The Steelers-Packers Super Bowl will put the finishing touches on another football season and start for many of us another several months of withdrawal. This year it’s likely going to be worse, with fewer reports of offseason training programs and more news revolving around collective bargaining talks between owners and players.

But true fantasy football players know they can’t be caught off guard. If the owners and players come to their senses, there will be football in 2011 – and if there is football in 2011, there will be fantasy football in 2011, as well.

Ryan Boser, who last year wrote for FantasyVictory.com and filled in no KFAN-AM 1130’s Fantasy Football Weekly program, took a few questions from Zoneblitz.com, filling us in on what he’ll be keeping an eye on in the months ahead.

Zoneblitz: Now that the football season is over what should serious fantasy players be paying attention to in preparation for next year?

Boser: Everybody’s going to watch where skill position players like DeAngelo Williams end up, or where the A.J. Green’s of the draft land. I’m often more interested in offensive line developments and coaching changes. That’s where fantasy production all starts.

Zoneblitz: Will Michael Vick repeat his great season? Where would you draft him and how much in a $100 auction would you spend on him?

Boser: For the first time in five years, he’ll be going through a normal offseason preparing as a starting NFL quarterback. He’ll return to the same coaching system, surrounded by the same dynamic playmakers, so everything is in place for a repeat. People in the industry are really split on Vick right now. On one hand is the argument that you’re getting a two-for-one deal, as Vick essentially provides RB2 numbers in addition to his passing. On the other hand is the concern that his reputation as an injury-prone, mistake-prone quarterback began to catch up with him late in the season.

I’m in the camp that thinks his weekly upside makes him the No. 1 quarterback, and a top-five pick. There will be more than one person in your league who’s infatuated with him, so I think you’ll need to spend at least $26-28 to secure his services in an auction. Assuming Kevin Kolb remains in Philadelphia, which is no guarantee, you’ll want to consider the rare quarterback handcuff late in your draft to insure your investment.

Zoneblitz: It’s never too early for a fantasy football mock draft. In a standard scoring system what is your 2011 top 10?

Boser: It’s a very fluid list, but as of right now: (1) Arian Foster, (2) Adrian Peterson, (3) Michael Vick, (4) Jamaal Charles, (5) Chris Johnson, (6) LeSean McCoy, (7) Darren McFadden, (8) Aaron Rodgers, (9) Michael Turner, (10) Maurice Jones-Drew. Vick and McFadden jump out to me as high-risk, high-reward players due to their combination of elite talent and injury history. I’ll also be closely monitoring MoJo’s knee this summer.

Zoneblitz: Your breakdown for your top 10 is 8 RBs and 2 QBs. No WRs. Paul Charchian’s Do the Opposite strategy has leaned heavily on WRs along with QBs in round one. What do you think of the do the opposite theory? Is the trend flipping again?

Boser: I’ve always bought into the “Do the Opposite” theory, and it’s served me well. Look at this season — I could very well have landed Arian Foster in the fourth round after I’d loaded up on the (generally) more predictable passing game. I just think the top-end talent at the position will be a bit down next season. I’d take a long look at Andre Johnson, Roddy White, and Calvin Johnson at the end of the first round, but I don’t know if any of them have the Moss/Owens/Fitzgerald type 15-touchdown potential we’ve seen in past years.

Zoneblitz: Who were your top two or three positive surprises in 2010 and do they repeat their performance next season?

Boser: Steve Johnson began the season buried on the depth chart of a horrible passing team. By the end of the year, his numbers put him inside the top 10 fantasy receivers. Johnson has a good rapport with Ryan Fitzpatrick, who as of now will be the Bills’ starting quarterback. Johnson will also be in a contract year. He won’t take defenses by surprise this season, but I think he still has top-25 potential.

Journeyman Brandon Lloyd bucked conventional wisdom by coming out of nowhere to lead all receivers in yards and fantasy points in his 8th season. To me, it was the biggest shock of 2010. Unfortunately, a new coach/QB combination does not bode well for Lloyd, as John Fox loves to run and Tim Tebow is far from a polished passer. Still, Lloyd remained productive under Tebow late in the year, Nnamdi Asomugha will (likely) leave the division, and Lloyd’s talent as a pure pass-catcher is undeniable. A decline is inevitable, but I still rate him out as a solid WR2 next season.

Then of course, there was Peyton Hillis. We’ll get to him in a minute.

Zoneblitz: Who were your top two or three disappointments in 2010 and will they rebound in 2011?

Boser: I was sky-high on Shonn Greene into the season, but that was as much to do with my disbelief in LaDainian Tomlinson as it was an endorsement for Greene himself. We all saw L.T. steal the show for much of the season, but he faded down the stretch and may not return. Still, the Jets sound like they’ll be going with a committee approach whether L.T. returns or not. Greene should see an uptick in carries, but he’s nothing more than a high-end fantasy RB3 as of right now.

Randy Moss was a first round pick in most drafts last season. I’ll be surprised if he’s in the NFL in 2011.

