Ask the Experts

Question: What is the most intriguing fantasy football issue in training camp?

By the editors of Pro Football Weekly
As published in print July 2, 2001

Ron Pollack|Keith Schleiden|Dan Arkush
Jeff Agrest|Trent Modglin|Andy Hanacek

Ron Pollack/Editor-in-chief

I need look no further than the cover of this issue for what I feel is the most intriguing fantasy football battle to be played out in training camp. Our front cover shows a three-headed monster consisting of Broncos RBs Terrell Davis, Mike Anderson and Olandis Gary. I say "monster" for two reasons — one good, one bad. On the positive side, if one of these guys emerges as the man, he will post monster fantasy numbers. On the negative side, if each of these talented backs looks about the same in training camp, you’ll have a monster headache trying to find clarity on the matter. Before injuries came into play, Davis was a fantasy football superstar. Anderson was spectacular last year. Gary was very productive two seasons ago. Will they cancel each other out this year, or will one of them take charge and be a big-time TD producer?

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Keith Schleiden/Managing editor

I want to know the same thing that every football fan in Philadelphia is wondering: Who is going to be catching passes from Donovan McNabb this season? Are there any wide receivers on the roster capable of stepping up and becoming true NFL-caliber starting wideouts? Head coach Andy Reid dumped last year’s two starters, Charles Johnson and Torrance Small, in what I believe to be an awfully risky move. Competing for the right to become one of the offense’s starting 11 are ex-Redskin James Thrash, 2000 second-round pick Todd Pinkston, ’01 first-round pick Freddie Mitchell and Na Brown, a third-year pro. None of these guys has been counted on as a No. 1 receiver in the NFL, and two of them are in their first year in Reid’s complicated offense. It should be very interesting.

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Dan Arkush, Executive editor

The battles for the starting QB jobs in New Orleans, Carolina and Chicago are equally intriguing. At presstime, Saints gunslingers Aaron Brooks and Jeff Blake were running neck and neck for the No. 1 spot. Both looked very sharp in the Saints’ late-June minicamp. With his weight down to 206 pounds and his body fat at a mere 7 percent, Blake is in the best shape of his career. Fasten your seatbelts. In Carolina, I can’t help but believe rookie Chris Weinke will give Jeff Lewis a run for his money deep into August. Then again, maybe the light will go on for Lewis the same way it did for the 49ers’ Jeff Garcia last season. In the Windy City, it’s mostly a case of taking the Bears at their word when they say Cade McNown, Jim Miller and Shane Matthews will get an equal opportunity to start. I’ll believe it when I see it.

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Jeff Agrest/Senior editor

For the life of me, I don’t know what to make of the Raiders’ backfield. Find me another team with two running backs like Tyrone Wheatley and Charlie Garner. Both are starting-caliber backs, yet they’re going to harmoniously share the ball? This can only spell trouble, and not just for fantasy owners who are going to be pulling their hair out every week. How will the Raiders use the two? Sure, we’ve all heard that Wheatley will see a lot of time near the goal line, and both will carry the ball quite a bit. But what if Garner catches fire? Are the Raiders going to pull him in the red zone? I suppose this is a good problem to have. But it’s been my experience that there are no good problems, especially when it comes to fantasy football. How the Raiders manage these two backs will be fascinating to me — not to mention a season-long headache.

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Trent Modglin/Associate editor

Seahawks RB Shaun Alexander

For me, the most intriguing fantasy football issue in the upcoming month is what impact Shaun Alexander and Deuce McAllister will have on Ricky Watters and Ricky Williams, respectively. The clock would appear to be ticking for Watters in Seattle, but he arguably had one of the most productive seasons of his career last year with the talented Alexander mostly watching from the sideline. The Saints surprised almost everyone by selecting McAllister in the first round this spring despite having Williams returning at full strength. Will the mere presence of these young and versatile talents throw a wrench into the drafting plans of fantasy owners everywhere? Will the incumbents hold their own and continue to churn out fantasy points despite the competition? Or will they all share time on the field, always a fantasy nightmare?

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Andy Hanacek/Associate editor

I can’t wait to see if the Chiefs’ offense will be as explosive and successful as the one that plays east along I-70 in St. Louis. Sure, head coach Dick Vermeil, offensive coordinator Al Saunders and QB Trent Green each made the move to Kansas City this offseason, but that doesn’t guarantee Rams-like numbers. But big numbers certainly are possible. So many questions surround this offense that it should be quite a spectacle during training camp. Will the Vermeil-Saunders offensive philosophy translate? Will Green’s knee hold up, and if so, will he put up the lofty numbers people expect? Will RB Priest Holmes be the featured back for a team that hasn’t had one in years? And the latest: Will the offense rebound from losing potential breakout WR Sylvester Morris for most or all of the season? Stay tuned.

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Don't miss the 16-page fantasy football pullout section in the July issue of Pro Football Weekly, now on sale at selected newsstands and bookstores around the country. Besides the article above, the pullout section features reports on 80 top fantasy prospects for the coming season, a basic-scoring draft board ranking the top players by position and 2000 fantasy statistics in multiple categories, including point leaders by position, points per game and yardage-league points. This is the first of three fantasy pullout sections Pro Football Weekly will publish before the start of the season.

Also, be sure to find out about our upcoming fantasy coverage on PFWsports.com. You can sign up for five months of value-added coverage for only $11.95. Online registration begins July 9, and the fantasy zone will kick off its coverage Aug. 7. Beginning July 9, you can find out what's included in our fantasy coverage at PFWsports.com.

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