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

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RB DeAngelo Williams, Carolina Panthers
It’s hard to call DeAngelo Williams anything other than a fantasy football phenom. Against a tough New York Giants defense, Williams had four rushing touchdowns and more than 100 yards. On the season, Williams has more than 1300 yards and 18 touchdowns.

WR Marques Colston, New Orleans Saints
Although he’s had a disappointing season on the whole, Marques Colston came up big in Week 16 of the fantasy football season. He finished the game against the Detroit Lions with two touchdowns, 99 receiving yards and nine catches. The nine receptions were a season-high and he doubled his touchdown total on the season with those two TDs.

TE Visanthe Shiancoe, Minnesota Vikings
If you started Vishanthe Shiacoe, you are one happy fantasy football owner. The Vikings’ tight end had two touchdowns, 136 receiving yards and seven receptions. With this huge game, Shiancoe has officially elevated himself to stud status on the tight end market.

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2. Brian Westbrook, Philadelphia Eagles
Although Briant Westbrook went through a slump, he’s come up huge the last two weeks. He has six total touchdowns during the span — three rushing and three receiving. He also has more than 330 total yards in the last two weeks.

3. Pierre Thomas, New Orleans Saints
In the last four weeks, Pierre Thomas has six touchdowns. Even with Reggie Bush back in the lineup, Thomas is getting a lot of action. Although he doesn’t get as many touches as featured backs, the fact that he’s in a high-powered offense makes up for it.

4. Michael Turner, Atlanta Falcons
Michael Turner has eight touchdowns in the last five weeks. In the one game he didn’t score a touchdown over that span, he had 120 rushing yards. On the season, Turner already has 12 touchdowns and 1269 rushing yards.

5. Thomas Jones, New York Jets
In the last nine weeks, Thomas Jones has 13 touchdowns to his name. He has at least one touchdown in eight of those nine games. In the one game he didn’t have a touchdown, he had a season-high 159 yards rushing.

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RB DeAngelo Williams, Carolina Panthers
Coming into the 2008 fantasy football season, DeAngelo Williams wasn’t a wanted man in the fantasy world. He was a part of a dreaded running back by committee situation in Carolina. However, now he’s emerged as the hottest back in fantasy football and is suddenly a must start each and every week.

WR Kevin Walter, Houston Texans
Kevin Walter showed some promise in 2007 but nobody could have imagined him becoming a top ten wide receiver in 2008. While he’s still not quite as valuable as teammate Andre Johnson, Walter has had a huge year and seems to be playing better and better as the season has progressed. Going into 2009, Walter will be a household name in the fantasy football world.

TE Visanthe Shiancoe, Minnesota Vikings
Prior to 2008, Visanthe Shiancoe was known as a player who didn’t always give great effort. He was also known for his bad hands. In 2008, Shiancoe has become a very productive tight end who is currently ranked in the top five. While he’s not overly consistent, he’s capable of scoring a touchdown in any given week.

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RB DeAngelo Williams, Carolina Panthers
Early in the season, it appeared as if DeAngelo Williams would never live up to his expectations. Now, Williams is regarded as one of the best fantasy football running backs in 2008. In Week 11, Williams finished the game with two touchdowns and 120 yards rushing on 14 attempts. Combining with Jonathan Stewart, the Panthers have a very formidable one-two punch.

WR TJ Houshmandzadeh, Cincinnati Bengals
Even thought the Bengals have been a big disappointment and quarterback Carson Palmer has missed a lot of time, TJ Houshmandzadeh has actually been quite good. He still has been able to get open and he still has very good hands. He finished this week’s game with 12 catches for 149 yards and a touchdown receptions. If it wasn’t clear last year, it’s clear this year — Houshmandzadeh is simply a better wide receiver than Chad Johnson.

TE Benjamin Watson, New England Patriots
Cassel’s main target against the Jets was tight end Benjamin Watson. Watson has very good ability to go along with great size and athleticism, however he’s had a difficult time putting it all together. For a week, at least, he did just that. He finished Week 11 with eight catches for 88 yards and a touchdown grab to be the top fantasy football tight end for the week.

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Kevin Smith, Detroit Lions
All indications point to Kevin Smith starting for the Lions at running back. Smith doesn’t have much competition — considering that Tatum Bell is his backup. He could be a big factor if he can stay healthy.

Matt Forte, Chicago Bears
Like Smith, Forte is also expected to be the starter. While Forte is arguably the more talented player, his situation doesn’t look as promising. He’s on a team with a bad offense and has more talent behind him at running back, including Kevin Jones and the other Adrian Peterson.

Ray Rice, Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens are starting Willis McGahee at running back. However, many team insiders claim Ray Rice has looked better so far this season. If McGahee struggled, expect Rice to get plenty of time.

Jonathan Stewart, Carolina Panthers
Although he has to share time with DeAngelo Williams, expect Jonathan Stewart to have a solid year. Williams is a finesse back, which should allow Stewart to get goal line carries.

Rashard Mendenhall, Pittsburgh Steelers
Although he was picked in the first round, Mendenhall has his work cut out for him in terms of getting carries this season. Willie Parker is the starter and has a successful history with the Steelers. Mendenhall also had trouble with fumbles in the preseason.

Tim Hightower, Arizona Cardinals
With Edgerrin James likely slowing down in Arizona, Tim Hightower is a player who could be asked to add juice to an otherwise tepid ground game. Expect the Cardinals to give James more rest this season and give Hightower a chance to prove himself.

Here is a highlight reel video of Tim Hightower in action:

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The good news is that Delhomme is already practicing and the team expects him to be able to go once training camp starts. Delhomme will get a few extra days of rest along the way but the Panthers are confident he’ll make a full recovery.

If Delhomme can return to 100%, he could be a sleeper fantasy football quarterback. He got off to a very good start last year before hurting his elbow. His wide receiving corps is strong and his running back duo is explosive.

At wide receiver, the Panthers bring back Steve Smith to go along with the additions of DJ Hackett and Muhsin Muhammad. Smith is a superstar and Hackett and Muhammad both have the skillset to succeed near the endzone. At running back, DeAngelo Williams will be joined by rookie running back Jonathan Stewart.

Matt Moore is currently the backup quarterback and would start if Delhomme re-injures his elbow. Moore is a much, much less desirable fantasy quarterback.

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However, there are a few drawbacks with Stewart. First of all, Stewart has a history of being a bit injury prone. Can he handle the physical play in the NFL? Second of all, the Panthers have been hesitant to give extended playing time to young running backs.

Even though Stewart isn’t the best fantasy football prospect, he could be a surprise in the 2008 NFL season. If he gets the starting nod, Stewart has the body type to be a very good goal line back. If your fantasy league counts touchdowns heavily, Stewart could have a lot of value coming right out of the gates.

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