Is Cedric Benson officially back from the dead?

The 4th overall pick of the Chicago Bears in 2005, Cedric Benson had all of the promise of any top running back taken in the draft, but to this point has failed to live up to the hype. Not only has he not lived up to expectations, but has preformed so poorly that he found himself out of the NFL after being released by the Bears following 2007 season. Fortunately for him, he was able to find a home as a backup for the Cincinnati Bengals, who were trying to fill the void left by longtime starter Rudi Johnson, who left to go play for the the Detroit Lions.

After beating out Chris Perry for the starting job midway through last season, Benson’s finally playing like a starting running back and even making some people wonder whether the “Bust” label was a little premature. So far this season he’s picked up right where he left off last year, averaging 98 rush yards a game and already has two rushing TD’s. Not bad for a guy with 5 career 100 yard games and 12 career TD’s in four years! Of course the big question is whether he can sustain this type of production. Is this the beginning of a new chapter for Benson or is this just a brief glimpse of what could have been?

I don’t think anyone expects him to rise to the level of the elite running backs in the league (i.e. Adrian Peterson, Frank Gore, Maurice Jones-Drew), but he certainly has the potential to eclipse the 1,000 yard mark and rack up 6-8 TD’s by the end of the season. One question that still hasn’t been answered but will have a profound effect on Benson’s production this season is how good are the Cincinnati Bengals, really?

Is the defense good enough to keep them in games against AFC North powerhouses like the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers? Can Carson Palmer stay healthy for a full season? If the answer to these questions is yes and the Bengals are a legitimate playoff team, then Benson could be in a great position to surprise some people and finish among the leaders in rush yards by the end of the season. But if the defense isn’t as good as advertised and Palmer has to throw 30-4o times a game or if Palmer goes down with another injury, then it’s going to be a long season for Benson.

I’m certainly rooting for Benson to keep things rolling and I’d like to think that he could succeed even if the Bengals falter, but I just don’t think that’s possible. If the Bengals go down, then Benson goes down.

Fantasy Impact: Benson owners must be feeling pretty good right about now and those who actually drafted him must be feeling like geniuses. With three straight weeks of consistent play, I think he's actually worth consideration as a #2 RB or Flex starter. He's probably not going to have many BIG weeks, but as long as he's healthy it looks like the Bengals are going to give him the rock 20+ times a game. I don't like him as a trade acquisition, just because most owners are probably going to try to "sell high" on him.

Preseason Rankings: Tight End

The following series of posts will list the top 10 fantasy players at each skill position based on projected fantasy output for the upcoming 2009 season.

With the explosion of talent at the tight end position over the recent years, the gap between the top tier and free agency pickups is smaller than ever. With a rejuvenating season last year and a trade to an offense loaded with weapons in Atlanta, Tony Gonzalez tops the list going into the season. Antonio Gates still put up decent fantasy numbers while missing significant time due to an array of injuries that are now behind him. Another 1,000 yard, 10 TD season out of Gates wouldn't surprise me at all. I'm also expecting another strong season from Dallas Clark, who'll probably see the lions share of passes formerly allocated to Marvin Harrison. Looking a little further down the list, it's about time for Visanthe Shiancoe and Greg Olsen to step into that top-tier conversation. Both Minnesota and Chicago will be counting on their TE's to move the chains and also get open in the red zone. With Pittsburgh's penchant for looking to the tight end in the end zone, Heath Miller is always a scoring threat.

1. Tony Gonzalez (ATL)
2. Antonio Gates (SD)
3. Jason Witten (DAL)
4. Dallas Clark (IND)
5. Kellen Winslow (TB)
6. Visanthe Shiancoe (MIN)
7. Greg Olsen (CHI)
8. Owen Daniels (HOU)
9. Chris Cooley (WAS)
10. Heath Miller (PIT)

Fantasy Impact: With the emergence of several viable fantasy options at the tight end position, there's no need to reach for a tight end early. Unless Gonzalez, Gates, or Witten falls to you in the 5th or 6th round, look to try and grab Shiancoe or Olsen in the 9th or 10th round. And if that doesn't work out, you can always troll the free agent pool once the season starts. There's always at least one TE that comes out of nowhere to produce good numbers, think Jon Carlson last season.

