win the Super Bowl

A month ago, most of the NFL experts had the Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints playing in the Super Bowl.

Two weeks ago, most of the same NFL experts had the San Diego Chargers and Philadelphia Eagles playing in the Super Bowl.

And now this week, many of the NFL experts have written New Orleans, Philadelphia and Indianapolis off and think a San Diego-Green Bay Super Bowl sounds good.

It only takes one or two losses to make people change their minds about NFL teams in our flip-flop world. Yesterday’s contender is today’s pretender and vice-versa. The NFL is the only league where a team can go 14-0, lose a game after benching all its stars, and everyone panics like Gilbert Arenas’ agent does when the Wizard opens his mouth.

Back to San Diego. The Chargers have not lost a game in months. Meanwhile, all of the other playoff teams have suffered injuries or been exposed over the last several weeks, making San Diego look even better to the untrained eye.

But San Diego isn’t going to win the Super Bowl. Why won’t they? Here are three reasons:

1. The misnomer that San Diego will win the Super Bowl because they are the hottest team in the NFL.

This theory seems to be as popular as Chad Ochocinco’s Twitter posts these days. Sure, no playoff team enters the postseason on a better winning streak that San Diego. Philip Rivers and Co. went undefeated in December for the fourth season in a row and won 11 straight games to finish the regular season. Cheers to them! Put another lightning bolt on their helmets!

Here’s the problem: San Diego has been the hottest team heading into the playoffs in the three Decembers prior to this one and they never reached the Super Bowl.

So why won’t San Diego break its January curse just like the Dallas Cowboys broke their December curse this season? Because recent Super Bowl history suggests that entering the playoffs hotter than a tea kettle is no help.

The 2007 New York Giants went 4-4 over their last eight games before catching fire in the playoffs. Meanwhile, the last team to enter the postseason on a larger winning streak than San Diego, the 16-0 New England Patriots from that year, lost to the Giants in the Bowl.

The 2008 Arizona Cardinals lost four of their last six regular season contests before running pass routes in glass slippers and Cinderella-ing their way to the Super Bowl. The 2006 Indianapolis Colts were losers of four of seven before Peyton Manning audibled his way to a title. How you finish the regular season is not a precursor to how you will finish the postseason.

2. San Diego cannot run the ball, nor can they stop the run.

To win the Super Bowl you have to be able to run the ball and stop your opponents from running the ball, or at least do ONE of the two. Unfortunately, these are San Diego’s two biggest weaknesses.

Thanks to a banged-up offensive line and an aging LaDainian Tomlinson, the Chargers have the 31st ranked rushing offense in the NFL, averaging 88 yards per game. Tennessee’s Chris Johnson usually racked that up in one quarter during most of his outings this year.

San Diego’s undersized, Jamal Williams-less front seven is 20th rated in run defense. The Chargers’ defense is built around making big plays, not stopping long drives. A team that can run the ball effectively and not the turn the ball over will give San Diego fits.

 

3. Norv Turner is Still Not Vince Lombardi

Turner is one of the most brilliant play callers in the NFL. The man creates innovative plays to score points like Artie Lange creates innovative ways to get time off from the Howard Stern Show.

But did we forget that Turner is the Wade Phillips of the AFC? His coaching gaffs are legendary, and he shows a lot of the same traits that former San Diego head man Marty Schottenheimer did (that is not a compliment). Turner can win regular season games, but can he win big playoff games? The jury is still out.

Lastly, only three of San Diego’s 13 victories have come against playoff teams, and none of the three were “eye-opening” or “statement-making.” Most of the Chargers wins came against the Oaklands, Kansas Citys and many of the league’s 8-8 squads. Kudos to them for winning and not losing, but I for one am not sold. I can see the Chargers reaching the Super Bowl, but I cannot see them winning it.

 

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Rating the AFC Wild-Card Contenders

The AFC wild-card race is tighter than Anderson Silva’s Muay Thai clinch, and the field is more crowded than a Sarah Palin book signing.

So which two teams are going to come out of this muddled, mediocre mess as the AFC’s Wild Cards? Here is a look at each contender’s pros and cons:

 

Baltimore Ravens

Why They Will Be a Wild Card

Because they are a step up on most of the pack with an 8-6 record and should win in Week 17 when they play against JaMarcus Russell’s Oakland Raiders.

Baltimore is also the one team of the group with no glaring weaknesses. The Ravens can pass the ball (Joe Flacco), run the ball (Ray Rice), and play above-average defense (second in points allowed, fourth in total defense thanks to Ray Lewis and Co.)

