A special welcome to guest writer Garrett Heilman.  Garrett is truly as big a football fan as they come. He's counting down the days to the start of the NFL season, and answering a handful of sports trivia questions to keep himself busy while he waits. Further details of his thoughts about fantasy football 2009 can be read at his favorite sports forum.  Here's what he had to say.

Last year, Atlanta Falcons running back Michael Turner finished second in the NFL with 1,699 rushing yards on 376 carries in the regular season.

While his rush yards were second overall, Turner's 376 carries were more than any other single running back in the NFL.  Making this even more impressive is the fact that only 5 RBs had even 300 or more carries last season.

History may not repeat itself this year.  Things could easily change for Turner in 2009. 

Atlanta Falcons head coach Mike Smith intends to lighten Michael Turner's workload in the upcoming football season, according to Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Smith's logic here is sound.  "We know that he can't sustain 370 carries over a number of years", said the Atlanta head coach.  "We definitely know that we have to reduce the load that we put on him this year."

In most fantasy football drafts, Turner is the second player off the board behind Minnesota's Adrian Peterson. And if you're in a league where ESPN's Matthew Berry has the first overall pick, Turner will be the first player selected.

As great as Turner was, his numbers were clearly better at home than on the road.  At home, Turner was second to none, with 1,032 rush yards and 14 TDs.  His road numbers told a different story, with 667 rush yards and just 3 TDs.

While it might still make sense to go with Turner at the #2 pick (for lack of a better obvious choice), by no means should anyone count on him reproducing or besting his 2008 season, especially in light of this news.  Turner should still make his fantasy GMs very happy, but a little risk is added to the mix if his carries go down.

Few people in this world love the NFL more than Garrett Heilman does. Life for Garrett will begin again when the NFL season does, and sports trivia is all he can to occupy himself with as he waits. You can absolutely find him shelling out more advice at his favorite sports forums.  Garrett was kind enough to feature a guest article with us today.  Here's what he had to say:

During the 2008 season, Michael Turner of the Atlanta Falcons was second in all of pro football with his 1699 rush yards and 376 carries during the season.

While his rush yards were second overall, Turner's 376 carries were more than any other single running back in the NFL.  Making this even more impressive is the fact that only 5 RBs had even 300 or more carries last season.

This year may not be the same case.  The situation could easily be a different one this coming football season.

Mike Smith, the Atlanta Falcons' head coach, plans to ease up on Turner's overall load during the 2009 NFL season.  This comes to us from Orlando Ledbetter, a reporter for Atlanta Journal Constitution.

Smith put it very bluntly:  "We know that he can't sustain 370 carries over a number of years.  We definitely know that we have to reduce the load that we put on him this year.

This makes things very interesting in the fantasy world.  In most mock drafts, Turner is listed as second overall, with only Adrian Peterson of the Vikings being selected before Turner.  In fact, Turner's even being selected first in some leagues.  Matthew Berry of ESPN has him going first in his drafts.

As great as Turner was, his numbers were clearly better at home than on the road.  At home, Turner was second to none, with 1,032 rush yards and 14 TDs.  His road numbers told a different story, with 667 rush yards and just 3 TDs.

While it might still make sense to go with Turner at the #2 pick (for lack of a better obvious choice), by no means should anyone count on him reproducing or besting his 2008 season, especially in light of this news.  Turner should still make his fantasy GMs very happy, but a little risk is added to the mix if his carries go down.

Top 5 Basketball Players in 2009

by guest blogger Jesse Boskoff

5. Dwyane Wade - It was hard to come up with my #5 here. I love Tim Duncan, Dirk Nowitzki, I think that Kevin Durant is quickly on the rise, and believe that Kevin Garnett is still elite. But Dwyane Wade had an amazing 2008-2009 campaign, having led the NBA in points per game.

Wade is a little shaky at times in the ball handling department, but the rest of his stats are top-notch. He is singlehandedly the reason for the turnaround in Miami last season.

