ESPN Rankings 61-65

After a brief hiatus (I was busy dodging the rumored punches of Tom Cable), I’m back. Here is a look at the latest round of ESPN fantasy football rankings and my analysis.

61. Chad Ochocinco, Cincinnati, WR

Okay, full disclosure. I’m a huge Bengals fan. But this is too low for The Ocho, down here in the beginning of round 6. His dismal totals last year were still probably worth a sixth-round pick, but this year he should be much, much better. Carson Palmer is back for the Bengals and Chad seemed to exhibit some of his old moves and quickness with a long catch and run against New Orleans Friday. I’d be thrilled with Ochocinco as a second receiver, somewhere in round four or five.

62. Donovan McNabb, Philadelphia, QB

Here’s an interesting question:  Does Mike Vick enhance or hurt McNabb’s value? I vote for the former. Vick is more likely to be used as a wide receiver or a second “quarterback” than anything that will really hurt Donovan. McNabb has a lot of weapons on the team this year – maybe more than ever before – so he should be a good fantasy player if he’s healthy. Even with Mike Vick on his team.

63. Ahmad Bradshaw, New York Giants, RB

This seems a little high for Bradshaw even though he’s guaranteed to get a lot of carries and he backs up an occasionally fragile running back. I’d consider Bradshaw this high if I had Brandon Jacobs on my team – and even then I might not draft him – but otherwise I’d rather draft a starter with some upside than someone who will start the season as a backup.

64. Lee Evans, Buffalo, WR

Evans is an interesting player because he should face one-on-on coverage opposite Mr. VH1 (Terrell Owens), but the Bills should still be a run-first team. I don’t envision huge numbers for Evans, but he may have some explosive games. If you like players that have enormous games some weeks and disappear in other weeks, Evans is for you. I see him as that type of player. 

65. DeSean Jackson, Philadelphia, WR

I go back and forth on Jackson almost every week. The good news is he figures to be an important part of the Eagles passing attack. Plus, he finished a respectable 31st among wideouts in his rookie season. The bad news is Philly always seems to spread the ball around and Jackson isn’t a huge red zone target at 5’10″. Figure in the drafting of Jeremy Maclin and I expect Jackson to put up numbers similar to what he did last year. Temper your expectations.