It is time for your latest installment of the Fantasy Football News and Advice Show. In this episode Corey welcomes two experts to the show, Lee from FootballJabber.com and Michael from TheHazean.com.

Along with a few hand picked fantasy related news items, today the discussion centers around a few potential quarterback sleepers and the injury status of some prominent NFL players like LaDanian Tomlinson, Jake Delhomme and Deion Branch.

Who will be reading when training camp opens? Who has man-love for Bears rookie Matt Forte? Get the answers to those questions and more when you…

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The music heard on this podcast is “Thunder Chicken featuring Joseph Henry” by the Mighty Imperials and “Podcast Background Music - Loop 11″ by Nick Murray.

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Willie Parker, Pittsburgh
The Steelers clearly missed The Bus last season, so even if Parker returns fully recovered from his leg injury, top pick Rashard Mendenhall should see plenty of action. The rookie clearly fits the Steelers smash-mouth approach to the game, as he should become more of the workhorse in this offense. Parker will get demoted to a situational, change-of-pace assignment. Fantasy impact: 5 (on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest)

Marian Barber, Dallas
You don’t take a running back with your top pick if you don’t think it’s a position need. Felix Jones is more than an ample replacement for the departed Julius Jones. His breakaway speed, as compared to Barber’s gritty, grind-out-the-yards style, should earn him lots of carries. If he becomes a home run threat, than there will be less goal line carries for the hard-chargin’ Barber. And with only one ball to go around, expect the fresh-legged Jones to get the bulk of the carries. Fastasy impact: 4

Justin Fargas, Oakland
Darren McFadden is a fast, powerful and exciting option that the Raiders haven’t had in quite some time in their backfield. Much like Jones in Dallas, McFadden offers too much potential to be brought along slowly. Expect to see Fargas in more obvious passing situations for his ability to pick up the blitz. Otherwise it should be McFadden left, McFadden right and McFadden up the middle. Fantasy impact: 4

Tatum Bell, Detroit Lions (Corey’s two cents)
Look out Tatum hear comes Kevin Smith. Who is Kevin Smith you say? Only the holder of the second highest rushing total for a season in NCAA history (2567 yards in 2007). If you are into karma - or just like to know useless sports facts - get this, who holds the all time single season rushing record? None other than Mr. Barry Sanders. Anyway, Mel Kiper has already gone on record as saying he thinks Kevin Will be starting opening day AND some think Kevins style is perfect for the Lions zone blocking scheme. Fantasy Impact: 3.5

DeAngelo Williams, Carolina
For a team with obvious needs on defense to take a running back with its first round pick, it tells you the Panthers are serious about making changes in the backfield. So expect to see lots of Oregon running back Jonathan Stewart. Fantasy impact: 3

Hines Ward, Santonio Holmes and Nate Washington, Pittsburgh
I’m not sure who, but Limas Sweed should easily become one of Ben Roethlisberger’s favorite targets as the year progresses. So whether he supplants Ward, who might have lost a step, or one or both of Pittsburgh’s other young wide receivers, expect Sweed to play as big as his 6-foot-4 frame. Fantasy impact: 3

Kyle Boller, Baltimore
For a split second following the retirement of Steve McNair, it looked like Boller was going to get one more chance to prove he’s the man. Then came Joe Flacco, who Baltimore traded back and then up to get late in the first round. And it’s not just the drafting of a quarterback, but it’s the way they did it. Clearly the Ravens feel Flacco is their guy, so why delay the inevitable? Flacco should get thrown to the wolves because a good defense and a running game can take a young QB a long way. Fantasy impact: 2

Chris Baker, New York Jets
The New York Jets dismal offense should get a shot in the arm from speedy tight end Dustin Keller. The Purdue product should give either mediocre Jets quarterback a reliable target over the middle, and that might do wonders for this offensively challenged team. Fantasy impact: 2

… Nobody seems to worried about the Rashard Mendenhall injury since it is early. It is not a good sign but if you are going to tweak something, tweak it in May.

… According to Tim Hasselbeck (yep the backup QB turned Sirius guy), J.T. O’Sullivan could be the dark horse to snag the 49er’s starting gig. Two reasons; first, he’s been working in Martz’s system for a few years now - Alex Smith and Shaun Hill have not. Second, Martz has been on record stating his love for J.T. and thinks he has the ability to perform in the NFL. Stay tuned.

… During a Rex Grossman discussion Tim Hasselbeck mentioned that, struggling QB’s love playing on the road. He cited his brother Matt as being an example when he was struggling in Seattle he longed for the away games because he new if he struggled early, the fans wouldn’t be all over him. He also thought that Eli Manning was great example of this last year. Not sure how much this means in the scope of things but it is a small thing to consider when picking a guy to start for your team on a given week or if you are putting a few bucks on the outcome of a game.

