With all games having been played this week, and Week 14 starting on Thursday, it’s time to get going on our weekly routine of looking at targets from the previous week’s NFL action.

- Terrell Owens, Buffalo Bills: Owens got nine targets last Thursday night in the Bills’ loss to the Jets, but due to the Darrelle Revis Factor (go ahead and steal that name for your band), Owens caught only three passes for 31 yards. He is one of many receivers, both elite and ordinary, who have been otherwise shut down by Revis. But the amount of looks Owens gets tells you that quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick is hell-bent on throwing the ball his way no matter what.

- Roddy White, Atlanta Falcons: With Matt Ryan, Michael Turner and Michael Jenkins each out last week against the Eagles, the Atlanta offense was focused on two players – White and tight end Tony Gonzalez. And while Gonzalez got a healthy 13 targets, White got even more opportunities, and saw 20 passes thrown his way by Chris Redman. White ended up with nine catches for 104 yards and one score, and with Ryan, Turner and Jenkins all questionable for this week, we may see White get a similar number of looks.

- Chad Ochocinco, Cincinnati Bengals: The Detroit Lions have the worst pass defense in the NFL, and as such, Carson Palmer made a point of exploiting that match-up last week and threw 14 passes to Ochocinco, resulting in nine catches for 137 yards and one touchdown. No other player wearing a Bengals uniform got more than four, and Ochocinco is now sixth in the AFC, and 11th in the NFL, with 104 targets.

- Kenny Britt, Tennessee Titans: While Britt’s nine targets and three receptions last week against the Colts were second on the team to Nate Washington’s 10 targets and four catches, Britt compiled 46 yards and caught a touchdown, while Washington accumulated 44 yards and was shut out of the end zone. And while the catches and yards don’t make any difference, the touchdown does. That’s because Britt has now traversed into the end zone in three consecutive games, while Washington has not scored in that time.

- Wes Welker, New England Patriots: Welker was targeted 13 times by Tom Brady last week as the Patriots lost to the Dolphins, and he caught 10 passes for 167 yards. Welker had more than double the amount of targets as any other New England player, including Randy Moss, who got just five looks from Brady. As an extension of the running game, Welker catches shorter passes, which enables him to catch almost everything thrown his way. With 95 receptions on 22 targets, Welker has caught an excellent 78 percent of the passes thrown to him. Comparatively, Moss has caught only 59 percent of the passes thrown to him, as he goes out on deeper routes.

Other Week 13 target numbers of interest: Andre Johnson, 17; Sidney Rice, 16; Davone Bess, 14; Steve Smith (NYG), 13; Michael Crabtree, Miles Austin, Bobby Wade, 12; Antonio Bryant, Calvin Johnson, 11; Roy Williams, Robert Meachem, Pierre Garcon, Nate Washington, Todd Heap, 10; Santonio Holmes, 9; Josh Morgan, Donnie Avery, 8; Percy Harvin, Devin Thomas, 7; Louis Murphy, 6; Vincent Jackson, 4; Steve Breaston, 2.

In the preseason, everyone who plays fantasy football is a prognosticator. We have our own opinions, of course, and we scour the internet and magazine rack to see what everyone else is thinking. And like any sort of auguring, sometimes we get things right, and sometimes, well, not so much. So with the fantasy playoffs right around that proverbial corner, let’s take a look at the leader in fantasy points at each position so far, to see how the fantasy football soothsayer’s did.

Quarterback

- Overview: Aaron Rodgers leads NFL signal-callers in fantasy points despite being fourth in the league in both passing yards and touchdown passes. The reasons for his lofty status are that A) he doesn’t turn the ball over, having thrown just five interceptions, and B) rushing yards. Rodgers has run for 247 yards this season, which is already more than he had all of last year, and he also has three touchdown runs, which is just one behind his total from last season. Comparatively, the three players who have thrown for more touchdown passes than Rodgers – Drew Brees, Brett Favre and Peyton Manning – have a combined total of 19 rushing yards and two scores, both of which came from Brees.

