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FanEx Analysis
Draft
Review
| Rules | Transactions
Round 2
  
   
   
Draft Rounds
1
| 2 | 3
| 4 | 5
| 6 | 7
| 8 | 9
| 10 | 11
| 12 | 13
| 14 | 15
| 16
2.01
RB Anthony Thomas
By Emil Kadlec of FF
Pro Forecast
Thomas turned out to be everything
the Bears had hoped for when they drafted him last April -- and
then some. The former University of Michigan star gave them the
rushing threat they had been missing forever while providing fantasy
owners with a legitimate offensive force.
In addition to his solid rushing skills, Thomas also turned out to
be a capable receiver. In fact, after running for 188 and 127
yards in consecutive outings -- and becoming the first Bear to
rush for 100-yards in back-to-back games since Raymont Harris in
1997 -- Thomas was held to 96 yards the following week. However,
he added another 71 yards on six catches, demonstrating the kind
of versatility that earned him Offensive Rookie of the Year honors.
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2.01
RB Anthony Thomas
By Guest John Georgopoulos of Gridiron
Grumblings
Anthony Thomas surprised many folks last season by rushing as well
as he did. This year figures to be an improvement upon his 2001
numbers, as his #1 competitor, James Allen, has headed south to
Houston.
Thomas runs hard and has a nice little burst, but his 7 rushing
TDs were a bit disappointing; his lack of pass-catching ability
means that he better roll up 1,300 and 10TDs to justify this high
a selection.
Comments: Would have skipped Thomas in favor of Jeff Garcia
or T. Owens, who represent tremendous value at this pick.
If a runner was a "must", I would have gone with G.
Hearst. There's too many backs like Thomas who would have been
available when his turn came around again, like A. Smith, L.
Smith, T. Barber, D. McCallister, E. Smith... you get the idea.
2.01
RB Anthony Thomas
By Guest Paul Baitinger of Ask
The Commish
Anthony Thomas was a true stud RB last
year. The back-to-back picks of RBs with Dillon selected one
pick earlier ensures an excellent backfield. Still it must
have been hard to pass on one of the best fantasy football
performers the last few years (Jeff Garcia).
Thomas amassed 1183 yards on the ground and another 178 yards
receiving in 14 games. However, he really only saw
significant action in twelve games if you don't count Weeks 1 and
2 in which he had only 3 carries. That means that the
A-train gained roughly 100 yards a week on the ground. He
also added 7 TDs. Those TD numbers should climb with James
Allen gone to Houston. The only real question remains as to
whether the A-train can take the week in and week out pounding
that his running style endures. Judging by his career
racking up huge numbers in the Big Ten, the answer appears to be
yes.
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2.02
RB Eddie George
By Tony Holm of The
Prognosticator
The FAD is a unique draft and because of it,
seasoned FAD drafters don't approach this like a regular fantasy
draft. There are certain low price plays you can make later
that can yield positive results. For instance, you don't
have to make starting lineup decisions, which alone changes a
number of things. If you watch Greg Kellogg later on in the
draft you'll see some moves that wouldn't play well in a regular
draft but certainly play well in a FAD draft. Know your
scoring system, and the rules, and let that dictate your
direction. I have a FAD script and formula that I stick to. I was
leading the FAD most of the way last year till I had a disastrous
Week 17 and my opponents didn't. Oh well.
One thing to note is the TD is king in the FAD. Yardage
points aren't that generous so players who score are worth a
little more than usual. I wanted to take Eddie George with
my last pick but felt that too early and figured with all the good
WRs and QBs on the board, plus Anthony Thomas and Corey Dillon
still around, Emil wouldn't select George and if he did, I'd
probably have taken Thomas or Dillon.
I think Eddie George is getting a bad rap this year just because
of his turf toe last year. Suddenly the guy has the
"injury prone" label attached to him and people are
wondering just how much more this aging back can endure as he is
on the downside of his career. Poppycock I say! I seem
to remember a guy in Indianapolis by the name of Marshall Faulk
that had a chronic problem with turf toe. Eddie George has
started EVERY game of his six year career except for two his
rookie year. He's only 28 years old, which is not old for a
RB. George has looked crisp and sharp in mini camp and
claims he's never felt better and the injuries are behind him.
