Ask the Experts

ASK THE EXPERTS appears weekly with answers to a new question being posted Thursday morning. How the guest experts responded when we asked them:

Who will be the most underrated player in fantasy drafts next season?

MIKE NAZAREK

A couple of RBs to keep your eye on this offseason... Shonn Greene of the Jets is making it known he's the future of their running game. Even if Thomas Jones stays with the team in 2010, Greene is set to take over the primary back role and could emerge as a top 10 RB. Soon to be free agent RB LenDale White was a forgotten man in Tennessee in 2009. If he signs with the right team, he could be a bulldozer at the goal and rebound with double digit scores again in 2010.

Nazarek is the CEO of Fantasy Football Mastermind Inc. His company offers an online rookie draft kit, preseason draft guide, customizable cheat sheets, fantasy auction & regular drafting programs, weekly in-season fantasy newsletters, injury reports and free NFL news (updated daily) at its web site. He has been playing fantasy football since 1988 and is the reigning four-peat champion of the SI.com Experts Fantasy League, a nationally published writer in several fantasy magazines and a columnist for SI.com. For more info go to www.ffmastermind.com. Nazarek can be reached at 702-568-7118 or miken@ffmastermind.com.

PRETZEL MAY

This question is actually a lot easier than I thought it might be. Calvin Johnson of the Lions came into the season ranked on most lists as a top 3 fantasy wide out. This season was not close to what you would expect from a top 3 wide out. I think that his 984 yards might have been more readily forgiven if he could find the end zone...but he does play for the Lions. You can expect Calvin to fall deep into the ton ten next year on the cheat sheets and maybe even out of the top ten on some, they will be wrong. I think that with a year under his belt, Stafford will learn to just throw it up there and let Calvin "go get it" far more often than he did this season. I also think that Stafford will learn some of the veteran tips on how to stay healthy and that stability at quarterback will make Johnson the receiver next year that he was supposed to be this year.

The May brothers have more than 16 years of combined fantasy football experience and are the co-founders of FantasyDraftMaster.com. The cornerstone of FDM is the UberRank which is a revolutionary approach to the traditional fantasy football cheat sheet. FantasyDraftMaster.com also offers insightful and humorous commentary on football happenings as well as recommendations on waiver wire pickups, line up submissions and weekly pick em' pools. For more info, visit www.fantasydraftmaster.com or email us at info@fantasydraftmaster.com.

IAN ALLAN

For me, three rookie running backs come to mind: Knowshon Moreno, Beanie Wells and Shonn Greene. I can’t promise that any of these players will be underrated. Whether or not they wind up being underrated will be determined by how they are valued by others. But all three of these players had credible rookies seasons and should take on bigger roles in 2010. Moreno will be the starter and pretty much a full-time back for a Denver team that might wind up in the playoffs. Wells averaged over 5.0 yards per carry in seven of his final 12 games for Arizona. And Shonn Greene is a good power runner who’s been ripping it up in the playoffs. Neither Wells nor Greene is much of a pass catcher; Wells is a poor receiver, and Greene is even worse. But I expect to have interest in all three of these backs in August.

Allan is the senior writer for Fantasy Football Index. He’s been in that role since 1987, generating most of the player rankings and analysis for that publication. His work can be seen in Fantasy Football Index magazine, and also at the company’s website, www.fantasyindex.com.

CORY BONINI

The most underrated player entering 2010 draft seasons will probably be Chicago Bears running back Matt Forte. It's amazing what a year can do to a player's draft stock. A top-five pick in 2009, Forte's major disappointment of a season in 2009 will likely lead to a lot of owners being down on him. He probably will be a second-round pick in a lot of leagues. Assuming Chicago improves their offensive line and provides quarterback Jay Cutler with another target or two, as well as factoring in the imminent change at offensive coordinator, Forte should be in for a fresh start. He clearly demonstrated to have the talent to get it done for fantasy owners in 2008, but the pressure and expectations will be much lower in the upcoming season.

KFFL.com offers fantasy football, fantasy baseball and fantasy NASCAR content. We have captured well more than a dozen expert league championships. Founded in 1996, KFFL offers award-winning daily news feeds, preseason draft guides, player rankings, sleepers, busts, weekly newsletters and more. KFFL is completely free! For more information, visit www.kffl.com.

JEFFREY KAMYS

Michael Turner of the Falcons will probably be a bit underrated; many will be thinking one-time wonder, not durable enough. It happens, but we would expect him to rebound a bit. The Falcons will have an easier schedule, they still have a very good young QB and a solid receiving corps. Their offense will rebound.

Kamys is president of Dr. Stats Fantasy Sports. His company, via the web, offers player news, injury reports, cheat sheets, projections, weekly matchups, statistics, and a customized team tracker. Dr. Stats Fantasy Sports also e-mails preseason newsletters and reports throughout the season. For more info visit www.docstats.com or send email to webmaster@docstats.com.

SAM HENDRICKS

I will give you two, one at RB and one at WR. First, Steve Slaton will be underrated especially if he slims down. He gained weight at the behest of the Texans, so he could “take the pounding” as the main RB. Guess what, the extra weight hurt his performance and he got hurt anyway, never playing a snap after week 12. He can return to form in 2010 and be a top 15 RB if he gets the starting job. His ADP is about RB30 now. Next candidate is Calvin Johnson. He finished 22nd in PPR leagues in the WR category, but many will forget his 2 missed games and the seesaw at QB he went through. Only 2 seasons removed from a top 5 finish, this first round draft pick (#2 Overall) should be a top 10 WR in 2010.

Sam Hendricks is the author of Fantasy Football Guidebook, Fantasy Football Tips and Fantasy Football Almanac 2009, all available at his website, www.ffguidebook.com, at all major bookstores, and at www.amazon.com. He is a 19-year fantasy football veteran who regularly participates in the World Championship of Fantasy Football (WCOFF), National Fantasy Football Championship (NFFC) and finished 7th overall in the 2008 Fantasy Football Players Championship (FFPC).

LOUIS TRANQUILLI

Michael Turner. He had a couple of good games before ending the season injured. I'm not a huge believer in Turner as a player, but I do like a guy that is going to be cheap at the draft and has 10 TD scoring ability. Turner will be a second round guy, maybe even 3rd if you're drafting against owners that pay attention to final stats.

Tranquilli is the founder and the primary "brains" (if you stretch it) of BFDFANTASYfootball.com. BFD is about delivering the information players want, not fluff, just opinions that matter to fantasy football players. Lou has worked with NFL players and gives a unique perspective because of it.

ANDY RICHARDSON

Calvin Johnson was a huge disappointment this season, but he's too good not to bounce back in a huge way. He was hurt, his quarterback was hurt, the team was barely able to field a warm body across the field from him. Good health, development of Matthew Stafford, and the inevitability that the Lions will have a better No. 2 wideout next season -- they couldn't possibly do worse -- should all benefit Johnson. Plus Detroit's defense will still be awful, ensuring lots of late production from him.

Richardson has been a columnist and contributor to the Fantasy Football Index magazine and web site for the past eight years. His responsibilities include team defense and IDP projections, as well as various site features. He has run the magazine's annual draft and auction leagues since their inception. His A DAY OF FOOTBALL wrap-up column appears Mondays during the NFL season.

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