Continuing the Yahoo Sports' inspired theme, here are the 10 players I'm likely to own, perhaps in multiple leagues:
Pierre Thomas, RB, New Orleans Saints - Thomas averaged 4.8 yards per carry and had 12 total touchdowns on 129 carries last year. With Deuce McAllister gone, Thomas figures to be the primary between-the-tackles and goal-line back all season on one of the league's best offenses. And his competition for touches, Reggie Bush, isn't used like a typical running back, which means Thomas should have a bigger portion of the carries than a Chris Johnson or a LenDale White. Thomas is also a solid receiver and can be expected to add some yardage in that department as well.
Calvin Johnson, WR, Detroit Lions - Johnson is our No. 2 overall receiver, and it took some restraint not to rank him above Larry Fitzgerald. Johnson managed 12 touchdowns on 14 red-zone targets with a conservative offensive coordinator and Dan Orlovsky throwing him the ball. This year, he'll have Linehan, who calls more fades and red-zone throws than any coach in the league. (Consider that Linehan made Chris Chambers the most frequent red-zone target in 2005 with the Dolphins and Torry Holt the top one in 2006 with the Rams. This after having Culpepper throw the ball to Randy Moss and Marcus Robinson a combined 18 times from inside the five in 2004.). If Culpepper has anything left in the tank, the sky's the limit - at least until Matthew Stafford takes over, but even in that case, the quarterback play isn?t likely to be worse than last year?s. Johnson belongs in the first round.
Randy Moss, WR, New England Patriots - He won't catch 23 TDs again, but with Brady back, why can't he catch 13-15? Brady not only targets him frequently in the red zone, but also has excellent touch on the deep ball, something Matt Cassel lacked. With the running back position deeper than ever due to the increase in timeshares around the league, I'm happy to take Calvin Johnson and Moss with my first two picks in three-WR leagues.
Aaron Rodgers, QB, Green Bay Packers - No quarterback in the league combines Rodgers' arm strength, scrambling ability, pass-friendly play calling and quality of targets. Expect well over 500 attempts, 100-plus rushing yards and a score at a minimum and a solid YPA thanks to the zip on his passes and the ability of his receivers to run after the catch. If Rodgers improves in his second year as a starter, and the Packers defense doesn't, he could easily challenge Brady and Brees for top fantasy QB.
Donovan McNabb, QB, Philadelphia Eagles - Consider him a poor man's Rodgers with even more pass plays called, speedy, but unpolished receivers and at least as much scrambling ability even at this stage. If McNabb merely averages 7.0 yards per attempt and throws another 570 passes, that's 4000 yards right there, not including his 150 rushing yards (worth 300 passing) and 1-3 rushing TDs. But a 7.0 YPA is the baseline, and if DeSean Jackson develops or Jeremy Maclin makes some plays and pushes it into the 7.3-7.5 range, look out. McNabb is an injury risk, of course, but he was healthy all of last year and is healthy now, so he's not an inordinate risk.
Matt Ryan, QB, Atlanta Falcons - The main problem with Ryan last year was the Falcons were so run heavy, particularly in the red zone that his stellar YPA didn't translate into that many fantasy points. There are many reasons to think that will change this year, and if everything comes together, we might be looking at a perennial top-five option. (1) The Falcons acquired Tony Gonzalez, an elite red-zone threat who creates match-up problems and immediately upgrades the entire passing game; (2) Ryan is almost certain to improve in his second year - in fact, he improved dramatically in the second half of last year with an 8.6 YPA. If he even retains an 8.0 YPA and throws a meager 450 passes, that's close to 3600 yards, not including the 100 or so he'll have rushing. (3) Michael Turner carried the ball 394 times last year including the playoffs, and should he get hurt, Ryan might well end up throwing 500-plus times as Jerious Norwood is not likely to carry the full load. Even if Turner stays healthy, but declines in effectiveness - a likely scenario - Ryan's attempts should increase significantly. And Roddy White and even Michael Jenkins are no slouches as wideout targets.
Steve Slaton, RB, Houston Texans - What's not to like about a back in a good offense that averaged 4.8 yards per carry, rushed for 1268 yards, caught 50 passes, scored 10 touchdowns and never even got 20 carries in a game until Week 12? Slaton might be small, but some of the most durable backs in NFL history (Curtis Martin, Emmitt Smith, Tiki Barber) were also compact and shifty, able to avoid the big hit and also not carrying a ton of upper body weight on their legs. Slaton also got stronger as games wore on - he averaged 5.6 YPC in the fourth quarter, and had 20 carries or more in five of the season's last six games.
Braylon Edwards, WR, Cleveland Browns - Last year was a disaster for him and the rest of the team, but we're talking about one of the elite talents in the league in the prime of his career on a team with an aging and ineffective running back and a defense that's not likely to be elite. The Browns are likely to throw, and Edwards when he's on his game will do damage against virtually anyone. I'd rather see the big-armed Derek Anderson win the quarterback job, but Edwards should produce top-15 numbers regardless. and his upside is still top-five, of course.
Larry Johnson, RB, Chiefs - Johnson averaged 4.5 yards per carry last year, and now the Chiefs offense gets a significant upgrade in the front office, in offensive philosophy/coaching and at quarterback. That means many more trips to the red zone, and this time with no Tony Gonzalez to see many of the targets. Johnson's status with the Chiefs is tenuous, but he attended the team's OTAs in early June and was running with the first-team offense. He has top-10 upside, and so long as he's not cut, it's hard not to see him stumbling for 1,000 yards and eight scores at a minimum.
Daunte Culpepper, QB, Detroit Lions - Matthew Stafford might take over at any point, but Culpepper's likely to begin the season as the starter, and he's got a lot of weapons at his disposal. Besides the best athlete on the planet in Calvin Johnson, who somehow managed to tie for the league lead in touchdowns on an 0-16 team that targeted him just 14 times in the red-zone, Bryant Johnson, Ronald Curry, first-round pick Brandon Petittgrew and running back Kevin Smith are solid complementary targets. Moreover, new offensive coordinator Scott Linehan was Culpepper's play caller in 2004 - the year he threw for 39 touchdowns, 4,717 yards with just 11 picks. And if you're sure the 32-year-old Culpepper is hopelessly washed up, consider that Kurt Warner was left for dead, too just a couple seasons ago.