He's also vowed to show the world he's far from washed up.
Eddie George was coming off back to back fantastic seasons before
last year's injury slowed him down. He was a TD machine
scoring 13 times in 1999 and 16 times in 2000. He wasn't put
in goal line situations as much last year because he couldn't push
with his toe to pound the ball in. George relies on his size
and power as he's an unusual 6'3"-240 which is hulking for a
Running Back. The perfect size to pound TDs in again and
again and again against division "rivals" the Texans,
Colts and Jaguars.
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2.02
RB Eddie George
By Guest Mike Murray
Not surprisingly, 10 running backs were selected before Tony made
this pick. Eddie George could prove to be a great value here. Once
a top 5-8 pick, his perceived value dropped off after last year's
disappointing season.
With this group of owners, it is imperative to solidify your RB
corps early. Had Tony selected another position here, his choices
of running backs in round 3 would have been pretty slim.
I don't expect George to have another 14 TD season, but he should
be able to get at least 8 TDs this year, if not more. If you look
at past seasons, this is a respectable amount of touchdowns for
the #11 overall RB. Considering George may very well get even more
than 8 TDs, then you have a very solid pick.
I like the fact that he was able to get Priest Holmes so late in
the first round, and was able to back it up with a solid pick in
round 2. Only time will tell, but I think George was a good pick
at 2.02
2.01
RB Anthony Thomas
By Guest Lavar Tibideaux of Ask
The Commish
Eddie George suffered through a miserable 2001 campaign due to a
very painful turf toe injury. Up until 2001 Eddie had earned
the nickname "Steady Eddie" based on his steady 300+
carries, 1,300 yards and solid TD output.
Unfortunately, Eddie's yardage and TD totals didn't hold steady
despite getting his usual 300+ carries. Eddie had a career
low 3.0 yards per carry .7 yards lower than his previous career
low. Now many fantasy owners are scared away from Eddie
thinking that all of the "wear-and-tear" is catching up
with him. Don't be fooled, Eddie will rebound this year.
As quickly as running backs go in this draft, grabbing Eddie now
should pay off. Hopefully a solid QB will slide to the end
of the third round easing the pain of passing up Jeff Garcia.
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QB Jeff Garcia
By Duane Cahill of Pitt
Tribune-Review
After missing out on Randy Moss, it's very difficult for me to
pass on Terrell Owens here. While it's probably due to the
instability that I sense with T.O., I also acknowledge that if
anything should happen to Owens, Garcia becomes less valuable.
However, having a choice (with the 15th pick of the draft) between
your second-ranked receiver and your second-ranked quarterback
ain't a bad dilemma to be stuck with. I select the
quarterback due to the fact that
this position (at least the top 4-5 guys) is typically going to be
more stable than the wide receivers position. Warner,
Garcia, Favre, Manning -- they are always at or near the top of
the QB rankings.
In my opinion, it's far more likely that I'll find this year's
David Boston or Joe Horn later in the draft than I will a top
signal caller 19 picks from now.
Oh yeah -- for the stats aficionados -- the 72 TDs (63 passing, 9
rushing) that Garcia has accounted for in the last two years helps
to sway me a little as well...
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2.03
QB Jeff Garcia
By Guest Paul Rush
There's a common message being sent with the majority of the picks
so far and it's so important I'm going to repeat it here. You
can't win your league with your first couple of picks but you sure
can lose it ! And it's doubly important in a league like this with
no trading or waiver wire that your first few selections carry as
little risk as possible.
It would have been nice to draft another RB here and there are a
number so far undrafted that could end up in the top 10 at the end
of the season. However, they all come with "baggage".
For instance, Jamal Lewis and Fred Taylor (as usual!) are
returning after injuries and Stephen Davis has a new system to fit
into. In recent years a rookie RB usually cracks the top 10 (check
the stats) but there seems no clear cut candidate this season. So
do we select a RB here ? Nope - too risky I think.
There was one clear choice with this pick and I believe Mr. Cahill
has found it. I think I'm right in saying that all the 49ers 2001
offensive starters return and last year that was good enough to
help Jeff Garcia to pass for 32 TDs and run for 5 more (.......
and those stats were not a one season fluke as in 2000 he passed
for 31 and ran for 4).
