Juggernauts

Frankly, the Juggs are shocked he was there at 11 even with the potential holdout. What made the pick incredibly easy was the fact that a story released a day before the selection stating that Watters' agent Blaine Pollock has been saying that he and the Eagles are working on a deal that will keep Watters in an Eagle uniform until the year 2002. "I'm happy that the negotiations are going smoothly," said Pollock on May 14th.

Now I realize that this could be hog-wash, but at the same time I know that the Eagles really have no choice but to extend their franchise players contract if they want to contend for a Super Bowl. And if they don't, I still don't expect Watters to miss a single regular season game thus the worst case scenario will have Watters playing out the final year of his contract with his eyes on a huge contract in '98.

The Juggs feel this is a win-win situation for them.

Off the field stuff aside, the Jugg are thrilled to have Watters' 1855 rushing/receiving yds in the fold. And after proving two years in a row that he's durable enough to be one of the premiere workhorses in league, we see no end in sight.

Considering the strong finish to the season put in by Jeff Blake and the Bengals, I have no qualms inserting Carl Pickens as the #1 fantasy WR in the league.

Pickens, who is obviously more attractive in terms of age also appears to have a superior supporting cast with Blake and Boomer Esiason, compared to the 49ers' Steve Young and Jeff Brohm.

Blake's performance (105 for 172, 1376 yds, 13 TD passes 3 INT's) the final five games of '96 really impressed me so I see big things from Bengal passing game this year. I'd be disappointed if I saw numbers under 1400 yds receiving and 13-16 TD's from Pickens this year.

The Jugs would have liked to have gone running back here but we felt none of the available RB's were worthy of being drafted this high.

With two years under his belt, the Jugs feel that Galloway is ready to become a serious fantasy football force. The Jugs like the fact that Galloway immediately responded when John Friesz was inserted into the starting lineup last year after getting off to a disappointing start with Rick Mirer at the helm. This year, with Friesz the starter from day one, we feel Galloway will become one of the more consistent fantasy wide receivers in the league. We also feel that Galloway's big-play potential will carry our team to victory at least one or two times.

Other positives: The Jugs feel very comfortable with Friesz's backup Warren Moon, should Friesz go down, we also like the fact that Galloway may be lining up in the slot often this year thus creating many miss-matches, and finally, we're not very concerned with Galloway's receiving mates stealing the headlines from Galloway.

The Jugs are very comfortable going with the 1-2 punch of Pickens and Galloway at wide receiver this year. And with a little luck, we feel it's very possible that they will be the two best fantasy receivers in the AFC.

As the ninth QB taken, the Jugs feel they got pretty good value with George who God knows, should be well rested and eager to play this year. We toyed with the idea of taking a RB or WR with this selection but none of the available players jumped out at us as being clearly superior, so we know we'll be able to get a solid RB and WR in the next few rounds. In other words, and all variables considered, the Jugs think that George was the best available player.

We're not necessarily believing the hype about the Raiders returning to the deep passing game or, as Al Davis says, "Raider football" because we've heard it before. The Raiders will need to run the football first before they'll be able to get the ball deep consistently. We do however, believe that with Joe Bugel (who, unlike Mike White, will do exactly what Davis says to keep his job) and the strong armed George, the Raider passing game has the potential to be as potent as it was during the Jim Plunkett era in the early 80's with or without a consistent running game.

George and the Raiders were also attractive because of their soft schedule which sees them playing Atlanta, NY Jets, St. Louis, and New Orleans in addition to the weakening Chief and questionable Charger defenses twice.

In regards to George's supporting cast, we're not extremely concerned with the Raider offensive line (although we pray that Lester Holmes does not win a starting job) because George should have many options out of the backfield in Kaufman, Williams, and Fenner should he need to dump the ball off. We also think that the team will finally find a receiver to compliment Tim Brown (although we're not at liberty to say who at this time) and we're fairly confident that the talented Rickey Dudley will once again learn how to catch the ball. And although we're usually hesitant to draft QB's in their first year with a team, we're willing to ignore that philosophy this year with one of, if not the most, talented QB's in the league.

After convincing myself that I was going to take a running back with this pick the decision of which one to take was a brutal one. Of the backs available, I felt that there were 4-5 who each have the potential to go well over 1000 yards rushing and score 8-10 TD's but each one presented a risk that I am not willing to take with my 5th selection.

