12.01 PK David Akers
By Emil Kadlec of FF
Pro Forecast
PK David Akers has become almost automatic, as he
demonstrated by nailing 17 consecutive field goal attempts
last season -- breaking his own team record along the
way.
Over the past two years, he's gone 9-for-9 on game-tying or
game-winning field goal attempts, proving his toughness in
the clutch. Better yet, he's shown a marked ability to get
the job done under adverse weather conditions. He made his
first trip to the Pro Bowl in only his second year as a
full-time kicker after converting on 26-of-31 field goal
attempts, a solid 84 percent.
Set a career high with 5 field goals at Dallas (Nov. 18) and
was also a perfect 3-3 on PATs. His performance earned him
NFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors. ... Finished
the 2001 season ranked 2nd in the NFC and tied for 5th in
the NFL among kickers in scoring with 115 points.
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12.01 PK David Akers
By Guest Adam Caplan of
The Pro Football News
and Injury Report
If you're going to take a kicker in this round, David Akers
should be on top of your list.
The former Louisville Cardinal attributes his success from
being involved with the martial arts since he was signed by
the Eagles prior to the '99 season. He's extremely flexible
and can kick a ball through the uprights with regularity
from 50 yards and out as I saw up close at training camp
last summer.
The only thing keeping him from being a top five kicker is
the Eagles effectiveness inside the red zone which may limit
his number of field goal attempts.
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12.02 PK John Carney
By William Del Pilar | Ryan Bonini of KFFL
Year in and year out, PK John Carney gets no respect.
From his hey days with the San Diego Chargers to a great
season with the New Orleans Saints, he had one down year and
was forgotten. Despite the perceptions, this year will be
another year in which he'll shine on the field. As the
Saints have improved the team to better suit their needs, in
terms of style, i.e. the West Coast offense, this will help
Carney in even more attempts.
Many feel that Carney can't do much better than he did last
season but the truth is the team has upgraded it's WR corp.
and now has an RB that is better suited for the offense,
thus enabling them to move between the twenties even easier
this year than years past. Remember, just because a team is
able to score often, does not make it a bad situation for
the PK. San Francisco, Green Bay, St. Louis and other
proficient offenses in the past are prime examples.
Last season there were just 16 teams with 30+ attempts and
not counting his season ending knee injury in 1997 (making a
tackle), he's averaged over 30+ attempts in four out of five
seasons, showing teams have confidence in him, specifically
his leg.
However, that's just one key aspect we were looking for in
our PK. The others were his leg strength as he is 16 of 27
in 50+ yard field goals throughout his career which is a 63%
accuracy rate over 50 yards. Add the overall accuracy rate
over the last eight seasons of 85.4% and a career average of
81.5% and he's easily one of the best kickers in recent
years and a quiet fantasy stud. We like that and we liked
the lack of respect he received that allowed him to fall to
us during this round. We truly think he will improve in 2002
as the Saints will afford him more opportunities.
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12.02 PK John Carney
By Guest Andrew Brecher
The defending champs fill out their roster with PK John
Carney. Though it's hard to go wrong with a good
kicker on a prolific offense, two issues should serve as
warning flags:
- Carney may have had a very good 2001, but he is only two
years removed from a horrible, 72% FG percentage season.
Considering that kicker scoring is so unpredictable, fantasy
players should be cautious about drafting kickers without a
consistent history of FG accuracy.
- Saints QB Brooks struggled at times during the red zone,
completing less than 44% of his passes. As Brooks
matures, he will be better at getting his team into the end
zone, leading to fewer FG opportunities for Carney.
Considering these factors, I don't think that Carney is
deserving of being the 5th kicker selected.
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12.03 DT Buccaneers
By David Dodds of Footballguys.com
A solid unit over the last few years that should also
be very good in this scoring system again.
The changes in 2002 that I like:
- The Bucs now play in a much weaker division (with poor
offenses) - Gone are high powered offenses Minnesota and
Green Bay. In are Atlanta and Carolina with
inexperienced QBs. I expect this fact to improve upon
their sack and interception totals.
