This article references Andrew Luck, Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Breshad Perriman, David Johnson and more! RotoBaller is very excited about the start of year two on very own radio station. You can now find new weekly shows on BlogTalkRadio live or on demand, and on iTunes under podcasts. You can also find our fantasy football podcasts on SoundCloud. Every week, esteemed NFL and fantasy football analyst Matt Kelley @fantasy_mansion of RotoBaller Radio will be discussing the most relevant NFL and fantasy football sports news and information with co-host Nathan Powell @npowellff. Editor's [...]Keep on reading: NFL Podcast On RotoBaller Radio - Breshad Perriman and the Danario Alexander Curse

So in case you haven't heard, RotoViz favorite Danario Alexander was lost for the season to an ACL tear. This will raise his knee surgery tally to approximately 432,396 and also leaves a hole at receiver for the Chargers. But while DX going down is no doubt a huge disappointment for all parties involved, I began to wonder if any other San Diego body has had their stock increase as a result. You know what they say; one player's bad luck is another one's opportunity....

And another one bites the dust as San Diego WR Danario Alexander tore his ACL today, ending his season before it ever got started. We were already low on Alexander, high on Vincent Brown and move even more so on the news.

August is finally here. I wrote back in May that summer was almost over. My reasoning might have sounded crazy then, but guess what? Summer is basically over and it didn't take long just like I said it wouldn't. You just have to believe. So long summer. You won't be missed. Football is right around the corner and fantasy drafts are in full swing. In my last " Fire Sale," I mentioned a product I tried and really liked by Advanced Sports Logic called The Machine. It's a software system that gives you a blended pre-draft ranking system from Fantasy Sharks and a couple of other respected fantasy sites, as well as help during the season. Some of you gave me feedback on Twitter and said you liked using The Machine as well. The one question I got a lot, though, was can you customize the rankings to your league's scoring system? The answer is yes. The Machine actually pulls your league's information on its own and ranks the players accordingly based on your scoring system. I have four leagues currently hooked up to it and not all of my rankings are the same. Because I spoke so highly of the product and that was the one question most people asked me on Twitter I thought I would clarify it for everyone. Last week I gave out my top 20 quarterbacks and top 30 running backs. In this edition of The Fire Sale I'll finish off my rankings by unveiling my top 40 wide receivers and top 20 tight ends. I don't claim to be a rankings guru, so you can always check out the Fantasy Sharks official rankings as well, but this is how I see things heading into the season. Now on with " The Fire Sale ..." Top 40 Wide Receivers 1. Calvin Johnson, Detroit 2. A.J. Green, Cincinnati 3. Dez Bryant, Dallas 4. Julio Jones, Atlanta 5. Brandon Marshall, Chicago 6. Demaryius Thomas, Denver 7. Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona 8. Roddy White, Atlanta 9. Randall Cobb, Green Bay 10. Andre Johnson, Houston 11. Reggie Wayne, Indianapolis 12. Victor Cruz, New York Giants 13. Wes Welker, Denver 14. Vincent Jackson, Tampa Bay 15. Marques Colston, New Orleans 16. Danny Amendola, New England 17. Hakeem Nicks, New York Giants 18. Eric Decker, Denver 19. Jordy Nelson, Green Bay 20. Torrey Smith, Baltimore 21. Dwayne Bowe, Kansas City 22. Pierre Garcon, Washington 23. Mike Wallace, Miami 24. Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh 25. Anquan Boldin, San Francisco 26. Stevie Johnson, Buffalo 27. Alshon Jeffery...

Welcome war buffs to The Battle of Powder Blue, also known as San Diego WRs versus Tennessee WRs. Not all of them. We're leaving out the rookie additions Keenan Allen and Justin Hunter. Danario Alexander is the clear-cut favorite here, saddled in between Greg Jennings and Tavon Austin on average in magazine rankings. Kenny Britt and Kendall Wright are right next to each other in magazine rankings as the 42nd and 43rd WR on average. Vincent Brown is a deep sleeper. However, he says put me in coach. Crazier things have happened.

