Ask the Fantasy Doctor
By Michael Lev, Senior editor
Editor’s note: Because of time restrictions, the Fantasy Doctor, a very busy
man, is unable to answer ALL of your questions. He appreciates your interest and will try
to get to as many of them as he can. Again, thank you for e-mailing the Fantasy Doctor.
ADALAL: I’m in an auction
league, and I used 88 of the 100 points on Terrell Davis, Fred Taylor and Randall
Cunningham. Now, with Davis out for the season and Taylor not doing so well, I’m in a
tough bind. I picked up James Stewart a couple of weeks ago, and I’m thinking about
making wholesale changes via free agency this week: Tyrone Wheatley for Davis, Jake Reed
for Andre Reed, Az-Zahir Hakim for Karim Abdul-Jabbar and Albert Connell for Wade Richey
(I also have Jason Hanson). Each move costs $5. What do you think?
Fantasy Doctor: I like most of the moves. Wheatley, assuming he can
stay healthy, will be the main man in Oakland, where he has resuscitated a once lifeless
career. Jake Reed over Andre Reed isn’t a huge upgrade, so I’m not sure I would
spend $5 on that move. Hakim won’t score four touchdowns every game, as he did last
week, but he appears to have more upside at this point than Abdul-Jabbar, who’s about
to be phased out in favor of Cecil Collins and/or J.J. Johnson. Connell is a big-time
sleeper who should finish with about eight touchdowns as long as Brad Johnson stays
healthy.
DMK4657: Is Fred Taylor’s 1999 campaign a wash because of
injuries that will only linger?
Fantasy Doctor: I wouldn’t call it a wash just yet, though with
each passing week, frustration builds for all involved. Taylor’s hamstring injury
isn’t the season-ending variety at this point, but it has kept him out of action most
of the last three weeks. Rest is probably the best medicine in this case, and it’s
entirely possible that Taylor will return to full strength at some point and provide the
production everyone expected. It’s also possible this could evolve into an Isaac
Bruce-type situation, where the hamstring is a season-long problem. My advice at this
point is to stay patient, hang on to Taylor and hope for the best. In the meanwhile, pick
up a James Stewart, a Derek Loville or a Tyrone Wheatley to fill in while Taylor remains
sidelined.
Bfioresi: Am I sick for thinking about sitting Brett Favre (my No. 1
pick) in favor of Kurt Warner?
Fantasy Doctor: Not sick, just insane. I don’t care how well Kurt
Warner is doing (and he’s doing awfully well). You can’t sit out Brett Favre
under any circumstances. The best thing to do, if this weekly dilemma is indeed making you
ill, is to trade one of the two quarterbacks to improve yourself at another position.
There’s no doubt in my mind that you could get a lot for either Favre or Warner at
this point. The one thing I would make sure of is that I get a quarterback (albeit a
lesser one) as part of the trade package.
EAdams: I have Chris Calloway and was thinking of dropping him for an
unsigned player, specifically Amani Toomer or Ike Hilliard. Should I drop Chris like a bad
habit for one of these guys?
Fantasy Doctor: Send Calloway packing, my friend. With Chris Chandler
banged up, Calloway’s value drops significantly. Sure, Chandler could come back, but
he has been injury-prone throughout his career, and he no longer has Jamal Anderson in his
backfield to prevent opposing defenses from teeing off on the quarterback. Toomer and
Hilliard have more upside than Calloway anyway. Toomer is the better prospect at this
point, but I don’t dislike Hilliard either. It’ll be interesting to see which
receiver new Giants QB Kerry Collins favors (and whether Collins keeps the job long-term).
Tony.Wodka: I have Steve McNair and Herman Moore on my roster. Is
either worth holding on to? I have Kordell Stewart and Dan Marino as my other other
quarterbacks. The only starter still available is Jon Kitna.
Fantasy Doctor: I would keep both. McNair isn’t expected back for
another month or so, but when he does return, he should be healthy, based on other QBs
(Troy Aikman, Joe Montana) returning from the same surgery. It’s possible, albeit
unlikely, that McNair won’t get his job back if Neil O’Donnell continues to play
well and win games for the Titans, but there’s no way to know now whether that will
happen. With Marino and Stewart (and possibly Kitna) already on your roster, there’s
no need to make a panic move at the QB position. Moore probably won’t play this week,
but he should be back in Week Six. It wasn’t a major knee injury, and I expect Moore
to resume his role as Detroit’s go-to guy once he returns. He could provide major
dividends if Lions QB Charlie Batch continues to excel.
Editor’s note: If you have a question for the Fantasy Doctor, you can send your
e-mail to fantasydoctor@pfwa.com. He will
answer several questions from our on-line readers in this space each Wednesday. We reserve
the right to edit your question and print your e-mail user name.
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