triple crown fantasy sport

Early Off Season Thoughts

THE TRADING OF RANDY MOSS? There are very few players in the league that have an impact on every play he is on the field and Randy is one of those players. For all the talk of trading Randy his departure will effect the stats of all the offensive players the Vikings have. In the first 5 games of the season the Vikings averaged 459 ypg, the 4 games that Randy missed the team their average slipped to 351 ypg and in the final 6 games when Randy returned(although not completely healthy ) the Vikings saw the yards increase to 397ypg. These numbers are no coincidence and should affect your views of the rest of the offense in the event of Moss' departure.


IS THERE ANY VALUE FOR BLEDSOE, WARNER AND GARCIA? All three of these players has had some degree of success in the NFL but their past should not be considered when faced with drafting any of these players. At best these players may start off the season as a starter but as the season grinds on these players will find themselves as being replaced by others. Their best years are long behind them and should not be considered as a fantasy player with much value.


WHO IS KEVIN JOHNSON? In the modern day football of west coast offenses it is amazing that a wide receiver with but 35 receptions throughout the 16 game season can be a teams leading receiver. Unfortunately for Johnson that was his distinction! Needless to say all Ravens receivers, with the exception of a return to health Todd Heap, should again have very little value to any Fantasy team.

CAN THE TITANS RETURN TO PROMINENCE? Let us not forget that Steve McNair did share the MVP award in '03 and even with the release of Eddie George the Titans running game improved to #14 in the league. Along with the emergence of Drew Bennett, the solid play of Derrick Mason and TE Ben Troupe the Titans have all the parts to make Norm Chows job a lot easier. If Tyrone Calico can return to health and allow the offense to stretch the field Chris Brown could put up significant numbers. The Titans should be able to return to the elite status of the AFC and will have many valuable players for fantasy teams.

WHO WILL BE OVERRATED IN '05? While Muhsin Mohammed has always had some fantasy value the numbers that he accumulated in '04 he may never duplicate. His season was the result of injuries early on to Steve Smith followed by the losses of Stephen Davis and Deshaun Foster. Muhsin accounted for 55% of the touchdown passes of Jake Delhomme as well as 36% of the teams passing yards. Staying in Carolina is no certainty and with the return of Steve Smith his numbers were sure to decline. Expect more in the lines of a 70 reception 900 yards and 4 touchdowns which are more in line with his career.

WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF RBBC? These are the 4 letters that make the fantasy people scratch their heads. Running Back By Committee! From week to week these players are so hard to predict and even harder when deciding your starting lineup. The Minnesota Vikings for all their offensive production have relied on this approach for the last few years. In '04 the Vikings backs accounted for 1387yards rushing and 6 touchdowns and in '03 they had an impressive 1771 yards and 11 touchdowns. These are the same type of numbers we see from the elite backs of the league. So while these backs do have some value (more so in deep leagues) they cannot be counted on for a consistent production. The second guessing will get to you so consider these players as no more than a 4th back on your roster.

THERE ARE 3 NEW COACHES; WHO WILL HAVE THE MOST IMPACT? While all 3 are upgrades from the previous season we feel that Romeo Crennel in Cleveland will prove to be the best. It also doesn't hurt that he coached under 2 of the arguably best coaches in NFL history. Romeo will give an instant amount of credibility and confidence to the franchise .The running game will become a priority (another one of the committee backfields!) and Kellen Winslow will become a very valuable player. We believe that Lee Suggs will be given every opportunity to win the starting position because of his combination of speed, power and pass catching abilities. Also expect the defense and special teams to show a significant upgrade and Phil Dawson to be given more chances to score.