[Jun 6th] Andrew Garda says: It should come as no surprise to anyone that Peterson is my top overall player for 2013. Last year Peterson topped 2,000 yards and all the while wasn't quite 100%. He is going into this season which begs the question—just how good is a fully healthy Peterson? Of course while the 2,000 yards was nice, I expect that number to come down as the Vikings don't want to have Peterson be the only offensive weapon. They expect more out of Christian Ponder and newly acquired Greg Jennings. If Ponder can improve enough, Peterson will see less carries (though the ones he gets might be more effective as he won't face stacked fronts). On the other hand, if Ponder implodes, Peterson could be called upon to carry the team again. In which case, his stats could rocket up. Whether ponder improves or not, Peterson is still going to have a huge season—even if he misses on a second 2,000 yard season. As he has seen no ill effects from the surgery, I also expect him to be playing for a long time to come. (hide this)

[Jun 6th] Andrew Garda says: Martin's 1,926 yards and 11 touchdowns were huge for a rookie and this offense is going to find ways to continue getting him the ball this year. With Josh Freeman at times struggling with consistency, Martin had to carry the team for large stretches of games and he was more than up to the task. It'd be nice if the passing offense was a little sharper, as Martin would be even more dynamic if the defensive fronts weren't stacked, but his ability was more than able to overcome that problem and will only get more natural for him with more experience. Martin has a great combination of speed, vision and strength - all of which the Bucs will ride for as long as they can. (hide this)

[Jun 8th] Andrew Garda says: Jamaal Charles hasn't just performed—he's performed on some terrible teams. He's healthy and on a team which might not be awful so he could have as good a season as he's ever had before. He should be able to succeed and while new head coach Andy Reid wasn't exactly a fantasy RB's best friend in Philly, but he also doesn't have the type of QB he had there. He'll use Charles early and often to help keep Alex Smith safe. (hide this)

[Jun 6th] Andrew Garda says: Don't let reports of Trent Richardson's leg injury worry you—he'll be ready for camp and the Browns are just being cautious. Wise, since he's a very important figure in the hopes of a successful season. T-Rich is really toughand played through a ton of injuries in 2012—it's going to be hard to get him off the field. Richardson did everything last season—ran the ball well, caught the ball, blocked on passing downs and played through pain. I'm not a huge fan of new head coach Rob Chudzinski, but he knows how to get the ball moving on the ground. That will spell success for the second year running back. (hide this)

[Jun 8th] Andrew Garda says: C.J. Spiller is all set to fully take over the lead running back role in Buffalo. With the struggles of Ryan Fitzpatrick, teams knew Spiller was coming and still couldn't stop him. New head coach Doug Marrone is another college coach who wants a speedy, uptempo offense, and that fits Spiller really well. Expect a ton of receiving yards again in addition to lots between the tackles. (hide this)

[Jun 6th] Andrew Garda says: Marshawn Lynch has to be happy to see Percy Harvin show up in town as he will be seeing a lot less stacked fronts this coming season. Lynch is a beast to take down and a real nightmare for anyone trying to contain him and it's worse when he gets a head of speed up. If the defense can't bunch the line, he'll have the chance to do it. Lynch was dinged up last season and had some ball control issues as well and on top of that has a pending DUI case against him. If he's guilty, he could be suspended for two games. We'll monitor this closely and if he isn't convicted, he is well worth the top ten pick. Long term he does have some guys behind him now who will push him for carries but for 2013 he's the man in the backfield. (hide this)

[Jun 9th] Andrew Garda says: Maurice Jones-Drew has been the one constant bright spot for the Jacksonville Jaguars since he showed up, although last year was hampered by a trip to injured-reserve list. This is a contract year for Jones-Drew and if he wants even a decent payday, he's likely to have to stay healthy and show he can still carry a heavy load. While he isn't the primary running back for a fantasy team he once was, he will be a very good second running back and has the upside to put up stud numbers off and on throughout the season if he can just stay healthy. (hide this)

[Jun 10th] Andrew Garda says: Darren McFadden is so talented it's ridiculous. Unfortunately, he's also so injury-prone that it's ridiculous. Having missed 23 games in his five years in the league, McFadden is totally unreliable as a primary fantasy running back even though he has the ability to hold that role on your team. Last season was especially brutal as he missed four or more games for the second year in a row and saw his yards per carry fall all the way to a lackluster 3.3. That actually makes the 707 yards he ran even more surprising. Combined with his receiving yards, he fell just short of a 1,000 yards combined. Be very, very careful with McFadden. His upside tempts fantasy owners to go earlier on him than he warrants due to his constant injuries. (hide this)

