The 2012 Power 100 ranking of the most powerful professional athletes in the U.S was released last night by Bloomberg/Businessweek, revealing Drew Brees at the top of the list (go to this link to see the top 20). 26 NFL football players (including four heading to the Super Bowl) are on the list.

CSE’s Analytics team, lead by VP, Analytics, David Newman, evaluated more than 3,000 athletes across a variety of sports, with 50 percent based on “off-field” measurements and 50 percent on “on-field” performance.

After the jump, check out the 26 NFL players in the top 100

Paul M. Banks is CEO of The Sports Bank.net, an official Google News site generating millions of unique visitors. He’s also a regular contributor to Chicago Now, Walter Football.com, Yardbarker, and Fox Sports

A Fulbright scholar and MBA, Banks has appeared on live radio all over the world; and he’s a member of the Football Writers Association of America, U.S. Basketball Writers Association, and Society of Professional Journalists. The President of the United States follows him on Twitter (@Paul_M_BanksTSB) You should too.

Following some of the links here could lead to NSFW photos, just warning you now about that. Check it out, Playboy Playmate Jaime Edmondson in every NFL team’s gear. Call it Playboy’s salute to the greatest sport on the planet. When you’re done enjoying Jaime’s photos, vote for which one you think is the hottest.

Miss January 2010 is a former Miami Dolphins cheerleader and co-creator of the Play by Playmate sports blog on Playboy.com By the way, BIG SHOCKER of news here, Edmondson has a tramp stamp. You can see it prominently in many of her pics. Quite a surprise, isn’t it?

See the full gallery here

Follow Edmondson on Twitter here

Paul M. Banks is CEO of The Sports Bank.net, an official Google News site that generates millions of unique visitors. He’s also a regular contributor to Chicago Now, Walter Football.com, Yardbarker, and Fox Sports 

He does regular weekly radio spots in Chicago and Cleveland and has appeared on live shows all across the world from Houston to New Zealand. You can follow him on Twitter

Everyone knows Andrew Luck is going first overall to the Indianapolis Colts. When his name is called on draft day it will be as big a surprise as the day former Menudo member and late ’90s pop star Ricky Martin officially came out of the closet.

The real draft begins at number two. And gets more interesting at number three and so on.

What will the Vikings do? With Christian Ponder, last year’s #1 pick under center, I can’t see them going quarterback. Yes, he has a lot to learn, and a long way to go to reach that ceiling, but he’s the future. Also, Matt Barkley decided to stay in school, and I believe if you can’t get Luck or Barkley, than the Vikes might as well stay with the girl they brought to the dance. Robert Griffin III and Landry Jones are fine prospects, but I don’t think they’ll punt on Ponder for those guys.

It’s not unheard of for a team to draft quarterbacks very high in back to back years. The Carolina Panthers just did it with Jimmy Claussen out of Notre Dame in 2010 (#43 overall) and Cam Newton #1 last year. So far, it seems like it’s kind of worked out for them, so who knows maybe some other teams will pick up on the idea.

The Vikings have plenty of needs on both sides of the ball.

On defense you could address the safety and the tackle position. But I think they’ll do something about their less-than-stellar offensive line.

I say they go with Jonathan Martin, the big OL from Stanford.

For my entire mock draft first round go here

Paul M. Banks is CEO of The Sports Bank.net, an official Google News site generating millions of unique visitors. He’s also a regular contributor to Chicago Now, Walter Football.com, Yardbarker, and Fox Sports

A Fulbright scholar and MBA, Banks has appeared on live radio all over the world; and he’s a member of the Football Writers Association of America, U.S. Basketball Writers Association, and Society of Professional Journalists. The President of the United States follows him on Twitter (@Paul_M_BanksTSB) You should too.

