Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2001

Better safe than sorry

If you’re winning, don’t obsess over one or two starters’ lack of production

By Andy Hanacek, Associate editor

That one team is now 5-2 after winning four straight games, this week by a huge margin. Of course, I’m not completely comfortable with the team as it is, as many fantasy owners get when their teams start doing really well. I weathered the storm of waiting on Terrell Owens and Corey Dillon to break out, which they finally have done. Now, though, I’m looking for a wide receiver to complement Owens. My RB corps is solid, with Dillon and Jerome Bettis starting and Travis Henry and Antowain Smith as the backups. No worries there, though I really wouldn’t want to part with the two starters.

At wide receiver, currently I have Owens and I’ve been rotating the other starter between Peter Warrick (who is a cause for concern, as he hasn’t been superproductive this year), Derrick Alexander (another concern because of his injury problems this year) and Laveranues Coles, whom I’m not totally comfortable with.

So I’ve been scouring the waiver wires and looking for potential trades to make my team even more dominant than it is right now.

The problem with my thinking is this: How do I know that the guys I add will be more productive than the guys I have now? The problem is, I don’t. But I could venture a guess that they would be.

A trade is unlikely, since this league isn’t big on trading — it just doesn’t happen. So let’s look at the waiver wire. Currently available is David Terrell, Larry Parker and Peerless Price. Those are the best three wideouts I can get to replace Coles.

I submitted a waiver request for Terrell because, obviously, he’s a much better option in my opinion than Coles. Terrell is now the top receiver (or at least in the top two) in Chicago. However, it doesn’t seem likely that I’ll get Terrell since I have the final waiver spot because I have the best record in the league.

So I’m left, potentially, with Parker or Price to replace Coles, if I so choose. I think I’m going to keep Coles, simply because it seems to me at this point in the game, I’m doing so well and the season is so far along that there’s no reason to overanalyze my players. Just start the good ones and let them play. Meanwhile, sit back and enjoy the winning streak and hope it continues.

Tinkering with your team if it’s winning could derail the team’s success. It’s not safe to obsess about one position that may not be producing while the rest of the team is coming through for you. Sure, my second WR slot hasn’t put up many points thus far, but why sacrifice the other positions just to shore up one area?

If you’re winning, sit tight until you start losing. If you do start losing, then you should make some moves, but until then, stick with what works.

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