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The Fantasy Doctor will be checking his messages and making house calls on Fridays this
season. E-mail your fantasy questions to fantasydoctor@pfwa.com
Josh: This is Super Bowl week in my league, and I somehow managed to get to the
finals, mostly by way of Torry Holt's great week. My second running back still remains my
weakness. I have Shawn Bryson, Mike Anderson, Kevan Barlow and Bob Christian, as the
A-Train carries my No. 1 duties. Who is my play this week? Also, I need some scoring out
of my tight end. Desmond Clark had a great run but has been quiet lately, so should I
start him or Alge Crumpler? Is there any reason to sit Brett Favre this week in favor of
Steve McNair? Will they hold Favre out at all?
Fantasy Doctor: I think Bryson is an easy pick this week with what he’s been able
to do in Travis Henry’s stead the past few weeks, and the vaunted Dolphins defense is
only 18th against the run. Go with Clark against the weak sisters of defense
there in Indianapolis, and I say go with McNair this week. He’s facing a Bengals
defense that has a decent pass rush but no healthy cornerbacks to speak of.
Shawn: I am in our league's Super Bowl and have a question about Randy Moss. If
Spergon Wynn starts again for Minnesota against Baltimore, should I sit Moss (who I have
started every week)? My other options would be Joey Galloway vs. Detroit, Marcus Pollard
vs. Denver, David Terrell vs. Jacksonville or Michael Westbrook vs. Arizona. My other
starting wide receivers are Rod Smith, Darrell Jackson and Plaxico Burress. What would you
do?
Fantasy Doctor: I think the Vikings’ season is going to sink even further in the
finale against the Ravens, who have everything to play for. However, I still don’t
think I would bench Moss. He could be just pissed off enough to make something happen to
prove a point, and if he does, you’ll regret it forever. I’d start Moss, Smith
and probably Galloway, seeing as how the Bears’ Jim Miller was able to go up top
against the Lions with relative ease last week.
Kevin: After several tough injuries (Taylor, McCaffrey, Watters) I can still finish
second in a 12-team league. My only choice I need to make is Gannon vs. the Jets or
Stewart at the Browns. All my other choices are made, as I only have healthy backups to
play.
Fantasy Doctor: That is a close call, but I would lean toward Gannon this week because
the Raiders are playing for that early bye in the first round of the playoffs, while the
Steelers have wrapped things up and probably won’t press it by playing their stars in
the second half on Sunday. Gannon also has been throwing a ridiculous number of passes
recently, which is always a good sign for fantasy owners.
Mr. T: Help! I'm in the championship game, and I have Kordell Stewart and Steve
McNair at QB. Should I start Slash or Air McNair?
Fantasy Doctor: McNair, for the reasons I mentioned above.
Eric: In my league, a playoff game was decided by the last play of the
Giants-Eagles game. Kerry Collins threw to Tiki Barber for a 14-yard pass — that is
what Barber was credited with. At that point, Collins had 241 passing yards. Then, Barber
lateraled to Ron Dixon, who ran for 60 yards. All the box scores now say the following:
- Collins - 301 passing yards.
- All the yardage from Giants who caught passes adds up to 241 yards.
- Ron Dixon is not credited with any rushing or receiving yardage at all.
My understanding of the rules (and what I think I remember from past history,
as I've been a commissioner for 14 years) is that the play should be ruled the following:
- Collins gets 14 yards passing
- Barber gets 14 yards receiving
- Dixon gets 60 yards rushing.
If Dixon had scored, he would have been credited with a 60-yard rushing TD
(actually 66, because he went out at the six), and Collins would not have been credited
with a TD pass, right? How can Collins have 301 passing yards if all the Giants’
receiving yards only add to 241?
Fantasy Doctor: Whew! I figured this one would come up this week. Whenever a lateral
occurs, the player who is on the receiving end of the lateral gets the yardage from the
point of the lateral to wherever his participation in the play ends. The yardage goes into
the same category as the original play — i.e., if it is a lateral on a kickoff
return, the yardage is credited under kickoff-return yardage. In this case, because the
lateral occurred on a pass reception, Dixon’s yardage belongs under receiving yards,
not rushing yards as you suggest. Dixon is credited with 60 receiving yards and zero
receptions. (There can be only one reception credited on a single play, and it always goes
to the player who caught the initial pass.) Barber gets one reception for 14 yards, and
Collins is credited with one pass attempt and one completion for 74 yards (the total of
Barber’s and Dixon’s yardage on the play), and that’s why his passing
yardage for the game is 301. If Dixon had scored, he would have been credited with a
receiving touchdown, and Collins would have been given a passing TD. You will find the
correct game statistics for the Eagles-Giants game in the current print edition of Pro
Football Weekly. Of course, all statistics are subject to change by Elias Sports Bureau
when it reviews the game tape.
Please direct all questions to fantasydoctor@pfwa.com. |