A season that didn’t seem to be able to get any worse just did during the Christmas Eve game against the Washington Redskins at FedEx Field. Not only did the Vikings come out of the contest victorious, but franchise running back Adrian Peterson tore his ACL and MCL. Happy holidays to the purple people eaters. For those of you who are thinking that the injury isn’t a big deal because of the timing, consider the recovery. These are two severe injuries that require extensive rehabilitation. The treatment will be both physical and psychological for AP. It is not even certain if the recovery will be fully to his previous condition.

What we do know is that he is expected to make a full recovery in time for opening day 2012. He should be 100% by sometime in the early-mid preseason.

It’s that time of year where all of us vow to cut out those midnight snacks and work out more.

If I spent half as much time exercising as watching other people play sports, I’d be on a commercial for GNC. The Minnesota Vikings certainly have some resolutions that need to be adhered to in order to avoid the sub-par play fans have witnessed throughout the last two seasons.

The first would be to lend confidence to Leslie Frazier. I understand that he is on firm footing next season, but the club should use language in press releases and around its facility that implies a long term relationship. There is enough up in the air with the upcoming draft, the stadium issue in Arden Hills, and the myriad of injuries. Frazier has demonstrated poise and calm through adversity. He deserves some stability.

Owner Zygi Wilf should hire a general manager. The drafts and free agent signings haven’t been impressive over the recent past. If there was one person responsible for this ineptness, then accountability could occur. The group think concept of the organization leads to muddled decisions and a lack of clear direction. How foolish is it to run an organization worth hundreds of millions of dollars without a leader?

The coaching staff should invite Oklahoma State defensive coordinator Bill Young to informal workouts and training sessions. In a previous blog I stated the case for this team to be in the national title game; his accomplishments are exceptionally noteworthy. The Big 12 has the most explosive offenses in the country, and he nearly came out of the fray unbeaten. In addition, his first team has to practice daily against the likes of quarterback Brandon Weeden and wide receiver Justin Blackmon. There is no better preparation than that. He doubles as the defensive line coach, but I am sure that he has some innovative concepts for Minnesota’s secondary. There have been some backbreaking injuries, but that doesn’t explain all of the dismal performances.

Finally, members of the brass should resolve to pray more often. The majority of power in the NFC used to be in the East. Now it seems to reside in the North. Unlike other major sports-whose better clubs are on the coasts, the NFL goes through shifts cyclically. It is definitely an uphill battle for Minnesota to be competitive in the division for the foreseeable future.

The Minnesota Vikings fully expect their franchise running back Adrian Peterson to be 100% recovered from the two torn ligaments in his left knee by the the 2012 season rolls around.

Peterson tore both his ACL and MCL when he was hit in the side of the knee by Washington Redskins safety DeJon Gomes in Saturday’s 33-26 win at Washington. Yes, I know that was just BRUTAL to watch. An MRI revealed the ligament tears and meniscus damage.

Minnesota Vikings head trainer Eric Sugarman says Peterson will undergo surgery sometime in the next week and a half. He says AP is looking at a eight-to-nine-month recovery. That timetable means he’ll be 100% likely by the middle of the next NFL preseason. The Vikings have been “out of it” for so long this season that who knows how much AP would have played this week anyway; even if he were healthy.

There is tremendous speculation over the draft situations of the league’s bottom dwellers. There are many squads fighting for first place in their race for the bottom. The tiebreaker system will soon come into play after the completion of week seventeen comes to a close in the NFL.

The NBA lottery was implemented to keep clubs from trying to lose at the end of their regular seasons in order to ensure a better pick. This has been a complete disaster because certain teams have consistently not been awarded what they deserve while others like Orlando have been extremely fortunate. Anyway, I have some ways for a proper tiebreaker to occur.

The first condition to consider when two teams have the same record is to analyze who won the head to head contest between the two. The loser should obviously obtain the better pick because the team would be in greater need of the assistance.

The second condition must be the total point disparity on the season. Fantasy football fanatics enjoy the analysis of countless statistics when the final score of the games is the only thing that matters to become Super Bowl Champions. The team that is not as close against its opponents would theoretically be inferior to another with the same record.

