FanHouse RoddyWhite

Earlier this week, EA Sports released the player ratings for Madden 10. And now, with the NFL Draft in the rearview, and nothing else to do between now and training camps, we'll ponder the important questions. Like: How is [Player who is obviously rated too high] rated above [Player who is obviously rated too low]?

It's fun and original!

I initially just wanted to do a Johnson vs. Johnson debate (you can see the two studs to the right), on the wide receiver front, for a dynasty diaries selection. Then I realized that I'd have to wedge Larry Fitzgerald in there somehow.

Then, I realized you guys deserve some rankings. You deserve them for each position, dammit. So you'll be getting them all on Fantasy FanHouse. For now, though, we're gonna start with wideouts since that's where my head already was.

Yes, as I mentioned, there are three gentlemen head and shoulders above everyone else when it comes to keeper value. Remember, with keeper leagues we are trying to think about someone you could own throughout his prime and enjoy five to eight absolutely elite seasons. This is especially true with wideouts, because you probably won't be keeping many (if any). Finally, do not keep someone slightly unproven like Ted Ginn over an established stud like Terrell Owens. While Ginn might be the better player in three years, he definitely won't be for the next two. You aren't just building for the future. You are trying to win now and in the future.

So here you go, our top 15 keeper-league wideouts ...

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

You have to give the Arizona Cardinals credit. They don't often make the playoffs, but when they do, they get their money's worth. The last time they were in the playoffs was 10 years ago, and they won a game that time around as well.

I guess all those people constantly reminding Arizona fans how much their team sucks needed to check themselves a bit. After a beautifully executed flea-flicker -- resulting in a touchdown by Larry Fitzgerald -- the Cards outplayed the Falcons for most of the game. There was a brief interlude where Atlanta took the lead due to a late first-half interception deep in Cardinals territory. That sequence alone is why the game ended up much closer than it should have been.

The Cardinals controlled this game at the line of scrimmage from start to finish. Coming in, the Atlanta Falcons were the ones with the vaunted rushing attack, while the Cardinals ran the ball less than any team in the league. With John Abraham being rendered basically meaningless and the Cardinals defensive front living in the Falcons backfield, the Cards outran the Falcons.

As I said in the last Zebra Report, I'm a guy who believes deeply in accountability, plus, it seems as though many fans were pleasantly surprised at the fact that Mantz posted our preseason NFL predictions. First and foremost, I just wanted to thank Drew Brees. I'm not linking everything, but I told everyone who would listen that he would be a monster this year.

With this in mind, I delved back into my preseason posts to see how I did. I planned on posting all the good and bad things, but the list would be way too long -- and frankly, not very entertaining. I'll just go through and pick out the five most glaring calls on each side, especially if they drew the ire of commenters at the time.

I'll start by first calling myself out for the poor advice, because no one likes arrogance.

I'm an idiot because ...

- I thought Jeremy Shockey and Marvin Harrison would be quality fantasy players this season.

- I was scared of drafting the Giants D/ST.

- I loved Selvin Young. Of course, I should also point out I loved Philip Rivers on that same list.

- I loved the Raiders offense. This piece seriously makes me cringe.

- Rudi Johnson was undervalued? Sigh. Bad, bad fantasy analyst!

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

It's the battle of the unlikely birds.

We have the Falcons, who are just a year away from being the league's laughingstock with a quarterback in prison and a coach who bailed the first time things got tough, against the Cardinals, who make the playoffs about as often as Vanderbilt wins a bowl game.

The Cardinals wrapped up a playoff spot weeks ago, but they're considered potential frauds because of their easy NFC West schedule. The Falcons had to wait a while longer, and they have to carry some skepticism because they've gone from being considered one of the league's worst teams to a playoff team in the span of three months and conventional wisdom often takes longer than that to catch up.

But both of these teams are only three wins away from the Super Bowl. It doesn't matter how they got here, as a couple of wins and fans can start dreaming of a trip to Tampa--even if there aren't enough Cardinals fans to sell out their stadium, much less to travel to the Super Bowl.

