Fantasy Football Projections

Fantasy football projections can be one of the trickiest things to do in NFL fantasy football. That's because there are so many things that can influence a players' season, it's impossible to prepare for everything.

Still, for the most part, fantasy football projections generally hit on the top players in the league to go after in your draft. Fantasy football projections are a projection of the kind of season a player is likely to have. Most of the time, they're pretty safe bets. At this point in their careers, players like Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, Seattle Seahawks running back Shaun Alexander and San Diego Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson are going to be projected to be in the top five of their respective positions. It also goes for receivers like the Indianapolis Colts' Marvin Harrison and St. Louis Rams Torry Holt.

But the point when fantasy football projections hit a snag is when you try to forecast how that player will do on a new team, after an injury or based on the arrival of new players in the off season.

In terms of a new team, let's take a look at the fantasy football projections of Indianapolis Colts running back Edgerrin James. For years, James was considered one of the top running backs in the NFL and one of the top fantasy football running backs, too. He had an ability to run and catch that made him a points machine. But over the summer, he left via free agency to the Arizona Cardinals. The fantasy football projections will likely have James in the top five again for running backs, but no one really knows for sure how he will react to a new team. James won't have former teammates, quarterback Peyton Manning and receivers Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne, for defenses to focus on. Arguably, James is the best player on his team right now and opposing defenses will load up to stop him. That was something they couldn't do at Indianapolis for fear Manning and company would beat them through the air. Also, there are questions about the Cardinals' offensive line and whether James will fit into a new offensive system. Also, if the Cardinals are behind in a game, which was the case many times in the last few seasons, they'll have to pass more, which means fewer touches for James. All of that would affect his fantasy football projections.

Then there are fantasy football projections for players like Terrell Owens. Owens was one of the top receivers in the league in 2004, the year the Eagles made the playoffs. But now he's with the Dallas Cowboys. How will a new offense, new teammates, new offensive system and new coaching staff affect Owens' numbers and his fantasy football projections?

While it's impossible to look at all these different scenarios and make accurate fantasy football projections yourself, experts and online gurus can help you, such as the kind found on Fantasy Football Starters.com, which offers "Analyzer" software that will tell you the best players to pick, and the ones to avoid.

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