FanHouse Robert Meachem

Here's how it works. We throw some intriguing matchups at the FanHouse staff and ask whether each player will be over or under a certain point total. The result? Fantasy Football Over/Under. Makes sense, right?

We correctly forecasted the Drew Brees explosion and Eli Manning implosion, while I hit the nail on the head with regards to Matt Hasselbeck. Not that I'm 100 percent right -- I was the only one wrong about Steve Slaton last week. We were accurate about Julius Jones and Chris Johnson, and if you want to check the rest of last week's picks, refer to this link.

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I'm going to try. I really am. Every year, some unknown wide receiver leaps from obscurity to being the waiver-wire darling of the fantasy football season. In a minute, I'm going to attempt to rank so many receivers that he won't slip through the cracks. Inevitably, he will slip through the cracks. So just for fun, after the rankings and after the commentary, I'll throw a few names against the wall. After the weekend, we'll see if any stuck.

Having trouble filling out your lineup in Week 1? Can't decide on a WR3 or a flex option? Well, here are some down-and-dirty rankings for your perusal. Use them as a guide, and if all goes well, you'll be 1-0 in a few
days' time.

1. Calvin Johnson, DET at NO
2. Randy Moss, NE vs BUF
3. Andre Johnson, HOU vs NYJ
4. Marques Colston, NO vs DET
5. Larry Fitzgerald, ARI vs SF

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Everyone loves fantasy football sleepers, but they change depending on league size and availability. We're here each and every week to give you a look at good plays for all types of leagues.

Super Bowl 43. Free agency. The combine. The NFL Draft. Training camps. Preseason. More preseason. Another preseason game or two. Your draft(s). And finally, Week 1 is here!

It might seem a little silly to be talking about sleepers already, but good fantasy footballers know that a win in September counts the same as a win in November. So if the third WR you drafted has a tough matchup, why not cut the last player on your bench (a second TE, your eighth RB) for a one-week starter with a great matchup?

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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.

Though 2006 was arguably the best season in New Orleans Saints history, the campaign was only the beginning of this streak of NFL competitive relevance in the Crescent City. Despite steps backwards in 2007 and 2008, the team has quietly been adding front-end talent and admirable depth since that NFC Championship appearance against the Bears. Now, as Drew Brees put it, "...we're at this stage in our careers where this is kind of our prime. ... So this is our window of opportunity. This is our chance to walk together forever, to go down in history together." After over 40 years and just two playoff wins, is this the year the Saints finally break through?

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One of my favorite moves on fantasy football draft day is taking a late-round gamble and letting everyone else laugh at me. You can have the first round, just let me pick late. To illustrate, here's an actual message board post last season after one of my drafts: "Commish Snyder purposefully did not draft a kicker so he could take a flier on yet another long shot (Steve Slaton of the Texans). I'm sure he'll say it will pay off in the long run."

My response? "I'll end up dropping Patrick Crayton (my fifth WR) for a kicker before week 1 when Slaton wins the Houston gig -- unless someone suffers a season-ending injury, in which case I'll drop that person."

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Conventional thinking used to be that it took receivers a few years -- three being the supposed standard -- to grasp the nuances of the NFL. Over the last few seasons, though, pass-catchers with successful rookie campaigns have accelerated the expectations for return on investment from the position. So when the Saints' Robert Meachem became the only first-round selection in 2007 to sit inactive for all 16 games, panic about a wasted pick set in among the fanbase early.

Entering his third training camp in the NFL, Meachem is expected to "finally" deliver on the promise that had some pegging him the best athlete at wideout in the '07 class. If nothing else, he's got Drew Brees praising him.

Reggie Bush is a very unique individual when it comes to his impact on an offense. Even when Tom Brady went down, the Patriots were plugging in a backup to the same position. Obviously, Matt Cassel isn't near the QB Brady is, so the ripples felt through the team and league were significant. The point is, though, that the offense didn't change.

With Bush going down, the entire offensive complexion of the Saints is forced to change, because the dynamic Bush impacts the game on every play. Even when he doesn't touch the ball, the defense must pay attention to him. That element is now going to be missing from the Saints offense for at least the next two games.

So what does Sean Payton do? Does he try to plug Aaron Stecker -- the most comparable player left on the roster -- into the Bush-role? The defense doesn't exactly jump to Stecker the way they would Bush. The other option is to run a traditional offense until Bush gets back. Deuce McAllister would jump into the feature back role, with Pierre Thomas available to spell him, and Stecker picking up third and long duties.

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.

I love the Bears, but I also have to admit that you can pass all over them. Obviously Brian Griese had his fun, and then last week DeSean Jackson put up some good numbers. Well, not since week one -- when Reggie Wayne was on the field -- has the secondary had to deal with someone as talented as Calvin Johnson. Plus, Charles Tillman may not play. I expect the Bears to lead all game, so the Lions will be chucking it. The bottom line? Please don't sit Calvin.

- I'm giving Andre Johnson another chance, but he's got to get himself in on the passing game.

- The Saints are going to pass for over 300 yards. You can pretty much book that every week. This time around, look for Robert Meachem and Lance Moore to have similar quality stat lines.

- Remember that Cardinals secondary that Brett Favre wrecked? Lee Evans should shake loose again this week for a long score.

1. Brandon Marshall, vs. TB
2. Calvin Johnson, vs. CHI
3. Terrell Owens, vs. CIN
4. Reggie Wayne, @ HOU
5. Larry Fitzgerald, vs. BUF

Drew Brees has had to deal with losing two of his best receiving options -- Jeremy Shockey and Marques Colston -- early on this season, but the stats are looking quite sparkling thus far. Will it continue? In a word, yes.

Brees carved up the Broncos for 421 yards through the air, with a wildly efficient 39 completions in 48 attempts. His most reliable option has been Reggie Bush out of the backfield, and the losses of Colston and Shockey aren't going to do anything to change that. The reason is that the Saints -- through the offensive scheme of Sean Payton and horizontal field-stretching ability of Bush -- can make a weapon out of nearly any receiver. You know Terrance Copper? Well, you wouldn't had he played for any other team.

Moving forward, you can expect Brees to remain an elite QB in fantasy and in reality. He's facing the Niners at home this week, so I'm calling for at least 300 yards and multiple TD passes.

Let's check out the impact on some other players: