Ask the Experts

ASK THE EXPERTS appears weekly with answers to a new question being posted Thursday morning. How the guest experts responded when we asked them:

When, if ever, is it OK to bench your studs?

RICK HAWES

If my studs are playing well and living up to expectations, then I will normally start them regardless of the defensive prowess of the opponent. However, in my opinion, there is only a short list of studs that fall into the category of slam-dunk, every-week starter. It’s really a double-edge sword, because sometimes NFL teams are more motivated against top-shelf competition, while on other occasions they will play down to the level of lesser teams. Trying to figure out how an NFL game is going to unfold is one of the key factors that makes this hobby so much fun, and so frustrating all at the same time. Bottom line: if I burned an early draft choice on a player and they are competing at a high level, then they are going to be in my lineup 99 percent of the time.

Hawes is the Managing Editor of NFL content at Fanball.com. Fanball.com and OwnersEdge.com offer league management software, daily play fantasy games, Live Advice, up-to-date news, free and premium content, player rankings, custom projections and cheat sheets, in-depth IDP analysis, Fantasy Buffet Radio Show, NFL Draft Kit, Fanball Blog Network, daily newsletter, a vast array of fantasy football tools, including Draft Analyzer software and five magazines featuring the Pro Football Draft Preview, as well as four Fantasy Football publications. For more information send e-mail to rhawes@fanball.com.

PRETZEL MAY

This really depends on A) the definition of "stud" and B) do you have a MUCH better matchup with one of your secondary players. Steven Jackson, Cedric Benson and Clinton Portis could, in some circles be considered studs. However, there have definitely been situations already this season in which these "studs" could definitely been benched in favor of better matchups for other players. For example Jerricho Cotchery versus the porous Titans pass defense was a much better call than Cedric Benson versus the Steelers. Again the question remains, is Cedric Benson a Stud? If the question is, "Is there a match up in which you would sit Adrian Peterson?" the answer, quite simply, is no.

The May brothers have more than 16 years of combined fantasy football experience and are the co-founders of FantasyDraftMaster.com. The cornerstone of FDM is the UberRank which is a revolutionary approach to the traditional fantasy football cheat sheet. FantasyDraftMaster.com also offers insightful and humorous commentary on football happenings as well as recommendations on waiver wire pickups, line up submissions and weekly pick em' pools. For more info, visit www.fantasydraftmaster.com or email us at info@fantasydraftmaster.com.

MIKE NAZAREK

Unless they are not playing due to injury or benching (or it's week 17 and they are being rested), I NEVER bench my STUDs.... NEVER.

Nazarek is the CEO of Fantasy Football Mastermind Inc. His company offers an online rookie draft kit, preseason draft guide, customizable cheat sheets, fantasy auction & regular drafting programs, weekly in-season fantasy newsletters, injury reports and free NFL news (updated daily) at its web site. He has been playing fantasy football since 1988 and is the reigning four-peat champion of the SI.com Experts Fantasy League, a nationally published writer in several fantasy magazines and a columnist for SI.com. For more info go to www.ffmastermind.com. Nazarek can be reached at 702-568-7118 or miken@ffmastermind.com.

SCOTT PIANOWSKI

My feeling is you set your best lineup every week based on current productivity and matchups at hand, not based on what you paid for your roster in August or where you drafted a player. The game is about adjusting quicker than your opponents; it's not about labels and stringent rules of thumb. When I hear owners say "I hate having depth, too many choices" or "the bye weeks bother me" what they're really saying is "I don't want to make tough decisions." The definition of a stud is fluid anyway. You drafted Steve Slaton as a stud, is he one now? Is Tom Brady an automatic play as he comes back from his knee injury? Not in my book he isn't, not right now, anyway. Don't play for the "most gut-acceptable loss", play for the most plausible win.

Scott Pianowski has been playing fantasy football for 15 years and writing about it for 12. He joined Yahoo! Sports in 2008 and has been blogging 24/7 on RotoArcade.com ever since.

SCOTT ENDSLEY

If you're even considering benching them are they really studs? Probably not. Is LT a "stud" anymore? Certainly he needed to be benched last week. With a lack of parity in the NFL these days there are some really good teams and some really bad teams so match ups can mean that if you have depth you should absolutely consider sitting your studs. Or so called studs.

Endsley is co-owner and a senior fantasy football consultant for FantasyDraftEdge.com offering customizable fantasy football cheat sheets and professional VIP advice all season long. For more info, go to www.fantasydraftedge.com.

LOUIS TRANQUILLI

I believe it comes down to your league format. If you are in a head to head league the answer is yes, bench your studs if there is an obvious bad matchup, Marques Colston and Andre Johnson from week #4 being the latest examples. If you owned Steve Smith of the Giants and left him on the bench for your studs, that's being a stubborn owner rather than a proactive winner. If your league is total points, never bench them; ride the bad games and good games out. That's why you drafted them in a total points league, not for their weekly production, for their season's production.

Tranquilli is the founder and the primary "brains" (if you stretch it) of BFDFANTASYfootball.com. BFD is about delivering the information players want, not fluff, just opinions that matter to fantasy football players. Lou has worked with NFL players and gives a unique perspective because of it. We'll be giving MORE teams away in 2009 to BFD subscribers!