On my draft board Garcia is the No.2 two ranked QB, behind Warner
but ahead of Manning and Culpepper, and represents another nice
solid pick to go along with Curtis Martin.
2.03
QB Jeff Garcia
By Guest Terry Martin
This has to be the easiest pick in the entire draft! What a
STEAL! 14 players went before Jeff Garcia. The rest of
the owners will take notice that if everyone subscribes to the two
stud RB theory, then everyone's team will roughly look the same.
This team will boast a stud RB in Curtis Martin AND the best
fantasy scorer over the last two years. What a STEAL!
All Garcia has done the last two years is lead all players in
fantasy scoring. Here's some stats... 8484 total yards (282
points) + 63 TD passes (252 points) + 9 TD runs (54 points) for a
total of 588 points. Keep in mind, Marshall Faulk only
scored 571 points in the last two years AND he set the NFL record
for TDs in a season.
Let's compare Jeff Garcia's numbers to that of Eddie George's (the
player taken one pick earlier)... 3180 yards (212 points) + 21 TDs
(126 points) for a total of 338 points. That's only 250
points less. Duane Cahill just got his Christmas gift early
this year!
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2.04
WR Terrell Owens
By Greg Kellogg of Komments
I had originally hoped to grab Eddie
George here but when that became impossible I felt that my next
best choice would be to get Jeff Garcia. Nope, gone too.
So now I can go after a mid-tier RB, a QB with question marks or
one of two WRs.
My choices were narrowed to WRs Marvin Harrison and Terrell Owens.
Both have question marks entering the 2002 season. Harrison has a
new conservative coach and a WR2 that should actually take some
catches away from him.
Owens is a sometimes head-case that feuds with his head coach and
is playing basketball in the off-season.
What decided me on Owens is the absolute lack of an alternative
wideout for the 49ers. They have to go to Owens because they
don't have any other options in the passing game. And, he has
proven himself capable of handling the attention defenses are
going to give him by catching 190 passes for 2863 yards and 29
TDs.
His production over that time leads all receivers, Harrison and
Moss included. Last season he led all receivers with 18 big plays
and he should challenge Randy Moss and Harrison in that category
again this year.
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2.04
WR Terrell Owens
By Guest Timothy Ludwig
It is hard to argue with any selection in Round Two that has
averaged 95 catches for 1431.5 yards and 14.5 Touchdowns in the
past two years. That will not stop me from trying. Generally I am
a believer in waiting on Wide Receivers, but that is not why I am
going to debate Mr. Kellogg’s pick.
When drafting in Round One or Two, you should grab the best player
with the least risk involved. The last thing you want is a player
in Round One or Two being a bust. For the record, I am not saying
Terrell Owens will be a bust but that Owens has more risk involved
than another Wide Receiver on the board. If I were to take a wide
receiver at this spot, I would have grabbed Marvin Harrison.
Harrison and Owens are almost interchangeable
when you look at their fantasy production in 2000 and 2001.
Harrison has averaged 105.5 catches for 1468.5 yards and 14.5
touchdowns in the last two years. He actually out produced Owens
in catches and yards, but this is not the reason I think Harrison
is a better pick. Harrison has virtually no risk involved. He
works his butt off. He practices hard. He plays hard. He never
causes any sort of controversy. If Dungy asked him to block all
day, he would block all day. You will never hear one word that is
negative from his mouth. Owens, on the other hand, is the opposite
of Harrison. He spikes the ball to show up opponents. He never
stops complaining about getting the ball. The head coach and Owens
are always at odds. To make matters worse, he is even playing
basketball in the USBL when he should be at mini camps. This is a
recipe for disaster. We got a taste of what could happen when we
saw Terrell Owens name on the IR list for the USBL.
I would take Owens over 99% of the Wide
Receivers in this draft. However, Harrison is not one of them.
Owens is a good pick for Kellogg, but Harrison would have been a
better one.
