The 4th-and-1 Debate: How To Avoid Fantasy Disappointments Next Season

Ah, the sadness comes in larger puddles of tears every week as we approach the fantasy playoffs . That first-round pick sure screwed you, didn’t he? But how, oh how, do you keep it from happening again next year—like it always does?

Last week’s fantasy football roundtable covered that and covered it well.

The questions

Thinking back to the players that you targeted in drafts at the beginning of the season, which one or two players have been the biggest disappointments? What kind of additional information do you think you could use to avoid selecting this type of underachieving player in 2010?

My answer

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The biggest two disappointments in my book are Matt Forte and Calvin Johnson. Both were drafted in among the top-three at their positions, and both have been miserable for most of the season.

In Forte’s case, there was good reason to believe his role in the offense might be threatened. Chicago traded for Jay Cutler , bringing an arm to Chicago and taking away Kyle Orton’s compulsive check-down passes. But that alone was not enough to scare off fantasy owners.

The decline of the Chicago defense , an unexpected factor this season, has also hurt Forte’s value. When the Bears get behind, they have put the game in Cutler’s hands and reduced Forte’s chances. Forte has turned it around in recent weeks, but the damage has, for the most part, already been done to the owners who drafted him and their fantasy hopes.

Calvin Johnson was regarded as “quarterback-proof” coming into this season. No matter who was throwing the ball, he would get his yards and probably a score. He still ranked as one of the elite wide receivers in fantasy despite news that a rookie quarterback, Matthew Stafford , would start for the Lions.

With no other legitimate threat on the opposite side of the field, defenses tried to take Megatron out of games, and a few times early in the season, they were successful. Even if you’re quarterback-proof, you can’t be “team-proof,” and the Lions were doing him no favors.

A knee injury prevented Johnson from seeing the field for several weeks. Now that he’s back to full health, he is contributing, but with only one touchdown and one 100+ yard game this season, it’s safe to say owners were hoping to get more out of him by this point.

What info could prevent us from making these same drafting mistakes in the future?

We must pay close attention to change in the offseason, and give special attention to teams with new quarterbacks. The quarterback runs the offense, and changes at that position can often mean big swings in fantasy.

In their first year with new teams, quarterbacks must spend time learning the playbook and finding rhythm with receivers and running backs. There are many variables in play, and it creates risks for fantasy players.

In Chicago’s case, Cutler brought that “gunslinger” mentality and a powerful arm to Chicago, which has allowed the passing game to be more of a focus on offense. He didn’t avoid using Forte, but Cutler had to learn how and when he could use the running back, which led to Forte’s slow start.

A rookie quarterback always has a big learning curve in coming to the NFL, and Matthew Stafford was no different. Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco ’s exceptional rookie seasons may have warmed fantasy football players to the idea of starting rookies, but the Lions were not nearly as complete a team as the Falcons and Ravens were last season. Stafford’s rookie struggles have held Calvin Johnson back, and an unexpected knee injury did the rest.

It’s unfortunate that new quarterbacks impact a team so much. Avoiding them as a rule can prevent you from finding some real value in your fantasy football draft —see Vikings receivers like Sidney Rice and Percy Harvin—but taking a risk on teams with new signal callers can cost you big—as we saw this year with Forte and Megatron.

The secret is to do your homework.

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For the complete discussion and the rest of the debate’s answers, check out the full fantasy football round-table on Junkyard Jake’s blog .