That considered, I feel the Levens pick was the correct one to make not necessarily because of his potential as a runner, but because of his versatility and his eye for the endzone. Levens will not rush for 1000 yards this year but he will without question top 500 yards both rushing and receiving and with all apologies to Edgar Bennett, remain the #1 weapon out of the backfield for the potent Packer offense.

Levens, who's a year younger, bigger, and faster than Bennett, was also a more effective runner last year averaging 4.7 yards per carry compared to Bennett's 4.0. Levens also gets the nod in short yardage situations. In addition, Levens was also a superior receiver even though his pass-catching abilities were not really showcased until the playoffs...in which he flat out went off. And speaking of versatility, of Levens' 10 TD's in '96, 5 came on the ground and 5 came through the air. There's no doubt that Levens will be counted on as a ball carrier this year but, more importantly, I believe that with the departure of Keith Jackson and to some extend Andre Rison, that Levens will be a major force catching the ball this year regardless of what down it is. I'm aware that Levens is a restricted free agent as we speak but I'm confident that the Packers realize that he is key to their hopes of repeating so I don't foresee any holdout.

The selection of Morton is a sentimental one for the Jugs as we've considered him the #1 sleeper WR for several months and we knew he would not be there when we pick again, so we had to have him. We also don't like any of the RB's still on the board with this pick.

As most of us know, the Lions will scrapping the 3 WR sets this year and with Brett Perriman not expected back, Morton stands to benefit most as the #2 WR. As the #2 WR in Detroit last year, Perriman grabbed 94 passes for 1021 yards and 5 TD's, impressive numbers considering he had two other solid receivers on the field with him in Herman Moore and Morton. Perriman was also able to put up those numbers despite the fact that Scott Mitchell was injured and inconsistent for most of the year. I expect Mitchell (I'm also pretty comfortable with his backup should he go down) to rebound this year and the Lion passing game to approach its potency of 1995.

If you combine Perriman's and Morton's numbers last year as the #2 and #3 WR's in a 3 WR formation, you'll come up with 149 catches for 1735 yards, and 11 TD's. Again, these numbers were put up despite the fact that the Lion passing game struggled often and the running game boasted the NFL's rushing leader with 1553 yards. This year, with only 2 WR's on the field on most downs, I foresee Herman Moore stealing some of those catches and yards but the rest should go to Morton and I see 80 catches for 1100 yards and 10 TD's very attainable numbers for this guy.

Drayton could very well be the sleeper in the draft at the tight end position this year. I've always liked Drayton's size, strength, and pass-catching abilities and my opinions on him were confirmed in '96 when Jimmy Johnson went out and made the mid-season trade to acquire him. And if I still had a shred of a doubt regarding Drayton's talent and his role on the Dolphins this year, those thoughts were quickly put to rest when Johnson and the Dolphins signed him to a 4 year, 7 million dollar contract the day after the season ended. The Dolphins wasted no time securing this guy for the rest of the decade.

It's an over-used phrase, but Drayton has all the tools. Those tools were never fully utilized by the lowly Rams but they will be with Johnson, who values his tight end more than most coaches. It also doesn't hurt that he has Marino, who has a history of working well with talented tight ends.

Johnson was so impressed with Drayton's explosiveness (He had a career high 51 yard reception last year as well as several other receptions over 30 yards) in somewhat limited duty that he plans to use him as a WR in the team's 4 WR sets. We like this because last time we checked, FanEx does not award points for blocking.

Like Johnson, the Juggs expect BIG things from Drayton this season and we welcome him on our team with open arms. We also look forward to seeing our guy play in Honolulu this year.

Considering it's the 8th round, I felt it was high time for me to take a chance with someone. And since we're a little light at RB, I figured I'd go there for my first reach in the draft.

"Being out a year has made me hungrier than ever," said Brown during the May mini-camps. Apparently, Brown was pretty hungry last year too...for Pizza and cheese steaks. But after cutting out the junk food, Brown has lost 40 pounds and he's been working out like an animal this spring in the hopes of securing the Charger running back job. I really like the way he could fit in with the Chargers this year and considering the talent on the team now, I'm willing to bet that Brown will win that job giving him a legitimate shot at becoming a 1000 yard, 8-10 TD guy.

In addition to the weight loss and workout habits, Brown has a few other things working in his favor this year. The first being Kevin Gilbride, whose offense he flourished in with Houston. And the second being a $1 million incentive clause in his contract should he reach 1000 yards. Brown did this in Houston in 9 games back in '93.

