| It’s easily one of the hardest things to do
in fantasy football. Dumping your top pick.
You spent a long time preparing and hoping that a player you wanted would fall to your
draft position. There is always a little bit more of an investment made with your top
selection.
He’s supposed to succeed.
But what happens if your first-round dud is producing more like a sixth-round pick?
When do you abandon the player you had such high hopes for?
Let’s take a look at a few of the more glaring duds at this point of the season.
No one would have imagined that Randy Moss would have just one touchdown to date
and less-than-stellar yardage numbers. But that’s the situation that Moss owners are
presented with. I’m one of them.
I never gave much weight to the theory that Moss took plays off, didn’t block
downfield and didn’t do the little things that complete players do. To be honest, I
didn’t really care. I’ll take my 150 yards and three touchdowns along with the
bad attitude, please. I don’t have to have a dinner party with Moss; I just need him
to score points.
However, it is starting to look like people are getting into the heads of the two most
important people in this situation. (1) Moss seems to be living up to this reputation, and
(2) Daunte Culpepper seems to have shifted his focus to Cris Carter first, Moss second.
Byron Chamberlain is also stealing catches.
I’m reluctant to say to dump Moss and trade him for the best thing you can manage;
I’ve watched him knock the silly out of me too many times. Although I’ll admit
that I wouldn’t blame you if you did, just make sure you get a bunch. Don’t let
getting rid of Moss be the worst fantasy blunder of recent seasons.
He was a top-10 running back on every list imaginable, and as high as No. 4 or No. 5 on
some. But if you have Washington’s Stephen Davis on your roster and you are
even thinking about keeping him around at this point, that would just be wrong.
If you are holding out for a turnabout, that isn’t going to happen either. Throw
that line out there and see if you can get anyone to take the bait. I wouldn’t even
worry about how much you got in return; any starter in the backfield would be more than
fair. Odds are you can pick one out of a hat who will be better than Davis the rest of the
way.
It isn’t for lack of effort, but this might be the worst team this Redskins
franchise has ever seen, and ball-control offense that would greatly benefit Davis just
isn’t going to happen.
I wish I didn’t have to address this last player in this section, but I apparently
never learn from past mistakes. Jacksonville’s Fred Taylor is easily fantasy
football’s biggest tease, but like a deer caught in the headlights, I can’t seem
to talk myself out of taking him.
I have a selective memory. I remember when Taylor has strapped past teams on his back
and carried them to championship glories. I tend to choose to forgot all the times
he’s forced me to scour the waiver wire for a breathing tailback to replace him on
his lengthy injury vacations.
I’m letting go, and you should too. I’ve moved him in one league, and
I’ve decided to wait until he gets back in another league to shop him around after
another enticing performance before being sidelined again.
That’s what I’d advise for you as well. Most of all, don’t get too
attached. Your team is only as good as the healthy and productive bodies you can run out
on a week-to-week basis. |
