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:

Which currently struggling star will be significantly better the rest of the season?

IAN MILLMAN

It is hard to say that Chris Johnson is "struggling", but I think most everyone that took him at No. 1 feels like he isn't living up to their expectations. Hopefully all of these owners are still in the mix. After a tough matchup with SD and a bye week, the Titans schedule is a perfect storm for Chris Johnson. Other than a mediocre Dolphin rush defense, all of the other defenses are in the bottom third in fantasy points allowed. If you have him, hang on, and if you don't wait until after the SD game and see if you can sneak in and trade for him while he is off.

Fantasy Football Champs, FFChamps.com, founders the Millmans are the No. 1 ranked experts In the history of the Fantasy Football Index Experts Poll. FFChamps.com gets there every year by following our Football Bible, The FFCPI, our weekly rankings telling you who to play. FFChamps.com has the most state of the industry Mock Draft tool, proprietary algorithms and systems for player rankings/who to draft/who to play/who to trade in the industry, and one-to-one Expert Advice. In the last 7 years FF Champs has competed against the top Fantasy Football Experts in all of the major magazines' Experts Polls and has finished lower than 3rd only twice.

JEFFREY KAMYS

Well this one may be a no-brainer, but now with Big Ben back in Pittsburgh, you know that Hines Ward is going to have a big final 10 weeks of the season. Look for Ward to post near career norms, by seasons end.

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.

PRETZEL MAY

For this kind of a question you really have to start looking at matchups down the stretch so for me it is Maurice Jones-Drew. The team he plays for is really up and down so that means he may have some off weeks but if you look at the fantasy playoffs he goes up against the 28th, 25th and 20th ranked run defenses which big points when you need them most.

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

Larry Fitzgerald. Pretty simple in my opinion, the talent is there and the schedule is very nice. He's a guy I would trade for and expect some nice game the rest of the way. Arizona has 5 games remaining at home (assuming a 16 week FF schedule). Larry at home and Max Hall at QB ready to sling it in comfortable surroundings has me pretty high on a rebound.

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.

DAVID DOREY

Calvin Johnson did have a nice game finally in week six but he posted low numbers on the way there. He’s at the front of the line for having a good rest of the season with Matt Stafford returning, a improved rushing game this year and a schedule that now turns softer than any in the league. The addition of Nate Burleson will prove to be more beneficial preventing secondaries from loading up as much against Calvin as the Lions offense takes another step forward.

Dorey is the co-founder and lead NFL analyst for The Huddle and author of Fantasy Football: The Next Level. He has projected and predicted every NFL game and player performance since 1997 and has appeared in numerous magazines, newspapers, radio and television.

SCOTT SACHS

I guess I would focus on injured returnee Matt Stafford. With additional injuries to Jahvid Best, Chas Johnson, and others hampering the Lions in general, they have not necessarily imploded during Stafford's absence. Consider the post bye-week factors: Detroit will have Stafford back, a week's extra rest for Best and Johnson, the division leader has just 4 wins, plus the Lions renewed positive attitude--all should contribute to Matt Stafford's return to solid QB2 status, perhaps QB1 certain weeks depending on continued injury and bye-week factors, match-ups, and the Lions continuing to trail in games.

Scott Sachs is “The Coach”, at Perfect Season Fantasy Football, offering live talk and advice from early August through the NFL playoffs. The Coach has 22 years experience in a 24-team league, 19 years in playoffs with multiple Championships, including the league’s only perfect season! The Coach has a knack for Sleeper & Rookie picks, too! Free content and subscriber options on the website: www.perfectseasonffb.com. Email questions or info requests to perfectseasonffbquestions@gmail.com.

SAM HENDRICKS

Andre Johnson is the 14th ranked WR in most PPR leagues due to a weak week 1 and 3 and an injury induced goose egg in week 4. Now his ankle seems fine. Look for big points this week and for the rest of the year as he returns to form and the No. 1 ranking.

Sam Hendricks is the author of Fantasy Football Guidebook, Fantasy Football Tips and Fantasy Football Basics, all available at his website, www.ffguidebook.com, at all major bookstores, and at www.amazon.com. He is a 20-year fantasy football veteran who regularly participates in the World Championship of Fantasy Football (WCOFF), National Fantasy Football Championship (NFFC) and finished 7th and 16th overall (out of 228 competitors) in the 2008 and 2009 Fantasy Football Players Championship (FFPC).

SCOTT PIANOWSKI

I've watched Owen Daniels closely the last few weeks and it looks like the knee is healthy again. With a lot of name-brand tight ends down for the count (Dallas Clark, Jermichael Finley), it's time to go back to OD. Get in on this before Daniels blows his cover; I like him as a Week 8 play against the Colts.

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.

NICHOLAS MINNIX

If you drafted DeAngelo Williams or Jonathan Stewart - or better yet, both - then you stand a pretty good chance of receiving a nice return on your investment yet. Carolina's offense was off to a similarly dull start last year before a big passing game jump-started the entire offense and gave the running game in particular the kind of breathing room it needed. Matt Moore didn't get much of a chance to hold the job he won in camp, but his return to the starting post breathed life into a passing game with green but talented weapons. You know what those two backs are capable of, and if you handcuffed them (a strategy that could pay off as soon as this Sunday), you're in great shape for the second half.

Since 1996, KFFL.com has been combining its award-winning news service with top-notch fantasy analysis. KFFL.com offers industry-leading services, including daily news, draft guides and in-season advice. Now 100 percent free, KFFL.com is your destination for fantasy baseball, football and NASCAR cheat sheets, tips, sleepers and much more. KFFL.com has won more than a dozen expert championships and was listed as "One of the 10 essential sports-related online destinations for fans, athletes and fantasy owners" by Time.com. KFFL.com has provided content to USA Today, Yahoo! Sports, FOXSports.com and many other quality organizations.

ANDY RICHARDSON

Not that he's struggling necessarily, but Frank Gore has been a bit disappointing. His schedule the rest of the way, though, looks pretty appealing: Denver, St. Louis, Tampa Bay, Arizona, and Green Bay's linebacker-thin defense in the next five games.

Richardson has been a columnist and contributor to the Fantasy Football Index magazine and web site for the past nine years. His responsibilities include team defense and IDP projections and various site features, and he has run the magazine's annual draft and auction leagues since their inception. He previews all the NFL games on Saturdays and writes a wrap-up column on Mondays during the NFL season.

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