The This and That of Fantasy Football

Fantasy Football Mailbag

- Yetirat

Thanks for the e-mail. Here's a list of ten guys in no particular order who I feel will greatly exceed last season's stats.

1. Thomas Jones, RB, Arizona - With Michael Pittman leaving the Cardinals to sign with Tampa Bay, that leaves Jones entering his third season as the starter. I'm not enamored with Jones' talent, but he will receive the bulk of the carries for the Cardinals and will greatly improve last season's numbers of 380 yards rushing with five TDs. Jones could reach double digits in TDs.

2. Jeff Blake, QB, Baltimore - Blake signed with Baltimore as a backup to untested Chris Redman, knowing that he has an excellent shot to eventually play if Redman doesn't perform. Blake's opportunity to play is obviously a lot better behind Redman than it was behind Aaron Brooks in New Orleans. Redman has thrown three passes in his two professional seasons. Baltimore still has that vaunted defense and Jamal Lewis will return after missing last season after reconstructive knee surgery which means the Ravens should still be a playoff team. In other words, coach Brian Billick won't have a lot of patience with Redman.

3. Marcus Robinson, WR, Chicago - Injuries have plagued Robinson since his breakout 1999 season (84 catches for 1,400 yards and nine scores). Last year, torn knee ligaments ended Robinson's season after five games as he compiled 269 receiving yards and two TDs. A severe back injury limited Robinson to 11 games in 2000. Although he has proven to be injury-prone, Robinson is a tall, graceful receiver who can outleap defenders quite easily for the football when healthy. If the price is low enough, Robinson could be a steal if he can stay healthy.

4. Terry Glenn, WR, Green Bay - Terry Glenn's shenanigans last season cost him a chance to play in the postseason for the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots. Glenn only played in three games for the Patriots last season. Look for Glenn to rebound in a big way and become Brett Favre's favorite receiver. With Bill Schroeder and Corey Bradford signing with Detroit and Houston respectively and the possibility of Antonio Freeman being waived because of his refusal to take a paycut, Glenn has the opportunity to showcase his ample skills. Glenn caught 90 passes his rookie season in 1996 and made the Pro Bowl in 1999. If Glenn can get himself together mentally, the Packers will have a bargain considering all they gave up for him was a fourth-round pick this year and a conditional 2003 pick.

5. Jamal Lewis, RB, Baltimore - Lewis will attempt to come back from a torn knee ligament that caused him to miss last season after a stellar rookie season (1,364 rushing yards and six scores). Before the comeback can begin, Lewis must serve a four-game suspension for violating the league's substance abuse policy meaning he can't play until Dec. 17. Lewis has two bad knees and will not be at full strength, but he still should post a decent TD total. If you draft Lewis, definitely try to pick up Jason Brookins, who rushed for 551 yards and five scores last season, and will probably start the season for the Ravens.

6. Drew Bledsoe, QB, Buffalo - Bledsoe gets a new lease on his football life in Buffalo. Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that Bledsoe should be your starting quarterback, but I think he could be a solid bye week starter and backup for your fantasy team. He has good receivers to throw to in Eric Moulds and Peerless Price and should be good for at least 20 TD passes.

7. Fred Taylor, RB, Jacksonville - Last year the injury bug once again bit the extremely talented Taylor as a severe groin injury limited him to two games. Before last season, Taylor's career low in games played was ten in 1999. With the talent Taylor has (career best 1,399 yards rushing in 2000 and a career high 14 TDs in 1998), even if he can only play eight or ten games, he can help you win.

8. Ed McCaffrey, WR, Denver - McCaffrey broke his left leg in last year's season opener, but should be close to 100 percent for the season opener. Before last season, McCaffrey had three straight 1,000 yard seasons and 26 TDs over that span. Fantasy owners love McCaffrey because of his consistency, and don't forget about him on draft day.

9. Warrick Dunn, RB, Atlanta - An assortment of injuries including a foot sprain adversely affected Dunn all season as he averaged a career-low 2.8 yards a carry last season, but he still accumulated six total TDs and 974 yards of total offense. Sharing the load with rookie T.J.Duckett will help keep Dunn fresh and look for him to eclipse 1,000 yards rushing for the third time in his career.

10. Michael Bennett, RB, Minnesota - Bennett rushed for a disappointing 682 yards and scored a total of three TDS in his rookie campaign. But, Bennett showed signs of life in the season's final weeks, rushing for two hundred-yard games in his last five contests. With the lessons learned from his rookie year and thanks to his blazing speed, look for a 1,000 yard campaign for Bennett and 6-8 TDs

I just want to know your opinion on a trade I am thinking about doing. I am in a 13 team FFL and we have 20 rounds in our league. This year I draft 8th and am thinking of making a trade with a friend who drafts 4th this year. My trade is my 1st and 4th pick for his 2nd and 3rd picks and remember I pick 8th and he picks 4th."Should I go through with the trade? Do you see this as a fair trade? I am ok with losing the first pick only because I will have two picks in the 2nd round and two in the third. I know it sounds like I already answered my on question but, I would like some insight and your professional opinion. Thanks.

- Francisco

Hi Francisco. Thanks for the e-mail. I would not do this trade. You are giving your friend a chance to have two picks in the first eight picks - 4th and 8th. In my opinion, you'd be giving your friend a chance to draft two elite fantasy players. Think about this. Your friend would be picking from a potential player pool of guys like Shaun Alexander, Terrell Owens, Jeff Garcia, Daunte Culpepper, Edgerrin James, Marvin Harrison and Ahman Green. It's pretty hard to go wrong with two of the first eight picks. If you did the trade, you'd have the 19th and the 23rd picks. You'd be picking from a player pool of guys like Stephen Davis, Brett Favre, Rod Smith and Donovan McNabb. That's a big difference than the player pool your friend would be grinning about. If your friend knew what he was doing, you'd be giving him a good head start on the rest of the league. Sure you'd get extra picks in the 2nd and 3rd rounds, but the extra 4th round pick would help your friend cushion the blow of not drafting for two rounds. I would suggest doing a mock draft of your own. You'll be able to see what kind of players would be available in your mind when you draft in the new spots you'd be in if you completed this trade.