QUARTERBACKS
Notes: Before the season, it was generally known that after the top 6 QB's (Manning/Palmer/Brady/Brees/Bulger/McNabb), there was a pretty big dropoff. As you can see, only 3 of the 6 are in the top 6 for scoring, and seeing that McNabb is only 12 points out of the 6th spot, I can see him making a move up the charts in the 2nd half. Obviously the biggest disappointments have been Brees and Bulger, but Brees has been playing much better as of late. Overall, only 50% of the players ranked in the top 10 preseason are still in the top 10 in scoring... The biggest surprise thus far has been Derek Anderson, currently 3rd in scoring. Other than that, the only other QB to make a surprising impact has been wily veteran Jeff Garcia, currently ranked 8th for a Bucs team that has performed a lot better than expected this year...
RUNNING BACKS
Notes: Again, the numbers aren't pretty for the supposedly "stud" backs prior to the 2007 season, as only 4 out of the top 10 (40%) are still in the top 10 today. Everyone knew about the warning signs with LJ, and considering that he's only 10 points behind Lynch for the 10th spot, I'd have to say he has performed better than most people expected, even with the poor start. For those ranked in the 11-20 range, only 3 didn't crack the top 20 thus far (Maroney, Deuce, and Benson, who is only 4 points out of the top 20, which was a surprise). Most of Shaun Alexander's owners are probably preparing for next season, as he has been just plain awful all year. If the Hawks weren't in a terrible division, Alexander's carries probably would have been decreased dramatically by now... On the flip side, MBIII owners have been ecstatic as he has performed far better than expected, which is probably why fantasy owners are crying for him to get more carries. One guy Don and I both like in the 2nd half is Jerious Norwood, who could definitely jump into the top 25 once Petrino sits Warrick Dunn... For guys who weren't in the top 30 prior to the season, LenDale White's name really sticks out to me as a guy that no one was really high on, but has performed really well this year. Although Kevin Jones is currently 30th, I can easily see him jumping into the top 20 if (and it's a big if) he can stay healthy the rest of the year...
WIDE RECEIVERS
Notes: A little less volatility among WR's, as although only 5 of the top 10 are still in the top 10, Holt is 1 point out of the 10th spot, and Roy Williams, ranked 9th, was only a few spots back at #14. Harrison suffered the biggest drop, due to injuries. Other than that, most of the supposed #1's have performed pretty close to that level, which is why "the experts" don't worry as much with #1 WR's as they do with RB's... However, #2 receivers have been absolutely brutal so far, with only 3 out of the 10 still ranked in the top 10. Some have dropped due to injury (Walker, Johnson, Ward, etc.), while others have just been plain awful so far (Evans, DJax, S. Moss). While I think a lot of these guys will move up the list in the 2nd half, guys like Moss and Jax can't be relied upon to do much this year. Even Deion Branch, who has been hampered by injury most of this year, has almost as many points as Jackson/Moss combined... Outside the top 30, the biggest surprise of the year (all positions) has been Wes Welker, who has more points than all but 6 RB's! Although he isn't as big a splash as Colston was last year, he wasn't seen as anything more than a #4-#5 receiver in most leagues... Kevin Curtis is also having a nice year, ranked 10th, but that number is a bit skewed due to the monster game he had against DET earlier in the year. I was surprised to see that Santonio Holmes wasn't ranked in the top 30 prior to the season starting, but he may be in the top 15 next year...
After looking at the numbers, I would suggest that for next year's draft, focus more on guys that fly under the radar such as Welker, than who your 1st round pick is, because they may end up having a bigger impact on your team anyways...
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