The third condition would be the record during the second half of the season. Sometimes teams are hobbled during a certain segment of the schedule or the coach is playing with a young team that might take some time to gel. Momentum is a tangible thing and sometimes it can even carry over to the next year.

The fourth condition analyzed could be the turnover margin. The squad with the more beneficial turnover ratio out of the two with the same record would not be rewarded with the better pick. Gaining victories through takeaways is winning by smoke and mirrors. A club in this situation is winning as much by their opponents’ ineptitude as much as by their own success.

The fifth condition is the home field record. Designing a game plan with the facility in mind is a must as we enter the winter portion of the calendar. It demonstrates mastery of what is desired if a team performs at a higher level in front of its own fans. Therefore, the one with the worse record at home would have the better selection.

I can’t imagine a pick coming down to the sixth tiebreaker, but I will offer one simply just in case. Or the commissioner may prefer this one over the previous five when he reads this passage. The divisional record is relevant. Therefore, the team’s performance against its rivals is rightfully scrutinized in this scenario. A worse record in pressure filled situations against its nemesis would suggest that the team must have another difference maker to have to the chance to compete at the highest level.

I wish that this piece outlined the playoff bracket for the Vikings. Unfortunately, the team has been struggling recently and is in a rebuilding mode.

The fantasy football season is on the final stretch and every move takes on do-or-die importance. If you need a win now, start the higher rated player in my rankings and bring home that championship.

Quarterbacks

Could Impress: Tim Tebow. The Bills have fallen off the map after their fast start, and a big reason is the play of the defense. Buffalo is giving up 165 rushing yards a game and has struggled horribly against mobile quarterbacks. Tebow’s pass numbers have been better the last few weeks, so expect a good mix of rush and pass numbers for #15.

Could Disappoint: Eli Manning. The ‘other’ Manning is coming off his worst game of the season and has a tough matchup with the Jets this weekend. If we know one thing about Eli, it’s that he forces the issue in pressure games. If you’ve got other good options, you might want to consider sitting Manning.

Injury Replacement: Matt Moore. Give the guy credit; he’s been an above average quarterback this season, putting up double-digit fantasy points in more than half of his starts. The Patriots have allowed less talented quarterbacks to put up big fantasy numbers this season. Moore’s a decent play this week.

