Fantasy owners generally don't care who calls the plays for NFL teams, whether it's the quarterback, head coach, an assistant, a consultant or Santa Claus. Really, it doesn't matter to 99 percent of us. We own Clinton Portis and we simply assume -- or hope, in this case -- he will get the ball enough to be productive. Same with Santana Moss and Chris Cooley. We know the Washington Redskins aren't like the Indianapolis Colts, a team that generally scores so much we can't go wrong, but these three players are important to fantasy owners as well. The fact coach Jim Zorn was stripped of play-calling duties Monday for a guy who was calling Bingo games a few weeks ago just doesn't matter in fantasy football … unless a moribund offense suddenly becomes special.
In this case, how can it become special? The quarterback position is obviously a problem, and like other NFL teams in similar situations -- the Buffalo Bills, Tennessee Titans, St. Louis Rams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Cleveland Browns and even Carolina Panthers come to mind -- it's tough for other individuals on these offenses to overcome things and be fantasy saviors. Hey, once in a while it happens, like with DeAngelo Williams on Sunday and in the consistency we see from Steven Jackson, but it's rare. This doesn't mean Portis, Moss and Cooley can't overcome this, but they're all likely to disappoint because it's not about the plays being called, but the quarterback running out there.
To continue reading this article you must be an Insider
Eric Karabell