- Surprise: There really aren’t many shockers at the top of the list, so the biggest surprise would probably have to be how low Jay Cutler is. After all, he threw for over 4,500 yards and 25 touchdowns last season. But 20 interceptions equal a lot of lost fantasy points.

Running Back

- Overview: Chris Johnson leads the way, and though most probably didn’t think he’d be the top fantasy running back, he was definitely among the preseason elite. As were Adrian Peterson and Maurice Jones-Drew, obviously. Ray Rice was something of a question mark because of how Baltimore utilized their running backs last season, but he was being touted as a sleeper candidate fairly early on. Michael Turner has been a bit of a disappointment after some thought there was an argument to be made that he could be the No. 1 overall pick in fantasy drafts, but he’s nearly seven full points per week off of Johnson’s pace.

- Surprise: There are a few very clear eye-openers among this group, with Ricky Williams at the forefront. He wouldn’t be as high up if Ronnie Brown wasn’t lost for the season, but at 32 years of age, nobody believed he would be as effective as he has been in a full-time role. Thomas Jones is another surprising case. He was universally being thought of as someone whose numbers would drop off precipitously due to his age and the amount of carries he got last year, but it hasn’t happened.

Wide Receiver

- Overview: The three wideouts with the most points – Reggie Wayne, Randy Moss and Larry Fitzgerald – are pretty much the players most everybody believed would be at the top, even though some had believed that Wayne might take a small step backwards. And though there are many recognizable names after that, this is still a fairly interesting group with a few players seemingly coming out of nowhere.

- Surprise: Where do you really start? If you said Miles Austin was a top-five fantasy football wideout before the season, you were pretty much along. Austin getting more involved with the Cowboys’ passing game? Sure. But an explosion of huge numbers was not in the forecast. Neither was the presence of two Vikings receivers that are in the top-15 – Sidney Rice and Percy Harvin. Bernard Berrian was the Minnesota wideout most thought would see the greatest benefit from Brett Favre’s arrival, but his numbers are down from last season instead of up.

Tight End

- Overview: Of the top four tight ends in points, three of them – Dallas Clark, Tony Gonzalez and Antonio Gates – were certainly in the top four in the preseason rankings, and they’ve lived up to that billing. Kellen Winslow might have actually outperformed expectations for him, and if Owen Daniels hadn’t gotten injured, he might head this list. As it is, he’s still eighth, despite having not played since Week 8.

- Surprise: We all knew Vernon Davis had it in him, but most of the fantasy football world was sick of waiting for him. Godot didn’t take this long to arrive. But Davis has finally arrived, and leads tight ends in fantasy points due to his NFL co-leading nine touchdown catches (he’s tied with Larry Fitzgerald and Reggie Wayne). On the other end of the surprise spectrum, Jason Witten has about half the fantasy points that Davis has. Witten was many people’s No. 1 tight end, but he didn’t have a 100 receiving yard game until Week 12, and his only touchdown reception came in Week 2.

It’s Monday, so it’s time to get going on our weekly routine of looking at targets from the previous day’s NFL action.

- Nate Burleson, Seattle Seahawks: Matt Hasselbeck looked Burleson’s way 12 times in the Seahawks’ loss to the Cowboys on Sunday; he caught six of those throws for 89 yards. Burleson’s 12 targets were double the amount T.J. Houshmandzadeh received, and it vaulted Burleson past Housh in targets for the season. Burleson is now sixth in the NFL and third in the NFC with 66 targets.

- Michael Crabtree, San Francisco 49ers: A week after getting targeted a total of six times, which was the most (tied with Isaac Bruce) among San Francisco wideouts but was fewer than tight end Vernon Davis, Crabtree received nine targets to lead the entire team in the 49ers’ loss to the Colts. He thusly went on to lead the team with six catches and 89 receiving yards. Clearly, it’s only a matter of time before he forays into the end zone.

- Terrell Owens, Buffalo Bills: Owens was targeted eight times by Buffalo quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick on Sunday, and the formerly potent wideout wound up with five catches, but for just 39 yards. Those eight targets were four more than any other Bills receiver got, and six more than Lee Evans. As for Owens, yes, he scored a touchdown, but that was on a running play; he’s still scored just one time on a reception all season, and that was back in Week 2.

