Under The Fantasy Radar

This is the time of the year that fantasy football pundits like yours truly love; we can never be wrong. Everyone has an opinion and in training camp there is no way someone can come back and tell you that you’re flat out wrong and back it with anything but their own opinion. As a guy who puts his opinions out there every season let me tell you;this is great. I love it. Maybe in a few months I’ll get called on an outlandish prediction but for now I’m the king…along with everyone else who can type and has an Internet connection. So I’m taking a look at guys who I feel aren’t getting any or enough love from the fantasy football buzz community. Some could be stars and some could be sweet value picks later in drafts. I’m looking at these guys in standard scoring redraft leagues.

Vince Young – I cannot for the life of me think why VY’s not getting much love. As an NFL quarterback he might be decent but for the purposes of fantasy football he could be a stud. Yes, he was a basketcase last season, was horribly inconsistent, and is without question the second option behind a massive running game. But the man averaged 5.1 yards a rush and averaged double digits in fantasy points every game. In fantasy worlds that isn’t too bad. Now he’s got the starting gig outright and the expectation out of Titan’s camp is for VY to take on more responsibility to keep defenses honest. So he’s either going to be using his legs or arm to break up the 8 man boxes for CJ2K. I like the sound of that for a back-up quarterback who could turn into a serious wild card for you. And the price is right to take a shot.

Chad Henne -I don’t know about you but to me if a guy can do some work with nothing he is likely to make some noise with talent. Enter Brandon Marshall. Other owners will be scared away from the sophomore slump most rookie quarterbacks go through in year two. Don’t be that guy. Cowards make great snacks. The guy enters camp the clear #1 guy and finished strong last season. Ow and he now has B-Marsh to make him look good. Seriously, if Marshall could make a broken down circus dog like Orton look passable at times then he’s going to make Henne look goooood. Almost no one outside South Beach is talking this guy up so his asking price is peanuts.

Ryan Grant -There were a few teams that focused on their offensive line more than the Packers recently. They revamped their blocking scheme to help Rodgers survive the season and then drafted some serious talent. Grant racked up over 1,200 yards and 11 touchdowns last season. The Pack haven’t brought anyone in to date that threaten his carries next year so I’m seeing big things for a guy who is ranked in the 10-15th best runningback range. His detractors will point to Aaron Rodgers and how he’s hyped to go nuts this year. Keep the faith when I tell you Grant is money in the bank, folks.

Pierre Thomas -Thomas has been on most people’s radar so long as a break out candidate that it appears his potential has cried wolf one too many times for the casual owner. We’ve been waiting for him to arrive for two years and thus far he’s been average to slightly above average. Last year he had over 1k combined yards and 8 tds while losing touches to Mike Bell. Reggie Bush isn’t even a consideration for backfield competition. I think Bell getting shipped of to Philthy will be a bigger boon to a guy like Thomas than Bush. Like Grant the Saints haven’t brought in anyone for serious competition so I’m going to give him another year to finally pop.

Michael Crabtree -I’ve written about him before and still don’t think he’s getting the kind of love he deserves going into this season. The man averaged 13 yards per catch, people! His touchdowns were crap only because Vernon Davis was setting franchise records. Do you honestly think Davis repeats last year’s performance? I highly doubt it and instead believe Crabtree comes out of virtual nowhere to be a very solid WR2 for intrepid owners who take a shot on a guy ranked in the mid 20’s for wide receivers. Alex Smith scares most people (except defenses) but to be fair he is going into this season as the unquestioned #1 and with continuity at the offensive coordinator position. That will only help Crabs.

Chad OchoCinco -Unless you’re a picnic table molesting mouthbreather from Ohio you aren’t tracking Ocho as a guy to target. But he still averaged 14 yards a catch on his way to 9 touchdowns with a gimpy quarterback. Both Ocho and the Gimp are a year older which doesn’t help things however they both have a strong supporting staff which will take the pressure off them both. If Bryant comes back healthy very few defenses will be able to key on Chad. If Palmer comes back healthy, look out. Those two big “ifs” will allow you to grab Chad OC late in rounds and he could be at worst a solid #3 or at best a borderline #1WR.

Well there you have it. I’m calling my shots early on some guys who I think can be very productive and no one is talking much about. Like them? Hate them? Sound off on your opinions. Remember, you may be stupid in real life but you’re never wrong on the internet!

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