- Last season they already had the 4th most (sacks + INT) at
69. Only Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Green Bay had more.
- The Bucs only had 10 fumble recoveries in 2001. A
number dismally low that seems more like an aberration.
- 28 interceptions was 2nd best in the NFL last season
telling me they were getting pressure on the QB even when
they did not sack them.
- Tampa Bay is second best among all defenses in FanEx
scoring over the last three years.
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12.03 DT Buccaneers
By Guest Andrew Hecox of
Pro Football
Notebook
As they have been for the past several seasons, the
Buccaneers figure to be among this season's leaders in
sacks, fumbles caused, defensive scoring, and interceptions
- in addition to being a top team in terms of defensive
points allowed. This was a great pickup for Dobbs late in
the draft and a particularly surprising one, considering
they were the eighth defense taken.
Interest in Tampa Bay may be a little bit tepid because of
the departure of head coach Jon Gruden- it shouldn't be.
The system will be the same with the entire defensive
coaching staff remaining intact and in charge. The personnel
is essentially the same, losing only one part-time
starter, Jamie Duncan, and only one key contributor, nickel
corner (and leading pass interceptor) Donnie Abraham.
On the positive side, the Bucs will finally have an offense
that will allow them to play from ahead and tee off an opposing
quarterbacks. With one of the most ferocious
pass rushes in the last twenty years, the Bucs could pace
record breaking numbers all season long. Don't gamble
on them falling this far in your fantasy draft.
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12.04 WR Peter Warrick
By Shannon O'Leary of FanEx
As I said when I chose my kicker
and defense, the only things left on the board at wide
receiver is unprovens, injuries, and players changing teams.
If Freeman would have still been here then I would have
snagged him. But instead I get Bengal Peter Warrick. Even
though Cincinnati is looking at the free agency market, I
think Warrick will be the number one guy for the Bengals
this year. Scott may not stick and Warrick knows the system.
Warrick had 70 receptions last year, but only one for a
touchdown. There is definitely room for improvement.
Supposedly Warrick was having vision problems and is seeing
the ball better now. We all remember how explosive he was in
college. This is his third year and I do lean towards the
third year receiver theory. The thing that concerns me is
the revolving quarterbacks and this is the Bengals we are
talking about here.
With the selection of Warrick I should get at least 70
receptions and 6-8 Touchdowns should be attainable.
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12.04 WR Peter Warrick
By Guest Dave Matkin
What happened? After a season of high hopes for WR Peter
Warrick, he went hitless in 15 games and gained fewer than
40 yards eleven times. Is the NCAA star a NFL flop? Or, was
QB Kitna the sole blame?
Until we know the answer to that question, Warrick seems a
last-round-only fantasy selection.
12.04 WR Peter Warrick
By Guest Matthew 'Doc' Cummings of
FantasyRef.com
Peter Warrick is one of the most talented receivers in the
NFL. If I told you that there was a receiver on the
board with those receptions and those yards on the board at
this point that had a QB that most likely STILL had not been
drafted, you would not believe me. This guy has skills.
He can take over a game; he is a playmaker.
Of course, no matter what wonderful things anyone says about
Warrick, there is a reason he was drafted this late.
to put it bluntly, 1 TD. For a person as talented and
as capable as Warrick, one TD is unbelievable for a #1
receiver. However, putting those feelings aside, for a
backup receiver who could easily slide into the starting
lineup like any 4th receiver should be able to, in the 12th
round, once again, this is a great value pick.
I have known Warrick to go as early as the 7th round (much
too early). This is a little later than his worth,
making him, in this round for this team, a great selection.
12.04 WR Peter Warrick
By Guest Angel Cabrales
In fantasy football, you can always tell which teams are the
contenders and which are the pretenders by the way they
draft in the later rounds--the pretenders are looking for
backups while the contenders are still looking for starters.