- Dustin Keller, New York Jets: Mark Sanchez looked in Keller’s direction 13 times in the Jets’ loss to the Dolphins on Sunday. Of those looks, Keller came up with a team-high eight catches for 76 yards with a touchdown. Keller had five more targets than both Braylon Edwards and Jerricho Cotchery, and the tight end is now tied for 18th in the AFC with 49 targets, which is just one fewer than Edwards has, though some of Edwards’ looks came with the Browns.

- Justin Gage, Tennessee Titans: With Vince Young behind center, Gage received a team-leading five targets as Tennessee won their first game of the season over the Jaguars. Gage wound up with three catches for a team-high 41 yards. He was basically a forgotten man with Kerry Collins at the helm, so we’ll see if his fantasy value gets restored now that Young is at the helm.

Other Week 8 target numbers of interest: Reggie Wayne, 20; Steve Smith (NYG), Vincent Jackson, Greg Jennings, 12; Kevin Boss, 9; Eddie Royal, Bryant Johnson, Austin Collie, 8; Percy Harvin, Zach Miller, 7; Mike Thomas, Keenan Burton, 6; Sidney Rice, 5; Ted Ginn Jr., 1.

Before training camps began, I gave you rankings at each position for the upcoming fantasy football campaign. A month later, it’s time to re-examine those rankings. I’ll show you what they were like then, followed by the current rankings. It’s time for the examination of the tight ends.

TIGHT ENDS - BEFORE

1. Jason Witten
2. Antonio Gates
3. Tony Gonzalez
4. Chris Cooley
5. Dallas Clark
6. Greg Olsen
7. John Carlson
8. Owen Daniels
9. Kellen Winslow
10. Zach Miller
11. Dustin Keller
12. Brent Celek
13. Heath Miller
14. Vernon Davis
15. Randy McMichael
16. Bo Scaife
17. Anthony Fasano
18. Visanthe Shiancoe
19. Marcedes Lewis
20. Kevin Boss
21. Jeremy Shockey
22. Donald Lee
23. Tony Scheffler
24. Brandon Pettigrew
25. L.J. Smith

TIGHT ENDS - AFTER

1. Jason Witten
2. Antonio Gates
3. Tony Gonzalez
4. Dallas Clark
5. Chris Cooley
6. Greg Olsen
7. Owen Daniels
8. John Carlson
9. Kellen Winslow
10. Zach Miller
11. Heath Miller
12. Brent Celek
13. Vernon Davis
14. Dustin Keller
15. Visanthe Shiancoe
16. Bo Scaife
17. Anthony Fasano
18. Jeremy Shockey
19. Marcedes Lewis
20. Kevin Boss
21. Randy McMichael
22. Donald Lee
23. Tony Scheffler
24. Brandon Pettigrew
25. Jared Cook

A change at the top was moving Dallas Clark to the No. 4 spot. If Peyton Manning isn’t comfortable enough yet with his stable of wideouts considering the absence of Marvin Harrison, look for Manning to depend on Clark even more this season. Another player who has moved up is Jeremy Shockey. It’s unlikely he’ll reach the numbers he had for a few seasons with the Giants, but his play this preseason could be a sign that things will go better this season than last. His 116 receiving yards so far put him one yard outside the top-25.

Denver wide receiver Brandon Marshall would have fit in nicely in the former Soviet Union with those enormous flags all over him. For fantasy football owners, selecting Marshall as your No. 1 wideout and using a high pick on him is a gamble not worth taking at this point. Let some other owner in your league suffer the potential consequences.

True, Marshall, at 6-foot-4 and more than 220 pounds, is a physical specimen with great talent. It’s also true that he’s produced 206 catches for 2,590 yards and 13 touchdowns over the last two seasons. But his actions are starting to seriously interfere with his potential. His off-the-field antics are well known, with a handful of arrests, but those were unrelated to football. His latest act is not.

Already upset that he hadn’t gotten a new contract or a trade as he requested, Marshall missed the team’s first preseason game because of a trial on a battery charge for which he was acquitted, but was soon angered after learning the Broncos told his teammates to celebrate that fact.

