Brandon Jacobs, the starting running back for the New York Giants, has been given the franchise tag. This tag allows the Giants to virtually ensure that Jacobs will return to the team for the 2009 NFL season.

In the 2008 NFL season, Jacobs was dominant at times. He finished the year with more than 1000 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns despite missing three games. Jacobs’ has a powerful rushing style that allows him to get stronger as the game wears on.

One change for the Giants in 2009 will likely be at the backup running back position. Derrick Ward was the backup this past season but after a very good season, Ward is expected to go elsewhere as a free agent. The backup job behind Jacobs would then fall to running backs Ahmad Bradshaw and Danny Ware.

In 2009 fantasy football, Jacobs will likely be drafted in the top two rounds. The only thing that would stop him from being a surefire first round fantasy pick is the lingering question about his durability.

Although the 2009 fantasy football season is a long ways away, here’s an early look at a mock draft of the first round. It should be noted that the first round of the 2009 fantasy football draft looks like it will be all running backs in virtually every format.

1. Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings
2. Michael Turner, Atlanta Falcons
3. Matt Forte, Chicago Bears
4. Brian Westbrook, Philadelphia Eagles
5. DeAngelo Williams, Carolina Panthers
6. Chris Johnson, Tennessee Titans
7. LaDainian Tomlinson, San Diego Chargers
8. Brandon Jacobs, New York Giants
9. Steve Slaton, Houston Texans
10. Maurice Jones-Drew, Jacksonville Jaguars
11. Clinton Portis, Washington Redskins
12. Frank Gore, San Francisco 49ers

QB Kurt Warner, Arizona Cardinals
Although Kurt Warner has been a lot better than expected during the 2008 fantasy football season, he hasn’t been overly productive in the fantasy football world as of late. In his last five games, he has one touchdown pass in four of those contests. In Week 16 against the New England Patriots, Warner could very well struggle.

RB Brandon Jacobs, New York Giants
There are a lot of reasons to be wary of Brandon Jacobs this week. First of all, he’s coming off of an injury and there’s no telling how healthy he really is. Secondly, the Giants are facing the Carolina Panthers this week. Last but not least, Jacobs doesn’t have a 100+ yard outing since Week 10.

WR Laveranues Coles, New York Jets
Laveranues Coles has had a relatively good fantasy football season, but he simply hasn’t been consistent enough to trust as of late. In two our of his last three games, he has less than ten yards receiving. He also only has one touchdown in his last seven games. Even this week’s solid matchup against the Seattle Seahawks doesn’t make him a very good start.

TE Chris Cooley, Washington Redskins
Even though he’s a well known player, Chris Cooley isn’t giving fantasy owners much reason to believe in him. During the entire 2008 NFL season, Cooley has only one touchdown grab. Last week against a bad Cincinnati Bengals defense, the Redskins managed only 13 points. Going against a tough Philadelphia Eagles defense this week, it’d be best to look elsewhere for tight end production.

RB Brandon Jacobs, New York Giants
Already ruled out for Week 15 of the fantasy football season, be sure to take Brandon Jacobs out of your fantasy starting lineup. Expect Derrick Ward to get the start, although Ahman Bradshaw will likely also get a number of carries.

RB Marion Barber III, Dallas Cowboys
Marion Barber III took some criticism last week for not playing. Considering that fact, there’s a good chance he’ll do his all to play in Week 15. The backup running back option for the Cowboys is currently Tashard Choice.

QB Gus Frerotte, Minnesota Vikings
Listed as doubtful, it doesn’t appear as if Gus Frerotte is going to be able to play in Week 15 for the Vikings. In his place, expect Tarvaris Jackson to get the start at quarterback. Given Jackson’s shaky history, look elsewhere for a fantasy football starter.

QB Jeff Garcia, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Although Jeff Garcia is listed as questionable, it sounds like he’ll be able to play in Week 15. If he doesn’t play, Brian Griese would likely start. However, there’s a possibility that Luke McCown would get the nod.

Photo credit: Newscom

In fantasy football leagues that score 1 point per 15 yards and 6 points per touchdown, here’s a look at the top five running backs for the 2008 season:

5. Frank Gore, San Francisco 49ers
Although the Niners have had a difficult year, Frank Gore has had a bit of a bounce back season. Last year, he was a fantasy football disappointment but he’s been well worth his preseason draft positions in 2008. Down the stretch, Gore should be a very good option — especially if Shaun Hill can continue having success at quarterback.

4. Michael Turner, Atlanta Falcons
Coming into the 2008 fantasy football season, it was difficult to figure where to put Michael Turner on the running back rankings. But after signing with the Falcons in the offseason, he’s made Atlanta look smart by being a very good running back. Against teams with weak run defenses, he’s especially deadly.

3. Clinton Portis, Washington Redskins
Clinton Portis was actually at the top of this list until recently when he got banged up. If he can get healthy, he’s going to get a lot of carries to end the season. If not, his fantasy owners may have to look elsewhere. However, filling his huge shoes will be close to impossible.