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2.05
WR Marvin Harrison
By Carlos Panizo of STATS,
Inc.
and Chris Rito of FF
Mastermind
Don't fall into the trap of chasing a position like RB in the
early rounds if there are better players on the board. In each of
the past three seasons, Harrison has had no less than 100
receptions, 1400 yards and 12 TDs. That's called MONEY! What other
analysis do you need?
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2.05
WR Marvin Harrison
By Guest Michael Bicknell of Skill
Positions
As with the prior pick, the Panizo/Rito team is strengthening
their team away from running backs in the early going. The
Manning/Marvin Harrison combination should provide plenty of
firepower. Harrison is a steady, consistent performer. Manning was
off a bit last year, but should bounce back. Overall, I like
Harrison here.
While Harrison has always performed without solid help opposite
him, he should finally get a little pressure taken off. The
problem? Does it help or hurt his numbers?
With TE Ken Dilger's departure, the Colts will have only one tight
end (Marcus Pollard) to use in the passing game now, when they
used to use two. My initial thought is that the team may go
downfield more because of this. Dilger's subtraction should assure
Harrison does not have much, if anything, taken away by Reggie
Wayne.
Using the belief that everything remains status quo until you see
it change, Harrison should be a fine fantasy threat once again.
2.05
WR Marvin Harrison
By Guest Angel Cabrales
This move takes guts! After taking QB Payton Manning in the
1st Round, Panizo/Rito are betting the whole enchilada that head
coach Tony Dungy will not hurt the Colts offensive production.
This is a risk I would not take in such an early round...unless
the player's initials are Marvin Harrison.
Harrison is the picture of consistency. He's started every
game since 1999. He has averaged over 100 receptions and
almost 14 TDs over those past 3 years. More importantly, he
is not a head-case just waiting to implode like the WRs taken
before him.
Sure, Harrison doesn't come without risk. His TD production
dropped off sharply in the second half of 2001 during which he
scored only 5 of his 15 TDs. Will Dungy cause him to drop
down to Keyshawn numbers? Will the addition of Qadry Ismail,
the emergence of Dominic Rhodes, and the return of Edge cause the
ball to be spread out more? My guess is that these factors
will actually improve Harrison's stats (scary!) since defenses
won't be able to key on him any more. Given an improved
supporting cast and team that depends on him as much as the Colts
do, Harrison is one risk I'd be glad to take!
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2.06
RB Stephen Davis
By John Hansen of The
Guru Report
WR Marvin Harrison was the guy I wanted, but he went just before
me. I see a drop-off at WR after him and I know I can still
get a good QB a little later, so I'm taking the best RB available
before the position dries up almost completely - which I know it
will by the time I pick again. There are concerns with Davis, but
I feel he's about the safest bet left. He's durable and has been
productive, so I feel comfortable nabbing him here.
I'm not exactly sure how the new offense in Washington will affect
his production - I don't think anyone does. If the offense
runs relatively well, I see 10+ TDs. If it struggles, the
team will rely on him heavily, so he should be fine in 2002.
I'm sure he and the team will work something out so I'd be shocked
if he weren't a Redskin this year.
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2.06
RB Stephen Davis
By Guest Michael Bicknell of Skill
Positions
Questions surround Davis. How will new coach Steve Spurrier use
him? How is the offensive line shaping up? Will the passing game
take pressure off him?
I think Davis is worth a gamble. It seems a bit high, but this is
a back heavy fantasy league, and soon the pickings will be real
slim.
Let's face it, Spurrier is smart enough to use a back like Davis.
Look at Fred Taylor, while he was at Florida. Davis will get
plenty of carries, and the scoring should come as well. My only
hang up with Davis in the past has been his ability to get hurt
during the stretch run of your fantasy season. If he holds up,
he's a solid performer.
With Davis teamed up with LaDainian Tomlinson, John Hanson should
have a steady backfield. These aren't superstars, but they are
good enough. As long as his next pick isn't Jay Fiedler, Hansen's
roster appears to be doing fine.
2.06
RB Stephen Davis
By Guest IM Fletcher
While it is very difficult to go against the Guru and his track
record, I don't really like the Davis pick here. Davis production
slowed down last year on a Redskins team that had question marks
at the QB/WR positions. The additions of mediocre NFL players in
Spurrier's former Gators have done nothing to change that in this
man's humble opinion. Further downgrading Davis is the tough
defenses that he will face 6 times this year in the Giants,
improving Cowboys and the Eagles - despite MLB Trotter's loss to
the very same Skins. These defenses will key on Davis with all the
questions surrounding the Skins passing attack.
