By Dalton Del Don – Senior Writer
Brandon Jackson is one of the best mid-round values in fantasy leagues right now. Vernand Morency is his only competition, and he’s questionable for Week 1, continuing a career-long theme of being injury-prone (career-high in carries is 91). Jackson played in a similar zone-blocking scheme in college, so while he’s been a little shaky in picking up the blitz so far, his learning curve shouldn’t be too steep. The Packers have the makings of an underrated defense, and if the preseason is any indication, Jackson will be heavily involved in the passing game. If a decrepit Ahman Green could amass more than 1,400 total yards in this offense last season, just imagine what fresh legs can do.
Philip Rivers is moving up my draft board. He tossed 22 touchdowns last season, with LaDainian Tomlinson breaking the NFL-record for rushing scores. Think about that. The 7.4 YPA is an elite number, and he started developing a better rapport with Antonio Gates over the second half of the season. Vincent Jackson is also emerging as an excellent secondary option, and while Norv Turner isn’t known for engineering big time QB numbers, the exit of Marty-ball certainly bodes well for Rivers’ chances of improving upon last year’s already-impressive stats. We are talking about a guy with 16 career starts, so there’s plenty of room to grow.
There isn’t a better late-round value at wide receiver than Ronald Curry. Over the final four weeks of last season, the former quarterback hauled in 33 catches for 339 yards. That fine finish has carried over into an impressive preseason, and no matter how many turnovers Daunte Culpepper commits this season, he has to be considered an upgrade over the team’s disastrous QB situation last year. And all signs point to Culpepper, who should at least be able to get the ball downfield, being Oakland’s signal caller for the duration of 2007. Teammate Jerry Porter makes for another solid gamble late, but I’d rather own Curry of the two, despite his past injury concerns.
I’m staying away from Larry Johnson this season. I love the way he runs – he’s easily the most physical back in the game today – but there are too many red flags to spend a top-5 pick on him. He set the NFL record for carries last season; got a late start to camp, which can often lead to early season injuries since he’s not used to physical contact; plays for quite possibly the worst team in the NFL, with an unsettled (to put it nicely) QB situation and a fast detiorating offensive line. Listen, LJ is a beast and will be relied upon by his team more so than any other running back in the league, but there’s an awful lot of chips stacked against him.
Rocco Baldelli is out again with “sore legs” after returning to minor league play for two games. He played designated hitter. Things more likely to happen than Rocco Baldelli becoming healthy: Tom Brady using a condom; Robby getting tested for HIV; Carlos Mencia writing original material; Michael Richards becoming sane; me watching Grey’s Anatomy; an ugly Hayden Panettiere; me not winning my fantasy league…
Leave a Reply