Empty the Bench

ETB’s First Annual Fantasy Football Extravaganza kicked off with a bang Sunday evening as we held our blogger’s draft, a gripping 1 1/2 hours of seasoned fantasy vets making it difficult on their fellow combatants. With the first rounds of fantasy drafts officially in the books, fantasy football hype and hoopla is in full swing. So in the spirit of fantasy football draft season, Brian and I have put our balls on the line with some bold predictions about the coming season.

The following are our official thoughts about which individuals and teams will bring home the hardware this season. We’ve also got some intriguing over/under projections for those of you who feel the need to make it interesting (*Donaghy*, ahem). And unlike most of the prognosticators showing their faces this time of year, we will be revisiting these predictions at the end of the season. As always, feel free to let us know your picks for any or all of the categories.

Individual Awards:

Offensive Rookie of the Year:
Andrew: Brandon Jackson, RB, Green Bay Packers
Brian: Calvin Johnson, WR, Detroit Lions

Defensive Rookie of the Year:
Andrew: Anthony Spencer, Linebacker/Defensive End, Dallas Cowboys
Brian: Paul Posluszny, Linebacker, Buffalo Bills

WR Bust of the Year:
Andrew: Marques Colston, New Orleans Saints
Brian: Randy Moss, New England Patriots

WR Surprise of the Year:
Andrew: Vincent Jackson, San Diego Chargers/Kevin Curtis, Philadelphia Eagles
Brian: Drew Bennett, St. Louis Rams

RB Bust of the Year:
Andrew: Larry Johnson, Kansas City Chiefs
Brian: Ronnie Brown, Miami Dolphins

RB Surprise of the Year:
Andrew: Brandon Jacobs, New York Giants
Brian: Jerious Norwood, Atlanta Falcons

QB Bust of the Year:
Andrew: Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys
Brian: Matt Hasselbeck, Seattle Seahawks

QB Surprise of the Year:
Andrew: Jay Cutler, Denver Broncos
Brian: Alex Smith, San Francisco 49ers

TE Bust of the Year:
Andrew: Alge Crumpler, Atlanta Falcons
Brian: Todd Heap, Baltimore Ravens

TE Surprise of the Year:
Andrew: Vernon Davis, San Francisco 49ers
Brian: Vernon Davis, San Francisco 49ers

Have a Feeling He’ll Get Hurt:
Andrew: Larry Johnson, Kansas City Chiefs
Brian: Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts

Have a Feeling He’ll (Finally) Stay Healthy:
Andrew: Brian Westbrook, Philadelphia Eagles
Brian: Kellen Winslow, Cleveland Browns

Waiver Wire Revelations:
Andrew: Kolby Smith, RB, Kansas City Chiefs/Adrian Peterson, RB, Chicago Bears
Brian: Lorenzo Booker, RB, Miami Dolphins/Craig Davis, WR, San Diego Chargers

Fantasy MVP:
Andrew: LaDainian Tomlinson, San Diego Chargers
Brian: Steven Jackson, St. Louis Rams

Real Life MVP:
Andrew: Carson Palmer, Cincinnati Bengals
Brian: Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints

Team Awards:

NFC North Champs:
Andrew: Detroit Lions
Brian: Detroit Lions

NFC East Champs:
Andrew: Dallas Cowboys
Brian: Dallas Cowboys

NFC West Champs:
Andrew: St. Louis Rams
Brian: San Francisco 49ers

NFC South Champs:
Andrew: New Orleans Saints
Brian: New Orleans Saints

AFC North Champs:
Andrew: Cincinnati Bengals
Brian: Pittsburgh Steelers

AFC East Champs:
Andrew: New England Patriots
Brian: New England Patriots

AFC West Champs:
Andrew: San Diego Chargers
Brian: San Diego Chargers

AFC South Champs:
Andrew: Indianapolis Colts
Brian: Indianapolis Colts

NFC Wildcards:
Andrew: Philadelphia Eagles, Seattle Seahawks
Brian: Carolina Panthers, Green Bay Packers

AFC Wildcards:
Andrew: Baltimore Ravens, Denver Broncos
Brian: Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals

NFC Champs:
Andrew: Dallas Cowboys
Brian: New Orleans Saints

AFC Champs:
Andrew: San Diego Chargers
Brian: San Diego Chargers

NFL Champs:
Andrew: San Diego Chargers
Brian: New Orleans Saints

The NFL’s Highest Scoring Offense:
Andrew: San Diego Chargers
Brian: New Orleans Saints

The NFL’s Lowest Scoring Offense:
Andrew: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Brian: Oakland Raiders

Fewest Points Allowed in the NFL:
Andrew: New England Patriots
Brian: Miami Dolphins

Most Points Allowed in the NFL:
Andrew: Detroit Lions
Brian: Detroit Lions

What’s the Over/Under on . . .

Calvin Johnson’s Touchdowns and Receptions:
Andrew: 8 TDs, 74 Receptions
Brian: 9 TDs, 85 Receptions

JaMarcus Russell’s First Start:
Andrew: Week 6
Brian: Week 7

Brady Quinn’s First Start:
Andrew: Week 8
Brian: Week 8

Reggie Bush Touchdowns:
Andrew: 11 Touchdowns
Brian: 14 Touchdowns

Mario Williams Sacks:
Andrew: 6.5 Sacks
Brian: 7.5 Sacks

Terrell Owens’ First DNP:
Andrew: Week 9
Brian: Week 5

Randy Moss’ First DNP:
Andrew: Week 4
Brian: Week 7

Chad Johnson’s First Fine:
Andrew: Week 1
Brian: Week 1

DeAngelo Williams’ First Start:
Andrew: Week 7
Brian: Week 5

Brett Favre Interceptions:
Andrew: 23 Interceptions (Leads NFL)
Brian: 20 Interceptions (Eli Manning Leads League)

Chicago Bears Regular Season Wins:
Andrew: 8 Wins
Brian: 7 Wins

Indianapolis Colts Regular Season Wins:
Andrew: 11 Wins
Brian: 10 Wins

Three Gut Feelings:

Andrew:
1) After receiving his fat contract extension, Larry Johnson promptly breaks down.

2) Vernon Davis provides Alex Smith with the elite receiving threat he’s needed, vaulting the San Francisco offense into the top-10 overall.

3) Drew Bennett assumes the WR2 job for St. Louis after an Isaac Bruce injury and excels, notching 9 TDs on the year.

Brian:
1) Reggie Bush makes it very, very difficult for head coach Sean Payton to take him off the field. This is his breakout year, in a big way; during next year’s fantasy drafts, Bush will be a consensus top-three pick.

2) During the October 7 primetime broadcast on ABC between the Packers and Bears, John Madden spits on Al Michaels when the play-by-play man suggests that Brett Favre should have retired last season.

3) Peyton Manning hawks five new products in commercials highlighting his self-deprecating wit, charm, and sense of humor.