Ask the Fantasy Doctor
By MICHAEL LEV, Senior editor
He’s baaaaaack.
After a rather lengthy hiatus, the Fantasy Doctor, Pro Football Weekly’s
resident (no pun intended) in-house fantasy guru, has returned to enlighten and entertain
us with his wit and wisdom. And, he tells me, he’s here to stay. The Doctor will be
appearing every Wednesday in this space to answer the most pertinent fantasy football
questions. Even though he has not appeared publicly in some time, the Doc wanted me to
assure all of you that he has been involved in PFW’s fantasy coverage from behind the
scenes.
Lev: Where have you been? We’ve heard a lot of rumors.
Fantasy Doctor: Let me take this opportunity to dispel some of those rumors. Never at
any time did I face charges of malpractice for distributing bad advice during the 1998
fantasy season. As I have stated many times, fantasy prognostications do not come with a
money-back guarantee. As for the other public speculation — that I resigned from my
post as PFW’s fantasy expert to join golf’s Senior Tour — I must remind you
that I am not yet eligible for said tour, which requires that its members be at least 50
years old.
Lev: Well, how old are you?
Doctor: No comment.
Lev: Fine. Let’s get to some fantasy football matters. What’s your take on
the Lions’ offense now that Barry Sanders has retired?
Doctor: It doesn’t look good. If the Lions were one of my patients, I’d say
they were in critical condition. Think about it: When Barry was in the lineup, he was the
main focus of every defensive scheme. You couldn’t throw everything but the kitchen
sink at rookie QB Charlie Batch last season because a mistimed blitz could result in an
80-yard Sanders touchdown run. Now, Batch will be under attack. Unless new RB Ron Rivers
is the second coming of Barry (which is about as likely as yours truly landing the lead
role on "E.R."), Detroit’s offensive production could decline drastically.
I believe Barry’s departure will have a negative effect on all of the Lions’
relevant skill-position players: Batch, WRs Herman Moore and Johnnie Morton and PK Jason
Hanson.
Lev: Speaking of placekickers, I noticed the Eagles dumped Chris Boniol for Norm
Johnson. Any fantasy impact there?
Doctor: Are you serious?
Lev: Oh, right. It’s the Eagles. Let’s talk about a team that matters, like
the 49ers. Is their new running back, Lawrence Phillips, worth the risk?
Doctor: I like him better as a No. 3 fantasy back than as a No. 2, especially if
you’re in an eight- or 10-team fantasy league. Then again, there aren’t a whole
lot of high-quality running backs out there this year. Phillips has the potential to be
one, but thus far in his career that potential largely has gone untapped. Psychology and
sociology are not my areas of expertise, so I’m not at liberty to say why Phillips
has been an underachiever to this point. I do know that he is playing for a team with a
potent passing attack that prevents defenses from stacking the line of scrimmage. Garrison
Hearst rushed for 1,570 yards, averaged 5.1 yards per carry, gained more than 2,000 total
yards and scored nine touchdowns in that offense a year ago. So the situation seems
perfect for Phillips. It’s up to him to take advantage of it, and only he truly knows
whether he has the heart, courage and fortitude to be a successful NFL player.
Lev: As of today (Aug. 18), three pretty prominent wide receivers were still holding
out — Joey Galloway, Rob Moore and Carl Pickens. How should fantasy prospectors
approach those situations?
Doctor: First of all, Michael, let me say that I empathize with those players. I held
out for a brief time in the summer of 1995, demanding that Pro Football Weekly double
my salary, increase my vacation time and build an office complex to accommodate my private
practice. Based on the way that turned out, I strongly urge those players to end their
holdouts and report to camp immediately. The Seahawks — and especially QB Jon Kitna
— aren’t going anywhere without Galloway. Mike Holmgren is well aware of
Galloway’s importance, and because of that you have to believe the two sides will
work things out before the regular season starts. That could result in a slow start for
Seattle’s offense, which should improve as the season progresses. The Cardinals are
trying to get first-round OT L.J. Shelton’s contract done before they work on Moore,
who’s been around long enough to miss training camp but still make an immediate
contribution. But you can’t definitively say he’s still the Cardinals’ No.
1 receiver. Young Frank Sanders caught more passes than Moore last season, and Sanders
seems to have a great rapport with QB Jake Plummer. I’d rank Moore and Sanders about
even right now, assuming Moore eventually signs. Pickens has vowed to never play for the
Bengals again, and GM Mike Brown views Pickens as "retired." It seems highly,
highly unlikely at this point that Pickens will every wear a Cincinnati uniform again. If
he plays this season, he’ll be playing for someone else. The biggest beneficiary in
Cincinnati will be Darnay Scott, who becomes the team’s clear-cut No. 1 receiver.
Lev: How can I reach you next week?
Doctor: Just page me. My answering service will take care of it.
Editor’s note: If you have a question for The Fantasy Doctor, you can send your
email to fantasydoctor@pfwa.com. He will
choose several questions from our on-line readers to answer in this space each Wednesday. |
