Ask the Experts

ASK THE EXPERTS appears weekly with answers to a new question being posted Thursday morning. How the guest experts responded when we asked them:

Who would you pick first in a playoff fantasy draft?

BOB HECK

We think DeAngelo Williams is the pick here. One way to win fantasy playoff ball is to hit big on wild-card-game teams that go deep in the playoffs. Never was that example more spot-on than last year when the Giants played four playoff games and won the Super Bowl as the No. 5 seed in the NFC. However, generally speaking you want to take elite players on teams with a week one bye-week. While they can't play four games, they are the teams most likely to play three. Carolina will have a tough road to go to the Super Bowl, but will have a game at home (where they haven't lost all season) and almost certainly get to the NFC Championship game. At New York (most likely) is a tough draw, but the Panthers just took the Giants to overtime at the Meadowlands, and we'd be willing to saddle up with the most explosive player in the NFL right now in DeAngelo Williams and pull for the Panthers to get to the Super Bowl. Honorable mention: Peyton Manning is also a nice gamble. If you take Peyton No. 1 and the Colts go four games to the Super Bowl you are golden. According to the polls at Dynasty Rogues, 70% think Indianapolis will win that game (although San Diego has beaten them 3 out of the last 4, including last year in the playoffs).

Heck is a founding partner at Dynasty Rogues, a fantasy football website filled with football enthusiasts, run by football enthusiasts. The company provides year-round dynasty and redraft fantasy football coverage and analysis, including Dynasty Rogues Radio and the Rogues Forum. The site can be reached at www.dynastyrogues.com.

CHRIS LISS

Probably Michael Turner, Brian Westbrook or DeAngelo Williams. All should play two games at least and do a lot on a per-game basis. If I had to pick, I'd say Westbrook, but it's close between those three, Brandon Jacobs and Peyton Manning.

RotoWire.com is a leading independent provider of fantasy sports news on the web, covering all the news as it breaks, combining innovative analysis with an easy-to-use format. The site’s content has won numerous awards and has earned partnerships with ESPN, Yahoo! Sports, FoxSports, XM Satellite Radio, NFL.com, NBA.com and many other sites and networks. To sample site content, take advantage of their free 10-day trial.

IAN ALLAN

I’d go with Peyton Manning. I think the Colts are going to win in San Diego. I think they can win at Pittsburgh and Tennessee as well. (Maybe they even get lucky and the Ravens beat the Titans, allowing the Colts to host an AFC Championship game featuring two wild-card teams). And if Indianapolis goes on a four-game run, Manning would be the most valuable player, fantasy wise.

Allan is the senior writer for Fantasy Football Index magazine. He’s also one of the main content contributors for that company’s website, www.fantasyindex.com. His IAN ALLAN’S MAILBAG column is posted on Fridays.

LOUIS TRANQUILLI

Brandon Jacobs. He's the primary ball carrier on a team that will face the Eagles and Panthers in my opinion in the playoffs. Two teams he has already proven capable of running on, along with a Super Bowl matchup against either the Titans or Colts. Both of whom can also be run on. I think you get 3 games and 3 TDs from him.

Louis Tranquilli is the founder and the primary "brains" (if you stretch it) of BFDFANTASYfootball.com. BFD is about giving advice to players from a player. Lou's been a highly successful owner in many high stakes contests. BFD is giving away 50 fantasy football teams in 2008.

JEFFREY KAMYS

Can't remember when you could look at each and every team in the playoffs and see how easy any of them could lose in the first or second round. With no clear cut favorite, I would go with a team with a strong D like the Steelers, so I am going to grab Willie Parker with the 1st pick.

Kamys is president of Dr. Stats Fantasy Sports. His company, via the web, offers player news, injury reports, cheat sheets, projections, weekly matchups, statistics, and a customized team tracker. Dr. Stats Fantasy Sports also e-mails preseason newsletters and reports throughout the season. For more info visit www.docstats.com or send email to webmaster@docstats.com.

SAM HENDRICKS

The first thing to determine is which teams will play the most post season games. This means going through and determining who will be in the Super Bowl. I feel like IND has a good shot at making the Super Bowl. In fact, I like IND vs. CAR. The Colts will play four games if they make it and that puts a hot Peyton Manning as my No. 1 pick. The Colts will follow in the footsteps of the NYG and PIT in previous years by making the big game from a wildcard spot.

Hendricks is the author of Fantasy Football Guidebook and the recently released Fantasy Football Almanac 2008 which are both available at his website, www.ffguidebook.com, at all major bookstores, and at www.amazon.com. He is an 18-year fantasy football veteran who regularly participates in the World Championship of Fantasy Football (WCOFF) and will participate this year in the inaugural season of the Fantasy Football Players Championship (FFPC).

ANDY RICHARDSON

I think it has to be Peyton Manning. He's going to have an absolutely huge game in the opening round at San Diego, and should be OK in a second round game where the Colts may lose but at least they will generate all their offense via the pass. Up next I'd go with either Brandon Jacobs or DeAngelo Williams -- I'm very confident that their teams will win their first games and one of the two will definitely be playing in the Super Bowl.

Richardson has been a columnist and contributor to the Fantasy Football Index magazine and web site for the past seven years. His responsibilities include team defense and IDP projections, as well as various site features. He has run the magazine's annual draft and auction leagues since their inception. His A DAY OF FOOTBALL wrap-up column appears Mondays during the NFL season. For more information go to www.fantasyindex.com.

• Comments [0]

Readers' Comments

Add a Comment

Already a registered user? Please sign in to add comments.

To add comments, you must become a registered user of our site. To register, please click here.