Then last week, Marshall didn’t play in the team’s second preseason game. Why, you ask? He didn’t know the playbook, which makes it kind of difficult to, you know, run the plays. The drama doesn’t end there, unfortunately. On Thursday, Marshall was held out of practice for his childish maneuvers during Wednesday’s practice. He punted a ball after a drill instead of simply handing it to a ball boy, decided to leisurely stroll while the rest of the team was running while warming up, and generally just acted immature.

Maybe Marshall is trying to force a trade, but that type of behavior doesn’t seem like the best way to do it. It’s kind of like when a kid is angry at his mom for making him clean his room, so he holds his breath until his face turns red and nearly passes out. It doesn’t do any good. Nor will this type of act help him get a new contract. Why would Denver want to pay tens of millions to a guy who can’t stop getting arrested and is apparently as mature as a seven-year-old?

Fantasy owners should be asking themselves the same thing (only about drafting him early, not the paying him millions part). This is a guy who at any point this season could be taken off the field, not to mention the fact that he’s running in a brand-new offense with Kyle Orton under center. There are just too many talented receivers available who are far less likely to fly off the handle.

UPDATE: Marshall has been suspended for the remainder of the preseason by head coach Josh McDaniels for his conduct. As if you needed even more reasons to pass on him in your drafts.

We continue our look at the fantasy rankings of each position with the tight ends. As the graph below shows, the position is somewhat top-heavy. The difference between the second-highest scorer in terms of fantasy points last season, Jason Witten, and the tenth-highest scorer, Zach Miller, is nearly 40 points. Still, taking an elite player at this position in the earlier rounds is somewhat risky. Despite the numbers Tony Gonzalez put up last season - which he won’t repeat in 2009 - even the highest scoring tight ends in fantasy amount to little more than a WR2.

1.Jason Witten: No T.O. means even bigger things this season for Tony Romo’s favorite target. He should very easily score more than the four touchdowns he put up last season.

2.Antonio Gates: Receptions and yards were down for Gates in last year’s campaign, but he still scored eight times. Expect a bit of a rebound in his all-around numbers.

3.Tony Gonzalez: New team, new offense, new players around him. Gonzalez will still be effective with the Falcons, but there’s no chance he nears 100 catches and scores 10 times like he did in 2008.

4.Chris Cooley: Eighty-three catches for nearly 850 yards is outstanding for a tight end. What’s not so outstanding is the one time he crossed the goal-line. That won’t be the case this season.

5.Dallas Clark: Same old, same old for the reliable Clark. His numbers were similar to Cooley’s last season, except he found the end zone five more times.

6.Greg Olsen: A lack of good options at wideout will make Olsen one of new quarterback Jay Cutler’s favorite targets.

7.John Carlson: He had a great rookie campaign, but will likely regress a bit in his second season. The addition of T.J. Houshmandzadeh and better overall health of Seattle’s receiving corps will hurt his numbers.

8.Owen Daniels: Like Cooley, Daniels had very good overall numbers with 70 catches for over 850 yards, but he lacked in touchdowns, scoring just twice. If Matt Schaub can stay healthy, that number should go up.

9.Kellen Winslow: Winslow is one of the more difficult players to project for this season. On one hand, he’s healthy (for now anyway), but with the unsettled quarterback situation in Tampa, as well as what should be a run-oriented offense, Winslow likely won’t accumulate the numbers he has in the past.

10.Zach Miller: Poor Miller. If he played anywhere else than Oakland, people would know a lot more about what he’s done. The third-year tight end caught 56 passes for 778 yards last year, but scored just once. As JaMarcus Russell continues to improve, Miller should see his numbers ascend.

11.Dustin Keller: Keller drove his fantasy owners mad with his inconsistency last season, but should improve on that aspect of his game in his second go-around. Like Olsen, Keller is in a situation where his team has a dearth of wideouts, making him an attractive target.

12.Brent Celek: In Philly’s last four games, including the playoffs, Celek scored four times and twice had at least 50 receiving yards. He takes over full-time for L.J. Smith and should get his fair share of opportunities in the Eagles’ West Coast offense.