4. Dwight Howard - Superman has assumed the role that Kevin Garnett occupied about 5-10 years ago. A dominant big man with a build that allows him to move as quickly as a small forward does. While he shoots free throws like Shaq, he's improving in this department.

Howard led the NBA in rebounds (13.8) and blocks (2.9), shooting an amazing 57.8% from the field. What's not to like? 

3. Chris Paul - One of my personal favorites in the NBA, Chris Paul is as talented a point guard as almost any that I've seen in my life. Just a few years into his career, he doesn't even seem to have reached his peak yet. Having the NBA's best assist per game total in addition to the most steals per game speaks volumes about his talent.

2. Kobe Bryant - Some may criticize me for putting Kobe at #2, and not #1. After all, he led his team to an NBA championship this past season. But hear me out. He's still an incredible player, make no mistake about it - but his numbers have slowly begun to decline. At 30 years old, this is to be expected. 

As for the NBA title, his supporting cast (Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom) was more than LeBron had on his side. Give LeBron Pau and Lamar, and he'll bring home a ring too. 

1. LeBron James - The new and future king of the NBA. Sure, he hasn't won a championship and some may be critical of his spotty clutch factor, but you can't argue the numbers and what he did for his team last season. 28.4 ppg, 7.6 rebounds, and 7.3 assists. 1.7 steals, and 1.2 blocks. 49% from the field. A 66-16 record. It all adds up to the league's most valuable player.

Jesse Boskoff is the creator of RootZoo, a social sports network with a vibrant sports forum, a massive collection of sports trivia questions , fantasy football leagues, and a lot more. He can't wait for next NBA season to begin. 

 

Everyone who's been keeping up with the football world is probably aware of Michael Crabtree's role in the news of late. The rookie wide receiver is threatening to sit out the entire season because he's not happy with the terms of his contract. I'm not at all surprised to see this. 

Crabtree's ego is bigger than a football field. While he's extremely talented, his attitude has been frowned upon by the media and his peers. Take this smaller example, which dates back to his college days. Crabtree would refuse to eat the food that the rest of his Texas Tech teammates ate, and would force someone to pick up food from an outside restaurant for him. If Crabtree does miss the 2009 season, it would probably hurt Crabtree himself more than it'd hurt San Francisco.

Crabtree wouldn't be assured the top-5 pick status that he believes he commands next year. Who knows, he might even go after pick 10. Not only is this an extremely deep NFL draft pool in 2010, but what kind of team is going to want to draft Crabtree after seeing his antics in 2009? Look at the way teams feel about guys like Terrell Owens. The same could easily apply to Crabtree.

Looking at all that, we have to wonder whether Crabtree should sit out this year and be eligible for next year's draft. While Crabtree's 2007 season was absolutely exceptional, his 2008 season was very good, but weaker than the year before. Crabtree's stock may fall a bit more with each year.

Crabtree has more competition to worry about in next year's draft. Dez Bryant is an example of a player who put up similar numbers to Crabtree in 2009, and now has the opportunity to build on his last campaign with a better season. Should he put up similar or better numbers, he'll no doubt be selected before Crabtree in 2010.

Crabtree also played for an offense that is much better suited for the college style of play. On an NFL team, he may not be able to pull off the same routes that he did in his college days. Think Reggie Bush, perfect example.

The Niners have just about accepted the fact that Crabtree won't play for the team this season, and they don't want to involve themselves with a selfish player of his kind. Crabtree's making the bigger mistake here, as his stock is sinking by the day.

Well, flip the switch, let the reality check turn on......Crabtree will likely be offered less money next year, than he is being offered right now. But alas, let him hold out.....the NFL does not need any more overinflated ego's. Remember what happened to Mike Williams? If he sits out, then good for him, and even better for the league. He seems to forget that even if he puts together a Hall of Fame worthy career.....he's not going to be the best WR the Bay Area has seen.

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