Updated Last: 3-1-09
7.01 – Junkyard Jake – Anthony Gonzalez – Site Commentary: Now entering his 3rd year, Anthony Gonzalez could be poised for a significant breakout as the probable replacement for Marvin Harrison in the productive Colts passing offense. While Harrison has not offically announced any intention to call it a career in 2009, he was frequently outplayed by Gonzalez in 2008, and Colts GM Bill Polian has suggested that he may be targeting a wide receiver in this years NFL draft. If things fall into place for Anthony Gonzalez, he could easily emerge as a top-20 receiver this year, with an upside target of 1,200 yards and perhaps 8-10 TDs.
7.02 – Fantasy Football Xtreme – Larry Johnson – FFX Commentary: At this stage in the draft, it’s amazing Larry Johnson is still available. The Chiefs back definitely let a lot of fantasy owners down in 2008, but I believe that Chiefs team will be much improved in 2009. Is he risky as someone’s RB2 this upcoming season? Yea, I guess, but as the 62nd overall player taken, he has almost no risk attached to his name and he is almost all reward.
7.03 – FantasyPros911.com – Bernard Berrian – Site Commentary: BB came up 36 yards shy of eclipsing 1,000 receiving yards in 2008. More impressive though was his seven touchdowns for a Minnesota passing attack that was pathetic. Adding a guy like BB to my team gives me three number one wide receivers from their respective team. Here in the seventh I like to go for the best available, and to me BB fit the bill. Look for 1,000 yards in 2009 and eight to 10 touchdowns is very realistic for him.
7.04 – Fantasy Football Librarian – DeSean Jackson – Site Commentary: After an impressive rookie season, I see Jackson as a receiver with a ton up upside for the 2009 season and therefore a great value in the 7th round as my 3rd WR. Jackson’s performance during the NFC Championship game (92 yards and a TD) will be indicative of his 2009 season; I anticipate a season with 1000+ yards and certainly several more TDs than his surprisingly low 2 total TDs in 2008. Jackson’s value hinges on McNabb’s status in Philadelphia of course but I believe McNabb will be staying with the Eagles, making Jackson a great grab at this spot.
7.05 – Bruno Boys Whooley – Lance Moore – Site Commentary: With a solid QB to man my offense in Philip Rivers and a sturdy backfield comprised of Matt Forte, Ryan Grant, and Reggie Bush, I knew I’d be using this pick to add the third piece to my wide receiving corps. While it would have been nice to add another Johnson to go with Andre and Calvin, that was not to be. Thus, my debate centered around Hines Ward and Lance Moore. With Ward’s knee now a question after the wide out played through an injury during the Super Bowl, Moore became my man. A true story of grit and determination, Moore completed his rise from a practice squad player to fantasy stud this past season, going for 928 yards and 10 scores on the year. You can bet that he’ll be the wide out lining up opposite Marques Colston next season, which is good news as it means none other than Drew Brees will be throwing him the ball.
7.06 – Bruno Boys Ziza – LeRon McClain – Writeup to follow
7.07 – Bruno Boys Cory – Kevin Walter – Site Commentary: Considering I took a defense last round I had to take either a wide receiver or a tight end here. The elite tight ends were gone and while Visanthe Shiancoe was tempting, I don’t like how inconsistent he is. I started looking at the receivers left and saw Kevin Walter of the Houston Texans still on the board. I would have preferred Moore, Berrian, Jackson or Gonzalez but all were selected right before my pick. I still feel happy with Walter as my WR3. He’s caught 60 or more passes and gone over 800 receiving yards in two consecutive seasons. Last season he scored eight touchdowns and had five double-digit fantasy performances. As long as he can replicate that next season I’m happy with Walter here.
7.08 – Fighting Chance Fantasy – Chris Cooley – Site Commentary: Well we have our QB, three RBs for depth, and two solid receivers. Instead of filling out our receiving corps we go tight end. The number of reliable tight ends has never been lower in my opinion, and Cooley set career highs in receptions (83) and yards (849). Ok, so he only scored one touchdown, but he had scored at least six in four consecutive seasons. He is Jason Campbell’s safety net, and there’s no reason to think that his catches and yards will go down. And his touchdowns can only increase.
