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Charger
Natrone Means |
RON POLLACK / Editor-in-chief
I almost feel silly saying this, but my vote goes to Steve Young.
I’m reluctant to cast my vote for Young because he is, after all, a superstar. That
said, I never would have imagined that he would be putting up the unbelievable fantasy
numbers he has so far this season. The guy is single-handedly destroying opposing fantasy
teams. If you’ve got Young, it almost doesn’t matter if you blew most of your
other draft choices, because the 49er quarterback is scoring so much. All of this from a
guy who was a late fifth-round pick in the 12-team Pro Football Weekly draft.
Let’s face it: Everyone was scared of two things regarding Young on Draft Day. First
and foremost was his ability to stay healthy. Second, there were concerns about just how
much upside Young had because of the 49ers’ emphasis on the run the previous season,
in part in an effort to keep Young healthy, in part because Jerry Rice was out. So much
for those concerns. If you want to truly appreciate just how dominant Young has been this
season, consider this: According to the PFW scoring system, Young already has 101 fantasy
points this season. Only three quarterbacks had more points in all of last season.
KEITH SCHLEIDEN / Managing editor
No one ever doubted that WR Randy Moss had talent. No one ever doubted
that he had tons of talent, perhaps more than any rookie coming out of college in years.
But did anyone really think he would have this much of an impact this early in his career?
I sure didn’t. Before the season began, in this publication, an anonymous scout
predicted that Moss would catch 60 passes for 1,300 yards and 15 touchdowns — during
his rookie season. I scoffed at such a notion, and I wasn’t the only one. But, then
again, what does this "expert" know? Heading into Week Eight, Moss was on pace
to surpass each of those projections. Moss was the 50th pick in our staff fantasy draft,
and I thought that was way too high. But here we are, almost halfway through the NFL
season, and only a handful of players have been as productive as this rookie in terms of
fantasy football numbers. So, to those brave souls who dared to be different, who
didn’t listen to all the garbage about there not being enough footballs to go around
in Minnesota, who went ahead and took Moss, anyway, I commend you. You were a smarter
drafter than I.
MICHAEL LEV / Senior editor
Before the season started, I thought Emmitt Smith was washed up, and I
had history on my side. My research revealed that few, if any, heavy-duty running backs
had hit the so-called "wall" and lived to tell about it. Earl Campbell was done
at 30, George Rogers at 29, Neal Anderson at 29. Apparently, I underestimated 29-year-old
Emmitt Smith. Not only has he proved me wrong, he has made me look sillier than I do in my
Handicapper’s Corner mug shot. Emmitt isn’t quite the Emmitt of old (only
Terrell Davis can make that claim), but he has been a very solid, consistent point
producer. In his first seven games, Emmitt had four rushing touchdowns and three 100-yard
games. Even after he twinged a groin muscle in Week Three, conjuring memories of his
injury-marred ’97 campaign, Emmitt came back strong, carrying 70 times over the next
three games and scoring three TD’s. Emmitt has had a lot of help. His offensive line
is playing a lot better this year, and Chan Gailey’s ingenious play-calling keeps
opposing defenses on their heels. But Emmitt deserves most of the credit. He has looked
his detractors straight in the eye and said, "Sorry, gentlemen, but rumors of my
demise have been greatly exaggerated."
JEFF AGREST / Associate editor
If you had told me before the season that Patriot RB Robert Edwards
would reach the endzone in each of his first six pro games, I would have showed you some
nice oceanfront property in Kansas. But, lo and behold, Edwards has emerged as one of the
hottest fantasy running backs this season. Remember, this is the same kid who struggled in
training camp with a groin injury that just wouldn’t go away. He didn’t even
begin the season as the starter. Sedrick Shaw did. Now Edwards has more than twice as many
carries as Shaw. The Patriots will tell you that they knew Edwards was capable of having
this type of impact. But they had to have been a tad worried in the preseason, when
Edwards carried just 21 times for 58 yards and no touchdowns. There’s nothing to be
worried about now. Edwards has become a scoring machine.
PAT FITZMAURICE / Associate editor
Although Raven RB Priest Holmes has yet to prove he can score on a
regular basis, his emergence as a viable fantasy starter is a true shocker. Fantasy owners
who scouted the Baltimore backfield before the start of the season made the reasonable
assumption that either Errict Rhett or Jay Graham would get most of the carries, but Raven
head coach Ted Marchibroda turned to Holmes after Rhett and Graham failed to provide the
consistency Marchibroda was looking for. In his first NFL start, in Week Four, Holmes
scored two touchdowns and ran for 173 yards against the Bengals. Although he has gone
through a TD slump in recent weeks, Holmes has still picked up good yardage. In the two
games that followed his starting debut, Holmes piled up 245 combined rushing-receiving
yards on 56 total touches — a clear indication that the Ravens are committed to
getting the ball into his hands. Not bad for a guy who had seven NFL carries before making
his first start.
ROBERT NEELY / Associate editor
Although Cowboy RB Emmitt Smith deserves plaudits as one of the fantasy
comeback players of the year, the biggest surprise of the season has been Charger RB
Natrone Means, whose return to San Diego has been a resounding success. Means has been a
one-man juggernaut to this point in the season and must now be considered a starting back
in most fantasy football leagues. What makes Means’ resurgence so surprising are the
myriad factors seemingly standing in his way. Among them: former head coach Kevin
Gilbride’s bull-headed insistence on passing first, even when the passing game worked
about as well as the Russian economy; the significant struggles of rookie QB Ryan Leaf;
and a banged-up offensive line that is now starting an undrafted rookie (ORG Kendyl
Jacox). Means has also stayed healthy, something that he had been unable to do in recent
years. Even with the cards stacked against him, Means has come up aces all season long. |
