Won if by air

In two of the last three years, teams have opted to pass the ball way more than run it, and in general teams are throwing more than running. The total amount of quarterbacks who throw for over 3,000 yards and receivers who catch for over 1,000 yards goes up each year, and the number of 1,000-yard rushers slide each year. Two football insiders, Charley Casserly of CBS Sports and Mike Lombardi of NFL Network, both agree that this particular trend isn't slowing down

"I think we're just seeing part of an evolution of teams taking more advantage of the rules and teams being more aggressive offensively with spreading things out," Casserly said, referring to the rules that aid receivers (no physical contact downfield by defenders, no hitting defenseless receivers). It's these rules that should make throwing the ball the overwhelmingly popular way to move the chains in 2010.

"It's fairly clear that we have moved from the concept of establishing the run as how you win in the NFL," Lombardi said, citing that 28 of the league's 32 teams threw more than ran in the first half of games last season -- previously that was when you would see more running than passing. "You have to be able to run the ball to keep the lead and you have to be able to throw the ball to get the lead. I think we're going to see more of that and see the league become increasingly proficient at finding ways to throw the football."

But just saying "teams will throw more" doesn't answer everything for Fantasy owners -- how the ball will be moved through the air matters. Casserly believes that quick screens off the snap to throw off defenses and use of the no-huddle will be prominent while Lombardi feels that teams will continue to run simple plays out of varying formations to gain what he calls "chunks of yardage" -- plays of 20 yards or more. Obviously, both will be right on a case-by-case basis depending on the strengths and weaknesses of each team's quarterback and receiving corps.

Just as there have been offensive trends, one large defensive trend has been the move toward 3-4 defenses. That takes a big defensive lineman off the field and replaces him with a more athletic outside linebacker who could generate a pass rush and play against the run better in space. As part of the chess game, offenses are responding with formations that force 3-4 defenses to keep their outside linebackers off the edges and play in coverage, which is the weakness of most outside linebackers. Formations like a two-tight end set or a four-wide set with two slot receivers could force the defense's hand. More teams are expected to utilize these formations this season based on the personnel they have. For instance, a team like the Lions could use tight ends Tony Scheffler and Brandon Pettigrew at the same time while a team like the Broncos could opt for four receivers, including Eddie Royal and Brandon Stokley lining up inside. The more reps these teams get to their receiving weapons, the better they'll be for Fantasy.

"Joe Gibbs used two tight ends to balance the defense and put a tight end in Lawrence Taylor's face, not that it always helped," Casserly said referring to his days with Gibbs and the Redskins. "It helps against that formation. Obviously you've got to make a decision -- if you have a quarterback who's smart and can get rid of the ball, and you can spread the 3-4 out, that is a way to attack it.

"What you want to do is take advantage of the outside linebacker, so it becomes a matter of who can win the battle. If their linebackers can get to you then they win it, but their linebackers are not there for coverage purposes."

All of these games-within-the-games that employ receivers and tight ends leave running backs in the dust, of course. Fantasy owners were already keenly aware that do-it-all backs were dwindling in population and running-back-by-committee situations were popping up, but now teams are preferring to pass so much more to the point that quarterbacks might hand off only 15 to 20 times per game. Or unless the team has a brilliant running back and an empty cupboard at receiver.

"The day of the one back being able to do everything is over with," Lombardi said. "You'll find that running backs excel in certain phases. The backs that can do it will obviously play, but some backs can't pass protect and they'll [be limited]."

Head coaches also believe that running backs, while obviously vital to keep defenses honest, are replaceable in play call decisions.

"I really believe that everyone in this league would like to run the ball and have some balance to what they do," Chargers head coach Norv Turner said. "But what's happened over the last four or five years is that [we've become more of] an eight-man front, overload defense, blitzing league. You can't sit there and run into some of the looks you have over and over again. So you end up throwing the football. Now there's a lot of the passing game that is like runs, whether they are screens or real quick passing that end up being your running game. It takes the place of your running game."

