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08-20-2005, 08:50 AM
Fantasy Football: High Times For Priest Are Over
Bodog Fantasy Football is coming, read this and you're primed for success
Aug. 19, 2005
By Mike Halford
Bodog Nation Staff Writer
August. A month normally dedicated to Major League Baseball, the PGA Championship and the NFL preseason. For some, however, it is the month in which dynasties are built, when pre-draft rankings take place and keeper leagues are made.
August is the month when fantasy football takes off. And this season, Bodog is getting in on the action.
Bodog will be offering a weekly re-draft league that will be available before Week 1. Weekly winners will snag big prizes and the top regular-season finisher grabs a massive grand prize.
In order to help out all aspiring Bodog Fantasy Football players, the following tip sheet will reveal players that might fly under the radar, be poised for breakout seasons, or end up as big disappointments.
RUNNING BACKS
BUST: Priest Holmes, Kansas City Chiefs
Dick Vermeil has a plan: to handle Holmes like a piece of fine china this season. That should be a massive red flag for potential owners of the Kansas City TD machine.
Cause For Concern: Holmes only
suited up for eight games in 2004. July and August have seen Holmes take every other training camp practice off. The Chiefs have also developed a variety of third-down packages featuring backup RB Larry Johnson, and expressed interest in having the former Penn State star in a situational dual backfield with Holmes.
While all these measures are in place to keep Priest fresh, they also appear to decrease the likelihood of a 300-plus-carry season. Remember this: one of the big reasons Holmes has put up such phenomenal numbers since 2002 was Kansas City's addiction to keeping him on the field. Goal-line, short-yardage, blocking sets, passing downs - Holmes was ridiculously overworked at times, especially while on Vermeil's watch (and, admittedly, while gunning for the record books).
The positives? Priest was putting up Nintendo numbers, especially in the TD category.
The negatives? It all took its toll.
Holmes turns 32 in October, with major hip and knee injuries hampering his last two NFL campaigns. If the Chiefs have any aspirations of playing deep into January, they'll need Holmes to survive a 16-game schedule, and be healthy for the playoffs. Johnson's emergence late last season will help Holmes stay fresh - but likely decrease his fantasy output.
SLEEPER: Thomas Jones, Chicago Bears
While the selection of Cedric Benson provided Chicago with a blue-chip running prospect, the Texas product remains a risky fantasy acquisition.
Dubbed "Little Ricky" because of similarities with former Longhorn star Ricky Williams, Benson has forged a troubled path similar to his holistic-healing predecessor. He pled guilty to misdemeanor trespass in 2003 - and a year earlier, was charged with marijuana possession.
No Grossman, no Benson, no
problem? Jones is prepared to
carry the offensive load. The start to his NFL career has been notable as well - if only for his absence from training camp. With Benson mired in a holdout, the door for Jones, the incumbent starter, is wide open.
Jones will benefit from Benson's lack of snaps, repetitions and playbook familiarity. He provided the Bears with a solid 2004 season, running for 948 yards while scoring seven TDs: a sign that, if called upon, Jones can carry the load as a starter. Already a fantastic third-down passing option out of the backfield (56 receptions for 427 yards last year), Jones could be on the verge of an unanticipated workload this season.
Jones will be an excellent early-season pickup - a guy who can be dealt when his value is high, or when Benson is ready to take on a bigger offensive responsibility.
BUST: Duce Staley, Pittsburgh Steelers
From the Steelers' perspective, the one-two punch provided by Staley and Jerome Bettis last season was a tremendous success.
From a fantasy perspective, it was awful.
Dicey Duce: The knee injury makes
Staley a member of Pittsburgh's
dreaded "running back by
committee". Staley owners watched helplessly as The Bus turned into The Vulture, circling for goal-line carcasses all season long. Despite having relatively similar numbers in terms of carries and rushing yards (Bettis had 941 yards on 250 carries; Staley netted 830 on 192), the touchdown disparity was alarming - Bettis found the end zone 13 times while Staley broke the plain just once.
Despite the imbalance in goal-line opportunities, Duce said all the right things as Pittsburgh romped to a 15-1 record. Chances are he'll assume the role of good soldier again this season, as the Jerome Bettis Retirement Tour has one final swing through the NFL.
Staley's gimpy hamstring kept him inactive for the second half of 2004 - highlighting the fact that, in the last five years, Duce hasn't been a feature back. Since 2000, Staley has registered only one 16-start, 1,000-yard rushing season. In keeping with this tendency to be injured, Staley went under the knife in early August to fix a meniscus tear in his right knee. He's expected to be out until the opening week of the season.
