Q&A with Pro Football Weekly editor-in-chief Ron Pollack

Published Aug. 26

Q: About which players have you had the biggest change of heart as training camp has progressed?

A: Not too long ago, I was really sold on Karim Abdul-Jabbar and was skeptical of Curtis Martin being as good a fantasy-football threat as some other people thought. I really was high on Abdul-Jabbar after Lawrence Phillips was sent packing and rookie John Avery was in Jimmy Johnson’s doghouse. Then I saw Avery’s performance in a preseason game against the 49ers and got nervous regarding Abdul-Jabbar. Against the 49ers, Avery showed the explosive ability the Dolphins are hoping for on a 71-yard TD run along with (egad, they’re not going to give him the ball at the goalline too, are they?) a two-yard TD run. I’m not saying that Avery will score more touchdowns than Abdul-Jabbar this season, but I am now concerned that Avery will take away enough scores from Abdul-Jabbar that he is no longer a first-round fantasy pick. As for Martin, I went into the preseason wondering about his penchant for injuries. As training camp has gone on, however, I have grown more comfortable with the risk involved in this health question. He seems to be running just fine. Obviously, the injury bug could strike again, but I’ve seen enough to think the incredible upside of taking a back whom Bill Parcells wants to jam down the throat of the opposition is worth the risk now.

Q: Are there any star players you like even more than consensus opinion?

A: I think the consensus opinion on Joey Galloway is that he is the No. 4-rated wide receiver, behind Antonio Freeman, Cris Carter and Herman Moore. I like Galloway more than that. He’s coming off of a huge fantasy season. He will be hurt less by a QB injury than any other receiver on the board. If Warren Moon gets hurt, Jon Kitna has shown himself to be more than capable. And, as No. 3 quarterbacks go, John Friesz is more than good enough for Galloway to remain highly productive in the event of a double-dip QB-injury disaster. Plus, Galloway will be returning punts this season, which could give you a bonus touchdown or two. At this point, I’ve got Galloway in a dead heat with Freeman for the No. 1 WR spot on my draft board. The fact that the Vikings drafted Randy Moss, who has looked fantastic this preseason, removes Carter from No. 1 WR consideration. Moore is eliminated from No. 1 WR consideration because of the Scott Mitchell factor.

Q: How early should I take my backup quarterback on Draft Day?

A: This depends largely on the size of your league, but, if you draft only two quarterbacks, I’d either be one of the first people to take a backup quarterback or one of the last. In a 10-team league, I figure the top backup quarterbacks are Elvis Grbac, Jake Plummer, Chris Chandler and Scott Mitchell. I think there’s a drop-off after that when you are talking about players like Trent Dilfer, Tony Banks, Troy Aikman, etc. As far as I’m concerned, there is very little difference between Dilfer/Banks/Aikman and the players around the 20^th-ranked spot (Erik Kramer, Dan Marino, Rob Johnson, Ryan Leaf, etc.) With this in mind, I think you either grab one of the top handful of quality backups while you can or wait until the end of the draft. If you agree with me that there is almost no difference between the 15^th-ranked quarterback and the 20^th-ranked QB, then why draft one of these players any earlier than necessary? This strategy even holds up in 12-team leagues. At No. 24, you are talking about Leaf, Neil O’Donnell, Kerry Collins or Peyton Manning. Again, I don’t see a big difference between those players and the No. 15 quarterback. I’d rather build depth at running back and wide receiver than be the guy who takes the No. 15-rated quarterback as opposed to No. 20 or No. 24. And, if you draft a couple rounds of taxi-squad players, then this strategy really makes sense, as you can add a third quarterback with a supplemental pick.

Q: How early should I take my tight end?

A: Similar strategy to backup quarterback. You have five top-rated tight ends (Rickey Dudley, Mark Chmura, Shannon Sharpe, Ben Coates and Wesley Walls). Six, if you’re on the Tony Gonzalez bandwagon. You either want to grab one of these guys when the TE run begins or be one of the last people to grab a tight end, since I think they all will give you about the same scoring after that. Mark Bruener is the 12^th-ranked tight end on the PFW draft board, and I’d be just as happy with him as the No. 7 guy (Troy Drayton). After all, the Steelers are looking to get Bruener more involved in the passing game, and he did score six touchdowns last season. I figure he’ll score between four and six touchdowns this season, which is as much or more than you’ll get from any of the other tight ends remaining after the Big Five get drafted.

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