This is the direction of NFL offenses, and this is why Fantasy owners are opting for quarterbacks and receivers sooner than ever before in drafts. They'll do more and put up more numbers, all at the cost of running back production -- especially when you consider that most teams will divvy up the shrinking rushing workload

Follow the plan

NFL Coaches and offensive coordinators use this information to help devise a weekly game plan. Fantasy owners should utilize the same information to draw conclusions for what to expect for a certain game.
1. Injury report ... Not just for your Fantasy players, of course, but for peripheral players on your players' teams. If your running back is healthy but two of his offensive linemen are hurt, there could be some trouble on the horizon. Or, if your running back is facing a team down a run-stopper, there could be some solid stats to be had. Practice and injury reports come out four to five times per week. Read them!
2. Team defense stats ... Though not always a true indicator, the past performance of a defense against the run or the pass can help give you an idea of what to expect come Sunday. A better indicator is how a team has done over its last two or three games, or how they've done since replacing a hurt player or bringing along a talent off the bench.
3. Recent history ... Mainly for divisional matchups, checking to see how a player or a team has done against a common opponent might lead to some conclusions. Plus, if a coordinator knows his defensive counterpart like the back of his hand, chances are he'll get the best of him.
4. Watch football ... Though coaches film isn't available to the general public, getting eyeballs on what teams are doing and how they're attacking each other will go a long way in understanding -- and predicting -- how your Fantasy studs will do.

2010 Draft Prep: How game plans impact Fantasy

Normally, Todd Haley is stoic, bordering on surly. The Chiefs head coach and lauded offensive guru doesn't smile much. But get him talking about coming up with game plans and he grins like a kid on Christmas.

"It's a fun day for me, personally," Haley said about what he does on Tuesdays, the day he and his coaches huddle to put their plays in place for their upcoming opponent. "As that day develops and you have the ups and downs of loving stuff, hating stuff, it's just an interesting day to put a camera on and watch the ebb and flow of until it's finalized and you feel good -- [until] the next day you're practicing and you don't feel good."
That self-deprecating, pessimistic tone is a common thread among head coaches, confident enough in their own abilities but resigned to the fact that they're not considered successes until they win a Super Bowl. No matter how hard they work, or how long they work, or how many great players they coach, the ring is the thing.

But they work long and hard chasing success, and while you might not be able to tell when you see them on TV, these guys love what they do. They love coaching and teaching, they love making the most out of the players on their roster and they love battling each other, defeating each other by any means possible. The football field really is the proverbial chess board, with the players the chess pieces and the coaches the chess players.

So we got to thinking: With the NFL continuing to evolve and offenses becoming more and more aggressive, would it be beneficial to know exactly how an offensive game plan was built? CBSSports.com embarked on a mission to learn more about how coaches with an offensive background attack opponents on a weekly basis. After all, if we know where the chess players are looking before they take to the board, we can look in the same direction and come to the same conclusions.

Getting started
When Fantasy owners begin to plot and plan for their week's games, they start with the matchups their players face. NFL coaches eventually get to that point, but first they need to know who's healthy on their team and on their opponent's team.

"You start with who's available," Bills head coach Chan Gailey said. "You look at the injury report and who you're going to have that's able to play. There are some things you have to work around if somebody's not available. Then you look at who they have available. Are there weaknesses that have been created by an injury, or because a guy is a rookie or because they're not as big [at a certain position]? You're looking for mismatches and weaknesses defensively."

In general this process doesn't take long, but opponents can put a wrench in a team's preparation by being coy about injuries. When a starter is questionable for a game, teams have to prepare for both him and the backup. It's a bit more work, nothing unusual or anything that would cause a major headache, but it's part of the gamesmanship coaches play. And no, they're not about to stop doing it to make our lives as Fantasy owners easier.

