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 one player will do the most to help fantasy teams to championships over the next few weeks?

DISH ADAMS

My take would be that the most important player in general is the Quarterback -- it is the seismic fantasy shift in the last few years that has made these prolific quarterbacks replace running backs as dominant fantasy game winners. Therefore, safely assuming most playoff teams are captained by Rodgers, Brees, Brady, or even Stafford or Newton, the big wild card comes down to who replaced whom at running back and when Fred Jackson went down, C.J. Spiller went center stage for many teams. He performed well against two solid defenses, and his performance over the next couple weeks will likely determine several fantasy championships as sophisticated owners handcuffed F-Jax with him early. Arguments could be made for Marion Barber, Ahmad Bradshaw, and even DeMarco Murray who will factor in big, but Spiller enters rosters that were surprisingly strong because of Freddie and gets the big opportunity to flourish.

Adams is the publisher of www.fantasyinsights.com. Adams appears on NBC in Los Angeles on The Challenge with Fred Roggin following NFL Sunday Night Football in America, with extended web commentary on NBCLA’s website. On Bloomberg Sports ”4th & Fantasy” Dish became the “man who beat the machine,” outpicking Bloomberg Sports Fantasy Decision Maker data tool for the 2010 season. Dish also hosts Fantasy Insights, a podcast on Voiceamericasports.com weekly on Thursdays from 5:00-6:00 PM EST.

SAM HENDRICKS

Aaron Rodgers is so amazing at QB that I cannot imagine having anyone else for a playoff run. MJD has shown a glimpse of the old top 5 RB in the past few weeks. He could be a difference maker. So if I could pick a dream team: Rodgers, Arian Foster, MJD, Wes Welker, Calvin Johnson, Greg Jennings and Rob Gronkowski.

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).

SCOTT PIANOWSKI

Ray Rice has a dream setup, with the Colts, Chargers and Browns waiting for him over the next three weeks. When I crunched fantasy-tailored strength of schedule for all of the running backs, looking at Weeks 14-16, the Baltimore slate came out easiest. That paper-thin slate might even make Ricky Williams viable in very deep leagues. Big numbers should also be on the way for Arian Foster, Chris Johnson, Demarco Murray (especially with his blocking back returning) and Michael Turner; they're also getting soft opponents at the right time of the year.

Pianowski has been playing fantasy football for 18 years and writing about it for 15. He joined Yahoo! Sports in 2008 and has been blogging 24/7 on RotoArcade.com ever since.

JARED SMOLA

I think A.J. Green will lead tons of fantasy owners to championships. First of all, the dude's a flat-out stud. In his 10 healthy games this season, he's averaging 5 catches and 80 yards per. He doesn't need any help from the schedule-makers, but he'll get it. After a tough matchup with CB Johnathan Joseph and the Texans this coming weekend, Green finishes the year with games against the Rams and Cardinals -- 2 of those worst secondaries in the league. St. Louis ranks 29th in fantasy points allowed to WRs, while the Cardinals sit at 26th.

Smola is the Senior Editor of DraftSharks.com. DraftSharks has been providing fantasy football analysis since 1999. The site provides its members with feature articles, daily email updates, in-depth player profiles and projections, its exclusive MVP Draft Board, and much more. This past year, Draft Sharks took home the Fantasy Sports Trade Association's award for most accurate preseason projections.

SCOTT SACHS

I could name a bunch of players whose positive AND negative attributes will impact us all. Although it pains me to say this as a Cleveland fan, how could anyone not consider Big Ben as the #1 choice? The "Stillers" have arguably the easiest schedule of the remaining contenders--which includes TWO games against the Browns. For much the same reason, Ray Rice would be my #2 choice, as the Ravens play Cleveland one more time--Rice had 200+ and a TD last week against the lowly "Clowns". Drew Brees & Aaron Rodgers are next. Rodgers is interesting--and not only because I have him in 2 leagues. If the Pack stays undefeated, I am convinced GB goes for perfection with A-Rodg starting every game. If the Pack loses, Aaron probably sits out a game or 2 [a la Peyton Manning] with having the Division clinched. This would be especially true if they can't catch SF for homefield throughout the playoffs. Good luck to all in all of our playoffs!

Sachs runs Perfect Season Fantasy Football, live talk and advice, and has 23 years of fantasy football league experience, including his league’s only perfect season. "The Coach" offers a free Chalk Talk Blog, plus subscriber options at his website: perfectseasonffb.com. Email questions or info requests to perfectseasonffbquestions@gmail.com, and follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/ffbcoach.

IAN ALLAN

I want to win right now. I don’t care so much about Week 15 right now; I want to win this week, to make sure I’m in that championship game or semifinal. And with that in mind, I’m very interested in three running backs with choice matchups on Sunday. Michael Turner against Carolina. Maurice Jones-Drew against Tampa Bay. Ray Rice against Indianapolis. I would sure like to have one of those backs in my lineup this week. It doesn’t really matter who’s doing what next week if it’s a lose-and-your-out type deal. Now, if you’re hell bent and looking for a strong three-week run, then I will toss out the Detroit Lions. Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson. I expect they’ll be outstanding in Weeks 14 and 16, and they might not be too bad in the sandwich game either (at Oakland).

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 www.fantasyindex.com.

MIKE NAZAREK

RB Chris Johnson has rebounded and his schedule is fairly soft against the run. He will help out a lot of owners smart enough to hold or trade for him.

Nazarek is the CEO of Fantasy Football Mastermind Inc. His company offers an online rookie draft kit, preseason draft guide, customizable cheat sheets, fantasy drafting programs including auction values, 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 a 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

PRETZEL MAY

I think you have to look at this question from a couple of different angles. First you have to look at the players that are in a fight for a playoff spot and will need to step up to make sure they get there. One person that comes to mind is Arian Foster. His team is only two games up in their division and is down to their 3rd QB. Houston will need lean on him heavily to hold off the Titans so expect big things from him. Then there is the issue of teams having nothing to play for. If Packers can clinch home field through out early you may see some teams looking at their back up QB as Aaron Rodgers is rested, all of a sudden you have a 30 point per game hole in your fantasy team when you need it most.

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.

JEFFREY KAMYS

To us the most valuable fantasy player over the next few weeks, could very likely be Ray Rice. Rice has very good matchups against Indy, SD and Cleveland, teams that have all struggled against the run. We expect Rice to be a key contributor in the run game especially now when the weather starts to turn colder.

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.

CORY BONINI

Washington wideout Santana Moss jumps out as a potential difference maker in the fantasy playoffs. He is healthy and has Rex Grossman's trust. The loss of Fred Davis to a suspension should mean more looks for the veteran receiver, too. It doesn't hurt having the softest schedule in the NFL against the wide receiver position in the next month. The Redskins face the New England Patriots, New York Giants and Minnesota Vikings, respectively, in the next three weeks. Look for Moss to close out the year in strong fashion.

Since 1996, KFFL.com has been combining its award-winning news service with fantasy analysis. KFFL.com offers 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, and FOXSports.com among many other organizations.

ANDY RICHARDSON

Ray Rice's schedule looks like it was hand-picked by him to close with a flourish in a contract year. The Colts, Chargers and a Browns team he just ran for 200 yards against, with two of those games at home? The Ravens can't afford to slip up or they'll lose the division to the Steelers, so Rice should be huge these last few games. The other clear choice is Drew Brees, who in Week 15 and 16 plays at Minnesota and at home against the Falcons. Two dome games against really soft pass defenses (in the case of Minnesota, a laughably inept secondary)? If you're facing Brees in Week 15, start drafting your congratulatory email right now.

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

New this season! We'll post the weekly question on Facebook, and the best reader answer will get included in the column. Here is this week's reader winner:

RICH SPINELLA

Arian Foster running against Carolina and Indy. Come on now, he is a beast anyway; against those 2 teams he may get 500 combined yards.

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