Thank You Ms. Cleo (2011 NFL Edition)

“Well would you jump off the Brooklyn Bridge if such and such did?” Bet you heard that from a parent or adult at some point when you were a kid. Maybe it was jumping off a cliff, or stepping front of a train. The point was the same. You shouldn’t always follow the crowd. Of course now, that’s precisely what we do. Down to the point of literally “following” people on Twitter.

The stock market follows the hot lead. Fantasy sports players follow the hot pick-up. Kids in school want the stuff they see on TV. So don’t fool yourself, jumping off of the Brooklyn Bridge is exactly what most people do. Why? Because everybody else is doing it.

I figure you just have to be smart enough to evaluate the situation. Maybe everybody is jumping off of the Brooklyn Bridge because you receive a million dollars for doing so. Go ahead and jump, just bring some scuba gear and a parachute.

Why all the nonsense? Because I’m going to write something that’s been written thousands of times in the past few weeks. Not usually a big fan of jumping on the bandwagon. But I figure that so many people are writing this piece because people really enjoy reading it. So without further ado…..

My Bold/Crazy/Wild Predictions/Prognostications/Guesses

AKA

Thank You Ms. Cleo

I’m going to say something about each NFL team. These are things I believe WILL happen this season. Now would I lay even money on these propositions? Probably not. But I’m not laying even money to bet on any team to win the Super Bowl, why should this be any different.

ARIZONA CARDINALS

• Larry Fitzgerald will lead the NFL in receptions
• LaRod Stephens-Howling will total over 1,000 yards from scrimmage

ATLANTA FALCONS

• Michael Turner will fail to record 1,200 yards or 10 TD’s
• Julio Jones will be the Offensive Rookie of the Year

BALTIMORE RAVENS

• Ray Rice will be the #1 fantasy RB in PPR leagues
• Lee Evans will exceed 1,000 yards receiving and 6 TD’s

BUFFALO BILLS

• Steve Johnson exceeds 1,200 yards receiving
• The Bills fail to win 5 games

CAROLINA PANTHERS

• Neither DeAngelo Williams or Jonathan Stewart finish as a top-15 RB in fantasy leagues
• Steve Smith 1.0 fails to exceed 1,000 yards or 6 TD’s
• Greg Olsen catches more than 60 passes

CHICAGO BEARS

• No Bears WR records 1,000 yards or 6 TD’s
• Mario Barber scores 8 or more TD’s

CINCINNATI BENGALS

• No Bengals WR exceeds 900 yards receiving
• Cedric Benson fails to rush for 1,000 yards or score 6 TD’s
• Jordan Shipley scores more fantasy points than AJ Green or Jerome Simpson

CLEVELAND BROWNS

• Peyton Hillis shakes off the Madden Curse to record 1,500 yards from scrimmage and 10+ TD’s
• TE Evan Moore posts surprising totals of 600+ yards and 5 TD’s

DALLAS COWBOYS

• Tony Romo finishes as a top-5 fantasy QB
• Miles Austin and Dez Bryant both exceed 1,000 yards receiving and 6 TD’s
• Felix Jones plays at least 14 games and posts solid RB2 numbers, especially in PPR leagues
• Jason Witten finishes outside of the top-7 at TE in standard fantasy leagues

DENVER BRONCOS

• Knowshon Moreno and Willis McGahee combine for over 2,000 yards rushing and 15+ TD’s
• Kyle Orton finishes the season as the starting QB, starting all 16 games

DETROIT LIONS

• Matthew Stafford starts at least 13 games
• Calvin Johnson finishes the year as the #1 WR in standard fantasy leagues
• Jahvid Best does NOT lead the Lions in rushing yards

GREEN BAY PACKERS

• Greg Jennings struggles until Jermichael Finley gets hurt, then puts up WR1 numbers the rest of the season.
• Jermichael Finley fails to play in at least 10 games
• Jordy Nelson has more yards, receptions and TD’s than James Jones or Donald Driver

HOUSTON TEXANS

• Arian Foster plays in at least 14 games and finishes as a top-10 RB in fantasy leagues.
• Andre Johnson misses at least 2 games and still finishes as a top-5 fantasy WR
• Derrick Ward records more carries than Ben Tate

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS

• Peyton Manning starts 16 games. He struggles for the first month, before putting up MVP-caliber numbers for the last 12 games.
• Pierre Garcon finishes with more fantasy points than Austin Collie
• Joseph Addai fails to start 12 games

