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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
James: I've got Griese, Rod Smith and Elam, and although with five games left in the
regular season I'm in first place in my division, I'm no lock to make the playoffs. Should
I look to trade Smith now for a WR/QB who's got an easy matchup in the playoffs? Thanks a
lot.
Fantasy Doctor: Those Broncos are giving a lot of people nightmares because of their
Week 15 bye, a time when a lot of fantasy leagues are in the postseason. Here’s my
thinking: Get to the playoffs with what you’ve got, then worry about your starting
lineup. You’re talking about trading away a wide receiver who’s putting up
numbers at a record-setting pace, and you’ve probably got a month left until the
playoffs, if you make it to the second season. I don’t like tinkering with what
works, regardless of what lies ahead. Get it done now with the guys who got you here, then
fill in the pieces when you have to.
Craig: In my league you can start one RB and three WRs or two RBs and two WRs. At
RB, I have Shaun Alexander, Eddie George, Garrison Hearst and Kevan Barlow. At WR, I have
Rod Smith and Oronde Gadsden. I have been offered Amani Toomer and Jason Brookins for
Hearst and Barlow. Should I take it?
Fantasy Doctor: I don’t think Toomer is an upgrade over Gadsden, and Hearst is
running pretty well right now, so no, I wouldn’t write a prescription for making that
trade. Not that you could read my handwriting anyway.
Pat: Fantasy Dr., who should I start in Week 10 at RB and WR? I have Ahman Green at
the No. 1 spot, and for the No. 2 spot, I have Hearst, Staley and Maurice Smith. At WR, I
have Torry Holt at the No. 1 spot and for the No. 2 spot I have Booker, Thrash, Patten,
Gardner and D. Jackson. Thanks for your help!
Fantasy Doctor: Go with Hearst against the Panthers’ woeful defense that St. Louis
made look silly a week ago. Staley would be an OK start as well, I suppose, but Maurice
Smith is a no-go against the Packers’ defensive line in Green Bay. At wideout,
I’m going to advise going with the hot hand, and that’s Thrash. He’s got
four touchdowns the past two weeks and is McNabb’s clear-cut No. 1 target now.
Chris: I am in a playoff league, and I was thinking of dropping Trung Canidate and
picking up Fred Taylor. What do you think?
Fantasy Doctor: The Fantasy Doctor heard from several of his patients who were burned
by not starting Canidate last week, but who would’ve known Faulk would be sipping
Gatorade the entire second half? I still believe Canidate is worth holding on to, but if
you can get Taylor for the stretch run (and if Taylor actually is healthy enough to play),
do it. The only problem you may run into is the fact Taylor won’t be in game shape
right off the bat, and he may split carries with Stacey Mack for a bit. But if he’s
healthy, he could be a nice addition. No question about that.
Maxman: Our final supplemental draft is coming up, and I have the opportunity to
pick up any rookie wide receiver with my pick. Could you rank the rookie wide receivers,
keeping in mind that I am in a keeper league?
Fantasy Doctor: This is a tall order because of the fact it’s a keeper league, but
I aim to please, Maxman, so here it goes.
- Rod Gardner
- David Terrell
- Reggie Wayne
- Chris Chambers
- Quincy Morgan
- Marvin Minnis
- Chad Johnson
Keep in mind, a case can be made for all of these guys for the remainder of this season
and on down the road. Gardner and Terrell are up there for talent and playmaking purposes.
I know their respective QB situations aren’t exactly rock-solid, but they’re
still the cream of the crop. With Edgerrin James out, Wayne should become more valuable
down the stretch, and if he can win the No. 2 WR role next year, he could be a nice
fantasy contributor. Chambers’ speed is something Miami has needed, but the Dolphins
rack up TD passes about as often as Don King stays quiet at a pre-fight press conference.
A lot of scouts like Morgan, but the Browns’ offense needs to come around before my
heart rate does anything. Injuries have slowed the progress of Minnis and Johnson, but
they’ve certainly showed flashes. There aren’t huge numbers with any of these
guys, but receivers always seem to have a tough time as rookies. Overall, it looks to be a
pretty decent group.
Vaughn: Doc, help me with a dilemma that I have, even though it's not the worst one
to be in. Through waiver-wire pickups and due to injuries, I now have a bevy of starting
RBs on my roster. The problem is, who do I use this week — Duce Staley, Anthony
Thomas, Mike Anderson, Dominic Rhodes or Trung Candidate? All are worthy at this point,
but which two are the best bets to light up the boards this week? Thanks.
Fantasy Doctor: I think Mike Anderson should be a lock with Terrell Davis out again.
With all the problems the Broncos have at the WR position, it wouldn’t surprise me to
see a big commitment to the ground game against a bad Redskins run defense. Despite some
nice numbers off the bench last week, I can’t prescribe starting Canidate. I think a
Bill Belichick-led defense will keep the Rams in check to some extent, and that will keep
Marshall Faulk on the field. A-Train (vs. the Bucs) and Rhodes (vs. the Saints) are facing
tough defenses that are in must-win territory, so as tough as it is, I’d keep them on
the pines. Go with Staley, who has posted huge numbers against Dallas in the past.
Mark: Doc, I was fortunate to acquire a few key free agents through the first half
and have traded some of that depth in order to stockpile three WRs (Boston, Moss,
Harrison). My hope is to make one final move by trading one of these WRs to bolster my RB
situation (Thomas, Garner, Canidate, J. Allen). Which WR would you be willing to part
with? Harrison has fallen off in past years, and I don't know how the James situation will
hurt him. Moss has a terrible schedule down the stretch, and he has struggled anyway.
Boston is a yardage machine, but he has few TDs. The league scoring is weighted toward
TDs, with bonuses for length of TD and minimal yardage-gained bonuses. We start two RBs
and two WRs. Culpepper is my starting QB. Your thoughts are appreciated.
Fantasy Doctor: It looks like you’ve done your homework, Mark. We’ve got some
charts at my office that need analyzing if you’ve got the time. I think Moss is the
one to let loose if you want to add another RB. Thomas and Garner are a pretty good
starting tandem though, even with Tyrone Wheatley’s pending return. I think Moss will
still draw interest on name recognition, no matter what his stats are. People know he can
still bust out at any time. You can’t trade Harrison at this stage of the season,
especially with James going under the knife. Boston’s TD total of two is
disappointing, but he’s a good one, and it’s doubtful he’ll bring you as
nice a catch as Moss would on the trading front.
The Fantasy Doctor has joined his associates at the golf course but will be back next
week. Please direct all questions to fantasydoctor@pfwa.com. |