13.Heath Miller: Last season, Miller set a career-high with 48 receptions, but his three touchdowns were a career-low. Forty-five catches, 550 yards and five scores is about what you should realistically expect in 2009.

14.Vernon Davis: The only reason Davis is ranked this high is due to 49ers offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye vowing that Davis will be a big part of San Francisco’s offense. Davis does have the talent, and it seems like he should have already put it all together, but it has yet to happen. Maybe this is the year.

15: Randy McMichael: Why so high on McMichael? There are a few reasons, one of the most prominent being that the Rams have few other proven receiving options. Also, the team has transitioned to the West Coast offense under new offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur, and that is a traditionally tight-end friendly scheme. All of which makes McMichael a very attractive sleeper for a TE2.

Best of the Rest

16. Bo Scaife
17. Anthony Fasano
18. Visanthe Shiancoe
19. Marcedes Lewis
20. Kevin Boss
21. Jeremy Shockey
22. Donald Lee
23. Tony Scheffler
24. Brandon Pettigrew
25. L.J. Smith

We went over the Top-25 Quarterbacks and the Top-50 Running backs, so what do you say we check out the wide receivers?

1. Larry Fitzgerald: If you need a reason why, you don’t watch much football, and probably shouldn’t waste your time and money in fantasy.

2. Andre Johnson: The second-best receiver in the game, but arguably the most explosive, he led the league with 115 receptions and 1,575 receiving yards last season.

3. Calvin Johnson: Think of what he could do if he played for a competent franchise.

4. Randy Moss: Will still be a monster, but don’t expect a repeat of his 2007 numbers.

5. Reggie Wayne: Wayne has been the No. 1 receiver in Indy the past couple years, and that continues in 2009.

6. Steve Smith: Jake Delhomme’s utter mediocrity hampers what he can really do, but he’s as consistent a big-play threat as there is in the league.

7. Greg Jennings: Aaron Rodgers’ favorite toy, and a down-field threat every snap.

8. Brandon Marshall: The Broncos did him no favors by getting rid of Jay Cutler and replacing him with Kyle Orton, but in new head coach Josh McDaniels’ system, he’ll be the go-to guy.

9. Marques Colston: Just one of numerous threats in the Saints’ offense, Colston is a terror to cover due to his size and strength.

10. Anquan Boldin: The single toughest wideout to try and tackle, and one of the few in the league who will run over defenders instead of go around them.

11. Roddy White: After a marginal start to his career, he busted out, and should continue to ascend as Matt Ryan gets even better.

12. Roy Williams: One of the most controversial players in fantasy, people either love him or hate him. Yet he’s easily the best target at wideout for Tony Romo, and he should get plenty of opportunities.

13. Vincent Jackson: Fantasy owners had been waiting for him to break out with a big season, and he finally did in 2008, as the graph displaying the top wideouts in terms of fantasy points shows.

14. Terrell Owens: Aging, but will instantly make the Bills offense a threat to score every time they line up.

15. Braylon Edwards: Stone hands killed him last season, and he was late to training camp this year before failing a physical. Lots of red flags, but still capable of big things.

16. Dwayne Bowe: Matt Cassel will depend heavily on him in his first season under center in K.C.

17. T.J. Houshmandzadeh: Solidifies a Seattle receiving corps that was ravaged by injuries a season ago.

18. Antonio Bryant: Can he repeat what he did last season with an unsettled quarterback situation? Unlikely.

19. Wes Welker: A dream if you have him in a PPR league.

20. Chad Ochocinco: Will bounce back with Carson Palmer back under
center.

21. Santana Moss: Inconsistent, but remains a dynamic threat.

22. Jerricho Cotchery: Because who else is there?

23. Santonio Holmes: The Super Bowl hero is an excellent candidate to have a breakout season.

24. Lee Evans: Should only benefit from having T.O. around.

25. DeSean Jackson: Explosive, but his game still needs a bit of refining.

26. Bernard Berrian: Berrian needs Sage Rosenfels to win the starting quarterback job. His numbers dropped off last season when Tarvaris Jackson was under center.

27. Anthony Gonzalez: Another big-time candidate to do break out, Gonzalez takes Marvin Harrison’s place in the starting lineup for Indy.