By taking a risk on Warrick, O'Leary shows he's here to win.
Warrick is a high risk player. In 2001, he got a very
average 70 receptions and a very below average 1 TD.
He's got a ton of people competing with him for the ball at
WR and RB and nobody passing it at QB (though Frerotte
should be a slight upgrade over Kitna).
But then you see the overflowing talent and jaw-dropping
moves. The fact he recently got contact lenses can
only help, too. Most importantly, WR Darnay Scott has
missed two rounds of offseason workouts and will be let go
if he doesn't take a pay cut. That would put Warrick
in a position to be the #1 WR and to break out this season.
I wouldn't recommend taking Warrick as a starter in a 10
team league - especially not in a TD league. However,
if you want to win it all, you should bypass a merely
dependable backup WR and take a chance on Warrick; he's the
kind of player that can win it all for you.
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12.05 RB Trung Canidate
By Carlos Panizo of STATS,
Inc.
and Chris Rito of FF
Mastermind
This is the kind of pick in which you've decided to
swing for the fences no matter what kind of pitch comes down
the pipe. There are a few RBs left that will almost
definitely produce on a more regular basis than Canidate,
but the St. Louis back up comes with a ton of upside.
We're hoping for a few blowouts during the year in which
Canidate will come in for a productive second half. We've
also got a shot of him taking it the distance on a play in
which he spells Marshall Faulk. Last and certainly not least,
while we'd never wish harm to befall a player, injuries are
a part of the game and if Faulk were to miss any significant
time, Canidate's value goes through the roof and becomes a
steal here in the 12th round.
For the most part we've played it pretty conservatively this
draft. This is our pick where we lay it on the line and take
a shot at being a contender.
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12.05 RB Trung Canidate
By Guest Terry Martin
This is will be short. Canidate is a proven backup for the
Rams. If RB Faulk sits, Canidate earns this roster spot.
Unless Faulk misses a month of action, it's difficult to
expect Canidate to repeat his seven touchdowns. |
12.06 WR Jerome Pathon
By John Hansen of The
Guru Report
Since the best TEs and PKs are gone, I figure I might
as well stock up on WRs with upside. I've never been a huge
Pathon fan, but he did show me something last year - albeit
in a very short time. Now, teaming with Brooks in New
Orleans, I'm hoping that Pathon have a couple of big games
this year and help carry my team those weeks. If all goes
well, Pathon will take over Willie Jackson's role in the
offense and produce 900-1000 yards and 6-7 TDs. That would
be very good for my 5th WR. |
12.06 WR Jerome Pathon
By Guest Bill Ruby
It's hard to call a 12th round pick "bad" unless
it's way out there - and I understand the logic of looking
for upside - but I don't think this was the way to go here
for two reasons: first, it's time for this team to
draft a TE or D, and second, I think Pathon will have very
little value this year, even as a backup FFL WR.
How do I figure? Easy. The TEs, Ds (and even
PKs) are starting to fall, and this team has nothing in ANY
of those positions. The choices will only get worse,
so why wait? It's late enough in the draft now that it
makes sense to draft one of the better ones rather than
another RB/WR retread. Further, I think Pathon will do
very little this year anyway, because the Aints offense
boasts:
1. An erratic QB (tends to throw almost as many INTs
as TDs)
2. A thin/depleted OL
3. An unproven and somewhat injury-prone starting RB
4. A mediocre (at best) TE
In other words, it's an offense on VERY shaky ground.
But an even more important strike against Pathon IMO is that
oh btw their top pick was only the best WR in the draft, and
although rookie WRs don't usually stand out right away, his
pure athleticism should be enough to cut into Pathon's time
significantly, if not severely.
And if all that doesn't convince you, there's Pathon
himself. Although some think he finally was emerging
as a legit #2 WR last year (a big reason for the selection),
I think that's a debatable conclusion at best. Yes, he
had a few good games to start the year, but then he was -
once again - knocked out by injuries. In fact, his
career has been defined by injuries and erratic play (trust
a Colt fan on that one) which I attribute to more than just
being young. I expect him to suddenly have a solid
year like I expect Fredette Taylor to stay healthy and Randy
Moss to become a team leader.
