Candy Bones

In the past I have waited on running backs and ended up with a weaker then expected team. It is also hard to expect another quarterback to play at the level of Favre (I'm not trying to jinx anyone) so actually we have already gotten to the second tear of QBs. Therefore I went for a running back - Terrell Davis. Besides, my son likes their new helmet - Right!

Isaac Bruce has shown he has a great deal of potential. In his sophomore season he broke a 30 plus year NFL record by compiling 1781 yards receiving. Unfortunately for him Jerry Rice notched 1848 yards the same year. The negative is, can his QB get him the ball. It takes QBs several years to really produce and second-year Tony Banks eventually will. However, at this stage he fumbles at about the same rate as he throws TDs. But in fantasy we all must fill our roster and in this league we need three starting lineup wideouts. This, along with the run on RBs made my decision to go with Bruce. One thing that is eating at me is why don't I take a GB receiver? Brett is the obvious choice at QB - why then hasn't anybody (including myself ) taken one of his receivers? Ok, so I'm leaving myself open for one of the FanExers to nail me. Well if you're going to dish it out you've got to take it too!

Fantasy owners were burned last year when Faulk was hampered by nagging injuries and missed 3 games. That bad taste in your mouth is hard to get over. Yearly rumors of a trade to "home town" San Diego added to the concern that Faulk was a fading star.

However, the Colts drafted offensive linemen Tarik Glenn and Adam Meadows in the first two round of this years draft, bolstering the font line considerably. Also Faulk is supposedly in top shape and ready for a full season. All this makes one believe that Faulk should get back close to his '95 numbers and therefore is a good pick early in the 3rd round. Seven receivers have gone and I believe that Faulk should out perform the ones left on the board.

At QB, there are also seven taken and I believe it is too early to take one of the remaining QBs.

Well there I was - Standing (barely) in Midway airport, hardly any sleep in four days and you guessed it, I missed my pick. Excuse! No, It wasn't a woman. It was work! I was looking at Steve McNair with my 4th round pick, but he went just after my original pick (4th). I still decided a QB was the direction I wanted to go. Not necessarily a good decision at that time since only one other team had not taken a QB.

So I went for the high risk, possibly high potential Tony Banks. With a year under his belt and excellent receivers, Banks has good chances to put up big numbers. If he runs a couple in it wouldn't hurt either. Not to mention an experienced coaching staff too.

After a little sleep, I realized I probably should have gone with Brad Johnson, or perhaps I should have gone to another position.

At this point in the draft, I decided to get a little insurance at the QB position. After drafting Tony Banks at the bottom of round four, I felt a little nervous. Brad was the only QB left on-the-board that had both starting wideouts already drafted. Brad could be a top ten QB with the talent around him.

Therefore I decided not to wait until later rounds even though only one team still hadn't taken a QB. The addition of Randall Cunningham to the Vikings adds some risk if Brad has a bad game or two.

Although I don't consider it a big risk. Brad isn't supper talented but he has been there awhile and knows the system well. This certainly isn't the most stereotypical method, drafting two QBs this high.

After concentrating on RBs & QBs in the early rounds it was time to fill other holes in the starting lineup. Chris Sanders was the top WR left on my list and Tim Biakabutuka was the best RB left. Since you start three WRs in this league, I decided to go with Chris. Also, Tim is coming back from a knee injury which adds a little risk. Chris had nine TDs his rookie year but had a tough sophomore season. He still doesn't run his routs well and had sinus trouble last year. However, he is the best receiver the Oilers have and he does have the talented Steve McNair throwing to him. I've got my fingers crossed.

As a rookie last year, Dudley really struggled. He dropped several balls including potential TDs. Despite his rough initiation into the NFL, he did end up with 4 TDs. A total that could easily double this year. It certainly doesn't hurt his chances with the addition of Jeff George to the Raiders. Applying the drafting theory of filling your roster to have good quality at all skill positions, I decided Dudley was the best value on the board.

