PROJECTED DEPTH CHART

Players listed in order of fantasy relevance. Recommended round to draft in standard 10 to 12-team leagues with 16 rounds in parentheses.

Quarterback: Aaron Rodgers (12), Brian Brohm

Running Back: Ryan Grant (2), Brandon Jackson (15), Vernand Morency

Wide Receiver: Greg Jennings (5), Donald Driver (6), James Jones (13), Jordy Nelson (16)

Tight End: Donald Lee (12), Jermichael Finley

Kicker: Mason Crosby (16)

ENGEL EYE ON: THE GREEN BAY PACKERS

Greg Jennings was the hot name in Green Bay last year, but Donald Driver will be a more dependable target for Aaron Rodgers in his first full projected season as a starter. Driver is rail thin, and if not for his helmet, you may not be able to see him when he turns sideways. Yet he is fully willing to make possession catches.  Driver can take a short Rodgers toss and still make things happen after the catch. He will be a quality pick in point-per-reception leagues, but you may see his better production come during the second half of the season, when Rodgers becomes more comfortable as a starter.

NOTABLE PLAYER MOVES

Additions: LB Brandon Chillar
Subtractions: QB Brett Whats-his-name (retired), TE Bubba Franks.

2008 ROOKIES TO WATCH

Round Two: Brian Brohm, QB, Louisville
Round Two: Jordy Nelson, WR, Kansas State

TOP POSITION BATTLE

Backup RB: Brandon Jackson vs. Vernand Morency vs. DeShawn Wynn vs. Noah Herron vs. Kregg Lumpkin

Without a legend in 2008, Lambeau Field may be a much quieter place. Photo Credit: compujeramey

2008 SCHEDULE

Top matchups in bold

Sept. 8: Minnesota
Sept. 14: at Detroit
Sept. 21: Dallas
Sept. 28: at Tampa Bay
Oct. 5: Atlanta
Oct. 12: at Seattle
Oct. 19: Indianapolis
Oct 26:  BYE
Nov. 2:  at Tennessee
Nov. 9: at Minnesota
Nov. 16: Chicago
Nov. 24: at New Orleans
Nov. 30: Carolina
FANTASY PLAYOFF MATCHUPS
Dec. 7:  Houston
Dec. 14: at Jacksonville
Dec. 21: at Chicago
Dec 28: Detroit

2008 FANTASY POSITIONAL OUTLOOKS

Aaron Rodgers will no longer follow behind Brett Favre this season. Photo Credit: silwenae

Quarterback
It will take the cheeseheads a little longer than Mary to get over Brett “Fav-rah”. However, Aaron Rodgers might be better than you and/or they think. Consider what a first-time starting QB needs to succeed: 1) Strong mentor: Um, I think Favre counts; 2) Strong running game: Green Bay had the second-most rushing points in the NFC last year and kept it going in the postseason with over 130 yards per game...with no reason to think that trend won't continue; and 3) Quality receivers: Green Bay returns a group that had more receiving yards (4,461) than any other team except New England. Those three factors should add up to success. Rodgers has had time to develop and showed what he could do in relief. He came in for Favre against a hostile Dallas crowd on Thanksgiving and completed 18-of-26 passes for 200 yards and a TD. Over 16 games, that scales up to 3,200 yards and 16 TDs. Obviously, Rodgers will mix in some interceptions, but those numbers are not a bad over/under; I’ll take the over.

But you're reaching if you draft Rodgers based on Favre's output last year. However, if you do draft Aaron based on where Favre was typically drafted last year (as a QB2), you'll probably be pleasantly surprised. If you're not a believer, however, draft Brian Brohm late. Brohm would have been a first-round draft pick had he chosen to come out early. His reward for staying in school was to see his stock drop, despite raising his completion percentage last year. For those of you in dynasty leagues or redraft leagues with extremely deep rosters, Matt Flynn could be worth a late flier. The chauffeur of a national championship team usually has something to offer.