28. Hines Ward: Still going, he may cede some catches to Holmes this season, but he’ll still get his.

29. Donnie Avery: The Rams’ No. 1 wideout and first receiver chosen in the 2008 draft had an excellent rookie campaign and promises to get better.

30. Torry Holt: Underrated his whole career, he’s also being underrated this fantasy season. He’s got something left in that tank.

Best of the Rest

31. Lance Moore
32. Devin Hester
33. Donald Driver
34. Kevin Curtis
35. Laveranues Coles
36. Eddie Royal
37. Ted Ginn Jr.
38. Kevin Walter
39. Steve Breaston
40. Justin Gage
41. Patrick Crayton
42. Michael Crabtree
43. Domenik Hixon
44. Mark Clayton
45. Deion Branch
46. Michael Jenkins
47. Sidney Rice
48. Isaac Bruce
49. Bobby Engram
50. Muhsin Muhammad

When we recently wrote our piece about the best No. 2 receivers in the NFL for the upcoming fantasy season, you may have noticed there was no mention of Baltimore’s Mark Clayton. And there was quite a good reason for that. Namely, he didn’t belong there, and hasn’t for the past couple seasons.

In 2007, everyone who played fantasy football had Clayton, a former first-round pick out of Oklahoma, as the player who would bust out. He was coming into his third season in the league, so his projected ascendance was partly due to the “third-year receiver” phenomenon (which is a myth). But more than anything, it had to do with his great sophomore campaign, which saw him collect 67 passes for 939 yards and five touchdowns; a promising line for any young receiver. So how did Clayton reward his fantasy owners during the ‘07 season? By stinking worse than the feet of a construction worker who was toiling in 100 degree weather for eight hours. Clayton only caught 48 passes for fewer than 531 yards and didn’t score one receiving touchdown.

That didn’t make him the most popular player in the world last season for fantasy owners, and it was a good thing, as he failed to rebound by catching a career-low 41 passes, though he did collect 695 yards and three touchdowns. He also was not targeted abundantly, as made clear by the accompanying graph. But now that Derrick Mason has (supposedly) retired, those numbers will go up. Not because of anything special that Clayton did in the offseason, but because, well, there isn’t anyone else. He and Demetrius Williams will need to step it up to replace the ever-consistent production that Mason gave year in and year out.

Baltimore will still be a running team next season just as they were in 2008 when they ran the ball 592 times - the most in the NFL. But they will have to throw the ball at some point, and unless they make a trade, the main target will be Clayton. So his fantasy value, finally, has returned to him. All it took was the retirement of a better player.

Rare is the NFL team that has what could be termed dual “No. 1″ receivers. The Arizona Cardinals, with Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin, clearly have that. So do the Buffalo Bills with Terrell Owens and Lee Evans. And you could argue, based on statistics, that New England qualifies with Randy Moss and Wes Welker. But most teams have a clear No. 1, followed by everybody else. Yet those players who fall in the “everybody else” category can still be beneficial to fantasy owners, especially owners who play in leagues that utilize three wide receivers. Let’s examine who some of those players are.

Santonio Holmes - Pittsburgh Steelers: In each of Holmes’ three seasons with the Steelers, he’s amassed fewer receptions than teammate Hines Ward, and twice he’s had fewer receiving yards and touchdowns. Clearly, Ward has been the man in the Steel City for many years, but that very well could change this year. Coming off his Super Bowl-winning touchdown catch, Holmes is primed to break out and finally surpass the 33-year-old Ward as Pittsburgh’s go-to man. Ward has had five seasons with at least 1,000 receiving yards, and Holmes has had zero, but expect the former first-round pick out of Ohio State to streak past that benchmark in his fourth season.

Kevin Walter - Houston Texans: Anybody who plays fantasy football, or even casually watches the NFL, knows that Houston’s Andre Johnson is one of the most physically gifted athletes at any position in the league. In the three seasons outside his rookie year that he’s been healthy, Johnson has amassed at least 1,100 yards and six touchdowns. Walter has never had 1,000 yards, and in fact has never even broken the 900-yard mark, though he did have 899 receiving yards last season. Walter did one other thing last season of note - score eight touchdowns. That type of production doesn’t go unnoticed by fantasy owners who savor the six points that goes with crossing the goal line. Walter will be 28 when the season starts, and remains Houston’s best receiving threat behind Johnson.

