| I am always reluctant to read too much into training-camp
tidbits. After all, teams tend to run vanilla offenses during the preseason, and a lot of
what is accomplished is done against scrub opposition. Thus, it can be dangerous for the
fantasy football player to get too excited about preseason accomplishments.
That said, I am jumping all over a piece of information from the Pro Football Weekly
rumor mill. Our sources tell us that Seahawks QB Jon Kitna has taken the bull by the
horns. Word previously had been that the Seahawks wanted Brock Huard to provide
competition for the starting job. That fact caused me to place Kitna much lower on my
draft board than I otherwise would have done.
As recently as a week ago, Kitna was No. 22 on my QB draft board.
Now comes word that Kitna has performed extremely consistently in training camp and
appears to be in total control of the offensive scheme. In other words, he has
strengthened his grip on the starting job.
It was always my intent to watch to see if Kitna would win the starting job and move
him up or down the draft board accordingly. The time has come to move him up (although you
should obviously monitor the situation between now and your draft).
As a more secure-looking starter, Kitna now belongs in the range of No. 13 to No. 17 on
my QB draft board. I have always been a big believer in him, so I’ll say No. 13.
As long as he is the starter, I don’t see how Kitna can help but post big fantasy
numbers.
Kitna’s play in the second half of last season fell off, which will give some
people cause for concern. But this could also be the-glass-is-half-full scenario for
fantasy players. After all, if he can avoid a second-half falloff this year, there could
be upside to his fantasy stats.
Keep in mind that Kitna tossed 23 TD passes last season. Those are very nice fantasy
numbers, especially for your backup, which is what Kitna figures to be if you agree that
his QB draft-board ranking belongs in the teens.
Even though the Seahawks’ wide receivers are not exceptionally thrilling, the
quarterback in a Mike Holmgren offense is going to throw a lot of TD passes.
Now that Kitna has improved his grip on the starting job, he has moved from a No. 3
quarterback in 10-team leagues to a No. 2.
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