I am by no means a fantasy football expert. I have played since around 2004, and have had as many successes as failures. Many times I have finished at the top, receiving a nice paper trophy, and other times I have received nothing but laughs as I wallowed at the bottom of the heap. That being said, I am a stats guy, and, being a stats guy, I love to peruse the predraft rankings, either busting a gut at the "experts" putting Cleveland Browns running back Trent Richardson at #11, or puzzle at them placing Brandon Marshall at #23.
We see plenty of top ten lists or fantasy sleeper lists out there but not many lists with busts. Let's roll
Quarterback- Robert Griffin III- Redskins
I know, I am going to take some heat for this one. First off, RGIII is a good pocket passer. He has a revamped receiving corps going for him, and his team is buying into him. Many will draft RGIII purely because of the perceived similarities to Cam Newton. Surely RGIII will provide you with a relative option as a bench player, but with more proven options out there, why take the gamble. Besides, if he struggles out of the gate he could be dropped by the owner that jumped on him and you could snag him off waivers.
Running Back- Frank Gore- 49ers
A few years ago you would have called me crazy to put Frank Gore on such a list. After years of wear and tear, and a new stable of running backs in reserve, Gore won't see the ball nearly as much as we would like. Brandon Jacobs and LeMicheal James will steal carries. With Alex Smith throwing the ball with better efficiency, expect the running game to have a smaller role. Don't get me wrong here, the 49ers are not a pass first team, not yet anyway.
Wide Receiver- Vincent Jackson- Bucs
A few years ago I argued, as did many here, for Vincent Jackson to come to the Rams either by trade or free agency. I thought of all the places he could go, Tampa Bay was the worst for him. He just got one heck of a pay day to head down to Florida, and I am still not sold on Josh Freeman as an NFL quarterback. Add to that Jackson's malaise when it comes to giving it his all, and you have the recipe for a high pick with minimal return. I would only pick up Jackson if he falls and you still need that 3rd spot filled on your roster.
Tight End- Jermaine Gresham- Bengals
The only reason I can figure that Gresham is ranked so high among tight ends is due to his high draft status from the 2010 NFL draft. With Orson Charles competing for catches his looks are going to decline. Gresham is well over rated in my mind, not just because of his lack of productivity versus draft status; because for him being the 2nd best pass catcher statistically for the Bengals, he only accounted for 16.9% of the offensive yardage in 2011. There are many better options for you at tight end this season. Gresham will ride the bench unless he shows a starting spark.
As far as Defense and Special Teams units go, it is very hard to go wrong if you play the match ups. Other than the lowly Tampa Bay Bucs defense, I wouldn't shy away from any D/ST if you pay attention to who they are playing. You could draft a really good D/ST in early or mid rounds, but you can get the same or better results by simply playing the waiver wire every week and playing the match ups. Just look for the defense playing the weakest team out there for that week. Too easy friend.
What say you Rams Nation?