Antowain definitely has the skills and desire to be the main man in Buffalo. The question is can he do it this year. As you know running backs can make a rookie impact easier over other skill positions. However, it is unlikely Thurman Thomas wants to spend his last year on the bench! This will be a fun one to watch. I decided that round eight was late enough to take the plunge.

I feel if Antowain out performs Thurman in preseason, Marv Levy will be compelled to play Antowain.

I seem to be drawn to players who has "lost it." The current talk is that David Dunn will beat out Darnay this year and will start along side Carl Pickens. The Bengal coaching staff has talked up Dunn and talked down Darnay.

I either am a fool or I think otherwise. Dunn has become an important receiver for the Bengals but they still need Darnay's speed which Dunn can't match. Perhaps the Bengals were trying to fire up Darnay whom they expected more out of last year. Or maybe it was a contract negotiation ploy. Well, let's find out if I'm right.

Although Bobby only caught 32 balls for 389 yards his rookie year, 6 were for touchdowns. That aside, Michael Timpson had 802 yards receiving in '96 and he is gone. Newly acquired Rickey Proehl will challenge Bobby for playing time but I think Booby will win out in this battle. So if I get 6 TDs and 900 yards receiving I will be pleased. The big question is who will throw the ball to him? The QB situation is another reason why Engram has "slide" in the draft. I wouldn't be surprised if Erik Kramer is back in the drivers seat by week 4. The other negative is this team is in it's make it break it year. If the coaching staff doesn't achieve, it could be their last year. Kinda like Atlanta last year. Ouch.

In the resent mini-camp James really came on. He is stronger and appears to be more aggressive hitting the hole. A point to remember is this coaching staff hand picked James in their first draft. So it is not unlikely that James has a chance to be the number one RB. I know, I realize that N. Means had an excellent post season and looked like his old self. But sometimes things happen differently then you think.

Jim Fassel was looking for another Larry Centers in the April college draft, and he got what we wanted in Tiki Barber. Fantasy impact is a big question here. Initially you wouldn't expect Tiki to get more than 3rd down work and kick return duties (which doesn't help). However, Wheatley has yet to impress and Hampton isn't getting any younger. And Tiki isn't that small at around 200 pounds with quick moves and excellent receiving ability. So there is an opportunity for him to see the ball more frequently and that is the kind of "coin flipping" you look for in the last few rounds of a fantasy draft.

Okay, this wasn't the most logical choice for a placekicker. Yeah, I know - sense when did a rookie placekicker do anything! And even though Green Bay is a scoring machine, their placekicker hasn't been a top 10 PK for a long time. Then again, who would have thunk John Kasay would score 140 plus points last year. If Green Bay is just a little less efficient in the red zone, maybe Conway will get 32 to 35 FG attempts. Heck, they don't have Rison anymore! (Just kidding). Placekicker is perhaps the most frustrating skill position to analyze and predict. That's probably why half the managers still haven't taken one and here we are in the 13th round. So why not take a chance on the world champs? Hey, it's the 13th Round! Speaking of that, why are we stopping at 16 rounds - let's go 20!

Derrick caught passes in only four games his rookie season last year. The Green Bay coaching staff is expecting him to be the number three receiver this year. As you know, there is a lot of TDs flying around Green Bay's offense and Derrick could end up with a few by seasons end.

If Robert Brooks is slow in returning to form, Derrick could be the beneficiary. Also the kick return duties will be primarily placed on GB newcomer Qadry Ismail, which gives Derrick more energy to concentrate on offense.

Jeff Wilkins is an intriguing prospect. With a young, but potent offense, Jeff could see above average opportunities. Considering the youth on offense, the Rams may not be very efficient in the red zone. Since I have Tony Banks and Eddie Kennison, I hope not! I was also considering taking Richie Cunningham of Dallas or Gary Anderson of SF. Richie is unproven and I already have Brett Conway of GB so I decided that was to risky. Gary Anderson has short kickoffs which in my opinion excludes him from locking up the job in SF. The word is the 49ers are looking around and are even interested in Chip Lohmiller! Wow!

Analysis