The Chargers have not run the ball well for two years now and their record has shown that. This year, they desperately need to be able to run the ball consistently to help smooth the transition to Gilbride's offense and if Brown wins the starting job, he'll be tough to supplant. And although he's a risk, I think he has the most up-side potential (except perhaps for Rodney Hampton, who I just can't bring myself to draft) of all the backs available and not a bad reach as the 29th back taken.

~Traded~ to Four Horsemen

Since my starting lineup is basically complete, it's "high risk/high up-side" time for the Jugs.

Let me start by saying that... I hate Ki-Jana Carter as a fantasy back. I omitted him from my top 20 in last year's FB Index Experts Poll and I did the same thing this year. Last year, my fears about him were confirmed in the pre-season when the Bengals picked up Garrison Hearst and Carter finished the season with a pathetic 2.9 yards per carry average. This year, the Bengals selected Dillon with their second round pick and some say it was done to motivate Carter. But the truth is, they tried that last year with Hearst and it didn't work.

To me, the fact that the team feels it necessary to acquire talented RB's to motivate this guy is a bad sign. And I have heard the talk about Carter losing the weight and looking good in camp but I recall hearing the same reports last year.

Dillon is gushing with talent. In one year at Washington, he posted numbers that still have people shaking their heads. He has the size and speed that can easily enable him to be an awesome every-down back in this league and he certainly has what it takes to be a durable one too.

But I'm not kidding myself… Dillon's a huge question mark. His legal problems of a few years ago aside, Dillon appears to have issues regarding his commitment and desire to play football. And after slipping to the second round in the draft, he refused to talk to the Cincy media so his attitude leaves something to be desired too.

There's no question that Dillon is this year's #1 high risk/high reward guy. But as the 37th back taken in the 10th round, I'm willing to throw the dice with the most talented back of the class of '97.

Trade Analysis:
Knowing that Neil O'Donnell had dropped to The Horseman's 10.12 pick, I had no problem dealing Kerry Collins and my 11.11 pick for the Horseman's 10.12 and 11.03 pick.

Although I like Collins a lot as a player, I think that O'Donnell may out-produce him fantasy wise. I believe the Horseman were a little uncomfortable going into the season with Steve McNair as their top QB and since they coveted Collins; they were willing to give up just a little bit more than he was worth. This is not to say that I took advantage of their situation...the trade was offered to me.

Selection Analysis:
Hopefully, this guy will start only one game for me but if Jeff George goes down, O'Donnell should be serviceable. Although his first year with the Jets was horrific, he did throw for a ton of yards when he actually played and, let's face it, the Jets will be a much better team this year.

O'Donnell is the type of QB that can thrive with a solid supporting cast mainly a strong running game. With Parcells taking Adrian Murrell under his wing, the Jet running game will approach dominance. And with a deep, talented receiving corps to throw to, O'Donnell should be a pretty efficient QB and an excellent fantasy backup. Assuming he stays healthy, 3200 yards and 22 TD's are well within his reach.

It's been a while (6th round) since I drafted a wide receiver and that's because I viewed the last ten drafted to be very equal in terms of fantasy value. And I was glad to see Johnson fall to me here because I believe that he has a real good chance to out-produce all of them.

In my eyes, Johnson has all the indicators that point to a breakout season. He's a four year veteran (still very young at 25 but experienced) who was a high draft pick and is coming off a season in which he made huge strides towards fulfilling his potential. And whenever someone collects 1000 yards receiving with a scrub like Mike Tomczak throwing throwing the ball, I'm impressed.

As we know, the Steelers are EXTREMELY thin at the WR position with Johnson and Yancey Thigpen, who pulled a muscle every time he sneezed last year, the only two worth mentioning. Yancey's finally healthy and he was solid in the minicamps which is good for Johnson, who's big-play potential will increase thanks to the double teams that Thigpen will command. The downside to Johnson is that he is has not been much of a factor inside the 20's and he may suffer a bit while Kordell Stewart grows into the QB position but, as I said, Johnson did well with Tomczak last year.

Will Johnson be a viable fantasy starter this year? Probably not. Will Johnson have the occasional huge game? You better believe it jerky. The plan is for Johnson to have one or two of those big games the week one of my starters is off.

With Pickens, Galloway, Morton, and Johnson, the Jugs feel that we have four legitimate 1000 yard receivers and we're pretty damn happy about that.

I started to write the analysis for this pick when it occurred to me that Mr. Hilliard was "my favorite rookie" back in May. Since I've been racking my brain for the last few days contemplating the birth of my son…which could come any second, I'm submitting this article…again.

