Preseason
8/4/02
Hmm... Barney's movie had heart, but "Football in the Groin"
had a football in the groin. -- Homer Simpson, episode "A
Star is Burns"
Fantasy football season is upon us, so herein marks the return of
my Fantasy Football In The Groin column for 2002.
FF In The Groin provides a little news, a lot of opinion and hopefully
some humor as part of our individual quests (that's you and me)
for fantasy football's Holy Grail, a league championship. Its a
long, hard road though, one that usually results in fantasy owners
taking it in the groin at least a few times over the course of a
season. Strap on your cup because its going to be another wild ride!
ACL Watch
If all goes as planned, then we're to see our first "real"
(but still preseason) action from RB Jamal Lewis this week coming
back from a torn ACL injury. We need to be a little more patient
on RB Edgerrin James, also making a comeback from the same injury.
He is scheduled to play in the Colts' final preseason game on August
30. Lets break this down to one simple question, which is, do we
draft these guys or not?
According to my average draft position (ADP) data, James is being
taken about 14th overall and backup Dominic Rhodes is around 80
to 90th, translating into an early 2nd round and a middle 6th to
7th round pick respectively in a typical 12 team league. Shared
carries are a concern, but in general would you trade an early 2nd
and a 6th for a mid-1st round pick? If yes, take him. If no, then
pass.
As for Lewis, ADP around 50 or not, he has to deal with a poor offensive
line, gutted defense, inexperienced QB, unproven backup, tough division
and overall a team definitely in rebuilding mode. I say pass.
Knee Injury Bad, Achilles' Injury Sounds
Worse
If we did a poll of fantasy owners to determine what type of injury
causes them the most heartburn, then I'd say torn ACL will top the
list every time. That said, is there any injury that gives you the
shivers more than "torn Achilles' tendon"? I can barely
type it without sending a chill up my spine.
Scratch Browns' LB Jamir Miller right off your defensive player
list and knock the Browns team defense down a little as Miller suffered
a torn Achilles' the other night against the Vikings. As bad as
it sounds though, recovery from an Achilles' tear doesn't seem as
problematic as the dreaded ACL. Jets LB Sam Cowart and Raiders DE
Trace Armstrong, both Achilles' victims last year, are getting positive
comeback reports. I'm sure that is little comfort to Browns fans
though, who are looking for big things from their club this year.
Could still happen. I'm liking the Bengals more though these days.
Perhaps the summer heat is getting to me.
Always Have a Scapegoat
Well slap that optimism right off my face. The fantasy football
season is not truly underway until the injuries start rolling in,
and it didn't take long for me to get hit with a major blow. Having
inherited a team a few months ago in a large, 16-team dynasty league,
with all of ONE(!) QB on the roster, can anyone take a stab at who
that QB might be? If you said Trent Dilfer, then you are correct.
Dilfer looked sharp, then suffered a torn MCL in a preseason match
against the Colts. I had high hopes for Dilfer this season, probably
more than most, but now I turn to Matt Hasselbeck, who I probably
overpaid for in a trade given my pitiful situation. Whatever. I
can blame the former owner for at least this season.
From Free to $140. What the #%@$?
As I'm sure most of you who had the pleasure of using CBS Sportsline's
Commissioner.com fantasy league management service last year already
know, CBS gave us quite a shock jacking the 2001 price from free
(a great bargain, no doubt) to a 2002 price of $140. Wow. (That's
$140 US, so a double wow to us Canadians). Quite an upswing. The
accountants must have burned out their calculators coming up with
that number.
Commissioner.com is a decent service, but in my opinion that is
too much. In fact it is way too much. By way too much I'm talking
40% to 50% higher than what I would consider reasonable. The live
scoring is nice, but not that good. Certainly the out of service
downtimes and annoying pop-up ads I experienced in the past did
not enhance my enjoyment of the service, nor did the fact John Elway
marketed it do much for me. Maybe if you can get John in your league
you can get a discount? I wonder if he would draft Brian Griese?
If I Hear One More Word About Terrell Davis'
Knee...
Debates about Jamal Lewis' knee and Edgerrin James' knee can get
a little tiresome, but this guy, RB Terrell Davis, transcends all
possible limits of how long a single conversation topic should go
on, and on, and on, and...you get the picture. The latest: Again
with a swollen knee causing him to miss playing time. Another MRI
to see what the problem is. No surgery needed this time. Deteriorating
knee condition. Contemplating retirement. Still wants to play.
Oh brother. TD, it was absolutely amazing what you did in the glory
years topping 2,000 yards and winning back-to-back Super Bowls,
but it sure doesn't seem like a comeback is meant to be. I'm not
trying to be mean, but just the facts lead me to no other conclusion.
For those of you considering drafting him, did it take a few times
to learn as a kid the pain of putting your hand on a hot stove?
I cannot stress enough how much of a pass to take on Davis. He is
just not worth it.
Pay Sites a Plenty
Pay-per-view doesn't just apply to wrestling entertainment and lousy
boxing matches anymore. In the current Internet environment we live
in, most independent fantasy football websites across the information
superhighway (don't hear that term as much lately, do we?) are now
on a pay-per-view format. However, there are still some tremendous
nothing out of pocket bargains out there. If you're not already
signed up for Draft Sharks,
Footballguys, and Komments
free email lists, then I highly recommend you do so. I can barely
keep up with all the stuff these guys send my way.
Baseball Strike, Please
Come on you overpaid yahoos, strike already. Then I don't need to
wade through 20 agonizing minutes of baseball, and I use this term
loosely, "highlights" just to get to a little football
news. With little else going on in the world of sports right now,
we can only hope coverage of training camps and the preseason games
will get kicked up a notch should the most boring of the major North
American sports close its doors... again.
Vegas Vacation. Yeah Baby!
Have you heard about the World
Championship of Fantasy Football? Fifty leagues of 12 owners
each from across North America (and perhaps elsewhere) meeting in
Sin City early September to compete for a $200,000 grand prize,
an absolutely gorgeous crystal trophy and the right to be crowned
World Champ in this "hobby" that we love, and in some
cases live. Yes, the entry fee is steep. Yes, there is a degree
of luck involved in fantasy football that cannot be controlled.
What sold me on this though? The event of the thing. If these guys
pull this off, and all signs point to them doing so, then this will
be one amazing event to be a part of. Plus as an added bonus, you
know you have one of the most understanding wives in the world if
she agree to let you go, unchaperoned no less. Please note I will
be pledging eternal gratefulness to my wife for the balance of the
season. Can't wait for the trip. Love you honey!
:: comments to mike
macgregor
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