Now to the upside...
If Marvin Lewis can quickly put his stamp on the talented D here,
Davis could become one of the better backs in Fantasy Football
this year. Also it's not totally inconceivable that Spurrier
brings that vertical magic with him from College. Although again
with the talent on hand it doesn't seems too likely.
Almost every player left at this point has some question marks
surrounding him. A David Boston with the addition of Freddie Jones
and seeing the Cardinals play catch up to the Rams and Niners 4
times would be a nice pick, provided the questions around his
dependency don't get him. The safest pick here might have been
McNabb, especially with the uncertainty regarding the Eagles
running game at this time. It's difficult to argue with the RB
strategy used by Hansen although a diamond in the rough could come
later in the draft from the Niners, Broncos or Bucs if one can
pick the right RB from those clubs...or double up which is the
safer bet.
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2.07 QB Daunte Culpepper
By Jerome Hickerson of TalkFootball.com
Another roll of the dice here. Injury concerns for both of my
first two picks. This is certainly a concern in the FAD format, as
well as in any league format. I felt that my hand was forced.
Playing it "safe" can almost always put you in the
middle of the pack, while taking risks can either win for you, or
eliminate you early in the season. I feel that Culpepper and James
are calculated risks that made sense for me in May, with the 6th
and 19th picks.
Culpepper's running ability might be affected by his knee injury -
and it is this running ability that truly makes him an exciting
fantasy QB. But all the current news reports indicate that he is
coming along well with his.um..rehab. (I hate the word
"rehab" when used with my early round draft choices..)
Drafting in May makes for interesting decisions regarding injured
players. This makes for controversial drafting decisions, tough
decisions. Sure makes it fun!
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2.07 QB Daunte Culpepper
By Guest David Gonos of FantasyRef.
com
Without a doubt, Culpepper had an off-year compared to his
sophomore 2000 season. With only 14 passing touchdowns and 5
rushing touchdowns, he regressed to become a NON-superstar.
BUT... That was last year. That was the year that
EVERY Viking this side of Byron Chamberlain had a rough season.
From the death of Korey Stringer to the firing of head coach
Dennis Green, the Vikings were a team in disarray.
In comes Mike Tice at head coach, and hopefully out goes the
memory of a season lost. If Randy Moss can do ANYTHING
this year, Culpepper will be a great pick. If Moss continues
to puzzle, Culpepper will be keyed on and life will be ugly.
They add a great pass-blocking lineman in Bryant McKinney and
Michael Bennett enters his second year ready to impress.
Culpepper's knee injury aside, I like the pick. I think he
will choose to run more rather than being forced to, like last
season, and that will convert to high fantasy points.
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2.08 RB Fred Taylor
by Chris Dolfi of FanEx
I have to admit that even I'm not crazy about Fred Taylor here.
Unfortunately, at this point in the draft sure-fire RBs are gone
and more going fast, the stud WRs are all but off the board (with
the exception of 1 or 2) and any QB I might take here, I could get
one of equivalent value in the next round. All of those
factors, along with Taylor still being available made my choice
easy here.
Is this pick without risk? Certainly not. Taylor is a HUGE
injury risk. But when healthy, he's a guy that can really
light up a fantasy scoreboard. Taylor has gone through a
series of up and down years - and if that trend continues, this
should be one of his up years. 1998 - 18TDs, 1223 yards
rushing, averaging 4.6 a carry. 1999 - 6 TDs, 732 yards
rushing, averaging 4.6 a carry. 2000 - 14 TDs, 1399 yards
rushing, averaging 4.8 a carry. 2001 (he got bit EARLY by
the injury bug only playing in two games) - 0 TDs, 116 yards
rushing, averaging 3.9 a carry. Will 2002 follow the trend
and be an up year for Taylor? I think it will.