 

Why They Won’t Be a Wild Card

Because Baltimore has to play a road game against their biggest arch-rival, the Pittsburgh Steelers, who also have plenty to play for. And that road game at Oakland won’t be easy. Just ask other playoff contenders Philadelphia, Denver, and Pittsburgh.

 

Denver Broncos

Why They Will Be a Wild Card

Because Denver is also a nose above the majority with an 8-6 record and has a gift-wrapped win waiting for them after the holidays when the Broncos host dreadful Kansas City on the last week of the season. Plus Brandon Marshall might catch 35 passes over the next two weeks.

 

Why They Won’t Be a Wild Card

Because Denver is faltering down the stretch just like the team did in 2008. New head coach, new players, same story. Kyle Orton has never been known as a big-game quarterback, Knowshon Moreno has some Tiki Barber-like fumble phobias, and Denver’s defense is slowing down like a unit full of zombies.

 

Miami Dolphins

Why They Will Be a Wild Card

Because Miami has the power to elevate itself while dashing the playoff dreams of two of its competitors since the Dolphins play home games versus Houston and Pittsburgh to end the season.

Chad Henne has proven that he can throw for 300 yards when he has to, even if he is throwing to the worst receiving crew in the NFL. And Ricky Williams has proven he can carry a Wildcat-less offense on his bong, I mean back.

 

Why They Won’t Be a Wild Card

Because playoff teams don’t lose the games the Dolphins lost earlier this season to New Orleans, Indianapolis, and even last week’s tilt against Tennessee.

Miami’s defense is aging up front and too inexperienced in the back. The Dolphins seem to be a player and a year away from making the jump to Super Bowl contender.

 

Tennessee Titans

Why They Will Be a Wild Card

Because Tennessee is the hottest team in the NFL, winning seven of its last eight games, its only loss coming at undefeated Indianapolis. The Titans also have the best running back in football in Chris Johnson and the most improved quarterback in the league, Vince Young.

 

Why They Won’t Be a Wild Card

Because they just lost two starting linebackers, Keith Bulluck and David Thornton, to season-ending injuries. The Bulluck injury is exceptionally painful considering he was the heart and soul of the defense. They will have a ton of fun stopping San Diego’s acrobatic offense this week with a thin linebacking corps.

 

New York Jets

Why They Will Be a Wild Card

Because New York has the No. 1-ranked defense and the No. 1-ranked running game in the NFL. A strong running game and a staunch defense usually wins December games. The Jets are also my personal favorite team, and I have been a good boy, so Santa might reward me.

 

Why They Won’t Be a Wild Card

Because Mark Sanchez is the quarterback. The rookie is having one of the worst statistical seasons for a quarterback in the past decade. Sanchez enjoys throwing into double coverage as much as Brett Favre enjoys audibling, and his interceptions are always costly.

Another reason is that the Jets have a knack for losing close games in innovative ways. They have lost in the final seconds or minutes to Buffalo, Miami (twice), Jacksonville, and Atlanta, so why this week would they beat Indianapolis, a team that wins every close game it is in?

 

Pittsburgh Steelers

Why They Will Be a Wild Card

Because they are the defending Super Bowl champions, and no other team on this list has the collective experience in must-win games that the Steelers have.

Ben Roethlisberger showed last week he could win games when his back is against the wall, as he torched a talented Green Bay defense for 500 yards and three touchdowns. When the Steelers are playing at their best, they can defeat anybody in the NFL.

 

Why They Won’t Be a Wild Card

Because their Troy Polamalu-less secondary couldn’t cover a field full of corpses in a cemetery. If their vaunted pass rush doesn’t reach the quarterback, then you can just pencil in the completed pass. You would think Flacco and Chad Henne should have field days against the secondary in the next two weeks.

 

Jacksonville Jaguars

Why They Will Be a Wild Card

Because Maurice Jones-Drew runs like a bowling ball with legs, David Garrard is a two-way threat that makes plays with his arm and his feet, and receiver Mike Sims-Walker is emerging as a top-flight pass catcher.

 

Why They Won’t Be a Wild Card

Because Jacksonville could have already sown up a berth but, instead, failed miserably. Three losses in the past four weeks to San Francisco, Miami, and Indianapolis have now dropped them from front runners, and they now face the prospect of having to win at New England this week just to have a chance. Just like a shady lawyer or a crooked politician, the Jaguars cannot be trusted.

