Where fantasy becomes reality

By Lou DiPietro  |   Friday, August 22, 2008  |  Comments( 6 )

Philadelphia Eagles
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With the rise of the Internet age, fantasy sports have become the quasi-social activity of our time. Every fan has an opinion, and if you listen to enough sports radio, you’ll hear thousands of people a day who think they understand free agent deals, trade markets and the salary cap better than their favorite team’s general manager.

OK, so fantasy sports aren’t quite as complicated as the real thing, but they do make the real thing more interesting – especially if some form of “compensation” is up for grabs. Last season, no one outside of their respective markets cared about St. Louis vs. Atlanta. But put Steven Jackson, Torry Holt or Roddy White on your fantasy team, and that game instantly becomes a scoring goldmine worth rapt attention. Heck, Holt actually had his best game of 2007 against the Falcons.

Plus, it gives you bragging rights over your friends or colleagues. Sure, Steve next door or Jimmy from accounting may whip your butt in any real contest you have, but that one week where your team beats his thanks to eight Rod Bironas field goals, you are the king of the domain.

The real test of fantasy gurus, however, is when you get deep into your draft. We’re talking, say, the 20th round of a 14-team league, where your choices for fourth-string running back are greats like Leon Washington and Arlen Harris. Lo and behold, the Philadelphia Eagles can help you quite a lot in that category this year.

Sure, everyone knows that Brian Westbrook is a top-10 overall pick, Donovan McNabb is a top-10 QB and Kevin Curtis is a pretty good third receiver. But what about the guys who aren’t necessarily focal points of the offense? Those are the players whose big games can win you weeks when your top players are down.

For example, last year I had two receivers on byes and one hurt, so in Week 7 I picked up Roddy White for what I thought was one or two weeks. Two months later, White’s breakout season (nearly 800 yards and five TDs in the eight weeks I played him) helped me finish third.

Two years ago, I was in a Week 17 final and knew Peyton Manning would get me nothing. I picked up Jon Kitna, and his amazing performance against Dallas won me the league championship.

For the Eagles, again, everyone knows that the Big three are great and Trent Cole or David Akers will be solid picks at the lesser acknowledged positions. But these three Eagle picks could be the difference between fantasy glory and watching your friends fawn over this year’s Week 17 Rams-Falcons clash because they’re in the finals instead.

WIDE RECEIVER – DeSean Jackson

A lot of people are wary of selecting rookies at skill positions. But in the NFL, at least these days, it seems that the gap between top-flight wideouts and useful receivers grows smaller by the year. Two or three years ago, Joe Horn was a monster; now he’s looking for work, while the guy who ostensibly replaced him in New Orleans, Marques Colston, went from seventh-round draft pick to highly touted No. 1 WR in that same span.

If you’re in a league where return yards are factored in, Jackson’s worth a look. Jackson is currently listed atop the Eagles’ depth chart at punt returner, and he could get some looks on kick returns as well. Now, I’m not going to tell you he’s the next Joshua Cribbs – whose 2,200 return yards and three TDs made him a top-30 WR in leagues that counted those stats last year – but he could be very productive. About 500 yards, a couple TDs and 1,200 or so return yards with even one return TD will make Jackson a top-30 receiver in most leagues. It made Ted Ginn Jr. one last year.

And if you’re not in a return yards league, well, he might still be amazing. Curtis just went down with a sports hernia, which could sideline him anywhere from an hour to a year (given the Eagles' track record). Reggie Brown is nursing a bad hamstring as well, meaning Jackson will start the final two preseason games for the Eagles. Barring a trade – and yes, those rumors of Lito Sheppard to Arizona, this time for Anquan Boldin, are already flying – Jackson could possibly be the Eagles’ top receiver come Opening Day.

My advice? Depending on how deep your league is and what stats count, take a flier on Jackson in the later rounds as a third or fourth option.

TIGHT END – L.J. Smith

OK, it should be a given that Smith will be a high pick, right? Well, not necessarily, because there are a few X factors here. Tight end is a weird position in fantasy: You can only use one in most leagues, and a lot of people don’t pick backups. Plus, in reality, TE is a position where there are a few great ones, a few really good ones and then 20 or so guys who could be Kellen Winslow Sr. one week and Mike Bartrum the next.

Smith’s value comes in from a different factor. Because of injuries last year, he’s a cautious sleeper – and there are a ton of sleepers this season. Jeremy Shockey and Alge Crumpler are on new teams, so they could be more productive – likewise for their replacements, Kevin Boss and Ben Hartsock. Bubba Franks is the only Jet Brett Favre knows and could be a heavy target early. Todd Heap is also coming off an injury-plagued year, while Ben Watson’s role in the Patriots' offense seems to be ever-changing, and many are wondering if the Owen Daniels and Tony Schefflers of the world are for real.

The position is wide open after the top handful of studs. But when healthy, Smith has traditionally been one of McNabb’s favorite targets and should be good for 600-700 yards and a few TDs. Antonio Gates, Jason Witten, Kellen Winslow Jr. and Tony Gonzalez will be gone early, so unless you really need a Dallas Clark to compensate for a perceived receiver weakness, Smith is a decent mid-round choice.

DEFENSE – Chris Gocong

I know he’s not even the best player on his team, especially at a lesser scoring position like defense. But this year, Gocong will be Philadelphia's strongside linebacker, which means he has Asante Samuel -- one of the best lock-down corners in the NFL -- directly behind him and sack machine Trent Cole on the opposite side of the field.

Calculation? Cole’s going to be flushing a lot of QBs out toward Gocong’s side, and with Samuel covering receivers like a settler-given blanket, it could mean a lot of tackles for Gocong. Barring a ridiculous sack or interception total, linebackers usually account for 15 or more of the top-20 fantasy scores on defense. If the Eagles’ defense is as good as advertised, Gocong might not be a bad pickup, especially in deeper leagues where you play two or even three defenders.

With only two weeks to go until the regular season begins in earnest, all three of these players have a couple more chances to show you, the fantasy guru, that they are worth your picks.

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About Lou DiPietro

Lou DiPietro is an accomplished freelance writer who is fascinated with all things sports. In addition to his duties at RealFootball365.com, Lou contributes to TheBleacherReport.com and Pro Wrestling Illustrated magazine, and has been featured on "The Sports Buffet with Matt West" on 1080-AM ESPN...
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