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Which TE do I draft first? Jimmy Graham or Rob Gronkowski?

I expect Jimmy Graham and Rob Gronkowski to go in the beginning of round 2. I think these players do deserve to go where they’re getting drafting. A lot of people are saying these players are getting overdrafted. I disagree. After Calvin Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald, and Julio Jones, I put both Rob Gronkowski and Jimmy Graham over any other wide receiver. Both will have over 1,200 receiving yards and at least 8 TDs.  In 2011, both Graham and Gronkowski had over 1,300 receiving yards and over 10 TDs. Gronkowski edged Graham out in both categories: 1,327 yards and 17 TDs compared to 1,310 yards and 11 TDs.

2011 Statistics

ROB GRONKOWSKI (16 games)
90 receptions, 1,327 yards, 17 TDs (124 targets)

JIMMY GRAHAM (16 games)
99 receptions, 1,310 yards, 11 TDs, (149 targets)

2012 Fantasy Rankings

NFL.com’s composite rankings has Ron Gronkowski ranked #13 and Jimmy Graham ranked #15 with Julio Jones in between. Yahoo has Jimmy Graham ranked #11 and Rob Gronkowski #13 with Larry Fitzgerald in between. Very interesting.

2012 Fantasy Outlook

The bottom line is you can’t miss with either of these guys with an early second round pick. You have to take them over the top WR and RB in the next class after the top 5 RBs, top 5 QBs, and top 3 WRs are off the board. If you’re sitting with the #14 or #15 pick in your fantasy draft, if Jimmy Graham or Rob Gronkowski are there, you take them. I have them ranked #10 and #11 after Darren McFadden and Chris Johnson followed by Larry Fitzgerald and Julio Jones.

You can even make the debate that one of these guys is …

Who should I draft with the 9th pick, Darren McFadden or Chris Johnson?

After the top three runningbacks (Arian Foster, LeSean McCoy, and Ray Rice) are off the board, many fantasy owners will be trying to decide between Chris Johnson or Darren McFadden as the next back off the board. Aaron Rodgers, Calvin Johnson, Tom Brady, Drew Brees, and Matthew Stafford are likely 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 off the board. Your 2012 fantasy football draft will really start to get exciting around the 9th pick and odds are that you’re trying to decide between Chris Johnson and Darren McFadden.

Each back has some concerns going into the 2012 season. Can Darren McFadden stay healthy? Will Chris Johnson rebound from a poor 2011 campaign? Last year was a disappointing season for Chris Johnson who held out throughout the offseason until he landed a huge contract. Johnson saw career lows in yards, touchdowns, and yards-per-carry. Darren McFadden, on the other hand, got off to a great start in 2011 and put up ridiculous numbers in his first four games of the season until going down with a sprained foot in week 7 which kept him out for the remainder of the season.

Let’s start off by comparing the stats.

2011 Stats

2012 Fantasy Projections

NFL.com’s composite rankings has Chris Johnson #10 and …

We have a new section over at www.nflstartorsit.com… Who To Draft.

You can find all of our fantasy football content  by checking out the fantasy football tab on the top navigation bar. Be sure to check out our 2012 Fantasy Rankings.

We already have three fantasy debates posted and more to come.

• Darren McFadden or Chris Johnson?
• Jimmy Graham or Rob Gronkowski?
• Larry Fitzgerald or Julio Jones?
• Tom Brady or Drew Brees? (Coming Soon)

I would bet you most people would go with Chris Johnson, Rob Gronkowski, and Larry Fitzgerald without hesitation. However, I make the case for Darren McFadden, Jimmy Graham, and Julio Jones.

If you have have a fantasy football question, shoot me an email and I’ll get your question posted on the site. Don’t forget to sign up for our pick ’em league.…

For our frequent and long-time visitors of THE PASS RUSH, we are renewing THE PASS RUSH’S Pick ‘Em League.

Click here to register.

League ID: 30163
Password: thepassrush.

In the pick ’em league, you’ll have an opportunity to compete against me and other visitors of THE PASS RUSH.  We had over 50 participants last year and I ended up in 6th place.

The rules are simple. You pick every single game against the spread. Whoever calls the most games correctly wins.