QB Rankings

1. Arian Foster HOU (@ Indianapolis)

2. Ray Rice BAL (vs. Cleveland)

3. Maurice Jones-Drew JAX (@ Tennessee)

4. LeSean McCoy PHI (@ Dallas)

5. Adrian Peterson MIN (@ Washington)

6. Ryan Mathews SD (@ Detroit)

7. Michael Turner ATL (@ New Orleans)

8. Reggie Bush MIA (@ New England)

9. Michael Bush OAK (@ Kansas City)

10. Rashard Mendenhall PIT (vs. St. Louis)

11. Chris Johnson TEN (vs. Jacksonville)

12. Shonn Greene NYJ (vs. New York Giants)

13. Frank Gore SF (@ Seattle)

14. Marshawn Lynch SEA (vs. San Francisco)

15. Willis McGahee DEN (@ Buffalo)

16. Beanie Wells AZ (@ Cincinnati)

17. Cedric Benson CIN (vs. Arizona)

18. C.J. Spiller BUF (vs. Denver)

19. Steven Jackson STL (@ Pittsburgh)

20. Roy Helu WAS (vs. Minnesota)

21. LeGarrette Blount TB (@ Carolina)

22. Felix Jones DAL (vs. Philadelphia)

23. Darren Sproles NO (vs. Atlanta)

24. Ahmad Bradshaw NYG (@ New York Jets)

25. DeAngelo Williams CAR (vs. Tampa Bay)

26. Jonathan Stewart CAR (vs. Tampa Bay)

27. Kahlil Bell CHI (@ Green Bay)

28. Donald Brown IND (vs. Houston)

29. Ryan Grant GB (vs. Chicago)

30. BenJarvus Green-Ellis NE (vs. Miami)

31. Kevin Smith DET (@ San Diego)

32. Peyton Hillis CLE (@ Baltimore)

33. Ben Tate HOU (@ Indianapolis)

34. Mike Tolbert SD (@ Detroit)

35. Brandon Jacobs NYG (@ New York Jets)

36. Marion Barber CHI (@ Green Bay)

37. Lance Ball DEN (@ Buffalo)

38. Chris Ivory NO (vs. Atlanta)

39. Jackie Battle KC (vs. Oakland)

40. Pierre Thomas NO (vs. Atlanta)

41. Thomas Jones KC (vs. Oakland)

42. Toby Gerhart MIN (@ Washington)

43. Evan Royster WAS (vs. Minnesota)

44. Kendall Hunter SF (@ Seattle)

45. Sammy Morris DAL (vs. Philadelphia)

46. Mark Ingram NO (vs. Atlanta)

47. Daniel Thomas MIA (@ New England)

48. Ricky Williams BAL (vs. Cleveland)

49. Stevan Ridley NE (vs. Miami)

50. LaDainian Tomlinson NYJ (vs. New York Giants)

Stephen Kelley is a contributor at The Sports Bank where he covers Fantasy Sports and Pro Drafts. You can follow him on Twitter @stephen_tsb.

The fantasy football season is on the final stretch and every move takes on do-or-die importance. If you need a win now, start the higher rated player in my rankings and bring home that championship.

1. Rob Gronkowski NE (vs. Miami)

2. Jimmy Graham NO (vs. Atlanta)

3. Tony Gonzalez ATL (@ New Orleans)

4. Jermichael Finley GB (vs. Chicago)

5. Antonio Gates SD (@ Detroit)

6. Aaron Hernandez NE (vs. Miami)

7. Jason Witten DAL (vs. Philadelphia)

8. Brent Celek PHI (@ Dallas)

9. Vernon Davis SF (@ Seattle)

10. Owen Daniels HOU (@ Indianapolis)

11. Brandon Pettigrew DET (vs. San Diego)

12. Dustin Keller NYJ (vs. New York Giants)

13. Kellen Winslow TB (@ Carolina)

14. Jermaine Gresham CIN (vs. Arizona)

15. Jared Cook TEN (vs. Jacksonville)

16. Anthony Fasano MIA (@ New England)

17. Ed Dickson BAL (vs. Cleveland)

18. Greg Olsen CAR (vs. Tampa Bay)

19. Heath Miller PIT (vs. St. Louis)

20. Marcedes Lewis JAX (@ Tennessee)

21. Scott Chandler BUF (vs. Denver)

22. Visanthe Shiancoe MIN (@ Washington)

23. Jacob Tamme IND (vs. Houston)

24. Kevin Boss OAK (@ Kansas City)

25. Evan Moore CLE (@ Baltimore)

Stephen Kelley is a contributor at The Sports Bank where he covers Fantasy Sports and Pro Drafts. You can follow him on Twitter @stephen_tsb.

When a team has been victorious in only two of its thirteen regular season games, there is obviously tremendous room for growth. This necessitates a long list for Santa Claus. Hopefully the printed out version of this arrives on time, with all of the doom and gloom surrounding the U.S. Postal Service. Maybe I will have to track down his e-mail address.

Previously, I have addressed the injury situation in the secondary. I made the pronouncement that the team should fix this with their first round pick. Conventional wisdom dictates that the team will have the pick of the litter due to their lackluster play. If the brass isn’t certain about which way to go, trading the selection or selecting a different position makes sense. This pick is even more valuable with the new salary cap, so the long-term success of the organization rests largely on this.