Running Back:
Neither the Packers nor Ryan Grant are calling it a “holdout.”   I’m not sure what else to call it when a player refuses to practice while his agent tries to renegotiate his contract. Grant has said that contract talks are “moving in the right direction.”  The Packers are saying that his off-season work has improved his knowledge on offense significantly versus last year. Thus, there is no reason to pass over Grant as an RB2, maybe even picking him as soon as the end of the first round. Grant rushed for 956 yards and eight TDs, and he had a decent 5.1 YPR average in a little over half a season.  While that average YPR will probably decrease, I expect Grant’s other numbers to rise.  Taking his 2007 performance into account Grant projects to over 1,500 yards and 12 TDs in a full slate of NFL games.  Those are very solid totals for a player who probably won’t be one of the first ten RBs taken. The battle behind Grant will be fierce. McCarthy has said that they will keep the best three or four running backs, which means at least two or three will be cut. Brandon Jackson was the de facto No. 1 guy last year and is the best bet to be Grant’s backup.  None of the other players can be counted out, so choosing the handcuff will be harder than finding a business open in Green Bay on game day.

Wide Receiver:
So what do you prefer—the guy who stacks up catches and yards or the guy who racks up TDs like his life depends on it?  In 2007, Donald Driver had 82 catches for 1,048 yards--but only two TDs.  Greg Jennings, meanwhile, had 53 catches for 920 yards and 12 TDs.  Driver caught the bulk of the receiving TDs a year earlier, but with a new QB at the helm, all bets are off.  The guy to watch might actually be James Jones, who caught 47 passes for 676 yards (for an impressive 14.4 YPC) and two TDs.  Don’t be surprised to see Jones catch a few more in the end zone this year.  Of course, Jordy Nelson could eat into the playing time of the other three.  And with an inexperienced QB, expect a lot of dump-offs to the RBs and TEs.  How the Packers distribute the passes among their receivers is definitely a question heading into 2008.

Tight End:
The check-off pass to the tight end is often the warm blanket for the first-year starting QB.  If that's the case for Rodgers, expect to see Donald Lee and his fellow TEs get a healthy number of looks this season.  Lee's numbers are not elite, but if you wait to take a TE late, he could provide reasonable value at a reasonable cost.  Lee will look to build on his career-best season in 2007:  48 receptions, 575 yards, and 6 TDs.

Kicker:
Mason Crosby probably went undrafted in your league last year but ended up the No. 1 kicker for fantasy points with 31 FGs, including three of 50+ yards, and 48 XP. History tells us he likely won’t be the top kicker again, but there's no reason to believe he won't stay in the top 10.
 
Defense/Special Teams:
For leagues that reward handsomely for points against, Green Bay's defense was very valuable in 2007, giving up only 18.2 points a game.  The secondary, led by Atari Bigby and Charles Woodson, who combined for nine interceptions, led Green Bay to a tie for sixth in the league with 19 interceptions. But the Pack recovered only nine fumbles (tied for 23rd overall) and only reached the league average in sacks (36.0), despite DE Aaron Kampman's team-leading 12 sacks. DE Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila was second on the team with 10 sacks.  Expect the promising young group of linebackers, including A.J. Hawk and Nick Barnett, to improve their lackluster sack totals.  The defensive unit found the end zone just once all season, but the punt return unit scored twice last season, providing extra value to leagues that score special teams with defenses. Predicting defensive touchdowns is difficult, but with almost nowhere to go but up, expect this unit's TD totals to rise in 2008.

Offensive Line:
Green Bay loves to build from the trenches, and GM Ted Thompson has done exactly that.  This was one of the best offensive lines in the game in 2007.  Led by nine-year veterans Mark Tauscher and Chad Clifton, the Green Bay offensive line not only helped a rookie runner average over five YPC, but they also did a great job of protecting their fast-approaching-40-year-old QB. Green Bay only gave up 19 sacks, which was tied for third-best in the league.

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