Not only do you get a chance to compete against me, but you’ll have a chance to win a custom NFL Shop t-shirt with the team, name, and number of your choice.

Sign up now and compete for the title!…

I’m starting to do some homework for my 2012 NFL Survivor Pool so I printed out the 2012 schedule, crossed off the games to avoid, highlighted the games to look at, and tried to narrow down my list. Here are the games on tap for you to choose from each week for your survivor pool.

The strategy here, look to see when the Browns (1-7), Dolphins (2-6), Colts (0-8), Vikings (2-6), Rams (1-7), Seahawks (3-5), Jaguars (1-7), Cardinals (2-6), and Buccaneers (1-7) are playing on the road and pick against them. Home team is in CAPS. Picks are in bold and underlined.

Week 1

Eagles over BROWNS
SAINTS over Redskins
TEXANS over Dolphins
LIONS over Rams
BEARS over Colts

Explanation: I have the Texans, Lions, and Bears appearing several times on my list so I want to save those picks. The Saints have a tough schedule playing the Falcons and Panthers twice. They have the Eagles, Chargers, and Broncos at home, which are by no means locks. Other than their home game in week 15 against the Bucs, this could be the best opportunity to take the Saints at home. The Saints were 8-0 at home last year. I don’t have the Eagles appearing on my list later this year due to their tough schedule, so it may be a good opportunity to take them, but I don’t want to take them on the road in week 1 of my survivor pool.

Update (9/1): I previously had the Saints, but I want to stay away due to the coaching situation and the Redskins may surprise some people with RGIII. Texans over the Dolphins is the biggest lock this week and I’ll play it safe to start out the year.

Week

I wanted to announce that I started a few new blogs that will be part of THE PASS RUSH community. Before we get to those, I wanted to let everyone in on my Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet. What you’ll get is all rankings sorted by position on one page. It serves as a great print sheet when drafting. If you’re trying to decide between players and need to look up some stats, it’s the perfect resource as well. Check it out.

Another site we just launched is www.nflstartorsit.com. Whenever you’re trying to select your starting lineup or trying to decide which players to start or sit, feel free to shoot us an email. We’ll post your question online with our answer and other readers can leave their advice as well.

We then rolled out the same concept for those in survivor pools. Need help selecting which team you should take in your survivor pool? Feel free to shoot us an email and we’ll give you our two cents while other fans can give theirs. Be sure to check www.survivorpoolpicks.com.

We’ll be renewing out pick ’em league shortly. Stay tuned.…

The 2011 National Champions went 12-1 last year, losing to LSU 9-6, before beating them 21-0 in the BCS Championship. Everyone knows about the loss of their rushing star Trent Richardson and the loss of lots of talent on their defense. Four of Alabama’s defensive players were drafted in the within the first 35 picks of the draft (Barron, Kirkpatrick,  Hightower, and Upshaw).

In 2012, Alabama comes with a pre-season ranking of No. 3 behind USC and LSU. The question on everyone’s mind is can Alabama repeat as National Champions with the loss of Richardson and their big four defensive players? The Tide return 5 starters on defense. Many are saying despite the loss of Donta’a Hightowner, this Alabama linebacker group is still the top LB units in the country. The star to watch on this 2012 Alabama defense is WLB Nico Johnson who is 6’3″ 245 lbs.

Where Alabam may see a decline in production in in their secondary. Last season the Tide’s secondary was ridicuous, giving up 4.3 yards per passing attempt and 111 passing yards per game. The loss of Mark Barron and Dre Kirkpatrick really hurts this squad. Nick Saban will have his hands full trying to replace that stellar secondary from 2011.

2012 Alabama Schedule

Sept. 1: vs. Michigan (at Arlington, Tex.)
Sept. 8: Western Kentucky
Sept. 15: at Arkansas
Sept. 22: Florida Atlantic
Sept. 29: Mississippi
Oct. 6: Open Date
Oct. 13: at Missouri
Oct. 20: at Tennessee
Oct. 27: Mississippi State
Nov. 3: at LSU
Nov. 10: Texas A&M
Nov. 17: Western Carolina
Nov. 24: Auburn

2012 Alabama Predictions

Alabama’s 2012 schedule is fairly soft. Their only tests this year are in week 1 against Michigan, week 3 at Arkansas, at LSU on …