A:

I'm not a big Vernon Davis fan (though I did wind up selecting him in the Fanex draft a month ago, after 10 other tight ends had been selected). He's got the phenomenal speed and outstanding strength -- I think the most physically talented player to ever play the position -- but you know who he reminds me of? Johnny Mitchell, who never really quite got over the hump after being selected in the middle of the first round by the Jets in 1992. Speed and strength or nice, but you’ve got to have that feel for playing the game – that knack of settling into open spots where the quarterback can find you. And I think Davis’ hands are probably average at best; he’ll drop some balls, and he doesn’t have that knack of being able to come up with catches while tightly covered – he’s no Todd Heap.

Now, Davis is going to work with an offensive coordinator (Mike Martz) who’s historically ignored the tight end. Detroit’s tight ends the last two years caught a league-low 9 percent of their team’s passes. In the previous three seasons, Martz’s tight ends in St. Louis caught a league-low 7 percent of their team’s completions. Now Davis is going to turn into a 70-catch tight end? I don’t see it. And there’s an implosion factor, I think, as well. I don’t think Davis is particularly smart or works particularly hard, and Martz has a notoriously complex offense. Calvin Johnson was completely lost in the Martz offense last season, leading him to be used as a decoy for most of the year. So I would advise against banking on a big season from Davis.

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A:

The Patriots probably will lead the league in scoring, so I have no problem with protecting both Moss and Maroney. The team may run a little more often in the red zone this season, as opponents make mor eof an effort to keep Moss under control, and that could benefit Maroney. And the Patriots run the ball more often around the goal line than most people realize anyway. They had a league-high 33 running plays inside the 5 last year. They've scored 37 rushing TDs in the last two years, which is No. 3 behind San Diego and Jacksonville -- so you could wind up kicking yourself for releasing Maroney.

On the downside, Maroney hasn't been particularly durable, and I don't think he'll ever be a full-time back. I expect Kevin Faulk to get most of the playing time in obvious passing situations, and I think Sammy Morris might get a dozen touches per game as a change-of-pace guy. Morris runs hard between the tackles, so he might wind up getting more carries at the goal line than Maroney -- Bill Belichick is a believer in using a running back by committee approach. That said, I would protect Maroney if the price is right.

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A:

We're doing testing right now on an auction price generator that will work for Drauctions. If you buy an update, you'll be able to access a computer program deal which will interface with the most current rankings and stat projections -- you'll be able to enter in your league's scoring system and auction parameters, and it will kick out exact player values.

In the case of a "Drauction", you'll just enter in different guidelines than a typical auction owner -- you'll say that you don't want kickers or defenses included, and you'll be able to define that perhaps the No. 11 wide receiver and running back on the draft board will each be worth $1. The computer will then calculate the values of the remaining players, using your dollar recommendations and give you down-to-the-penny values for each of the 35 (or whatever) guys you feel will be purchased in your mini auction.

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