 

Houston Texans

Why They Will Be a Wild Card

Because Matt Schaub and Andre Johnson are playing like they are determined to reach the postseason. Houston’s defense has totally transformed itself as well ever since picking up safety Bernard Pollard off the scrap heap, so now the offense isn’t forced to score 30 points every week to win.

 

Why They Won’t Be a Wild Card

Just like New York, Houston finds ways to lose games in the fourth quarter. A couple missed field goals by Kris Brown, a couple shoddy coaching decisions by Gary Kubiak, and a couple of poorly thrown balls by Schaub have put them in a tough spot.

Houston also has a whole host of tiebreaker problems. They are going to need more help than Jay Cutler would in a QB rating contest to slip into a wild-card slot.

 

Predictions

Baltimore and Miami make the playoffs, and everyone else gets to prepare for the Pro Bowl or devotes more time to winning their fantasy basketball and hockey leagues.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

And the NFL’s Most Valuable Player Award Goes to…Who?

Voting for the NFL’s Most Valuable Player is going to be harder than voting on which Kardashian is the most annoying.

It figures in a year where the Academy Awards decided to increase the Best Picture nominees to 10 that this should be a season where the NFL has multiple candidates for the MVP award.

You have two quarterbacks helming undefeated teams, another quarterback having the greatest season of his Hall of Fame career even though he has retired 500 times, and a running back quietly closing in on 2,000 rushing yards and possibly the all-time rushing record.

And the nominees are…

 

Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts

Why he should be MVP—Because Manning is the main reason Indianapolis is 12-0 right now, and if Jim Sorgi was the quarterback, the Colts would probably be 4-8.

Manning has survived and thrived without Marvin Harrison, Anthony Gonzalez, and any semblance of a consistent running game. He has thrown for a league-high 3,685 passing yards and is on pace to set new career-highs in yards and completion percentage.

Eli’s older brother is ranked in the top five in virtually every major passing category as well. And did I mention Manning is the main reason Indy is undefeated?

Why he shouldn’t be MVP—Because Manning is not doing much more this season than he has done in past years. His numbers are not way better than they have been in other non-MVP seasons, and it is not like he has become more valuable now. He has always been the franchise for the Colts. Plus, he has Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark catching his passes, which other quarterback candidates do not.

 

Brett Favre, Minnesota Vikings

Why he should be MVP—Because Favre has singlehandedly turned Minnesota from a wild card team into a Super Bowl contender.

Sidney Rice was a lost receiver looking like a high-round bust. Now with 1,000 yards, already he is looking like a poor man’s Larry Fitzgerald. Thank Favre. Percy Harvin is playing like he is still at Florida with Tim Tebow, not like how most rookie receivers play. Thank Favre. And the world was saved from another season of Tarvaris Jackson’s wobbly, uncatchable passes. Thank Favre.

And somehow this late in his storied career, Favre has transformed from an interception machine into a QB-rating monster. His 26-to-5 touchdown-to-interception ratio could not have been predicted by Mel Kiper, Peter King, or the world’s greatest fortune teller. This could be his best season yet, and he is having it at age 40.

Why he shouldn’t be MVP—Because, without Favre, the Vikings would still be battling for a playoff berth anyway thanks to Adrian Peterson’s running and Jared Allen’s sacking. Also Favre doesn’t have as many passing yards as Manning, nor does he have the touchdown tosses or quarterback rating of the next nominee. And Favre’s team has lost two games.

 

Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints

Why he should be MVP—Because the other two quarterback nominees have All-Pro receivers or running backs to rely on. Brees has no Wayne to throw to or Peterson to hand off to. He has taken a cast of unknowns, low-round draft picks and unheralded free agents and turned them into the most potent offense in the NFL and one of the highest-scoring units of the past decade.

Brees leads the NFL with 29 touchdown passes and a 111.3 QB rating, while being third in passing yards behind Manning and New England’s Tom Brady. If you haven’t heard, Indianapolis isn’t the only team making Don Shula and the 1972 Miami Dolphins sweat these days. New Orleans is also lossless, and Brees is the No. 1 reason why.

Why he shouldn’t be MVP—Because Brees plays in a system orchestrated by the most intelligent offensive mind in football right now, Sean Payton. Mark Sanchez could get plugged into that system and not throw any interceptions. JaMarcus Russell would go from a laughingstock to a Pro Bowl player in that offense (OK, maybe that’s a stretch).

Another reason Brees shouldn’t be the MVP—because there are three great quarterbacks all with similarly superb seasons, but only one running back having an MVP-caliber season.

