Ian Allan's Mailbag
Posted Jul. 03 at 08:40 AM
Publisher Ian Allan fields your questions on strategy, how to run your league, player ratings -- and whatever else you think of. Updated every Friday during the season; Tuesdays and Fridays during the last two months of the preseason. You must be registered and signed-in to submit a mailbag question. After you sign in at the top of the page, the link to submit a mailbag question will become visible.
Question 1:
Love the magazine, as usual, good job. How would you rank the "big four" quarterbacks (Manning, Palmer, Brady, Brees) in a league where rushing yardage is virtually irrelevant, there are no deductions for INT's, but all TD's are worth 6 points (instead of 4)? I maintain that Manning becomes a pick somewhere in the middle of the first round, and the other three fall somewhere between 15 and 25, but what you (and the numbers) say?
Frank Kielpikowski [Hammond, Ind.]
A:
You’ve got it scoped out pretty well. I assumed that you were in a 12-team league, and that you’d be starting a QB, 2 RB, 3 WR and a TE, and that backs and receivers would still get 1 point for every 10 yards. In that type of format, Peyton Manning comes in at No. 4, followed by Tom Brady (14th), Drew Brees (24th) and Carson Palmer. If you’re starting two wide receivers, than Brees and Palmer move up into the top 20.
If you want to leave yards out of the equation entirely, then my stat projections indicate that all four of those quarterbacks should go in the top 8, with Manning, Brady and Palmer in the top 4. I would be hard-pressed to select any quarterback other than Manning before Steven Jackson, but that’s what the raw numbers indicate.
Question 2:
I am in a keeper league and can keep two out of Larry Johnson, Brian Westbrook, and Reggie Wayne. I would normally keep Johnson and Westbrook, but because of the rules, I will probably also be keeping Laurence Maroney and Cedric Benson. It's a PPR league and we can start up to 3 RB. Also, with my keepers, I don't pick until 49, so the WR will be pretty thin by then. What should I do?
Zach Leavitt [Arvada, Colo.]
A:
I’m in an ongoing draft right now at www.fanexfootball.com. In this league, you get 1 point per reception and start 3 wide receivers versus 2 running backs (with an additional “flex” player). In that type of league, at least according to my stat projections, Wayne is more valuable than either Maroney or Benson. So in your league, I believe I would keep Johnson, Westbrook, Wayne and Maroney, and let Benson go. That might work out nicely for you. Wayne is going to be a good receiver for a lot of years in Indianapolis, while Benson is still an unproven commodity. I’m not certain he’s going to be the terrific runner the Bears thought he would be when they selected him No. 4 a few years back. And I don’t think Benson will be much of a factor as a receiver, which is significant in your scoring system.
Question 3:
I can't find any of the usual toolbox features, such as projected 2007 stats for players and defenses. Where are they?
Also, Alex Smith is in the top 20 on all the cheat sheets, but he doesn't appear among the 26 players listed in the quarterbacks section. Have you gone schizo, or is this just sloppy editing?
David Garrick [San Diego]
A:
The projected stats and the auction prices have left my hands. They’ll be posted on the website soon. I did prices for 120 different fantasy setups this year. I’ve got lists for leagues with 8, 10, 12, 14 and 16 teams, with or without tight ends as a separate position, with or without defenses, with either two or three starting receivers and three different scoring systems – TD-only, a standard yards-TD mix, and a third option including 1 point for receptions. Anybody using an auction format should be able to find one that’s pretty close to what they’re looking for. And those who want to see what a top 100 or 150 list can use those as well, since we’ve got the prices listed right out to the penny.
That was observant of you to notice that Alex Smith isn’t mentioned anywhere in the article discussing quarterbacks. We should have had a graph on him on page 92, but we needed extra space there to document all of Michael Vick’s offseason transgressions. For a complete look at Smith, see the 49ers story on page 196. So far, the biggest error in the magazine that I see is on page 51. On the dynasty league cheat sheet on that page, somehow the name “Willis McGahee” turned into the number “98145.451”. McGahee should be the No. 15 running back there.
As for being schizophrenic, I don’t believe that I am. But I suppose that it’s possible. On the web, it says that over 2 million American adults are afflicted with schizophrenia, about 1 percent of the population. I don’t know how many of those people are sufferers but don’t realize it, but regardless, I appreciate your concern.
Question 4:
I can keep 1 player (12-team league). Who do you keep & why: Frank Gore, Willie Parker or Rudi Johnson.
Scott Anderson [Lakewood, Colo.]
A:
I think pretty much everyone would take Gore. He’s going to catch more passes, and we’re talking about a guy who punched out 1,695 rushing yards last year. And with the 49ers looking like a team on the rise, he might score 12-15 TDs this year. That team has a pretty good offensive line. My one worry is that Gore is more likely than the typical back to get hurt. He’ll carry a huge workload, and he’s a physical, high-contact runner. He takes a beating on every play. Gore has already blown out both knees and undergone surgeries on both shoulders. But he’s definitely the guy I’d go with. Rudi Johnson doesn’t catch many passes and could lose some carries this year to the team’s numerous other capable tailbacks – Kenny Irons, Kenny Watson and Chris Perry. With Parker, I see the Steelers as a team in decline.
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Question 1: Love the magazine, as usual,...
Posted by Michael Scibetta | Jul. 03 at 04:59 PM
Off the topic, when is the site going to get updated? When will Subscriber Features be avail?