Southern Division Fantasy Preview
By Scott Lange
The Southern Conference of the AFL is known for defense. But this might be the year it's loaded with offense. In this article I will give you a preview of the AFL's Southern Conference for the upcoming 2008 season, fantasy style!
Georgia Force
The Force enjoyed a solid 14-2 campaign last year, but lost to the Destroyers in the Conference Finals. The Force offense is what carried the team last year, and during the off season they lost some serious fire power. Receivers Chris Jackson and Derek Lee, who accounted for 71 TDs last year, left via free agency. The only player left from the record setting trio now is Troy Bergeron.  Bergeron was solid last year, as he was third in the AFL in receptions with 133 and also caught 41 TDs. He benefited mostly because of the attention Jackson and Lee received. That will not be the case this year, and I think the Force offense is going to sputter without C-Jax and Lee in 2008.
The player affected most by this will be QB Chris Griesen. Outside of Bergeron, there is not another WR on this roster that will come close to replacing Jackson and Lee. Bergeron should be drafted somewhere in the second round, but just don't expect another 40 TD season. I also think Griesen may be over-valued this year due to the loss of Jackson and Lee. The Force also has RB Matt Huebner. Huebner did find the end zone six times last year, and without Jackson and Lee, the running game may be a bigger part of the offense in 2008. Defensively, the Force have specialist Hamin Milligan who was able to collect 91 tackles last year. He should be one of the top tacklers in the AFL for fantasy teams. It should be a fun division to watch this year, and I see the force finishing 8-8 this year, with a chance of making the playoffs.
Sleeper: Matt Huebner, RB
Bust: Chris Griesen, QB
Tampa Bay Storm
The Storm has got to be considered one of the favorites to win the Southern Division. The entire offense will return for the 2008 season in the form of QB Brett Dietz, RB Torrance Marshall, and WRs Terrill Shaw, Lawrence Samuels, and Hank Edwards. They even managed to grab former Storm WR David Saunders via free agency.  Saunders played with Columbus for the past two years, where he collected a total of 37 TDs. Amazingly last year, the Storm offense struggled early until injuries forced Stoney Case and Rodney Filer from the lineup. That's when Dietz and Marshall got the call, ignited the offense and led the team to an unexpected trip to the playoffs.
The Storm was a different team with Dietz and Marshall, and with all the receivers returning the offense should be fierce. I have Dietz listed as the #5 overall QB in my pre-season rankings, but he could finish higher than that at the end of the season. Terrill Shaw was the WR that Dietz favored the most and, given a full season with Dietz, Shaw has 40 TD potential this year, if he stays healthy. Lawrence Samuels seems to always be undervalued. All this guy does is catch passes. He's had at least 115 catches in his last three seasons, and I don't expect that to change this year. It is scary to think how good RB Torrance Marshall might be this year. He got his first start of the season in week five of last year and never looked back. Marshall crossed pay dirt 17 times last year in only 13 games. I have no doubt he will finish as a top 5 RB at the end of the season.
Jeroid Johnson is an 8-year veteran DB who had a career year for his first year with the Storm. Johnson collected 88 tackles and intercepted 10 passes in 2007 and should be one of the first DBs off the board in fantasy drafts. With all of the points the Storm are capable of, it can only help kicker Seth Marler. Marler should be drafted shortly after Dallas' Remy Hamilton and San Jose's A.J. Haglund. The Storm is my pick to win the Southern Division as they should be able to post a 12-4 record in a very competitive division. Storm QB Brett Dietz has an outside shot at an MVP type of season if he can pick up where he left off last year.
Sleeper: Lawrence Samuels
Bust: David Saunders
New Orleans VooDoo
A once promising team took a devastating hit on their first day of practice in 2008. Star receiver Derrick Lewis tore his ACL and will be out for the year. I'm going to be honest here - before the injury to Lewis I really thought this team had enough talent to win the division.  Without Lewis, I don't see how the VooDoo can do it. Don't get me wrong, they have some nice talent outside of Lewis, like WR Wendall Williams, DeAndrew Rubin, and James Jordan. And then there's Steve Bellisari, who carried the VooDoo last year once inserted as the QB. Bellisari was a stud last year during the final weeks. One memorable performance was a shootout with Dallas QB Clint Dolezel, where Bellisari threw a career high 9 TDs.
I have no doubts that Bellisari will be a top 10 QB without Lewis, but he had a chance to be top 3 with Lewis. The biggest upgrade on the team due to the Lewis injury will be to WR Wendall Williams. Bellisari has more experience with Williams than any other receiver on the team, and I now see Williams as a possible top 15 WR for the 2008 season. DeAndrew Rubin played for the Preds last year and was very productive when he was in the lineup. His 2007 season though unfortunately ended due to an injury. If he grabs the #2 WR spot on the team he could put on some nice numbers.
The VooDoo defense will be led by DB Chris D. Brown, who had a down season in 2007 after his 107 tackle season in 2006. Brown is their best defender, so don't be surprised to see him rebound and have a solid year. I see Bellisari and company finishing 8-8 with a small possibility of making the playoffs.
Sleeper: Wendall Williams, WR
Bust: James Jordan, WR
Orlando Predators
I see the Preds battling it out with their rivals, the Tampa Bay Storm, for division supremacy. Shane Stafford has some weapons around him, and it starts with WR Javarus Dudley.  Dudley had a break out season last year catching 106 passes and scoring 29 TDs through the air and four more TDs on the ground. I expect to see even more success for Dudley this year as he seems to be Stafford's favorite player to look for on offense.
The Preds will be without WR Jimmy Fryzel this year, but that will open the door for receivers Rob Johnson and T.T. Toliver. Each one of these guys is a threat on offense and they could both have respectable numbers by the end of the year. Stafford seemed to be developing some chemistry towards the end of the year, so Johnson may be the player to grab the #2 WR spot along side Dudley. Orlando have found a Stud in RB Marlon Moye-Moore. Triple M has had back-to-back solid seasons for the Preds and should be considered a top 5 RB, capable of a 15 TD season.
The defense will be led by the combination of DS Damon Mason and DB Kenny McEntyre. The Preds always have one of the better defenses in the league, and a great RB in Triple M. This could keep the Preds OUT of high scoring games which only takes away value from a fantasy perspective. However, the Preds can score points when they have to, and in a high scoring division like the South, they could be forced to put more points on the board this year. I see the Preds finishing this year 11-5 and hosting a first round playoff game.
Sleeper: Rob Johnson, WR
Bust: Jay Taylor, K
Scott Lange is a founding member of Arena Football Online and has been following Arena Football since 2000. Contact Scott at slange@arenafootballonline.com
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