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:

How early should Michael Vick be drafted next season?

RICK HAWES

I think he ends up being a high second-round pick next year and wouldn't be surprised to see him go in the first round, based on the fact that he is part quarterback and part running back. It's almost like having two players starting in one position on your team. On the flip side, Vick is taking a lot of sacks and quarterback hits and I question his ability to continue to absorb the punishment and make it through the 2010 season unscathed.. There is always the injury risk, as he's not a very big (6-0, 215), likes to run the football, and the defensive players just keep getting bigger, faster and stronger. Plus there's the added risk of his off-field decision making skills. Right now he has a feel good aura surrounding him, but all it takes is one slip and his NFL career could be in jeopardy. I doubt I would draft him in the first or second next year, but someone will pull the trigger if he remains in the City of Brotherly Love.

Hawes is the Managing Editor of NFL content at Fanball.com and OwnersEdge.com. These sites offer league management software, daily play fantasy games, up-to-date news, free and premium content, Live Advice, custom projections and cheat sheets, staff rankings, IDP analysis, and a vast array of fantasy tools to help you bring home the championship hardware. If that’s not enough to whet your appetite, you can join our NFFC High-Stakes football contest, listen to us on the Fanball Fantasy Drive show at Sirius (211) and XM (147), or pick up one of our six magazines, including the Pro Football Draft Preview, as well as five Fantasy Football publications. For more information send e-mail to rhawes@fanball.com.

CORY BONINI

I'm not a proponent of drafting quarterbacks as high as many owners seem to be, but Vick should be considered a midrange No. 1 fantasy passer if he returns to Philly and stays healthy. The latter is a fairly big concern. In a 12-team, 16-round draft, Vick should come off the board in the fourth or fifth round. I don't know that I'm brave enough to take that chance, though.

Since 1996, KFFL.com has been combining its award-winning news service with top-notch fantasy analysis. KFFL.com offers industry-leading services, including daily news, draft guides and in-season advice. Now 100 percent free, KFFL.com is your destination for fantasy baseball, football and NASCAR cheat sheets, tips, sleepers and much more. KFFL.com has won more than a dozen expert championships and was listed as "One of the 10 essential sports-related online destinations for fans, athletes and fantasy owners" by Time.com. KFFL.com has provided content to USA Today, Yahoo! Sports, FOXSports.com and many other quality organizations.

SAM HENDRICKS

I predict 30 passing TDs, 8 INTs, 4400 yards passing; add in another 900 rushing yards and 10 rushing TDs and you have 482 fantasy points. That is 30 points per game. 8+ points more than the other top 3 QBs. Draft him in the latter part of the 1st round after the top 7 or 8 RBs, but no higher due to the higher potential for injury due to his scrambling.

Sam Hendricks is the author of Fantasy Football Guidebook, Fantasy Football Tips and Fantasy Football Basics, all available at his website, www.ffguidebook.com, at all major bookstores, and at www.amazon.com. He is a 20-year fantasy football veteran who regularly participates in the World Championship of Fantasy Football (WCOFF), National Fantasy Football Championship (NFFC) and finished 7th and 16th overall (out of 228 competitors) in the 2008 and 2009 Fantasy Football Players Championship (FFPC).

JEFFREY KAMYS

If Michael Vick returns to Philly next year, he should definitely be drafted within the first round of any fantasy draft and potentially the first 5 picks. His numbers are simply overwhelming, from nearly averaging 3 TD's per game to the 50 or so rush yards he posts every week. He will be a one man wrecking crew for any fantasy team next year. The only caveat here is spend a top pick on your backup QB, because with his style of play, he is likely to miss some games because of injury, just as he did this year.

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.

BURTON MEAHL

If Michael Vick is back in Philly in 2011, he is unquestioningly a top 10 quarterback. The debate really is whether he is one of the top tier quarterbacks in the league. Recently, we had Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers in the upper tier when for draft day. That upper tier should probably remain the same next year with Brees probably slipping to 2nd tier. The second tier is led off by Philip Rivers and will now be joined by Drew Brees and....Michael Vick. Philip Rivers averaged around the 4th round in most leagues. It is conceivable that Vick SHOULD be drafted in the 3rd or 4th round next year. However, there will be someone in the draft that is in love with him and will draft him much earlier than expected. They may even give him the nod ahead of Aaron Rodgers, Peyton Manning or Tom Brady. Don't be that guy because that only skews the other quarterbacks so that you still have a shot at a top-tier QB in the late second or early third round. By the law of averages, you will still be able to get Rivers in the 4th round. As long as you are not in love with Vick, you can get one of those top 5 or 6 quarterbacks in the 3rd or 4th round.

