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:

Which currently unsigned veteran are you most likely to use a late-round pick on?

LOUIS TRANQUILLI

Only Edgerrin James would be a thought of as a late rounder. He was the starter in the Cardinals run through the playoffs, and having watched the Super Bowl a couple of times now he did a nice job of powering through the Steelers front. This is only a lukewarm endorsement though; the current crop of players has seen their football and fantasy football heyday.

Tranquilli is the founder and the primary "brains" (if you stretch it) of BFDFANTASYfootball.com. BFD is about delivering the information players want, not fluff, just opinions that matter to fantasy football players. Lou has worked with NFL players and gives a unique perspective because of it. We'll be giving MORE teams away in 2009 to BFD subscribers!

JEFFREY KAMYS

In our experience, if a guy isn't on a team, he's probably not worth drafting. There are too many younger rookies that I would rather spend a pick on, than a washed up veteran. Bottom line, if a guy had a team, then at least you could analyze his potential chances of getting playing time, but say you grab a guy like Vick in your draft and he goes to a team that isn't going to run the Wildcat and is 2 deep at QB. Vick then isn't likely to play, so it's a wasted pick in our book.

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.

PRETZEL MAY

Of the unemployed veterans my late round flier would probably be Edgerrin James. Vick is 2 years removed from football and won't be able to play until midway through the fantasy football season if he is signed, for most leagues this means you can probably get on a waiver a week prior to his full reinstatement. Burress is still sorting out legal issues and is sure to face a suspension if any team is willing to take the risk on an attitude problem with off the field issues. And Marvin Harrison has lost a bunch of steps and is facing some legal troubles of his own. James is the most likely to have immediate fantasy value even if it is in a 3rd down back/goal line vulture type role. He also proved last year at the end of the season and playoffs that given the right motivation he can still perform at a decent level. For this one we may have to wait for an injury in training camp for him to get the opportunity/money he is looking for but definitely worth a late round pick in my eyes.

The May brothers have more than 16 years of combined fantasy football experience and are the co-founders of FantasyDraftMaster.com. The cornerstone of FDM is the UberRank which is a revolutionary approach to the traditional fantasy football cheat sheet. FantasyDraftMaster.com also offers insightful and humorous commentary on football happenings as well as recommendations on waiver wire pickups, line up submissions and weekly pick em' pools. For more info, visit www.fantasydraftmaster.com or email us at info@fantasydraftmaster.com.

IAN ALLAN

Once the Plaxico Burress situation is resolved, I expect he’ll wind up being a No. 1 receiver for some team — probably the Jets or Bears. He may miss four or five games, but I think he could be a top-20 receiver for the other portion of the season. In my opinion, that’s enough upside potential that Burress is worth selecting after about 30-40 receivers are off the board.

Allan is the senior writer for Fantasy Football Index. He’s been in that role since 1987, generating most of the player rankings and analysis for that publication. His work can be seen in Fantasy Football Index magazine, and also at the company’s website, www.fantasyindex.com.

CORY BONINI

Wow. Can I say none? I don't have much interest in a nearly 37-year-old receiver, nor a soon-to-be 31-year-old running back. I don't think Burress sees the light of day in terms of playing this year, and Vick's role on who knows which team is anyone's guess. I'd like to say Burress if I didn't think he is on his way to jail, but Vick is my choice by default. It would have to be the final of 18 rounds, though, before I could take him.

KFFL.com offers fantasy football, fantasy baseball and fantasy NASCAR content. We have captured well more than a dozen expert league championships. Founded in 1996, KFFL offers award-winning daily news feeds, preseason draft guides, player rankings, sleepers, busts, weekly newsletters and more. KFFL is completely free! For more information, visit www.kffl.com.

SAM HENDRICKS

I would take a chance on WR Matt Jones. Seven of his 12 games last year (before suspension) were 60-plus yard games with a 6 catch average. He will start on most teams needing WR help. Expect him to play this year.

Sam Hendricks is the author of Fantasy Football Guidebook, Fantasy Football Tips and Fantasy Football Almanac 2009, all available at his website, www.ffguidebook.com, at all major bookstores, and at www.amazon.com. He is a 19-year fantasy football veteran who regularly participates in the World Championship of Fantasy Football (WCOFF), National Fantasy Football Championship (NFFC) and finished 7th overall in the 2008 Fantasy Football Players Championship (FFPC).

SCOTT ENDSLEY

It depends a lot on roster size. If we have room we'd hide any of the mentioned (Burress, James, Vick) deep on our roster. But as the trend in many leagues is to shrink overall roster size these aren't guys worth wasting valuable space on.

