The This and That of Fantasy Football

2002 Fantasy Football Mock Draft – 1st Round

1. Marshall Faulk, RB, St. Louis - There’s no doubt who the number-one pick should be. Faulk had 21 TDs this past season, and 26 in 2000. In the last two seasons, Faulk has missed two games in each campaign with injury, but 47 TDs in 28 games is video game like. With 2,147 yards rushing and receiving in the 2001 season, Faulk became the first player in NFL history to top 2,000 yards rushing and receiving in four straight years.

2. Kurt Warner, QB, St. Louis - Despite Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce having sub-par years for the standards they had previously set, Warner still threw for 4,830 yards and 36 TDs. I always preach the importance of running backs, but Warner is like money in the bank. Next up for Warner is breaking the 5,000 yards passing barrier.

3. Shaun Alexander, RB, Seattle - One great year does not make a great player. But, Alexander is clearly a unique talent, who will show last year’s 1,318 yards rushing and 16 total TDs in only 12 games was no fluke. Expect an even better year for Alexander because of his talent and because the Seahawks rely on their running game far more than their passing game.

4. Terrell Owens, WR, San Francisco - Three of the last four years, Terrell Owens has scored at least 13 TDs. Last season, Owens scored 16 TDs, a remarkable total for a WR, to go with 1,412 yards receiving. Owens’ RB-like touchdown totals and his ability to go deep make him as valuable as any top-flight RB.

5. Jeff Garcia, QB, San Francisco - Garcia gets the job done throwing and running the ball. In addition to his 32 passing touchdowns and 3,538 yards passing, Garcia rushed for five TDS. Despite the 49ers lacking a top second receiving option behind Terrell Owens, Garcia had his second straight huge fantasy season. Don’t forget his 4,278 yards passing, 31 passing TDs and four rushing TDs in 2000.

6. Daunte Culpepper, QB, Minnesota - Culpepper’s 2001 campaign ended prematurely with arthoscopic knee surgery. Culpepper played in 11 games posting what seem to be average numbers. The second-year starter threw for 2,612 yards and four TDs. But, a closer look reveals that Culpepper had a much better year even though abbreviated than people think. At the time of his injury, Culpepper was the Vikings’ leading rusher with 409 yards rushing and five rushing TDs. Culpepper will be completely healthy for next season, and his skill level is obviously extraordinary. In a league that I had Culpepper, which used a standard yardage and TD scoring system, Daunte was the number-one player in total points most of the season before his knee injury. Michael Bennett will be improved, but Culpepper will still battle Bennett for the team lead in rushing yards and TDs. Cris Carter will probably sign with another team, but Randy Moss, idiot or not, is capable of carrying the load by himself just like Terrell Owens and Marvin Harrison do.

7. Edgerrin James, RB, Indianapolis - Obviously if James didn’t suffer a season-ending knee injury, he would be ranked much higher. But, he’s such an exceptional player that even an Edgerrin James at say 80 percent is better than almost all of the RBs in the league. Watch Edgerrin closely in the preseason to get a better determination of where he should be drafted. Undrafted rookie Dominic Rhodes filled in surprisingly well for James rushing for 1,104 yards in ten starts, but if James is healthy enough to play he’ll carry the ball plenty.

8. Marvin Harrison, WR, Indianapolis - Harrison became the number-one option in the Colts offense when Edgerrin James was injured, and Harrison responded to the tune of a NFL-leading 1,524 yards receiving. Harrison scored 15 TDs and caught 109 passes. Harrison exceeded 100 catches for the third straight year, and has 41 TD receptions the last three years. While a healthy James, whose presence in the lineup takes TDs away from Harrison, could reduce Harrison’s numbers slightly, his production will still be extremely high.

9. Ahman Green, RB, Green Bay - Last season, Green totaled 1,387 yards rushing, 594 yards receiving and 11 total TDs. Enough said. But, I’ll say more. Over the last seven weeks, Green had four 100-yard rushing games and seven total TDs. Green is only 25 years old and has averaged 4.6 yards a carry over his career. Look for Green to eclipse last year’s lofty numbers and break the 1,500 yards rushing barrier.

10. Curtis Martin, RB, NY Jets - Every year fantasy football experts debate about the anticipated demise of Curtis Martin, because of all the times he has carried the ball. All Martin does is keep producing big numbers. Martin is 29, so he should have a few years of mileage left. Martin was second in the league in rushing this past season with 1,513 yards rushing. He also averaged 4.5 yards a carry, had 320 receiving yards and 10 total TDs. After scoring three TDs in Week 9 against Kansas City, Martin did not score in his final seven games. This was more of a fluke than anything else.

11. Priest Holmes, RB, Kansas City - Quick who led the NFL in rushing yards? Believe it or not, the answer is Priest Holmes with 1,555 yards. Throw in 614 receiving yards and 10 total TDs, and Holmes was the biggest surprise in the league. The big question is can Holmes do it again. I say yes, because in Dick Vermeil’s offensive system Holmes will continue to get plenty of touches and has the explosiveness to do something with them. For his career, Holmes has averaged 4.7 yards a carry.

12. Randy Moss, WR, Minnesota - In 2001, Randy Moss had the worst year of his four-year career. But, Moss still had 80 catches for 1,224 yards and 10 TDs. With the likely departure of Cris Carter, defenses should be able to key on Moss more. But, that doesn’t mean he can’t be successful. Look at Marvin Harrison or Terrell Owens. Last time I checked, they don’t have top notch WRs lining up across from them. Culpepper will be looking for Moss all the time, which leads to more catches and more TDs. Look for the all the Moss backlash to motivate him to reach the 17 TD heights of his rookie season.

John is also a fantasy football columnist for Infinity Fantasy Analysis http://home.carolina.rr.com/infinityfantasy/