With Staley's injury and Bill Cowher's tremendous success using a platoon running-back system, Pittsburgh will be a RB by committee. So expect reserves Verron Haynes and Willie Parker to also get their reps. And with all the sentimental moments destined to come up with The Bus' final season, chances are he'll get a few courtesy goal-line calls (read: stat padding) somewhere down the line. Keep away from Staley at all costs.
SLEEPER: J.J. Arrington, Arizona Cardinals
Rookie Arrington has a lot going for him as he battles Marcel Shipp for the starting RB job in Arizona. The California product was hand picked by head coach Dennis Green in the second round of the entry draft. Under Cal coach Jeff Tedford, Arrington was the featured back in a Golden Bears' offense similar to the one being utilized by the Cardinals.
Arrington's senior season at Cal was statistically superior to all of the RBs selected ahead of him in the April draft. He ran for 2,018 yards and 15 touchdowns en route to being named All-America and All-Pac 10 Conference. He decimated the NCAA ranks with a blend of speed and vision uncommon in a collegiate player.
Arrington is your prototypical burner who hits gaps and holes at top speed; if there is an opening, he will get through and pick up yardage. Once past the line, he has the speed to break off long runs. He attacks the line of scrimmage, and runs with authority. He also shows good hands out of the backfield, giving him value as a third-down back. In all, Arrington's situation in Arizona could allow him to be the biggest rookie gainer at RB this season.
WIDE RECEIVERS
BUST: Mushin Muhammad, Chicago Bears
Some notes to consider when drafting a Chicago wideout:
Always be wary of a guy who puts up career numbers in a free-agency year.
No. 1 wideouts tend to see a lot of double-team coverage when their partners in receiving are Bernard Berrian and Justin Gage.
The Bears have only had one 1,000-yard receiver in the last five years.
WRs rarely flourish when Rex Grossman (three career TD passes) is throwing them the ball.
Grossman is out for the year with a broken left ankle.
WRs never flourish when Chad Hutchinson (career QB rating: 69.1) is forced into starting action.
If one or two of these applied, the receiver would be considered a major risk. Unfortunately for Moose, all of them fit. Something else to think about: including his huge 2004 season, Muhammad has only averaged 913 yards and six TDs in the last four years.
Consider yourself warned.
BEST OF THE BEST
Michael Halford's top five fantasy picks by position:
Quarterbacks
Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts
Daunte Culpepper, Minnesota Vikings
Donovan McNabb, Philadelphia Eagles
Trent Green, Kansas City Chiefs
Tom Brady, New England Patriots
Running Backs
LaDainian Tomlinson, San Diego Chargers
Shaun Alexander, Seattle Seahawks
Willis McGahee, Buffalo Bills
Edgerrin James, Indianapolis Colts
Corey Dillon, New England Patriots
Wide Receivers
Randy Moss, Oakland Raiders
Terrell Owens, Philadelphia Eagles
Marvin Harrison, Indianapolis Colts
Torry Holt, St. Louis Rams
Chad Johnson, Cincinnati Bengals
Tight Ends
Antonio Gates, San Diego Chargers
Tony Gonzalez, Kansas City Chiefs
Jason Witten, Dallas Cowboys
Alge Crumpler, Atlanta Falcons
Jeremy Shockey, New York Giants
Kickers
David Akers, Philadelphia Eagles
Mike Vanderjagt, Indianapolis Colts
Adam Vinatieri, New England Patriots
Jason Elam, Denver Broncos
Jeff Wilkins, St. Louis Rams
Team Defense
Buffalo Bills
Baltimore Ravens
Pittsburgh Steelers
Atlanta Falcons
New England Patriots
Is Priest Holmes done? Tell us why or why not. Better yet, tell us your best "Priest" fantasy story. During his unreal run as end-zone stud, has he led you to victory or killed your championship hopes?
Get Your GM Hat On
With Bodog's Fantasy Football 2005, the ultimate in virtual management is near
Get your cheat sheets ready, start pre-ranking your players and pull on your draft caps. Fantasy football is coming to Bodog.
Bodog will be offering a weekly re-draft league that will be available before Week 1 of the NFL season. Weekly winners will snag big prizes and the top regular-season finisher grabs a massive grand prize.
The best part? Playing Bodog Fantasy Football is absolutely free
Check Bodog Nation frequently for updates, news, tips, player rankings and analysis.
