Ask the Experts

ASK THE EXPERTS appears weekly, with answers to a new question being posted every Thursday morning.

How the guest experts responded when we asked them:

Which currently injured big-name player would you most like to have on your team?

MIKE NAZAREK

RB Brian Westbrook, Philadelphia. I already own him in a few leagues and don't regret the choice to draft him first. He's one of the few RBs that can dominate a game for fantasy owners when he's healthy and playing.

Nazarek is the CEO of Fantasy Football Mastermind Inc. His company offers an online rookie draft kit, preseason draft guide, customizable cheat sheets, a fantasy auction drafting program, weekly in-season fantasy newsletters, injury reports and free NFL news (updated daily) at its web site. He is the reigning three-peat champion of the SI.com Experts Fantasy League. He is also a nationally published writer in several fantasy magazines and a columnist for SI.com. For more info go to http://www.ffmastermind.com. Nazarek can be reached at 702-568-7118 or miken@ffmastermind.com.

SCOTT PIANOWSKI

Joseph Addai and Brian Westbrook are top-5 backs anytime they're on the field. If you're sensing even the slightest bit of weakness from your opponents, make your pitch now. It might be easier to trade for Addai while he's on his bye week, and with Kenton Keith's big showing fresh in everyone's mind.

Pianowski is a free-lance journalist who's been writing about sports (fantasy and otherwise) for a variety of websites, newspapers and magazines for the last 20 years. He can be reached at pianowski31@yahoo.com.

STEVEN LASSAN

The player I would most like to have on my team (returning from injury) would be St. Louis running back Steven Jackson. Jackson has potential to score a touchdown and rush for 100 yards every week and his receptions help those in PPR leagues as well. Even though the Rams have struggled to find consistency along their offensive line, Brian Leonard has not ran that bad in the past two weeks, and once quarterback Marc Bulger is healthy, this offense will be much better. With Bulger and Jackson 100 percent, the Rams should assume their status as one of the most fantasy friendly in the league and directly benefit receiver Torry Holt.

Lassan is a senior staff writer for Pro Fantasy Sports. For more info, visit the websites www.profantasysports.com and www.fswa.org.

JEFFREY KAMYS

Andre Johnson looks interesting as that Texans team is finally playing well on a consistent basis. Steven Jackson will have plenty of value when he returns as well. Terry Glenn may be one of the bigger sleepers as many were skeptical if he would return at all this year.

Kamys is president of Dr. Stats Fantasy Sports. His company, via the web, offers player news, injury reports, cheat sheets, projections, weekly matchups, statistics, and a customized team tracker. Dr. Stats Fantasy Sports also e-mails preseason newsletters and reports throughout the season. For more info visit www.docstats.com or send e-mail to webmaster@docstats.com.

NICHOLAS MINNIX

Houston Texans wide receiver Andre Johnson (knee) seems to be one of the more obvious candidates, especially for those who play in point-per-reception leagues. He amassed 14 catches for 262 yards and three touchdowns in two contests before sustaining a sprained posterior cruciate ligament at the end of his Week 2 game. Johnson obviously developed an immediate rapport with quarterback Matt Schaub. Other receivers, particularly Andre' Davis, have gained experience with Schaub during Johnson's absence. That only increases the likelihood that defenses won't be able to focus solely on Johnson, as they have in seasons past, once he returns. St. Louis Rams running back Steven Jackson (groin) ordinarily would get most of the consideration. With the nature of his injury and so many negatives surrounding that offense, though, concerns will remain.

KFFL offers football as well as baseball content and has captured over a dozen expert league championships. Founded in 1996, this company offers daily news, preseason draft guides, player rankings, sleepers, busts, weekly newsletters and more. KFFL also provides fantasy content to various organizations including SportsTicker and Yahoo! Sports. For more information, visit www.kffl.com .

IAN ALLAN

Are we counting Joseph Addai and Marvin Harrison as “injured big-name players”? If so, I’ll gladly take either of those guys. I think they’ll be top-5 players at their positions. Neither of those guys played on Sunday, but with the Colts having a bye this week, I consider it to be 100 percent certain that they’ll both be in their usual roles when the team returns to action. If we’re not allowing those shooting-fish-in-a-barrel guys, then I’ll go with Steven Jackson. He’ll return in a week or two from a torn groin. The Rams have had a lot of offensive problems, but he’s still a difference-maker player, and I think they’ll get him dialed in.

Allan is the senior writer for Fantasy Football Index magazine. He’s also one of the main content contributors for that company’s website, www.fantasyindex.com. His IAN ALLAN’S MAILBAG column is posted on Tuesdays and Fridays.

SCOTT ENDSLEY

Two guys we have our eye on….one may surprise you…..The first is Michael Pittman in Tampa Bay. He’s probably a better option than Cadillac for the offense and gives TB more options to get him the ball. The other….Priest Holmes. LJ could use some support and Priest is due off the PUP list after next week and reports are he believes he’s ready to go……a bit of a long shot we realize but perhaps worth a gamble.

Endsley is co-owner and a senior fantasy football consultant for FantasyDraftEdge.com. For more info, go to www.fantasydraftedge.com.

PATRICK GLEESING

Chris Henry is actually on suspension, but he's my guy. Henry is a gifted athlete with a T.O. type body. He is electric and exciting. He will re-ignite the passion in his team and we will be looking at the tale of two half seasons. I am already adding him, where I can afford it, to my fantasy rosters. He will be a steady contributor and is a great pickup, especially in larger leagues, as the waiver wire gets thin.

Gleesing is the owner of and senior writer for fantasyfootballdrafthub.com. He can be reached at patrick@fantasyfootballdrafthub.com.

ANDY RICHARDSON

I'm going to go with Anquan Boldin, at least in the sense that when he is healthy, I think he'll post some big numbers now that Kurt Warner is back in the starting lineup. That said, I have Boldin on one team with just four bench spots (as well as Andre Johnson) and those guys are killing my team -- you can't cut them, but you can't fill their spots either. And six-team bye weeks don't help. Hopefully Boldin will be healthy soon, and it won't be too late to save my season.

Richardson has been a columnist and contributor to the Fantasy Football Index magazine and web site for the past six years. His responsibilities include team defense and IDP projections, as well as various site features. He has run the magazine's annual draft and auction leagues since their inception. Other writing credits have included FFToday.com and football coverage for newspapers in Colorado and Florida. For more information go to www.fantasyindex.com.

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