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New Feature: Ask the expert!
Each week, our fantasy football expert, Ray Cooney,
will post answers to questions you may have about your fantasy football team, or NFL football in general.
Just email us your questions here! Answers will
be posted and archived on this page.
Ballers Advice Column
Posted 8/8/2002
Last week's column was about strategies. I basically said don't have one. It's not worth going in with a pre-determined draft strategy when it could blow up in your face in the draft lottery before the first pick is even made.
That being said, the point of the first offering of fantasy advice was knowledge. And, although you shouldn't have an overall strategy, each owner should have some idea of what would be acceptable at each individual position.
Today we look at the quarterbacks, who's the best, who's not and what ideas you should take into the draft with you.
I read a lot of fantasy magazines, look at a lot of web sites and watch a ton of football and football related shows. Almost all of them point to the same three quarterbacks as the upper echelon for 2002.
They are: Kurt Warner, Jeff Garcia and Peyton Manning. In fact, the only other player I've seen make very many appearances in anyone's top 3 this preseason is Brett Favre.
So, who is the best?
Kurt Warner.
I have no qualms about putting Warner No. 1. When he is healthy - which despite a freak thumb injury he has been - he is easily the best in the game. He will guarantee you 4,000 yards and is a near lock for 30 touchdowns in a full season.
If you have a chance at Warner in the first round, take him over anyone else. That includes Marshall Faulk.
Warner will give you a greater advantage in points than anyone else in the league.
I wouldn't take the other two over Faulk, but I'd take them over everyone else. There are running backs that could prove to be better choices, but these guys are money.
You can put them in the lineup and be guaranteed points every week.
Where the big questions come is after those top three.
My own personal rankings show eight quarterbacks in the next grouping who are all basically the same. There is a good chance two of them will be a little better and two of them will be a little worse, but it's tough to tell who.
Because of that, if you don't get one of the top three QB's, don't bother.
Sure Favre may be back to 30 TD form, but he also has an entirely new receiving core.
Duante Culpepper (remember him?) may surge back if Minnesota can find a running game and Randy Moss decides the team is more important than himself.
Donovan McNabb may go crazy or Aaron Brooks or Brian Griese.
The bottom line is, these guys all have approximately equal potential. Therefore, if you don't get a top three QB, start stocking up on RB’s and WR’s and wait for a quarterback.
Chances are you will be able to get a player out of the next grouping in the fourth or fifth round or even later. My advice is to wait and let everyone else make their move.
Then, take whoever is left from group two, which includes Favre, Brooks, McNabb, Culpepper, Griese, Rich Gannon, Trent Green and Steve McNair. If they remain healthy, any one of them will do a solid job for you every Sunday.
That's the top 11, and that should give almost everyone enough to get a starter in most leagues. Especially since at least one owner in each league will jump on the Tom Brady bandwagon, take a flier on Michael Vick or think Kordell Stewart is really for real this time (which he may be, but who knows).
When it's time to take a backup, forget about who did what last year. Ignore the rankings and draft on potential.
If Michael Vick is there, snag him up. You never know what he could do.
Look for players who may be coming in low on the radar screen, but have an opportunity to do some things.
The players that come to mind for me are Stewart, Vick, Drew Bledsoe, Chris Chandler, Jeff Blake, Steve Buerlein and whoever ends up taking over in Washington.
Chandler (CHI), Blake (BAL) and Buerlein (DEN) are all especially intriguing, because if they get a starting roll, they will produce.
So that's a look at quarterbacks. Get a top three if you can, but if not, stock up on everything else and wait.
Be sure to get someone with potential as a backup. Anyone can throw for 2,500 yards and 15 TD’s, find someone who could have a chance at doing more.
And for the love of Pete... if you select Warner, select his backup as your backup. With all those weapons, even Ryan Leaf could score points in that offense.
Ray's QB Top 11
1. Warner
2. Garcia
3. Manning
4. Culpepper
5. McNabb
6. Favre
7. Gannon
8. Brooks
9. Griese
10. Green
11. McNair
-Ray Cooney
Fantasy Ballers
cooneyrj@yahoo.com
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