Kevin Kolb will prove he is the real deal with a strong 2010 season.

Considering I’m a probabilities/numbers guy, bold predictions are never easy to come up with. Still, there is a qualitative side to fantasy football and that in itself will always allow me to love/hate guys more than the consensus. That being said, here are a few bold predictions based on my current 2010 projections:

1. Andre Johnson and Wes Welker will finish 2010 as the top scoring PPR wide receivers – Projecting such a finish for Andre Johnson is anything but bold, but Wes Welker at number two should grab your attention. Many are extremely skeptical that Welker can be back in uniform by week 1, but recent reports seem to indicate otherwise. I’m predicting a slow start to the season for him, but he will be back to his old self by week 3-4 and will end up with 120 receptions and 1,300 yards. Considering Welker’s recent ADP, he will still be on the board when you are up in round 4. Don’t pass him up.

2. Devin Hester will lead the Bears in receptions en route to a top 20 fantasy season among WRs – There is a ton of buzz surrounding Johnny Knox and Devin Aromashodu, but don’t overlook the veteran playmaker Hester. The former Miami Hurricane averaged 4.4 receptions/game last season, which translates to 70 receptions in 16 games. Mike Martz is in town to tune an already pass heavy offense, Jay Cutler will improve his interception rate, and the Cutler-Hester connection now has a season under its belt. Considering Hester will, again, be the WR1 in what should be the league’s pass heaviest offense, he’s looking at statistics in the area of 70 catches, 1,000 yards, and 6 scores.

3. Kevin Kolb will prove to be the real deal – Many consider Kolb to be a backend starting QB in 12 team leagues this year. The bold have him as a borderline top 5 option thanks to the Eagles potent offensive attack, while the naysayers say he is too inexperienced and risky to rely on as a QB1. Although I think a top 5 finish would be pushing the envelope, I will be completely shocked if Kolb plays all 16 games and ends up outside the top 12. We know the Eagles will pass the ball a ton, we know he’s already produced when asked to do so, and we know a few talented, young-but-not-rookie quarterbacks who have been fantasy gold over the last few seasons. In 2008, his first season as the starter, 25 year old and 3 year vet Aaron Rodgers was third in scoring among quarterbacks. In 2006, also his first season as a starter, 25 year old and 2 year vet Philip Rivers ranked 8th among quarterbacks. In 2010, his first season as a full-time starter, 26 year old and 3 year vet Kevin Kolb will prove he is one of the more talented quarterbacks in the league. It will lead him to a top 8 finish among quarterbacks.

4. Superbowl XLV will match the Ravens with the Packers – This one isn’t Fantasy Football related, but these are the two teams I’m currently highest on in each conference. Joe Flacco and Aaron Rodgers , Ray Rice and Ryan Grant, Greg Jennings and Anquan Boldin. JerMichael Finley and Derrick Mason. Talk about some fantasy firepower in the big game! Who will win? How about Green Bay 38, Baltimore 34. Nothing like a shootout on Superbowl Sunday.

The Ravens relied heavily on the services of Ray Rice in 2009 and, although he will be a significant contributor again in 2010, his job will be much easier thanks to a few offseason additions to the roster. The quarterback and runningback units will look almost the same, however, with the major additions coming at wide receiver (Anquan Boldin & Donte Stallworth) and tight end (rookies Dennis Pitta & Ed Dickson).

Joe Flacco is a borderline QB1 after the addition of Anquan Boldin.

QB: Joe Flacco : 326-of-518, 3754 yards, 22 TD, 12 INT, 31 carries, 93 yards, 1 TD – Flacco’s stock will benefit greatly from the addition of Boldin as long as the oft-injured playmaker can stay on the field. Entering his third NFL season, Flacco has the offense around him for this to be a breakout season.

RB: Ray Rice : 244 carries, 1268 yards, 7 TD, 102 targets, 74 receptions, 668 yards, 2 TD – Rice was an elite fantasy producer in 2009 and will be back at it again in 2010. He will fall behind a few of the other top backs in some scoring models because he loses goal line touches to Willis McGahee, but makes up for it in PPR formats by averaging around 7 targets per game. If he falls to you at pick 5 in your league, someone made a mistake.

RB: Willis McGahee : 102 carries, 428 yards, 5 TD, 21 targets, 15 receptions, 89 yards – McGahee will return to his role as Rice’s handcuff in 2010. Baltimore will rely on the run, which leaves a handful of carries for McGahee, but he only has significant value if Rice is injured.

WR: Anquan Boldin : 118 targets, 76 receptions, 987 yards, 8 TD – The trade for Boldin gives the Ravens one of the league’s better 1-2 punches at WR. He will still see plenty of targets each week, but it’s worth nothing that Baltimore will pass the ball less than Boldin was used to in Arizona and no longer is Larry Fitzgerald on the other side of the field demanding extra attention from the defense. Boldin will end up as a solid WR2 option.

WR: Derrick Mason : 96 targets, 55 receptions, 713 yards, 4 TD – One of the most underrated receivers in fantasy football history is unlikely to fall under that category in 2010. The addition of Boldin will significantly decrease the team’s reliance on Mason. He falls from the team’s top receiving option to Flacco’s third choice after Boldin and Rice.