7.09 – Bruno Boys Cavigs – Hines Ward – Site Commentary: Sticking true to my philosophy of holding off on my quarterback until rounds 8-10 snag and loading up on depth at the skill positions, I am ecstatic to snag Ward in the 7th round. Often called the aging veteran Ward continued his consistent ways going for 1,043 receiving yards and 7 TD’s in 2008. He was also able to produce 10+ fantasy points in eight of the 15 games he played in. With Ward suffering a sprained MCL in the playoffs, many fantasy owners might shy away from him but with the veteran showing no signs of slowing down I consider him a low end WR2 or a high end WR3 heading into 2009. Plus, even if he begins to show his age, he is my 4th wide receiver behind Marques Colston, Reggie Wayne and Antonio Bryant and is worth every ounce this late in the draft.
7.10 – Bruno Boys Larry – Steve Breaston – Site Commentary: This may appear a little early to be selecting a WR that heading into the 2008 season wasn’t expected to be much more then a kick/punt return specialist, but when I looked at the numbers Steve Breaston put up as Arizona’s third receiving option last season I couldn’t pass him up. He was so productive when he filled in for Anquan Boldin when he was injured that head coach Ken Whisenhunt and offensive coordinator Todd Haley had to find more ways to get him the ball when Boldin returned to the line-up. Breaston finished the 2008 season with 77 receptions for 1,006 yards and three touchdowns, which included eight games where he scored eight or more points. Even if Boldin returns to the Cardinals in 2009 (which may be a big “if” at this point) he should improve on these numbers in 2009, which will be his third NFL season. He will make a nice WR3 for me and if Boldin does not return to Arizona next season, he could turn into a steal with this pick.
8.01 – Bruno Boys Larry – Matt Schaub – Site Commentary: I was thinking about adding another WR or RB with this pick, but I still need a QB and I love Matt Schaub to have a big year in 2009. Houston has a good young offense that really started to gel in the late part of the 2008 season. With offensive weapons like RB Steve Slaton, WR’s Andre Johson and Kevin Walter and a solid TE in Owen Daniels I really believe the Texans have a chance to make big strides next season. Schaub started off a little shaky in 2008 when he had 7 interceptions in his first four games and there were rumors that he was falling out of favor with the coaching staff and could possibly lose his job to career back-up Sage Rosenfels. After injuries caused him to miss five games Shcaub made the most of the rest of his season. He finished 2008 with 3,043 passing yards with 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. After his early struggles he only had 3 interceptions in his final seven games. He had eight games in which he passed for 250 or more yards and five games with two or more touchdowns. Schaub is the clear cut number one QB in Houston and he is poised to improve on last season as the young Texans offense should continue to get better in 2009.
8.02 – Bruno Boys Cavigs – Dallas Clark – Site Commentary: Having added depth at both the RB and WR position in rounds 6 & 7, I debated between a QB and TE at this stage in the draft, but with every team except myself having a starting QB it’s best to sit tight on my QB position for another round. In drafting Clark, I now have a sure bet TE1 who has scored 17 TD’s over the past two seasons and had a career high in receptions (77) and yards (848) in 2008. With the Colts offense expected to be fully healthy in 2009, one can only think Clark will improve on his TD totals next year. I don’t expect him to repeat his 77 receptions again, but expect his TD’s to be closer to the 11 he scored in 2007. With a lineup of MJD, Gore, P. Thomas, Wayne, Colston, A. Bryant, Ward and now Clark I like my chances heading into 2009.
8.03 – Fighting Chance Fantasy – Ted Ginn, Jr – Site Commentary: One of the more exciting WRs in the NFL, Ginn made huge strides in his second season. He nearly doubled his catches, more than doubled his yards, and was a major part of the Dolphins’ offense. Whether it was catching passes, running the end around, or even doing some in the return game, Miami made it a point to get him involved in the game plan. His production should only increase more and more as he gets more comfortable in the league, and hopefully his TD numbers will increase as well. Heading into the last two rounds we have Romo, Westbrook, Barber, McFadden, Boldin, Royal, Ginn, and Cooley. From the 8th overall pick, that’s not bad.
8.04 – Bruno Boys Cory – Visanthe Shiancoe – Site Commentary: With all my starters in place at quarterback, running back and wide receiver I finally decided to go with a tight end in this round. Minnesota Vikings TE Visanthe Shiancoe proved that despite erratic play from the quarterback position he can be threat. I would like to see more consistency out of Shiancoe but part of that can be attributed to the play of the quarterbacks. Besides, what I’m really interested in are touchdowns and he had seven of them last season. I was really hoping Dallas Clark would fall to me here but I figured he wouldn’t. Still, Shiancoe is a nice consolation at this point in the draft.
