Fantasy Football Whiz

It’s really getting to be a fun time if you are a diehard fantasy footballer like I am. There is so much enjoyment for me personally in trying to decipher who will and who won’t make it at the next level. Trying to pick the winners of the NFL draft can be as tricky as trying to decipher what your wife means when she says that everything’s “fine”. But it is one of the most interesting aspects of the football season that I truly look forward to it every year.

This is the week of the Senior Bowl so I decided that now would be a good time to take my 1st shot at a mock draft. I know that some people will have issues with a few of my choices, but as I was sitting in each team’s hat (literally. I changed hats for every pick) I truly tried to decipher the player that would make the most sense for them. I did not try to include trades as that just tends to get out of hand quickly.

Ok enough of the babble, here now is my 2010 NFL Mock Draft version 1.0.

1. St Louis Rams:  QB Jimmy Clausen, Notre Dame- The Rams will have a hard time not selecting Suh here, but Clausen could be the franchise QB they have been looking for. There is a chance they trade for a starting QB, if they do, then Suh is definitely the pick here.

2. Detroit Lions: DT Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska – The Lions will be ecstatic that Suh falls to them here. It will give them a much needed presence in the middle of their defensive line for years to come. Suh is going to dominant in the middle of this defensive line.

3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: DT Gerald McCoy, Oklahoma – McCoy’s value has definitely shot up the charts with an impressive junior season at Oklahoma. He is just what the Bucs need to solidify the middle of their defense.

Read more: Taz's Mock NFL Draft v1.0

Well, another 3-1 week, and again the loser was the one I least expected. Guess I should have known better than to go with all the favorites. Let’s see if I can get ‘em both this week.

Saints at Vikings: It’s the #1 vs the #2 seeds in this one, and two great quarterbacks to boot. Both teams won blowouts last weekend, and their QBs put up similar numbers. The Saints’ Drew Brees threw for 247 yds and 3 TDs; the Vikings Brett Favre passed for 234 and 4. But the keys to this game won’t be the passers; everyone knows what they can do. Instead, it will be the ground game and the defenses.

Vikings Analysis: To win, the Vikings really need a big game from RB Adrian Peterson, who had just 63 yds on 26 carries and no TDs last week. An effective Peterson is a key to keeping Brees and the high-powered Saints offense off the field. Favre also needs to be sharp and not try to force the ball. The Saints’ secondary is capable of taking mistakes and turning them into TDs.

In addition The Vikings need to apply the same type of pressure to Brees that they got on Cowboys QB Tony Romo last week, when they dropped him 6 times for 42 yds. The Vikings definitely have the capability to do that; they are one of the strongest units in the NFL. Brees is at his best in play-action situations; the Vikings need to shut those down as much as possible. The Vikings’ special teams will also have to be effective; Reggie Bush returned a punt 83 yds for a TD against the Cardinals and last year returned 2 punts for touchdowns in the same game…against the Vikings.

Read more: Psychocat's Crystal Litterbox Conference Championships

It’s really funny how these games roll sometime; the one I was the most certain of last week (Packers over Cardinals) was the one I lost. Oh well, 3-1 is still pretty good!

SATURDAY GAMES

Cardinals at Saints: Prior to last weekend, I would have made this a pretty easy call, picking the Saints going away. But when you have a team involved that scored a wild-card record 51 points, and a QB that threw for 379 yds with 5 TDs, no picks and only got sacked once for 4 yds, that changes things just a bit.

Cardinals’ pluses: Well, obviously Warner, after that performance. The Cardinals’ receiving corps is also outstanding. Without Anquon Boldin even playing, they still had 3 receivers who were off the hook. You might expect great games from Fitz (6-82-2) and Steve Breaston (7-125-1), but I’m pretty sure that Early Doucet (6-77-2) surprised the heck out of the Packers. Their ground game wasn’t really necessary a lot, but Beanie Wells (14-91) still had a pretty good game.

Cardinals’ minuses: Well, I know it was Aaron Rodgers throwing for the Packers, but they gave up 422 yds and 4 TDs. This week they face Drew Brees, and he’s eminently capable of putting up similar numbers against them. The defense did come up big in OT when needed, sacking Rodgers and forcing a fumble that resulted in the game winning TD. However, that OT period wouldn’t have been necessary if Neil Rackers hadn’t missed a 34-yd field goal at the end of regulation.

Read more: Psychocat's Crystal Litterbox Playoffs Edition

New Mexico Bowl - Wyoming vs. Fresno St.: (35-28 OT Wyoming): This was a good game, and Wyoming rallied back from 11 points in the 4th quarter to force an OT. Wyoming was facing the nation's leading rusher in RB Ryan Mathews. Mathews has a Solid game with 31/144 and 2 TD's. He did have a key fumble late in the 4th quarter that led to Wyoming forcing the OT. Fresno St. had 1st and goal, and was stuffed 4 times by the Cowboy defense. This was a great game and Wyoming had the blessing of having true freshmen QB Austyn Carta-Samuels. He is the real deal, and I do suggest watching this game if available on replay.

St. Petersburg Bowl - UCF vs. Rutgers: (45-24 Rutgers): Story of this game was Rutgers D and the skill players of Rutgers. Sr. WR Tim Brown was supposed to miss this game, but not only did he play, but  played well. 4/99 1 TD is a nice way to end his college career. Rutgers still has Some young major talent coming back, with freshmen QB Tom Savage, and WR Mohamed Sanu leading the way. Keep an eye out for this kid, 6'2 215 lbs, and had a monster game. Ran the wildcat, and ended up with 13/41 rushing yds with 2 scores. He alSo caught 4/97 and another score.

R + L Carriers New Orleans Bowl - Southern Miss vs. Mid Tennessee St. : (42-32 MTSU) One of the more interesting games for me, as I was excited to see RB Damion Fletcher (SR) and WR DeAndre Brown (So) from Southern Miss. Seen 4 games this year from Southern Miss, So I knew what to expect from them. Playing in his final game, Fletcher had 17/78. I like him as a player, and will be interested to see where he ends up in the draft. As for Brown, I lump him into the great Sophomore WR class including Jones Green. If you haven’t seen him play, I suggest you do a search on him. He finished the game with 4/65 yds and 2 tds. At 6'6 228 lbs, he is indeed a mismatch. Had a down yr due to injury, but when he is truly healthy he is a treat to watch. The player who stood out most in the game was junior QB Dwight Dasher. On the small side, at 5'10 204 lbs, he has big time skill set. He finished the game completing 15/25 162 yds and 2 TD's and also ran for 201 and another 2 TD's. Keep this guy on your radar for next year's draft, as he is a freak.

Read more: Brian Kruper's College Bowl Review