… LaDanian Tomlinson says his knee feels good after participating in min-camp drills. Also, in the biggest news of the day, there was an announcement by HC Norv Turner saying that LT will not be getting carries in th pre-season again.

… Shaun Alexander is scheduled to visit the Saints. Are they trying to tell us something about Deuce McAllister’s status?

Well I finally did it, I started a podcast. I call it the Fantasy Football News and Advice Show. I know, somewhat of a boring title but I didn’t feel the need to get fancy - after all, we are here to talk NFL and fantasy football.

Anyway, the show the will contain the NFL and fantasy football chit chat that you would expect but I thought I would mix it up a bit. I am going to be inviting guests from other NFL and fantasy blogs, sites and podcasts to come on and share their insights. With all the

In the very first episode Corey welcomes Lee from FootballJabber.com to talk a little NFL Draft. Also, Lee explains the difference between a dynasty and a keeper league and explains why it might be perfect for a fantasy diehard like you.

Press play and listen now.

Click Button To Play | Right-Click To Download

Subscribe to Fantasy Football news and Advice Show in iTunes, Zune, your feedreader, your podfeeder…. wherever!

The song on heard on this podcast is “Thunder Chicken featuring Joseph Henry” by the Mighty Imperials.

Rashard Mendenhall, RB, Pittsburgh
Every year it seems the Steelers have a top-shelf player fall into their lap. It probably has more to do with the franchise being a perennial playoff team, because with less holes to fill in its lineup, the team has the luxury of taking the best available player. And the 5-foot-9, 210-pound Mendenhall will more than reward the Steelers for not passing on him as he slipped down the board. Mendenhall will get lots of opportunities in the Steelers offense, and his combination of size-and-speed should translate to a lot of touchdowns. Even if Willie Parker returns 100 percent from injury, you can bet on Mendenhall being the better goal-line option.

James Hardy, WR, Buffalo
The Bills offense is horrible, but that’s just the point. The Bills actually moved the ball well last year between the 20s with rookie running back Marshawn Lynch and fellow rookie quarterback Trend Edwards. The problem was finding the end zone after reaching the red zone. So with the 6-foot-6, 220 pound Hardy, Edwards should have a field day throwing jump balls to this rookie. And after averaging 10 TDs in three seasons at Indiana, look for double-digit TDs again from Hardy at the next level.

Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kelly, WRs, Washington
Washington made out like bandits by drafting arguably the two best receivers in this year’s draft. The 6-2, 215-pound Thomas and the 6-4, 218-pound Kelly should be a dynamic duo for years to come. The only problem here is they are playing in the same offense, and there’s only one football to go around. And they have to share it with Santana Moss, Antwaan Randle El and Chris Cooley. The immediate impact of Thomas and Kelly will be limited only by the talent around them.

Limas Sweed, WR, Pittsburgh
Super Bowl-winning quarterback Ben Roethlisberger proved he could do more after stepping out from under the shadow of retired coach Bill Cowher. And with the addition of the 6-4, 212-pound Sweed, Big Ben will look a whole lot better throwing the ball down field. For a quarterback that never gives up on a play, the long-bodied Sweed could quickly become his favorite target.

Darren McFadden, RB, Oakland
McFadden was widely considered the best talent in the draft. He comes complete with a pedigree perfect for the Raiders, but the 6-2, 210-pound runner might find his first year in the NFL a bit frustrating. With a suspect line in front of him, and essentially a rookie quarterback in JaMarcus Russell leading the offense, running room will be difficult. His numbers will be good, and he should prove to easily be the best back in this draft class, but Mendenhall is poised to have the better immediate impact.

DeSean Jackson, WR, Philadelphia
If your league counts return yards, the Jackson will make a difference for you. If not, this 175-pound Smurf should make a difference out of the slot and on screen plays. If this West Coast attack can get Jackson the ball in space, he will be a feared player. It remains to be seen if his size will be his downfall.

John David Booty, QB, Minnesota
The only quarterback on the list, Booty is considered the most NFL ready of all the quarterbacks. And if the Vikings’ Tavaris Jackson stumbles out of the gate, this playoff-ready team with a strong running game and stout defense shouldn’t hesitate to turn the ball over to Booty and let him manage the game. That said, even if Booty gets on the field, impact fantasy numbers are not likely. He could be a sleeper and worth a late-round pick.

First, from a selfish, fantasy football point of view I was really hoping that the Jets would snag McFadden. I figure the Raiders backfield will be tricky the way it is with Michael Bush and Fargas but now McFadden too? Guess I am just an old school fantasy player trying still trying to get used to all these RBBC’s.

