Based on my first two installments to this year’s With Leather Fantasy Football Guide – which has already won 6 Peabody Awards for excellence in mixing semi-nude women with some dude’s thoughts about stuff – it’s clear that I value running backs first and quarterbacks second this year. That leaves wide receivers and tight ends, and let’s face it – tight ends are the bass players of fantasy football. So wide receivers are the next most important players, but why no love for the paws, the big ol’ paws?

It’s because this year, receivers are just incredibly deep. After the top guy, you can take your chances, because there are so many quality guys out there, and I really believe that you can mix and match a nice trio that will be serviceable and would look great with a top QB and great RB pair. That’s not to say that there aren’t certain guys I love more than others, but unlike previous years, you don’t have to go nuts because there are so many guys that are seemingly on the verge of becoming stars.

Plus, as we’ll see after the jump, some guys just don’t have that allure that they’ve had in seasons past.

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By now, you should have already read what I assume will be the world’s foremost guide on choosing which fantasy quarterback is right for you. Now that we have that out of the way, we can move on to the position that really matters – the running back. In this era of overexposure and mushy brains, almost every NFL team uses some sort of running back system that has made the elite RB as rare as a virgin quarterback.

Most people who arrogantly call themselves “fantasy experts” believe that it is important to draft one of the elite RBs before any other player, and this is the one instance in which I agree with them. But remember, I write these things to offer my honest gut instinct as a guide for beginners and people who rip themselves to shreds with indecision. My humble opinion is that a top RB is worth more to you than any other player on a draft list. However, if you have gigantic testicles, don’t let me stop you from going elsewhere.

But if you agree with me that the elite RB is a dying breed, then let’s examine which guys are worth a damn and which guys will break your heart.

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Before last season, I took my first shot at making a set of fantasy football guidelines – I hate calling them rankings, even though I technically ranked players – in which I offered my humble advice for the average football fan taking his first dip in the fake sports pool. The results were 6 readers who claimed they won their leagues drafting with just my guidelines, which is impressive because only 5 people typically read my posts, and I won one league, finished third in another and missed the playoffs in the third (it’s my auction league, so it really doesn’t count).

The point is, I trust my gut when it comes to fantasy football because I have faith in my common sense. Obviously, some of you have probably already drafted – I drafted 2 of my 5 leagues (ugh) this past Monday – but I believe that in this time of holdouts and no-shows it’s best to wait. If you share that philosophy, and your draft is still ahead of us – I still have 2 more (ugh) – then this is for you. If you have already drafted, then you can at least offer your insight into why I’m wrong. Lord knows you guys love doing that.

That said, I give you the first installment of the 2012 With Leather Fantasy Football Draft Guide: Knowing Your Quarterbacks.

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ESPN the Magazine, or Highlights for sports fans as I like to call it, has finally released its highly-anticipated 9th-annual Ultimate Standings. If you’re unfamiliar, the Ultimate Standings are a guide to determining which sports franchises of the four major North American leagues (MLB, NFL, NBA and NHL) offer their fans the best experience, from cost to winning. Ultimately, it’s probably the most scientific method of telling us what we already know.

ESPN’s brain trust determined the standings with 8 categories:

Bang For The Buck (BNG): Wins during the past three years (regular season plus postseason) per revenues directly from fans, adjusted for league schedules.

Fan Relations (FRL): Openness and consideration toward fans by players, coaches and management.

Ownership (OWN): Honesty and loyalty to core players and local community.

Affordability (AFF): Price of tickets, parking and concessions.

Stadium Experience (STX): Quality of arena and game-day promotions as well as friendliness of environment.

Players (PLA): Effort on the field and likability off it.

Coaching (CCH): Strength of on-field leadership.

Title Track (TTR): Championships already won or expected in the lifetime of current fans.

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