At FFChamps we are constantly tweaking fantasy football player rankings based on performance, injury, opportunity, and other factors. It's tough to keep track of all the player value fluctuations, especially in the postseason and thereafter. Below are some of the players who are experiencing the greatest increases and decreases in value based on the events of the past several weeks, including the playoffs.

 

STOCK UP

 

QB Drew Brees, Saints

He's the Super Bowl MVP, his coach called him the league MVP in front of a bazillion viewers as he handed him the Lombardi Trophy…and he went to Disney World. Can life get any better for Drew Brees right now? Probably not. He even starred in one of the most adorable post-Super Bowl moments in memory, kissing his baby boy with tears in his eyes and confetti falling all around him. Brees is now, without question, a bona fide American sports icon and the No. 1 quarterback in fantasy football—a title that will stick with him all offseason and through next summer's drafts. He may have even vaulted himself into the end of the first round in some fantasy drafts, depending on scoring system. There is no question that Brees was already in the “best fantasy quarterback” conversation along with the likes of Peyton Manning and Aaron Rodgers, but like Larry Fitzgerald a year ago he is now getting just about all the No. 1 votes instead of merely an impressive share.

 

RB Joseph Addai, Colts

Addai's 13 touchdowns were the only thing that enabled him to avoid the “bust” label this past season. His 828 rushing yards and zero 100-yard games left fantasy owners flat and led many to believe that it was only a matter of time before rookie Donald Brown took over as the feature back. That still may happen next season, but apparently Addai is not ready to go down without a fight. He turned in his best rushing performance of the season with 80 yards in the AFC Championship game and then followed it up with an even better performance in the Super Bowl. Against the Saints, Joseph averaged 5.9 yards per carry, including a season-long-26-yard run. He also scored a touchdown and showed some moves and speed that weren't often apparent over the last two seasons. Brown remained in the background, firmly entrenched as the change of pace back. Next summer, Addai won't be confused for a top-5 fantasy running back as he was prior to the 2008 season, but he probably won't fall out of the top-20 as he seemed destined to do prior to his productive postseason.

 

RB Shonn Greene, Jets

No player helped his fantasy value more this postseason than Greene. The Jets rookie exploded for back-to-back 100-yard games in the first two rounds of the playoffs. Through the Jets first two playoff games, Greene had 44 carries for 263 yards and two touchdowns compared to 29 carries, 75 yards, and one touchdown for Thomas Jones, who had been the Jets feature back all season long. In essence, the torch had been passed from the veteran to the rookie at the most critical time of the year. That's the kind of confidence Rex Ryan and his staff has in Greene. Had he not suffered a rib injury that sent him to the sidelines during the AFC title game, he no doubt would have bigger stats than Jones in all three postseason games. What's more, Jones' future with the Jets is up in the air. While it's tough to overlook the facts that he turned in a second straight career year, finishing third in the NFL in rushing and third in touchdowns, it's also impossible to look past the facts that he will turn 32 in August and is due a $3 million roster bonus on March 1. If Jones has played his final game as a Jet, there's a chance Greene could be a top-15 or even top-10 fantasy running back on next summer's cheat sheets.

 

WR Pierre Garcon, Colts

Garcon was considered a last-round flier in drafts last summer because of his potential role as the Colts No. 3 wide receiver. Then, one week into the season, Anthony Gonzalez went down with what turned out to be a season ending knee injury, promoting Garcon from the ranks of “flier” to hot pickup. And while the second-year wideout emerged as a solid spot-player for fantasy owners, he never really broke out in a big way. That changed when the playoffs started. Garcon had the best game of his young career in the AFC Championship game against the Jets top-ranked pass defense, hauling in 11 passes for 151 yards and a touchdown—a performance underscored by the fact that he is of Haitian descent. Pierre was becoming a household name as he proudly held the flag of Haiti following their win in the AFC title game. Then, with the world watching, he scored the Colts first touchdown in the Super Bowl, putting them ahead of the Saints 10-0. For fantasy purposes, Garcon should now be considered the best bet to be the second Colts wide receiver off the board next summer regardless of the health of Gonzalez.

 

K Garrett Hartley, Saints

As the kicker for the highest scoring team in the league, you had to figure Hartley would become an extra-point machine once he took the reins as the Saints kicker in Week 13. And he did. The field goal opportunities were another story. In the seven games from Week 13 through the NFC Championship game, Hartley booted more than one field goal in a game just twice. Those darn Saints were just too good at converting red zone trips into six points! However, Garrett made a name for himself by converting the 40-yard overtime game-winner in the NFC title game that sent the Saints to the Super Bowl and then set a record by becoming the first kicker to connect on three field goals of over 40 yards in one Super Bowl game. He began the 2009 season serving a four-game suspension for using a banned substance and was undrafted in fantasy leagues. He'll begin next season as a top-10 fantasy kicker…unless he dips into the Adderall again.