So while this pick could pay a dividend and risking a 12th
rounder on him isn't terrible, I think an upper-level TE or
D would have better served this team.
Then again, I thought Eddie George was a safe pick last
year...
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12.07 QB Chris Weinke
By Jerome Hickerson of TalkFootball.com
After
selecting a QB early, I waited late to grab a backup. As the
24th QB taken in our draft, Chris Weinke comes
with many questions, but fewer questions than the remaining
starters on our draft board, I believe.
Over
the last 8 games of last season, Weinke threw for 1499
yards, 5 TDs and 4 rushing scores. These are respectable
numbers which give hope for a decent 2002 season. If
Muhammad can stay healthy, as well as the other receivers,
most of whom had injury riddled seasons last year, Weinke
could emerge as a pretty good fantasy QB. One thing appears
almost certain: The Panthers are likely to remain a passing
offense and one that trails often late in games.
When
comparing Weinke with the other remaining QB choices, I saw
little left on the board that I felt comfortable would see
significant playing time.
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12.07 QB Chris Weinke
By Guest Jym Hansen of Komments.com
Shoulder surgery in the off-season scares everyone.
Yet, QB Chris Weinke is reported as having a good off-season
and it looks like the shoulder will be fine. Weinke
was in the Top 15 of all FF QBs through the last six weeks
of the season. He is starting to learn the game.
What hurts him most is a bad team and no supporting cast.
If everyone can stay healthy on offense, Chris should have a
very good season.
Weinke average 1 TD and 1 INT a game in his last five games.
He should be able to increase his TD numbers and decrease
the INTs in his second year and be a solid backup for this
deep in the draft.
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12.08 DT Raiders
By Chris Dolfi of FanEx
I wanted to grab one of the stronger defenses left
with my 12.08 spot, and I ended up settling on the Oakland
Raiders.
I had originally been looking at the New York Jets with this
pick, who led the NFL in takeaways last year with 39 (tied
for first with Cleveland, actually). But the Jets have
been hit hard by free agency and cap moves on the defensive
side of the ball, and their defensive backfield looks a lot
shakier than it did last year. Denver was another
possibility, but I ended up settling on the Raiders due to
the upside I see in that defense.
The Raiders had a lackluster 21 takeaways last year, and
were a bit of a disappointment from their solid 2000
campaign. 2002 should see them bounce back a bit with
a solid draft that should produce two starters for Oakland
in Phillip Buchanon (to help shore up a secondary that saw
the aging Eric Allen retire) and Napoleon Harris (who should
start at Linebacker). Added to the new, young talent
they have, they snapped up veteran Linebacker Bill
Romanowski from the Broncos, and while Romonowski isn't the
player he once was, he still helps to solidify the Raiders
linebacking corps and should be a good teacher for Napoleon
as well. Finally, a defensive that produced 41 sacks
last year (with less talent than they now posses) is another
reason to be optimistic - very optimistic.
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12.08 DT Raiders
By Guest Brian Kreklau of Wild
Card sports
I'm not a big fan of this pick. The Raiders have
statistically a pretty good defense with a lot of veterans.
Last year, these Raiders had 5 TDs generated by DEF or ST.
In contrast two other teams, the Dolphins and Patriots had 7
TDs generated by DEF or ST. While the Raiders return
most of their defense, they haven't gotten much younger.
The Dolphins and Pats haven't lost any major players and
seem like better choices than this pick. A couple of
sleepers could also be looked at: Redskins (with
Marvin Lewis and a number of free agent signings), or Dallas
(major offseason emphasis on DEF).
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12.09 RB Troy Hambrick
By TC Cannon of Fantasy
Asylum
Following a quick trade, I am now seeking to better
my RB situation with a back with 2002 potential. RB Troy
Hambrick seems like such a player.