8.05 – Bruno Boys Ziza – Santana Moss – Site Commentary: Writeup will follow
8.06 – Bruno Boys Whooley – Owen Daniels – Site Commentary: With my starters set at the big 3 positions of QB, RB, and WR, and already having a little insurance at the all-important RB position, I felt it was time to grab my tight end here in round 8, especially with the way tight ends have been flying off the board. Considering what was left, the choice of Owen Daniels was a no-brainer. While Daniels has seen a continued drop in his touchdowns over the first three years of his career, going from 5 in his rookie season to 3 in 2007 and just 2 last year, that decline has more than been off-set by the increase in his yardage over the same period of time as the tight end jumped from 352 yards to 768 to 852 last season. Targeted a healthy 101 times last season, Daniels is obvious a key component in the Texans’ offense and if he could just increase his trips to the redzone, the tight end should have no problem surpassing the 100 point fantasy mark next season, a mark he missed by just 10 points in 2008.
8.07 – Fantasy Football Librarian – Derrick Ward – Site Commentary: With my plans for acquiring either Dallas Clark (I can NOT believe he fell so far in the relative drafting of TEs) or Owen Daniels completely thwarted by these crafty drafters, I’m going to instead beef up my RB corps. There are two TEs left that I’d be happy to have on my team and since only FFXtreme needs a TE before it gets back around to me, I think I can use this pick to bolster another position instead. So that’s why I’m going with Derrick Ward, a running and receiving threat who put up pretty stellar numbers behind Jacobs (1025 yards rushing, 384 yards receiving, 2 TDs) this season. With both Ward and Jacobs set to become free agents, the Giant’s 2009 backfield isn’t clear right now, making Ward a bit of a gamble but one that has the potential to pay off big time.
8.08 – Fantasy Pros 911 – Jamal Lewis – Site Commentary: Write-up to follow.
8.09 – Fantasy Football Xtreme – Roy Williams – Site Commentary: There is a good chance that Terrell Owens is elsewhere in 2009 – This would be great news for those that believe in Roy Williams! Williams is often labeled as one of the most overrated NFL wide receivers in the game, but I firmly disagree. It’s tough to argue that Williams was held back in Detroit, as Calvin Johnson figured out how to produce insane numbers in that Detroit offense, but Williams plays a different style of ball and I think he will truly shine if he ends up replacing Owens as the Cowboys’ No. 1WR in ‘09. Romo is the perfect quarterback for Williams, as Williams seems to need that accurate gunner in order to excel.. the two should connect early and often in ‘09… more so if Owens is in another uniform!
8.10 – LenDale White – Site Commentary: Chris Johnson and LenDale White formed a highly potent combination last year for the Titans, with White assuming the role of inside mauler and goalline option to Johnson’s dynamic outside threat and receiving specialist. He enters a contract year in 2009, so he has incentive to stay in shape and build on his productive 773 yard, 15 TD season. White actually got his rotund self over the goalline in 10 separate games last season, with 4 multiple TD games. He should make a great #3 fantasy RB if he can come close to an encore performance.
9.01 – Junkyard Jake – Donnie Avery – Site Commentary: By most rookie standards, Donnie Avery had an excellent first season in 2008, with 53 catches, 674 yards and 3 TDs. The highlight of his year was a 6 catch, 163 yard, 1 TD performance versus New England. It was revealed in December, that Avery had actually been playing the entire season with a cracked hip, so it will be interesting to see what he can do at full-speed, with a year of experience under his belt. Although he is not a big, physical receiver, he brings 4.3 speed, with exceptional quickness and good route discipline. The other reason to like Avery this year is that he could possibly replace Torry Holt as the Rams #1 receiver. Even in the event that Holt remains with the team, Avery should assume the role as the teams’ primary passing game play-maker.
9.02 – Fantasy Football Xtreme – Rashard Mendenahll – Site Commentary: At this point in the draft, one can only take stabs at potential breakout players — Mendy has potential breakout written all over him. I was extremely high on Mendenhall entering 2008, and his shoulder injury was devastating for all my 2008 Mendy predictions, but injuries cannot be predicted and I’m not backing down from my ‘08 stance. Mendy has the talent to be an elite runner in this league and he is certainly worth the risk in the 9th-round in any format. Hopefully his shoulder is 100% by the start of the season! If so, watch out FWP owners!
9.03 – FantasyPros911.com – Steelers D – Site Commentary: This is the round I usually target a D, so why change my draft style now? The Steelers to me, going into 2009, are the #1 D, not the Ravens. Why? With so many questions about where the Ravens defensive players will play in 2009, I’m shying away from them. I could have went with a backup quarterback here, or even a backup tight end, but securing a defense that won’t hurt my team in the ninth, makes my team stronger.
