Fantasy Football: Who to Draft No. 1 Overall

It's officially "fantasy football draft season" and there is no Marshall Faulk or Terrell Davis this year, the No. 1 spot is up for grabs. I've got my five candidates:

1. Arian Foster - Foster pulled a hamstring on Saturday, but I still wouldn't shy away from picking him if I had first choice. Foster was a beast last year in the Texans fantasy rich system scoring 16 touchdowns and rushing for over 100 yards per game. It's hard to say if Foster can repeat his success after a locked-out off-season, but I trust he'll be a solid every Sunday (and Thursday/Monday when applicable) fantasy contributor and the safest bet on the board -- therefore I have him as the No. 1 overall pick.

2. Adrian Peterson - Peterson had 18 touchdowns in '09, but had just 12 last season leaving a lot of fantasy owners unsure which direction he is going in 2011. If you like McNasty leading the Vikings and don't think Bryant McKinnie meant much to the line, then maybe you'll want to take AP first overall. There are reasons to take Peterson first, like the fact that Leslie Frasier will give him the opportunity to rush for 2,000 yards and 20 touchdowns. I'm in a league that gives more points for yardage than scoring, so having Foster is a better pick. Peterson had 1,639 combined rushing and receiving yards last year, while Foster had 2,220. I also have concerns about the group of Vikings pass catchers. After not re-signing Sidney Rice and his deep threat capability, Peterson's value took a hit. I wouldn't be upset if I ended up with the No. 2 overall pick and had the chance to take Peterson.

3. Chris Johnson - Some days I have Chris Johnson as the clear favorite for the No. 1 pick. Johnson has arguably the most talent of any of the running backs with his speed and agility. Johnson is one of the most enjoyable players to watch and has the potential to break a 50 yard run on every play. Johnson will likely get a majority of the looks in the Titans offense both rushing and receiving. With 1,228 yards /9 TD's, 2,006/14 and 1,364/11 over his last three season, Johnson is also arguably the safest bet for his consistency. I think newly acquired QB Matt Hasselbeck will rely heavily on CJ early and often, making Johnson a great potential No. 1 pick.

4. Jamal Charles - On Sunday, @jcharles25 tweeted his followers asking who was playing 2k11 on PS3. I was, but didn't reply back. Sure, @chrisjohnson28 has 400,000 followers, and @AdrianPeterson has 115,000 followers, Charles has a mild 32,000 followers. After this season Charles might be just as popular. Fantasy owners have followed Charles over the past two season, watching him act as the Chiefs yardage hog banging out 1,120 in '09 and 1,467 last year. The downfall for JC is his lack of scoring, he has only 12 total rushing touchdowns over the last two year. The Chiefs are on the rise and if Charles can put it in the end-zone a few more times, he might be worthy of the No. 1 pick -- and maybe a follow on Twitter.

5. Maurice Jones-Drew - Maurice Jones-Drew is one of those players you might not want to let your competition pick. MJD has been drafted in the first round over the past few seasons and flirted with the No. 1 spot last year. But after a career low five touchdowns last season, owners are a bit hesitant. This is MJD's sixth NFL season and I think he's ready for that 1,600 yard, 16 TD season, which could be good enough to draft Jones-Drew No. 1 overall.

Other players I was close to considering: Michael Turner, Ray Rice, Aaron Rodgers

I think I'd rather get a late first round pick this year so I don't have to make a decision and then I'll also get a better pick in the second round. I was in a draft today and had the 6th overall pick, I took Aaron Rodgers, debated taking Turner or Rice. Randy Moss was drafted in the last round -- reminded me of when Barry Sanders was drafted for years after he retired. This truly is the most wonderful time of the year.