Top 50 Fantasy Football Picks for 2010

2. Adrian Peterson, RB, Minnesota Vikings: Rushed for a league-high 18 touchdowns in 2009.

3. Maurice Jones-Drew, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars: Speedy ballcarrier talled 15 TDs in '09.

4. Ray Rice, RB, Baltimore Ravens: Double-threat in 2009 with 1,339 rushing yards and 702 receiving.

5. Frank Gore, RB, San Francisco 49ers: Improved O-Line can only help Gore in 2010.

6. Steven Jackson, RB, St. Louis Rams: Remains the lone star on a perennially bad team.

7. Drew Brees, QB, New Orleans Saints: Too high to pick a QB, you say? I'll take Brees' consistency here any day.

8. Andre Johnson, WR, Houston Texans: 216 receptions and 17 TDs over the past two seasons.

9. DeAngelo Williams, RB, Carolina Panthers: Gets plenty of yards and TDs despite committee with Jonathan Stewart.

10. Ryan Mathews, RB, San Diego Chargers: The rookie is a big hit in San Diego, where he'll take over as the top back.

11. Michael Turner, RB, Atlanta Falcons: He'll have to prove the ankle injury woes are in the past to justify this high pick, but I like his chances.

12. Randy Moss, WR, New England Patriots: No. 2 WR in most fantasy formats in 2009 with 1,264 yards and 13 TDs.

13. Peyton Manning, QB, Indianapolis Colts: A virtual lock to net you 4,000-plus yards and 25-plus touchdowns.

14. Shonn Greene, RB, New York Jets: With Thomas Jones and Leon Washington gone, Greene takes over as the lead back in a run-first offense.

15. Aaron Rodgers, QB, Green Bay Packers: Has improved and impressed in two seasons as starter, with 8,472 yards and 58 TDs.

16. Reggie Wayne, WR, Indianapolis Colts: Jinx alert - Batman hasn't missed a regular-season game since 2001.

17. Rashard Mendenhall, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers: After 1,108 yards and seven TDs in 2009, he should get more of the load in 2010 while Big Ben's out.

18. Tony Romo, QB, Dallas Cowboys: Gotta love Romo's supporting cast, and the 4,483 yards and 26 TDs he tallied in 2009.

19. Calvin Johnson, WR, Detroit Lions: Put up 984 yards in 2009 despite QB Stafford missing six games. Should improve on those five TDs.

20. Jahvid Best, RB, Detroit Lions: Rookie from Cal will get a chance to shine while Kevin Smith recovers from knee surgery.

21. Roddy White, WR, Atlanta Falcons: Has topped 1,100 yards each of the past three seasons, with 11 TDs in 2009.

22. Cedric Benson, RB, Cincinnati Bengals: Ran for 1,251 yards and six TDs in 2009; addition of T.O. should help keep defensive attention elsewhere.

23. Pierre Thomas, RB, New Orleans Saints: This guy has a ton of upside, and it helps he plays in a high-powered offense.

24. Brandon Marshall, WR, Miami Dolphins: Change of scenery could be a good thing, but even after a contentious offseason in '09, he put up 1,120 yards and 10 TDs.

25. Larry Fitzgerald, WR, Arizona Cardinals: I'd pick Fitz quite a bit higher if I knew what to expect from Matt Leinart.

26. Ryan Grant, RB, Green Bay Packers: Back-to-back seasons over 1,200 yards, and he rushed for 11 TDs in 2009.

27. Antonio Gates, TE, San Diego Chargers: Top tight end in the draft puts up WR numbers - 79 passes for 1,157 yards and eight TDs in '09.

28. Jamaal Charles, RB, Kansas City Chiefs: Coming off 1,120 yards and seven TDs to go with 40 catches for 297 yards in 2009, but will Thomas Jones steal some goal-line touches?

29. Miles Austin, WR, Dallas Cowboys: One of the breakout stars of 2009 with 81 catches, 1,320 yards, 11 TDs. I'd like to see it again before I pick him much higher, though.

3o. DeSean Jackson, WR, Philadelphia Eagles: Jackson had two huge weeks in Kevin Kolb's two 2009 starts, which bodes well for the receiver and his new starting QB in 2010.

31. Ronnie Brown, RB, Miami Dolphins: I tend to shy away from injury prone backs, so I won't blame you if you scoff at this pick. When he's healthy, though, as he appears to be entering 2010, Brown's dang good.

32. Sidney Rice, WR, Minnesota Vikings: Do you pick him this high without knowing whether Brett Favre will return? I would. Rice's 83 catches for 1,312 yards and eight TDs in '09 weren't ALL Favre's doing.