Taylor gets to square off against the new Texans two times this
season, which should help anybody's numbers and playing the rest
of the AFC South won't hurt either. You'll also note that
even though Taylor keeps getting injured, his average yards per
carry seem to be staying around the 4.6 yards a carry mark - so
while he has gotten injured, he's been bouncing back year after
year.
Now, having your starting lineup automatically generated by who
plays the best certainly makes Taylor a less-risky proposition
than in your "pick-'em-every- week" leagues, and
although Taylor is still a risk under those circumstances, I'm
willing to take the gamble on a player with such amazing, proven
upside.
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2.08
RB Fred Taylor
By Guest Adam Caplan of
The Pro Football News and
Injury Report
Certainly you can't fault the owner here for selecting Taylor as
his second back. Consider how big Taylor's upside is and even if
he only plays let's say 12 games, he'll still put up big numbers.
There are still plenty of quality receivers left on the board and
he'll still be able to select one with his next pick--if he
chooses to go in that direction.
2.08
RB Fred Taylor
By Guest Matt
Holderness
Fred Taylor is always a scary guy on draft day, especially when
draft day is in May. I remember two years ago I was set on
drafting him at #2 for about a month, but then he went down with
his knee injury in preseason. Needless to say I passed and
"settled" for Marshall Faulk.
With his injury riddled past you really want to pass on him and
not go through all the crap he can put you through, BUT he is well
worth the risk this late in the draft. He has defiantly first
round talent and could be the steal of the draft here.
He does have some questions though other than injury. The Jags
offense is not as good as it once was. They have lost OL Boselli
and will be releasing WR McCardell in June. QB Mark Brunell is
certainly not getting any younger, either. Even with such
questions he is well worth the pick. I believe he has the talent
to be the best running back in the AFC and just behind Marshall
Faulk in the NFL. You just have to hope for the best and keep them
fingers crossed VERY tight.
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2.09 RB Deuce McAllister
By David Dodds of Footballguys.com
I was originally thinking about a kicker here, but decided to wait
at least one more round. However, in Deuce, I get someone who had 255 combined rushing and receiving
yards last season. Do I need to say more?
Ok. He got those 255 yards with just 30 touches and scored two TDs
in the process. Deuce is the reason that Ricky Williams
became expendable to the Saints.
McAllister is blessed with incredible speed and great hands. Many
experts considered Deuce to be the best RB talent in last season's
draft. He is an unknown, but is the clear starter in a
division that boasts Carolina and Atlanta. Personally I like
his chances. And I'm hopeful that PK Jeff Wilkins is still
there for my next pick.
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2.09 RB Deuce McAllister
By Guest Fred Tierney
Well... Deuce McAllister might be the answer to some players
dreams. He would not have been my choice at this point.
To base my season on two second year starting running backs when
Brett Favre and others were still on the board is really chancy.
Last year Shaun Alexander, Priest Holmes, and Anthony Thomas were
available in the middle to late rounds. I believe there will
be starting running backs as good as McAllister later.
Simply put, the Saints are a mess. As a fan of the Saints, I
certainly hope they do well, however, they just as likely may be
awful. To start with they have a redesigned offensive line -
is it a better line?
One might even get McAllister in the third round instead of Jeff
Wilkins. You won't get Brett Favre in the third round.
Starting running backs for New England, Buffalo, Cleveland,
Atlanta, San Francisco, and Pittsburgh are still on the board.
Since this league doesn't allow changes to the rosters, I would have
balanced my choice of Alexander with an excellent and safe Brett
Favre.
I wish Dodds the best, but fear McAllister at this cost.
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2.10 WR Davis Boston
By William Del Pilar & Ryan Bonini of KFFL
Ideally, we would have taken a running back here to shore up the
starters for the upcoming season. Unfortunately, none of the
remaining backs left have the same type of value Arizona Cardinals
WR David Boston does at this spot. We are the last ones many would
expect to look at a WR this early, but the reality of drafting
this year and where we drafted at, has made a few things obvious.
While there are top tier RBs, they are all going quickly and what
is left at this point are many solid second tier RBs and a few
with top tier potential but with questions.
