Answer Guys: Is Braylon Edwards a keeper?
Should I start Chad Pennington or Kurt Warner? Will Warner even play more than a half this week? J Kruger
Dave: If you listen to Ken Whisenhunt, the Cardinals will treat their Week 17 game like a playoff game, so that would seem to bode well for all Cards starters. Although Whisenhunt made the statement earlier in the week, I do expect Warner to play more than a half of football. After losing four out of their past five games, the Cards need to get back on the winning side of things. The recent losses haven't been representative of what won the Cards their first division in years. In fact, the losses have been pretty embarrassing to the franchise and its players. So the only way the Cards can expect to have a fighting chance in the playoffs this year is to get their starters the reps they need. Warner will get a good dose of playing time this week unless the Cards blow the Seahawks out of the water by halftime. Also, I don't trust Pennington nearly enough to start him over Warner. You'd be gambling on Pennington to give you the numbers you need this week. Factor in Pennington's inconsistency over the season, and that's a chance I'm not willing to take. A three-touchdown performance is always a possibility with Pennington, but more than likely you'll get average quarterback stats. Even if Warner plays only one half, it'll be enough to outshine Pennington's full day of play.
Is Braylon Edwards worth holding onto for 2009? We don't penalize for round value, but I can keep up to six players off my roster from year to year. If you were going to choose between Edwards and DeSean Jackson, who would you go with? I'm sort of torn considering the potential that Jackson has, but I also realize that Edwards won't just fade away forever. Whatever light you can shed on this situation would be helpful. A. Anderson
Dave: It's a tough spot that you're in having to choose between Edwards and Jackson, especially when you take into account that Edwards has been one of the bigger disappointments in the league this year while Jackson has been a pleasant surprise in his rookie season. It's sort of funny when you compare their current totals though, because Edwards and Jackson have put up very similar numbers through 16 weeks of play. The difference, of course is, that 850 yards and three touchdowns is a pretty good stat line for an NFL rookie wide receiver, but for a fourth-year player coming off a career year in which he racked up 16 touchdowns? That's just not acceptable.
There's a lot of blame to go around for Edwards' failures this year. A big one that pops to mind right away is the dropped passes. Plus, it's been noted before that Edwards was trying to do too much himself in the Browns offense. Add in the fact that defenses double-teamed Edwards more times than not and the fact that the Browns had major quarterback and offensive line problems, it's apparent any wide receiver would struggle under these circumstances. The question now is whether Edwards will bounce back in '09 -- and whether he will bounce back enough to justify cutting Jackson.
Jackson is a talent, no denying that, but if I'm choosing between the two next year, I want Edwards on roster. The Browns aren't going to sit back and let things slip further than this season. They'll address their quarterback issues by starting Brady Quinn from the onset, and they'll get their offensive line issues squared away as well. Edwards will get his game back on track next season. An 1,100 yard, 10-TD season sounds about right to me, which is more than what you'll get out of Jackson in '09.
I really hate Week 17 in the NFL. I play in a few leagues that run into the last week of the season and I can't stand the fact that I have to field a ragtag lineup because of injuries and NFL coaches that want to rest their players before playoff games. I can understand why coaches want to rest their stars, but it's still frustrating as a fantasy owner. Since I have a few teams fighting it out this week (yes, I'm a huge fantasy football addict), I didn't want to list all of my rosters and players. Could you go over some of the main players that you think will be losing playing time this week due to rest or injury? I ask because there are so many conflicting reports on the issue right now. Brian A.
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Dave: I know exactly your point here and the frustration that comes along with it. You ride a team all the way into the playoffs, thinking you've got a great shot at a fantasy title this season, only to realize you now have to start the likes of Quinton Ganther or Najeh Davenport. It's not too comforting to have to put your hopes in second-string or part-time players, but some owners just don't have a choice with the craziness that has occurred to this point. And let's not forget how the weather has tortured fantasy owners over the past few weeks. Heck, there have even been wind and frost advisories in Southern California, if you can believe that. And snow in Las Vegas? Yeah, it's definitely been another crazy year, so let's hope you have to pull only one or two players out of your lineup this week.
Here are the players that I consider candidates to play a quarter of football or less: Peyton Manning, Joseph Addai, Reggie Wayne, Marvin Harrison, Dallas Clark, Kerry Collins, Chris Johnson, Ben Roethlisberger, Hines Ward, Santonio Holmes, Willie Parker, Brandon Jacobs and Eli Manning.
And these are the players I expect to play at least a half of football, but their time could vary more or less because of game circumstances (big halftime leads, etc.): Derrick Ward, Amani Toomer, Jake Delhomme, DeAngelo Williams, Michael Turner, Matt Ryan, Roddy White, Kurt Warner and Larry Fitzgerald.
Players to be concerned about because of injury are: Marion Barber, Marshawn Lynch, Anquan Boldin, Kevin Smith, Pierre Thomas, Steven Jackson, LenDale White and Frank Gore. Jackson and Gore will play this week, according to reports. Boldin's playing time is in question now, and it's possible he may see the field for only a series or two. Lynch and Smith have a good chance of playing Sunday, while Barber looks to be a game-time decision again. White should just sit this one out altogether, since the Titans have things locked up already, but there's still a chance he can get on the field in a limited capacity. Just don't expect it.
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