Fantasy Football: Settling Draft-Day Issues

We've all had problems when it comes to drafting our fantasy football teams. Each year, there are classic debates as to who should be taken against another player. This year, there is no shortage of debates to be had.

The Roundtable, Ari Horing, Josh Galligan, and Jacob Sloan grabbed a couple beers and had themselves an old fashioned debate.

Here's how it went down...

Dwayne Bowe vs. Hines Ward

This was a landslide in favor of Ward, three votes to one. Jacob Sloan summed it up for the group:

"Given the choice, I take Bowe first because he's valued higher and then look to take Hines Ward a round or two later.

"Hines Ward isn't getting the respect he deserves this season because of talk that he is beginning to break down. I think he puts up another consistent season as a go-to receiver for Big Ben, but it's still worth taking a chance on Bowe first.

Brodie Croyle will finally get to take a snap under center with Larry Johnson and (one can only hope) a slightly improved Kansas City offensive line this year. You can't really judge him based on what he could do with what he was given at the end of last season. If he can get Bowe the ball, Bowe has shown that he can make the plays. Tony Gonzalez will keep the defense honest enough to give Bowe opportunities, and having the No. 1 one big-play threat on a team is never a bad thing.

In a better offense, it'd be Bowe all the way, but given Kansas City's offensive struggles, he's barely edged out by Hines Ward here."

Josh did step in to defend his choice of Dwayne Bowe:

"While there’s nothing really to base the prediction on, many people are no longer that high on Hines Ward. He is getting older, but if you take out the time he lost for injuries, his stats haven’t really regressed enough to be wary at all.

On the other hand, Dwayne Bowe is a promising young WR that benefits from having absolutely no competition at all for his WR1 spot.

On the down side, he has Brodie Croyle throwing to him. However, I don’t think we’ve seen enough of Croyle to make too big of a decision on him, and besides, all of the games that he lost last year came against top-10 passing defenses.

You can’t go wrong with either one, but Bowe gets the nod thanks to no competition and a higher upside."

Plaxico Burress vs. Chad Johnson

This one was a 50-50 split amongst the group of four, with each really making the point that it depends on your risk tolerances. Johnson's shoulder injury pulled things down to making this one still as much a toss-up as it was before it happened. 

In his pick of Burress, Ari Horing summed it up:

"Burress had a great start last year, with eight touchdowns in his first six games. However, he was constantly bothered by an ankle injury during the season, and his numbers dropped. If Burress can stay healthy, he could put up some big numbers. On the other hand, Chad Johnson hasn't had a double-digit touchdown year since 2004.

Houshmandzadeh seems to be Carson Palmer’s favorite target, and Johnson isn’t very consistent. He only scored a touchdown in four games last season. He had three touchdowns in one game, two TDs in two games, and one TD in another game. I don't want a guy who’s only going to help me win in four games.

Have to give the edge goes to Burress."

But Josh Galligan countered with his thoughts on the man known as "Ocho Cinco":

"The only way Chad Johnson wouldn’t put up top fantasy numbers this year would be if he reenacted Terrell Owens’ 2005 season. His attitude appears to have changed, and he’s no longer pouting, though it’s unlikely it will stay that way should the Bengals continue to lose more games than they win. Plaxico Burress has a lot of young talent behind him but is certain to see the majority of passes from Eli Manning.

Burress does come with a slight injury risk. Even though he’s proved he can play through them, that could also be taken as a bad thing. Chad Johnson is the pick here, because even if Johnson does get traded mid-season, it’s doubtful he’ll miss as much time as Terrell Owens did. As long as he plays, he’s going to put up top-tier fantasy numbers."

Derek Anderson vs. Donovan McNabb vs. Carson Palmer

This debate was the most interesting. The top player varied among all four participants between Anderson and McNabb, but Palmer ranked second in each one's rankings.

The Roundtable summed up their thoughts on the three this way:

"Anderson makes me the most nervous of the three. Yes, he had a fantastic season last year that, literally, came out of nowhere. He had a rejuvenated Jamal Lewis and seemed to know exactly where Braylon Edwards was going to be on every pass. Even with a new contract, he's got Brady Quinn looking over his shoulder. As an owner, I'd be concerned that the second things went south that Quinn would get the job.

McNabb seems in line for an awesome year. Brian Westbrook gives them a dimension out of the backfield that no team can match. If Reggie Brown can keep his head on straight, he's a top-tier guy. Even DeSean Jackson should be solid in the slot. No doubt, they have the weapons, and it seems the Kevin Kolb talk has died down.

Palmer has all the upside and ability to do it, but he has a company of receivers that either can't stay healthy, can't stay out of jail, or can't shut their mouths. Add to that, no running game, and teams are going to be dropping guys in to coverage left and right to make the Bengals run and beat them. Palmer can do it, but McNabb has to be given the No. 1 spot here."

Jacob added his thoughts about changing the orders of Anderson and McNabb:

"I know Carson Palmer is the "Duh! *Head slap*" pick after Tom Brady, Tony Romo, Peyton Manning, and Drew Brees are off the board, but with the concerns about the offense in Cincinnati, I really like Anderson's situation better.

Palmer has two banged up, out-of-sync WRs, and a third WR in Chris Henry who will be out the first four weeks of the season. He has a new TE in Ben Utecht, who could provide an additional red-zone threat, but I just don't see the Bengals coming together that well to start the regular season. They've had too much drama and too many setbacks this preseason and offseason to come out firing at full blast.

Anderson may be in a rocky spot with Brady Quinn riding just behind him, but he has a top TE in Kellen Winslow Jr., a top WR in Braylon Edwards, and now an excellent complementary receiver in Donte Stallworth.

If he was able to do what he did last year without a camp as the starter, I see him being as successful or more so this season. All offseason, the coaches praised Anderson for thriving under the pressure of being pushed by Brady Quinn and improving his game. Now he's got to show it.

McNabb is the most risky of these three picks. His receivers are all injured and questionable, and even with the support of Westbrook this year, he may not be back to his old self.

I'd draft him if the other two options here were off the board, but I'd make sure to draft another QB soon after, in case McNabb runs into any problems down the road this season and stops performing."

Michael Turner vs. Ronnie Brown vs. Edgerrin James

Maybe this one wasn't as much a debate as a landslide. Michael Turner came out on top in every ranking, with Ronnie Brown losing out to all three.

The Roundtable pointed out:

Ronnie Brown is in a tough situation. He hasn't carried the ball much in the preseason due to injuries, and Ricky Williams has taken advantage. It's going to be a classic timeshare until someone wins out, but Brown needs to get on the field for that to happen. It's just not a good setup to be dealing with.

Michael Turner has been nothing short of solid, and the Falcons will need him to run well in order to succeed with a rookie quarterback under center. He's done nothing but impress so far, but he will need to get himself ready to carry the kind of load the Falcons will require."

Jacob agreed and brought up these points on Edgerrin James:

"Edgerrin James would be solid and in a similar situation to Turner if Matt Leinart was under center, but Kurt Warner is likely to win the starting job in Arizona. With Warner, the Cardinals don't run the ball much. Warner likes to put it in the air. Kurt Warner starting is a plus to Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin, but it hurts Edge's value as a RB2."

With drafts going on this weekend and moves still to be made, hopefully, the forum here helps clear up some of the problems owners run in to come draft day.