We are one of the few that believe in the RB Stud Theory and that
belief has earned us two FAD titles over the last three years, so
we believe in that strategy. However, this year, we feel we simply
can't pass up a WR like Boston, based on where we pick and what is
available. Although we feel, by changing our strategy, we are
taking a huge risk overall and will have to make sure we are able
to find a few key RB sleepers later in the draft. This will be
more important than ever based on the second round pick being a WR
and overlooking the few quality RBs left on the board.
Why Boston? He is entering a contract year and even though he may
have some question marks surrounding him based on some
off-the-field issues, he is a monster when on the field. He's
coming off of a season where he established himself as a
prime-time player in the NFL and his offense -- while erratic --
is starting to gain some confidence and he's developed chemistry
with QB Jake Plummer. He's no fluke as his continual growth and
break out year are not a surprise to many, especially when he was
called out the season prior to step it up, which he did.
In 2001, Boston hauled in 98 receptions for a gaudy 1,598 yards
and 8 TDs. He went over the 100-yard mark 9 times (56 percent) and
scored in six of the contests (38 percent), with two games being
multi-TD outings for him. He's big (6'2", 210 lbs.), has the
ability to out-muscle defensive backs and has the speed to go the
distance whenever he touches the ball as well as run over DBs and
break tackles. In the past two-years, he's averaged better than
16-yards per reception and his receptions, yardage and TDs have
gone up each of the last three years. While we expect his
receiving yardage to drop some, his receptions and TDs could both
improve this year based on their new division.
The Cardinals are one of the many teams to change divisions this
year; now finding St. Louis and San Francisco on the schedule
twice this year. In those games, the Cardinals will undoubtedly
need to put the ball in the air early and often to keep the score
close -- with Boston being the recipient of many of the catches.
Arizona's offensive line also remains intact from a year ago and
the team is fine-tuning the offense rather than implementing yet
another new one. They've also added an ever-steady pass receiver
in TE Freddie Jones, who will demand defenses also pay attention
to him over the middle leaving more room for Boston to work on the
outside. For those concerned about CB Aeneas Williams and the
Rams, we'll put our money on Boston in that matchup.
We also debated WR Rod Smith, of the Broncos, here and Smith may
be the "safer" of the two. However, we feel Boston has
the most upside because of the offensive improvement in Arizona,
his contract being in the final year and the team being without a
legitimate No. 2 receiver to steal production from him. A risky
pick this high? Yes but we feel the upside is too much to pass on.
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2.10
WR David Boston
By Guest
WR David Boston
By Guest
In the first round, the KFFL guys selected the safe pick, Ahman
Green, over the trendy pick, Shaun Alexander.
Deuce McCallister is essentially a rookie in 2002. Fred
Taylor always seems to be injured. Considering the questions
surrounding those running backs, David Boston was again a safe
pick. It was also a smart, well timed one as Terrell Davis was
soon to follow.
Boston is pressing to join Harrison, Moss, and Owens as the NFL's
superstar WRs. He's not there yet, but he's an excellent WR. The
choice between a risky RB or an excellent WR seems obvious to me.
Smart pick.
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2.11 RB Terrell Davis
By TC Cannon of Fantasy
Asylum
RB Fred Taylor was the targeted player here. I have been
daydreaming about a Warner + Taylor + jumbo drink combo meal
for the better part of a week until that low down dirty dog
Chris Dolfi nixed my plans. The most noticed constant in our
hobby is 'change'. To succeed here, we must
recognize changes and adapt to them quickly, as each of
us are commitment to identify the opportunities that will
benefit our rosters.
RB Terrell Davis is the very definition of a 'changed' player.
Following back-to-back MVP seasons (6100 yards and 41 TDs in
three seasons), his claim as a fantasy elite was cut
short when he suffered repeated injuries. Davis miss the
1999 and 2000 seasons and was only half active this past
year. Even then, he did not score once. He's both
high-risk and high-reward. He is perhaps the biggest
tease in FF.
Davis now seems fully recovered. If that is
true -and I certainly think it is- you should look for
the return of a powerful NFL back. He will be looked upon
to carry the load of an offense that desires a lead rusher that
will produce.
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2.11
RB Terrell Davis
By Guest Dan Grogan of Grogan Sports
With Davis' injury history, an argument can be made that taking
him in the second round was a real gamble. However, if he
stays healthy, his upside is terrific.
