QB Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints
Capping off a masterful season, Saints quarterback Drew Brees threw for 386 yards and four touchdowns. He finished the season with more than 5000 passing yards — a number that made him a fantasy football favorite all season long. Going into 2009, Brees has to be a top flight QB option in the fantasy world.

RB Michael Bush, Oakland Raiders
In their stunning victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Raiders running back Michael Bush proved he has NFL level talent. He ran for two touchdowns and 177 yards. Although the Raiders will likely build their future running game around Darren McFadden, Bush showed enough in the season finale to be a candidate to split time with McFadden next season.

WR Andre Johnson, Houston Texans
Andre Johnson finished a very productive 2008 fantasy football season with ten catches, 148 yards and two touchdowns in the final week of the season. The Texans have emerged as a quality offensive team and next season, the Matt Schaub and Johnson connection could be one of the best in the entire NFL.

TE Tony Scheffler, Denver Broncos
Although it was a quiet week for tight ends in Week 17, Tony Scheffler managed to have a good game. The Broncos starting tight end had five catches for 75 yards and a touchdown grab. All in all, Scheffler had his moments in 2008 fantasy football but injuries and inconsistency kept him from being a top fantasy tight end.

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QB Donovan McNabb, Philadelphia Eagles
Even though Donovan McNabb had a very good Week 13 showing, don’t bet on him to repeat that performance in Week 14. Going up against the New York Giants, McNabb’s limited mobility will be on full display. If the Giants get a good rush on him, it could be a very long and disappointing game for McNabb.

RB Clinton Portis, Washington Redskins
Clinton Portis has a lot of things going against him this weekend. First of all, he has to deal with a myriad of injuries that have slowed him in recent weeks. Equally as scary is the fact that he’s up against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 14. Considering both aspects, this would be a good week to look elsewhere for production.

WR Justin Gage, Tennessee Titans
Although Justin Gage have had some big games over the last six weeks, he’s not a very good start this weekend against the Cleveland Browns. Gage is going up against a defense that has played well the last two weeks and although his stats have been good, the number of targets haven’t been enough to expect production week in and week out.

TE Tony Scheffler, Denver Broncos
Although the Broncos have a good matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs, the Broncos will likely be running a whole lot. When they do pass, they’ll probably go deep to a wide receiver. Combine those two possibilities and Tony Scheffler doesn’t seem like he’ll have a lot of chances to impact Week 14 of the 2008 fantasy football season.

QB Matt Leinart, Arizona Cardinals
Even though Kurt Warner is playing well and putting up big stats, how much longer can he stay injury free? Additionally, there have been some rumblings about Warner retiring. All told, it’d be unwise to forget about Leinart possibly stepping in at some point and producing.

RB Cedric Benson, Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals recently signed Cedric Benson and then followed that up by waiving Kenny Watson. With Chris Perry only playing decently, Benson could very well get a shot at a starting gig before too much longer.

WR Ted Ginn Jr., Miami Dolphins
Many fantasy football owners have given up on Ted Ginn, Jr. With Ginn off to a slow start in 2008, it’s easy to let him sit on the waiver wire. But it should be realized that Ginn is still young and is still figuring out the NFL. Once he catches on, his vast natural ability could make him a star.

TE Nate Jackson, Denver Broncos
Tony Scheffler got injured in Week 5 and could miss some time. That could end up being the break Nate Jackson needs to become a fantasy viable tight end. He hasn’t done much in his career but Jay Cutler likes to look at his tight ends near the end zone.

Does Cedric Benson see a brighter future with the Cincinnati Bengals?

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