Mikey D

What if I told you before our fantasy draft you would end up with the following players on your roster as your core group: DeAngelo Williams, Steven Jackson, Steve Slaton, Marion Barber, Kurt Warner, Marques Colston, Dallas Clark, DeSean Jackson, Ben Roethlisberger, Brandon Marshall, and the Tennessee defense?

I think you’d be reasonably happy, yes? There are some question marks, but you could work with a roster like that.

Which is exactly what I did- last year. I rode that roster to a 2-12 record and an overall 5th place finish. Some of that had to do with unlucky breaks in the schedule (okay, that was a huge part of it), but fantasy is a funny game. On paper your squad might look outstanding, but at the end of the year it could have you sitting in 8th place in the standings, despite having all the talent in the world.

Looking back at our draft from Tuesday, I think most everyone has a pretty solid looking team. On paper I’m sure everyone is pretty happy with most of their picks and the way their team looks. But I think each team does have their question marks; the questions that need to be answered to ensure their team's fantasy success.

So instead of analyzing the best and worst picks this year, I’m going to present the three burning questions I feel each team has going into the fantasy season that need addressing. Let’s start with the champ…

Boston Massacre
1) Will San Diego’s offense be top-5 good? Adam needs production from Tomlinson and Rivers as they are the key pieces to his team’s success. With Rivers coming off a 30+ TD year and Tomlinson still racking up 1,000 yards and 10+ TDs, I don’t see why they can’t be an elite offense and an elite fantasy producing duo. Having the Chiefs, Raiders, and Broncos on the schedule for six games is a tremendous bonus.
2) Can LT and Steven Jackson be productive at the same time? Both are elite fantasy backs…when they’re on the field. Both seem to have been hampered by injuries the past couple of years, and staying healthy is a major concern for both. If they can stay healthy together, Adam will get consistent production from his backs.
3) Can Larry Fitzgerald avoid the “Madden Curse”? Hey, the curse has been going strong from quite some time now, so you can dismiss it if you want, but the question is valid. Fitzgerald is the anchor to Adam’s receiving corps and could be a major blow to Adam’s team if he gets hurt.

Kevinvidious
1) Who will emerge as the number 1 fantasy wideout? Dwayne Bowe, T.O., and TJ Houshmanzadeh. All fantastic receivers, but all with their fantasy question marks. Bowe has his work ethic issues and a new regime in Kansas City. T.O. is in Buffalo of all places with a nagging toe injury. Houshmanzadeh had a great year last year reception-wise, but only had 4 TDs. Who will step up?
2) Can David Garrard be a top-10 fantasy QB again? He’s not flashy, but he’s steady. The easy answer is no, but if you look at Jacksonville they improved their WRs with Holt and have a healthy offensive line again. So if the situation is supposedly better than last year…why not again?
3) Can AP stay healthy? He’s a stud RB, but everyone worries about his “violent, upright” running style. Will that style catch up with him? He’s been hampered by injuries in the past, so it is pause for concern.

Cumming From Behind
1) Will a productive running back emerge? The talent is there with McFadden, Addai, Brown, and Jones, but are they legitimate fantasy backs? It’s a wait-and-see game, but I need someone to breakthrough out of that group, and if two of them could it would be an extra bonus.
2) Can my team stay healthy? Brady is coming off an injury. McFadden is coming off an injury. Addai is coming off an injury. Felix Jones is coming off an injury. Schaub was hurt last year. Gates was hurt last year. Brady just got his shoulder smashed in preseason. Jennings just got knocked the fuck out in his last preseason game. Is this team a MASH unit in progress?
3) Will the WRs produce like top picks? I was so WR-heavy in the draft that I need my three receivers (Moss, Jennings, White) to play like top picks. Passing on quality backs early could be my overall downfall, but if the WRs produce, that will mask my lack of a running game.