The AFC and NFC Pro Bowlers were announced a short while ago, and why make some pointless comment you are sure not to laugh at when we can just give you the rosters instead? Here goes.

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.

Here's Week 14 at a glance, where we point out the horses destined for the Kentucky Derby and jeer those headed to the glue factory. (Disclaimer: This will only be for the Sunday games, since you probably can't even remember the Thursday games at this point.)

Studs

Brian Westbrook, RB Philadelphia (33 rushes, 131 yards, 1 TD, 6 catches, 72 yards, 1 TD) -- Not a lot of people have exposed the Giants' defense like Westbrook did yesterday, but I guess not a lot of people have completely taken over games in Brandon Jacobs' house. Westbrook had 203 all-purpose yards in the upset by the Eagles, not only keeping Philly's playoff chances very much alive but showing that when the offense is clicking, this team will be scary for the other side of the sidelines. Donovan McNabb might have just found his best offensive scheme yet -- check down to Westbrook and let the athlete make the plays.

FanHouse fantasy positional rankings are compiled weekly by the staff in order to provide answers to possible lineup questions. These are assuming most leagues use Fleaflicker's standard scoring structure. If you need clarification, you need more players ranked, or have funky league rules, feel free to shoot us an email question.

Surprise, surprise. Look what favorite tandem is back on top. Well, let's be honest, the dynamic duo of Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin has been on top all season and haven't disappointed. Moving forward they'll both continue to sit on the throne, as they get to carve up a soft, soft schedule for your playoff journey. Go ahead and take a deep sigh of relief if you own either guy, because you're sitting pretty.

As for the remainder of the top-10 receiver rankings, it's a bit of a slight shakeup this week. You may recall, I've often said you can put the best fantasy receiver names into a hat or shuffle them like a deck of cards to pick the order, but not this week. Creeping his way back into the mix would be Randy Moss. Often given the cold shoulder in this space, Moss is primed to shred the Seabird collapsing defense.

A usual mainstay and fantasy animal, Andre Johnson has been pushed just out of the top 10 for this week only, based on my timid fears of the Green Bay secondary. And yes, I know said secondary has been torched the past few weeks. Ahem.

If you're looking for the clever play of the week, I'm going with Marvin Harrison. Yup, he's done minimal damage this season, but something tells me the Bengals are in for Manning torture 101 this weekend. And despite the fact that you may see Reggie Wayne down a peg in a few "other" sites' ranks ... I'm just not feeling that at all. My prediction is big games all around for Harrison and Wayne just like it's circa 2004 all over again.

And now on with the rest of the ranks...

1. Larry Fitzgerald, STL
2. Anquan Boldin, STL
3. Greg Jennings, HOU
4. Reggie Wayne, CIN
5. Roddy White, @ NO

The playoffs are either upon us or one week away in the majority of fantasy football leagues. With this in mind, Fantasy FanHouse is examining what you can expect from the fantasy relevant players on each team.

Atlanta Falcons

The opposing defenses: at NO (24th against pass, 19th against run), vs. TB (3rd against pass, 9th against run), at MIN (21st against pass, 2nd against run)
The skinny: The future is bright here, but we don't care about that just yet. The run defenses in the last two weeks pose tall orders, and those usually amount to a mediocre week for The Burner (Bears, Eagles, Bucs). Still, if you've gotten this far with him, you likely can't afford to sit him at this point -- especially with his touchdown potential. I do greatly trust the pass attack for Weeks 14 and 16.
The must-starts: Roddy White, Jason Elam
The likely starts: Michael Turner, Matt Ryan
The spot-start: Michael Jenkins
The no-starts: Jerious Norwood, Harry Douglas
The D/ST: The hills and valleys of performance here have been extreme. They were incredible in Weeks 9 and 10, while brutal in Weeks 4 and 11. Some good and some mediocre stat outputs lie in between. Facing the Saints is not advisable, and I don't like them in the Metrodome (Vikings). Facing the Bucs at home in Week 15, I could see them as a viable start. All things considered, though, I'd rather have a good amount of other teams heading into the playoffs. Check on the Redskins availability.