Christian Ponder is extremely blessed to have running back Adrian Peterson with him behind center. It is rare to encounter a world class athlete with his mindset and work ethic. How many running backs would think that they owe the laptop losers who have him on their fantasy football rosters? Sorry to all my loyal readers. I have probably just offended over ninety percent of you. There is a lack of big play ability in the wide receiving corps. The team made the right decision in cutting Fresno State product Bernard Berrian earlier this season. This was long overdue, largely because the team had invested so much in him previously. Tight end Kyle Rudolph has promise, but the team could use an outside deep threat. Too bad that Julio Jones and A.J. Green were available last season.

Some of these gifts requested from the North Pole will not pay dividends until next autumn, especially concerning the NFL Draft. This is a class that provides many opportunities for an acquisition on the offensive line. There are three quality offensive tackles available. Since Sandra Bullock and Tim McGraw starred in The Blind Side, the spotlight has been on this area of the field. The class of the bunch is Matt Kalil out of USC. Many of the Trojan faithful are depressed with his decision to depart because quarterback Matt Barkley is likely to follow in his footsteps. It is horrible timing for Lane Kiffin because his team finally doesn’t have a postseason ban next season.

No Christmas list would be complete in the Twin Cities without a plea for a stadium. Mall of America Field has served its purpose over the past thirty years. A football exclusive venue would entice free agents and make the team economically viable in the long term. Garnering more revenue in suites, parking, and concessions is needed to compete with other franchises. Without this, the club would likely be on its way out of town. For all of the fans who don’t think this is possible, please reference the Minnesota North Stars. Ironically enough, they competed where the Mall of America now stands.

One week of the fantasy playoffs is in the books, and as expected, there were some big days across the board. The good news is there are just as many points out there for fantasy owners in week 15. Follow my rankings and I’ll see you in the next round.

Quarterbacks

Could Impress: Matt Ryan. I was hard on Matty Ice early in the season for some really subpar play. But since the bye week, he’s averaging 300 yards and 2+ scores a game. Expect even better numbers against a Jacksonville squad that is pretty banged up in the secondary.

Could Disappoint: Carson Palmer. His numbers are trending in the wrong direction, despite playing against some usually porous fantasy defenses. If you’ve put your faith in him the past few weeks, you’re probably not still alive in the fantasy playoffs. If you’re thinking about taking a flyer this week, don’t.

Injury Replacement: Jake Locker. If you’re really desperate, or in a two quarterback league, you have to be impressed with what Locker did filling in for the injured Matt Hasselbeck, throwing for 280 yards and scoring twice. He likely earns his first start against a Colts team that is completely falling apart. It’s a risky move, but it very well could pay off.

QB Rankings

1. Aaron Rodgers GB (@ Kansas City)

2. Drew Brees NO (@ Minnesota)

3. Tom Brady NE (@ Denver)

4. Matthew Stafford DET (@ Oakland)

5. Tony Romo DAL (@ Tampa Bay)

6. Eli Manning NYG (vs. Washington)

7. Cam Newton CAR (@ Houston)

8. Matt Ryan ATL (vs. Jacksonville)

9. Tim Tebow DEN (vs. New England)

10. Philip Rivers SD (vs. Baltimore)

11. Michael Vick PHI (vs. New York Jets)

12. Ben Roethlisberger PIT (@ San Francisco)

13. Andy Dalton CIN (@ St. Louis)

14. Joe Flacco BAL (@ San Diego)

15. Rex Grossman WAS (@ New York Giants)

16. Carson Palmer OAK (vs. Detroit)

17. Mark Sanchez NYJ (@ Philadelphia)

18. Matt Moore MIA (@ Buffalo)

19. Ryan Fitzpatrick BUF (vs. Miami)

20. Josh Freeman TB (vs. Dallas)

21. T.J. Yates HOU (vs. Carolina)

22. Jake Locker TEN (@ Indianapolis)

23. Alex Smith SF (vs. Pittsburgh)

24. Christian Ponder MIN (vs. New Orleans)

25. Sam Bradford STL (vs. Cincinnati)

Should you be concerned about Frank Gore?