Hambrick is making a push to be the Cowboy replace- ment for
Emmitt the Great, and certainly seems the best candidate.
Once ESmith has past Payton's all-time rushing mark, I look
for the two to pretty much share the RB1 spot. Even then -at
this point in their careers- Hambrick may be a better short
yardage goal line threat. He's a terrific later round grab.
The other considerations for RB4 was the more talented
LaMont Jordan (Jets). Hambrick will triple Jordan's
production due to increased opportunity. |
12.09 RB Troy Hambrick
By Guest Brian Moore of Football
Joint
RB Troy Hambrick played well when Emmitt was hurt last year.
At his age, Emmitt might not be able to take a full season's
worth of hits and tackles. Some also presume that once
Emmitt surpasses Sweetness' record, he will be replaced by
Hambrick. Regardless of how this all plays out, TC should
get a midseason starter with this pick. A good value in
round 12.
12.09 RB Troy Hambrick
By Guest John Greco
Here's a potentially super pick at this point in the draft.
In Hambrick, Cannon has picked up an undrafted, basically
unknown 2000 rookie RB from Savannah State (huh?) who is a
massive physical specimen, going about 255 at just over 6
feet tall. He one of those Dominic Rhodes, Stacey Mack
types who needs only an opportunity in order to capitalize
on his talents and his desire to achieve. He is likely
to get just that opportunity in Dallas. He is more
than the clear-cut backup to a tired and aging Emmitt Smith.
He is an integral part of the Dallas running game.
As everyone saw last year, Dallas is NOT a good football
team. My guess is that they won't be much better this
year. Emmitt Smith is a great, but fading talent.
He is a competitor of the highest order, but on a team going
nowhere, the punishment he takes week in and week out takes
it's toll, and that was clearly evident last year.
Emmitt has achieved most of his career milestones and is
probably ready (if not eager) to pass the torch to the
younger, stronger Hambrick.
In admittedly limited action last year, Hambrick carried 113
times for slightly over a 5 YPC average. That's not
bad. He's also a bigger, stronger goal line option
than Emmitt. Emmitt had only a 3.9 YPC average last
year on 261 attempts (3 TDs, and longest gain of 44 yards).
Obviously, opposing defenses key more on Emmitt than on Troy
Hambrick, but with that said, Hambrick's 113 attempts
included a long carry of 80 yards and 2 TDs. Look for
him to take on a bigger role this year, and with any
physical difficulties for Emmitt, Hambrick could be in line
for the surprise season of any current non-starter at the RB
position.
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12.10 WR David Terrell
By Tony
Holm of The
Prognosticator
Plain and simple, WR David Terrell is a late round flyer.
Coaches have compared his abilities to a young Keyshawn
Johnson, which means the kid has skills. Drafted at
1.08 last year the Bears have a lot invested in his progress
into a big league receiver and I think they'll do whatever
it takes to get him there. You don't tend to sit a
1.08 guy.
The Bears offense however is run first and throw later,
which bodes well for Anthony Thomas, but not much else.
What I do like about the offense is they've simplified it a
great deal. They want to run fewer plays but focus on
what they do well. This will help David Terrell turn
the corner.
Then there is Marty Booker, Marcus Robinson and Dez White in
an offense that will base with 2 TEs and 2 WRs. It
certainly is crowded but of the four, David Terrell has the
best chance at being the stud. I believe David Terrell
is still one year away but a second half explosion is not
out of the question. The Bears will look to David
Terrell in the end zone a lot more than they did last year
and I believe he will turn into a serious end zone threat
this season. If he contributes to my FAD team when he
gets his multiple TD days, then I'll be happy. I
certainly drafted with upside in mind as there's almost no
downside to this pick.
Plus I drafted Marty Booker what seems like months ago and
I, like everyone else, am not completely sold on him.
I do think he is a gifted player and to be the head and
shoulders #1 out of that pack translates to a ton of talent,
but I don't see him as the end zone guy like David Terrell
will be one day.