No surprise here but Felix Jones in Dallas should be a good fit. He’ll step right into Julius Jones former role and hack away at Marion Barber stats. Not sure that means a whole lot to fantasy layers but it is what it is. I did hear a comment by someone though - can’t remember - saying something about how ineffective Barber was late in the game when he started games so maybe this is a good thing. Bottom line, Barber is a RB2 and Felix is a RB3 at best - for now.

Caralina’s Jonathan Stewart is one to watch during training camp as he will be battling with DeAngelo Williams for playing time. This unit could provide some value in your draft even with a RBBC. With a healthy Delhomme back under center the Panthers should be back in business - something that other owners with short memories may overlook.

Observation…Why do the Titans always reach for running backs and never draft a solid number #1 for Vince?

Is WR James Hardy the man who will be able to keep defense’s honest and off of Lee Evans back? Let’s hope so. After a disappointing, double and triple teamed year for Evans, any receiver with a pulse aught to provide a little upside for Evans.

File this away in the back of your mind; Mel Kiper says that Kevin Smith will be Lions starting running back on opening day.

That should do it for today. I know I didn’t hit on all the teams but those where just a few of the things that jumped out at me. Besides I am starting a podcast and I will posting the very first episode later this week and I wanted to save some stuff for the show. See you then.

For today’s post I am going to take on the the division that is near and dear to my heart, the NFC North. Why is it near and dear you ask? Well my beloved Vikings are a part of this division.

I am going to look at this as objectively as possible BUT as you can imagine, it is almost impossible to write this without some sort of bias.

While on one hand I may think overvalue my team in one category, on the other I am just as afraid of giving them to good of a grade and jinxing them. I am a bit superstitious when it comes to the Vikes to years and years of shattered expectations. They are usually better than expected or worse than expected. I will do my best but feel free to keep me honest.

With that out of the way lets do it. Here are my thoughts on the NFC - and in the words of ESPN’s Chris Berman - Norse;

2008 NFC North Final Standings:

1) Green Bay Packers

2) Minnesota Vikings

3) Chicago Bears

4) Detriot Lions

Thoughts:

Although it is tempting to go Minnesota now that Jared Allen is wearing purple, but I will stick with the Packers (hopefully I am wrong). Basically my choice for division winner comes down to the quarterback. Although it is hard to put all my chips on Aaron Rodgers it is even harder to put my chips on Tavaris Jackson. Both teams have top ten defenses, exceptional o-lines and top shelf play makers on offense.

The Bear offense is a huge question mark - and thats being nice. The defense started to show some vulnerability because the offense stinks. That only leaves them with Devon Hester and unfortunately he can’t do it all.

I wanna put Detroit in the three spot but I’ve bet on them in the past and they just seem to find a way to blow it no matter how good they look on paper.

Fantasy Notes:

Can Aaron Rodgers pick up where Favre left off? All that we really know about Rodgers is what we saw in the Cowboys game last year. What he does in the pre-season will go a long way in determining where he - and his supporting cast - will go in a fantasy draft. Seeing as how it will be an unknown there could be some good value here.

The acquisition of DE Jared Allen easily makes the Vikings defense a top ten fantasy defense (hell, you could make a pretty case for top five). Teamed with two pro bowl tackles, the pressure this line should be able to create will create multiple opportunities to get sacks and create turnovers. I am betting they will command a pretty high draft position in your fantasy draft.

The Bears defense and Devon Hester are about the only stories here. Chicago’s offense is such a huge question mark it is hard to pin point any fantasy value. However, everyone will be flying way under the radar - for good reason - and in my 18 years of experience, these are the types of situations that ussually harbor good value. Keep an eye on the draft, the remainder of free agency and training camp.

With Martz gone I get the feeling that Marineli will take the the offense into more of ball control style offense (if they can play defense… stay tuned). That will devalue Kitna and the receiving corp a bit but could provide an opportunity for a running back.

Kevin Jones is gone and Tatum Bell couldn’t seem to get it going. The Lions are rumoured to be looking running back in the first round and could get one of the blue chippers. A young stud could make some noise here.

Thats it for the North. I’ll be back in a week or so with my thoughts on the NFC South. The draft will be complete at that point so it should be interesting to see how that impacts my selections. For the record I am thinking Saints BUT like I said, we’ll see how the draft pans out. See you next time.

In case you didn’t know, subscribing to the Goat is at the all time low price of free. You can subscribe to The Fantasy Football Goat by email and have this stuff in your inbox seconds after I post it or you can subscribe in your feed reader or on your home page. Either way you get the info fast and easy. Don’t understand this whole subscribing thing? Check out this short video on RSS. Isn’t technology great?

