Top 2009 Fantasy Football Rookies; Keeper League Rankings

Football season is right around the corner, so its time to start thinking about fantasy implications.  Personally I’m in a dynasty league that is about to start its sixth year. Therefore, rookies are my main focus, not just this season but in the long run.  Lets get right to it!

Keeper League Rankings:

1.  Michael Crabtree - Everything about this guy reminds of Larry Fitzgerald, right down to both of their “supposed” biggest weaknesses coming out of college (speed).  His body control, hands, and ability in the open field is unmatched in this year’s draft class.  Most people will point to the fact that his numbers were blown up because he was in a pass heavy spread offense, but I’ve read several opinions of scouts that say this is only a knock when it comes to running backs and quarterbacks.  In fact, they say that coming from a spread offense actually helps receivers transitioning to the NFL because it emphasizes route running.  Not saying he’ll be as good as Fitz, but he’s got a shot to be.

2. Knowshon Moreno - While Denver may have a crowded backfield now, I think Moreno ended up in a great situation for the long term.  Denver has a young O-line anchored by last year’s stud rookie Ryan Clady.  What concerns me is McDaniels’ history of platooning running backs, which he already appears to be doing with Buckhalter and Jordan.  However, there’s no way they spend the #12 pick on a running back after trading Cutler and not plan on using him heavily.  The good thing is that Moreno already possesses tools that hinder backs transitioning into the NFL: pass blocking and catching out of the backfield.  Also, because he can catch, he has the potential to be a three down back, a rarity and blessing in fantasy football.  The knock on him is that he doesn’t have top end speed, which is true (4.6 40 time), but his vision and cutting ability seem to make up for it.  He also seems likes one of the players that plays faster during the game than his time would suggest, just watch one of his YouTube videos.  He also played in the toughest conference in college football (SEC) which will help him for sure.

3. Matthew Stafford - Love this guy, and love his situation.  Has a rocket of an arm but can thread the needle as well.  His YouTube videos are SICK, and that’s with a widely regarded poor offensive line and lackluster receivers.  Now he is going to be throwing the ball to Calvin Johnson (who I guarantee within two years will be considered the best receiver in football).  What especially excites me is that Stafford is exceptionally accurate on the deep ball.  Calvin hauled in anything within a 10 yard radius from the likes of Daunte Culpepper and Jon Kitna, posting the most touchdowns from any wideout in the league last year.  Give him an accurate deep ball?  Game over.  Also, they picked up a quality safety net with fellow first rounder TE Brandon Pettigrew.  The O-line concerns me, but the Lions will be picking in the top 5 next year if not the year after as well, and im sure they’ll pick up a stud tackle to protect their $70 million dollar man.  Like Moreno, coming out of the SEC (with three years of starting experience) will certainly ease his transition.

4. Beanie Wells - Beanie might be the most talented offensive player in this draft class, but there are some lingering issues that are hindering his value.  For one, he has a serious injury history, and he is the type of runner that is more prone to injury to begin with.  Second, there are rumors that he has a serious attitude problem, and we’ve all seen that even all the talent in the world can’t make up for that sometimes (cough, MAURICE CLARETT, who also went to OSU by the way).  He also is not very adept to catching the ball out of the backfield, which hurts in point-per-reception leagues.  All in all, I still like Wells because he ended up in a nice situation.  Arizona has a prolific passing attack with two Pro Bowl wide receivers constantly demanding attention.  Everything that we’ve heard out of Arizona so far since the draft has been good things, but what else would they say?  There is no bigger boom or bust candidate this year.  When healthy, he has Adrian Peterson like potential (NOT comparing them), or he could turn out to be another Clarett, but I think it will be something between the two.  We won’t know for sure until he hits the field.

5. Jeremy Maclin - Anyone who has seen highlights of him will tell you how explosive he can be.  He also ended up in a great organization with a quality QB and not much receiver help around him, so he most likely will play a good amount right away.  We all saw how quickly McNabb hooked up with rookie DeSean Jackson last year, so there’s no reason to think Maclin can’t do the same.  His knock is route running, which is evident in some of his highlights, but his talent will outweigh that.  Word is that he is a hard worker too, so it may not be a problem in the near future.

6. LeSean McCoy- With Westbrook’s recent injury news, McCoy is starting to look more and more valuable.  He is a MUST handcuff for all Westbrook owners.  He put up good stats in a major conference and the Eagles liked him enough to take him in the second round.  Like Moreno, he doesn’t have great top end speed, but good cutting ability.  Add to the fact that he’s in a great situation/offense in Philly, and he is looking like a nice addition to your team.

7. Donald Brown - He doesn’t stand out as the most athletic runner ever, but the simple fact of the matter is this guy gets the job done.  Like McCoy for Westbrook, he is a must handcuff for Addai owners.  He is coming to a great offense, and as much as they pass the ball, the like to run the ball too.

8. Hakeem Nicks - I’m not the biggest Eli Manning fan, but he has shown that he can produce when he has a big target to throw to.  Nicks was in an awful offense at North Carolina and still put up big plays and numbers.  Also, the Giants NEED him to step in and play right away because of their depth at WR… especially since Plaxico shot himself.

9. Darius Heyward Bey - Al Davis surprised no one when he passed on franchise tackles and Crabtree to take this speed demon.  His speed and size are amazing, but in college he never proved his catching ability nor his route running.  On top of that, he didn’t end up in the best situation with Jamarcus Russell having his own problems.  However, if Russell and his rocket arm figure out that quarterbacks are not supposed to be the size of O-Lineman, Oakland may have something here.

10. Shonn Greene - This bruiser weighs in at 235 lbs, well above average for running backs.  He consitently produced at Iowa for 3 years but slipped for some reason in the draft until the first pick of the third round where the Jets traded up and snatched him.  With lingering questions about Thomas Jones, Greene is looking very good at the moment.  He is a definate handcuff for Jones owners.

What is your take on the top fantasy football rookies for this year? Have your say below!