Fantasy Football Hints and Tips #2 – Players to Avoid

In the second instalment in this series on Fantasy Football, I’ll be looking at players to avoid in the early rounds this year… for one reason or another. There will basically be 2 kinds of player in this category. First, let’s start with those who will miss the start of the season (or even more).

Vincent Jackson – I love Vincent Jackson. The guy is a great player and has won me many a fantasy game over the years. He’s usually my first receiver pick in the draft, that’s how much faith I have in him when he plays. Unfortunately this season he has a 3 game suspension. On top of that he has refused to sign his tender as a restricted free agent, and rumours are flying around that because of this we might not see him play even after his suspension finishes. I hope not, because he is talented and a great guy to watch play. If it was up to me I’d be leaving him to the free agency wire and keeping a close eye on how events unfold.

Santonio Holmes – Santonio Holmes, fresh from a move to the New York Jets from the Pittsburgh Steelers, is joining a very, very good team. It’s just a shame he won’t be playing for the first 4 games. Usually you’d see Santonio go in the first 3 rounds of a draft, and rightly so. He is a solid receiver and will get you points. But missing 4 games AND a bye week means 5 total weeks of zero production. If you see him still there in the later rounds then by all means grab him as a bench warmer for half the season, but don’t waste a good pick in getting him early.

Ben Roethlisberger – What can be said about Big Ben that hasn’t already been said? He’s currently on a 6 game suspension though it’s looking likely that it’ll be restricted to 4 games. That’s still a lot of games, the same amount as Santonio. He is a very good QB, and probably one of the best late game QBs around at the moment. He will get points, and he will be consistent in doing so. However, picking Ben in early or mid-rounds is a waste of a perfectly good pick when there will be people available to score you points from the get go. I’d rather take a Kevin Kolb than a Roethlisberger if I had the choice this season.

The second kind of player I’ll be commenting on will be the ones who I just don’t think will produce as well as they have done or as well as people expect. It could be quite a long list, but I’ll shorten it to just five.

Visanthe Shiancoe – An amazing season last year made a lot of people stand up and notice Shiancoe. Some might say it was a ‘break-out’ season for the 30 year old. Nearly 600 yards receiving and 11 touchdowns (bested only by Vernon Davis among the tight ends) is nothing to grumble at. However, you have to credit Brett Favre for his part in his season. The veteran improved the Vikings in all aspects of their game. His knowledge, experience and natural talent made them one hell of an exciting team to watch, and everyone around him seemed to up their game. With the possible pending retirement of Favre I just don’t think Visanthe will be repeating these numbers, so keep a close eye on the Brett Favre saga. We at Mac will be.

Thomas Jones – Jones is an absolute beast. He’s got the size, the power, the speed and the experience. If he was still working with the Jets I’d say grab him quickly. Unfortunately he’s not, he’s at the Chiefs. Let’s face it, that’s just devalued him by a good few rounds. Jamaal Charles is the main man at Kansas City. An astounding season last year will make it difficult the Jones to force his way into the number 1 spot. 1000 yards rushed with an average of 5.9 yards per carry. How can you dislodge that? It’s my opinion that Jones will simply be used as a goal-line threat, and not enough to warrant a valued pick until late in the draft. Think of him as a Tim Hightower this season and not a Frank Gore.

Matt Forte – It’s a shame for Forte, he really does have the skills to be a top running back. He can find gaps, he’s got the agility, but unfortunately he plays for a team with a weak offensive line and a pass happy offensive coordinator. He nearly hit a 1000 yards last year, but only got 4 touchdowns off 258 attempts. His attempts actually decreased last year from the year before by a good 60 or so. I can see the same again this year as Jay Cutler settles himself into his second season. I wouldn’t pick Matt with your first load of picks, but as a 2^nd running back he could be worth a shout.

Sidney Rice – The second Viking in this list (Hmmm, I wonder why), but I have a second reason for Sidney. Yes, as I mentioned with Shiancoe, the pending departure of Favre is definitely a factor. Last year was definitely his break-out year. He hasn’t come close to replicating those numbers before. In fact, I think he doubled all his stats from previous years (receptions, yards and touchdowns). Without Favre, I don’t have faith that he will be a solid fantasy option. Along with the fact that he is still on the PUP list it doesn’t look like he will make the start of the season.

Steve Slaton – Stevie had a great year in 2008/09, and a shocking year in 2009/10. He picked up a nasty little disease that we in the Football world like to call, ‘fumblitis’. The previous Mac Favourite lost his starting place and soon disappeared. Granted, the replacement backs didn’t exactly set the world on fire, so depending on the off-season Slaton might get a shot and getting his #1 place back. Houston did pick Ben Tate in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft though, so this leaves Arian Foster, Steve Slaton, and Ben Tate all in the running for one spot. I suppose it all depends on how their pre-seasons go. Keep a close eye on the Texans, but I wouldn’t place my running back spot in Slaton’s hands… He might drop it.

So there you have it. A few players to be a little wary of. Hopefully this will be useful for your draft. Next up I’ll be looking at those late round picks who could very well turn out to be decent little point earners for you. Especially useful for those in big drafts.

Image Credits:
Vincent Jackson – Jeffrey Beall
Visanthe Shiancoe – xoque
Steve Slaton – The Brit_2