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IAN ALLAN

I think he’s right in there in the mix with the other elite quarterbacks — Manning, Rivers, Brees. Those guys will put up better passing numbers, and they’re more likely to stay in the lineup for all 16 games (since they don’t take much punishment). But Vick’s brings some added value with his running; when he runs for 40-50 yards per game, that’s like an additional 80-100 passing yards. And he’ll probably run for 5-8 TDs. As for when you take a quarterback, because there are so many good ones, it will be hard to justify selecting one in the first round. In most fantasy leagues, I’m guessing at least one of those elite, top-tier guys will be around in the second (maybe even the third). And the way the league has opened up the passing game by changing rules, even those who don’t select quarterbacks in the first four rounds might still be fine at that position.

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.

PRETZEL MAY

Vick has always been a top fantasy QB when playing, his issues have been off the field causing him not to play. Based on his play this year he should be one of your first QBs off the board which usually go by the end of the second round. He seems to be more patient then he was in the past and looks to pass more and run less. He is extremely careful with the football so you won’t lose points for a lot of interceptions and he will always get you points on the ground and rushing touchdowns that most other QBs won’t. Philly’s offensive system is perfect for Vick’s skillset and he has the weapons around him to put up a lot of points in a hurry.

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.

SCOTT SACHS

I would be very leery of taking Vick as primary QB. His risk/reward history is uneven at best. He plays out of his mind, then has a mediocre performance, plus he takes a beating and gets bitten by the injury bug. For the sake of this question, he's a lower-tier Top 10 QB so he could go in rounds 3-4, no lower than round 5 in most leagues. If a league would have a "flex" option to include QB's, he could go as high as round 2 to an owner who drafts 2 QB's to start their roster.

Scott Sachs is “The Coach”, at Perfect Season Fantasy Football, offering live talk and advice from early August through the NFL playoffs. The Coach has 22 years experience in a 24-team league, 19 years in playoffs with multiple Championships, including the league’s only perfect season! The Coach has a knack for Sleeper & Rookie picks, too! Free content and subscriber options on the website: www.perfectseasonffb.com. Email questions or info requests to perfectseasonffbquestions@gmail.com.

LOUIS TRANQUILLI

I suspect Vick may go as the #1 overall QB in 2011, the differnece between him and a guy who'sa great starter like Matt Schaub was on display last Thursday night. Vick's 50 yards rushing with a TD were the difference between a very good game for Schaub and a great game for Vick. All that said I would have a hard time taking him No. 1 or even No. 2 at the QB spot, he's nearly a lock to miss time. That's a tough player to select going into the draft for me.

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.

DAVID DOREY

Vick will be drafted early and should be – likely the first or second round depending on the league scoring. His ability to gain rush yards and scores makes him unique among quarterbacks and almost completely insulates him from having a bad game. He has to be a top three quarterback and depending on the schedule and other dynamics may end up as the #1. He has a very young crew of receivers and backfield and can grow with this unit.

Dorey is the co-founder and lead NFL analyst for The Huddle and author of Fantasy Football: The Next Level. He has projected and predicted every NFL game and player performance since 1997 and has appeared in numerous magazines, newspapers, radio and television.

MIKE NAZAREK

You have to put him in the elite fantasy starting QB group now, but that doesn't mean you draft him in the first round unless you start two QBs or your QBs get 6 points per TD pass. Otherwise, provided he finishes strong, I'd consider him in the second or third round depending upon how quickly QBs go off the board in my draft. That being said, I usually wait to draft a QB. Getting QB Philip Rivers this summer in the 6th round made my draft in a few leagues!

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 one and only four-peat champion of the SI.com Experts Fantasy League, a nationally published writer in several fantasy magazines and a former columnist for SI.com. For more info go to www.ffmastermind.com. Nazarek can be reached at miken@ffmastermind.com.

ANDY RICHARDSON

I really don't see how he can get out of the top 10 in any draft. Sure, there's an injury risk, but it's not greater than the other players taken up there; is anyone winning titles with Frank Gore or DeAngelo Williams this year? Chris Johnson and Ray Rice have disappointed, and even some top wide receivers have missed time due to injury. Vick is putting up top numbers for a quarterback AND good numbers for a running back; no other quarterback can protect your lineup at two spots. Yes, you're forced to draft a backup a little earlier than if you draft Brees, Manning or Brady, but at worst you can always draft Philly's backup, which may well be Kevin Kolb. I just don't see how anyone can realistically put many players ahead of him if you're hoping to land a difference-maker with that first-round pick. He's the ultimate fantasy difference-maker right now.

Richardson has been a columnist and contributor to the Fantasy Football Index magazine and web site for the past nine years. His responsibilities include team defense and IDP projections and various site features, and he has run the magazine's annual draft and auction leagues since their inception. He previews all the NFL games on Saturdays and writes a wrap-up column on Mondays during the NFL season.

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