FanHouse DavidAkers

Training camps have wrapped up, the NFL season is right around the corner, and it's still hot as sin outside. But instead of cooling you off with a warm island song, FanHouse break out ye old heat check for our 2009 NFL Season Previews. " We'll rate each club in 5 categories on a scale of 1 to 10, high score wins.

A rather mundane offseason in Philadelphia took a dramatic turn on the night of Aug. 13. That was when news broke that the team had signed free-agent quarterback Michael Vick. All of a sudden, the Eagles were the center of the football world -- this attention will continue throughout the season, as the media will keep a very close eye on how Vick fits in. Meanwhile, coach Andy Reid has a veteran starter in Donovan McNabb to keep happy, and he's pretty good, by the way.

It's been over a month since we last posted positional fantasy football rankings, so it's time to run our second version. Plus, we added some staff. This is now an average ranking from eight Fantasy FanHouse writers. To view the early version of our kicker rankings, click here.

I'll beat the dead horse here, because I feel like it is my duty. Please don't draft a kicker until the last round and never pay more than a dollar for one in an auction. It's just not worth it because of the turnover from year to year. Check this out:

Top three kickers in '08: Gostkowski, Akers, Carney
In '07: Crosby, Bironas, Folk
In '06: Gould, Kaeding, Scobee
In '05: Rackers, Feely, Graham

I could use a lot more data to continually hammer the point home, but it would be a waste of time. So, uh, yeah. Don't waste a pick until you have to.

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With Fantasy Football season ready to kick in high gear, FanHouse is here to preview each and every team -- one per day until we've done them all.

Meet The ...
Eagles, backed by two injury-prone, aging talents with yet another shot at fantasy greatness! Andy Reid and company have loaded up on new toys for Donovan McNabb. They are hoping to rekindle the memories of when a guy named T.O. was around. Finally, McNabb breathes deep and says, "Now I have enough playmakers." However, will he and his homeboy Brian Westbrook actually be able to stay healthy?

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FanHouse's crack squad of savvy fantasy football personnel put our five heads together and amassed consensus rankings for non-keeper, standard scoring leagues. We'll update as the season gets closer, but this is our "incredibly early yet still fun" version.

Last season, the consensus top two picks pretty much anywhere you looked were Shayne Graham and Nick Folk. Folk's average draft position was utterly insane -- going as high as the 10th round in some leagues. Folk ended up 23rd in kicker points, while Graham ended up 30th.

Even though I'd rather outlaw the kicker from fantasy for life, I can't make you do that, but I will say absolutely do not draft one until the last round. This position should be an afterthought because there is simply too little predictable method to the madness.

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Well, that didn't take long -- after contemplating that the Eagles might be en route to storming back on the Arizona Cardinals ... they did just that.
On a second-and-10, Donovan McNabb went deep to rookie DeSean Jackson, who had a half step on Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. That half-step was just enough for McNabb to squeeze the ball in and, after tipping the ball to himself, Jackson juggled it a few times and waltzed into the end zone on a 62-yard touchdown pass, putting the Eagles ahead for the first time all game, 25-24.

It was a defensive struggle Sunday at Giants Stadium. In the end, it was the Philadelphia Eagles making more plays on both sides of the ball. They beat the NFC's top seed, the New York Giants, 23-11 to advance to their fifth NFC Championship game under head coach Andy Reid.

The Eagles led for most of the second half, but didn't put the game away until the fourth quarter. It was then that the Giants' chances were destroyed by their inability to either convert short-yardage situations or trust their struggling quarterback to make plays.

Eli Manning is going to be ripped in the New York press for his performance in this game. He should be. But he didn't have the ball in his hands on either of the game's biggest plays.

Stay on top of all the postseason action with FanHouse's NFL playoff coverage.

The Philadelphia Eagles aren't supposed to be here.

They needed what was practically an act of God in Week 17 just to get to the postseason. Then they went on the road, and while they were favored, it was still Donovan McNabb and Andy Reid in a road playoff game.

The two got the job done. Reid called enough runs to keep the Vikings defense honest, McNabb made some plays, and they found a way to get Brian Westbrook involved when the game was on the line.

Beyond that, they did what this Philadelphia team should do, and they rode Jim Johnson's defense to a victory.

Now, beating the defending world champions in their house should prove more difficult than beating the Vikings at the Metrodome was. The New York Giants didn't just get handed the top seed in the NFC. They got off to a hot start, weathered a late-season slump, and managed to come from behind to beat Carolina for home-field advantage. They earned this right.

Just don't let that stop you from thinking the visitors have a shot Sunday.

If you play in a playoff fantasy football league and get to reset your lineup before this weekend, worry not, we got your back. We'll just do a quick run-through of each game.

Baltimore Ravens @ Tennessee Titans
First of all, don't you dare play any defense other than the Ravens. Ed Reed might score the most points in this game. If you've been watching the Ravens' play of late, you definitely aren't laughing at that statement.

I don't see how the Titans generate much offense, outside the possibility of getting Chris Johnson in space. I'd avoid everyone other than Johnson, and I'm not even a huge fan of Johnson.

The Ravens won't be able to move the ball quite as well as they did against the Dolphins' average defense. Your best bet would be Le'Ron McClain, as the Ravens will likely try to control the clock. The Titans are more vulnerable via the pass than the run -- though they aren't really weak anywhere -- but I can't see Joe Flacco playing overly well against this defense.

You could do much worse than either kicker here, by the way. Both Rob Bironas and Matt Stover are sure to be busy, considering the defenses don't allow many touchdowns.

Each week in the NFL, there are players that impress and players that distress. One week a certain quarterback might toss four touchdowns and run around with his finger in the air while the next he's laying on his back, holding his facemask as the other team returns one of his three interceptions for the game-winning score. With that in mind, here's Studs and Duds.

We've decided to extend Studs and Duds into the playoffs. Here's Wild Card Weekend at a glance, where we point out the horses destined for the Kentucky Derby and jeer those headed to the glue factory.

Studs

Ed Reed, S Baltimore (2 interceptions, 1 returned for a TD) -- As one of my colleagues said in an email yesterday, there isn't a football player in the NFL (or the world, for that matter) playing better football than Reed. The Ravens' shifty Robin to Ray Lewis' Batman has hauled in six interceptions in his last three games, all must-wins, and has given the Baltimore defense that scary title that no other unit, offense or defense, can claim this season -- "Group You Do Not Want to Play Under any Circumstances." The '07 Patriots offense carried that torch and now the Ravens defense, thanks to Reed, is happy to be strutting around with the acclaim.

Both his interceptions were tough catches, and it was really too bad a potential third interception went through his hands late in the game. Up next for the Ravens? A quarterback who threw just seven interceptions all season. If only they had some experience with a quarterback who only tossed seven interceptions before the playoffs (rubs chin).