OK, I’ve finally leafed through most of the FF preview magazines and have done exhaustive research online trying to get up to speed before my first draft (August 16th). As usual, everything is subjective and it’s really hard to predict the future when it comes to this stuff but I’ve noticed some areas where my counterparts are flat out WRONG.

 BEN ROETHLISBERGER DOESN’T SUCK:  I haven’t seen him higher than the 5th best QB going despite ranking 4th overall all last year in QB pts (and I’ve seen him ranked as low as 9th)! He set a franchise record for TD’s last year and, get this, Ben says he’s “just now feeling comfortable with the offense”. If you’re going to spend your first 2 picks on running backs, you can still get a QB who can net you 20 plus points per week as late as the 6th round.

BEWARE OF ADRIAN PETERSON:  Most prognosticators are trying to get me to believe that Adrian Peterson warrants 1st overall pick consieration. These magazines and websites make it appear that somehow Adrian Peterson disemboweled Joseph Addai and Brian Westbrook en route to a 2,500 yard season last year. MINDLESS PROPAGANDA. Don’t get me wrong, AP is great but the stats reveal that he’s a bit streaky (and don’t get me started about the injuries). Also, don’t forget, 2007 saw injuries to many injuries to prominent runners. Steven Jackson, LJ, Kevin Jones, Brandon Jacobs, Rudi Johnson, Joseph Addai and Reggie Bush all missed games due to injury. It’s no wonder AP got all the press last year, no one else was healthy enough to even compete with him.

 JASON WITTEN IS NOT THE 2nd BEST TE IN FANTASY FOOTBALL:  He’s number 1. Too many websites and magazines are getting lazy. They must just be copying and pasting their Big Board TE Rankings from last year and slapping it into 2008’s preview. Witten outpointed Gates last year and had 2 fewer weeks with 5 points or less. Witten is ROMO’s first lookoff when TO is double covered and he doesn’t have to worry about Tomlinson making him obsolete by rushing for 250 yards a game. Plus, Gates is entering camp with an injury that could hamper him. This one’s simple. Health: ADV Witten, QB: ADV Witten, OFF Scheme: ADV Witten, OFF Line: ADV Witten.

It’s a little late for me this year, actually, a lot late. Usually I begin my FF prep in early April around NFL draft-time and start my big board rankings in June. This year, for whatever reason, has been a little different and I’m only getting around to seriously diving in over the last few days. Sometimes the best part of the FF season is the prep work though over the past few years I’ve probably gone a little overboard with it. Maybe I’m getting to this a little late this year because I know what a daunting task it is with so little free time.

Obviously, the first step when it comes to ranking your big boards is the all-important Fantasy Football Magazine purchase. I’m starting to think that one day the internet will make these things obsolete but as long as someone is willing to cut down trees to print one, I’ll be there spending money on it. It’s the one thing the internet can never replace. That being said, the best Fantasy Football magazine by far is Fantasy Football Weekly by fanball.com (the one with ROMO on the cover). FFW’s mag is innovative in that it has 9 different editors ranking players instead of 1 and you get all 9’s opinions on their top 10 at each position. Next, they do varying Big Board drafts depending on which type of scoring system you use in your league. They rank players on their boards based on yardage system, points system, points and yardage systems, auctions system and keeper leagues. Genius.

I don’t always agree on everyone’s Big Boards no matter what the magazine but the magazines are always a catalyst to get my mind going. I already see some overrated players and busts in these things. I’m going to write about those later.

To write a column, blog entry or call a sports talk show about praising Ken Holland seems almost redundant at this point. So I’m not going to. To comment further on the brilliance of Ken Holland and the Red Wings organization would be a distraction from beholding it. There are others to thank for setting Ken up to make this deal. Let’s get to them.

MARIAN HOSSA: Hossa, in a show of maturity not often seen in athletes, decided he didn’t want to wait until he was 42 years old to win a title and wanted to do it in his prime. He’s no dummy. He’s worth over $80 million dollars now conservatively. Watch those numbers sky rocket with an even higher salary cap next year and Stanley Cup on his resume.

THE NHL OWNERS: Thanks to the Lockout, the NHL is making money hand over fist. The Salary Cap has gone up for 4 consecutive years and NHL attendance has gone up for 4 consecutive years. The cap for the upcoming season is $6.4 million dollars more than last years. Without such an increase, there is no way the Hossa deal could have happened.

THE STRONG CANADIAN DOLLAR: Ducks GM Brian Burke says the 6 Canadian franchises have never been on stronger footing thanks to the rise of the Loonie. Revenues grew 12% amongst the franchises and helped with the upper end of the salary cap spike.