HF Fantasy: 2008

POWER RANKINGS

The 2008 draft is over and it's time to dish out the pre-season power rankings. These are very difficult to do because in the pre-season everyone's team looks good. Here is an analysis of how the teams look thus far.

1. Steel Curtain - Solid quarterbacks and a RB core that could score 200 points on a weekly basis make this team an early favorite.

Strengths - The running game will be this teams greatest strength in 2008. The WR unit is very solid, which has become increasingly important in HFfantasy over the last couple of years.

Weekness - If LT or Jamal Lewis go down with an injury, it could spell trouble. Selvin Young and speedster Chris Johnson will likely be sharing carries in 2008. Too much may be riding on the shoulders of Jason Campbell, which may not be a great thing for this team.

2. Throw Me The Damn Ball - This team has shown in the past that they can win games. This is a solid roster that hopes they can bring this team back to championship contention.

Strengths - Carson Palmer and the Bengals offense looks as if they will score big again in 2008, which would do wonders for this team. As Ronnie Brown continues to gain strength in his knee, Ricky Williams will be there to pick up the slack. The WR core is one of the most formidable in the league.

Weaknesses - There are questions surrounding areas of this team including Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers has only one career start under his belt, and the pressure of following a guy like Brett Favre could prove difficult. If the Dolphins RB core does not work out, this team will have to rely on rookie RB Darren McFadden. McFadden will be a solid player in the future, but don't expect him to have an Adrian Peterson type year. There is a big difference between Minnesota's o-line, and the o-line of the Raiders.

3. ThrowIt Deep - Big improvements were made to this team. Solid roster, but does have some weak spots. This will be an all or nothing team.

Strengths - The quarterbacks on this roster could be very dangerous. David Garrard and Tony Romo will carry this team in 2008. The fact that Steven Jackson ended his holdout is huge for this team.

Weaknesses - When Garrard and Romo are on their bye weeks, Trent Edwards will be filling in. Normally I wouldn't think that would be a weakness but in weeks 7 and 10, the Bills will be playing the Chargers and Patriots respectively, which could make this 2nd year QBs life very difficult. Other than Jackson, this RB unit is full of unproven talent. Reggie Bush will have to have a good year for this team to be successful. The WR unit is in the same boat.

4. The Team To Beat - Due to the fact that this team has Tom Brady, it's hard to rank this team this low, but some questions arise when looking at this roster.

Strengths - Tom Brady is Tom Brady. That's all that needs to be said. The WR unit on this team is solid to say the least.

Weaknesses - The RB core looks a bit thin, and behind Brady you have Vince Young and JaMarcus Russell, who combined may not average the amount of points per game that Brady will alone.

5. Team Conquest - Much improvement was made to this roster. The QBs will carry this team

Strengths - Drew Brees and Willis McGahee should be very solid for this team in 2008. The RB core is probably this teams biggest strength. Michael Turner will be a pleasant surprise as he will be seeing most of the carries in Atlanta. The WR core features some pretty decent deep threats.

Weaknesses - Phillip Rivers is inconsistent to say the least. If Rivers fails in 2008, so will this team. Last year Rivers averaged just over 66 points a game, mainly due to the fact he throws too many interceptions.

6. Titty Tara - I know they are the defending champs, but there is a method to my madness. Will the decision to keep Favre over Garrard prove to be the right decision?

Strengths - Randy Moss and Plaxico Burress make this WR core dangerous. The deep threat in New England is one of the best all time with Tom Brady throwing to Moss, which could lead to high scoring for Moss again this year. Brett Favre always scores big in fantasy football, so one would think that he will be solid again this year. Hopefully for this team his production can carry over to New York. (New Jersey)

Weaknesses - Other than Favre, this QB unit is full of questions. Matt Leinart has been challenged by the aging Kurt Warner since the day he walked into Cardinals camp. If Leinart fails to solidify himself as the true starter in Arizona, Troy Smith is waiting on the bench. The only problem is, Troy Smith may not be the full time starter for Baltimore in 2008. Rookie Joe Flacco is waiting in the wings. If all else fails, the Ravens may turn to Kyle Boller, who has been with the club much longer than Flacco or Smith. With Willie Parker coming off a pretty serious injury, questions remain as to how he will hold up in 2008.

7. Empire Maker - Coming off a Superbowl loss in 2007, this team made some drastic changes to it's roster. A new philosophy seems to be brewing in this front office.

Strengths - The WR core on this team has the potential to be ridiculous. Once Brandon Marshall and Steve Smith come off of their suspensions, the starting WR unit will consist of Marshall, Smith, and Braylon Edwards. Joseph Addai will be solid for this team as well. Addai has proven he can score big, as he did last season against the Patriots scoring 204 points in week 9.

Weaknesses - The QB core is a bit shaky. Marc Bulger will look to improve on his sub-par 2007 season. He will have to if this team expects to succeed. Reports out of Carolina are showing that Jake Delhomme is healthy and ready to go, but will he be able to stay healthy and help this team get back to championship contention. If not, this team will have to rely on Matt Schaub, who played decent at times last season, but also showed inconsistencies. Thomas Jones, who only scored one TD in 2007, will have to step it up in 2008.

8. YouLikeTo LickDaTaint - This team would be ranked higher if it weren't for the RB unit. (huh huh.....he said unit)

Strengths - Peyton Manning and Matt Hasselbeck are one of the best starting QB tandems in HFfantasy. The receiving core looks pretty decent as well behind number one wideout Marques Colston, but Dwayne Bowe will have to step it up a notch in 2008.