There is far more involved in being the league commissioner than making sure the Web site runs as promised. You’ll have to be a good communicator to keep everyone involved while also being a voice of reason. Below are 5 tips to help you keep the season running smooth all the way to the league championship game.

1. Decide what’s at stake: The simplest way to run a league is to find a free site to host the league and then just compete against your friends for bragging rights. If you want to kick it up a notch, then you can have everyone ante in an agreed to amount at the beginning of the season, and then decide on the payouts. It could be a winner-take-all format, or the top three teams could finish in the money, with the league champ taking home a proportionately higher amount.

2. Encourage trash talk: It’s a great way to keep everyone involved throughout the entire season. Even teams that have one win, might not lose interest if they can exchange in some friendly banter. And fantasy leagues are a great way to stay in touch with friends you may not see regularly due to schedules or geography, so keep the lines of communication open.

3. Communicate regularly: As commissioner, it’s not necessary, but it’s a good idea to send out a weekly e-mail to the entire league updating them on trades, key showdowns or on the latest free agent pick ups. And at the start of the season, it’s recommended that you introduce everyone with a quick e-mail. And if not everyone knows each other, then this works as a nice icebreaker to explain how each owner is connected to the league with perhaps a little tidbit or fact about each person.

4. Stay on top of transactions: Most sites are pretty much hands-off once the season gets underway. But sometimes trades and transactions can get held up because the site has a grace period or sometimes the site can get bogged down with heavy traffic. If there are technical difficulties, everyone is going to be looking at you to fix the problem. So if you can monitor transactions, as commissioner you are usually able to override the site and push through a move that might otherwise not take place before the start of games for the week.

5. Put on your zebra uniform: As commissioner, you’re going to be called on to settle disputes as a referee. For example, if a computer error prevents a team from fielding a full roster, then that team’s owner will be upset, as it will affect wins and losses. Stripping one team of a win and rewarding another team with a win will only upset the other owner, computer error or not. There could be a scoring discrepancy between the official NFL stats and the league scoring. Whatever you decide, trying to be fair and consistent in your rulings will help you keep tempers in check. The last thing you want to do is lose friends over a fantasy sports league.

In the spirit of spring and the upcoming summer - can’t freakin’ wait - I whipped up a little blues and BBQ podcast. I nice mellow and relaxing ride.

Stop by now, listen and have a beer with me.

What does every fantasy league have in common? Every one has a commissioner, and why shouldn’t it be you everyone calls The Commish? It’s easier than you might think. Below are 5 tips that’ll put you on the right path to running a successful fantasy football league.

1. Round up the troops: Find 10 to 12 people to participate in your league. From friends and family members to co-workers and friends of friends, you want to recruit people who are going to be enthusiastic and active in the league. By finding team owners who remain involved and engaged in the league, you will have the makings of a highly competitive league.

2. Choose the right Web site: There seems to be an endless galaxy of Web sites eager to host your league. Some of the usual suspects include espn.com, foxsports.com, yahoo.com, nfl.com, cbssportsline.com, homegrownsports.com, etc. You can find a lot of free sites, but some will charge a fee to host your league. Do your homework, and you’ll be able to find a site that fits your needs.

3. Customize your league: As commissioner, this is your first, and perhaps most important chance to put your stamp on the league. You’ll be able to select a scoring system, like how many points are awarded for a sack or an interception; or whether special teams touchdowns actually count. With one click of the mouse you can make Devin Hester an invaluable asset or virtually irrelevant. You’ll also be able to determine roster size, from selecting the number of wide receivers on each roster to choosing between an Individual Defensive Player (IDP) and a Team Defense.

4. Determine a draft format: The most popular style is a straightforward draft in a snake format. This means in a 10-team league, teams draft 1 through 10 in round one - with draft order chosen at random. Then in round two, the draft order is “snaked” back, with the next 10 picks chosen in reverse order, from 10 through 1. This gives the team that draws the short straw and drafts in the 10 spot, a competitive chance with back-to-back picks. Another draft format is an auction league. In this format, each team is given a salary cap and you have to fill out your roster without going over budget. Typically in an auction format, people take turns nominating players for auction, and the highest bidder wins the player.

5. Pick a draft time (and location): This might be easier said than done, as it is hard to get everyone together at one time and in the same location. Getting everyone together in the same room is the best way to run a draft. If that’s not possible, most sites have user-friendly draft rooms that will facilitate the draft for you online. All you have to do is get everyone to agree to be logged in at the same time, and reserve that time with the host site. Most sites only allow a certain amount of drafts to be conducted at the same time, so if you don’t want to be drafting at 3 a.m. the Tuesday before the start of the season, then make sure you reserve your draft time as soon as possible as it’s usually first come first serve.