 

Chris Johnson, Tennessee Titans

Why he should be MVP—Because Johnson is the first running back to have three 85-yard touchdowns in the same season. Because he rushed for 125-plus yards six games in a row. Because he has pinned LenDale White, a pretty decent runner in his own right, to the bench, even though the formerly tubby tailback dropped a couple pants sizes after quitting drinking tequila.

Need more reasons? Because Johnson averages 125 rushing yards per game, and the next closest back (St. Louis’ Steven Jackson) averages 102. Because Johnson averages 6.2 yards per carry and only part-time tailbacks are in his area code. And because Johnson has a chance to surpass the single-season rushing mark of 2,105 yards held by Eric Dickerson.

Why he shouldn’t be MVP—Because Johnson’s team, albeit a squad Vince Young and he turned around after a 0-6 start, is still 5-7 and a long shot to make it to the playoffs.

Now football is not like baseball, where the MVPs almost always come from playoff teams. But if Indianapolis or New Orleans go undefeated while Tennessee goes 8-8, Johnson would only have a shot at winning if he set the new rushing record, and that would mean he would have to average 150 yards per game over the final four weeks, a tall order.

My MVP choice? Brees if New Orleans goes 16-0, Johnson if the Saints lose a game, especially if the latter breaks the 2,000-yard barrier. And Johnson has to get it if he becomes the new single-season rushing champion.

 

Run and Shoot

Here is another MVP candidate that has gotten little attention from the football media—the lawyers for the players in the infamous StarCaps case.

You think New Orleans would be undefeated if defensive ends Will Smith (10 sacks) and Charles Grant (4.5 sacks) had been suspended for four games?

Same holds true for Minnesota. Forget about Favre, Peterson, and Rice. If defensive tackles/run stuffers/Pro Bowlers Kevin and Pat Williams both missed four games at the start of the season, you think the Vikings would have the league’s top run defense, Jared Allen would have 12.5 sacks, and the team would be 10-2?

To sleep on the Arizona Cardinals for a second straight year would be as dumb as going for it on 4th-and-2 from your own 28 with two minutes to play when you have the lead.

When the Cards made it to the Super Bowl last season it was because they had the best passing attack in the NFL, their defense created some timely turnovers, and Edgerrin James found a fountain of youth for a month.

But now the Cardinals are better. The passing game is still great, but the defense is sounder and the running game more reliable with Beanie Wells’ fresh legs replacing Edge’s slow feet. Just ask Minnesota if Arizona should be feared in January.

The Cardinals are Super Bowl contenders for sure. The same cannot be said about the defending Super Bowl champions, though.

The Pittsburgh Steelers need to take a page out of the Indianapolis Colts’ book when it comes to living without an All-Pro safety/defensive quarterback. Pittsburgh has been an entirely different team without Troy Polamalu. The Steelers have become the Brad Lidge of the NFL—unable to close games when they have late leads.

Polamalu covered up for a lot of Pittsburgh’s defensive ills when he was around. The Steelers’ cornerbacks have been average at best the past couple years. Now they have been exposed as frauds, like Tiger Woods, without Polamalu to bail them out.

And without Polamalu around, even the Steelers seem to be scoring fewer points. His interceptions and sacks would give his offense the ball in better field position, and he would generate his own offense when he would return picks for touchdowns.

But missing one safety, no matter if he is an All-World player, should not change your team from a Super Bowl contender into a hapless, helpless bunch that loses to Oakland, Kansas City, and Cleveland.

Sanders was just as instrumental to his team as Polamalu is to his. Indianapolis has never folded no matter how many times Bob Sanders has been hurt. Maybe it is because they are used to it because he is injured annually, but there has never been a time the Colts looked as bad as the Steelers have lately.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Rotisserie by the Numbers: The Top 25 Fantasy Running Backs

Quarterback might the most important position in the NFL, but running back is the most important position in fantasy football.

If you have no running backs, then you have no chance of winning your fantasy league. That is why the first rounds of fantasy drafts are usually dominated by running backs, with only one or two quarterbacks and receivers getting taken that high.

Here are the top 25 running backs in fantasy football heading into the 2009 season.

 

1. Adrian Peterson (Minnesota Vikings)

Peterson’s not only the No. 1 running back, but he’s hands down the No. 1 pick overall in fantasy football.

And if 800-year-old Brett Favre can make defenses back off the line, Peterson will be even better.

 

2. Matt Forte (Chicago Bears)

He only averaged over 100 total yards per game and scored 12 touchdowns during his rookie season.

Yup, that’s all.

That was with defenses totally focused on him because he was Chicago’s only weapon, too. That is not the case anymore, thanks to Jay Cutler.

