We are headed into one of the craziest years in a long time. For fantasy football fans this is going to be a tough year as many of the old reliables may not work.

Mock drafts and player rankings will be super important to see where you should end up. Already we have seen many old, but serviceable running backs get the heave ho. LT, Westbrook and T. Jones to name a few. What does this mean for next summer and picking your fantasy teams?

Let this lowly blogger give you some points to ponder. First, in player rankings be wary of those that list 18 running backs out of the top 25 players. Cheat sheets that do this are not looking at the final point totals for 2009. The rules haven’t changed and they now favor the passing game.

Secondly, be alert to major changes in a team’s structure. For example, Kurt Warner is gone. Of course he could pull a Farve, but I doubt it. What does this mean for L. Fitzgeralds’ value….nothing good that I can see.

Thirdly, be aware of what is happening in the division of your key players. If the Bears get Julius Pepper, then the three other teams in the Black and Blue division have a different look when they play the Bears twice. Remember, the Vikes lost to the Bears in December without the Bears having a great pass rusher. There will be lots of movement this off year and rookies will play a different role with different teams. The rookie back for the Chargers will probably be a starter, very interesting!!!!

Fourth, look for some ranking aid that takes into account the “true strength of schedule.” Data Sense and the Live cheat sheet of Fantasy Sports Optimizer, FSO for short, are the type of tools that will help you in you upcoming drafts.

It looks like a fun year ahead and this blogger cannot wait for July. Go Bears!!!!

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