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:
11 comments Last one added 8 months ago — Leave a Comment
Jacob Sloan 10 months ago
I like what I said, and I said what I like.
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Paul Hayden 10 months ago
What would you do. I have Heath Miller as my tight end. I also have Randy McMichael as my sleeper. Would you go for Tony Scheffler who is on waivers?
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Collin Hager - The Roundtable 10 months ago
Personally, would rather have Scheffler than McMichael any day of the week. Scheffler is in a system prone to using the tight end as a weapon and he was targeted in the red zone fairly often. McMichael will have a good game or two, but Scheffler will be more consistent.
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Jacob Sloan 10 months ago
I agree. I think Scheffler is a better option that McMichael. He's starter-quality. No need to have a sleeper when he is available.
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Bob Fletcher 10 months ago
Michael Turner, Thomas Jones, Marshawn Lynch, and Chris Perry..Perry was value because he could beat out Rudi Johnson anyday but which 2 sould I start..i currently have Turner and Jones starting
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Jacob Sloan 10 months ago
That's a nice selection of RBs to have. While Lynch is your stud, Turner and Jones do have better matchups this week against a rebounding Detroit and a rebuilding Miami. You don't want to touch Perry until you see how the Bengals will split the playing time when the season starts.
The general rule of thumb is to start your studs. You didn't draft them in the first/second round to play matchups. If I were you, given this is a first game and in Buffalo, I'd start Lynch.
For your second starter, it's a toss up. Turner is in Atlanta, and he is the main weapon on the offense with Matt Ryan starting at QB. On the other hand, Thomas Jones isn't a bad choice, but Favre can throw and might do just that in a game against Miami. (It's the Pennington vs. Favre showdown, after all.)
I'd go Turner for Week 1 and see what you have in your talented RB pool.
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Collin Hager - The Roundtable 10 months ago
I'm with Jacob here. Lynch is the go-to guy in this case. When you draft a player high, you have to go with them unless there is a major reason to look another way.
Michael Turner vs. Thomas Jones is the debate that makes the most sense to have. I like Jones a fair amount, especially against a weaker Miami front. They'll struggle to get pressure on Favre, which likely means they'll drop an extra linebacker or corner into coverage. That could open up some holes for Jones in the early going.
With Turner, you know he's the primary weapon Atlanta has, and against Detroit he's the best of options. Even if they were to bring eight men into the box, Detroit's defense is awful. I go with Turner this week strictly because of that matchup.
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Vinny Gazzara 10 months ago
Wit Chad Johnson out with an injury, shouldnt Plax move up?
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Jacob Sloan 10 months ago
The call between Plaxico and Chad Johnson is almost personal preference.
Plaxico is looking for a big paycheck, and the Giants just lost a key to their defense that might make them a little easier to score on this year. They'll need him to make big plays. Of course, there is always the danger that Manning stinks it up in the Super Bowl slump.
Chad Johnson is...Ocho Cinco. He was inconsistent last year but still finished as one of the top receivers. Now, despite his injury, he's motivated and determined to shut up his critics. He might eventually get banged up enough to need surgery, and the Bengals may be terrible again this year. Regardless, Chad Johnson is a top WR.
I think Plaxico gets a bump up because he wants the payday but not much, so he probably ranks higher than Chad Johnson on the board. That doesn't mean that I wouldn't take Chad Johnson where he is falling this year though. Ocho Cinco is a high risk, high reward this year.
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Vinny Gazzara 10 months ago
Do you guys know if Steven Jackson will start in week one? Because i have Michael Turner on the bench and I'm not sure if Jackson is ready to play after his holdout and all.
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Jacob Sloan 8 months ago
Sorry we missed your comment, Vinny. How are Michael Turner and Steven Jackson treating you these days? Feel free to drop a note on my profile anytime you have questions.
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