Fantasy Clicks: The T.O. Show Comes to Cincy

BY DAVID KOMER Recent Fantasy Clicks 07-30-10: The T.O. Show Comes To Cincy 07-27-10: Avoiding Fantasy Siberia 07-06-10: The 2010 Breakout Bargain List 06-29-10: Preseason NFL fantasy rankings 06-29-10: Mystery Men 06-24-10: The Good Hands People 06-22-10: Panther vs. Panther 06-15-10: The 2010 Breakout Bargain Bin List 06-08-10: From Bust To Boom? 06-02-10: One Less Sleeper In Seattle 05-25-10: The Cutler Conundrum 05-18-10: Who's No. 4? 05-11-10: A Tale Of Two Indians 05-04-10: Sophomores On The Clock 04-27-10: NFL Draft Revelations 04-23-10: NFL Draft Revelations 04-13-10: All Miguel, All The Time 03-30-10: Catch As Catch Can 03-30-10: Catch As Catch Can 03-24-10: A Sleeper In The Cards 03-10-10: In Case Of Emergency: Twins' Closer

The T.O. Show Comes To Cincy

Steven Jackson: AP

Wednesday's signing of Terrell Owens by the Bengals didn't make many fantasyland shockwaves -- unless, of course, you're Antonio Bryant or he's on your dynasty keeper league roster.

The aging Owens is coming off a career-low year with the Bills (55 catches, 829 yards, 5 TDs), but in fairness, was in a tough spot. The offensive coordinator was fired nearly a week before the season started, Marshawn Lynch was suspended and then on the outs, Trent Edwards was, well, Trent Edwards and then got injured, and the snowball rolling downhill got only worse from there.

Owens could fit in nicely as a No. 2 receiver in Cincinnati and should be fantasy relevant again. This bumps Bryant to the No. 3 spot, reducing him from a 9th-round pick to possibly last-round draft fodder. QB Carson Palmer's stock gets a slight uptick, but not enough to shake the fact he's still a fantasy backup. WR Chad Ochocinco takes a slight dip but is holding steady fantasy-lineup wise, as a mid-range WR2 or high end WR3 as a 4th- to 5th-rounder. The Bengals don't wing the ball around as much anymore and Cedric Benson has proven to be a worthy offensive focal point (think of him as a rich man's Rudi Johnson).

Bryant, though reduced in his role, will still be a hungry mouth to feed, so to speak, and there's just one ball and a bevy of high-maintenance personalities (and a quarterback who looked pedestrian after his 2008 elbow injury) to go around. Slide Owens' value up to where Bryant was, and possibly up to the 8th round. Thanks to the analytical prowess of our friends at www.fantasyfootballcalculator.com, Owens' average draft position (ADP) since signing with the Bengals is 10.10, a nice value for a receiver who would make a decent WR4 or 5 in any fantasy lineup. Just be sure to temper expectations, as the Dallas version of TO is long gone and the current one is mostly a possession and red-zone threat. As long as he's more the good soldier than the diva, the Bengals, and many a fantasy owner, will gladly take it.

Goal Line Goodness

When I look at backfield options, especially timeshares with more than one running back, I like to take my chances with the goal line guys with few exceptions. Obviously the all-purpose yardage super powers of Ray Rice make him an easy pick over the often injured and underwhelming Willis McGahee. But if I can get McGahee or a similar full-time goal line vulture in the later rounds over a part-time yardage candidate, I'll jump at it. Here are my top 10 backfield by committee runners who should be the favorites for goal line action this fall. Some will be obvious and a few won't. Keep them in mind come draft day.

1 Beanie Wells, Cardinals: Only a matter of time before he assumes full-time RB duties.
2 Pierre Thomas, Saints: No Mike Bell to share with, and Reggie Bush is not an inside-the-tackles threat.
3 Brandon Jacobs, Giants: When healthy, Jacobs is the NFL's RB version of Paul Bunyan.
4 Marion Barber, Cowboys: More physical than Felix Jones, a healthy Barber is a lock for 10-plus TDs.
5 Jonathan Stewart, Panthers: Bigger than DeAngelo Williams, and is almost as explosive.
6 Willis McGahee, Ravens: A goal line threat, McGahee has proven to be tough at the stripe.
7 Ben Tate, Texans: A big straight-line runner who might be the every down back over Steve Slaton.
8 Michael Bush, Raiders: Even if McFadden makes a comeback, Bush is a better short-yardage choice.
9 Fred Jackson, Bills: With Marshawn Lynch in the doghouse, he's the strongest runner Buffalo has.
10 Larry Johnson, Redskins: A longshot to play, but is a bigger back than Clinton Portis and Willie Parker.

Rank And File

Here are my top 150 players regardless of position heading into training camp. The most movement has come at the receiver position, including the rise of Wes Welker and his surprising road to recovery, the fall of suspended Charger Vincent Jackson and the first appearance of the Bengals' Owens.

1 RB Adrian Peterson, Vikings
2 RB Chris Johnson, Titans
3 RB Maurice Jones-Drew, Jaguars
4 RB Frank Gore, 49ers
5 RB Michael Turner, Falcons
6 RB Ray Rice, Ravens
7 WR Andre Johnson, Texans
8 QB Drew Brees, Saints
9 QB Aaron Rodgers, Packers
10 RB Rashard Mendenhall, Steelers
11 RB Steven Jackson, Rams
12 RB Ryan Grant, Packers
13 RB Shonn Greene, Jets
14 WR Randy Moss, Patriots
15 QB Peyton Manning, Colts
16 RB DeAngelo Williams, Panthers
17 RB Cedric Benson, Bengals
18 RB Ryan Mathews, Chargers
19 WR Reggie Wayne, Colts
20 WR Larry Fitzgerald, Cardinals
21 WR Brandon Marshall, Dolphins
22 RB Beanie Wells, Cardinals
23 WR Miles Austin, Cowboys
24 WR Roddy White, Falcons
25 RB Pierre Thomas, Saints
26 QB Tom Brady, Patriots
27 WR Marques Colston, Saints
28 WR Calvin Johnson, Lions
29 RB Knowshon Moreno, Broncos
30 WR Greg Jennings, Packers
31 RB LeSean McCoy, Eagles
32 QB Tony Romo, Cowboys
33 RB Jonathan Stewart, Panthers
34 RB Jamaal Charles, Chiefs
35 WR DeSean Jackson, Eagles
36 QB Phillip Rivers, Chargers
37 TE Dallas Clark, Colts
38 TE Vernon Davis, 49ers
39 RB Joseph Addai, Colts
40 WR Steve Smith, Giants
41 WR Steve Smith, Panthers
42 RB Matt Forte, Bears
43 TE Antonio Gates, Chargers
44 RB Brandon Jacobs, Giants
45 WR Sidney Rice, Vikings
46 WR Michael Crabtree, 49ers
47 WR Anquan Boldin, Ravens
48 TE Jason Witten, Cowboys
49 QB Matt Schaub, Texans
50 WR Mike Sims-Walker, Jaguars
51 RB Marion Barber, Cowboys
52 WR Dwayne Bowe, Chiefs
53 RB Jerome Harrison, Browns
54 WR Chad Ochocinco, Bengals
55 RB Jahvid Best, Lions
56 RB Justin Forsett, Seahawks
57 RB Reggie Bush, Saints
58 QB Jay Cutler, Bears
59 RB Felix Jones, Cowboys
60 WR Vincent Jackson, Chargers
61 RB Ben Tate, Texans
62 WR Donald Driver, Packers
63 WR Robert Meachem, Saints
64 WR Hines Ward, Steelers
65 WR Percy Harvin, Vikings
66 RB C.J. Spiller, Bills
67 QB Brett Favre, Vikings
68 RB Clinton Portis, Redskins
69 WR Hakeem Nicks, Giants
70 WR Pierre Garcon, Colts
71 WR Santana Moss, Redskins
72 WR Mike Wallace, Steelers
73 TE Jermichael Finley, Packers
74 TE Tony Gonzalez, Falcons
75 QB Eli Manning, Giants
76 WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Seahawks
77 TE Brent Celek, Eagles
78 RB Lawrence Maroney, Patriots
79 RB Carnell Williams, Bucs
80 QB Kevin Kolb, Eagles
81 WR Devin Hester, Bears
82 WR Devin Aromashodu, Bears
83 WR Braylon Edwards, Jets
84 TE Zach Miller, Raiders
85 RB Darren McFadden, Raiders
86 RB Fred Jackson, Bills
87 WR Malcom Floyd, Chargers
88 TE John Carlson, Seahawks
89 RB Michael Bush, Raiders
90 Def/ST Jets
91 TE Kellen Winslow, Bucs
92 WR Wes Welker, Patriots* (if healthy, move up 25 spots)
93 WR Terrell Owens, Bengals
94 WR Dez Bryant, Cowboys
95 WR Santonio Holmes, Jets
96 WR Steve Breaston, Cardinals
97 QB Donovan McNabb, Redskins
98 QB Matt Ryan, Falcons
99 WR Julian Edelman, Patriots
100 TE Owen Daniels, Texans
101 QB Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers
102 RB Willis McGahee, Ravens
103 Def/ST Packers
104 RB Ricky Williams, Dolphins
105 WR Jeremy Maclin, Eagles
106 QB Chad Henne, Dolphins
107 RB Ahmad Bradshaw, Giants
108 Def/ST 49ers
109 QB Carson Palmer, Bengals
110 WR Lee Evans, Bills
111 WR Jabar Gaffney, Broncos
112 QB Joe Flacco, Ravens
113 RB LaDainian Tomlinson, Jets
114 RB Steve Slaton, Texans
115 TE Visanthe Shiancoe, Vikings
116 RB Thomas Jones, Chiefs
117 Def/ST Ravens
118 Def/ST Vikings
119 RB Derrick Ward, Bucs
120 RB Donald Brown, Colts
121 QB Vince Young, Titans
122 WR Derrick Mason, Ravens
123 TE Heath Miller, Steelers
124 WR Kenny Britt, Titans
125 WR Bernard Berrien, Vikings
126 Def/ST Eagles
127 WR Mohamed Massaquoi, Browns
128 RB Montario Hardesty, Browns
129 TE Chris Cooley, Redskins
130 WR Donnie Avery, Rams
131 RB Darren Sproles, Chargers
132 TE Greg Olsen, Bears
133 Def/ST Cowboys
134 WR Nate Burleson, Lions
135 PK Nate Kaeding, Chargers
136 PK Stephen Gostowski, Patriots
137 WR Arrelious Benn, Bucs
138 QB Matt Cassel, Chiefs
139 RB Correll Buckhalter, Broncos
140 WR Mario Manningham, Giants
141 TE Fred Davis, Redskins
142 WR Eddie Royal, Broncos
143 Def/ST Chargers
144 PK Mason Crosby, Packers
145 PK Garrett Hartley, Saints
146 Def/ST Saints
147 PK Ryan Longwell, Vikings
148 QB Matthew Stafford, Lions
149 Def/ST Steelers
150 QB Alex Smith, 49ers

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