THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
MONDAY, AUGUST 13, 2007
SPORTS
11B
》 FANTASY FOOTBALL
Stay away from drafting these players
BY KELLY BRECKUNITCH
kreckunheit@kansan.com
The Madden curse: Welcome to the NFL, Vince Young. Last year's third-overall pick won the Rookie of the Year award last season, but however appealing Young may be to potential fantasy owners, all should stay away from drafting him.
The Madden Curse. It has proven itself to be a legitimate plague to
Why? Young is a proven winner at both levels.
liven to be a of the athletes who have graced the cover of Madden football, an EA Sports video game.
One of the best players in the NFL - LaDainian Tomlinson - turned down an opportunity to be on the cover of Madden. It has to be true. A long list of players are involved in the curse: Daunte Culpepper, Michael Vick, Ray Lewis, Donovan McNabb and Shaun Alexander.
I know McNair has that ironman reputation,but he will be 34 years old this season and has taken a beating in almost every season he has played in the NFL.
Culpepper has since been banished to the black hole as a probable backup to Josh McCown with the offensively challenged Oakland Raiders. Vick is battling legal troubles involving dogfighting charges. Lewis has rebounded from his own legal troubles in a murder trial. McNabb is coming off leg injuries in back-to-back seasons. Alexander enters his first post-Madden season, but his year on the cover was far less stellar than the record-breaking season that came before it.
Stay away from drafting any of these players, unless you like taking risks.
HAMMERED BY THE LAW
And unless you are drafting for a fantasy wrestling team, don't pick Pacman Jones. Because Jones is a defensive player, that advice only applies to leagues with individual defensive players, or IDPs, which won't apply to most leagues.
Vick most likely won't see the field. Also, stay away from Chris Henry, wide receiver for Cincinnati.
QUARTERBACKS TO SACK
Stay away from Steve McNair and JaMarcus Russell. I know McNair has that iron reputation, but he will be 34 years old this season and has taken a beating in almost
I could give 10 reasons why not to draft JaMarcus
"Russell without the Hustle," but I'll limit myself to the top three. Forget that rookies hardly ever make a fantasy impact for a second, and consider this:
He still hasn't signed a contract or been to training camp. He has three quarterbacks in front of him on the depth chart right now, according to ESPN.com, one of those being lights-out Andrew Walter, and I say lights out as in no one's home. And he plays for the offensively inept Raiders with a rookie coach, two career backups as the top two running backs, Jerry Porter as the number one receiver, and ... do I really need to continue?
RUNNING AWAY
shattered the most carries in a season record that was held by Jamal Anderson. Has anybody heard from Jamal Anderson since the 1998
season? So, I'm sorry Chiefs fans, but I don't believe Johnson can handle that load for too much longer, especially behind a deteriorating offensive line. Not to mention, Johnson is still in a contract
If Owens is old, Joe Horn is ancient. Yes, he moved to Atlanta, a team in desperate need of a receiver, but the Falcons are also in desperate need of an actual quarterback.
Ahman Green may be older, but it is a stretch to say he is wiser. Why would a thirty-year-old running back go to Houston to play behind one of the league's most porous offensive lines? I can't give you an answer because it puzzles me, and that's what Green will do if you draft him.
dispute with Chiefs president Carl Peterson.
erator" as Skip Bayliss would call him, leads my list of wide receivers and tight ends to avoid. Owens led the league in dropped passes last
Peterson is coming off an injury in his last college season, and Chester Taylor has already
proven himself as a starting running back in Minnesota. They'll split time, making every week a guessing game. Again, rookies don't make much of an impact in fantasy football.
year, and he will cost you more to touch downs than he earns for you. Also, he is aging and losing some of his vertical ability. He also has that knack for being a distraction, and the passive Wade
and the Vikings won't expect too much from him since they already have Taylor, so stay away from Peterson until you start getting desperate for another running back.
Phillips may not be ready for the storm Owens could create.
If Owens is old, Joe Horn is ancient. Yes, he moved to Atlanta, a team in desperate need of a receiver, but the Falcons are also in desperate need of an actual quarterback. After trading Matt Schaub, the Vick fiasco has left them with Joey Harrington as their likely starter for the season. In a rushing offense where Alge Crumpler is the number one option in the passing game, Horn will fade into retirement.
Ahman Green may be older,but it is a stretch to say he is wiser. Why would a 30-year-old running back go to Houston to play behind one of the league's most porous offensive lines?
RECEIVERS TO DROP
Terrell Owens, or "team oblit-
competing alongside him, and a committee of running backs on his team who can score when needed.
Also, stay away from Jacksonville's Matt Jones. I'm still not sold on this quarterback gone receiver, especially with Reggie Williams and Ernest Wilford
Tight end has become a deep position in fantasy football during the past couple years. The only player I would caution owners against is Jerramy Stevens. He moved to a Tampa Bay team that rarely makes use of its tight end
McNabb
Pre-Madden season
3,875 passing yards
31 TDs
8 INTS
104.7 passer rating
Plaver stats
104. 7 passer rating
Madden season
2,507 passing yards 16 TDs
9INTs
85 passer rating
Season ended after 10th game Because of sports brain
passer rating
Season ended after 10th game
because of sports hernia
notable
Season ended after 10th game because of torn ACL
Lewis
Pre-Madden season
163 total tackles
14 pass deflections
6 INtS (career high)
1 5 sacks
Madden season
0 INTs (only season without)
1 sack
147 total tackles
6 pass deflections
Ravens missed playoff after winning the division the previous year
Played only 6 games of 2005 season
notable
Only 40 total tackies
Culpepper
Pre-madden season
3,937 yards passing
33 TDs
16 INTS
98 passer rating
2,612 yards
14 TDs
13 INTs
83. 3 passer rating
Season ended by back injury
notable
Suffered a major knee injury in 2005 which allowed him to play only 7 games
Vick
Pre-madden season
2,936 passing yards
16 TDs
8 INTs
81.6 passer rating
777 rushing yards
8 rushing TDs
Best statistical season
585 passing yards 4 TD:
Madden season
585 passing yards
4 TDs
3 INTs
69 passer rating
255 rushing yards
1 rushing TD
Suffered serious leg injury in preseason game, played only
5 games
in the passing game. According to ESPN.com, he is not even the No. 1 tight end on Tampa Bay's depth chart. He is behind Anthony Becht, who had 16 catches, 115 yards and one touchdown last season, and Alex Smith with 35 catches, 250 yards and 3 touchdowns last season.
Fantasy drafts are full of talent.
- stats courtesy of ESPN.com
That is what makes fantasy football so entertaining, managing a team of some of the best players in the NFL. Just stay away from these players in your draft.
Edited by Erick R. Schmidt
THE MANY PERILS OF OVER-STUDYING
by half.com
Todd accidentally took History for the first time in college. A prankster slipped it into his bowling class.
Todd eventually began binging on History, taking it whenever possible.
History was cheaper on half.com. Which led to Todd getting so into History that he would run around naked, yelling "The British are coming..." He thought being naked would help.
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This did not reflect well on the school and Todd was forced to leave and join the circus.
LEARN FROM TODD.
Just because half.com is cheaper doesn't mean you need to buy twice as much History. Use your savings for good on half.com and try a video game console and games instead.
Type in "overstudy" on half.com and get started on your subject of choice today.*
- We do not condone the overuse of History or any such substance.
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