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With the First Pick in the 2015 Fantasy Draft...

Fantasy Football Season is upon Us

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With the First Pick in the 2015 Fantasy Draft...
NFL

With the NFL Preseason under way, the 2015 Fantasy Football season will soon be up and running as well. Soon, people everywhere will be making bets, making draft boards, and plotting their best moves as to how they can best their league rivals every week. This article will go through the top 5 players at each position that you can draft in most fantasy leagues. Bear in mind, in this list, kickers are different than defense and special teams units with their own unique set of stats. Defenses will be measured based on the amount of turnovers they forced last season and the number of sacks they had; whereas kickers will be judged based on their overall field goal accuracy percentage (FGA%), number of extra points (XP), and their long field goal accuracy percentage, which accounts for any field goal of over 39 yards. These are only the top 5 by position, and odds are very good that you won't be able to draft all of the players listed, but instead should be used as a guide to your draft day festivities!

Quarterbacks

1. Andrew Luck (IND)

Andrew Luck led the NFL in Fantasy Points Per Game last season with an average of 27.6 Points Per Game. Luck threw for a whopping 40 Touchdowns last season to compliment the 4,761 passing yards he racked up last season. Luck also had 3 rushing touchdowns and threw just 16 interceptions in over 600 pass attempts.

2. Aaron Rodgers (GB)

Aaron Rodgers was named the NFL's Most Valuable Player last season, beating out J.J. Watt of Houston for that honor. Rodgers' numbers were astronomical in 2014, as he threw for 4,381 yards and 38 touchdowns against just 5 interceptions. Rodgers also had 2 rushing touchdowns and 269 rushing yards in his 2014 campaign, as he averaged 25.6 Fantasy Points Per Game.

3. Peyton Manning (DEN)

Peyton Manning is old – that much is very true. The 39-year-old Manning saw a dip in his numbers last season, throwing just 39 touchdowns as opposed to the 55 that he threw in 2013. Manning also threw more interceptions, 15 of them last season as opposed to the 10 he threw in 2013. In spite of that though, Manning is still a prolific passer, as he posted 4,727 yards passing last season with the Broncos. He averaged 24.4 Fantasy Points Per Game, and with wide receivers like Demariyus Thomas at his disposal, Manning is a solid choice for any fantasy team.

4. Drew Brees (NO)

Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints might have had a bad record last year, but that doesn't rule him out as a solid fantasy quarterback. Brees threw for 4,952 yards and 33 touchdowns last season; however, he also threw 17 interceptions. Brees averaged 24.5 Fantasy Points Per Game last season, but because of his interceptions, could slip on some draft boards. Don't be fooled though, he's still one of the elite quarterbacks in the game.

5. Ben Roethlisberger (PIT)

Roethlisberger put up perhaps the finest passing season of his career in 2014, throwing for 4,952 yards with 32 touchdowns against just 9 interceptions. With targets like Martavis Bryant and Antonio Brown to throw to, Roethlisberger could put up another monster year. Look for his 23.6 Fantasy Points Per Game average to trend upwards this season.

Running Backs

1. Leveon Bell (PIT)

To say Leveon Bell exploded onto the scene last season is nothing short of an understatement. Bell rushed for 1,361 yards and hauled in 83 passes for 854 yards. In addition to all of the yards he racked up, Bell scored 11 total touchdowns last season (8 rushing, 3 receiving). Bell averaged 18 Fantasy Points Per Game during the 2014 season. Bell is expected to miss the first two games of the 2015 season due to his incident with marijuana last year, but you'd be well advised to scoop up this running back early.

2. DeMarco Murray (PHI)

DeMarco Murray was the NFL's leader in rushing yards last season with 1,845 of them accompanying 13 rushing touchdowns. The only thing is, he accomplished this with the Dallas Cowboys who had one of the most dominant offensive lines in the game last season. This year, he's in a new system in Philadelphia with Eagles Head Coach Chip Kelly and his spread offense. How will this affect Murray's output? Only time will tell, but if LeSean McCoy is any indication of what Kelly's system can do for running backs, Murray will be a solid addition to your roster in 2015. Murray averaged 19 Fantasy Points Per Game in 2014.

3. Marshawn Lynch (SEA)

What would a list of running backs be without "Beast Mode" Marshawn Lynch? Lynch scored 13 rushing touchdowns for the Seahwaks last season and racked up 1,306 yards. In addition to his ground game, Lynch also caught 37 passes for 367 yards and 4 touchdowns in 2014. Lynch averaged 16.8 Fantasy Points Per Game last season, and should be just as dominant in 2015.

4. Arian Foster (HOU)

Arian Foster is a gritty, grinding running back who racked up 1,246 yards and 8 touchdowns on the ground in 2014. Not only is he a good runner, he's also a versatile receiver who caught 38 passes for 327 yards and 4 touchdowns. Foster is an excellent choice that consistently gets excellent fantasy scores, as he averaged 18.1 Fantasy Points Per Game last year.

