10. Peyton Manning, QB - IND. Peyton's place at number ten has as much to do with his consistency as it does with the inconsistency and unpredictability of other options taken in this spot. DeAngelo Williams' value is depleted by Jonathan Stewart, the Packers' pass-happy offense makes Ryan Grant slightly less attractive, Steven Jackson is on a team with no other threats, and chasing another 20+ TD season for Randy Moss can wait until Round 2.
9. Drew Brees, QB - NO. Brees replaced Peyton Manning as the QB to own in fantasy, then Aaron Rodgers came along. Approaching 400 points in traditional formats last year, he surpassed even Brees, who is still as safe a bet as anyone in football to score 350 this year. At pick number nine, grab Brees and get your RB1 or WR1 with your next selection at twelve (or 16 in 12-team formats).
8. Aaron Rodgers, QB - GB. With the top-tier backs and the one truly elite receiver off the board, grab the best QB. Brees or Rodgers is basically a coin-flip in most drafts this season, but I give the edge to Rodgers for his ability to run and his more consistent set of weapons.
7. Maurice Jones-Drew, RB - JAX. Aren't smokescreens great? In an era when essentially no backs of any worth are used in the preseason, talk of MoJo's "balky knee" have understandably scared some owners off. Jack Del Rio has insisted that his miniature hoss is ready to go, and based on his track record and his ability to tote the football after the catch, you have to take MJD inside the top 7. Still, any talk of injury, especially a knee, is enough to move Gore and Turner ahead of Jones-Drew.
6. Michael Turner, RB - ATL. Gore edges out Turner because of his pass-catching ability out of the backfield, and because he's further removed from a serious injury. Both are risks, but both are high-reward studs that can't be passed up.
5. Frank Gore, RB - SF. Regardless of how the top four shake out in your league, Gore will go fifth. If you have the fifth spot, take him. If you have the sixth spot and he's still on the board, rejoice, then take him. At age 27, Gore should churn up 2,000+ yards from scrimmage.
4. Andre Johnson, WR - HOU. Andre's selection at #4 is not taken lightly. The three elite backs to have this year are AP, CJ and Rice without any doubt. After those three are off the board, and with more pointgetters at QB than at WR, I put it to you, are you willing to hand your season to Frank Gore's knees or Michael Turner's ankles? In PPR's where AJ's 100 catches get you an additional 100 points, this is an easy call. Based on whispers about MoJo's left knee and with Larry Fitzgerald's QB on the couch, I'll take the wideout in the best possible scenario to score every week.
3. Ray Rice, RB - BAL. Baltimore's version of "Pocket Hercules" surpasses MJD himself in 2010 thanks in large part to the addition of Anquan Boldin, another weapon on a team whose defense should provide Rice plenty of Red Zone carries. In PPR leagues he's a no-brainer, and I'm taking him third in traditional leagues as well.
2. Chris Johnson, RB - TEN. Tennessee's stud is going #1 in the majority of leagues, and for good reason. His upside is unmatched, but with defenses now fully focused on him and after an extremely heavy workload in his monster 2009 campaign, select Johnson at number two and no lower.
1. Adrian Peterson, RB - MIN. Picking number one usually means your next pick will be at around #20, meaning the player you select better be one to hang your hat on all season. That said, I'm taking A-Pete first overall if that's my draft position, as the write-it-down RB that will play to his resume in 2010.
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