Michael Turner | RB ATL

Michael Turner is the real deal! We warned fantasy worlds about this kid all off-season, as “The Burner” was absolutely our most talked about fantasy football player entering the 2008 season — And did he ever make us look good! Look, we missed some calls this year too (cough, Aaron Rodgers), as no one is going to get everything right in this complicated, yet fun, game of fantasy football, but we saw this one coming from a mile away (here, here, here, here and there are more). It was clear to us that the speedster was the next big thing… I knew just by watching him run the football. His 5.5 career yards-per-carry average on 228 carries, and his long runs, as a back-up, of 83, 74 and 73 were promising warning signs, but it was his style of play that sold me (and I did my best trying to sell it to all of you… I think I did my job!). So what is in store for Turner in 2009?

Turner is on pace for 1,582 rushing yards and 18TDs. He has four multiple touchdown performances this season and has rushed for over 100 yards five times. He has also rushed for over 200 yards once. Don’t count on Turner being a top 10RB heading into 2009, count on him being a top 5-7RB. If you own the stud in a dynast league, the offers will starting flooding in. Reject them. Only trade Turner if you’re upgrading into a Joseph Addai or an Adrian Peterson (and even then we’d understand if you like Turner better for the long-term). Steven Jackson might also qualify as an upgrade, if we’re talking 2009, but I say hold onto the Falcons runner even over a Marion Barber or Marshawn Lynch type.