 

 

STOCK DOWN

 

QB Peyton Manning, Colts

Unfairly or not, a player's fantasy value is often confused with his achievements as a player outside of his actual fantasy-relevant stats. The two tend to bleed together. Thus, Manning will be remembered all offseason more for being the losing quarterback in the Super Bowl than he will for having his fourth MVP season—a season brimming with superstar fantasy production that continued through the first two playoff games. He will be remembered more for dropping to 9-9 in the postseason and, of course, for throwing the interception to Tracy Porter that broke the Colts back in the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl. Again, is this fair? No. But it cannot be argued that his stock in the eyes of fantasy owners isn't down. Prior to the big game Manning was at least even, if not ahead, of Brees in terms of perceived fantasy value. Afterwards, according to one unscientific poll on the FFChamps home page, Brees is the fantasy favorite of most in something approaching a landslide.

 

RB LaDainian Tomlinson, Chargers

Has Tomlinson played his final game for the San Diego Chargers? To hear his quotes following their playoff loss to the Jets he sure sounded like he was resigned to such a fate. In fact, last Thursday Tomlinson told the San Diego Union-Tribune, “I'm not coming back…I've accepted it.” Tomlinson, who turns 31 in June, is due a roster bonus of $2 million on March 5, so he will very likely be released between now and then. We've been slowly chipping away at the epitaph for his career for a few seasons now, but it may finally be time to put it in stone. As good as L.T. was in the prime of his Hall of Fame career, he had career lows in carries, receptions, yards, and yards-per-carry this past season. Sure, some team may bring him aboard to be their veteran backup and/or goal-line runner because he still has a nose for the stripe judging from the 12 touchdowns he scored this season. But is that really the way he wants to go out? Regardless, fantasy owners should not have Tomlinson in their starting lineup plans for 2010.

 

WR Larry Fitzgerald, Cardinals

What a difference a year makes! Just 12 months ago, Fitzgerald was flying high on the fantasy football stock market following his record-setting postseason. There was no question he was the No. 1 fantasy wide receiver. However, last week's announcement by quarterback Kurt Warner that he was (gulp!) retiring has left Fitzgerald's fantasy value a bit fuzzy. Some would suggest that Matt Leinart at least has the potential to step in and become a legit NFL quarterback in the wake of Warner's departure. But we have not seen that happen yet. We knew what Warner was capable of and his Hall of Fame abilities made Fitz a no-brainer. Now that he is no longer there, Fitzgerald can no longer be considered “can't miss.” Indeed, he has dropped in our dynasty rankings since Warner's retirement. Who would you rather have slinging the ball to your No. 1 receiver, a guy like Peyton Manning (to Reggie Wayne) or Matt Schaub (to Andre Johnson) or Leinart? That's what I thought.

 

WR Brandon Marshall, Broncos

For the third straight season, Marshall caught 100 passes. For the first time ever, he scored 10 touchdowns. Like always, unfortunately, he was embroiled in controversy that left his situation unclear in the eyes of fantasy owners. The final straw may have come when Broncos head coach Josh McDaniels benched Marshall for the regular-season finale after he was late to a scheduled therapy session for treatment of a hamstring injury the team believed he was exaggerating. Brandon is set to become an unrestricted free agent unless the owners and players' union don't strike a labor agreement by March 5, in which case he would become a restricted free agent. Marshall is saying that he wants to remain a Bronco, but we've heard that sort of thing before from him only to see him turn around and do something that says otherwise. Will he remain a Bronco, and if so, will he remain in McDaniels dog house? Or will Denver trade him? Without knowing his situation for 2010 it's tough to keep Marshall ranked too high.

 

TE Greg Olsen, Bears

The Chicago Bears finally completed their search for a new offensive coordinator last week when they hired Mike Martz. Exactly how “Mad Martz” would work with Crabby-pants quarterback Jay Cutler was the story that gained all the immediate headlines, but that won't be the only storyline worth tracking here. Martz's penchant for pass-happy- schemes are well documented, but one of the byproducts of his system is that there is almost no emphasis on passing the ball to tight ends. No tight end has ever caught 40 passes in a Mike Martz-led offense. That can't be good news for Olsen, who led the Bears in receptions and touchdowns last year. Fantasy owners who were considering holding onto Olsen in their keeper leagues now must reconsider because, regardless of how good his hands are or how big of a red zone target he might be, now he will be playing in an offense that will target him much less often…in addition to still having an enigma under center to contend with.