[Jun 10th] Andrew Garda says: Darren Sproles may not get a ton of carries, but he gets touches—which he turns into lots and lots of yards. Sproles is the reason we have combined yardage in fantasy leagues—a multifaceted tool who can run the ball well and catch it out of the backfield. It doesn't matter how he gets the yards, just as long as he gets them. He won't reach the heights he did in 2011, where he gained 607 yards on the ground and 710 receiving yards to go along with nine total touchdowns—an unlikely scenario with Mark Ingram and Pierre Thomas at the Saints' disposal. He will get a ton of receiving yards though, and that makes him more than worth it at this point on the list. You can kick him up a little if you get individual yards for punt returns While he didn't do it a ton in 2012, he's still a factor on special teams and it helps his overall fantasy points in those leagues. Sproles is a vital part of this high-powered offense, and his speed and ability after the catch should keep him high on a lot of fantasy football lists. (hide this)

[Jun 10th] Andrew Garda says: I used to call Steven Jackson injury prone, but in the last four years he's only missed two games. Meanwhile, all he does is accumulate yards and in his nine-year career he's topped 1,000 of them eight times. That's amazing when you consider that in 2007 and 2008, he missed eight games and still managed to top the 1,000 yard mark. Even more impressive is that he did this in the face of a stunning lack of weapons around him. Now Jackson heads to Atlanta where he will never again face a stacked front due to the presence of Roddy White, Julio Jones and Tony Gonzalez. It's quite possible that Jackson might see one of his best seasons in some time—maybe ever. Jackson struggles to score touchdowns, but that should change as the Falcons won't struggle to reach the red zone. (hide this)

[Jun 10th] Andrew Garda says: In 2013, the offense will lean pretty heavily on Ridley, especially if Gronkowski is out for the start of the season. He could see a lot of work in the red zone. Ridley went over 1,200 yards for the first time in 2012. He's looking at similar production in 2013 as the Pats will likely run just as often as they did last season. If he can stay healthy (he ended up with a concussion during the AFC Championship game) and withstand the wear and tear of a full season, he could have a very big year. He added bulk in the offseason and showed up to the team's conditioning program having added quite a bit of muscle. Ridley was already a tough guy to bring down, and now he's even more of a load. The question is, did he add muscle and mass while sacrificing speed and agility? (hide this)

[Jun 10th] Andrew Garda says: Stewart had injury issues last season and still has to contend with DeAngelo Williams stealing carries. Oh, and Cam Newton, who led the team in rushing yards last season. The team may throttle back Newton's running efforts, but I still expect him to get the bulk of them. Stewart has the ability to be a top fantasy running back, but with so many different hands reaching for the ball, his ceiling is way lower than it should be. (hide this)

[Jun 10th] Andrew Garda says: After three great seasons as the top back in Pittsburgh, Mendenhall spent most of 2012 hurt and was replaced in the end. He landed in Arizona where injury-prone backs tend to congregate. Mendenhall will have to overcome Ryan Williams as well as two rookies (Andre Ellington and Stepfan Taylor, a personal favorite of mine) to hold onto the starting job. If he does, you have to keep his injuries in mind, but he can be a very effective and tough runner who will get the hard yards. Still, with the number of backs in town, Mendenhall will probably have a very short leash. (hide this)

[Jun 11th] Andrew Garda says: Ballard has the size to stand up to every-down work and the strength to punch in short-yardage attempts for first downs and scores but is definitely not the long term solution here. With the arrival of Ahmad Bradshaw,there's a good chance the two of them will end up mired in a RBBC for some of the season, but I see Ballard making it through whole while Bradshaw will likely end up hurt again so he's an excellent handcuff if you grab Bradshaw earlier. (hide this)

[Jun 6th] Andrew Garda says: McGahee is coming off injury, and the Broncos drafted Montee Ball—a guy clearly selected to replace McGahee at some point. However, this is John Fox we're talking about and he holds onto his veterans tightly, though sometimes to his own detriment. Which says to me that McGahee will get his shot and we shouldn't count anyone out here. If McGahee can stay healthy, he should have another productive season as a a flex play or low end RB2. (hide this)

[Jun 6th] Andrew Garda says: While Green-Ellis has been solid overall, and topped 1,000 his first year with the Bengals, I don't love his 3.9 yards per carry and drafting Giovani Bernard tells me the Bengals aren't in love either. "Law Firm" is a solid player but nothing special and he lacks the big play ability Bernard has. He may get more carries early on this year but Bernard is a real threat to overtake him. (hide this)