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:

Who is the first-half fantasy MVP?

SCOTT ENDSLEY

Three words: M J D. Maurice Jones-Drew leads the league in TDs, is 5th in rushing yards at 5.5 ypc and one of the top pass catching RBs in the league. Certainly a strong argument can be made for AP but he was nearly everyone's No. 1 choice -- we admit some pride here as we had MJD ranked higher than many did and he's living up to our high expectations.

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.

RICK HAWES

I’m definitely liking the fact that Adrian Peterson and Maurice-Jones Drew are living up to their lofty draft statuses, but my MVP goes to Ray Rice, who carried an ADP of 40 (4.05) into the 2009 campaign as the 19th running back off the board. Rice is a top-five back in all-scoring formats, and if not for Willis McGahee vulturing seven touchdowns during the first four weeks of the season, he could easily be sitting at the top of the heap. Rice has posted three 100-yard efforts (2 rush, 1 receive), he’s averaging five receptions a game, and the touchdowns are starting to come with four in the last three games. The second-year veteran is averaging 5.5 yards per carry, 9.2 yards per catch, and he is a threat to take it to the house every time he touches the rock.

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

At this point in the season I would point to someone like Matt Schaub. ADP rankings have him going in the 6th round and he is a top 5 producer in standard leagues. In the first couple rounds most people take similar players, a lot of running backs and the top ranked QBs and WR but being able to pick up a guy like that in the sixth round takes your team from average to leader in the standings. So for those of you who went RB, RB, WR and waited on your QB a little bit got a steal in Matt Schaub and regardless of your other positions this guy is your MVP.

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.

LOUIS TRANQUILLI

Please allow me to pimp a little...Ray Rice Baltimore Ravens in a LANDSLIDE, he came cheaply at the draft and he's making all the teams that took WRs early then Ray look good. We named Ray Rice our 2009 Breakout Player of the Year back in the preseason and he's delivered just what we knew he could. After toying with a specialty back in Willis McGahee early the Ravens coaches have made Rice the featured player on offense. Seven games and eight weeks into the season Rice is the 3rd-ranked RB in standard scoring formats and 3rd-ranked RB in point per reception leagues. Ray Rice is the fantasy MVP midway through the season.

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!

IAN ALLAN

For “MVP”, I’ll look at the guys who provided the biggest bang for the buck, relative to where they were selected. And by that criterion, there is no clear knockout guy. At running back, there’s Ray Rice, Cedric Benson and Thomas Jones. At wide receiver, there’s Steve Smith, Miles Austin and DeSean Jackson. And I think you have to mention tight ends Owen Daniels and Vernon Davis as well. Maybe even the New Orleans defense in the right scoring system. Those are the players I’d be considering. If you want to instead define MVP as the guy you would have drafted No. 1 if you could turn back the clock, I think the three candidates (in a generic-type league) would be Adrian Peterson, Maurice Jones-Drew and Reggie Wayne.

Allan is the senior writer for Fantasy Football Index. He’s been in that role since 1987, generating most of the player rankings and analysis for that publication. His work can be seen in Fantasy Football Index magazine, and also at the company’s website, www.fantasyindex.com.

JEFFREY KAMYS

Coupling not only the numbers but the wins on the field we would have to go with Drew Brees. Further he has a very good shot to be the MVP at seasons end, considering that he is playing on a dome team, so bad weather games will not hurt his final stats.

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.

MIKE NAZAREK

QB Brett Favre. He's been amazingly good and led the Vikings to a shocking 7-1 record. It also doesn't hurt that he's beaten the Packers twice!

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.

SAM HENDRICKS

Either Peyton Manning or Drew Brees. Both have led their teams to an undefeated 7-0 start. I give the nod to Peyton because even though Brees has scored more fantasy points (172 to 169), Manning has been more consistent. Peyton has roughly a 23-point FP average with a low of 17 and high of 33. Brees on the other hand has two ten point games and a 40-point game; too much feast or famine for my taste. Winner so far: Peyton Manning and his 2227 yards, 15 TDs and 4 INTs. Honorable mention goes to Brett Favre and his league leading 16 TDs to 3 INTs while leading Minnesota to a 7-1 record.

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).

CORY J. BONINI

Candidates for fantasy football MVP in the first half include Matt Schaub, Cedric Benson, Brett Favre and Ray Rice, but if your definition of the award comes from return on draft investment, it's hard to argue against Aaron Rodgers for the honor. Why? Consistency. Despite already approaching his '08 sack total, he has put up multiple touchdowns in his last five outings. Since Week 1, he hasn't fallen short of 246 aerial yards. He has also thrown just two interceptions. Imagine what he could do if he receives better protection. There's no reason to think the Pack will throw less, either, especially if they can bring Greg Jennings back into the fold.

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.

ANDY RICHARDSON

Several players leap to mind. Ray Rice, particularly relative to where he was drafted, is the clear top choice. Everyone kind of knew Adrian Peterson and Maurice Jones-Drew would be awesome, but being able to draft either player came down to luck. Rice was a guy you could wait on, address other positions, and then pluck a top starter at the most difficult position to fill out of the middle rounds. The other two guys worthy of mention are Chad Ochocinco and Vincent Jackson. Week in and week out these guys are producing catches, yards and touchdowns. With a lot of underachievers at the top at wide receiver (e.g., Steve Smith and Greg Jennings), these guys have been gold.

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 [0]

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.