9.04 – Fantasy Football Librarian – Donald Driver – Site Commentary: I was planning on taking a TE at this spot but as I look ahead there’s still just one team before it gets back around to me that doesn’t have a TE yet, so I think I’ll hold off yet again. I have Brandon Marshall, Wes Welker and DeSean Jackson as my receivers so far so I think it’s time to grab another WR here – Donald Driver isn’t showing signs of slowing down too much with Rodgers at the helm so I’m willing to take a chance that he’ll put up numbers that are pretty similar to his 2008 stats (74 catches for 1012 yards, 5 TDs). Those are numbers that I’d be happy to get out of my 9th round pick.
9.05 – Bruno Boys Whooley – Felix Jones – Site Commentary: With Julius Jones up in Seattle and out of the picture, the Dallas’ job was supposed to be all Marion Barber’s in 2008, but then the Cowboys went ahead and drafted Felix Jones early in the 2008 draft. The dynamic playmaking ability of the rookie back was quickly evident as he went for double digits in 3 of his first 6 games and averaged a stellar 8.9 yards per carry on the year. So, why isn’t Jones going higher in this draft? Simple, a toe injury cut Jones’ 2008 season short, and while he is expected to be fine by OTAs, many fantasy owners have concerns about what his role will be with the team. After all, Dallas also has Marion Barber and Tashard Choice, who finished the season with a bang, in the backfield. But, in the 9th round, you have to take a risk on this back. After all, the Cowboys can’t afford to let his big play ability sit on their bench.
9.06 – Bruno Boys Ziza – Willis McGahee – Site Commentary: Selecting my starting tight end was an enticing possibility, but in the end, I decided to take out some insurance at the all-important running back position. As all fantasy owners know, the Baltimore Ravens’ backfield was a conundrum all throughout 2008 as it was very difficult to judge week in and week out what back would put up the numbers. While LeRon McClain did pull away some what towards the end of the year (which is why I selected him in round 7), it is still unclear if he’ll be the man come 2009, so to protect myself, I’ve taken McClain’s backfield mate, Willis McGahee here.
9.07 – Bruno Boys Cory – Tim Hightower – Site Commentary: I wanted to solidify my running back corps but decent backup options have been flying off the board. Felix Jones and Willis McGahee were two guys I was targeting but were taken right before my pick. But I liked Hightower enough to select him here. He went over 100 yards just once but had 10 touchdowns and that’s the kind of production I’m looking for with this pick. I also have serious doubts that Edgerrin James has much time left, if any, with the Cardinals and I expect Hightower to get about 275 touches on the ball next season. As long as QB Kurt Warner returns, I love the pick of Hightower here.
9.08 – Fighting Chance Fantasy – Philadelphia Eagles D/ST – Site Commentary: There are few defenses that are more stingy or more intimidating than the Eagles. They don’t give up a lot of points, they force a ton of turnovers, and they sack the quarterback among the best in football. I often like to finish off my starters before getting to my bench (except at RB and kickers don’t count), and I still haven’t picked my defense. They do play in a tough division, but they were among the top fantasy defenses in 2008, and I guarantee they will be again in 2009.
9.09 – Bruno Boys Cavigs – Cedric Benson – Site Commentary: Looking to add depth here at the RB position and the late surge of production by Cedric Benson towards the end of 2008 is enough for me take a gamble on him this late in the draft. Benson will be my RB4 heading into the 2009 season and he even comes close to his outburst of 2008 he will work as an exceptional bye-week filler or great trade bait to bulk up at another position. Plus, with Carson Palmer returning in Cincinnati, that Benson could have a career year.
9.10 – Bruno Boys Larry – Deion Branch – Site Commentary: This may be a bit of a sleeper pick. Deion Branch missed 8 games and parts of others due to a torn ACL in 2008, so there is some risk with this pick, but when you are picking with the last pick in the 9th round you are either picking a young up and comer or a veteran looking for a big year. Branch is a polished veteran who is he can remain healthy (and it is a big “if”) he will be a nice edition to my fantasy team as a WR4. Playing in 8 games last season he had 30 recpetions for 412 yards with 4 touchdowns, but he seemed to keep getting better each game. He had two big 2 touchdown games down the stretch for the Seahawks, which gives me hope for a productive 2009 for Deion Branch.
10.01 – Bruno Boys Larry – Earnest Graham – Site Commentary: Once again I am looking to add depth to my team at the key positions. Earnest Graham should help provide some nice depth at running back. He missed the final 6 games of last season due to an injured ankle, but he still managed to gain 563 yards (averaged 4.3 per carry) with 4 touchdowns. He scored in double figures six times in the 10 games he played in 2008 and he should be the featured running back for the Buccaneers in 2009.
