Guest Author - Kori Ellis

With a lot of young players on the rise in the NFL, there are a lot of fantasy players near the top of the draft that aren't recognizable to casual football fans. If you are going to play fantasy football this season, be sure to study before the draft. Without knowing the younger generation of players, you could miss a fantasy football stud in the first round.

Here are my top five fantasy football picks for 2007:

Ladanian Tomlinson
Tomlinson is the no doubt number one overall pick in all fantasy football leagues. He had one of the best single season performances of all-time last year and there are no signs of him slowing down. He's a gigantic part of the what the Chargers do and is a reliable option game in and game out. If you have the first pick in your fantasy football draft, select Tomlinson every time.

Steven Jackson
Jackson had a great 2006 season and should build upon that performance going into 2007. He can do it all. Jackson is a great power runner who is nimble enough to find holes. He can catch passes out of the backfield and excels at producing yards after the catch. As a number two pick, Jackson is a very safe selection.

Larry Johnson
While some people are down on Johnson this season, I think most of the doubters are blowing his situation out of proportion. Sure, Kansas City doesn't have a great offensive unit around him but that shouldn't hurt Johnson too much. He's used to having the bulk of the defensive attention on his shoulders and has proven to be able to produce in such a circumstance. Johnson is a player who will get plenty of touches and will undoubtedly perform well in 2007.

Frank Gore
Some people are drafting Gore ahead of Johnson, and while I don't agree with that, he's a very nice player to have this season. He's a very talented natural runner who seems born to be an NFL running back. He's strong and the Niners will look for him early and often. The downside to Gore is that he's not much of a touchdown threat at this point of his career.

Shaun Alexander
Alexander is a bit of a forgotten player. After being a top-two pick last season, his injury riddled 2006 season has scared off a lot of fantasy owners. But all indications are that Alexander should have a healthy upcoming season and should be able to return to form. If he does return to form, he's going to be a major steal as the fifth pick in the draft.