NFC South (Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints,
Tampa Bay Buccaneers)


New Orleans Saints Fantasy Preview:

After a magical "return to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina"
season in 2006, 2007 left fantasy football players who relied on the
Saints feeling not so holy. When Deuce McAllister went down, Reggie
Bush was exposed as someone who couldn't carry the load. Marques
Colston didn't get going until later in the year. Drew Brees still
had a banner year, but it didn't translate into wins on the football
field. However, this team returns enough fire power to be a good
fantasy producer in 2008. If McAllister can return to form, he will
take pressure off Reggie Bush and allow Bush to be the effective
lightning threat this team needs. They also need to get improved
seasons from WR David Patten and TE Eric Johnson. In the weak NFC
South, it shouldn't take much for the Saints to get back on track and
have another run to the playoffs while putting up a ton of points in
coach Sean Payton's offense. From a fantasy perspective, this should
be a team that produces some good prospects for your team.

Defense was not a strong point for the Saints last year (or the year
before). Even when this offense was scoring tons of points, the
defense couldn't consistently stop anyone. There was a heavy emphasis
placed on defense in the draft this year, and the team acquired
standout linebacker Jonathan Vilma from the NY Jets. However, until
this unit actually shows us something consistently, they are better
left on the waiver wire.

DT Sedrick Ellis and CB Tracy Porter were this team's 1st and 2nd
round draft picks respectively. Neither player will make a
significant fantasy impact for your squad this year. However, look
for a splash from 2nd year WR Robert Meachem, who missed all of last
year with injury and who has looked really good so far this offseason.


Fantasy Surprise for 2008: Robert Meachem, WR

The 2nd year WR out of Tennessee had high promise coming into the
season last year, but a knee injury derailed his rookie year
completely. He has been getting high praise from both the coaching
staff and QB Drew Brees this offseason, and he appears to have
learned enough to make a contribution this year. He may not be quite
ready for prime time, but could produce enough to become a good
complement to Marques Colston and a decent #3 WR for your fantasy
team.

Fantasy Disappointment for 2008: Reggie Bush, RB

Reggie Bush has a lot of speed and skill, but I'm just not sure he
has what it takes to really be a star in the league. He has been
largely underwhelming since joining the league, and proved last year
that he can't carry the load by himself. If Deuce McAllister can't
return to form from injury, Bush will once again be exposed as
someone who is a spot player at best. He should still produce good
numbers and be a decent higher round draft pick, but temper your
expectations and try to take him after round 4 or 5, or you'll
probably regret it.

Best Fantasy Draft Value for 2008: Drew Brees, QB

Even with Marques Colston starting off the season slowly, and losing
both WR Robert Meachem and RB Deuce McAllister, Brees had a career
season last year, and should only get better in 2008. His numbers
should land him in or very near the top 5 overall fantasy QBs next
year, and his draft value will be much better than that of QBs such
as Tony Romo, Tom Brady or Peyton Manning. If you can snag Brees in
rounds 3-5, you should be in a position to build a championship team
with great picks at RB or WR in the earlier rounds.

Up Next: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

EJ Fulbright
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