Preseason Rankings: Running Back

The following series of posts will list the top 10 fantasy players at each skill position based on projected fantasy output for the upcoming 2009 season.

At the running back position the conversation starts and ends with Adrian Peterson. He's built for power and speed, and has stayed relatively healthy so far in his young career. After him, there's a group of really strong backs who all have something to prove. The guy who made the biggest jump last season was Michael Turner, who stepped in as the every-down back in Atlanta and simply ran wild. Known primarily for his speed, the versatile Turner held up all season under the grueling workload of being the every-down back for the first time in his career. Two rookies of a year ago, Chris Johnson and Steve Slaton, made the list due to their breakout seasons. I think they both have what it takes to stay there. I'm not as high on Maurice Jones-Drew as some of the "experts" because I don't think he can be an every-down back. Part of his strength the last few years has been returning kicks, working primarily in the red zone, and being the "change of pace" back. Now that it's just him in Jacksonville, he's got to prove that he's got the toughness to battle all season long. Pierre Thomas is my wildcard. After finishing strong last season, it'll be interesting to see how he fits in to the pass-happy New Orleans offense over the course of a full season.

1. Adrian Peterson (MIN)
2. Matt Forte (CHI)
3. Frank Gore (SF)
4. Chris Johnson (TEN)
5. Michael Turner (ATL)
6. LaDainian Tomlinson (SD)
7. Maurice Jones-Drew (JAX)
8. Ronnie Brown (MIA)
9. Steve Slaton (HOU)
10. Pierre Thomas (NO)

Fantasy Impact: It's a widely held belief that running backs are what win fantasy championships, but I'm one of the few who disagree with this strategy. Depending on the format of your league, I would say that having a single top running back is all you need. I'd take any one of the top 10 backs and then not take another RB until at least the 4th round. With the way the running game is evolving in the NFL, more than half of the teams will be splitting carries between at least two backs this season, and in some cases three (i.e. Baltimore with McGahee, Rice, McClain and New York with Jacobs, Ward, Bradshaw last season). Avoid the pressure to draft RB's back-to-back in the first and second round and you'll find yourself with some amazing players on the board.

Preseason Rankings: Quarterback

The following series of posts will list the top 10 fantasy players at each skill position based on projected fantasy output for the upcoming 2009 season.

Let's start with the quarterback position which had some breakout performances last year, most notably by Matt Cassel, Matt Ryan, and Aaron Rodgers. All three guys have moved into the top 10 at the quarterback position going into this season, so it's up to them to prove that they deserve it. At the top of the list, I think Tom Brady's 100% back from his season-ending knee injury last season and should put up big numbers with Randy Moss and Wes Welker still in New England. There's some doubt in Dallas whether Tony Romo can succeed without Terrell Owens, so I think he's got something to prove. I was hesitant to put Kurt Warner higher on this list because I think his age will finally catch up to him this season. Jay Cutler barely made it on the list after a tumultuous off-season that saw him traded from Denver to Chicago. He's definitely got the skills to be a top 5 quarterback, but I just don't think Chicago has enough talent at the wide received position.

1. Tom Brady (NE)
2. Peyton Manning (IND)
3. Drew Brees (NO)
4. Tony Romo (DAL)
5. Philip Rivers (SD)
6. Matt Ryan (ATL)
7. Kurt Warner (ARI)
8. Matt Cassel (KC)
9. Aaron Rodgers (GB)
10. Jay Cutler (CHI)

Fantasy Impact: I'm of the opinion that drafting a quarterback is one of the most critical moves you can make in the draft. They're historically the top fantasy point producers, so even though many "experts" will say that the drop-off from #1-#10 isn't as great as at other positions, I would much rather have a quarterback that I can count on every game to deliver 20- 25 pts. for my team. Usually the first QB comes off the board in the late first-early second round. I would shoot for Ryan in the 5th to 6th round as a solid value pick with tons of upside.