eTopps Clubhouse - Fantasy Football 2K2: 5 Players to Watch and 5 Players to Avoid

Your grill is running out of gas. Your local Walgreen's is running a "back to school" sale. Your local beer distributor is starting to sell Oktoberfest beers. Yes, the end of summer is fast upon us. However, as is the case with many things in life, the end of one thing also marks the beginning of another.

For myself and many other football fans, this is the time when we first start to get excited about the upcoming football season. Not only because we will soon be seeing our favorite teams battling out for the next for the next few Sundays, but because we will be interested in several other games as well, thanks to fantasy football.

I know some people had their drafts already, but in my league we have chosen to wait until Labor Day weekend to conduct our annual draft. Yes, it takes away some of the "luck" element. For example, if you drafted already and the gambler in you decided to risk a pick on Terrell Davis, you already have one worthless spot on your roster, as TD decided to call it quits after a long battle with knee injuries. With our late draft date, you would have avoided this problem and the league would be that much more competitive. Don't get me wrong, I am fully aware that players are going to go down for the season, it's inevitable. However, we just don't believe you should have to go into Week One of the season with empty roster spots. Additionally, by Labor Day weekend, we should basically know who has won roster spots with their respective NFL teams and this also eliminates "draft-guessing" to some degree.

So if you have drafted already, it's not too late to act! One thing I always say about fantasy football is that intelligent drafting is only a small part of winning your league's championship (anyone can go out, buy a football magazine and draft strictly off of cheat sheets created by a magazine). Basically, maintaining your team by making smart trades and free agent pick-ups is a key element to winning it all.

If you haven't drafted yet, the following is a list of five guys that I think could be had in the mid to later rounds of your draft and could significantly help your fantasy football team. I am also listing five players that I don't think will live up to expectations. Just be aware that I am a BIG football fan, but by no means an expert. If this article helps you win in the coming months, by all means email me and let me know, but if I talk you out of drafting someone that you had high hopes on and he succeeds…well, I guess you can still email me, I am from New York so I am used to profanity.

The following are five players that I think could be slightly to very "under the radar". People likely know they exist, but do they really know their potential? In no particular order, they are:

　1. Alge Crumpler, TE, Falcons - He's 6'2" and 262 pounds and I believe he will become a favorite target of Michael Vick's this year, especially in the redzone. Crumpler had three touchdowns last year in addition to his 25 catches and I believe he will be taking his second step this year along with fellow sophomore, Michael Vick. This maturation should come at the expense of some of the weaker teams in the league, since Atlanta has one of the softest schedules this year. Additionally, it seems to me that scrambling quarterbacks seem to like to use their big tight ends as an outlet (i.e., Flutie and Freddie Jones, Culpepper and Byron Chamberlain, McNabb and Chad Lewis).

　2. Tim Couch, QB, Browns - Couch is a big, strong quarterback who was drafted in the first round way back in '99. Last year was the first time Couch played a full season and he put up less than great numbers. However, this year I expect the Cleveland offense to look much better than in previous years. They have five solid receivers to work with and rookie William Green should give the ground game a shot in the arm. Additionally, you could look for the Cleveland defense to step it up this year, as Gerard Warren and Courtney Brown cause havoc on the D-line and the secondary racks up the interceptions. The improved defense could spell a more balanced attack for the offense and anticipated success for the quarterback, Couch, who will not be playing catch-up all of the time.

　3. Travis Henry, RB, Bills - Although Henry posted sub-par numbers last year, it was clear that he had some solid potential. It seemed as though he was getting hit by opposing defenses as soon as he was handed the ball, so most of his 729 yards were "tough" yards. The offensive line could definitely have been to blame, as Johnson and Van Pelt were always running for their lives. However, the lack of a passing game may also have been to blame. The acquisition of Drew Bledsoe should help add credibility to the Buffalo passing attack. I am sure he'll be looking to prove something this year and that should help the running game. Also, Henry has little competition for his position. Lastly, unlike fellow rookie LaDainian Tomlinson, Henry was not overworked, carrying the ball only 213 times. One thing to watch out for though, is according to strength of schedule, as Buffalo will face the toughest.

　4. Kevan Barlow, RB, 49ers - This second year runningback out of Pitt was picked by many fantasy football players last year in the mid to late rounds, as they expected Barlow to unseat Hearst from his starting role on the niners. However, Barlow owners were dismayed at the fact that Barlow would only snag 125 carries from his cohort, as Hearst stayed basically injury-free. This year, you can look for Barlow to steal more carries from Hearst, as the niners have already tinkered with the idea of having Barlow and Hearst in the backfield at the same time. I expect that at some point during the season, Hearst will succumb to his bad ankle injury and pave the way for Barlow to improve on his five touchdown season from a year ago.

