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:

Several teams (Denver, Baltimore) are very unpredictable with their running backs. At what point (if ever) do you decide a certain situation isn't worth the trouble?

LOUIS TRANQUILLI

I told my subscribers this: The definition of insane is doing the same thing over and over; but expecting a different result. That's how I approach the Denver RBs. It was insane to expect anything different than the past has proven from Mike Shanahan. Stay away from the beginning, and if by some chance a RB is available on the WW that is clearly the starter for one of these teams, then go get him.

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.

SAM HENDRICKS

I hate to say it, but it depends. It depends on who else is on your roster (read: How desperate are you due to injuries, RBBC and bye weeks). It depends on your competition (i.e. if you drop S. Young will an opponent pick him up and fill a bye week or injury gap of his own). Finally, it depends on who that “team” is playing (or will play in the future) because sometimes there are enough carries for everyone if they are playing someone like DET, KC, STL, OAK or any AFC team that starts with a C. So I never give up on a teams RB. I just sit them and wait for an opportunity (S. Young, Le’Ron McClain) or a need.

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).

SCOTT ENDSLEY

Before the draft ever starts! We’ve had a long standing policy to not only move RBs for Denver down our cheat sheets but consistently advise our clients against running backs for Shannahan and now Baltimore looking very similar. It’s tough enough to have a good RB in fantasy football without having yourself in this type of situation.

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

These NFL teams merely want to concoct a productive rushing attack and that simply requires however many players to get the optimal results. If there is no single runner more capable in all areas than any others, then there is and should be mixing and matching. The problem in Denver is that they rarely had a top flight runner and made do with the smattering of average players. When Terrell Davis was there – no sharing. Even when Portis was a Bronco – no sharing. In Baltimore there is no reliance on McGahee who has been a major disappointment and McClain is just a fullback filling in as tailback when there are short yards needed. Ray Rice may take over at some point but so far he has not been good enough and after ten weeks, probably won’t be this year. But in evaluating these situations always remember – it’s all about what makes an optimal rushing attack.

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.

BOB HECK

On draft day. If you know a situation is going to be problematic, never pay full price. Why draft a Selvin Young or Laurence Maroney in the first five rounds when you will get similar production from their replacement in week 6? We've taken a "buy cheaply into Denver" approach. In these type of situations don’t draft the preseason starter because you'll be overpaying for him, rather grab someone in the latter parts of your draft and eventually they'll get the start, and if they don’t pan out you can simply cut them without having invested much in the first place.

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

Never. You always keep an eye on possibilities -- what happened last week or last year never precludes something different from happening this week.

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.

MIKE NAZAREK

I swore off all Denver RBs this past summer and own NONE of them in any of my 8 leagues. As for the Ravens, I own McGahee and McClain in one league and fortunately have solid alternatives, so I don't play that game. Unless it's absolutely clear whom is starting (and will carry the load), I do all I can to avoid situations like these.

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.

JEFFREY KAMYS

Most of the annoying RB situations have played out the way they were supposed to in the preseason. Our best advice is always "Count on these guys only as No. 3 RBs if at all possible." The chances of you nailing the correct RB between Selvin Young and Pittman this year or Stewart or Williams in Carolina are slim and just become a frustration for fantasy owners.

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.

ANDY RICHARDSON

For me it's reached a point where it depends on the coach. I've learned not to trust Mike Shanahan, and so I don't -- I never take a Denver runner early because you simply can't count on those guys being used the way you might expect them to be used. I've quickly taken that approach regarding John Harbaugh, too. For him to have Willis McGahee active for two games and not use him, and go with McClain as his featured guy one week, Rice the next, and McGahee the third -- I mean, if you invest too heavily in that situation after watching him do that, you deserve what you get. How could I ever confidently start one of his backs when he's proven he might feature another one with no advance notice? It's just not worth the trouble.

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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