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.
JagerMe369: I am coming down the stretch, and I have held on to Fred
Taylor as long as I can. What is going to happen with Jacksonville’s RB situation the
last four games? Will Taylor be the Taylor of old, or will he be crying about his
hamstring?
Fantasy Doctor: First of all, Taylor hasn’t cried about his
hamstring; he has cried about the fact that he hasn’t been able to play because of
his hamstring. What happens this week will be a telltale sign. Reports out of Jacksonville
are that Taylor is practicing at full speed this week. As of this writing, though, Jaguars
coaches had yet to determine whether he would be available Monday night. But it would be
hard to imagine him having a better shot. Because it’s a Monday-night game, Taylor
basically will have an extra day and a half to rest and prepare than he would have had had
it been a Sunday-afternoon game. He said earlier this week that his hamstring won’t
be 100 percent for the rest of the season. But any fantasy-leaguer would gladly take his
less-than-100-percent production from Weeks Eight and Nine (252 rushing yards).
Eric Adams: I am looking at dropping Curtis Conway and picking up
Patrick Jeffers or Carl Pickens. What’s your take?
Fantasy Doctor: This might sound crazy, but I think Jeffers will be a
more productive player down the stretch than Conway or Pickens. Because of the Rae Carruth
situation and Muhsin Muhammad’s nagging hamstring problems, Jeffers has become a big
part of the Panthers’ potent passing attack. Last week Jeffers caught seven passes
for 107 yards and a touchdown, giving him TD receptions in back-to-back weeks. Over the
last four games, Carolina faces Green Bay, San Francisco, Pittsburgh and New Orleans
— a fairly favorable schedule. Conway’s Bears face a brutal schedule: Detroit,
St. Louis and Tampa Bay. Conway also is hurt by the fact that the Bears are starting
rookie QB Cade McNown, who hasn’t looked like a world beater. With Marcus
Robinson’s emergence, it’s debatable whether Conway is Chicago’s No. 1
receiver. After Pickens’ Bengals face Cleveland this week, they have a
fantasy-unfriendly Week 15 bye, followed by trips to Baltimore and Jacksonville.
Cincinnati could be shut out in either game.
Peter T. Hussey: I have a weak spot at third receiver. I play in a
scoring-only league. I’m thinking about claiming one of the following: Shawn
Jefferson, Tony Martin or the seemingly hopeless Torry Holt. Please help. The playoffs are
just around the corner.
Fantasy Doctor: I would rank them as follows — (1) Martin, (2)
Holt and (3) Jefferson. When Dan Marino is healthy and playing well, Martin is an
effective fantasy-football player. Just look at the two Colts games: Martin caught 16
passes for 275 yards and two TDs. Holt has tons of potential but has yet to show much in
the way of consistency despite playing for the high-scoring Rams. Jefferson isn’t of
much use in fantasy ball as long as Drew Bledsoe continues to struggle. He showed few
signs of coming out of his slump in the Sunday-night game vs. the Cowboys.
Jim Reed: As unlikely as it sounds, the whole Errict Rhett/Priest
Holmes issue presents a serious problem for me. This week is my last chance to make an
add/drop. Rhett and Duce Staley platoon at one of my RB spots (opposite Charlie Garner). I
was planning on starting Errict in Week 16, when Duce is off, but that was based on the
assumption that Rhett would be starting then. I have Natrone Means as my emergency backup
running back. Also, I might be able to pick up the likes of Joe Montgomery, Karim
Abdul-Jabbar or Rashaan Shehee, but I’d have to drop a WR backup (Tony Martin or
Terrell Owens) to do it. What would you do?
Fantasy Doctor: The most logical move, if you can pull it off, is to
pick up Montgomery and drop Means. Montgomery’s per-carry average wasn’t
impressive in Week 13, but the Giants gave him the rock 38 times and are likely to
continue that trend for the remainder of the season. It remains questionable whether
Means, still bothered by a lingering knee injury (what’s new?), will come back at all
this season. Last week’s developments do not bode well for Rhett. Bruised ribs
generally do not heal quickly; it’s a bad injury for running backs, who take a lot of
direct shots. If Holmes performs anything like he did last week (nine carries for 100
yards), it wouldn’t surprise me at all if he remains the starting tailback for the
rest of the season. Rhett was having a nice year, but he isn’t Baltimore’s
long-term solution. Holmes might not be either, but Brian Billick needs to figure what he
has on his roster.
Rick Richmond: I have successfully made it to the playoffs for Weeks
15 and 16. Should I stick with Brad Johnson or go to Brian Griese? Neither of these two
impresses me right now, but Griese just came back, so it might be a rust thing.
Fantasy Doctor: Stick with Johnson; I firmly believe he’ll come
around. The Redskins have a fantasy-friendly schedule in Weeks 15 and 16, facing the Colts
and 49ers. The latter could be a scoring bonanza. Griese’s Broncos host the Seahawks
in Week 15, but they must travel to the Silverdome, a very tough place to play, in Week
16. I like Griese’s potential, and he’s an early candidate to emerge as a strong
sleeper in 2000. But he’s too inconsistent right now to be considered a fantasy
starter. He isn’t in Johnson’s class quite yet.
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. |