When they're done knowing who's "up" and who's "down," a plan begins to come together. What tends to happen is teams meshing what they see in statistics with what they see in film of their opponents
"We typically start a week or two before with people filling in the computer with our terminology and breaking down the tape, and that generates our computer reports and number crunching," Vikings head coach Brad Childress said. "We look at the league-wide statistics. You reference all those things as you start to break things down. Typically it shows up on tape."

But not always.

"The film doesn't lie. Sometimes, statistics can lie," Gailey said. "There could be one 68-yard run but the rest of them [average] 2.3 yards. But the average reads 4.6 and then you'll say they're not very good against the run, but they are pretty good against the run. You can massage statistics to look at everything you want to."

The most general example we can think of that we can apply to Fantasy is when a team's passing defense is ranked high but their run defense is among the worst. Is it because they've got really good cornerbacks, or is it because teams are running all over them game after game? The 2009 Oakland Raiders are a perfect example: Their pass defense finished seventh-best in the league last season but they were thrown against a league-low 438 times. Their run defense, meanwhile, was ranked 29th, and they were run on 548 times -- more than anyone else in the NFL.

Obviously, the name of the game in game preparation is finding a weakness in the opponent and attacking it. Some weeks are easier than others. Childress referred to this as a "fiduciary responsibility."

"It's common sense," Texans head coach Gary Kubiak said. "Are they dead last against the run and No. 2 against the pass? Well, are you going to beat your head into the wall or are you going to do something else? Are they a great third-down team or a great red-zone team?' All of those things come into play. How are we going to beat this team? This team doesn't give up a lot of points, we're going to have to win this game 16-13. So you start to form an opinion of what it's going to take to get out of that stadium with a win."

But sometimes a weakness won't show itself until after the game starts. Nearly all injuries happen on the field, and when the injury bug rears its ugly head, teams will take advantage in short order.

"If you see a guy sprain his ankle or pull a hamstring, maybe we ought to try to throw the ball over the top of that guy. Or if that guy doesn't play the long ball very well, let's test him," Childress said. The end result of such moves can be devastating to a defense -- and successful for Fantasy owners. Obviously, it's a case of a very good player going up against an unprepared defender at the right time. Nothing a Fantasy owner can do about it ... at least not until the following game if the weak defender is still on the field replacing someone

Digging deeper


Isolating game plans come into play later in the week, and they go hand-in-hand with the early-week practices.

"Tuesday starts the game plan process where all the normal down and distance decisions are made, then there's practice on Wednesday where the red zone, short yardage/goal line and two-minute drills are done," Packers head coach Mike McCarthy said. "Those decisions are made, and then Friday is a collective review of everything."

Friday is typically the day where coaches will meet and put the finishing touches on the game plan. It's no coincidence that it's also the day where injury reports are distributed, so teams will have better ideas of who will be on the field against them. You've also probably heard about teams "scripting" their first 15 plays -- those plays are practiced several times in an effort to get players (and coaches) comfortable with the start of the game. Play callers will also spend a big portion of Friday going over a walk-through, or dress rehearsal, of their game plan to be done on Saturday.

"We have a game management meeting at 1:00 p.m. on Fridays, and it's really when I come to the realization of where I'm at on the game plan," McCarthy said. "Really, from Friday afternoon on I'm getting ready to call the game. I actually go back Friday afternoon and Saturday morning and review the game tapes and get myself ready."

Whatever it takes
Part of a coach's gameplanning activity is unearthing as much information as possible and using it to give them an edge on game day. Anything that can help them in their preparation -- anything. These can be many things, including ...

• A coach's personal notebook, kept for a lifetime, that charts the tendencies of coordinators a coach (and perhaps his predecessors) has gone up against.

• Signing a player who was recently released from an upcoming opponent and pumping him for information. "I wouldn't sit here and say it's never happened," McCarthy said, "[but] I've never went into a game and felt that we were going to win the game because we had so-and-so a week before."

