Fantasy Football Q&A: Preseason >> September 5
The season starts this Thursday, with the defending champion Patriots hosting Randy Moss and the new-look Raiders at 9:00 on ABC. Wondering if Chris Brown or Willie Parker are good week-one starts? What about Michael Vick against the Eagles on Monday Night Football? Post your lineup questions here and we’ll give you our thoughts.
And for those of you drafting this week, let’s hear your last-minute questions. Should Koren Robinson be on your radar now that he’s signed with Minnesota? Who should you be watching in the Cleveland, Carolina and Minnesota backfields? We’ve got our opinions.
What’s up with T.Green? With the stint in his leg, is he a good start week 1? I have Jake Delhomme against N.O. as another option. What do you think?
mminelli, I’d probably play it safe and sit Green this week. Delhomme’s got a nice matchup against a Saints team that ranked near the bottom of the league in passing defense last year and dead last in overall defense. Meanwhile, the Chiefs take on a revamped Jets D and, while he’s expected to start, Green’s knee still makes him a risky play. With that kind of QB depth, you can feel good about sitting your starter this week.
who would you start this week? Tom Brady or Jake Plummer?
Thanks again. One last lineup Question…Is Jamal Lewis ready to go? His ankle/knee seemed to hamper him in the one game he did play. I have L.Jordan as a back-up, which should I go with?
Tobias – I’m definitely going with Brady against a suspect Raiders D this week. Plummer plays MIA who had the 2nd best pass D last season and until they are proven vulnerable, I wouldn’t want to start a QB against them.
mminelli – starting Delhomme is a good option until you know Green is ok. Trent says he’ll be fine, but I’d like to see him in action first. KC plays a pretty stout Jets D so starting Delhomme would be the smart play. As for Lewis, I would generally want to see him on the field before starting him, especially if I’ve got Jordan on the bench. But with the OAK game on Thursday and with Lewis going up against a suspect IND defense on Sunday, I might go with Lewis. It’s a tough call. If your league awards 1 point per reception, I’d go with Jordan as I expect he’ll catch 4 or more passes out of the backfield Thursday night – conversely, Lewis doesn’t catch a lot of passes these days.
Is M.Clayton going to come out of his preseason funk? I have Rod Smith or A. Bouldin on the bench I could use instead. Whatcha think?
I’d stick with Clayton. TB plays the Vikings, who should have an improved defense, but I need to see it in action first before benching my studs against them. Besides, this one could easily become a back and forth contest which favors WRs on both sides. ARI plays NYG and DEN has MIA so neither matchup is really very enticing. If you are really worried about Clayton, I’d go with Boldin over R. Smith.
Ronnie Brown or Cedric Benson? Who should be picked higher in a league with no keepers?
I’d go with Brown. MIA has better offensive weapons to spread the field and Brown has four games to entrench himself as the starter before Ricky comes back. There’s a good chance that Williams will be traded midesason. Benson was late getting into camp, has Thomas Jones to deal with and even if he gets the starting job, the CHI offense isn’t exactly a fantasy owner’s dream.
Now that’s a tough question, Longhorn.
A few weeks ago, I would’ve given the nod to Brown since he was actually in camp and Benson was still holding out. Now, I’m not so sure. Each rookie is dealing with a crowded backfield: Brown has Ricky Williams to worry about while Benson is behind Thomas Jones. Still, they’re each in distinctly different situations, at least early on. Brown should be the starter in Miami while Ricky serves his four-game suspension, which gives Brown an opportunity to flash his potential and maybe even lock up the starting gig for the remainder of the season. Benson, on the other hand, will be serving as Jones’ backup for the forseeable future, and I wouldn’t expect that to change until at least week four or five, possibly even later than that.
So just when Brown may start to share the load with Ricky, Benson may become the starter in Chicago. Of course, the Dolphins could deal Williams before or shortly after he returns from his suspension, which would leave the featured-back role entirely to Brown, and the Bears may leave Benson on the bench for the majority of the season if Jones performs well.
In other words, I don’t know. Brown’s been going higher than Benson in most drafts I’ve been in, but that gap has closed considerably since Benson signed. If I had to guess, I’d say both backs will be starting by season’s end, and that Ricky will either be with another team or out of Miami’s plans entirely. My gut tells me Benson may be the better back this year, but at this point, it’s really a toss-up in my mind.
John, you’re probably right about the Dolphins having more weapons, though I wouldn’t be surprised to see Orton spread the ball around a bit, even if he is a rookie. Let’s not forget he’s got a pretty good #1 receiver in Muhsin Muhammad. And I agree that the chances of Ricky being dealt are pretty good, but I also think the Bears will be looking toward Benson at some point this year, relegating Jones to third-down duty. Benson’s the future and the Bears aren’t winning anything this year, so why wouldn’t they want to get a long look at their top pick?
Again, Brown could prove more valuable this year but it’s such a tough call right now. Still, my gut says Benson.
Keep in mind that I’m not picking Brown because I think he’s a better back than Benson, but because I think his situation is better than Benson’s. I haven’t seen either guy actually play so until I see them in NFL game action, all I can go on is what I read about their skill and how I see their situation shaping up. Honestly, I’d stay away from both of them in non-keeper leagues if guys like M. Anderson, K. Barlow and W. Dunn are available.
That’s an excellent point, John — neither guy is worthy of being anything more than a fourth or fifth back right now. That may very well change at some point this year but, for now, there are much better options available in the middle rounds.
I was one of the unfortunate to have drafted Javon Walker. Now, needing another receiver, my options are to go after Robert Furguson, or the likes of Keenan McCardell, Antwaan Randle El, Matt Jones,… or do YOU have any other suggestions (emerging stars/sleepers)?