Ask the Experts

ASK THE EXPERTS appears weekly, with answers to a new question being posted every Thursday morning.

How the guest experts responded when we asked them:

What one player has opened your eyes the most this preseason?

JEFFREY KAMYS

We like the looks of Packers WR James Jones, very physical like TO light, can run like Javon Walker light and has shown a great ability to snatch the ball out of the air. Jones has actually looked more productive with Rodgers at QB than he has with Favre, but that's because he worked with the second team more, most of camp. Looks like a very good sleeper.

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 e-mail to webmaster@docstats.com.

CARL WEATHERFORD

Probably Wes Welker. While Randy Moss and Stallworth got all the press and nagging preseason injuries, Welker has shown why he led the Dolphins in receiving last season. When you consider how liberally the Patriots spread the ball around, Welker presents himself as the best Pat WR draft day bargain. Should Wes finish the season as the teams number two receiver, it would not be too much of a surprise.

Weatherford is owner/editor of www.coachbox.com, a fantasy football news and advice community online since 1997. Weatherford was author of the directory and technical editor for IDG Book’s Fantasy Sports Online For Dummies. He has been participating in magazine and expert panels since 1997 and has played fantasy football for over 20 years.

DEAN RAMSAY

The player who has opened my eyes this preseason is the Packers’ rookie wideout James Jones. He has been having a spectacular preseason thus far and has been stepping up big-time in Donald Driver's absence. As a rookie it is remarkable, as he has become Favre's go to guy this preseason. If Driver's injury keeps him out of action, Jackson will be thrust into the starting role and could be a sleeper in deep leagues.

Ramsay is the senior analyst for draftchamps.com. Draft Champs has been providing custom cheat sheets and value-based draft guides to the fantasy football community since 2003. For more info, visit www.draftchamps.com.

MIKE NAZAREK

QB Matt Schaub (HOU) took apart the Cowboys secondary fairly easily. He may just be a solid fantasy backup QB, one you can draft very late this year.

Nazarek is the CEO of Fantasy Football Mastermind Inc. His company offers an online rookie draft kit, preseason draft guide, customizable cheat sheets, a fantasy auction drafting program, weekly in-season fantasy newsletters, injury reports and free NFL news (updated daily) at its website. He is also 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.

NICHOLAS MINNIX

A trio of rookies heads the list. Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson has made some startling runs this preseason, and he has made his case for being an intriguing No. 4 fantasy back with great potential to be a No. 3, perhaps even better. Two real eye-openers have been Green Bay Packers wideout James Jones and Houston Texans receiver Jacoby Jones, though. Packers quarterback Brett Favre has already shown a lot of confidence in James Jones, who has 16 receptions for 196 yards and two touchdowns this preseason. The Texans are doing anything they can to get Jacoby Jones the ball. He catches anything thrown at him, runs reverses and returns punts with equal edge-of-your-seat excitement.

KFFL offers football as well as baseball content and has captured over a dozen expert league championships. Founded in 1996, this company offers daily news, preseason draft guides, player rankings, sleepers, busts, weekly newsletters and more. KFFL also provides fantasy content to various organizations including SportsTicker and Yahoo! Sports. For more information, visit http://www.kffl.com/ .

STEVEN LASSAN

There have been several players I've been watching with intent this preseason, but it wasn't until recently that someone really stood out. Although he's played in only two preseason games, I've been really impressed by Cleveland quarterback Brady Quinn. While some of his action has been against backups, what he has done so far definitely opened my eyes. Throw in the fact he missed a ton of time with the contract issue and it's pretty clear he's picked the NFL game up quickly. I hate to put too much stock in preseason performances, but the Browns have a mess at quarterback and Quinn should be playing sooner, rather than later - especially since the team needs to figure out what he's got for 2008 and beyond.

Lassan is a senior staff writer for Pro Fantasy Sports. For more info, visit the websites www.profantasysports.com and www.fswa.org.

TOM KESSENICH

For me, it's rookie receiver James Jones of the Packers. This is a guy who many scouts said should have gone two rounds after Ted Thompson drafted him which meant the Packers may have reached for him. But so far in camp, he's looking a player who should have been drafted much earlier, not much later. He's shown good hands for the most part and can make yardage after the catch - a huge aspect of the Green Bay passing game. He's no threat to start barring an injury but the Packers will likely have to throw a ton so he should be involved right from the start. In larger leagues, he's definitely worth a look late.

Kessenich is the managing editor of Fantasy Sports Magazine, which began publishing in 1989. Editor Greg Ambrosius is the founder of the National Fantasy Football Championship, the industry's first multi-city, high-stakes event with a $100,000 grand prize. Ambrosius also founded the Fantasy Sports Trade Conference and was the FSTA president from 2002-2006. For more information on the NFFC, go to www.fantasyfootballchampionship.com.