Bodog Fantasy Football is coming, read this and you're primed for success
Aug. 19, 2005
By Mike Halford
Bodog Nation Staff Writer
August. A month normally dedicated to Major League Baseball, the PGA Championship and the NFL preseason. For some, however, it is the month in which dynasties are built, when pre-draft rankings take place and keeper leagues are made.
August is the month when fantasy football takes off. And this season, Bodog is getting in on the action.
Bodog will be offering a weekly re-draft league that will be available before Week 1. Weekly winners will snag big prizes and the top regular-season finisher grabs a massive grand prize.
In order to help out all aspiring Bodog Fantasy Football players, the following tip sheet will reveal players that might fly under the radar, be poised for breakout seasons, or end up as big disappointments.
RUNNING BACKS
BUST: Priest Holmes, Kansas City Chiefs
Dick Vermeil has a plan: to handle Holmes like a piece of fine china this season. That should be a massive red flag for potential owners of the Kansas City TD machine.
Cause For Concern: Holmes only
suited up for eight games in 2004. July and August have seen Holmes take every other training camp practice off. The Chiefs have also developed a variety of third-down packages featuring backup RB Larry Johnson, and expressed interest in having the former Penn State star in a situational dual backfield with Holmes.
While all these measures are in place to keep Priest fresh, they also appear to decrease the likelihood of a 300-plus-carry season. Remember this: one of the big reasons Holmes has put up such phenomenal numbers since 2002 was Kansas City's addiction to keeping him on the field. Goal-line, short-yardage, blocking sets, passing downs - Holmes was ridiculously overworked at times, especially while on Vermeil's watch (and, admittedly, while gunning for the record books).
The positives? Priest was putting up Nintendo numbers, especially in the TD category.
The negatives? It all took its toll.
Holmes turns 32 in October, with major hip and knee injuries hampering his last two NFL campaigns. If the Chiefs have any aspirations of playing deep into January, they'll need Holmes to survive a 16-game schedule, and be healthy for the playoffs. Johnson's emergence late last season will help Holmes stay fresh - but likely decrease his fantasy output.
SLEEPER: Thomas Jones, Chicago Bears
While the selection of Cedric Benson provided Chicago with a blue-chip running prospect, the Texas product remains a risky fantasy acquisition.
Dubbed "Little Ricky" because of similarities with former Longhorn star Ricky Williams, Benson has forged a troubled path similar to his holistic-healing predecessor. He pled guilty to misdemeanor trespass in 2003 - and a year earlier, was charged with marijuana possession.
No Grossman, no Benson, no
problem? Jones is prepared to
carry the offensive load. The start to his NFL career has been notable as well - if only for his absence from training camp. With Benson mired in a holdout, the door for Jones, the incumbent starter, is wide open.
Jones will benefit from Benson's lack of snaps, repetitions and playbook familiarity. He provided the Bears with a solid 2004 season, running for 948 yards while scoring seven TDs: a sign that, if called upon, Jones can carry the load as a starter. Already a fantastic third-down passing option out of the backfield (56 receptions for 427 yards last year), Jones could be on the verge of an unanticipated workload this season.
Jones will be an excellent early-season pickup - a guy who can be dealt when his value is high, or when Benson is ready to take on a bigger offensive responsibility.
BUST: Duce Staley, Pittsburgh Steelers
From the Steelers' perspective, the one-two punch provided by Staley and Jerome Bettis last season was a tremendous success.
From a fantasy perspective, it was awful.
Dicey Duce: The knee injury makes
Staley a member of Pittsburgh's
dreaded "running back by
committee". Staley owners watched helplessly as The Bus turned into The Vulture, circling for goal-line carcasses all season long. Despite having relatively similar numbers in terms of carries and rushing yards (Bettis had 941 yards on 250 carries; Staley netted 830 on 192), the touchdown disparity was alarming - Bettis found the end zone 13 times while Staley broke the plain just once.
Despite the imbalance in goal-line opportunities, Duce said all the right things as Pittsburgh romped to a 15-1 record. Chances are he'll assume the role of good soldier again this season, as the Jerome Bettis Retirement Tour has one final swing through the NFL.
Staley's gimpy hamstring kept him inactive for the second half of 2004 - highlighting the fact that, in the last five years, Duce hasn't been a feature back. Since 2000, Staley has registered only one 16-start, 1,000-yard rushing season. In keeping with this tendency to be injured, Staley went under the knife in early August to fix a meniscus tear in his right knee. He's expected to be out until the opening week of the season.