Weaknesses - This RB unit is questionable. Laurence Maroney proved once again in 2007 that he is an all or nothing back. When he is on his game, he is dangerous, but last season he only produced 2 games over 100 points, while having 7 games where he scored under 50 points. His biggest weakness could be that he plays on a team who only sees the need to run the ball to run out the clock when they're up 48-14 in the 4th quarter. Behind Maroney, you have Kenny Watson and Chester Taylor. Taylor will likely take a back seat to Adrian Peterson, and the Bengals will split carries with Watson and Rudi Johnson.

9. Delta Force - Alot will be riding on the shoulders (or knees) or Donovan McNabb in 2008. Larry Johnson will also need to get back to the kind of production he had before last years debacle. Based on potential, this team could be ranked higher, but questions had this team slip in the pre-season rankings.

Strengths - Jon Kitna showed last season that he can potentially score big in fantasy, but inconsistencies remain. Reports from Eagles camp are giving me the idea that McNabb is poised to have a big year. Health will be important. Potential is this teams biggest strength.

Weaknesses - Too many questions. Will McNabb stay healthy? Will LJ improve? I seriously could have ranked this team alot higher, but there were too many positives from other teams, along with the lingering questions surrounding star players on this roster.

10. The Commish - The WR unit on this team is very solid, and the starting QBs have the potential to help this team tremendously. A determining factor of this teams success will be the play of Adrian Peterson, as he hopes to add to his amazing rookie season. Chances are, anything he does will be a disappointment, simply because what he did last year was ridiculous. This team has yet to make the playoffs in the existence of HFfantasy.

Strengths - Adrian Peterson is the franchise player for this team, and with that said this team will only succeed if he plays well. Given what he did last year, that looks promising, but it would be unfair to expect that type of production from him again. Eli Manning's confidence coming off of a Superbowl victory could carry into this season, potentially helping this team get over the hump. The WR unit is very solid.

Weaknesses - There are alot of questions in this teams QB core. Jay Cutler will be without his best WR for the first three games of the season, which could be detrimental to both his confidence and this team. Other than Brandon Marshall, the Broncos do not have many weapons in the WR unit. The RB unit is a bit shaky as well. If Fred Taylor fails to produce, or has some of his carries taken away by Jones-Drew, this team will have to depend on two rookie backs in Mendenhall and Kevin Smith.

11. Team Dynasty - This team had a very solid year in 2007 under it's rookie GM. This team looks to be promising but there are too many questions to rank them higher than this.

Strengths - The RB core looks very solid for this team. It's an all NFC east unit behind starters Brain Westbrook and Clinton Portis, who will carry this team in the 2008 season. Brandon Jacobs will prove to be a solid fill-in during the Eagles and Redskins bye weeks. The WR unit has some legitimate deep threats.

Weaknesses - The QB unit could be this teams achilles heal. There are only 2 QBs currently on this roster, which means that this team will most likely suffer losses in weeks 5 and 6. Brodie Croyle is not your ideal number 2 quarterback, and Derek Anderson suffered a concussion against the Giants in the Browns' last pre-season game. If Brady Quinn lights it up in the Browns' third pre-season game, there could be a QB controversy in Cleveland. Too many questions at a position of great need.

12. Team Jimmy - This GM came into a tough situation. It will be a rebuilding year for this team, but a solid RB unit could make this team alot better than they were in 2007.

Strengths - The starting RB unit consists of Marshawn Lynch and Frank Gore. Both of these players should have solid production in 2008, which will help this team tremendously.

Weaknesses - The QB situation will make or break this team. Jeff Garcia potentially could have a good year, but behind Garcia are Tavaris Jackson and Alex Smith. Smith currently is not the starter for the 49ers, which could prove to be difficult for this team during the Bucs and Vikings bye weeks. Jackson could be helped tremendously by the Vikings running game, but he has to stay healthy to help get this team out of the basement.

Team Jimmy-GM Jimmy Cottrell
1. Jeff Garcia - QB
2. Frank Gore - RB
3. Marvin Harrison - WR

Youliketo Lickdataint-GM Chris Lynch
1. Peyton Manning IND - QB
2. Laurence Maroney NE - RB
3. Dwayne Bowe KC - WR

Beast Mode-GM Sean Pruso
1. Jay Cutler DEN - QB
2. Adrian Peterson MIN - RB
3. Greg Jennings GB - WR

ThrowIt Deep-GM Josh Wysocki
1. Tony Romo DAL - QB
2. Steven Jackson STL - RB
3. Andre Johnson HOU - WR

Delta Force-GM Matt Clintsman
1. Donovan McNabb PHI - QB
2. Larry Johnson KC - RB
3. Roy Williams DET - WR

Steel Curtain-GM Greg Bosak
1. Ben Roethlisberger PIT - QB
2. LaDainian Tomlinson SD - RB
3. Larry Fitzgerald ARI - WR

Empire Maker-GM Scott Trottier
1. Jake Delhomme CAR - QB
2. Joseph Addai IND - RB
3. Braylon Edwards CLE - WR

Team Dynasty-GM Brad Cottrell
1. Derek Anderson CLE - QB
2. Brian Westbrook PHI - RB
3. Torry Holt STL - WR

Team Titty Tara-GM Lester Goodermote
1. Brett Favre NYJ - QB
2. Willie Parker PIT - RB
3. Randy Moss NE - WR

Team Conquest-GM Travis Conquest
1. Drew Brees NO - QB
2. Willis McGahee BAL - RB
3. Santonio Holmes PIT - WR

Throw Me The Damn Ball-GM Jason Brandi
1. Carson Palmer CIN - QB
2. Ronnie Brown MIA - RB
3. Terrell Owens DAL - WR

The Team To Beat-GM Jason Chaplin
1. Tom Brady NE - QB
2. Reggie Wayne IND - WR
3. Jason Witten DAL - TE