A People's Pro Bowl? Not Quite

Last month the People's Pigskin offered a primer for those who wanted to use fantasy football stats to determine who really deserved to go to the Pro Bowl. On Tuesday the National Football League announced the rosters for football's all-star game.

Of course, those rosters are nowhere close to final; anyone making the Super Bowl will not play in the Pro Bowl, and every year several players miss the game because of injuries (some of them major, and some of them legitimate). But it's never too early to look at the rosters and see how they would compare to rosters set by fantasy football points.

AFC OFFENSE

Quarterback: This year the NFL picked Peyton Manning (currently 3rd among quarterbacks with 271 fantasy points, according to ESPN), Tom Brady (4th, 256) and Philip Rivers (5th, 251). So far, so good.

Running back: Chris Johnson (1st among running backs, 304), Maurice Jones-Drew (3rd, 247) and Ray Rice (4th, 220). Again, pretty good, and Rice got his fullback, Le'Ron McClain, on the roster.

Wide receiver: Andre Johnson (1st among receivers, 199), Reggie Wayne (5th, 175), Brandon Marshall (tied for 7th, 166) and Wes Welker (10th, 154). Here we have our first legitimate snubs: Randy Moss (2nd, 189) and Vincent Jackson (tied for 7th, 166).

Tight end: Dallas Clark (1st among tight ends, 158) and Antonio Gates (3rd, 149). Again, solid choices.

Offensive line: Here we turn once again to our friends at Trench Fantasy for help. In the first half of 2009, according to Trench Fantasy, the top-scoring AFC fantasy offensive lines were New England (1 lineman Pro Bowler, Logan Mankins), Pittsburgh (none) and Indianapolis (1, Jeff Saturday). By comparison, we have 2 representatives of the New York Jets (Alan Faneca and Nick Mangold) and 1 each from Miami, Denver, Cleveland and San Diego. No one from Tennessee, though; looks like Chris Johnson opened his own holes.

NFC OFFENSE

Quarterback: Aaron Rodgers (1st among quarterbacks, 308), Drew Brees (2nd, 280) and Brett Favre (8th, 246). One possible snub: Tony Romo (7th, 249).

Running back: Adrian Peterson (2nd among running backs, 254), Steven Jackson (10th, 174) and DeAngelo Williams (11th, 166). A couple of snubs: Frank Gore (7th, 190) and Ryan Grant (8th, 186). And none of these runners even got a fullback to the Pro Bowl. That honor went to Leonard Weaver.

Wide receiver: DeSean Jackson (3rd among receivers, 186), Miles Austin (4th, 185), Larry Fitzgerald (6th, 173) and Sidney Rice (14th, 146). Here we have a few candidates for snubhood, including Roddy White (9th, 162) and Steve Smith of the New York Giants (11th, 153).

Tight end: Vernon Davis (2nd among tight ends, 154) and Jason Witten (9th, 94). Again, a few nominees for snubdom, including Brent Celek (4th, 128) and Tony Gonzalez (5th, 114).

Offensive line: According to Trench Fantasy, the top NFC fantasy offensive line in the first half of 2009 was New Orleans (with 2 Pro Bowlers, Jonathan Stinchcomb and Jahri Evans). We also have 2 line representatives from Minnesota (Bryant McKinnie and Steve Hutchinson) and Dallas (Leonard Davis and Andre Gurode), along with 1 each from Philadelphia and the New York Giants.

AFC DEFENSE

(For the defensive units, we will be borrowing individual defensive player stats from FFToday.)

Defensive line: Here's where things get dicey. Actual Pro Bowlers: Robert Mathis (9th among defensive linemen with 85.5 fantasy points), Mario Williams (tied for 12th, 81.5), Dwight Freeney (14th, 79.5), Vince Wilfork (tied for 85th, 43), Haloti Ngata (tied for 90th, 42.5) and Casey Hampton (tied for 97th, 40.5). Your top snubs: Aaron Schobel (2nd, 113.5) and Jarret Johnson (11th, 82).

Linebacker: Brian Cushing (3rd among linebackers, 159), Ray Lewis (8th, 130.5), Elvis Dumervil (9th, 129.5), James Harrison (10th, 129) and DeMeco Ryans (25th, 112.5). Top snubs: David Harris (4th, 145) and D.J. Williams (tied for 5th, 133.5).

Defensive back: Brian Dawkins (3rd among defensive backs, 128), Darrelle Revis (13th, 117.5), Champ Bailey (tied for 43rd, 96.5), Jairus Byrd (46th, 95), Ed Reed (85th, 78) and Nnamdi Asomugha (tied for 166th--that's right, one hundred and sixty-sixth--with 40.5). Top snubs: Tyvon Branch and Bernard Pollard (tied for 5th with 126 points each), along with pretty much everyone in the defensive backfield wearing a Cincinnati Bengals jersey.

NFC DEFENSE

Defensive line: Jared Allen (1st among defensive linemen, 132), Julius Peppers (5th, 110), Trent Cole (6th, 108.5), Darnell Dockett (tied for 12th, 81.5), Jay Ratliff (23rd, 70) and Kevin Williams (tied for 37th, 61.5). Tops among the snubbed: Will Smith (3rd, 111) and Andre Carter (4th, 110.5).

Linebacker: Patrick Willis (1st among linebackers, 180), Jonathan Vilma (tied for 11th, 128.5), Lance Briggs (tied for 19th, 117), DeMarcus Ware (tied for 21st, 115.5) and Brian Orakpo (tied for 50th, 91.5). Your all-star-caliber snubees: Jon Beason (2nd, 160.5) and London Fletcher (tied for 5th, 133.5).

Defensive back: Charles Woodson (1st among defensive backs, 159), Darren Sharper (2nd, 141), Adrian Wilson (tied for 7th, 122.5), Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie (tied for 10th, 120), Asante Samuel (tied for 24th, 105.5) and Nick Collins (tied for 40th, 97.5). The biggest snubs: Dashon Goldson (4th, 127.5) and Terrell Thomas (tied for 7th, 122.5).

SPECIAL TEAMS

Kicker: No real surprises here. For the NFC, we have David Akers (1st among kickers with 148 ESPN fantasy points). For the AFC, we have Nate Kaeding (2nd, 142).

Punter: Again, no real surprises. For the NFC, we have Andy Lee (2nd in the NFL with a 47.7-yard average). For the AFC, we have Shane Lechler (1st with a sick 51.1 average).

Kick returner: No major shockers here, either. For the NFC, it's DeSean Jackson (yes, as both a receiver and a returner). For the AFC, it's Josh Cribbs, and if he needs an introduction, it's time to take up a new hobby.

Special teamer: Again, I have nothing here. Flip a coin.

To keep this post brief--OK, shorter than it could have been--I limited myself to 2 snubs per unit. But please note that in several cases I could have listed as least twice as many. Clearly, whoever had the final word on the Pro Bowl has never been a fantasy football commissioner.

And in case you were wondering, the number of Pro Bowlers currently on the People's Pigskin roster ... drumroll, please ... zero. Well, unless you count Trent Cole, Patrick Willis and Asante Samuel as members of the Philadelphia and San Francisco defense/special teams.

We'll be back later with some updates on the final Landshark Maniacs predictions.