If the upside kicks in, today is that day. If not, I
burned a late 12th round pick and I'm willing to take a
chance with it.
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12.10 WR David Terrell
By Guest Brian Roberson of Dr
Football
In the 12th round, with bust out players few and far between,
you have to pick guys that have talent and opportunity.
I believe WR David Terrell fits that bill this year.
He's a playmaker that has superior size and hands to most of
the defensive backs opposite him. If only the Bears'
reliance on the run wasn't a 60-40 split. Perhaps
Chris Chandler can wrest the starting job away from Jim
Miller and stay healthy. Chandler certainly gives
Terrell the opportunity to excel as the best WR on the team.
With Marcus Robinson coming back from a serious injury,
Terrell will be counted on early in the season to step up.
This bodes well for Terrell and makes him a solid pick in
the 12th round.
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12.11 PK Matt Stover
By Jerome Hickerson of TalkFootball.com
Selecting
a fantasy kicker is never exciting. Stover was near the top
of the league in FG opportunities last season with 35
attempts. Where his numbers fell off from previous seasons
(and when compared to other kickers) was in the PAT
category. While he made all 25 PAT attempts, a guy like Mike
Vanderjagt had 41 PAT attempts, thus boosting his seasonal
numbers.
But
the difference between a top kicker and a 2nd
tier guy like Stover is only a handful of points, and almost
impossible to predict. Over the last three seasons, Stover
ranks as the #2 kicker in fantasy points in our scoring
system. I believe he will remain consistent again this
season. I see no reason his opportunities should decrease
dramatically. He may not lead the league in points, but he
should be among the top 5 at his position.
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12.11 PK Matt Stover
By Guest Jym Hansen of Komments.com
Stover was a monster during 1999 and 2000. The Ravens
were defensive and offensive machines. They didn't put
up a huge amount of points, but they controlled the clock.
When they did score, it was mostly Matt.
2001 was a different story. It began with QB Elvis
Grbac not coming close to expectations. This could not be
entirely his fault after the loss of RB Lewis. Lewis
now looks good, but he still has to come back from an ACL
injury. Baltimore also lost a huge amount of talent to
the salary cap. This team will not be that good.
However, Stover was #7 overall during a bad year.
Waiting till the end to fill the PK is not a bad idea.
Getting this high of quality in the end testifies to the
patience of this coach. Stover should be a good
addition and improve some this season.
|
12.12 DT Ravens
By Shannon O'Leary of FanEx
Looking at the board, I see nothing that really grabs my
attention. I am opting to take my second defense in hopes of
boosting some of my week to week totals. Baltimore is the
type of defense who may get you 3-5 points, but some weeks
they are kicking butt and taking names. In those weeks, I
expect 15-20 points out of them.
Defenses are hard to judge, but we all know the Ravens have
talent on that side of the ball. They didn't perform last
year like they did the year before. They also were the
targets of the league last year. This year should be
somewhat of a recovery period for them, at least on the
defensive side of the ball.
I considered Miami here, but my gut tells me to go with
Baltimore.
|
12.12 DT Ravens
By Guest Terry Martin
This defense can't be beat. No one can score on
them. There isn't a group that hits harder and plays
more aggressive. Sounds like some of the sayings
about a luxury liner long ago.
This is a tough one. Baltimore is really a gray area
this year. Loosing the Goose is a big hit. He
plugged up the middle, but was a silent leader on and off
the field. They are starting two rookies this season.
This defense will need to rise to the occasion this year and
carry the load with an offense that has to start over.
This defense has done so before.
This pick is not the same Baltimore defense of old.
However, it is the 12th round and you can't really blow a
pick taking Baltimore now. Plus, the Ravens are the
backup so this is great. If they come out like the
old, then you may be able to trade them. If they
don't, then they should be great for the bye week.
They should remain near the same level as 2001. Just
don't
be surprised if an iceberg hits the Titanic.
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