CORY J. BONINI

Every situation is unique, of course, but I'd have a tough time benching most of my stud players, especially this early in the season. After all, you drafted them as "studs" for a reason, therefore giving up so soon is short-sighted. If a struggling player like, say, Houston Texans running back Steve Slaton, played the Baltimore Ravens last week instead of the Oakland Raiders, I probably would have benched him. You have to be flexible and not marry yourself to one philosophy.

KFFL.com offers fantasy football, fantasy baseball and fantasy NASCAR content. We have captured well more than a dozen expert league championships. Founded in 1996, KFFL offers award-winning daily news feeds, preseason draft guides, player rankings, sleepers, busts, weekly newsletters and more. KFFL is completely free! For more information, visit www.kffl.com.

COLIN DARLINGTON

At this point in the season I think your top 2-3 picks are still a "must start" unless you have a major sleeper at the same position on your bench that is now a "must start". For instance last year I had Portis, R.Bush (In a PPR League) and Forte on my bench. I started Portis and Bush for about 4 weeks, then made Forte (my 8th round pick) to a "must start" around Week 4 and choose between Portis and Bush until Bush got injured. I think you have to give you fist few pics about 5-6 weeks, then make a move (unless you have a stud like a 2008 Forte on your bench). Also, remeber D. Williams didn't have one game in double digits for the first 5 weeks of 2008 and he finished as a top 5 RB. Don't give up too early on your stars.

Darlington is the owner of MyStartEmSitEm.com and has been an owner, commissioner and consultant in Fantasy Football since 1992. MyStartEmSitEm.com provides weekly advice based on your league, your scoring system, with custom emails about your team, preseason cheat sheets, draft day assistance and much more.

DAVID DOREY

The general rule I always follow with quarterbacks and running backs is that I never bench my studs unless they are playing against a top three defense in their stadium. I’d have to think about it even then but for example I did not play Chris Johnson in week one because he was playing in Pittsburgh. It was the right move assuming you have a decent option to use. Wide receivers are different and I would never bench my stud because the consistency factor is low with them and typically the tougher matchups only exclude the other receivers from that team, not the stud wideout. Benching studs is mostly about having attractive alternatives which it hard. But a bottom line rule of thumb is to never bench your studs unless it is a RB or QB facing a top three defense in their stadium.

Dorey is the co-founder and Senior NFL Analyst at The Huddle since 1997. He has produced award winning rankings and has projected the fantasy stats for every game over the last 13 years. David produces the bulk of The Huddle rankings and his “Predictions and Projections” breaks down every single NFL game every week through the Super Bowl. You can find more about David at TheHuddle.com.

SAM HENDRICKS

The answer is it DEPENDS. In 99 out of 100 cases, NO never bench your studs because they are going to perform for you. Whether it is this week or next week, eventually they will produce and you do not want them on your bench when they go off for 30+ fantasy points. A good question is what defines your “stud”? Generally any player drafted in the first two or three rounds in my book. They were drafted high because you knew you could count on them. So when are the rare instances when you do not start the stud player? Injury issues would be one scenario. If he is questionable or doubtful with a significant injury (and not practicing on Friday is a good sign it is significant) then I would think about benching him. Even if he plays he may be limited. Another case is when something beyond his control will affect him-like weather or a week 17 game where he may be rested for the playoffs. Last year Kurt Warner went to play at NE in week 16 during a snow storm. Swirling winds are not good for a passer He should have been benched even though all the predictions were for a big day. He finished with 30 yards passing.

Sam Hendricks is the author of Fantasy Football Guidebook, Fantasy Football Tips and Fantasy Football Almanac 2009, all available at his website, www.ffguidebook.com, at all major bookstores, and at www.amazon.com. He is a 19-year fantasy football veteran who regularly participates in the World Championship of Fantasy Football (WCOFF), National Fantasy Football Championship (NFFC) and finished 7th overall in the 2008 Fantasy Football Players Championship (FFPC).

JEFFREY KAMYS

This really depends on what kind of studs they are and what are the factors that are making them un-studly. A guy like LT and to some extent LJ has lost it in our book so he should be benched. On the other hand a guy like Houshmandzadeh is simply adjusting to a new QB, so that is generally just a matter of time in that case so we are more reluctant to recommend benching him. Bottom line, no one rule applies here.

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 email to webmaster@docstats.com.

ANDY RICHARDSON

I'm such an amazing drafter that I usually have to bench one of my studs because there aren't enough lineup spots to go around. Just kidding. In all seriousness, it depends how broad we're being with the word. No, I'll never sit down Adrian Peterson, even with the Ravens and Steelers coming up, and Larry Fitzgerald or Drew Brees will only be benched during their bye weeks. But I've already benched Steve Slaton once this year (at Tennessee), and I also sat Marques Colston against the Jets. So I guess the answer is "No," but that's only because the number of actual fantasy studs gets smaller all the time.

Richardson has been a columnist and contributor to the Fantasy Football Index magazine and web site for the past eight 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. His A DAY OF FOOTBALL wrap-up column appears Mondays during the NFL season.

• Comments [2]

Readers' Comments

Add a Comment

Already a registered user? Please sign in to add comments.

To add comments, you must become a registered user of our site. To register, please click here.