• Using the same game plan as from a previous week against an opponent with similar tendencies. "I think every coach would tell you that any time you could have recall with your players, if you could transfer a portion of a game plan that wasn't used from one week to the next and take that right back to your players, is a hell of a positive," Kubiak said.

• And, of course, copy-catting. "I think when there are [successful game plans] that are similar to what you do and fit, then that's when you'll use them," Chargers head coach Norv Turner said. "But to try and fit in someone's system, or a lot of it [into what your team does], you're not going to [do] as well."

Making sense
The biggest key for coaches to make a playbook come to life is to teach it and utilize it well. Playbooks change every year as they're based not just on what a coach wants to do, but what he thinks his players are capable of doing.

Sometimes, less is more. For Haley, success comes best in a thinner playbook, which might cap the amount of creative plays he can put into his player's heads, but in doing so keeps everyone understanding of what's going on in the plays they've learned.

"Parcells, back in the mid-period of our time together, we got to where we really streamlined things," Haley said. "He was a hard-line guy on us as his assistant coaches saying 'This is how many plays I want.' He didn't care what the plays were, less became more and getting good at fewer things, practice fewer things more, and that really stuck with me.

"I've had [a game plan] as low as 85 total plays, which is low. There are teams that have had 200. Kurt Warner showed me a Mike Martz call sheet that had 350 plays. I've had it low, and that's what we've continued to strive for. Bill would always say to me, 'If you've got 60 pass plays, you could call the whole season. If one works, why not call it again?'"

But what it all boils down to is management of the players you have. A good play caller -- one who will last more than a season or two -- will make things work with the talent he has. If he's got two good running backs but no healthy receivers, he'll utilize the running backs as best he can and not force the issue with a depleted receiving corps.

"As one of the coaches I used to work for said, 'It's not plays, it's players,'" Childress said. "And usually good players help make good coaches."

2010 Draft Prep: Standard 12-team mock draft

Our draft order is as follows:

1. Jamey Eisenberg, CBSSports.com Senior Fantasy Writer
2. Steve Spierer, CBSSports.com Fantasy Writer
3. Scott White, CBSSports.com Fantasy Writer
4. Al Melchior, CBSSports.com Data Analyst
5. Michael Hurcomb, CBSSports.com Fantasy Writer
6. Dave Richard, CBSSports.com Senior Fantasy Writer
7. Jeff Lippman, CBSSports.com Fantasy Writer
8. Ross Devonport, CBSSports.com Senior Fantasy Writer
9. Ed Gauna, CBSSports.com Fantasy Writer
10. Sergio Gonzalez, CBSSports.com Fantasy Writer
11. Eric Mack, CBSSports.com Senior Fantasy Writer
12. Adam Moore, CBSSports.com Fantasy Writer