IAN ALLAN

Jacoby Jones of the Texans just keeps making plays. In his first exhibition game, he caught 4 passes and had a nifty 22-yard punt return, making a couple of guys miss. Then he had an 80-yard touchdown on a punt return against Arizona. Then, against Dallas, he scored 2 TDs — one an a reception and another a 91-yard punt return. I don’t, however, consider him to be another Dante Hall or Devin Hester. This guy is a wide receiver — 6-foot-2 and 210 pounds. He’s got good (not outstanding) speed, and he’s big and physical. The Texans will get the ball in his hands, both as a receiver and on end-arounds. He’s carried the ball 3 times for 34 yards in his last two games. He’ll move into the starting lineup before long (maybe before opening day). And even as a No. 3 receiver at the start of the year, he could be a factor. Jones definitely will be one of this team’s starting receivers on opening day next 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 Tuesdays and Fridays.

PATRICK GLEESING

James Jones hands down. He has exploded into my consciousness from nowhere. Jennings has had a lot of hype and will need to really step up to keep Jones from taking his No. 2 position. Green Bay is going to surprise a lot of people this year and will finish over .500. Jones will see a lot of action and his electric play will make ESPN on a regular basis.

Gleesing is the owner and senior writer for fantasyfootballdrafthub.com. He can be reached at patrick@fantasyfootballdrafthub.com. For more info, visit his website at www.fantasyfootballdrafthub.com.

DEREK VAN RIPER

I've been surprised by James Jones' play this season. He looks very polished for a rookie, particularly with his ability to run crisp routes against NFL secondaries. Initially, I thought the reports of Jones pushing Greg Jennings for the No. 2 WR spot in Green Bay were totally ridiculous, but having seen his performances on the field thus far, it appears that the Packers may have grabbed themselves a nice little steal in the third round of April's draft.

VanRiper is an editor for RotoWire.com and is entering his third season with the company. His weekly column "Moving the Chains" is syndicated at FoxSports.com, while his other duties at RotoWire include tracking Average Draft Position and managing the team defense and offensive line rankings. He's also worked as a Contributing Reporter on Yahoo! Sports' Fantasy Football Live Webcast on Sunday mornings.

KEVIN MARSHALL

So far this preseason I've been most impressed by the performance of Joey Harrington. He seems to be stepping up to the new challenge of guiding the Falcons and their historically under-achieving WR corp. With all the off field distractions and new coaching staff, most have low expectations for the Falcons this year. I think that's the perfect situation for Harrington to put together a solid season.

Marhsall is the founder of Draftwizard. For more info, go to www.draftwizard.com.

SCOTT PIANOWSKI

Honestly, I didn't know Jacoby Jones from Janet Jones back in April, but that all changed when he ripped off three highlight-ready touchdowns earlier this month. It sure looks like the Texans got themselves a player in the third round, someone who's capable of making a fantasy impact right away as a No. 2 or No. 3 receiver and an electric return man. A lot of observers feel preseason football is meaningless, but that's not the case for anyone fighting for a roster spot or a significant role. The Texans should find plenty of snaps for this playmaker, and if nothing else, he makes Houston a sleeper pick from a special teams standpoint.

Pianowski is a free-lance journalist who's been writing about sports (fantasy and otherwise) for a variety of websites, newspapers and magazines for the last 20 years. He can be reached at pianowski31@yahoo.com.

BRIAN SWAW

Bernard Berrian of the Chicago Bears has looked great and looks ready to take his game to the next level, the only thing holding him back is Rex Grossman. Berrian has caught 8 passes for over 130 yards and 2 TDs. Berrian flashed his big-play ability and breakaway speed last season scoring 6 TDs from 30 yards or more. Berrian is also in the final year of his contract and looking for his 1st big payday in the NFL. If he continues his preseason success not only will his big payday come, but he will provide a fantasy owner with a solid No. 2 WR.

Swaw is senior writer and owner of GameTimeDecisions.net and the co-host of two fantasy football radio shows for ESPN AM 1000 in Chicago -- Fantasy Football Island and Fantasy Expert. He has been a keynote speaker for the FSTA and several fantasy football conventions with the likes of John Clayton, Chris Mortensen, Sean Salisbury and Mark Schlereth. For more info, visit www.gametimedecisions.net.

ANDY RICHARDSON

Quarterbacks, and lots of them. I guess they could all disappear when the season starts – actually, one or two of them won’t even be starting – but Kellen Clemens and Brady Quinn both looked to me like they’d be good NFL starters, if not this year then eventually. In a dynasty format, I’m glad to have been able to pick up Clemens a couple of weeks back, and I think the Browns might have finally come up with a quarterback in Quinn. Lastly, I’ve never had an ounce of faith in Joey Harrington; I might have even knocked him in a column just last month. But in the preseason I’ve seen him actually throwing downfield, something he only rarely ever did in Detroit, so maybe he’s capable of putting together a serviceable season this year in Atlanta.

Richardson has been a columnist and contributor to the Fantasy Football Index magazine and web site for the past six 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. Other writing credits have included FFToday.com and football coverage for newspapers in Colorado and Florida. For more information go to www.fantasyindex.com.

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