Fantasy owners always should take note of their draft day hunches, because after what we saw this past season, those have just as good a chance of working out as anything else. You may want to avert your eyes when you look back at the preseason top 10. It looks nothing like how things ended up.

The big story in fantasy football for the 2008 season probably isn't the actual leaderboard -- which shows that Drew Brees and DeAngelo Williams came through with terrific performances -- but the loss of 2007 record-breaking hero Tom Brady, whose season ended just a few minutes into Week 1. Brady went from 50 touchdown passes in 2007 to a big, fat zero in 2008; when his knee was blown out, many fantasy seasons went with it. He was the fourth overall selection in ESPN.com average live drafts. Hopefully you drafted or found a good backup, maybe even … Brady's backup.

Then again, with so many players stepping up to become top-10 quarterback options, one could say Brady owners had little excuse to pack their seasons in so quickly. Replacement Matt Cassel was useful his first two months leading the New England Patriots, then delivered a pair of league-leading 30-point performances in November and was helpful some of December. Aaron Rodgers replaced Brett Favre in Green Bay and walloped him -- and every other quarterback not named Brees -- for fantasy points, and Philip Rivers, Kurt Warner and Chad Pennington became draft day steals. Tyler Thigpen and Matt Ryan joined Cassel as in-season free-agent finds.

If there's a lesson to be learned in yet another topsy-turvy, unpredictable fantasy football season, it's that there aren't any bad draft picks anymore. Listen to your gut when making picks, trades, free-agent pickups, etc. If you thought DeAngelo Williams was going to emerge as the best running back in fantasy even though the Carolina Panthers spent a first-round draft pick on Jonathan Stewart, you might have been chuckled at, but you had the last laugh. Greg Jennings and Roddy White weren't supposed to be this good with new quarterbacks, but they exceeded expectations anyway and became must-plays each week. And the case can be made that nobody dominated his position in fantasy more than Tony Gonzalez, yet those who selected him over Antonio Gates probably got looked at as if they were from outer space. Gonzalez nearly ended up in the top 10 … among wide receivers!

Later in this, the final Instant Replay of the 2008 season, you'll see some early draft day thoughts for 2009. I'm not saying to disregard them, but if you really believe JaMarcus Russell is a top-10 quarterback or Tim Hightower was wrongly ignored, hey, go with your gut.

Rookies were a positive story in 2008, as Matt Forte, Steve Slaton and Chris Johnson were top-10 running backs much of the season and never really slowed down when it counted most. They were joined in effectiveness, at times, by Kevin Smith, Jonathan Stewart, Tim Hightower and Darren McFadden. Sure, the rookie running backs whose stars shined the brightest might not have been the ones you expected, but it was a banner season for the first-year guys. Not since Peyton Manning had a brand-spanking-new quarterback been as reliable for fantasy production as Atlanta's Matt Ryan -- no, not even Ben Roethlisberger -- and Joe Flacco was a consistent double-digit performer as well. Even at wide receiver, the fantasy world was helped by rookies DeSean Jackson, Eddie Royal and Donnie Avery.

Way to go, Ohio! Not that there were legitimate Super Bowl aspirations for the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals, but who thought these teams would win fewer combined games than Ohio State? Carson Palmer and Derek Anderson were the Nos. 6 and 7 quarterbacks on draft day, but each struggled mightily and got shut down before December. Ryan Fitzpatrick wasn't a fantasy factor, and he helped T.J. Houshmandzadeh join him in obscurity. Chad Johnson was terrible. Cedric Benson was summoned from the scrap heap to lead the team in rushing. Meanwhile, Anderson was finally benched for Brady Quinn, who had his moments before a finger injury ended his season. From Thanksgiving on, the team didn't score an offensive touchdown. Hard to do. At least the Lions occasionally scored.

Speaking of disappointing, it's possible the wide receiver position hadn't mattered less in fantasy this entire decade. A season after Randy Moss broke records, only one wide receiver (Larry Fitzgerald) managed as many as 200 fantasy points. Moss was barely top-10 at his position, and only once did he top 18 fantasy points in a week. Draft day second-rounders Moss, Terrell Owens, Reggie Wayne and Braylon Edwards underachieved but at least were playable. Plaxico Burress was not. Nor was Torry Holt, Roy E. Williams, Santonio Holmes or Joey Galloway. The drop in Moss' fantasy points can be attributed to Brady's injury, but in general, the lack of wide receiver productivity would certainly make me think twice about using a top-30 pick on someone from the position.

This Week In Fantasy Football History

By Neil Tardy A lot of fantasy leagues don't play Week 17. Many owners find it unbearable seeing a championship decided by Lee Suggs (two touchdowns in the '03 finale, only three more for his career), Chris Redman (remember last year's four touchdown passes in Week 17?) or even LaDainian Tomlinson (a healthy scratch to close the '04 regular season). But Week 17-phobic owners do have a friend in Larry Fitzgerald. Amid the closing-week chaos, Fitzgerald remains a steady stat producer. Sunday's two scores and 130 yards versus the Seahawks is no aberration. In his past four Week 17s, Fitzgerald has 26 catches for 414 yards and six touchdowns.

Let's discuss Week 17 briefly, because we might have learned something for 2009. The Raiders have Darren McFadden going forward, but it wouldn't shock me if Michael Bush emerges. That was a serious performance against the Buccaneers. … By the way, JaMarcus Russell with good wide receivers would be interesting. … Kyle Orton won't be a top-15 quarterback next draft day, but look at the pass defenses in his division. Orton closed with his top game of the season. … Shaun Hill got into double digits in every game he played this season. And he doesn't need Mike Martz. … LaDainian Tomlinson owners complained all season, but if you got to Week 17, he won it for you with that season-best 27 fantasy points. … Darren Sproles wasn't just a Week 17 fluke. He could be the next Michael Turner, but with LT showing his age, the Chargers would be wise to keep him around. … A better comparison for the next Turner could be Jonathan Stewart; he's good, but he might have to wait a while in Carolina. … A year ago, nobody would have predicted the Falcons would be in the playoffs. Well, the Lions should draft a quarterback to throw at Calvin Johnson, and Kevin Smith is a future 1,400-yard back. … This Ronnie Brown-Ricky Williams time-share was such a fantasy downer, but won't Williams be relevant in 2009 as well? … Quite a December for Cedric Benson, with 282 yards the final two weeks. Can't imagine he'll be back in Cincy, but he will find work. I'll probably avoid him in drafts, though. Fool me once, twice, what's that line? … Deion Branch finally won fantasy championships for owners, twice scoring two touchdowns in December. Everything will be new in Seattle next season. … I'll take Terrell Owens in Round 4 when he's a Buccaneer in '09. … You'll see my rankings for next year to the right. Tony Gonzalez again will be my top tight end, followed by Jason Witten and Antonio Gates. … Top defense? I think Ravens, Steelers and Titans stand out from the pack. … Hope you enjoyed the 2008 season!