Ryan Mathews never got his feet under him in his rookie year. Between nagging injuries, fumbling, and blown pass-blocking assignments, Mathews couldn’t stay on the field and Mike Tolbert emerged as the main man in the Chargers’ backfield. Mathews should improve in year two, but Tolbert seems to have locked down the goal line role at the very least, so I view Mathews’ ceiling as a low-end RB2.

Zoneblitz: I was intrigued by your Moss comment. I did a post on him a few days ago — using six years as a jump off point is a bit random, I know, so it’s not perfect analysis, but I thought it was interesting given how the last year and change has played out. Do you really think he’s done?

Boser: I’m sure Moss could get a one-year “prove it” contract from a desperate owner looking to put butts in the seats. But he was essentially kicked off of three teams this season (he was completely phased out in Tennessee, he got just one target over the last month of the year). If he’s going to dog it for Tom Brady and Brett Favre, who is he going to actually play for? He’s more of a liability than an asset at this point in his career, and that has to be common knowledge around the league.

Zoneblitz: We loved watching Peyton Hillis this year but he appeared to wear down at the end. What will his fantasy status be heading into 2011?

Boser: I’m seeing Hillis go in the second round of early 2011 mocks. That’s too soon for me. He wore down badly late in the season, and struggled once defenses adjusted to him. Even more concerning is that bruiser Montario Hardesty, who the Browns invested a 2nd round pick on last year, will return from injury to share the load. I’m O.K. with Hillis as a RB2, but I’d have a hard time taking him before the fourth round, which means I probably won’t own him in many leagues.

Zoneblitz: Besides Vick, who is moving in on the top four quarterbacks, Brees, Brady, Manning and Rodgers, heading into 2011?

Boser: Philip Rivers, and he’s already there. He led the league in passing and notched 30 touchdowns despite missing his top two to three pass catchers for large chunks of the season. He seems to be one of the best values in drafts year in and year out. I expect that to finally change this season.

Top five is a major stretch, but I was high on Sam Bradford’s 2011 prospects even before the Josh McDaniels hire. If they get him a legitimate outside target, I think he ascends into the top ten.

Zoneblitz: You touch on Rivers, which makes sense – I see him and Roethlisberger as fifth and sixth. And you mention Bradford, who I also like. What do you think of Josh Freeman in Tampa? Was 2010 a sign of things to come or was he a fluke?

Boser: Freeman’s legit. He was consistently good-not-great all season, and you have to like the youthful core of skill position players developing around him. I think his intangibles and moxie make him a better real-life quarterback than fantasy quarterback — he’s not a big box score type of guy. He did finish second to Vick among quarterbacks in rushing yards, which helps. You could probably pair him with someone like Bradford if you choose to wait on drafting a quarterback, and then platoon the two successfully depending on the weekly matchups. I think both Freeman and Bradford have low-end QB1 potential for 2011.

Zoneblitz: Reggie Wayne caught a lot of passes but his yards per catch and touchdowns dropped. Is he on the way down? What is the hierarchy among Colts receivers at this point and are any others worthy of a high pick?

Boser: He’s 32, and he was uncharacteristically inconsistent last season, so yeah, I think he’s certainly trending the wrong way. He’s not going to fall off a cliff with Peyton Manning under center, but his days as a fantasy WR1 are beginning to dwindle. Wayne and a healthy TE Dallas Clark are options 1A and 1B, but after that you have to like Austin Collie. Unfortunately, his concussion issues will scare most people off from drafting him as a WR2.

Pierre Garcon can’t catch, which makes playing wide receiver in the NFL very difficult. However, he’s blazing fast, so if Manning doesn’t ice him out due to said unreliability, he should have enough “pop” games to give you WR3 production.

Zoneblitz:  What do an uncertain coaching situation and a potentially even worse quarterback situation in Tennessee do to Chris Johnson’s value?

Boser: Well, it’s not like Kerry Collins or Vince Young were exactly keeping defenses honest anyways. Johnson was bound to take a step back, and now that he did, I look for him to be a touch underrated into this season. I think we’ve seen both his ceiling and his basement, and I expect something in between this year. He’s a very capable receiver who can produce even when Tennessee is trailing. He’s certainly still a top-five talent.

Zoneblitz: Does Jamaal Charles start getting more touches and what do you see as his fantasy value right now?

Boser: If Jamaal Charles is outcarried by Thomas Jones again next season, Todd Haley’s going to be run out of Kansas City. Into 2010, I viewed Charles as a guy with Chris Johnson-like potential. As of right now, they are the exact same player in my eyes. Even with the time share, the Chiefs run more than any team in the league, and Charles slice of the pie should increase if Haley applies even an ounce of logic to his game plans next season.

Zoneblitz: What will you do if the NFL lockout stretches into the 2011 season?

Boser: Sleep more. Drink less. Spend quality time with my wife. Hmm… Doesn’t sound so bad after all!

BIO: Ryan Boser wrote for FantasyVictory.com last season, and was a fill-in for KFAN 1130’s Fantasy Football Weekly program. He’s also contributed content to The Football Girl, Ten Yards, and will be writing and podcasting for Fantasy Football Whiz this offseason. Ryan runs his own website, Out of My League, where he covers Minnesota sports and fantasy football.