Chick Fantasies

Fantasy Snoozefest: The Duds of 2002

As the 2002 season approaches, we chicks have been fantasizing about football players more and more. However, not all gridiron boys are as titillating as others. While some virile players have been lighting up our fantasies, others have been putting us to sleep. We chicks do not have time for men who cannot perform up to our expectations. To save you fantasy owners the heartbreak of being bitterly disappointed, we chicks will let you in on which players we suspect will come up short.

Freddie Taylor (RB), Jacksonville: The Jags’ talented back can brag as much as he wants about his plans to win the rushing title. We chicks are not falling for his lines this year. He has burned us one too many times over the past few seasons. The injury-prone dude has never made it through a 16-game season. To make matters worse, the Jags’ offensive line has been decimated by injuries and departures, especially that of stud tackle Tony Boselli. If Freddie could manage not to go limp, he has the athletic prowess to soar to the top – but we chicks are not holding our breath. If you simply cannot resist the charms of heady Freddie, at least be sure to obtain protection – draft backup Stacey Mack as well!

Terrell Davis (RB), Denver: Davis was once the cream of the crop. However, now he is just another injury-prone back to avoid. The word on the street was that Davis would return to top form this season; however after a few days of mini-camp he was on his way back to the knee surgeon. We would love to see Terrell return to his 1998 MVP form when he ran for over 2000 yards and 5.1 yards per carry. But we know we must be realistic - Davis has only played in 17 games in the last three years and has averaged only 3.8 yards per carry. With Olandis Gary facing similar health concerns and Mike Anderson moving to fullback, the best bet may be on rookie Clinton Portis. However, in our opinion the Denver backfield is a crapshoot and not worth gambling on in the early rounds of your fantasy draft.

Lamar Smith (RB), Carolina: Do not take the depth charts too seriously this time of year. The player with the hottest moves will be the man carrying the ball in Carolina. With Smith only mustering 3.1 yards per carry in Miami, rookie DeShaun Foster should have no problem supplanting the average back. Foster has taken a lot of criticism for his fumblitis, however he has been turning heads in mini-camps. If Lamar cannot raise his game another level, he will be lucky to start more than one or two games for the Panthers.

Garrison Hearst (RB), San Francisco: Last year’s comeback player could be headed for a tough fantasy season. Hearst is already 31 and has been slowed by devastating injuries over his career. Even if he stays healthy this season, sophomore Kevan Barlow has been productive when given the opportunity to play, and should take some of the carries away from Hearst.

Quincy Carter (QB), Dallas: Jerry Jones thinks he may have found the next Troy Aikman. Unfortunately, his name is not Quincy Carter. Jones has been drooling over the breath-taking attributes of ex-baseball babe, Chad Hutchinson. Quincy will be the starter when the season opens. However, if Carter has a couple tough outings, he may find himself riding the pine.

Jim Miller (QB), Chicago: The Bears were the surprise hit of the NFC last season and therefore it is easy to jump on their bandwagon. However quarterback Jim Miller only threw 13 touchdowns in 14 games – not impressive fantasy stats. Despite his new $20 million contract, Miller may not be secure in his job for long. The Bears signed ex-Falcon Chris Chandler to serve as Miller’s backup this year. Chandler is one of the most under-rated quarterbacks in the league. Over his 14-year career, Chandler has an 80.8 quarterback rating and led the Falcons to the Super Bowl. We chicks smell a quarterback controversy brewing in the Windy City!

Keenan McCardell (WR), Tampa Bay: Over the past two seasons, McCardell has caught 187 passes. However, he has never been a scoring machine and now he has a new quarterback and a new system to adjust to. He also must learn to play with the #1 diva in Tampa Bay. Keyshawn is not going to let any newcomer steal his spotlight! Joe Jurevicius is also a big receiver who will snag his share of receptions. McCardell will help the Bucs’ offense immensely as they finally have other legitimate receivers to divert the defense’s attention away from Keyshawn. But asking the old man (now 32!) to post another 90-reception season, is asking a bit too much.