2008 ESPN Fantasy Rankings

by maryrose on Jun 24, 2008 11:45 AM EDT

The 2008 ESPN Fantasy Rankings are out. Big Ben is ranked #5. The Steelers defense/special teams are also #5, the highest of the Steelers rankings. Heath Miller is ranked #8. Jeff Reed is ranked #10. Fast Willie Parker is ranked #13. At receiver, Santonio is ranked 15 while Hines is close behind at 20.

Couple tidbits: Matt Spaeth is ranked 61, meaning he is considered the worst statistical back-up tight end in football. Also, for those who don't think drafting a running back in the first round is wise, the trend is indicating otherwise. Tomlinson is #1, Peterson is #2, Addai is #4 and Lynch is close behind at #8 (I wanted Lynch in the first round last year).

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ben

Seems a bit high. I think he’s a top 5 QB, but typically his stats are not. Hopefully 2008 will be as fruitful, but my guess is he’ll be back in that 7-10 range in terms of production.

Wait, am I talking Fantasy? I’m the WORST fantasy owner ever. Just because I don’t ever draft and do it seriously, but I’ve sworn it off b/c of how bad my track records been.

by Michael Bean on Jun 24, 2008 2:35 PM EDT reply actions

Bah, don't be a quitter!

Speaking of which, is someone running another BTSC Fantasy league this year?

by HinesField on Jun 24, 2008 2:53 PM EDT up reply actions

Excellent Question

We need one this year again

Revenge of the Birds

by cgolden on Jun 24, 2008 3:07 PM EDT up reply actions

hehe

It’s really just baseball that I’ve sworn off alltogether. I just get dusted.

Football I’m a bit better, but I’ve never made the playoffs.

by Michael Bean on Jun 24, 2008 3:24 PM EDT up reply actions

good point on Ben's fantasy value

While he may be a top 5 QB in reality, in fantasy he’s not (or at least hasn’t been in the past). Guys like McNabb, Bulger and Derek Anderson are better fantasy QB but wouldn’t be in the same ballpark as Ben in the real world.

Revenge of the Birds

by cgolden on Jun 24, 2008 3:21 PM EDT up reply actions

Rankings

Unless something’s changed, these rankings are based entirely on how the players finished the previous season. So, yeah, I would think Ben would be slightly lower. He should still be a solid starter, though, as long as you have one of the top 2 or 3 WRs or RBs, or Tony Gonzalez or Antonio Gates at TE.

by WolfpackSteelersFan on Jun 24, 2008 4:49 PM EDT up reply actions

wow

Santonio ahead of Boldin, Roy Williams, Harrison, lee evans… man thats speaks volumes of how people think of Santonio

* till next time wave those towels proud

by LiveinDCbutsteelerfanbyheart on Jun 24, 2008 2:42 PM EDT reply actions

Boldin vs. Holmes

That sounds pretty crazy considering that Boldin’s averaged over 1,000 yards a season and Holmes hasn’t had one yet. They must be considering that Boldin is most likely the #2 receiver and Holmes likely to take over the #1 role. I can see they’re stats being similar but if they’re both healthy, I’d have to go with Boldin simply b/c the Cards are apt to throw more. Plus the weapons outside of the top 2 receivers, ie tight ends, #3 WR and backs, are much better for the Steelers so more passes are likely to go to Miller, Sweed and Moore.

Revenge of the Birds

by cgolden on Jun 24, 2008 3:16 PM EDT up reply actions

Random things to keep in mind.

Holmes in on his way up and Boldin is on his way down (they did just sign Fitzy to a huge contract while Boldin is basically demanding to renegotiate his).

Also, IIRC, ESPN’s default fantasy scoring is a bit different than some of the other sites; I think they give bonuses for large plays which boosts the deep-outs (Holmes, Fitzy) and lowers the short-route guys (Ward, Boldin).

by HinesField on Jun 24, 2008 4:09 PM EDT up reply actions

Q

If big plays are rewarded with more points, I could see it being closer. I haven’t played ESPN in a couple of years but I know some leagues award bonus points for plays over 40 yards.

As far as Q being on his way down, I don’t see how that can be, he’s only 27. They had to rework Fitz’s deal or he’d have counted 17 million against the cap this season (basically a result of them building an incentive laden rookie deal and he reached nearly every incentive (bad move on the part of the front office)). Q never even mentioned wanting more money until Fitz got his new deal.

Revenge of the Birds

by cgolden on Jun 24, 2008 4:17 PM EDT up reply actions