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Preseason 1999
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Bettis looks like a risky bet
A lot of fantasy red flags surround the Steelers’ running back
By RON POLLACK, Editor-in-chief
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| Jerome Bettis is
one of those players I am sure I would never select in a fantasy football draft this year. I
am not necessarily saying that he will be an enormous bust. Given Bettis’ bruising
running style and head coach Bill Cowher’s strong belief in running the football, it
would be silly to say that there is no chance of Bettis rebounding from last year’s
subpar fantasy campaign.
That said, given how highly I see other people continuing to rate Bettis for their
fantasy drafts, I just know that Bettis is a guy whom someone else will take before I do.
The consensus of people I’ve talked to seems to rank Bettis at around the No. 12 spot
on their RB draft boards.
The more I think about Bettis, the more he drops on my personal draft board. At this
moment, he’s right around No. 20 on my draft board. The reason I have him rated lower
than other people do is that I see an awful lot of red flags on Bettis.
Red Flag No. 1: 1998 stats
Bettis’ statistics last season are a definite red flag. He scored only three
touchdowns. That kind of poor production undoubtedly crushed a lot of fantasy rosters he
was a part of. Another ’98 stat that scares me is the fact that his rushing yards per
carry plummeted to 3.8, way down from the 4.4 a year earlier. Now, you can’t just
look at one year’s stats. If you do that, you’ll miss out on a ton of
bounce-back players every season. There are other red flags, though, which is why I’m
not predicting a fantasy bounce-back season for Bettis.
Red Flag No. 2: Offensive line
After so many years of having one of the league’s better offensive lines, the
Steelers had problems in this area last season. The loss of John Jackson to free agency
really hurt, especially since they had previously lost Leon Searcy to free agency too. Add
to this the fact that Justin Strzelczyk is injured and out of the short-term picture (and
perhaps out of the long-term picture), Will Wolford has retired, and the offensive line is
a potential problem area. I’m not saying it’s impossible for the offensive line
to turn things around since Dermontti Dawson is still the best center in the game and
there is promising young talent, but "promising" also means
"untested," so this makes me nervous about taking Bettis too soon.
Red Flag No. 3: The passing game
Kordell Stewart really struggled last season. I strongly believe that
Stewart will go on to have a great pro career, but it now looks as though it will take
some time. Plus, free agency has again taken a bite out of the Steelers’ receiving
corps, with Charles Johnson moving on to Philadelphia. True, the Steelers used a
first-round pick on WR Troy Edwards, but just like the offensive line, this means they are
relying on unproven potential. If the passing game struggles, opposing defenses can load
up against the run. You don’t like to see that happen to your fantasy running back.
Red Flag No. 4: Kordell in the red zone
It scares me that Bettis rushed for only three touchdowns last season at a time when
Stewart ran for a lot fewer TDs than he did the year before. With Stewart’s red-zone
scoring production in decline, I would have thought that would mean more opportunities for
Bettis. Stewart is too much of a running weapon for me to believe he will be limited to a
mere two rushing touchdowns again this season. After all, Stewart rushed for 11 and five
touchdowns the two seasons before last year. Five is probably more realistic than 11 this
season, but that would still mean red-zone scoring opportunities taken away from Bettis.
Summary
I’m not saying that Bettis will be a bad football player this year, but I have my
concerns about him as a fantasy football player. If someone is going to take him as the
No. 12 running back in a draft, it won’t be me. There are just too many red flags. If
everyone in the draft is thinking the same way I am and he is left on the draft board much
longer than expected, then I would be willing to take a flier on him as the first No. 3
running back in a 10-team league. But given Bettis’ high profile in fantasy football,
I don’t think he’ll be plunging that significantly on Draft Day. Personally,
I’d rather draft someone with more upside and fewer red flags in the spot where I
anticipate Bettis will be taken. If Bettis has a big bounce-back season, I’ll be sure
to tip my hat to the person who had the guts to draft him. More likely, though, I think
I’ll be listening to someone complain later in the season that Bettis isn’t
producing enough, at which point I’ll be thinking I’m glad I paid attention to
the red flags.