Draft Results
Round 1
Pick Team Player
1 Jamey Eisenberg Chris Johnson
2 Steve Spierer Adrian Peterson
3 Scott White Maurice Jones-Drew
4 Al Melchior Michael Turner
5 Michael Hurcomb Ray Rice
6 Dave Richard Frank Gore
7 Jeff Lippman Steven Jackson
8 Ross Devonport DeAngelo Williams
9 Ed Gauna Andre Johnson
10 Sergio Gonzalez Drew Brees
11 Eric Mack Rashard Mendenhall
12 Adam Moore Peyton Manning
Round 2
Pick Team Player
1 Adam Moore Randy Moss
2 Eric Mack Aaron Rodgers
3 Sergio Gonzalez Shonn Greene
4 Ed Gauna Cedric Benson
5 Ross Devonport Ryan Grant
6 Jeff Lippman Ryan Mathews
7 Dave Richard DeSean Jackson
8 Michael Hurcomb Reggie Wayne
9 Al Melchior Knowshon Moreno
10 Scott White LeSean McCoy
11 Steve Spierer Matt Schaub
12 Jamey Eisenberg Larry Fitzgerald
Round 3
Pick Team Player
1 Jamey Eisenberg Calvin Johnson
2 Steve Spierer Miles Austin
3 Scott White Roddy White
4 Al Melchior Tom Brady
5 Michael Hurcomb Marques Colston
6 Dave Richard Joseph Addai
7 Jeff Lippman Jamaal Charles
8 Ross Devonport Sidney Rice
9 Ed Gauna Brandon Marshall
10 Sergio Gonzalez Anquan Boldin
11 Eric Mack Jonathan Stewart
12 Adam Moore Pierre Thomas
Round 4
Pick Team Player
1 Adam Moore Beanie Wells
2 Eric Mack Steve Smith (NYG)
3 Sergio Gonzalez Ronnie Brown
4 Ed Gauna Tony Romo
5 Ross Devonport Greg Jennings
6 Jeff Lippman Chad Ochocinco
7 Dave Richard Wes Welker
8 Michael Hurcomb Brandon Jacobs
9 Al Melchior Steve Smith (CAR)
10 Scott White Philip Rivers
11 Steve Spierer Antonio Gates
12 Jamey Eisenberg Ben Tate
Round 5
Pick Team Player
1 Jamey Eisenberg Jahvid Best
2 Steve Spierer Marion Barber
3 Scott White Dallas Clark
4 Al Melchior Percy Harvin
5 Michael Hurcomb Matt Forte
6 Dave Richard Vernon Davis
7 Jeff Lippman Dwayne Bowe
8 Ross Devonport Clinton Portis
9 Ed Gauna Felix Jones
10 Sergio Gonzalez Mike Sims-Walker
11 Eric Mack Jason Witten
12 Adam Moore Michael Crabtree
Round 6
Pick Team Player
1 Adam Moore Tony Gonzalez
2 Eric Mack Hakeem Nicks
3 Sergio Gonzalez Brent Celek
4 Ed Gauna Jermichael Finley
5 Ross Devonport Joe Flacco
6 Jeff Lippman Jay Cutler
7 Dave Richard Brett Favre
8 Michael Hurcomb Kevin Kolb
9 Al Melchior Cadillac Williams
10 Scott White Pierre Garcon
11 Steve Spierer Ahmad Bradshaw
12 Jamey Eisenberg Matt Ryan
Round 7
Pick Team Player
1 Jamey Eisenberg Justin Forsett
2 Steve Spierer Donald Driver
3 Scott White Fred Jackson
4 Al Melchior Hines Ward
5 Michael Hurcomb LaDainian Tomlinson
6 Dave Richard Reggie Bush
7 Jeff Lippman Steve Breaston
8 Ross Devonport C.J. Spiller
9 Ed Gauna Ricky Williams
10 Sergio Gonzalez Malcom Floyd
11 Eric Mack Santana Moss
12 Adam Moore Montario Hardesty
Round 8
Pick Team Player
1 Adam Moore T.J. Houshmandzadeh
2 Eric Mack Jeremy Maclin
3 Sergio Gonzalez Vincent Jackson
4 Ed Gauna Thomas Jones
5 Ross Devonport Terrell Owens