WR: Donte Stallworth : 48 targets, 25 receptions, 352 yards, 2 TD – Stallworth was out of football in 2009, but is expected to nail down the WR3 job in Baltimore this season. Still, the team does not utilize the position enough to make him fantasy relevant. He currently sits 92nd in my PPR WR rankings.

TE: Todd Heap : 53 targets, 33 receptions, 385 yards, 3 TD – Heap is entering what is likely to be his final season in Baltimore. He will be a free agent after the year ends and the team selected Pitta and Dickson in April’s Rookie draft. Still, the starting job is his for now and he will be a borderline top 20 option at the position.

AFC NORTH

Cleveland Browns
There is a heated quarterback battle between Brady Quinn and Derek Anderson. I will save the breakdown of each quarterback for another time. There isn’t going to be much deference between the two therefore you won’t see much change in the entire team’s fantasy production.

Jamal Lewis, Jerome Harrison- The Browns running game really struggled last year and having Quinn or Anderson behind center is not going to solve that issue.

Braylon Edwards, David Patton, Brian Robiskie, Mohamed Massaquoi, Steve Heiden- I could throw passes to Braylon Edwards and he would drop 5 out of 10. This group will have the same fantasy numbers no matter who is the starting quarterback.

Phil Dawson- No change in the kicking games production.

Cleveland Defense- Same production by the defensive unit.

Baltimore Ravens
Joe Flacco is at his local gas station when a few people start to poke fun at his uni-brow. A fight ensues and Flacco breaks his nose and will be out for a few weeks.

Troy Smith- Smith has a career total of 80 yards passing. The Ravens will have another inexperienced quarterback at the helm. Smith will not put up impressive fantasy numbers, the Ravens are a running team.

Ray Rice, Willis McGahee, Le’Ron McClain- This group will see the same amount of carries and production.

Derek Mason, Mark Clayton, Demetrius Williams, Kelly Washington- Flacco’s extremely strong arm benefits Clayton, so Flacco’s injury will have an affect on his production. Mason will put up good numbers either way and deserves a spot on your fantasy roster.

Todd Heap, LJ Smith- Heap will loose some opportunities with the addition of LJ Smith but there production will not vary with Troy Smith running things.

Steven Hauschka- There will be not changes in the production of the kicking game.

Baltimore Defense- The defense will remain dominate.

Pittsburgh Steelers
Due to Big Ben’s legal troubles a judge sentences him to keep his hands to himself, therefore not allowing him to put his hands under center. Charlie Batch is now the starting quarterback.
Charlie Batch- Batch is a game manager that will not put up big fantasy numbers.

Willie Parker, Rashard Mendenhall, Mewelde Moore- The Steelers were a running team before Ben’s situation and now they will have to focus even more on the ground attack. Expect more carries for all.

Hines Ward, Santonio Holmes, Sawn McDonald, Limas Sweed- Ward and Holmes will put up decent numbers but nothing spectacular. They are going to get fantasy playing time depending on the weekly matchups.

Heath Miller- Miller is in the same boat as the receivers. With Batch Pittsburg will only throw the ball 15-25 times a game with most of those targets going to Ward and Holmes.

Jeff Reed- The offense will have a lot less production therefore a lot less field goal and extra point attempts.

Pittsburgh Defense- This will still be one of the top 3 fantasy defenses.

Cincinnati Bengals
Carson Palmer attempts to race the same horse the wide receiver formally known as Chad Johnson raced and tears his hamstring. JT O’Sullivan is now the starting quarterback.

JT O’Sullivan- Has no business being a starting quarterback in the NFL or on your fantasy team.

Cedric Benson, Justin Leonard- Benson had a decent year last year with an equally pitiful quarterback so expect alright numbers but nothing great. Benson will be at best a spot starter for your team.

Chad Ochocinco, Laveranues Coles, Chris Henry, Reggie Kelly- I guess the one good thing is that JT O’Sullivan likes to take risks and throw it deep, so Ochocinco may have some opportunities. However, I expect Ochocinco to miss Palmer and disappear on a lot of plays. Coles will put up similar numbers as Houshmanzadeh did last season.

Shayne Graham- With a less effective offense comes less opportunities for the kicking game.

Cincinnati Defense- The defense will have a lot more points scored on them as a result of the offense not being able to sustain drives.

Wide Receiver Derrick Mason has changed his mind and will return to the Baltimore Ravens despite announcing his retirement in July.

The move means Mark Clayton will return to his role as the team’s second wide receiver. Demetrius Williams, Kelley Washington, Yamon Figurs, Marcus Maxwell, Marcus Smith, and newly acquired Biren Ealy will battle it out for the rest of the targets.

Complete Baltimore Ravens Fantasy Depth Chart

The Baltimore Ravens waived tight end Quinn Sypniewski on Monday, leaving them with Todd Heap, L.J. Smith, and rookie Davon Drew at the position.

Complete Baltimore Ravens Fantasy Depth Chart