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If you don't see a player in our Internet edition, chances are you'll find
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Player index
Alexander, Derrick
Chief WR Alexander ready for a big season
Anderson, Jamal
The Fred Taylor-Jamal Anderson debate
Anthony, Reidel
Anthony, not Emanuel, is Bucs’ No. 1 receiving threat
Bettis, Jerome
Why the Steelers’ running back shouldn’t be selected as early as most draft
boards would dictate
Biakabutuka, Tshimanga
Looking to maximize your fantasy football portfolio? Try these low-risk investments
Blackwell, Will
Breaking down the Steeler wide receivers
Blake, Jeff
Blake is back, and fantasy owners should take notice
Blake, Jeff
Looking to maximize your fantasy football portfolio? Try these low-risk investments
Bledsoe, Drew
Bledsoe’s contribution: consistency
Boston, David
Rising Arizona: Cardinal receivers look to make a fantasy impact
Brister, Bubby
Smith, McCaffrey should still produce under Brister
Bruce, Isaac
Looking to maximize your fantasy football portfolio? Try these low-risk investments
Bruce, Isaac
The Ram offense appears to be vastly improved, but fantasy owners should approach with
caution
Brunell, Mark
Solving the riddle that is Mark Brunell
Chandler, Chris
Chandler won’t repeat career year
Collins, Kerry
Looking to maximize your fantasy football portfolio? Try these low-risk investments
Conway, Curtis
Looking to maximize your fantasy football portfolio? Try these low-risk investments
Conwell, Ernie
The Ram offense appears to be vastly improved, but fantasy owners should approach with
caution
Crockett, Zack
Raider running game doesn’t have much to offer
Davis, Terrell
One editor’s No. 1 choice: Fred Taylor
Davis, Terrell
The Fred Taylor-Jamal Anderson debate
Davis, Tyrone
Assessing several fantasy aberrations
Dawkins, Sean
Dawkins should help Galloway, Seahawk offense fly
Dillon, Corey
Looking to maximize your fantasy football portfolio? Try these low-risk investments
Dudley, Rickey
Tricky Rickey: Dudley’s stock not determined by talent alone
Dyson, Kevin
Addition of FB Neal increases George’s fantasy value
Edwards, Troy
Breaking down the Steeler wide receivers
Emanuel, Bert
Anthony, not Emanuel, is Bucs’ No. 1 receiving threat
Enis, Curtis
Nowhere to go but up for Enis
Enis, Curtis
Looking to maximize your fantasy football portfolio? Try these low-risk investments
Faulk, Marshall
The Ram offense appears to be vastly improved, but fantasy owners should approach with
caution
Flutie, Doug
Flutie may leave fantasy owners Buffaloed
Gadsden, Oronde
Assessing several fantasy aberrations
Galloway, Joey
Dawkins should help Galloway, Seahawk offense fly
Gannon, Rich
The ultimate QB sleeper — Rich Gannon
George, Eddie
Addition of FB Neal increases George’s fantasy value
Gonzalez, Tony
Chiefs’ Gonzalez ready to fulfill potential
Graham, Jay
Baltimore’s Holmes is not fantasy-starter material
Grbac, Elvis
Worn-out Warren: Moon’s fantasy football shine is gone
Green, Trent
The Ram offense appears to be vastly improved, but fantasy owners should approach with
caution
Hakim, Az-Zahir
The Ram offense appears to be vastly improved, but fantasy owners should approach with
caution
Harbaugh, Jim
How will Leaf’s mistakes affect Harbaugh?
Harrison, Marvin
Breakout season on tap for Harrison
Hawkins, Courtney
Breaking down the Steeler wide receivers
Henley, June
The Ram offense appears to be vastly improved, but fantasy owners should approach with
caution
Hicks, Skip
Reasons not to pick Hicks
Hicks, Skip
Assessing several fantasy aberrations
Hill, Greg
The Ram offense appears to be vastly improved, but fantasy owners should approach with
caution
Hill, Madre
Wide awake: Former supersleeper Staley ready to make a splash
Hoard, Leroy
Hoard’s numbers aren’t entirely of his own making
Hoard, Leroy
Assessing several fantasy aberrations
Holcombe, Robert
The Ram offense appears to be vastly improved, but fantasy owners should approach with
caution
Holmes, Priest
Baltimore’s Holmes is not fantasy-starter material
Holt, Torry
The Ram offense appears to be vastly improved, but fantasy owners should approach with
caution
Irvin, Michael
The Playmaker wasn’t exactly the Moneymaker in fantasy ’98
Johnson, Keyshawn
Jet-powered: Fantasy lineups look better with Keyshawn Johnson
Kaufman, Napoleon
Raider running game doesn’t have much to offer
Kirby, Terry
Looking to maximize your fantasy football portfolio? Try these low-risk investments
Lee, Amp
The Ram offense appears to be vastly improved, but fantasy owners should approach with
caution
Lewis, Jermaine
Assessing several fantasy aberrations
Manning, Peyton
Manning will be better in ’99 — sort of
Martin, Curtis
Jet set: Martin’s stock could be on the rise
Mathis, Terance
Without Martin, look for Mathis to slide
McCaffrey, Ed
Smith, McCaffrey should still produce under Brister
McNair, Steve
Addition of FB Neal increases George’s fantasy value
Moon, Warren
Worn-out Warren: Moon’s fantasy football shine is gone
Moore, Rob
Rising Arizona: Cardinal receivers look to make a fantasy impact
Owens, Terrell
Owens emerging as a fantasy force
Proehl, Ricky
The Ram offense appears to be vastly improved, but fantasy owners should approach with
caution
Riemersma, Jay
Assessing several fantasy aberrations
Rhett, Errict
Looking to maximize your fantasy football portfolio? Try these low-risk investments
Rhett, Errict
Baltimore’s Holmes is not fantasy-starter material
Salaam, Rashaan
Raider running game doesn’t have much to offer
Sanders, Frank
Rising Arizona: Cardinal receivers look to make a fantasy impact
Smith, Antowain
Buffalo’s Smith is the anti-risk pick
Smith, Emmitt
Too legit to quit on Emmitt
Smith, Rod
Smith, McCaffrey should still produce under Brister
Staley, Duce
Wide awake: Former supersleeper Staley ready to make a splash
Stewart, Kordell
Steelers’ Stewart will bounce back
Stewart, Kordell
Why RB Jerome Bettis shouldn’t be selected as early as most draft boards would
dictate
Taylor, Fred
One editor’s No. 1 choice: Fred Taylor
Taylor, Fred
Solving the riddle that is Mark Brunell
Taylor, Fred
The Fred Taylor-Jamal Anderson debate
Thigpen, Yancey
Addition of FB Neal increases George’s fantasy value
Toomer, Amani
Assessing several fantasy aberrations
Van Dyke, Alex
Breaking down the Steeler wide receivers
Ward, Hines
Breaking down the Steeler wide receivers
Warner, Kurt
The Ram offense appears to be vastly improved, but fantasy owners should approach with
caution
Wilkins, Jeff
The Ram offense appears to be vastly improved, but fantasy owners should approach with
caution
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