 

3. Michael Turner (Atlanta Falcons)

The “Burner” blazed for 1,699 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns in his first season as a full-time starter.

It would be nice if he did not have hands of stone, though, as he had just eight receptions in 2008.

 

4. DeAngelo Williams (Carolina Panthers)

Williams was fantasy football’s MVP during the second half of the 2008 season with 1,101 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns in Carolina’s last nine games.

 

5. Steven Jackson (St. Louis Rams)

Despite having the worst and most-injured offensive line “blocking” for him, Jackson still averaged more total yards per game last season than the four backs ahead of him on this list.

 

6. Maurice Jones-Drew (Jacksonville Jaguars)

No more sharing carries with Fred Taylor might mean 1,600 total yards and 15 touchdowns for fantasy football’s favorite three-named bowling ball of a back.

 

7. Chris Johnson (Tennessee Titans)

He has Olympic sprinter speed, plays behind an above-average offensive line, and is the featured back in a run-first offense.

You cannot ask for more.

 

8. Steve Slaton (Houston Texans)

Thought of as more of a change-of-pace, third-down specialty back coming out of college, Slaton destroyed all expectations with 1,659 combined yards and 10 touchdowns in his rookie year.

 

9. Brandon Jacobs (New York Giants)

This superhuman with the body of a linebacker but the speed of a receiver should get a couple more carries now that Derrick Ward is no longer in the picture.

 

10. Frank Gore, (San Francisco 49ers)

A more conservative offense should translate into more touches for the multi-dimensional Gore, although rookie Glen Coffee is pushing him for playing time with his outstanding preseason.

 

11. Brian Westbrook, (Philadelphia Eagles)

He is still the best pass-catching running back in the game, but he has had his knee drained more times than I have had my toilet drained, so to say he is an injury risk is an understatement.

 

12. Clinton Portis, (Washington Redskins)

Luckily for Portis and his fantasy owners, Washington head coach Jim Zorn does not utilize Ladell Betts as much as Joe Gibbs did.

 

13. LaDainian Tomlinson (San Diego Chargers)

Two straight seasons of declining numbers suggest the tread left on L.T.’s tires is thinner than an Olsen twin.

 

14. Kevin Smith (Detroit Lions)

Smith galloped under many radars during his rookie campaign.

If he can amass 1,282 total yards and eight scores on a winless team, imagine what he can do if Detroit goes 4-12.

 

15. Ryan Grant (Green Bay Packers)

A hamstring injury and limited work in the preseason killed his production during the first month of 2008, yet he rebounded nicely to still finish with over 1,200 rushing yards.

 

16. Reggie Bush (New Orleans Saints)

Bush can score from anywhere on the field via rushing, receiving or returning, but his injuries and inconsistency have still made him one of the most overrated players in the NFL.

 

17. Ronnie Brown (Miami Dolphins)

The “Wildcat” offense helped boost his fantasy numbers last season, but he will no longer be running it now that rookie quarterback Pat White is in the fold.

 

18. Knowshon Moreno (Denver Broncos)

Moreno should be the leading contender for Rookie of the Year, but a preseason knee injury will have him playing catch-up for the first few weeks.

He is not to be confused with Keyshawn Johnson or Moses Moreno.

 

19. Marion Barber (Dallas Cowboys)

You get the feeling that super-speedy sophomore sensation Felix Jones is going to get more touches at Barber’s expense.

 

20. Marshawn Lynch (Buffalo Bills)

Being suspended for the first three games of the season puts a dent in one’s fantasy value.

 

21. Pierre Thomas (New Orleans Saints)

Thomas singlehandedly shipped Deuce McAllister out of New Orleans after his scintillating second half of the 2008 season.

 

22. Thomas Jones (New York Jets)

Jones will be hard-pressed to duplicate the 1,500 yards and 15 touchdowns he had last season if new coach Rex Ryan employs a three-pronged rushing attack with Jones, Leon Washington, and first-year bruiser Shonn Greene.

 

23. Darren McFadden, Raiders

No kicker or punter had more toe problems than McFadden had during his rookie season, so let’s hope his fleet feet are protected by Dr. Scholl so he can score some long touchdowns.

 

24. Larry Johnson (Kansas City Chiefs)

It’s a new season with a new offense, with a new lease on life, and hopefully no more spitting incidents that get him suspended.

 

25. Beanie Wells (Arizona Cardinals)

Wells has been looking like a world beater in the preseason, and it is not like the NFC West is loaded with stingy run defenses.

 

Next column: Running backs 26-50.

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