Fantasy Football 2008 Red Flags and How They Fared

Every year you head into the fantasy draft with a list of players to avoid. Whether it’s because of injuries, issues with consistency or the personnel surrounding that player, you mark him as a red flag; somebody to avoid drafting at all costs.

Let’s take a look at some of the red flag players from the 2008 season and see how they fared. In a later article, we’ll then take a look at potential red flag players for 2009 and how that will shape your preseason draft lists and cheat sheets.

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2008 RED FLAGS

QB Philip Rivers (San Diego Chargers)

Having to deal with a torn ACL that he played on during the playoffs last year, it was believed that San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers wouldn’t be 100 percent by the start of the 2008 season. He fell in drafts behind guys like the Detroit Lions’ Jon Kitna or the Carolina Panthers' Jake Delhomme. Then Rivers went out and threw for 4,009 yards with 34 touchdowns and finished in the top five quarterbacks in most leagues, depending of course on scoring system.

QB Matt Schaub (Houston Texans)

Having missed stints of games at two different times in 2007 because of concussions, Houston Texans' quarterback Matt Schaub saw his fantasy value plummet in 2008. Questions still remained about the offense as wide receiver Andre Johnson appeared to be the only legitimate threat. Schaub did miss five games in 2008 but finished with 3,043 passing yards and 15 touchdowns, five of which came in the final four games.

QB Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay Packers)

First-year starters always struggle at quarterback, right? That was the prevailing thought surrounding Green Bay Packers' quarterback Aaron Rodgers, especially amid preseason reports that he was struggling mightily. But, Rodgers was spectacular this season as he threw for 4,038 yards with 28 touchdowns and rushed for four more, which allowed him to finish as the one of the top two or three quarterbacks in fantasy football.

RB DeAngelo Williams (Carolina Panthers)

The problem with Carolina running back DeAngelo Williams was that despite repeated attempts by the team to let him become a No. 1 back, he never seemed to grasp that role. The Panthers then spent a first-round pick on Jonathan Stewart, and it appeared Williams would be relegated to backup duty. Williams then went out and rushed for 1,515 yards and 18 touchdowns and recorded three 30-point fantasy performances in the final five weeks.

RB Leon Washington (New York Jets)

With Thomas Jones already in place as the starter, New York Jets running back Leon Washington was believed to be nothing more than a third-down back entering the season. Too small and underutilized, Washington fell in most drafts and was undrafted in many more. But Washington went out and made the best out of his touches, racking up 803 total yards and eight touchdowns.

WR Roddy White (Atlanta Falcons)

With a rookie quarterback in Matt Ryan and a first-time head coach in Mike Smith who came from a defensive background, many felt that the Atlanta Falcons offense would struggle in 2008. Wide receiver Roddy White was believed to see dips in his numbers from 2007 when he had a breakout season. But, a funny thing happened in that Ryan was pretty good right away. That allowed White to finish with 88 receptions for 1,382 yards and seven touchdowns.

WR Vincent Jackson (San Diego Chargers)

Given that it was believed Rivers would struggle and that fellow wide receiver Chris Chambers was the clear-cut No. 1 in San Diego, the expectations were relatively small for Vincent Jackson. Jackson had yet to have his breakout season and many wondered if it would ever come. Jackson finally had that breakout as he caught 59 passes for 1,098 yards and seven touchdowns, including three in the last six weeks.

D/ST Tennessee Titans

It’s not that many felt the Tennessee Titans defense and special teams unit would be bad, but there was nothing that stood out about this team. Some preseason rankings had the unit as low as 15th behind units like Green Bay and the Seattle Seahawks. But the Titans were pretty good at not allowing many points or yards and forced 31 turnovers to go along with three defensive touchdowns.

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