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS

• Maurice Jones-Drew plays in at least 14 games and finishes as a top-12 fantasy RB
• Mike Thomas exceeds 1,000 yards receiving
• Mercedes Lewis fails to score at least 6 TD’s

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS

• Dwayne Bowe fails to finish as a top-12 fantasy WR
• Jamaal Charles does not finish as a top-7 RB in standard fantasy leagues
• Matt Cassel doesn’t finish as a top-20 fantasy QB

MIAMI DOLPHINS

• Daniel Thomas scores more fantasy points than Reggie Bush, despite Reggie Bush starting more games
• Brandon Marshall finishes as a top-5 WR in PPR leagues
• Davone Bess finishes as a top-30 WR in PPR leagues

MINNESOTA VIKINGS

• Adrian Peterson continues to dominate and finishes as a top-3 fantasy RB
• Percy Harvin finishes as a top-15 WR in PPR leagues
• Donovan McNabb starts at least 14 games

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

• No Patriots RB finishes as a top-20 fantasy option
• Both Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez finish as top-12 fantasy TE’s
• Chad Ochocinco fails to record 1,000 yards or 6 TD’s

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

• Pierre Thomas scores more fantasy points than Mark Ingram in PPR leagues
• Robert Meachem leads the Saints WR’s in fantasy points
• Jimmy Graham finishes as a top-7 option at TE
• The Saints D/ST is a top-10 fantasy unit

NEW YORK GIANTS

• Brandon Jacobs scores more fantasy points than Ahmad Bradshaw in standard fantasy leagues
• Mario Manningham finishes as a top-20 WR in PPR leagues
• Hakeem Nicks is a top-5 WR in fantasy leagues

NEW YORK JETS

• Shonn Greene fails to score 10 TD’s
• Santonio Holmes is a top-12 WR in standard leagues
• Plaxico Burress fails to finish in the top-30 at WR in fantasy leagues

OAKLAND RAIDERS

• Darren McFadden finishes as a top-7 RB in fantasy leagues
• Michael Bush scores at least 10 TD’s
• Jacoby Ford exceeds 1,000 yards receiving

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

• Mike Vick fails to finish as a top-5 fantasy QB
• LeSean McCoy finishes as a top-5 RB in PPR leagues
• Jeremy Maclin scores more fantasy points than DeSean Jackson
• Jason Avant scores more fantasy points than Steve Smith 2.0

PITTSBURGH STEELERS

• Issac Redman starts at least 4 games at RB
• Mike Wallace leads the NFL in receiving yards
• Emmanuel Sanders scores more fantasy points than Antonio Brown or Hines Ward

SAN DIEGO CHARGERS

• Philip Rivers finishes as the #1 fantasy QB
• Mike Tolbert has more fantasy points than Ryan Matthews
• Vincent Jackson is a top-7 fantasy WR

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS

• Sidney Rices fails to finish as a top-30 fantasy WR
• Marshawn Lynch fails to exceed 1,200 total yards or 6 total TD’s

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

• No 49ers WR finishes in the top-30 in fantasy leagues
• Vernon Davis finishes as a top-3 fantasy TE
• Kendall Hunter starts at least 3 games at RB

ST. LOUIS RAMS

• Sam Bradford finishes as a top-12 fantasy QB
• Danny Amendola finishes as a top-20 WR in PPR leagues
• Steven Jackson finishes as a top-10 fantasy RB

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS

• LeGarrette Blount finishes as a top-12 fantasy RB in standard leagues
• Kellen Winslow is a top-5 fantasy TE
• Dezmon Briscoe scores more fantasy points than Arrelious Benn

TENNESSEE TITANS

• Chris Johnson fails to start at least two games due to injury
• TE Jared Cook leads the Titans in receptions
• Kenny Britt fails to start 12 games at WR
• Matt Hasselbeck starts at least 13 games at QB

WASHINGTON REDSKINS

• At least 3 RB’s start games for the Redskins
• Tim Hightower finishes with the most fantasy points among Redskins RB’s but does not finish the season as the starting RB
• Santana Moss does not finish as a top-20 WR in standard leagues

See? Not particularly bold overall, but these thoughts have certainly had a part in shaping my fantasy teams. It’s probably not a bad idea for you to make a list like that of your own. It could help. Besides, everybody else is doing it.

Join the crowd, follow along on the Twitter.