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You have questions; we have answers. The Answer Guys is an Insider service in which ESPN.com experts answer questions about your fantasy team. We present a few of the more challenging questions we've received from Insiders and our answers.

I got absolutely burned picking Travis Henry, Reggie Bush and Shaun Alexander as my top running backs last year. Who are you most worried about this year?
David Andrus

Dave: I'd say the potential early-round busts at running back would be Larry Johnson, who is returning from a foot injury, and Ryan Grant, who (likely) has lost Brett Favre to retirement. Johnson also carries added risk because he'll be running behind one of the worst offensive lines in the league this year. That said, I wouldn't hesitate to draft Johnson or Grant in the early rounds of my drafts because I'm the type of owner who likes taking calculated risks. Sure, it has killed me at times in the past, but that strategy also has been very rewarding. I find it works for me.

Here are a few others I would think very hard about committing to this year: Edgerrin James, Rudi Johnson, Ronnie Brown and Jamal Lewis.

Whether you're a risk taker or someone who tends to play it safe, you should check out AJ Mass' free column on "Safety Ratings" in our draft kit. It goes into great detail about which players carry extra risk and which should be considered safer options in 2008.

Is Brett Favre a quarterback I should grab off waivers or draft as a late-round option? Not as a No. 1 QB, but as my backup if my starter is someone like Donovan McNabb?
PwnMyEnemy

Dave: At this point, Favre is definitely worth a claim or as a late grab toward the end of your draft because nobody is 100 percent sure how this saga will unfold. The current word is that if Favre returns, Packers management wants him to be the No. 2 quarterback behind Aaron Rodgers. At least that's the impression Packers GM Ted Thompson has been giving. Of course, there's always the chance Rodgers doesn't catch on very well and Favre gets put right back in there, but I have a feeling Thompson's ploy is more to keep Favre retired and back Rodgers than to have Favre play the backup role. I just don't see the Packers bringing back Favre to play second fiddle to Rodgers. I would think Favre would prefer to stay retired if that is in fact what the Packers plan to do with their future Hall of Fame quarterback. At any rate, until things clear in Green Bay, Favre is worthy of a roster spot in fantasy.

How high should I draft Joe Flacco in my 12-team, two-quarterback keeper league? I see him starting by midseason, and quarterbacks tend to go early in my league's draft. My thoughts were to target him around the 10th round. What do you think? By the way, I'm a big Baltimore Ravens fan.
Tristan Siegel

Dave: The 10th round is too early to draft Flacco, even in a two-quarterback keeper league, where his value will increase. Don't let your allegiance to the Ravens cloud your thinking here. If a guy like Jason Campbell, Aaron Rodgers or Philip Rivers is available then, you're much better off grabbing one of them. Remember, even if Flacco does get the starting job around the midway point, not many quarterbacks come into the league and succeed during their rookie seasons because quarterback has by far the biggest learning curve of any position in the NFL. If you're worried you won't be able to lock up Flacco in your keeper league, then drafting him a round or two earlier than he should go wouldn't be a disaster, but you shouldn't have to reach as early as the 10th round. I would look for him toward the end of your draft.

In a keeper league, would you trade T.J. Houshmandzadeh for Santonio Holmes for both short- and long-term value? My other wide receivers are Steve Smith (of the Panthers) and Anquan Boldin. I think the six-year age difference is a factor.
Tony Florio

Dave: I would definitely trade Houshmandzadeh for Holmes in a keeper league. Not only are you gaining some valuable years in age for the future of your team, but you're also not losing much for this season. The difference between Housh and Holmes for this season is minimal, at least not enough that you should be concerned that Housh will blow Holmes out of the water. In fact, I could see Holmes, arguably the Steelers' No. 1 receiver now, matching or even outproducing Housh. Holmes had the highest yards-per-catch total (18.1) of any starting wide receiver in the league last year, and his big-play ability will make him an intriguing option as he gets more passes thrown his way this season.

I'm in an eight-team dynasty league in which the top four teams make the playoffs. The rookie draft order is set by inverting the total points a team scored the previous season (lowest-scoring team picks first). Well, one owner in this league tanked it in Weeks 15 and 16 of 2007 to ensure that he got the No. 1 pick in the draft this season. What's the best way to discourage this?
TD Manns

Dave: There's a pretty simple solution here: Create an incentive for owners to continue playing hard late in the season. The goal is to give those bottom-tier owners a good reason to put their best foot forward even when the games don't matter. So why don't you set it so the fifth-place team gets the first pick in the draft, the sixth-place team gets the second, the seventh-place team gets the third, the last-place gets the fourth, and then invert the top four (playoff) teams? Just adjust your league constitution, and it could even be implemented for your upcoming draft if the majority of the league felt that owner tanked to get the first pick. The rule change would ensure owners don't purposely give up on the season just to secure a better draft pick the following season. Sure, the last-place owner from 2007 will disapprove, but it's in the best interest of the league to make this change. Simply put, it's for the improvement of the league because it would keep owners playing hard 'til the end.

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