6 Jeff Lippman Visanthe Shiancoe
7 Dave Richard Eli Manning
8 Michael Hurcomb Owen Daniels
9 Al Melchior Zach Miller
10 Scott White Michael Bush
11 Steve Spierer Mike Wallace
12 Jamey Eisenberg Jerome Harrison
Round 9
Pick Team Player
1 Jamey Eisenberg Robert Meachem
2 Steve Spierer Kellen Winslow
3 Scott White Donovan McNabb
4 Al Melchior Tim Hightower
5 Michael Hurcomb Carson Palmer
6 Dave Richard Chester Taylor
7 Jeff Lippman Kenny Britt
8 Ross Devonport Laurence Maroney
9 Ed Gauna Donald Brown
10 Sergio Gonzalez Steve Slaton
11 Eric Mack Jets DST
12 Adam Moore Eagles DST
Round 10
Pick Team Player
1 Adam Moore Willis McGahee
2 Eric Mack Kevin Smith
3 Sergio Gonzalez Darren Sproles
4 Ed Gauna Santonio Holmes
5 Ross Devonport Devin Aromashodu
6 Jeff Lippman Ben Roethlisberger
7 Dave Richard Darren McFadden
8 Michael Hurcomb Devin Hester
9 Al Melchior Chris Cooley
10 Scott White Braylon Edwards
11 Steve Spierer Vikings DST
12 Jamey Eisenberg Lee Evans
Round 11
Pick Team Player
1 Jamey Eisenberg Chad Henne
2 Steve Spierer Toby Gerhart
3 Scott White Derrick Mason
4 Al Melchior Cowboys DST
5 Michael Hurcomb Steelers DST
6 Dave Richard Larry Johnson
7 Jeff Lippman Mike Bell
8 Ross Devonport John Carlson
9 Ed Gauna 49ers DST
10 Sergio Gonzalez Packers DST
11 Eric Mack Anthony Gonzalez
12 Adam Moore Chris Chambers
Round 12
Pick Team Player
1 Adam Moore Correll Buckhalter
2 Eric Mack Mario Manningham
3 Sergio Gonzalez Dexter McCluster
4 Ed Gauna Jerricho Cotchery
5 Ross Devonport Ravens DST
6 Jeff Lippman Jabar Gaffney
7 Dave Richard Austin Collie
8 Michael Hurcomb Dez Bryant
9 Al Melchior Matt Cassel
10 Scott White Marshawn Lynch
11 Steve Spierer Kevin Walter
12 Jamey Eisenberg Arian Foster
Round 13
Pick Team Player
1 Jamey Eisenberg Giants DST
2 Steve Spierer Alex Smith
3 Scott White Eddie Royal
4 Al Melchior Julius Jones
5 Michael Hurcomb Kevin Boss
6 Dave Richard Nate Washington
7 Jeff Lippman Bears DST
8 Ross Devonport Josh Freeman
9 Ed Gauna Matthew Stafford
10 Sergio Gonzalez Mark Sanchez
11 Eric Mack Roy E. Williams
12 Adam Moore Matt Leinart
Round 14
Pick Team Player
1 Adam Moore Lynell Hamilton
2 Eric Mack Stephen Gostkowski
3 Sergio Gonzalez Chargers DST
4 Ed Gauna Derrick Ward
5 Ross Devonport Mike Williams
6 Jeff Lippman Jonathan Dwyer
7 Dave Richard Garrett Hartley
8 Michael Hurcomb Golden Tate
9 Al Melchior Dustin Keller
10 Scott White Saints DST
11 Steve Spierer Josh Cribbs
12 Jamey Eisenberg Heath Miller
Round 15
Pick Team Player
1 Jamey Eisenberg Ryan Longwell
2 Steve Spierer David Akers
3 Scott White Mason Crosby
4 Al Melchior Nate Kaeding
5 Michael Hurcomb Rob Bironas
6 Dave Richard Patriots DST
7 Jeff Lippman Lawrence Tynes
8 Ross Devonport David Buehler
9 Ed Gauna Neil Rackers
10 Sergio Gonzalez Adam Vinatieri
11 Eric Mack Javon Ringer
12 Adam Moore Shayne Graham

