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 lightly regarded fill-in quarterback are you most interested in as a 2009 prospect?

SCOTT PIANOWSKI

Today's Culpepper looks a lot like Oakland's Culpepper: mediocre accuracy, no longer a running threat. I'm not interested. It's hard to judge Cassel until we see where he lands for 2009 - it's almost definite the Patriots won't keep him - but if he travels with offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, I'm more interested, no additional learning curve. If Cassel goes to a city without McDaniels, then put me down for Thigpen, who's looking pretty darn comfortable running the spread in Kansas City.

Pianowski is a fantasy expert for Yahoo! Sports. His work regularly appears on Yahoo's Roto Arcade Blog (rotoarcade.com), and you can also email him at pianowski31@yahoo.com.

MIKE NAZAREK

I really like Thigpen in Kansas City, provided they keep the spread offense. Cassel would also be interesting if he bolts the team with the offensive coordinator if he's hired as head coach of a losing team like the Lions.

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.

SCOTT ENDSLEY

It’s tough to get excited about journeymen QBs – they haven’t been starters consistently or recently for a reason. But guys like Thigpen and Cassel are a bit more interesting. Did they just need their chance? Cassel has some weapons around him and hasn’t been great, Thigpen has a bad offensive line but an offensive co-ordinator helping him quite a bit. Neither are great prospects in 2009 yet but we’re keeping our eye on them.

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.

CHRIS LISS

I like Thigpen -- he can run, and he's got Dwayne Bowe and Mark Bradley to throw the ball to. I'm not concerned about his lack of pedigree (7th round pick). Tom Brady was a sixth rounder, and so was Marc Bulger, while Tony Romo and Kurt Warner weren't even drafted.

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.

JEFFREY KAMYS

Thigpen running that spread offense that they are running in KC is a great keeper for 2009. Thigpen has the potential to throw for 30 TD's in that offense. Cassel is OK but it will depend primarily on where he lands, he is a free agent at the end of the year, if he is on a bad team like the Lions, his upside is limited. He will need a strong system to be viable. Culpepper plain and simple cannot move the way he once did, a huge part of his value in the old days was his mobility, he no longer has that. A guy like Leftwich is a systems guy, he needs a strong running game, like the Steelers have to be solid.

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.

IAN ALLAN

Thigpen is playing very well right now. He’s putting up yards and touchdowns right now, and as an added bonus, he’s running for 20-plus yards every week. He might be Kansas City’s quarterback next year. I’d be more interested in him, though, if that team weren’t going to undergo a complete overhaul in the offseason — new coach, new offensive coordinator and new offensive system. And maybe it drafts a quarterback. Some quarterback in Detroit will be throwing balls to Calvin Johnson, but you’ve got the same situation — maybe it’s Daunte Culpepper, but that team will be starting over again next year. When mulling quarterbacks for 2009, keep Derek Anderson and Byron Leftwich in mind. Leftwich played well in a relief role in Pittsburgh a few weeks back. And with Anderson’s hefty salary, the Browns will need to move him.

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.

SAM HENDRICKS

Matt Cassel does not make the short list due to the imminent return of a certain Super-Model dating QB. Thigpen gets the nod over Culpepper simply because of his weapons in the KC offense. Not only does he have Dwayne Bowe and Tony Gonzalez , but also a rejuvenated Mark Bradley (Larry Johnson and his presence in 2009 remains to be seen). Tyler has some legs like the Daunte of old and seems to have a good pocket presence as well. Daunte may surprise some with his new found team. Personally, I think he returned from his injury too early and that hurt his performance at Miami. So a come back player of the year award would not be a surprise. But dynasty wise, I would take the 24 year old Coastal Carolina QB first.

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).

BOB HECK

We’ll go with Tyler Thigpen who we spotlighted as one of our dynasty sleepers over the summer (in fact we highlighted Thigpen on the main page of our website with that article release). The 7th-round draft choice out of Coastal Carolina (2007, Minnesota Vikings) threw for 3,296 yards and 29 TDs while only throwing 11 INTs in his senior season, an impressive 110.9 QB rating (his main target was Cincinnati's Jerome Simpson who caught 16 TDs that year). Thigpen was a dark-horse coming into the season but his competition was only career-backup Damon Huard and unimpressive Brodie Croyle. Since his breakout game against the Jets in week 8, Thigpen has averaged 236 passing yards and has thrown for 9 TDs. In fact, Thigpen has been the #1 fantasy QB over that time frame with more points per game than Drew Brees, Jay Cutler, Peyton Manning and even Kurt Warner. Another plus to Thigpen's game is his ability to run the football. In his four years at Coastal Carolina, he ran for 1,600 yards and scored 13 TDs on the ground, including a career-high 656 yards and 5 TDs his senior year. He has chipped in 28 yards on the ground on average over the last four games. Prior to Thigpen getting the starting job some folks in the Chiefs organization were hinting that he is their Tony Romo. With a year of experience and a full training camp as a starting QB we expect Thigpen will be able to build upon his success next year.

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.

LOUIS TRANQUILLI

Derek Anderson. He had issues coming into the season most Fantasy players recognized. The schedule was brutal and more damaging to his prospects, the acquisition of Donte Stallworth was WAY over valued by the Browns' brass. Anderson is a quality QB, that has produced outstanding numbers, so there's no doubt he can perform at this level. Where he lands; a place like Minnesota, Detroit (or a surprise spot like Arizona) could really vault him into solid late-round draft pick value territory.

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.

ANDY RICHARDSON

No interest in Culpepper. I think opponents figured him out even before he got hurt in Minnesota. Get pressure on him and he'll make bad decisions, cough it up, and be too quick to leave the pocket. No way he's a regular starter next year -- he shouldn't be this year. Thigpen might be a Derek Anderson type, OK for a short stretch but then defenses will catch up to him. Neither he nor Shaun Hill is a guy I'm certain will have a clear path to start next year; those teams will draft quarterbacks high, I think. Cassel was pretty impressive against the Jets; not perfect, but he made some throws that bad quarterbacks generally don't make. Depending on where he signs, maybe he'll be a decent NFL starter next year.

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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