From year-to-year you see changes on the fantasy football landscape and you need to be properly prepared before you go into your draft. I am not talking about having a cheat sheet that you printed off of the internet at the last minute; I am talking about an actual plan. Way too often I see people come into the draft unprepared, and it shows in the team that they end up drafting. I will discuss the plans you should have at each position and then an overall plan to guide you to your championships this season. QUARTERBACK The quarterback position is crazy deep this year. Maybe it is due to the changing of the game to be more passing-friendly. More quarterbacks are putting up big numbers in the passing stats every year. But in reality it is the "running" quarterbacks who have added new depth to the position. The recent additions in the last two years of running quarterbacks like Cam Newton, Colin Kaepernick, Russell Wilson and Robert Griffin III have created a much bigger pool of quarterbacks that you can be comfortable with as your starting quarterback. It is no longer "the big three;" it is so much more than that. That is why I am advising you to wait before you draft a quarterback. There will be very good options for you in the sixth round or later because of the depth this year. Why waste an early pick when you can still get very good production much later? RUNNING BACK It was the old standard that you would get two running backs very early in your draft. That seemed to fade with the transition to a more passing-friendly attitude in the NFL. Why risk a high pick on a running back when the league is passing so much more? That was the general feeling by all experts in the industry the past few years. Well, not this year. I expect at least eight running backs to be taken in the first 10 picks. The depth at running back really drops after the top 15. So many injuries, rookies and new coaching changes will have that kind of an impact. That is why you need to get your starters early. After those 15, the uncertainties are way too high to be counted on for your fantasy team. I also plead with you to draft plenty of running backs for depth. As I stated above, injuries can greatly harm your team -- you need depth to help overcome that. WIDE RECEIVER Year-after-year you see the same names near the top of the wide receiver stats. It is the same few guys at the top, and then the next tier or two of wide receivers could all seem to be interchangeable. I...

Lamar Miller, RB, Miami - Miller is poised for success in 2013. Not very many people know about him because he played behind Reggie Bush his rookie year. There were reasons the Dolphins let Bush go, and a big reason was the trust they have in Miller. Miller's yards-per-carry average was 4.9 in 2012. You can only expect this to stay the same or increase with the Dolphins' new additions in the offseason. With Mike Wallace to stretch the field, defenses won't be able to crowd the line with defenders. Miller will be even better in a points-per-reception league because he is a great pass-catching running back. The only downside to Miller is his pass-blocking ability. Reports before organized team activities (OTAs) said that would be the deciding factor on Miller and whether he is capable of being Miami's workhorse. Chris Ivory, RB, New York Jets - Ivory is just about the only player on the Jets offense that could be capable of putting up significant fantasy points. Ivory comes from New Orleans, where he was fighting for carries with three other running backs, so he is relatively unknown. Last year, Shonn Greene finished 15th in fantasy points for running backs while playing with the struggling Jets offense of 2012. While Greene isn't terrible, he sure isn't close to elite either. With Ivory coming in boasting a yards-per-carry average of 5.1, he has potential to be a top 15 running back. T.Y. Hilton, WR, Indianapolis - Hilton is slowly molding into Andrew Luck's favorite target. Both were rookies last year and helped each other be successful. While Hilton won't be the No. 1 wide receiver this year, he is still an incredible deep threat. His 4.34 speed makes it very hard for corners to stay with him, and his 7.9 yards after the catch average was second among all NFL wideouts. As long as he beats out Darrius Heyward-Bey for the second wide receiver spot, he should be successful. With Ahmad Bradshaw or Vick Ballard at running back keeping defenses honest, and Luck throwing him the ball, he could have a huge increase in production this year. Josh Gordon, WR, Cleveland - Gordon is suspended the first two games of the season, which hurts his fantasy value quite a bit. In a way, though, this makes Gordon more of a sleeper pick as you will be able to pick him in a later round. After his two-game suspension, Gordon will make a huge impact on the Browns offense. He gives them the vertical threat that Norv Turner's offense thrives on. Remember the breakout player ...

What a wild weekend of NFL football! If you managed to survive and advance after the inordinate number of blowout losses, shutouts and underachieving big name studs then congratulations are in order. Some studs such as Drew Brees, Andre Johnson and Adrian Peterson kept their owners alive while others picked a very inopportune time to lay an egg. Doug Martin, Jamaal Charles and Danario Alexander probably ended more than a few fantasy playoff runs this weekend. As championship weekend awaits here are some names that stood out this weekend as possible plug-and-play options to help steal that Week 16 win. As well as a few names that may just be fantasy mirages and are best left alone. Riley Cooper, WR, PHILADELPHIA: Cooper scored his third touchdown of the season on Thursday night and has filled in admirably for the injured DeSean Jackson. Over the past three weeks Cooper has played 95% of the Eagles offensive snaps and produced nine receptions for 88 yards and two touchdowns. Rookie quarterback Nick Foles seems to have an eye for Cooper as he has been targeted 21 times in the last three games. At 6' 3", and 222 pounds he is a nice red zone option for Philadelphia and has the Washington Redskins on tap for Week 16. Washington is among the top three defenses in allowing fantasy production to the wide receiver position and Cooper is looking at a strong fantasy finish to the 2012 season. DuJuan Harris, RB, GREEN BAY: In the past two weeks Harris has rushed for 58 yards and scored a touchdown on very limited touches. Look for that to change moving forward because Alex Green is simply not getting the job done for the Packers. After a decent performance against the Lions in Week 14 where he amassed 66 total yards and averaged 5.3 yards per carry, Green put up only 41 total yards on 14 touches against the Bears. Look for Green Bay to turn to the former Jaguar Harris, sooner rather than later. Green will still get some action on passing downs but Harris is due for a look as the No. 1 RB for Green Bay. Leonard Hankerson, WR, WASHINGTON: It was a very nice week for Hankerson as he turned three targets into a two catches for 56 yards and two touchdowns. For the season he now has 36 receptions for 521 yards and three touchdowns. Hankerson will be a hot name next week as a possible Week 16 starting option, but don't buy into it. Remember that it was Kirk Cousins under center for the Redskins and while he had a nice rapport with Hankerson, as soon as RG III returns, ...