With Staley's injury and Bill Cowher's tremendous success using a platoon running-back system, Pittsburgh will be a RB by committee. So expect reserves Verron Haynes and Willie Parker to also get their reps. And with all the sentimental moments destined to come up with The Bus' final season, chances are he'll get a few courtesy goal-line calls (read: stat padding) somewhere down the line. Keep away from Staley at all costs.
SLEEPER: J.J. Arrington, Arizona Cardinals
Rookie Arrington has a lot going for him as he battles Marcel Shipp for the starting RB job in Arizona. The California product was hand picked by head coach Dennis Green in the second round of the entry draft. Under Cal coach Jeff Tedford, Arrington was the featured back in a Golden Bears' offense similar to the one being utilized by the Cardinals.
Arrington's senior season at Cal was statistically superior to all of the RBs selected ahead of him in the April draft. He ran for 2,018 yards and 15 touchdowns en route to being named All-America and All-Pac 10 Conference. He decimated the NCAA ranks with a blend of speed and vision uncommon in a collegiate player.
Arrington is your prototypical burner who hits gaps and holes at top speed; if there is an opening, he will get through and pick up yardage. Once past the line, he has the speed to break off long runs. He attacks the line of scrimmage, and runs with authority. He also shows good hands out of the backfield, giving him value as a third-down back. In all, Arrington's situation in Arizona could allow him to be the biggest rookie gainer at RB this season.
WIDE RECEIVERS
BUST: Mushin Muhammad, Chicago Bears
Some notes to consider when drafting a Chicago wideout:
Always be wary of a guy who puts up career numbers in a free-agency year.
No. 1 wideouts tend to see a lot of double-team coverage when their partners in receiving are Bernard Berrian and Justin Gage.
The Bears have only had one 1,000-yard receiver in the last five years.
WRs rarely flourish when Rex Grossman (three career TD passes) is throwing them the ball.
Grossman is out for the year with a broken left ankle.
WRs never flourish when Chad Hutchinson (career QB rating: 69.1) is forced into starting action.
If one or two of these applied, the receiver would be considered a major risk. Unfortunately for Moose, all of them fit. Something else to think about: including his huge 2004 season, Muhammad has only averaged 913 yards and six TDs in the last four years.
Consider yourself warned.
BEST OF THE BEST
Michael Halford's top five fantasy picks by position:
Quarterbacks
Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts
Daunte Culpepper, Minnesota Vikings
Donovan McNabb, Philadelphia Eagles
Trent Green, Kansas City Chiefs
Tom Brady, New England Patriots
Running Backs
LaDainian Tomlinson, San Diego Chargers
Shaun Alexander, Seattle Seahawks
Willis McGahee, Buffalo Bills
Edgerrin James, Indianapolis Colts
Corey Dillon, New England Patriots
Wide Receivers
Randy Moss, Oakland Raiders
Terrell Owens, Philadelphia Eagles
Marvin Harrison, Indianapolis Colts
Torry Holt, St. Louis Rams
Chad Johnson, Cincinnati Bengals
Tight Ends
Antonio Gates, San Diego Chargers
Tony Gonzalez, Kansas City Chiefs
Jason Witten, Dallas Cowboys
Alge Crumpler, Atlanta Falcons
Jeremy Shockey, New York Giants
Kickers
David Akers, Philadelphia Eagles
Mike Vanderjagt, Indianapolis Colts
Adam Vinatieri, New England Patriots
Jason Elam, Denver Broncos
Jeff Wilkins, St. Louis Rams
Team Defense
Buffalo Bills
Baltimore Ravens
Pittsburgh Steelers
Atlanta Falcons
New England Patriots
Is Priest Holmes done? Tell us why or why not. Better yet, tell us your best "Priest" fantasy story. During his unreal run as end-zone stud, has he led you to victory or killed your championship hopes?
Get Your GM Hat On
With Bodog's Fantasy Football 2005, the ultimate in virtual management is near
Get your cheat sheets ready, start pre-ranking your players and pull on your draft caps. Fantasy football is coming to Bodog.
Bodog will be offering a weekly re-draft league that will be available before Week 1 of the NFL season. Weekly winners will snag big prizes and the top regular-season finisher grabs a massive grand prize.
The best part? Playing Bodog Fantasy Football is absolutely free
Check Bodog Nation frequently for updates, news, tips, player rankings and analysis.