When most draft experts had him going late in round one, Hilliard went #7 over-all and was the first skill position player taken in the draft. Hilliard was not selected because he was the best player available per se. He was taken because the G-men have a very pressing need at the wide receiver position and Hilliard fit Jim Fassell's profile of the perfect receiver better than anyone.

In 33 games at Florida, Hilliard's numbers were impressive, grabbing 126 passes for 2,214 yards and 29 touchdowns. But, more importantly, Hilliard stepped it up when it mattered most. In his last game as a Gator, Hilliard caught 7 passes for 150 yards and 3 touchdowns helping Florida to the national championship. Not a bad way to end a college career.

Hilliard's abilities have been well documented, but what will make him a great pro is his attitude. Much like Eddie George a year ago, Hilliard has been humble in his reaction to being a high draft pick in the NFL, stating that he'll work hard to earn a starting job, take nothing for granted, and sign a contract as soon as possible. I believe, that when a player has the talent of Hilliard combined with a great attitude, it's a strong indicator of success.

Over the past few years, the Giants have not had a receiver as physical, elusive, and sure-handed as Hilliard. They also have not had a receiver who can run after the catch and make the big play while not being afraid to go over the middle. Hilliard can do all of these things...well. Hilliard will be playing alongside the under-achieving Dave Brown in one of the most anemic offenses in recent memory so he may slide a little on people's draft boards. But I'm a believer in Jim Fassell and his system so I expect a marked improvement from Dave Brown and the entire new-look Giant offense with Hilliard and fellow rookie Tiki Barber leading the way.

There's no doubt that the Giants gambled on Hilliard as the 7th pick over-all. Ike Hilliard knows this, and his goal this year will be to prove to the NFL that the team made the right choice. I believe he will, and here's my projection of his stats: 65 catches, 1050 yards, 8 touchdowns.

The selection of Gus Frerotte came from the old "best available player" theory. Of all the available players, I felt that Frerotte was clearly the most valuable fantasy prospect left on the board.

The Redskins enjoyed a banner season by Terry Allen last year and they were without question a running team. But that may change this year. As the season wore on, defenses were keying on Allen big time and his numbers showed it. This time around, the 'Skins will have to show more balance to keep defenses honest and to get themselves to the next level. And Frerotte's certainly capable of getting the job done.

With the addition of Alvin Harper and a healthy Michael Westbrook (I didn't say it last year but I think this could be his year) coupled with Henry Ellard and Leslie Shepherd, not to mention the rising star Jamie Asher, the 'Skins will have a solid receiving corps and I think that Frerotte will be able to toss 20-22 TD passes.

As my #3 QB, I obviously drafted Frerotte just in case another FanEx team feels the need to take him off my hands during the season at which time I hope to get in exchange a player drafted 3-4 rounds earlier than Gus was.

Although I like the Vin Man a lot, I did not want to draft my kicker here. With most of the top guys gone and only 4-5 good kickers left, I feared that at least 4 or 5 other teams would opt to draft their backup within the next two rounds which would have left me in dire straits at the position.

That said, I was sure happy to see the Vinster there for the taking. During the last 8 games of the season last year, Vinatieri was as good as any kicker in the league booting 15 of 18 FG's during a five game stretch and nailing his final 8 attempts to close out the season.

The Patriot offense is completely intact (in fact, they're better) from last year's Super Bowl team so I see the Vin Man getting all the attempts he needs to be a top five kicker.

A forgotten man after his early season-ending injury last year, the talented Sloan may be primed for a big year, especially under Bobby Ross, who wants to see the ball in his hands often.

Sloan's got nice size and speed to go along with his reliable hands and he has the ability to make things happen after the catch. And considering the lack of depth at the WR position, Sloan should be an integral part of the offense. If he stays healthy, a 40 catch 5 TD season is not out of the realm of possibility.

Although I probably should have drafted a backup kicker since my starter (Adam V.) has an early bye in week five, I just could not pass on Graham, who has looked tremendous in camp.

The third rounder out of Tennessee was initially drafted to compliment and spell Bam Morris. But after impressing Ted Marchibroda with his explosive speed, pass catching ability, and quick grasp of the offense, Graham has virtually assured himself some playing time this year and he should emerge as the Ravens third-down back.

Graham is also an attractive pick this late in the draft considering the history of Morris, who has been an over-all disappointment in each of the last two years.