33. Beanie Wells, RB, Arizona Cardinals: Wells is the lead running back in Arizona now, but there are a lot of questions, the biggest of which is: can Matt Leinart run the offense and the passing game well enough to give Wells room to run?

34. Jonathan Stewart, RB, Carolina Panthers: I admit this might be too low for Stewart, but I'm not much of a fan of committee-back systems when it comes to fantasy football. Still, Stewart has excelled in the setup, scoring 10 TDs each of his first two seasons.

35. Marques Colston, WR, New Orleans Saints: There's a lot to like about Colston - size, speed, the fact Drew Brees is throwing him the ball. Colston caught 70 passes for 1,074 yards and nine TDs in 2009.

36. Dallas Clark, TE, Indianapolis Colts: Clark has become one of Peyton Manning's most reliable targets, and he reeled in 100 passes for 1,106 yards and 10 TDs in 2009.

37. Greg Jennings, WR, Green Bay Packers: Jennings has big talent and a good chemistry with QB Aaron Rodgers. He needs to score more than those four TDs in 2009 to justify a higher pick, though.

38. LeSean McCoy, RB, Philadelphia Eagles: McCoy enters his sophomore season as the top back in Philly, with Brian Westbrook gone. He looked Westbrook-esque at times in '09, too, with 308 receiving yards and 637 rushing.

39. Tom Brady, QB, New England Patriots: Brady's healthy, surrounded by talent and coming off a season in which he threw for 4,398 yards, 28 touchdowns and just 13 interceptions.

40. Anquan Boldin, WR, Baltimore Ravens: A new town, new quarterback, new situation for Boldin, who topped 80 receptions and 1,000 yards each of the past two seasons.

41. Steve Smith, WR, Carolina Panthers: Until Matt Moore convinces me he's an able starting quarterback, Smith's value takes a bit of a hit, even though the receiver has surpassed 1,000 yards four of the past five seasons.

42. Joseph Addai, RB, Indianapolis Colts: Addai didn't break 80 yards rushing in a single regular-season game in 2009, but he still accounted for 828 yards and 10 touchdowns.

43. Matt Schaub, QB, Houston Texans: Schaub threw an NFL-most 583 times in 2009 for a league-best 4,770 yards, connecting for 29 touchdowns against 15 interceptions.

44. Phillip Rivers, QB, San Diego Chargers: Rivers has 62 touchdowns over the past two seasons, and puts up excellent fantasy statistics in the Chargers' pass-happy offense.

45. Knowshon Moreno, RB, Denver Broncos: Mike Shanahan's RB committees can be maddening for fantasy owners, and it looks as though Correll Buckhalter will get his share of carries in 2010. Still, it's tough to ignore Moreno's 947 yards and seven TDs on 247 carries in '09.

46. Vernon Davis, TE, San Francisco 49ers: Davis turned into Alex Smith's most reliable red-zone threat in 2009, catching 13 touchdown passes among his 78 receptions for 965 yards.

47. Hines Ward, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers: Consistent and tough as they come in the WR ranks. Ward surpassed 1,000 yards six of the past nine seasons. The other three? He went for 975, 975 and 732.

48. Steve Smith, WR, New York Giants: Eli Manning's new favorite target in 2009 caught 107 passes for 1,220 yards and seven TDs.

49. Matt Forte, RB, Chicago Bears: Much was made of Forte's "sophomore slump," but 929 yards and four TDs was only a slump because he went for 1,238 and eight in 2008.

50. Jermichael Finley, TE, Green Bay Packers: Finley finished off 2009 with a bang, catching 28 passes for 334 yards and four touchdowns in the final five games of the season.

Here's a look at some of my other draft lists for the 2010 fantasy football season:

• Click here for: Top 10 Fantasy Football Quarterbacks for 2010
• Click here for: Top 10 Fantasy Football Running Backs for 2010
• Click here for: No. 11-20 Fantasy Football Running Backs for 2010
• Click here for: Top 10 Fantasy Football Wide Receivers for 2010
• Click here for: Top 10 Fantasy Football Tight Ends for 2010

What do I know?
I've been playing fantasy football since 1998, and have participated in a keeper "dynasty" league since 2003. I also play in two or three single-season leagues each year, because as much as I love the keeper format, it's just fun to draft each season. I'm putting together these lists not because I think I'm a fantasy football expert (although I DID finally win my keeper league, plus another single-season league in 2009) but because I'm researching these players and stats and figured maybe I could help out other fantasy managers along the way. I'd love to hear your thoughts on these lists, and I'll continue rolling out positional and overall lists through the month of August, while fantasy football drafts are ongoing and while new information becomes available on players as they prepare for the 2010 season.