Below, I'll list the player, their week 15 matchup, and the percentage of leagues in which he is owned according to our friends at fleaflicker.com. DISCLAIMER: The hope is that you don't find yourself in a situation like this. The hope is that you dodge the bullet. But hope won't help you come Sunday. Let's move on to this week's targets, keeping in mind that these aren't every week starters. Instead, these are guys that should only be used if you're in some kind of roster emergency. With the majority of big name quarterbacks, including Robert Griffin III, expected to be active, we'll skip the position, moving on to running backs and receivers. RB Joique Bell @ARI -- 38%. Last week, Arizona gave up 284 rushing yards to the Seattle Seahawks. Marshawn Lynch ran for 128 yards and three scores on just 11 carries. His backup ran 20 times for 108 yards. Granted, last week's 58-0 drubbing was a unique situation, and I wouldn't expect that kind of productivity again, but Bell and "lead-back" Mikel Leshoure have been splitting reps of late. Leshoure is still the goal line option, but Bell is more explosive and adds a pass-catching dynamic that Leshoure just doesn't have. Our staff has projected him for 70 yards rushing, four catches for 35 yards, and a touchdown. I think those numbers are fairly realistic, and he's available in way too many leagues. Montell Owens @MIA -- 10%. We didn't know what to expect from Owens last week. But he served well in a lead role against the Jets, running for 91 yards on 14 carries, including a nice 32-yard score. There were some early week whispers that Rashad Jennings might return from a concussion this week, but he had yet to pass the necessary tests to return, meaning Owens is the default option in the Jaguars' backfield. When our projections were posted, we estimated 65 total yards for Jennings and 55 for Owens. With Jennings all but ruled out, I like Owens to put up 80-100 yards, with a good chance to score. WR Danario Alexander vs CAR -- 54%. How is he available in almost half of leagues?! Right now, he is easily a top-25 fantasy receiver, and possibly higher, meaning he should not only be owned, but started in almost every league. Want further proof? Since week 10, in standard leagues, only Calvin Johnson and Dez Bryant have scored more than his 16.7 points per week. With a decent matchup in what could turn into a shootout with Carolina, I love Alexander, especially with teams covering him with just one defender ...

The final few weeks of the fantasy football season comes with its own set of challenges. Teams are not only fighting through a litany of injuries, but many teams who find themselves out of contention are quietly beginning the process of preparing for next season. With several young and emerging players getting extended looks setting your fantasy playoff roster can be tougher than ever to fill out. Which situations should you be monitoring as we close the season out? No waiver wire addition will draw more attention than David Wilson this week, and the interest is well warranted. Wilson eclipsed 100 yards and was responsible for three total touchdowns in the Giants thumping of the Saints. Wilson was already receiving an expanded role with Andre Brown landing on injured reserve. As if that opportunity was not enough, we find out that Ahmad Bradshaw is banged up with a knee injury. Owners who have Bradshaw have to cash in the insurance policy with Wilson. A start or two down the stretch would make Wilson a must-own player in all leagues. With the Cowboys pushing to make a run towards the playoffs in the muddled NFC East the ominous word out of Dallas on Monday is that Dez Bryant suffered a finger injury that may require season ending surgery. This season Bryant has focused on beating defensive backs and has developed in to an every week WR1 starter. Teams who have relied on Bryant to get them to this point will need to prepare for his possible absence. Danario Alexander is a solid option that fantasy owners should give consideration to adding to fill in at reveiver. Alexander has always had the talent to perform at a high level and this season he has shown that ability to stay healthy and is getting reps as a starter. Alexander displaced Robert Meachem half way through the season and has been developing a nice rapport with quarterback Philip Rivers. Despite some tougher matchups, Alexander should be added for owners who need depth at receiver. With DeSean Jackson's season over, the Eagles' Jason Avant has had an opportunity to step in to a starting role. Avant does not possess the overall talent that Jackson offers, but he does have reliable hands and veteran savvy. Avant hauled in seven catches for over 100 yards on Sunday against the Buccaneers and will offer your fantasy squad a reliable option over the last several weeks if you find yourself desperate at receiver. Brent Celek has already been ruled out for Week 15 with the lingering ...