Endsley is co-owner and a senior fantasy football consultant for FantasyDraftEdge.com offering customizable fantasy football cheat sheets and professional VIP advice all season long. For more info, go to www.fantasydraftedge.com.

COLIN DARLINGTON

The only one I would draft late would be Marvin Harrison. If he goes to the right system (Chicago, N.Y. Giants), he might have a shot at a good year. I think Burress and Vick will be lucky to play at all and E. James will be nothing more then an injury fill-in for a team. But, I will probably be drafting NONE of these veterans if they are not on an NFL team come fantasy football draft day!

Darlington is the owner of MyStartEmSitEm.com and has been an owner, commissioner and consultant in Fantasy Football since 1992. MyStartEmSitEm.com provides weekly advice based on your league, your scoring system, with custom emails about your team, preseason cheat sheets, draft day assistance and much more.

DAVID DOREY

I would and have taken Burress towards the final rounds. He’s perfectly healthy and should be able to contribute to any team that takes him. He could end up a steal towards the end of the season but it all depends on if he plays or not. I’m willing to take that risk knowing that whatever other fifth wideout I would have selected is likely to never be more than filler.

Dorey is the co-founder and Senior NFL Analyst at The Huddle since 1997. He has produced award winning rankings and has projected the fantasy stats for every game over the last 13 years. David produces the bulk of The Huddle rankings and his “Predictions and Projections” breaks down every single NFL game every week through the Super Bowl. You can find more about David at TheHuddle.com.

RICK HAWES

I don’t think any of the players currently on the street are going to do anything earth shattering if they sign with a new team. But I would probably take a late round flier on wide receiver Matt Jones, who at 26 years of age offers some upside if he lands in the right spot. In 12 games last year, he posted 65-761-2, and was finally resembling a real NFL receiver before the cocaine arrest and subsequent suspension. His agent, Dave Butz, is reportedly receiving interest (for his services) from several teams, and it wouldn't surprise me to see Jones latch on somewhere in the next couple of weeks. He seems like a great fit in Baltimore where Derrick Mason recently retired, and linebacker Ray Lewis could offer some veteran leadership and guidance.

Hawes is the Managing Editor of NFL content at Fanball.com. Fanball.com and OwnersEdge.com offer league management software, daily play fantasy games, Live Advice, up-to-date news, free and premium content, player rankings, custom projections and cheat sheets, in-depth IDP analysis, Fantasy Buffet Radio Show, NFL Draft Kit, Fanball Blog Network, daily newsletter, a vast array of fantasy football tools, including Draft Analyzer software and five magazines featuring the Pro Football Draft Preview, as well as four Fantasy Football publications. For more information send e-mail to rhawes@fanball.com.

MIKE NAZAREK

I tend not to take fliers on the unemployed late in drafts since I have a specific list of sleepers I target late, but I will say I believe RB Edgerrin James will find a home somewhere before the season begins as a backup. And if he keeps his nose clean, QB Michael Vick will sign with some team and will likely see action in the Wildcat formation later in the season after he sits the first few weeks. But he won't be a starting QB again in the league anytime in the near future.

Nazarek is the CEO of Fantasy Football Mastermind Inc. His company offers an online rookie draft kit, preseason draft guide, customizable cheat sheets, fantasy auction & regular drafting programs, weekly in-season fantasy newsletters, injury reports and free NFL news (updated daily) at its web site. He has been playing fantasy football since 1988 and is the reigning four-peat champion of the SI.com Experts Fantasy League, a nationally published writer in several fantasy magazines and a columnist for SI.com. For more info go to www.ffmastermind.com. Nazarek can be reached at 702-568-7118 or miken@ffmastermind.com.

BOB HECK

Actually we don’t really see any great value on any of the veterans on the open market. If we had to pick one it would be Plaxico Burress. He certainly has the talent and would be able to produce if he landed on a WR-starved team, like say the Ravens. However, will he be able to push legal issues through to the end of the year? Who knows. He has some real issues on his hands as the gun law in NYC is no laughing matter. However, he could be a nice late round gamble, plus you could safely cut him quickly in the season if he doesn’t sign anywhere.

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.

ANDY RICHARDSON

I suppose it's Burress, since he's the only guy out there who seems likely to step right in as a No. 1 wideout for some team. On the flipside, he's the only one currently appearing before a Grand Jury, so there's that working against him. Still, it's awfully tempting to use a late-round pick on a guy who has at least a chance to be a quality starter not only for the Jets or Bucs but also for fantasy teams.

Richardson has been a columnist and contributor to the Fantasy Football Index magazine and web site for the past eight 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.

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