5. Matt Forte (CHI)

Forte is perhaps the very definition of the phrase "versatile running back" as he hauled in 102 passes for 808 yards and 4 touchdowns last year. In addition to his reception yards, Forte also had 1,038 yards and 6 touchdowns on the ground last season. Forte averaged 15.3 Fantasy Points Per Game last season.

Wide Receivers

1. Odell Beckham Jr. (NYG)

Odell Beckham Jr. had a rookie season for the ages last year as he hauled in 91 receptions for 1,305 yards and 12 touchdowns. Beckham was targeted 130 times last season, and will most likely be the go-to target for Eli Manning this season. Look for him to only improve upon his 17.2 Fantasy Points Per Game in 2015.

2. Antonio Brown (PIT)

Brown led the NFL in yards and receptions last year as he had 129 catches and 1,698 yards in 2014. He also scored 13 touchdowns last season. Brown also adds Special Teams value, as he also is the Steelers' main punt returner. With the Steelers' offense beginning to blossom, and with Ben Roethlisberger heading the offense, look for Brown's numbers to be even more spectacular than last year when he averaged 15.6 Fantasy Points Per Game.

3. Jordy Nelson (GB)

Nelson is the favorite target of MVP Aaron Rogers, and he's well served as Green Bay's number 1 receiver. Nelson caught 98 passes for 1,519 yards last year, and is just now coming into the prime of his career. Nelson has good speed to stretch most defenses, and is sure-handed to say the least. Nelson averaged 14.4 Fantasy Points Per Game last year.

4. Calvin Johnson (DET)

If ever there was a player deserving of the moniker "Megatron," it's Calvin Johnson. While he missed a few games last season, Johnson's size and speed make him a challenge for every defense week in and week out, and with Matthew Stafford slinging the ball all over the field, Johnson is the target of a lot of balls. In just 13 games he was targeted 128 times. Johnson had 1,077 yards and 8 touchdowns, and averaged 12 Fantasy Points Per Game last year.

5. Dez Bryant (DAL)

Bryant caught 16 touchdown passes last season. That statement alone is enough to warrant a lot of attention from Fantasy Leaguers, but when you add to it the fact that he had 1,320 yards receiving last season as well as 88 receptions, Bryant becomes a viable first-round choice in every league. Bryant is perhaps the most physical wide receiver in football, and isn't afraid to run people over to get yards after the catch. Bryant is prime number 1 receiver material, as he averaged 14.4 Fantasy Points Per Game Last Season.

Tight Ends

1. Rob Gronkowski (NE)

Gronkowski is perhaps the best TE in all of football right now. He had 1,124 yards and 82 receptions in 2014 and averaged 12.3 Fantasy Points Per Game, which is outstanding for a tight end. With Gronkowski now back to full health after a forearm infection and a few injury issues, he should be poised to be the most dominant TE in football again in 2015.

2. Jimmy Graham (SEA)

Jimmy Graham is another big physical tight end that fits in nearly the same category as Rob Gronkowski. Graham had 889 yards and 10 touchdowns through the air last season, and is a big time redzone threat. With Russell Wilson as his quarterback, Graham will probably see his targets go up as the Seahawks lack a big time outside pass catcher. Graham averaged 9.9 Fantasy Points Per Game last season.

3. Antonio Gates (SD)

Antonio Gates is old, but he still gets it done in the redzone. Gates scored 12 TDs last season and had 821 receiving yards for the Chargers. Gates averaged 9.6 Fantasy Points Per Game, and could be an underrated pickup on your draft board.

4. Martellus Bennett (CHI)

Continuing with the theme of redzone threats, Bennett provides a big target for Jay Cutler to throw to. Bennett was targeted 128 times last season, and had 6 touchdowns as well as 916 yards receiving. Bennett will probably now be one of Cutler's primary targets now that Brandon Marshall is gone. He averaged 8 Fantasy Points Per Game in 2014.

5. Greg Olsen (CAR)

Olsen had an outstanding season last year. He had 1,008 yards and 6 receiving touchdowns to compliment his 84 receptions. With Cam Newton at quarterback, Olsen will probably continue to be used as a redzone target to compliment big-time receiver Kelvin Beechum. Olsen averaged 8.6 Fantasy Points Per Game.

Defense

1. Philadelphia Eagles

Total Turnovers: 28

Sacks: 49

FPPG: 7.8

2. Green Bay Packers

Total Turnovers: 27

Sacks: 41

FPPG: 6.9

3. Buffalo Bills

Total Turnovers: 30

Sacks: 52

FPPG: 6.5

4. Houston Texans

Total Turnovers: 34

Sacks: 37

FPPG: 6.4

5. Arizona Cardinals

Total Turnovers: 25

Sacks: 35

FPPG: 5.6

Kickers

1. Stephen Gostkowski (NE)

35/37 94.6 FG%

2. Cody Parkey (PHI)

32/36 88.9 FG %

3. Adam Vinatieri (IND)

30/31 96.8 FG%

4. Mason Crosby (GB)

27/33 81.8 FG%

5. Steven Hauschka (SEA)

31/37 83.8 FG%

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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