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:

Smallish speedsters Ted Ginn and Donnie Avery had huge games Sunday; a year from now, will one of these guys be the next Steve Smith or Santana Moss?

CHRIS LISS

Yes -- these guys are in that same lineage, and you can add Eddie Royal and DeSean Jackson among rookies and Santonio Holmes and Lee Evans among vets. Obviously, health and system play a big part, but all of these guys are very quick and can get behind defenses.

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SCOTT ENDSLEY

Ted Ginn was a high draft pick with lofty expectations, as he gains confidence and is part of a quality offense he can absolutely become a fantasy football WR you’d be happy to have on your team. But one year, even two does not make a Steve Smith or Santana Moss. Check with us in 3 or 4 years of getting it done before elevating any young player that high.

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.

DAVID DOREY

Avery certainly has a shot at being a Steve Smith sort of player though he’s not hardly there yet. He has shown over the last three games that he is capable of making dramatic steps up in his roles and responsibilities and the Rams need someone to balance an aging Torry Holt. Ted Ginn had a monster game to be sure but he has not shown the progress of Avery despite being in the league for a year longer. Ginn shows signs of being Santana Moss – the one of the last couple of years who would have a big game and then disappear for a month, then have a big game and then disappear for a month.

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.

LOUIS TRANQUILLI

No. Each guy has something working against them that makes it difficult to see them becoming a Steve Smith or Santana Moss. The Dolphins will change QBs at some point and the Rams will change their offense as early as 2009. How they handle that coming change of talent will impact their production. In Avery's case he is benefiting from Torry Holt being on the other side; that won't last too much longer and Ginn has not done enough to be comparable (in the future) to the two guys referenced. He will be more a Terry Glenn WR in my opinion, very up/down during his fantasy career.

Louis Tranquilli is the founder and the primary "brains" (if you stretch it) of BFDFANTASYfootball.com. BFD is about giving advice to players from a player. Lou's been a highly successful owner in many high stakes contests. BFD is giving away 50 fantasy football teams in 2008.

IAN ALLAN

I don’t think so. They’re different kinds of players. Smith and Moss are both short, stocky guys who can make people miss after the catch — guys who can turn a 10-yard pass into a 70-yard touchdown. Both are 5-foot-9. These two younger guys are taller and leaner — both are listed at 5-foot-11. They’re both fast but I don’t see the after-the-catch strength, creativity and tackle-breaking ability. I believe both of these younger guys will be best-suited to be No. 2 receivers for the bulk of their careers — big-play receivers that you can line up opposite more of a go-to guy. I don’t think Ginn or Avery will ever catch 80 passes in an NFL season.

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 Fridays.

BOB HECK

Neither will be Steve Smith who plays bigger and meaner than his 5-foot-9 frame would portray. A better comparison would be Santana Moss. If we had to pick between the two we would take Donnie Avery without question. Avery is a better route-runner than Ted Ginn and understands how to turn around DBs and beat them. Despite the big day yesterday against a hobbled defensive-back, Ginn still hasn't mastered the finer points of being a WR.

Heck is a founding partner at Dynasty Rogues, a fantasy football website filled with football enthusiasts, run by football enthusiasts. The company provides year-round dynasty and redraft fantasy football coverage and analysis, including Dynasty Rogues Radio and the Rogues Forum. The site can be reached at www.dynastyrogues.com.

JEFFREY KAMYS

Tough to call really. Ginn hasn't shown anything up until this week and the Dolphins have had a different hot player each and every week, so that doesn't bode well for more huge weeks for Ginn in the short term; also overall the Dolphins are going to try to be a run first unit. Still this Dolphins team is still looking for a No. 1 WR and that very well could eventually be Ginn. In St. Louis much will depend on who the coach of the Rams is next season; with Haslett they are trying to run more which is obviously not going to help the pass game. Still Avery seems like he will continue to be a nice complimentary player to Holt going forward, giving this team some much needed speed in the WR core. Neither appear to be fantasy studs though, more likely they are No. 3 fantasy WRs.

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.

SAM HENDRICKS

Both Ted Ginn Jr. and Donnie Avery are rising stars, but the fact remains that they doubled their seasons stats with one big day in week 8. Defenses will need to give them more attention (read: double teams) but neither should be crowned the next Steve Smith until they prove themselves adept at catching balls when defenses attempt to shut them down. The season is a marathon not a sprint and one great game does not a season make; especially against a CB recovering from injury (Ginn’s case). Avery is the more promising candidate here. I expected more from Ginn all year but frankly he has disappointed in many areas.

Hendricks is the author of Fantasy Football Guidebook and the recently released Fantasy Football Almanac 2008 which are both available at his website, www.ffguidebook.com, at all major bookstores, and at www.amazon.com. He is an 18-year fantasy football veteran who regularly participates in the World Championship of Fantasy Football (WCOFF) and will participate this year in the inaugural season of the Fantasy Football Players Championship (FFPC).

MIKE NAZAREKI really believe WR Donnie Avery has a bright future in St. Louis. WR Torry Holt is getting up there in age and the team desperately needs a speedy alternative, one with good hands, and Avery fits that bill. As for WR Ted Ginn, he's not yet shown the consistency needed to prove he can get the job done week in and week out, although there is potential there.

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 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.

ANDY RICHARDSON

Not Steve Smith, but Santana Moss maybe -- a guy who tends to be streaky, with huge games followed by quiet ones. I'm still not sold on Ginn, who did too little for too long to suggest he can keep it up (although he should be good at Denver this week), but the Rams liked Avery enough to make him the top wideout drafted, and he's produced almost as soon as he was put on the field, so the odds seem to be in his favor to be a productive player the rest of the way and next year. It's not like the team has much else at the position.

Richardson has been a columnist and contributor to the Fantasy Football Index magazine and web site for the past seven 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. For more information go to www.fantasyindex.com.

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