ipresstoocoolbuttons
1) Is Ray Rice the real deal? In fantasy circles they say he could be a breakout player. In Baltimore they love him. There is talk he could receive 250+ carries, which would be a big difference to the three-headed RB attack Baltimore used last year. If he doesn’t produce though, Grace will be scouring the waiver wire for running backs.
2) Are Ochocinco and Hasselbeck back? With Carson Palmer back and TJ gone to Seattle, Ochocinco could relieve his glory days. Hasselbeck is healthy again and has Carlson emerging as a top-TE target along with Houshmanzadeh, Branch, and Burrleson. The weapons are there, all he has to do is produce. And the same goes for Chad. But will they?
3) Can Johnson and Boldin stay healthy? Megatron and Boldin make for a great 1-2 punch at WR, but as long as they stay on the field. Boldin is more of a concern than Megatron, but Johnson has been hampered a bit this preseason by a nagging thumb injury.

Zoo Tycoons
1) Are McNabb and Roethlisberger reliable enough? Both play in reasonably difficult divisions, and both have strong defenses with capable running games. The chances for 300+ yard games with 3 TDs are less with both of these guys, but they do have some decent receivers to throw to. Can they do it consistently?
2) Will DeAngelo and MJD produce as top-5 backs? There are differing opinions on both. There are questions (time shares, workload concerns) about both, but at the very least they should be decent. If they are top-5, however, watch out…
3) After Andre Johnson…who will step up? Antonio Bryant has been hurt and Tampa seems to be going towards a ground attack. Avery is in St. Louis with a dismal offense. Colston is in a great offense, but the ball gets spread around to everyone. Will there be enough touches for him? Can she get legit production from these guys?

PB’s Gunslingers
1) What’s up with Brandon Marshall? Amber has him as a number three receiver, which is a pretty low risk option. When the guy is on the field, he produces, bottom line. But can he fit into Denver and come back from his suspension ready to play?
2) Will Westbrook be healthy? She’s not relying on him to be a number one back, which is good, but with no preseason action and coming off two surgeries, you have to wonder if Westbrook is just at the point where he’s breaking down. And with McCoy breathing down his neck, this is a very high risk, high reward option.
3) Will Carson Palmer be the Carson Palmer from three years ago? Remember when Cincinnati’s offense was amazing? It seems so long ago. But the cast is healthy again, but without the old weapons of the past (TJ and Rudi). Can Coles and Benson step into their shoes? Will Chris Henry become a threat? Most importantly, can Carson Palmer use the players around him to become an All-Pro QB and a fantasy stud again?

Wicked Weasels
1) Will the RBs get enough touches? There are health concerns for both Ronnie Brown and Marion Barber, but they are also in situations where they have capable running mates beside them (Ricky Williams and Felix Jones). Barber figures to get a lot of goal line carries to keep his value high, but what about Brown? He will be in on wildcat plays, but will that be enough?
2) Who’s the number one receiver going to be? Eddie Royal is the guy (for now) in Denver. Santonio Holmes is behind Ward (still). Vincent Jackson is the one in San Diego (although Gates is the preferred receiving target). Will one of these guys produce as a number one receiver?
3) Will the bench be productive? On paper, Brian has the weakest bench. Justin Gage, Sammy Morris, Jerious Norwood, Eli Manning, Chris Chambers, and Kevin Boss do not scare anyone, so on bye weeks will his team’s production be hampered?

Whiskey Wednesday
1) What to do with all the running backs? So much talent, but you can only start two! Turner is a must-start every week, but Mark has five other options for his second back. Will he trade one for wide receiver or QB help?
2) Is Matt Cassel or Joe Flacco a number one QB? Flacco has more talent, but Cassel is in the better system (they like to throw). I think Flacco will have a better year, but I don’t see either being a legit number one fantasy QB. But could they become one?
3) Will the need for wide receivers be addressed? It looks like Mark is content to see if he can get production out of any of them (unless someone was offered a trade). There are a lot of upside guys like Hixon and Jackson, but will they produce elite WR numbers?

~Mikey D