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 rookie running back would you most like to own in a dynasty league?

JEFFREY KAMYS

I would want Matt Forte. Forte fits the Bears style of play very well and unlike a guy like Chris Johnson who may be a flash in the pan, meaning once his speed is gone, he may not be that special, Forte is just a rock solid runner. Lovie Smith isn't going anywhere either, so for the long term future, Forte appears to be in a very stable position. Guys like Hightower and Slaton have been solid, but their coaches may not be on stable ground unless they continue to win. Once a head coach leaves a team all bets are off on fantasy output.

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

You certainly have a plethora of choices: Forte, Chris Johnson, Slaton, K. Smith, McFadden and Tim Hightower. McFadden and K. Smith get written off because of their teams. Neither team has too much of a future in the next few years. Slaton is in a slightly better position. Johnson has some RBBC issues. Thus I like Forte and Hightower. Their teams have good, improving defenses. Hightower has recently been named the starter at AZ and had a week 9 performance of 109 yards on 22 carries. Hightower is more of a RB3 type runner, while Forte seems quicker. Either will make good keepers. But Forte gets the slight edge in a PPR format, Hightower gets the QB edge. Advantage: Forte.

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).

LOUIS TRANQUILLI

Rashard Mendenhall, because the Steelers organization is so stable. You know as a dynasty league player what you are getting; a head coach that will be a part of the organization for years; Bruce Arians at offensive coordinator and a commitment to run the football as part of the AFC North. Add in a QB that is still getting better, a young and outstanding group of WRs (outside Hines) and this offense is set up for productive rushing output for years.

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 like Matt Forte. To me, he looks like another Eddie George — tall, tough and productive. I think he’ll be the starting, full-time running back in Chicago for the next four-five years (until, like George, he wears down from taking so much punishment). At the halfway point of this season, Forte is averaging 80 rushing yards per game and is on pace to finish the season with 12 TDs. He’s also very good in pass protection and as a receiver — he’s caught 30 passes for 228 yards.

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.

SCOTT ENDSLEY

This is a no-brainer. If any other RB shows up as the definitive answer to this question I’d be very surprised. Chris Johnson has been outstanding this season. He has the patience to wait for the hole and explosiveness to be gone the instant it opens, agile moving quickly left and right to avoid tacklers makes him extremely valuable. And he can catch the ball out of the backfield! The Titans passing game isn’t all that impressive so teams can key on the running game yet Chris Johnson continues to get yards and find the end zone. The only drawback might be the Titans preference to put White in around the goal line but that will likely change in the future.

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.

BOB HECK

This is a difficult question. This year’s draft class is almost unprecedented in terms of the quantity of talent. It’s difficult putting just one-year into perspective as it makes you want to dismiss Darren McFadden and Rashard Mendenhall, both of whom we think are talented backs. They are battling injuries now but who is to say what the next 2-5 years hold. Given we we’re at today, Chris Johnson talents and contributions to the fantasy bottom line are simply too hard to ignore and that is who we would take #1. CJ3 is a safe bet for future strong performance – the guy is ultra-talented, and he is producing now as well. In a close second is Jonathan Stewart. He is stuck behind DeAngelo Williams and is adjusting to the NFL and battling minor injuries, but we think his day will come and when it does he will be an elite fantasy RB. Tim Hightower is awfully intriguing as well.

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.

CHRIS LISS

Chris Johnson is the most dynamic of the group. Matt Forte and Steve Slaton wouldn't be bad picks, either, and probably McFadden, too, though we've only seen glimpses. I'd probably have to say Johnson.

RotoWire.com is a leading independent provider of fantasy sports news on the web, covering all the news as it breaks, combining innovative analysis with an easy-to-use format. The site’s content has won numerous awards and has earned partnerships with ESPN, Yahoo! Sports, FoxSports, XM Satellite Radio, NFL.com, NBA.com and many other sites and networks. To sample site content, take advantage of their free 10-day trial.

ANDY RICHARDSON

There really are an impressive number of options -- even more impressive when you consider that the consensus top two backs, McFadden and Mendenhall, have had lost seasons. One of those guys might still be a superstar, as might Jonathan Stewart, but I'll choose Chris Johnson, who's looked great since Day 1, and as we've noted in the past, the great running backs tend to demonstrate it right away. Speed, a little bit of charisma, pass-catching ability...looks like he has it all, plus he's on a team that should be pretty good and run the ball effectively for the next several years.

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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