Anthony Gonzalez - Indianapolis Colts: There’s no question that Reggie Wayne is the top wideout for Peyton Manning and the Colts. It isn’t egregious to suggest that Wayne has been so the past few years even with Marvin Harrison on the squad. But Harrison is no longer with the team, and Gonzalez will step into his starting role. And a starting role at receiver with the Colts means he’ll have more balls being fired at him than the grade-school nerd playing dodgeball at recess. Gonzalez’s receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns improved last season from his rookie year, and he should take another bound forward in 2009.

Lance Moore - New Orleans Saints: A perfect fit for New Orleans’ run-and-gun offense, Moore broke out last season to catch 79 passes, 10 of which went for touchdowns. His success wasn’t predicated on Marques Colston’s absence for five games, either. Moore actually caught eight of his touchdowns and had two of his three 100-receiving-yard days after Colston returned in Week 8. So don’t expect a statistical drop-off from Moore this season despite the fact that the only thing that rivals the number of receivers on the Saints’ roster are Confederate flags at a NASCAR race. Devery Henderson has proven to be little more than a deep threat over his career, and Robert Meachem, despite being a former first-round pick, has proven nothing at all. So Moore should continue where he left off in 2008, much to the rapture of fantasy owners.

We conclude our look at potential breakout players for your fantasy football squad by examining the NFC South. With the resurgence of the Atlanta Falcons last year, the South is now one of the most competitive in football. Fantasy owners got oodles of production from teams within the division last season, especially at the running back position, and are looking for more of the same in 2009. Here are a few players that may help out this season.

Atlanta Falcons - Matt Ryan: Ryan took the NFL by storm as a rookie quarterback in 2008, helping lead the Falcons to the playoffs, but likely didn’t help his fantasy owners reach the postseason. Statistically he was solid, but that’s where it ends. The former Boston College star threw for 3,440 yards, but found the end zone just 16 times while also tossing 11 interceptions. There’s nothing wrong with those numbers, but they simply weren’t the type that propelled fantasy teams to the Promised Land. He should take a big step forward this year after acclimating himself to the rigors of the NFL while gaining further chemistry with Roddy White and Co. Oh, and did we mention that he has a new toy in tight end Tony Gonzalez to utilize? It certainly never hurts to add a Hall of Famer to the offense.

Carolina Panthers - Jonathan Stewart: The consensus before last season seemed to be that Stewart would be the one to take over out of the Carolina backfield, but the rookie running back never found consistency, as you can see in the graph to the right showing his rushing totals per week. DeAngelo Williams was the one who really took over, scoring a league-high 18 rushing touchdowns. This year, Stewart should see a steady improvement. Though he’ll still be sharing the load with Williams, gone should be the sub-25 rushing yard games that plagued him last season.

New Orleans Saints - Pierre Thomas: Those of you who are waiting for Reggie Bush to finally live up to his status as the number two overall pick will have to keep waiting. He’s shown what he can do, which is to be an excellent return man and receiver. As a running back? Not so much. This brings us to Pierre, who should finally get his chance to shine. In the final six games of last season, the former Illinois running back had at least 11 carries in each game, and in five of those contests he averaged at least 4.0 yards per carry. He also ran for at least 75 yards five times and accumulated 20 receiving yards five times. Oh, and he racked up nine total touchdowns in those games as well. Is there anything else to say?

Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Dexter Jackson: Jackson was an unmitigated flop at wide receiver as the Bucs’ second-round pick last season. The writer of this piece and everyone reading it has as many catches as he did in 2008: zero. But the talent is there, and with a new head coach and quarterback, Jackson should get an opportunity to show what he can do. Antonio Bryant is the No. 1 receiver, and Michael Clayton seems to have the team’s confidence (for some reason) as the No. 2, so Jackson will have to make due playing in the slot. It’s an area he could excel at given his speed.