2010 Draft Prep: Forsett could be a real find

All Justin Forsett wants is a chance. He wants to prove he can be a starter in the NFL. He wants to show he can hold up for a full season.

He wants to help Fantasy owners win a championship.

Forsett believes 2010 will be a big year for him. He played well last year, but the new coaching staff in Seattle, which is led by Pete Carroll, is giving him the opportunity to become a featured running back in what should be an improved offense
The prediction here is that not only will Forsett be the best running back in Seattle ahead of Julius Jones, but he will also end up as a starter in the majority of Fantasy leagues. Forsett is one of our favorite sleepers this season.

"I want to be able to produce at a high level," Forsett said in an interview with CBSSports.com. "I want to be the starter and carry the ball as much as they want me to."

It sounds like the Seahawks plan to give Forsett plenty of work. In 2009, his second year in the NFL, Forsett showed off his all-around skills. He was second on the team in rushing with 114 carries for 619 yards (an amazing 5.4 yards per carry) and four touchdowns. He also added 41 catches for 350 yards and a touchdown, and his 969 total yards led the team.

By comparison, Jones had 63 more carries but only 44 more rushing yards and two less rushing touchdowns. Jones also had just 35 catches for 232 yards.

One of the first things Carroll noticed about his new team was Forsett's play last year. Carroll said Jones isn't going anywhere and the team also added Leon Washington, but Forsett could still be the featured running back.

"If he continues to run like he did last year, he's going to be," Carroll told CBSSports.com in February. "I've advocated a two-back system or a three-back system depending on what it took. But I've always been able to use a one-back system if that's the way it is. If one of them takes over we're wide open to it."

Forsett wants to be the starter, and he's going to do whatever it takes to make that happen. He knows the knock on him is durability, since naysayers don't think he can hold up for a full season at 5-foot-8, 198 pounds

Ball hogs

2010 Draft Prep: Get the guys who get the ball


As Fantasy owners, you always want to draft players who are involved on offense. You hope for touchdowns, but you count on carries and catches. If a player finds the end zone then it's just an added bonus.

That's why we're always looking to find running backs who will be featured options on all downs and in all situations. We want receivers and tight ends who will see the most passes in their direction all over the field
For example, as you can see from the interactive graphic below, Andre Johnson led all players in targets in 2009 with 172. He caught 59 percent of his targets for 101 catches, and he finished with 1,569 yards and nine touchdowns. For the past two years, Johnson has had at least 170 targets, which is why we value him as one of the best players at his position and a potential first-round pick.

In the past three seasons, the receivers who have had at least 145 targets each year are Brandon Marshall, Larry Fitzgerald, Reggie Wayne and Wes Welker. There's a reason those receivers are among the best in the NFL and have produced at a high level. Only Welker could see a significant drop in targets since he's coming off a torn ACL.

A receiver on the rise, based on his targets, is Roddy White. He's gone from 136 targets in 2007 to 148 in 2008 to 165 last year. White has the potential to be a Top 5 Fantasy wide receiver this year if his targets remain at the same level or continue to improve.

At tight end, Tony Gonzalez has been the leader in targets each of the past three seasons. He had 155 in 2007 and 2008 before getting 135 last year.

If you're looking for a tight end on the rise, focus on Oakland's Zach Miller. His targets have gone from 69 in 2007 to 86 in 2008 to 100 last year. Miller has the chance to be a No. 1 Fantasy tight end based on the addition of new quarterback Jason Campbell.
Another tight end who has improved is Brent Celek, who tied Marshall for the lead in red-zone targets with 25 in 2009. Celek caught 10 of those passes, including nine for touchdowns. He should remain a consistent red-zone threat for new quarterback Kevin Kolb this year.

Greg Olsen was third on the list at 24 red-zone targets, and he caught 12 of those passes for six touchdowns. His stats will likely decline based on new Chicago offensive coordinator Mike Martz, who has a terrible history with tight ends.

Running backs don't typically see many red-zone targets, but Reggie Bush was the best in that category in 2009. He had 14 red-zone targets and finished with seven catches for two touchdowns. Bush, who is known more for his receiving skills than his rushing prowess, has also done well in overall targets the past three seasons. He had 98 targets in 2007, 73 in 2008 and 68 last year.

Some other running backs who have done well in targets the past three seasons with at least 55 each year are Maurice Jones-Drew and Frank Gore, and Ray Rice could be the next great receiving running back. He led all running backs in targets in 2009 with 101, and he caught 77 percent of his targets for 78 catches, 702 yards and one touchdown.

There is a lot more data for targets and red-zone targets to look over with the interactive graphic below, so take full advantage of this tool on Draft Day