2. Thomas Jones, New York Jets
The true surprise of the 2008 running back rankings has to be Thomas Jones. He didn’t look too good last year in 2007 and many fantasy experts were wondering whether he could lose his starting job. Not only has Jones remained the starter, he’s been arguably the most explosive fantasy back in the NFL this season.

1. Brandon Jacobs, New York Giants
The Super Bowl champion Giants have the best fantasy running back at the moment. Jacobs is almost impossible to bring down in one-on-one situations and he has a nose for the endzone. As long as the Giants keep giving him the rock and as long as he stays healthy, he could very well be the best fantasy running back in 2008.

Photo: Newscom

It’s never too early to look at next year in the world of fantasy football. Here’s a look at a 2009 fantasy football mock draft. It’s early but this could very well be what we see next year in fantasy drafts.

1. Adrian Peterson
After a great rookie season, AP is proving it wasn’t a fluke.

2. LaDainian Tomlinson
His career may be winding down LT has too much history to pass up.

3. Brian Westbrook
When healthy, Westbrook remains arguably the best fantasy RB.

4. Clinton Portis
He’s been great in 2008 and should be able to keep it up in 2009.

5. Matt Forte
Multidimensional Bears RB will be tough to overlook next season.

6. Brandon Jacobs
With the Giants looking like a powerhouse, Jacobs will retain value.

7. Marion Barber III
Even though not as explosive in 2008, he’s still a TD threat.

8. Frank Gore
Gore continues to prove he’s one of the most talented backs in NFL.

9. Michael Turner
Against poor defenses, Turner is money.

10. Chris Johnson
If LenDale wasn’t in the way, he’d be top five pick.

11. Steve Slaton
The Texans offense is getting better and Slaton is growing in value.

12. Tom Brady
Those 50 touchdowns won’t be easily forgotten.

QB Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers
Despite an injury that almost forced him to miss the game, Aaron Rodgers produced a very good fantasy week in Week 5. He finished with three touchdowns and 313 yards. All wasn’t good for the Packers however as they lost the game against the Atlanta Falcons.

RB Brandon Jacobs, New York Giants
Brandon Jacobs exploded in Week 5 against the Seattle Seahawks. He finished the game with 15 carries for 136 yards and two touchdowns. Although some fantasy football owners were down on him entering the season, he has played very well thus far.

WR Roddy White, Atlanta Falcons
Big things were expected out of Roddy White this season but he has struggled at times with rookie quarterback Matt Ryan at the helm. But in Week 5, White still proved he’s a dangerous fantasy weapon as he had eight catches for 132 yards and a touchdown.

TE Chris Cooley, Washington Redskins
Chris Cooley can sometimes get lost in the Redskins’ offense but he was very visible in the Week 5 game. He was dominant on his way to eight catches for 109 yards and a touchdown.

Any worries that Brandon Jacobs may have lost his hunger after the Super Bowl championships may be put to bed. In the NFL’s opening game, Jacobs ran over Laron Landry. You can see the video at the end of the entry.

Landry isn’t a bad player — in fact, the second-year Washington Redskin is destined to be a very good player. However, sometimes it is best to just get out of the way when Jacobs is headed at you with a full head of steam.

In terms of fantasy football, there is reason to be excited if you own Jacobs. He’s in a solid offense and he’s the clear cut starter. As for the Redskins defense, their run defense didn’t look too good in Week 1.

Here is the video of Laron Landry getting flattened by Brandon Jacobs:

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Which fantasy football players stood out in the first game of the NFL season? Although the Giants won the game 16-7, both teams had some notable fantasy football performance.

Plaxico Burress, New York Giants
Many worried about Plaxico Burress and his leg injuries heading into the 2008 season. However, in the first game of the season, Burress proved he’s feeling good. He finished the game with 10 catches for 133 yards.

Brandon Jacobs, New York Giants
Getting a bit over two-thirds of the carries for the Giants, Brandon Jacobs looked really good. He was powerful and showed very good burst. If he stays healthy, he could have a big year. Jacobs finished the game with 21 carries for 116 yards.

Eli Manning, New York Giants
Although he started off on fire, Eli Manning really cooled down as the game went along. Although he was passing the ball well to Burress, the rest of his passes looked a bit off. Manning didn’t have a passing touchdown but he was able to score a rushing touchdown.

Clinton Portis, Washington Redskins
Although he didn’t have a hugely productive game, Portis was very involved for the Redskins. If you have Portis on your team, you know that he will get a lot of touches each and every game. Portis finished the game with 84 rushing yards.

Antwaan Randle El, Washington Redskins
Antwaan Randle El didn’t have much fantasy football love heading into the season but his performance in the first game may turn a few heads. Playing in a new offense, Randle El had seven catches for 73 yards. If he keeps it up, he could become a fantasy option soon.

We’ve already looked at the first round and the second round fantasy football mock draft for 2008. Here is the third round:

1. Jamal Lewis, Cleveland Browns
2. TJ Houshmandzadeh, Cincinnati Bengals
3. Laurence Maroney, New England Patriots
4. Steve Smith, Carolina Panthers
5. Chad Johnson, Cincinnati Bengals
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