Running Backs

Could Impress: Chris Johnson. Indy’s run defense is giving up more than 21 points a game to fantasy backs, including an impressive 14 touchdowns. Johnson has been running like a man possessed against some of the weaker run defenses this year, and there’s no reason to expect anything but a big game against the Colts.

Could Disappoint: Frank Gore. It’s not that he won’t do well and it’s not even the matchup that is most concerning. San Fran has already started to scale back Gore’s work, giving him just 10 carries last week against Arizona, despite Gore posting an impressive 7.2 yards per carry. On the flipside, Kendall Hunter got 8 carries despite his 2.5 yards per carry. The 49ers want a healthy Gore for the playoffs, so expect the split listed above to continue.

Injury Replacement: Felix Jones. That was the player everyone expected to see this season. Jones ran extremely well against the Giants, putting up 106 yards. With DeMarco Murray on the shelf for the rest of the season, Jones should see plenty of work from here on out. He was still available in 30% of leagues. If it was yours, pick him up immediately.

RB Rankings

1. Arian Foster HOU (vs. Carolina)

2. Ray Rice BAL (@ San Diego)

3. Adrian Peterson MIN (vs. New Orleans)

4. Chris Johnson TEN (@ Indianapolis)

5. Maurice Jones-Drew JAX (@ Atlanta)

6. LeSean McCoy PHI (vs. New York Jets)

7. Marshawn Lynch SEA (@ Chicago)

8. Michael Bush OAK (vs. Detroit)

9. Michael Turner ATL (vs. Jacksonville)

10. Felix Jones DAL (@ Tampa Bay)

11. Shonn Greene NYJ (@ Philadelphia)

12. Ryan Mathews SD (vs. Baltimore)

13. Roy Helu WAS (@ New York Giants)

14. Beanie Wells AZ (vs. Cleveland)

15. Frank Gore SF (vs. Pittsburgh)

16. Reggie Bush MIA (@ Buffalo)

17. Cedric Benson CIN (@ St. Louis)

18. Steven Jackson STL (vs. Cincinnati)

19. Willis McGahee DEN (vs. New England)

20. Darren Sproles NO (@ Minnesota)

21. LeGarrette Blount TB (vs. Dallas)

22. Marion Barber CHI (vs. Seattle)

23. Rashard Mendenhall PIT (@ San Francisco)

24. C.J. Spiller BUF (vs. Miami)

25. BenJarvus Green-Ellis NE (@ Denver)

26. Ahmad Bradshaw NYG (vs. Washington)

27. Ryan Grant GB (@ Kansas City)

28. Jonathan Stewart CAR (@ Houston)

29. Brandon Jacobs NYG (vs. Washington)

30. Ben Tate HOU (vs. Carolina)

31. DeAngelo Williams CAR (@ Houston)

32. Peyton Hillis CLE (@ Arizona)

33. Donald Brown IND (vs. Tennessee)

34. Kevin Smith DET (@ Oakland)

35. Mike Tolbert SD (vs. Baltimore)

36. Pierre Thomas NO (@ Minnesota)

37. Kahlil Bell CHI (vs. Seattle)

38. Maurice Morris DET (@ Oakland)

39. Mark Ingram NO (@ Minnesota)

40. Toby Gerhart MIN (vs. New Orleans)

41. Daniel Thomas MIA (@ Buffalo)

42. Kendall Hunter SF (vs. Pittsburgh)

43. Jackie Battle KC (vs. Green Bay)

44. LaDainian Tomlinson NYJ (@ Philadelphia)

45. Dexter McCluster KC (vs. Green Bay)

46. Chris Ivory NO (@ Minnesota)

47. Montario Hardesty CLE (@ Arizona)

48. Thomas Jones KC (vs. Green Bay)

49. James Starks GB (@ Kansas City)

50. Brandon Saine GB (@ Kansas City)

Stephen Kelley is a contributor at The Sports Bank where he covers Fantasy Sports and Pro Drafts. You can follow him on Twitter @stephen_tsb.