After Moss and T.O., how about …?

By Os Davis  |   Monday, July 28, 2008  |  Comments( 9 )

Fantasy Football
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Three, as they say, is the magic number. Tell you what: At no time has that been truer than in fantasy football drafts this year. While Nos. 1 and 2 are solidified no-brainers, the show position on the board is up for grabs. At running back, after LaDainian Tomlinson and Adrian Peterson, who's next in line? At quarterback, after Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, do you go Tony Romo or Ben Roethlisberger? And most harrying of all, who’s the No. 3 wide receiver after Randy Moss and Terrell Owens?

Actually, the owner choosing at No. 3 in leagues should get a bit of a break here after burning out many a brain cell in figuring out who the third-best runner and third-best passers should be in 2008: Because 99.9 percent of all fantasy owners will be filling those QB and RB positions in the first three rounds, and most draft leagues reverse the order of selection in even-numbered rounds, Round 4 will typically put the onus of decision on someone other than hapless No. 3.

In any case, someone in your league is going to have to make the hard decision after the no-brainer choices are gone. As to whom that lucky/unlucky person should be looking to, how about the suggestions below?

(Note: Fantasy points are deriving from the system used by the RealFootball365.com in-house league's host, including one point for 10 yards receiving; six points for a touchdown pass caught; minus-2 points for fumble lost.)

Reggie Wayne. While only putting 10 TDs on the board for the Indianapolis Colts last season, Wayne actually led the league in receiving yards, beating out Moss by just 17. Now in his prime, Peyton Manning’s favorite target in 2007 could be counted on for nearly 10 points per game based on receiving yardage alone; paradoxically, however, despite the crushing Colts passing game, division of TD receptions between Wayne and Dallas Clark, who notched 11 TDs in 2007, subtracts from this potential No. 3’s appeal, and though you have to figure returning Marvin Harrison will get his, the 35-year-old must have lost a step after a year out because of injury. Last year, Wayne's 13.5 fantasy points per game (Moss and Owens managed almost exactly 18 and 15 per week, respectively) was nothing to sneeze at; this year, he could easily duplicate the performance.

Larry Fitzgerald. For those who noticed the football going on in Arizona last season, the on-again, off-again career of Larry Fitzgerald was on. Fitzgerald averaged over 13 fantasy points per game in making an even 100 catches for 1,409 yards and 10 TDs while half the time barely knowing who the quarterback was. A bit scary in his inconsistency (780 yards in 2004; exactly 1,409 yards in 2005; 946 yards and six TDs in 13 games in 2006) only augments the anxiety of making such a pick. In contrast, his main competition for stats, fellow fantasy standout Anquan Boldin is holding out with no end in sight. Plus, perhaps because they’re chucking away while far behind, the Cards always seem to produce a top-five fantasy receiver, from David Boston to Boldin to Fitzgerald.

Braylon Edwards. Most everybody’s down with the idea of the 2008 Cleveland Browns making the leap to the playoffs, but Edwards may not even need them to, statistically speaking. While hauling in 80 passes last season, Edwards established himself as far and away the Browns' top long-ball threat: At 16.1 yards per reception, Edwards was second best to T.O. in the category among WRs with 60 catches or more. Though fellow long man Donte’ Stallworth is aboard for the Browns this season, Edwards should remain the top receiver on this team and will definitely get more opportunities with a viable partner on the field. The only questions, of course, center on the ability of Derek Anderson to reproduce the magic of 2007, particularly in the early going.

Chad Johnson. Or T.J. Houshmandzadeh. Or both. The 2007 Cincinnati Bengals were the very poster children for the fantasy passing game last season, with no running game to speak of and a trio of individual superstars racking up gaudy numbers while sputtering to a 7-9 record. Gobs of fantasy owners (outside the Cincinnati area) were able to marvel at this receiving corps, one of three -- world powers New England and Dallas being the others -- to place two WRs in the top 15 in yardage. And each even compiled decent fantasy numbers: 9.5 per game for Ocho Cinco, 7.9 for Housh.

Could either of this pair of Bengals be No. 3-worthy as Carson Palmer continues his own upward path to superstardom, particularly given that nothing has been done to address the running game? (C’mon, is Rudi Johnson really the answer?) Certainly, but it’s all about Chad Johnson’s attitude, isn't it? If C.J. is committed to playing (and, let’s face it, can accept another season of 8-8 or worse), he simply is the third-best receiver in the league. However, one of the best things that could happen to an opportunistic fantasy owner would be for Johnson’s questionable status to rise to out for the first few weeks of 2008. Houshmandzadeh looks like an All-Pro waiting to happen, and 2008 could be his breakout year. The ideal move here might be, Johnson’s satisfaction willing, to snag both and let one of the NFL’s premier 1-2s go to work for your team.

Training Camp: An entirely new kind of fantasy game!
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About Os Davis

Os Davis has taken a twisted route to get to RealFootball365.com in his nearly 17 years in professional writing, working in any number of capacities in the sportswriting, news reporting and film criticism worlds. In print media, Os has served as editor at a few publications, including Albuquerque's...
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