The fantasy football season for 2014 is getting ready to start and that means owners are looking for rankings, mock draft advice, top sleepers, starters and free agent pickups heading into Week 1 and ESPN, Yahoo Sports, SI.com and CBS have started putting out lists and there are some solid options as quarterback, running back and wide receiver this season, with the top names including Peyton Manning, Calvin Johnson, Drew Brees, Adrian Peterson, Jamaal Charles and Aaron Rodgers.
This season there are a ton of ways for owners to build their teams and depending on how certain leagues are set up, certain players have higher value than others. Last season there were a number of players who had great years and they likely will go early and some names to watch later in the draft with injuries from last season that could slip include Doug Martin, Rob Gronkowski and Julio Jones.
The wide receiver position is stacked this season and in PPR leagues players like Dez Bryant and Demaryius Thomas could eat up points and names like Randall Cobb and Andre Johnson also should be looked at as solid options. Peyton Manning and Drew Brees are once again the top names to look at with the quarterback position and Aaron Rodgers is expecting to be back healthy after missing time last season.
Fantasy drafts can be tough and this season there are a number of players at the top that could go either way. Adrian Peterson is a strong choice, but if the Vikings can't pass the ball he may get stacked in the box. The Giants are looking to rush the ball more and Rashad Jennings is a player to keep an eye on along with Andre Williams.
The Giants are a team to look at and the loss of David Wilson to retirement and Peyton Hillis to an ankle injury could open things up for Andre Williams behind Rashad Jennings. Williams is a sleeper pick as a rookie and anyone that takes Jennings should look at Williams as a legit handcuff option. The Giants are committed to running the ball this season and Jennings could also be used a ton out of the backfield since the new offense uses a lot of screen passes and that's big for PPR leagues.
The Giants are an interesting fantasy team to watch this season, as they have a number of players coming off of down years and that means some could end up as sleepers in the later rounds. The team has a brand new offense and that could mean more scoring and more points all around for their key players. Eli Manning could be a solid backup option, as he is expected to cut down on his league leading 27 interceptions and because of those stats he should be available in lost leagues later in drafts.
Check here for more on fantasy football for the 2014 season, including rankings from ESPN.com, SI.com and advice about sleepers and starters from Matthew Berry.
