The Ultimate Fantasy Football Team

By Chad Stapley
Chad Stapley

Quarterbacks:

1-      Aaron Rodgers – Green Bay

Rodgers gets the nod over Peyton Manning & Drew Brees because I think he has better targets as a whole than either Manning or Brees. Rodgers also benefits from having the best RB of the three in Eddie Lacy, who takes a ton of pressure off of Rodgers and does not allow defenses to play extra DB’s to combat the dangerous Green Bay WR’s.

 

2-      Drew Brees – New Orleans Saints

Brees has some serious offensive weapons in Jimmy Graham, Marques Colston, and the newly acquired Brandin Cooks. I think the Green Bay offense will be more explosive due to the fact that they don’t have to depend on a mediocre RB in Mark Ingram to keep defenses true to their schemes. If Ingram has a surprisingly good year (he has looked fresh and revived in preseason) look for Brees to surpass Rodgers on this list.

 

3-      Peyton Manning – Denver Broncos

Some will say I am crazy for not having Manning as my starter but I have some good reasoning behind it. First and foremost they let Knowshon Moreno leave in FA and they are not 100% what they are going to get out of Montee Ball the second year RB out of Wisconsin. Second off, there main slot WR and star Wes Welker just got yet another concussion which many think could lead him to retiring or at least thinking about it. Welker is the best slot WR in the game right now, losing him would be a big blow to Manning and the Broncos. Finally, I think Manning played outside of his mind in 2013 and I don’t think a repeat or anything close to that is a real possibility. I think teams are going to study how the Seahawks shut Manning down and duplicate their defensive efforts.

 

Subs: Phillip Rivers – San Diego Chargers & Colin Kaepernick – San Francisco 49ers

 

Rookies To Watch: Blake Bortles – Jacksonville Jaguars, Teddy Bridgewater – Minnesota Vikings, & Johnny Manziel – Cleveland Browns.

 

Running Backs:

 

1-      LeSean McCoy – Philadelphia Eagles

 

McCoy as my starting RB is a no brainer. He is the most electrifying RB in the NFL right now and he plays in the most exciting offense the league has to offer in Chip Kelly’s offense. McCoy has been a stud since he entered the league and I don’t see him turning those jets off anytime soon.

 

2-      Adrian Peterson – Minnesota Vikings

There are a lot of guys that could have easily been the #2 RB on my list. What it really comes down to is simple: Of the remaining top RB’s available, who is going to get the most opportunities to run the ball? Given the uncertainty with the QB play for the Vikings you could see them relying heavily on Peterson to carry the load. Everyone knows he is capable and willing to carry the ball as often as he can. Peterson could be in for a record breaking year if the QB play does not pick up significantly.

 

Subs: Alfred Morris – Washington Redskins, Matt Forte – Chicago Bears, & Ray Rice – Baltimore Ravens

 

Rookies To Watch: Carlos Hyde – San Francisco 49ers & Jerick McKinnon – Minnesota Vikings.

 

Wide Receivers:

 

1-      Calvin Johnson – Detroit Lions

Johnson is a no brainer as my #1 WR. He dominates in every category and he does it while being double teamed on the majority of the plays he makes. He is a stud and a one of a kind talent. If he is available get him no matter what. There is not one CB in the NFL that can guard him man on man.

 

2-      AJ Green – Cincinnati Bengals

I don’t think Green is nearly as dominate as Johnson but he is the next best thing in the NFL right now. Green calls for a double team each time he lines up wide and he has the ability to beat most #1 CB’s in single coverage. Green can do it all.

 

3-      Demaryius Thomas – Denver Broncos

Thomas is beginning to look like the next coming of Johnson the #1 WR on this list. If he can continue to develop and keep destroying defenses this guy could be one of the best ever. He is tall, athletic, and has amazingly strong hands to go with his precise route running.

 

4-      Antonio Brown – Pittsburgh Steelers

Brown is coming off an impressive year where he was the #1 WR for the Steelers for the first time in his career. He did not disappoint with nearly 1,500 receiving yards and 8 TDs. Look for Brown to get even better as his relationship with Big Ben continues to get better.

 

Subs: Jordy Nelson – Green Bay Packers, Brandon Marshall – Chicago Bears, Dez Bryant – Dallas Cowboys, & Vincent Jackson – Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

 

Rookies To Watch: Brandin Cooks – New Orleans Saints, Kelvin Benjamin – Carolina Panthers, & Sammy Watkins – Buffalo Bills.

 

Tight Ends:

 

1-      Jimmy Graham – New Orleans Saints

This is another no brainer. He is the best TE in the NFL and he got paid like it recently. Graham is a WR in a TE’s body, which does not bode well for anyone trying to cover him.

 

2-      Jordan Cameron – Cleveland Browns

Call me crazy but I think Cameron has the abilities to actually be better than Graham he just has not had the benefit of having an All-Pro QB throwing to him for the last three seasons. Cameron has had a multiple amount of QBs throwing him the ball and once Johnny Football finally becomes the starter you will see Cameron make gigantic strides.

 

3-      Rob Gronkowski – New England Patriots

If Gronkowski could ever stay healthy he would probably be the main stay for the #1 spot on this list. That’s a big IF because Gronk has never been healthy for a full season dating back to college. He is an absolute monster in the red zone.

 

Rookies To Watch: Eric Ebron – Detroit Lions & Jace Amaro – New York Jets

 

RB/WR/TE:

 

1-      Charles Clay – TE/RB/WR – Miami Dolphins

Clay brings the true meaning to this position. He lines up at TE then the next play he will be at WR, and then he will be the lead blockers who lines up at FB. Clay can do it all and he can have huge fantasy games for you.

 

2-      CJ Spiller- RB – Buffalo Bills

Spiller isn’t your normal every down RB but he can hit a home run every time he has the ball in his hands. He is a pass catching RB and he can line up on the outside and play some WR. Look for the Bills to use him all over the field this season.

 

3-      Julian Edelman – New England Patriots

Edelman does a little bit of everything. He does the most of his damage as a pass catcher but, he can help in the return game, he can throw (ex-college QB) and he can run the ball. He has games where it just looks like he is unstoppable.

 

Rookies To Watch: Marquise Lee – Jacksonville Jaguars, Bishop Sankey – Tennessee Titans, & John Brown – Arizona Cardinals.

 

Defense:

 

1-      Seattle Seahawks

There is not a whole lot that needs to be said here. They led the NFL in almost every significant category and they don’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon.

 

2-      New Orleans Saints

The Saints had a top 5 defense last year and that was before they added FA Jairus Byrd to play safety for them. Look for the Saints to have one of the highest turnover rates amongst all the defenses. They have the type of players to apply constant pressure on the QB at all times.

 

3-      Houston Texans

The Texans are going to be a force to reckon with and that is just based off of the pressure they are going to be able to