Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2001

Take five

Five fantasy-related questions for which I can’t wait to see the answers

By Andy Hanacek, Associate editor

1. Who will win the Bears’ starting QB spot?

This one is particularly interesting to me because in the league I run, my only quarterback at the moment is Cade McNown (I traded Steve McNair away). I’m positioned to get a quarterback in the draft, but I may not have to lock down a starter if McNown continues to play well in camp. He’s closed some of the gap between him and Shane Matthews, who many think would have the job if the season opened today. But McNown had a good showing vs. the Bengals on Saturday. Now he needs to do the same thing against a first-team defense.

2. Chiefs RB Priest Holmes isn’t Marshall Faulk, but can he come close to Faulk’s production with Dick Vermeil pushing the buttons?

Holmes has shown the ability to put up monster fantasy numbers in individual games, but he has never been consistent. Part of the reason is that Holmes has never been the featured back for more than a few games. Maybe in the situation he’s stepping into in Kansas City, with little to no competition for the starting job and a solid (on paper) passing game around him, Holmes will flourish into a great No. 1 back. But, if the new offense sputters or new QB Trent Green falters, the pressure will fall to Holmes to produce, and he’ll have to respond.

3. How much will Charlie Garner’s presence truly hurt Tyrone Wheatley?

There’s a lot of talk that Wheatley’s TD totals won’t be harmed much by the addition of Garner, but I’m skeptical. Sure, Garner will likely be more of a between-the-20s running back, but is he going to just fall down if he breaks free and makes it to the 10-yard line? No, that’s silly. Of course, Garner isn’t going to break off every run for a long touchdown, but the possibility is there, and that concerns me. It will be interesting to see how head coach Jon Gruden balances the carries among his running backs.

4. Will the Johnson & Johnson connection in Tampa Bay help balance that offense and allow both Johnsons and RB Warrick Dunn to put up big numbers?

QB Brad Johnson is supposed to be the missing piece for Tampa Bay, and his presence should help WR Keyshawn Johnson show that last season’s somewhat disappointing numbers were a fluke. But don’t think the Bucs will become a pass-happy team. They’ll continue to lay down a solid foundation based on the running game of Dunn, and will look to balance that a bit with the Johnson duo. It is possible that if everything clicks, the three Bucs could better their 2000 numbers, but I wouldn’t expect Rams-like numbers.

5. What about Elvis?

Will Grbac make the Ravens’ offense a more prominent second fiddle to the dominating defense, or will he just be another quarterback similar to Trent Dilfer last season — a guy who handed off, made the occasional good pass and simply did not lose games for his team? Grbac has the ability to put up huge fantasy numbers, and if he does, the rest of the Ravens’ skill-position players will benefit. But Grbac also has shown a career tendency toward making mistakes, which could come back to haunt Baltimore if things don’t click with Elvis. It will be interesting to see how Grbac and the rest of the offense adjust.

"In Our Opinion" fantasy columns have now resumed for the 2001 season. Columns will appear daily, Tuesday through Friday, throughout the regular season. The Fantasy Doctor will return this month with your pigskin prescriptions, so send your fantasy questions to the Doc's attention at fantasydoctor@pfwa.com

The Archives
2001 - 2002 Season