Although he has missed 36 games over the last three seasons, he
was beginning to look like his old self in the final five games of
the '01 campaign. He averaged 4.7 yards per carry during this
stretch and while failed to score last season, he's not entirely
at fault. Throughout the NFL the majority of all rushing TDs come
from within the 10-yard line and the offense has to do its part to
get there. In Denver's case last year, the offense struggled
without Ed McCaffrey and a limping Rod Smith for the final few
games. As a result, scoring opportunities were not as plentiful as
they were in the past.
Things are much different this season. McCaffrey's ahead of
schedule in his bid to return and they'll also have a familiar
face at TE in Shannon Sharpe. Davis should have a basket of
opportunities this season.
Maybe the most important aspect of Davis this off-season is that
the word "re-hab" has not been part of his vocabulary.
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2.12 QB Brett Favre
By Shannon O'Leary of FanEx
The FanEx FAD is about points so I have to go with someone who
earned more than 200 last year. I am picking Favre over Gannon due
to the change in the coaches in the Fader nation. Favre is a solid
performer year after year and probably has the strongest arm in
the league.
The question around Favre is who will he throw the ball too? I
like the young Ferguson kid and think Freeman will end up re-doing
his deal and stay in the land of cheese. I am not so sure about
Terry Glenn and how she will fit into the Packer offense.
Hopefully, he can at least spread the field for the first few
weeks until someone else steps up. I see no reason that Favre will
not top 3500 yards and 20-25 Touchdowns this year
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2.12
Brett Favre
By Guest
2.12
Brett Favre
By Guest
A history of consistent production from a man who never takes a
play off. That's what Mr. O'Leary got when he picked Brett
Favre. It's only the end of Round 2 and already we're
hearing discussions about risk, potential, and upside. I
don't know about you, but those are not words I want to associate
with my 2nd rounder. Over the last FIVE years, Brett Favre
has averaged a completion percentage of 59.9%, 3,980 yds, 28 TDs,
18 INTs, and a QB rating of 85.4. When it's all said and
done, those are the numbers I want from my starting quarterback.
And he's done all that with a constantly rotating group of
receivers, several halfbacks, an inexperienced offensive line, and
three head coaches.
So what does he have this year? One of the best young
offensive lines back in its entirety, a dual-threat halfback in
Ahman Green, a head coach that made this Wisconsite ask the
question, "Holmgren who?" And oh yeah, another
group of receivers. Let's get one thing straight, the Green
Bay receivers don't make Favre the superstar he is, Brett Favre
turns receivers into superstars. It doesn't matter who he's
throwing to. Don't let the age comments bother you either.
Favre is only five months older than Jeff Garcia and a year and a
half older than Kurt Warner.
"And the 11th Commandment: Know Thy Rules."
Mr. O'Leary gets the bonus plan with Brett Favre to boot.
The man hasn't missed a game in how long now? I've lost
count considering the next closest player is trailing by triple
digits. No pickups in FAD. Not only does this allow
the owner the piece of mind of week in/week out production from a
pivotal position, he can probably wait a few rounds to grab his
backup while picking up an important RB or WR. A great pick
at the end of Round 2 to pair with Marshall Faulk.
2.12
Brett Favre
By Guest
2.12
Brett Favre
By Guest
With Faulk taken in the 1st round, there is a lot of directions
that can be taken with the 2nd round pick. You can go with
another RB, but the worthy RBs seem to be gone and there is still
plenty of depth at WR remaining. The most bang for your buck
might be at the QB position (Especially when you can get a
consistent QB with big game potential).
The Packers found their running game last year with the addition
of Ahman Green and the entire offense started clicking again,
especially Brett Favre. While the WRs he will be throwing to
still may be up in the air, the running game should help keep the
passing game open (And I think the addition of Glenn should work
out quite well, especially if Freeman decides to stick around.
Plus there are some talented young WRs that might be ready to
contribute). This should allow Favre to come close (Possibly
even top) last season's numbers. It is also a plus that the
Packers have the 28th easiest schedule (Based on last year's
results). The Faulk and Favre combo should put up some
consistently big numbers and make this a tough squad.
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