Fantasy football — Editors' top 25 fantasy picks (regardless of position)

By the editors of Pro Football Weekly
As published in print July 26, 1999

Ron Pollack|Keith Schleiden|Michael Lev
Jeff Agrest|Robert Neely|Trent Modglin

You can see a more comprehensive draft board, ranking more than 275 players by position, in the current print edition of Pro Football Weekly, which features a 20-page fantasy football pullout section.

Ron Pollack, Editor-in-chief

Comments: The pick that stands out the most is Emmitt Smith at the No. 8 spot. Heck, most people don’t even have him in the top eight at his position on their draft board. Nonetheless, I believe Smith has another huge TD season left in him, especially because I think Dallas’ offensive line will be much improved over last year. Steve Young was probably the most difficult guy to rate. Off last year’s performance, Young and Terrell Davis should be in a dead heat, but I’m worried that the 49ers’ offensive line might fall apart and get Young hurt.

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Keith Schleiden, Managing editor

Comments: Ricky Williams ahead of Randy Moss? I can almost hear you gasping while you read this. Williams, playing for the ground-loving Mike Ditka and running behind a very tough offensive line, is going to be huge in the world of fantasy football. With running back being the most productive position in fantasy ball, three of my top four and six of my top 10 play that position. Wide receiver is a little deeper than usual this year, so I chose nine receivers compared to just six quarterbacks. Randall Cunningham at No. 25? I’m afraid he won’t be able to duplicate his 1998 success.

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Michael Lev, Senior editor

Comments: Yes, I’m the one — the madman who doesn’t have Terrell Davis atop his regardless-of-position list. I just happen to believe Fred Taylor is going to have a better season than Davis, who’s a very close No. 2. Half of my top 10 is composed of wide receivers, an indication of how strong (and top-heavy) that position is this year. Normally, I don’t believe in taking QBs early, yet I couldn’t help but place four in my top 15. That isn’t an indictment of the RBs and WRs; it’s a tribute to the high caliber of play those QBs are capable of if they stay healthy.

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Jeff Agrest, Associate editor

Comments: My top 25 is a testament to the depth at quarterback and wide receiver. Notice, I have four QBs in my top 10 and seven WRs in my top 15. I expect big things from Jake Plummer and Marvin Harrison, which is why I have them higher than most people. Conversely, I see the Jets’ offense taking a bit of a dive, so I have Keyshawn Johnson, Curtis Martin and Vinny Testaverde ranked lower than most people. Running backs take a beating on my board. I see only two sure things (Terrell Davis and Fred Taylor) in scoring leagues. But Ricky Williams should make some noise.

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Robert Neely, Associate editor

Comments: Six of the top 10 players on my list are wide receivers, but there’s a significant drop-off at the position after them. Thus, if you get a chance to draft one of those six, you should take it. There isn’t a lot of value at the top of the RB board aside from Terrell Davis and Fred Taylor, but there is quality a little later on. I’m getting more and more nervous about Jamal Anderson as time goes by. Does his ’98 performance fit in the career-year category? I expect both Jake Plummer and Peyton Manning to join the ranks of the elite fantasy QBs in ’99.

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Trent Modglin, Associate editor

Comments: This is not an easy task, so I first chose who I believe are the four best offensive players. The top four are very explosive, and they’re on teams that will likely help them produce big fantasy numbers again. I usually try to rank on the basis of reliability and consistency over at least a couple of years, but as you can see, there are exceptions to every rule (Sanders, Williams, Cunningham). I wanted to place Rice, Brunell, Manning and Watters even higher, because I think their potential for a big year is higher than that of their counterparts. But there is just too much quality in the top 25.

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