　5. Peerless Price, WR, Bills - Yes another Buffalo Bill sleeper from Tennessee. I am not a Buffalo Bills fan…it just worked out that way. Price who has shown flashes of potential in the first three years of his career, is going into his third full season and you know what they say about receivers going into their third seasons! He had seven touchdowns last year and just a shade under 900 yards last year and will look to improve on those numbers this year. With a solid quarterback throwing to him this year, I expect Price to achieve a 1,000 yard/10 touchdown season.

　Sleepers Honorable Mention: Chad Johnson, Troy Hambrick, Amos Zereoue, Corey Bradford, Tony Richardson and Thomas Jones.

The following players are guys who I think look like they could be great picks this year. However, unless they fall to me in the very late rounds, I will not be touching them. Again, in no particular order, they are:

　1. Terry Glenn, WR, Packers - First of all, the former Ohio State star has never had more than six touchdowns in a season. This is a result of the fact that he doesn't seem get redzone looks and if he didn't get them on a team that looked to Ben Coates in the redzone before, he won't get them on a team that features big Bubba Franks as a redzone target now. Second of all, he has played in less than ten games in four of his seven pro-seasons. Ever since I watched Glenn bounce off of the turf after landing on his shoulder in an Ohio State game, he has seemed to have problems with injuries. This year is no different as the Packers have already reported that Glenn has strained MCL (medial collateral ligament) in his left knee, which is his second injury of training camp. Stay away from the player Bill Parcells once called "She"!

　2. Brad Johnson, QB, Bucs - Yeah, I know he has great athleticism and he has some great targets (Keyshawn, McCardell and Jurevicius). But what Johnson also has is competition. And I don't think this is competition that even he can match. Although Rob Johnson has shown little to impress me in his few years as a quarterback, he does have athleticism to match Brad's. He can scramble like a champ and he's gutsy. These are two things that new Buc's head coach, John Gruden will admire. But wait, there's more. Even if (or better yet, when) Rob Johnson goes down with an injury there's another good scrambling quarterback behind him in Shaun King. King got shafted out of his starting role two years ago after he started showing signs of life (remember that Bucs/Rams game on Monday night?). I believe that Gruden will give King a shot at some point during the season. Basically, there are way too many possibilities here and I don't think Brad is the Johnson that will be throwing the ball for this team

　3. Denver Running Backs - This one should be fairly obvious to seasoned veterans of fantasy football. First of all, there's the Skeletor (Shanahan) factor which is that Coach Shanahan is about as decisive with choosing his starting runningback as Dennis Rodman is with choosing his hair color. Obviously, with recent retirement of TD, he has one less pawn for his runningback chess game. So now it's down to Olandis Gary, who has been hampered by two serious injuries in his brief NFL career (a fractured fibula and a torn ACL), Mike Anderson, who obviously did not prove himself worthy of a starting job after getting the opportunity last year (a case of fumblitis in crucial situations will do that) and Clinton Portis, an unproven rookie. Of the three, I like Mike Anderson to win the job by mid-season. I don't think Gary will make it through the season without another major injury and Portis is a big gamble. However, I still think it goes back to Shanahan and his penchant to juggle his running backs…not a good situation for fantasy owners.

　4. LaDainian Tomlinson, RB, Chargers - I know I am going out on a limb here, considering Tomlinson will likely be a mid to late second round pick at worst, but I have my doubts about this guy. First of all, he was worked harder last season than a Kathie Lee Gifford sweatshop employee. With 339 carries last year, Tomlinson should show signs of wear and tear this season and if that is true, I am sure Coach Schottenheimer will begin to spell LaDainian in the redzone. Additionally, the Chargers face the second toughest schedule this season. Lastly, it may not be of major concern, but Tomlinson also fumbled the ball eight times.

　5. Rookie WRs - This should also be a no-brainer for experienced fantasy football owners, yet I see people make this same mistake year after year. Despite how good a rookie did in college, the chances that he will make a major impact in his first year as a pro, are about as good as Jamal Anderson playing a full season without tearing an ACL. It just doesn't happen. The last rookie to do anything significant to help a fantasy team was Randy Moss, about five years ago. Last year's draft had some big time rookie wide receivers involved, if you wanted them. For example, there was Rod Gardner, Chris Chambers, David Terrell, Koren Robinson, Freddie Mitchell and Reggie Wayne, all of whom were drafted in the first round by their respective NFL teams. Of these six first round picks, only Chambers would have made a significant impact on your team and he showed little signs of life until deep into the season. So what I am saying is, stay away from: Donte Stallworth, Ashley Lelie, Javon Walker, Jabar Gaffney and Josh Reed. If you still need to have these guys for some reason, take the gamble late in the draft with these guys because chances are, they won't be worth it.

　Players to Avoid Dishonorable Mention: Jimmy Smith, Freddie Jones, Jamal Lewis, Lamar Smith, Joey Galloway and Tom Brady.

Have fun and good luck with your draft!

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