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.
James_Phair: I had Randall Cunningham as my
starting QB. If I pick up Jeff George, the rules stipulate that I have to keep him for the
season. Is George going to be the Man for Minnesota? My chances hinge on this decision.
Fantasy Doctor: George will be the starter as long as he plays well, and I
believe he will fit in perfectly in the Vikings’ offense. The only area in which
Cunningham is better than George is mobility. Other than that, George gets the edge in arm
strength, accuracy, quickness of release and, most important, decision-making ability. He
also knows where No. 84 (Randy Moss) is. There’s no guarantee George will keep the
job, but that’s my educated guess at this point. The ideal thing to do is have both
George and Cunningham on your roster. That way, you’re covered regardless.
Tmb: What’s the deal with Olandis Gary? Is he for real, or is Derek Loville
going to send him back to the bench?
Fantasy Doctor: Gary showed a lot of potential last week with a workmanlike,
124-yard effort vs. the Packers. Since he still has an upside, the Broncos are likely to
stick with him unless he falters. They know what they have in Loville, a sold journeyman
who’s on the wrong side of 30. They’re still not exactly sure what they have in
Gary and are in a position to find out. Even with all of the Broncos’ injuries, Gary
could have a very good season. Remember: This is basically the same offensive line that
blocked for Terrell Davis en route to his 2,000-yard season last year.
KJones4244: I traded for Dan Marino last week — great timing, huh? Would
you suggest picking up Damon Huard? Or should I pick up Tiki Barber?
Fantasy Doctor: If you’re talking about a short-term investment, I’d
go with Huard over Barber. (I wouldn’t view either as a long-term investment.)
Don’t buy into Barber’s one-game breakout on "Monday Night Football."
That’s exactly what it was — a one-game blip on the fantasy radar. Barber has
proved over the years that he is not an every-down back. He is an effective third-down
back/return specialist, but those types of players generally don’t have much value in
fantasy football. Jimmy Johnson has said he will go with Huard until Marino is "100
percent." In other words, the Dolphins are going to be very patient with
Marino’s injury. Johnson feels he can win with Huard, who did a pretty darn good job
vs. the Patriots in Week Six. The one thing Huard offers that Marino doesn’t is
mobility; Huard is a threat to run for touchdowns.
Ttoleary: I need to pick up a wide receiver for this weekend. My choices are
Terrence Wilkins, E.G. Green, Andre Reed or Peerless Price. Who would you choose?
Fantasy Doctor: He has the least name cache of the bunch, but I’d go with
Wilkins. The reason: Indy’s WR corps is really banged up. Green’s knee still
isn’t right, Lake Dawson has been out of the lineup most of the season and Jerome
Pathon got dinged last week. Wilkins is an exciting little receiver who excels after the
catch. He’ll play a lot of snaps vs. the Bengals, whose pass defense is among the
worst in the league. Reed would be my second choice. He should be Buffalo’s No. 1
receiver while Eric Moulds (hamstring) is out of the lineup. Reed is more likely than
Price to get you a solid 5-7 catches and 60-70 yards. At this point, Price is like a
free-swinging home-run slugger: He’ll either hit one out of the park or strike out.
ROBBOnErin: My team is desperate for a tight end. We had Shannon Sharpe,
who’s now injured. Can you help me pick between Byron Chamberlain and Ken Dilger?
Fantasy Doctor: I’d give the edge to Chamberlain. The Broncos make better
use of the tight end in their offense, and Chamberlain showed a lot of run-after-the-catch
ability last week on his 88-yard reception, which came on a shovel pass. Dilger is quite
possibly the best all-around tight end in the league, but he stays in to block as much as
he goes out into the pattern to catch passes. Dilger caught a season-high four passes last
week, in part because the Colts were so banged up at wide receiver. But you never know
from week to week whether Dilger or Marcus Pollard will be the receiving tight end of
choice for Indy. In Denver, with Sharpe injured, Chamberlain is definitely the guy.
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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