10.02 – Bruno Boys Cavigs – Donovan McNabb – Site Commentary: Usually I am targeting my quarterback around the 8th round, but with every team except mine already having a starting QB, and the amount of talent still available I have decided to wait until the 10th round to fill the need. By getting Donovan McNabb, it gives me a solid quarterback that should do a fine job of complimenting my skill positions. With DeSean Jackson coming into his own as a WR, and the Eagles expected to make a push for more talent at the position during the offseason, McNabb should have plenty of weapons to choose from heading into 2009. He finished 2008 with at least 15 fantasy points in three of his last four games and continued his torrid pace during the Eagles postseason run to the NFC Championship game. Being that McNabb has bad stretches during the season and is prone to injury, I will be targeting a backup QB in round 11 or 12, but I am more than pleased by the fact I was able to draft him at 102 overall.
10.03 – Fighting Chance Fantasy – Dustin Keller – Site Commentary: I can’t believe I am drafting a team with two tight ends in the first ten rounds, but if Cooley is going to again have a season where he can’t find his way to the endzone I would like another good option at the position. Keller showed big flashes of what he was capable of when the Jets were winning, and although they don’t have Favre anymore (for now anyway), Keller should be a solid option no matter who the quarterback is. Keller has the capability to be the type of tight end that can be like having another wide receiver out there.
10.04 – Bruno Boys Cory – Matt Ryan – Site Commentary: Now it’s time find backups and I was looking at either a QB or WR here. But the receivers have been plucked pretty thin and I felt I could still get one I want later so I decided to go with Matt Ryan. What’s not to like about this guy? Was cool and calm in the pocket all year long as a rookie and put up decent numbers as well. His average yards per attempt of 7.93 shows me that he’s here to stay and didn’t just get really lucky. He’s got a good cast of players around him like Roddy White and Michael Turner and the line is improving as well. I doubt I’ll ever take Brees out of the starting lineup besides the bye week but just in case I now have a consistent and reliable backup.
10.05 – Bruno Boys Ziza – Carson Palmer – Site Commentary: After snagging QB Kurt Warner in th 6th round, and adding depth at the WR and RB positions in the rounds after that, it’s time to grab perhaps the biggest risk/reward pick in 2009, Carson Palmer. Palmer’s arm injury caused him to put together an season to forget in 2008, but he has proven to fantasy owners that he can post solid statistics and grabbing him this late can lead to having two solid QBs in 2009 and using one of them as trade bait to get better at another position.
10.06 – Bruno Boys Whooley – Derrick Mason – Site Commentary: No write-up provided.
10.07 – Fantasy Football Librarian – Greg Olsen – Site Commentary: Olsen is one of the few weapons that the Bears have going for them so far in 2009 and a great TE value in the 10th round. The third-year receiver breakout pattern will play out with Olsen in 2009 without a doubt. He hauled in 54 receptions for 574 yards and 5 TDs this past year and was picking up steam as the season came to an end for the Bears – I have no doubt he’ll keep up his 4-5 receptions per game and look forward to his continued red zone chemistry with Orton (especially if he can work on holding onto the ball a bit more).
10.08 – FantasyPros911.com – Kellen Winslow – Site Commentary: This late in the draft, Kellen Winslow is a steal. Sure there are concerns over his health, but I’m looking for the Browns to bounce back offensively and in order to do that Winslow has to be a big part of that offense. He has to be considered as one of the more dominating TE’s in the game and I believe this is the year we see him put together the All-Pro type year we expect.
10.09 – Fantasy Football Xtreme – Ray Rice – Site Commentary: At this stage in the draft, it’s hard passing on a guy like Rice, who could start in 2009. He isn’t a lock to be the main main right out of the gate next season, but he is more than worth the risk in the 10th.
10.10 – Junkyard Jake – Player – Site Commentary: Maroney was one of my favorite value runningbacks going into last season. He was typically lasting into the 2nd or 3rd round, and in retrospect, I guess only the suckers were taking him there. (i.e. me 
). That said, it’s unfair to evaluate Maroney using last years disaster. He was clearly limited by a shoulder injury he suffered in week 2, and the Patriots tried to delay putting him on injured reserve. If Maroney works hard this offseason to get back into shape, he is decisively the best RB option that the Patriots have, and it’s hard to see how 33 year-old Sammy Morris and/or 32 year old Lamont Jordan will even be relevant.
I love Mendy and Ray Rice.
Both have good upside in 2009 and especially 2009 and beyond.