Vegetable Power Rankings

1. Corn -- previous ranking: 2, change: +1

Corn regains its title as the #1 vegetable because of a strong showing on the barbecue circuit and its strong butter-combo ability.

2. Potato -- previous ranking: 1, change: -1

Potato does not have the upside of some of flashier new legumes, but potato is still a reliable top-5 vegetable. Pick Potato for its deep-fry-ability, but remember its popularity will take a slight hit now that the Irish potato famine is over.

3. Caesar Salad -- previous ranking: 7, change: +4

Caesar Salad shot up 4 spots this week after a convincing rout over Humus on the salads/combination circuit. Caesar's diverse skill-set makes it a tempting pick for the #1 salad spot.

4. Walnuts -- previous ranking: 9, change: +5

Walnut's high ranking this week is deceptive. Its value is temporarily inflated because of its popularity during the Thanksgiving season (Canadian Leagues only). Also, it is not a vegetable.

5. Kelp -- previous ranking: 5, change: --

Kelp hangs on to the last top-5 spot this week owing to heavy use by Koreans, seals, and Korean seals.

6. Carrot -- previous ranking: 4, change: -2

Carrot has long been a powerhouse in the fantasy vegetable circuit because it's good for your eyes and very portable. It's drop this week is due to the sinking popularity of rabbit-related food. Look for carrot to rebound near Easter.

7. 12-grain -- previous ranking: 8, change: +1

The strangely-named 12-grain is a rookie this year in the Vegetable Power Rankings. No one is really sure what sort of vegetable it is, but one thing is certain--it makes great bread. At the end of the day, anything that is the main ingredient in a popular bread is going to be a solid fantasy vegetable pick.

8. Tomato -- previous ranking: 6, change: -2

Tomato is a decent fruit-crossover pick, but it is dicey when competing in the pure-vegetable class. On paper it is an effective all-round vegetable, but it is sometimes underrated because of its pronunciation difficulties. Consider Tomato as a sleeper pick.

9. Turnip -- previous ranking: 11, change: +2

Turnip does not have the glamour of high-calorie competitors such as Avocado, and it is generally disliked by people who have recently fallen off of trucks. But it's a tried-and-true all-season vegetable that excels in cellar leagues. Turnip can be a high-value pick in the later rounds.

10. B.L.T. -- previous ranking: none, change: n/a

B.L.T. is a gamble. It is only provisionally a vegetable, and its status is currently under review by the Intercontinental Vegetable Identification Board. Purists point out that it contains Bacon, a food long consider to be meat, but the new school of vegetable theorists counter that it is 66% vegetable (in non-bread scoring) and therefore should be allowed to compete in the combinations category. As of Oct. 5 it is a legal pick in most leagues, and it will contend for rookie of the year because of its high fat numbers. B.L.T. is a high-risk, high-reward pick because of the chance that it will be demoted to the meat/combinations league. Go with BLT only if you are a bold Fantasy Vegetable manager and you have a strong gut feeling.