Sadly, the 2008 fantasy season has come to an end for redraft owners in normal, Week 16-ending leagues. Now begins the long, boring offseason filled with football torture while other fantasy games kick into high gear.
Re-drafters watch as players change hands in the league and rookies are grabbed in late April. None of this matters to them at the time because most re-drafters wait for the end of mini-camps and training camps to conduct fantasy research. And then, finally, relevant fantasy action commences in the form of fantasy drafts in August.
Somewhere, dynasty league owners are chuckling.
Not necessarily because 2008 proved to be a fruitful one. In most leagues, 11 of 12 owners fall short of their yearly expectations. They may not leave completely empty-handed, but every fantasy owner expects to win his/her league…every season, in fact.
No, dynasty leagues owners are chuckling because for them, the season never ends. The 2008 campaign may be over but that only means the 2009 is just beginning. Twelve of 12 dynasty league owners will go back to the drawing board this week in preparation for the playoffs, free agency, the NFL Draft, mini-camps and the rest of the very early preseason football.
But before those wonderful football oases of the spring appear, dynasty leaguers should look to acquire a few of these players to bolster the chances that next year’s team finishes the season as 1 of 12.
Quarterbacks Michael Vick, Free Agent Vick could be released from prison as early as late Spring, meaning just in time mini-camps and training camps. His athletic ability surely has not deteriorated to the point where he would be a useless addition to an NFL team. Someone in need of a backup quarterback could take a chance on Vick despite the obvious PR hit. Seneca Wallace, Seahawks Wallace has proven to be a capable NFL quarterback these last few weeks and will get another start this weekend. His stock has risen considerably down the stretch and could make for trade bait should Seattle look to unload him. If not, supplanting Matt Hasselbeck seems like a long shot but worth a look for deep league dynasty owners. Tarvaris Jackson, Vikings TJax once again has his hands on the wheel, and this time during the most important part of the season for Minnesota. How he handles the pressure in the postseason will go a long way toward his chances of being the Vikings starter next year, but dynasty owners should grab him now in anticipation of at least a decent showing. The risk is low here, so those owners with a shallow quarterback pool should take a(nother) chance on Jackson. Running Backs Jamaal Charles, Chiefs Larry Johnson is not getting any younger nor is he getting any more favorable in Kansas City. Charles has played well in spots this season, particularly as a pass catcher out of the backfield. With the Chiefs looking to go younger, the future fantasy trio is looking more and more like Tyler Thigpen, Dwayne Bowe and Charles. As bad as Kansas City’s record has been the last two season, the fantasy outlook of that offense continues to improve. Ryan Torain, Broncos Torain got one opportunity to start this year and blew up. And then he got hurt, in the very same game. Given the lack of consistency at running back for Denver this year, Torain again will get his shot to earn the starting job next summer or beyond, depending on how soon he recovers from injury. Regardless, with Torain being out until at least next summer, he is flying well below most owner’s radars at this point and would be a good grab. Lorenzo Booker, Eagles Brian Westbrook, despite all the injury and age concerns, continues to produce stud-tastic numbers for his fantasy owners. But how much longer can his wheels last? The end is near for Westbrook to continue as the workhorse back, and the most likely candidate to help with the load is Booker. He is young, versatile and shifty like the elder Westbrook and another offseason of tutelage from the PPR King should raise Booker’s stock considerably. Wide Receivers Keenan Burton, Rams I can hear the “Who?!?” coming from the fantasy football collective. Burton is as obscure as they come on the fantasy radar. But a significant overhaul is in store for the St. Louis Rams this offseason and veteran Torry Holt could be ousted for younger, cheaper talent. Burton saw a decent amount of playing time this year and made some key catches along the way. His role could be expanded next season if the new coaching staff is open to his potential. Adrian Arrington, Saints Arrington was off to a great start in Saints’ camp and preseason football before being sidelined with a foot injury. His long-term health is not an issue and he should return to battle Robert Meachem and Devery Henderson for playing time behind Marques Colston and Lance Moore. Arrington has just as much chance as either Meachem or Henderson of winning the job, which could be a lucrative position in the high-powered Saints offense. Mike Walker, Jaguars Walker briefly flashed on fantasy radars during part of the 2008 season before succumbing to injury. Avoiding the IR has been a big knock on Walker, but until going down this season it began to look as if David Garrard found his favorite target. If Walker can stay healthy next summer, he would slip into Jacksonville’s starting lineup for 2009.
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