Fabiano's fantasy mailbag

By Michael Fabiano
NFL.com Fantasy Expert


Michael will be continuing his mailbag into the offseason, so keep sending your questions to him. Click here to submit it.

I know Peyton Manning is considered the No. 1 quarterback in fantasy football, but I think it should be Tom Brady. Would it be insane to take Brady ahead of Manning in the draft? Also, can Randy Moss re-claim his status as an elite fantasy wide receiver? -- J. Tansey, Atlanta, Ga.

Michael Fabiano: Brady's value has risen now that he has such an impressive offensive arsenal, but I still wouldn't take him ahead of Manning in the first round (and neither will most owners in your league). As a result, I think you should look to target the Patriots quarterback in the second or third round based on your draft position. For example, if you have one of the first five choices in the first round, I would take a running back with the first pick and then look to add Brady in the second round. I would then focus on another back in the third round. I would follow the same plan if I had a late selection in the first round, but the problem with this scenario is that your choices for a No. 2 back could be less than attractive in Round 3. As a result, you need to be aware that taking Brady in Round 2 could hurt your backfield situation. Overall I would still focus on backs in the first two rounds and hope Brady was still on the board in the third round. Even if he isn't, you will still be able to land a solid quarterback. As for Moss, I doubt that he can re-claim the statistical success he had earlier in his career with Minnesota. The Patriots will spread the football out in the pass attack -- that could mean inconsistent weeks from their receivers -- so I would consider Moss more of a No. 2 fantasy wideout.

I'm in a 12-team, two-player keeper league that starts two running backs and four wide receivers but does not reward points for receptions. I plan to retain Steven Jackson, but who else should I keep from Maurice Jones-Drew, Marques Colston and Larry Fitzgerald? -- R. Spicer, Canada

MF: Running backs will remain the premium position even in a league that requires owners to start four wide receivers, so I would have to retain Jones-Drew, pair him with Jackson and release Colston and Fitzgerald. However, I would also focus on wide receivers in the first three to four rounds. Furthermore, I wouldn't be a bit shocked if you were able to re-acquire one of Colston or Fitzgerald in the re-draft.

I am in a league that reward points for receptions and need to retain one player from Joseph Addai, Ronnie Brown, Reggie Bush, Edgerrin James, Anquan Boldin and Steve Smith. I also have the first pick in our 10-team re-draft. Who should I keep and who should I choose with the No. 1 selection? -- M. Patrick, Clifton Springs, N.Y.

MF: All six of these players are nice keeper choices, but Bush is the one to retain. The versatile back out of Southern California finished with an impressive 88 receptions in his rookie season and will continue to improve his overall skills and abilities at the NFL level, so his future is bright indeed. It's hard to determine who you should target with the first overall selection in the re-draft without a list of the available players, but Addai could be a candidate. He too had a tremendous rookie season and will be more of a contributor as a receiver out of the backfield in 2007, which makes him that much more valuable in this sort of format.

I need to retain either Cedric Benson or Willis McGahee. Who is the better keeper? -- T. Smith, Emporia, Kan.

MF: Benson, 24, has far less wear and tear on him than McGahee, 25, but that's not enough to retain him over the Ravens' new featured runner. McGahee, who switched his uniform number from 21 to 23, seems much more motivated to find statistical success in Baltimore. In fact, he is already participating in the team's offseason conditioning programs rather than work out in Miami, which is where he trained while with the Buffalo Bills. The Ravens also added some talent to their offensive line with the selection of OGs Ben Grubbs and Marshal Yanda in the draft, which is a positive for McGahee's stock. Benson does have potential in Chicago, but whether he can avoid injuries and produce better numbers than McGahee remains to be seen.

Who will have more value in a seasonal draft next season -- Matt Hasselbeck or Michael Vick? Also, what is the current state of the Tennessee backfield? Who will become the starter between LenDale White and Chris Henry? -- S. Brackett, Pensacola, Fla.

MF: I have Vick rated one spot higher than Hasselbeck at this point, but that could change if his off-field issues affect his time on the field. One tidbit that I can share is that Hasselbeck has been selected ahead of Vick in almost all of the expert league drafts I've done to this point, which indicates that owners have some concerns about the Falcons quarterback. White is considered the favorite to start for the Titans, but his hold on the top spot on the depth chart is not solid at all. His work ethic still needs to show improvement, and he also must prove he can handle the rigors of an NFL season. Henry hasn't been too impressive in recent OTAs, and word out of Tennessee now has the team interested in free agent Chris Brown. That could mean that head coach Jeff Fisher hasn't been enamored with either White or Henry and wants to add a veteran into the mix. Whatever the components, it seems like a backfield committee could come to fruition in 2007.

I'm in a 10-team league and won the title last season, so I have the last pick in the first round and the first pick in the second round. I plan to take a running back in the first round, but should I pass on a second back in the second round and take a stud quarterback there instead? -- C. Levermore, Green Bay, Wis.

MF: You should have your choice of talented runners like Joseph Addai, Rudi Johnson, Laurence Maroney, Reggie Bush, Travis Henry or Willis McGahee with your first two selections, and I would secure the backfield (unless Peyton Manning slides) rather than take a quarterback. Solid signal-callers will be on the board well into the middle rounds since there are fewer teams in this league, so draft two runners and a stud wideout in the first three rounds. Much of the early focus will be on backs, so I would bet that a terrific quarterback such as Tom Brady, Marc Bulger, Donovan McNabb or Vince Young will still be available in the fourth round.

I'm in a one-player keeper league and need to retain Carson Palmer, Ronnie Brown, Terrell Owens or the Baltimore defense, which outscored the aforementioned three. Who should I choose? -- D. Denton, Coppell, Texas

MF: Unless this is a smaller league or quarterbacks dominate due to the scoring system, I would retain Brown and release Palmer, Owens and the Baltimore defense. He should remain the featured back in South Florida now that it seems like Ricky Williams will not be back in teal and orange, so Brown should have a chance to finish with career numbers across the board in the offensive attack of head coach Cam Cameron.

Can you list the top 10 running backs in a league that rewards points for receptions? I am in a 14-team auction league with a $60 salary cap and want to find some values. -- M. Lloyd, Gastonia, N.C.

MF: I would rank the top 10 backs in PPR leagues as follows: 1. LaDainian Tomlinson; 2. Steven Jackson; 3. Larry Johnson; 4. Frank Gore; 5. Brian Westbrook; 6. Reggie Bush; 7. Joseph Addai; 8. Shaun Alexander; 9. Willie Parker; 10. Laurence Maroney. Some potential bargains at the position include versatile backs like, Ahman Green, Brandon Jackson, Kevin Jones, Maurice Jones-Drew, Marshawn Lynch, Chester Taylor and DeAngelo Williams. Reserves such as Ladell Betts, Michael Pittman, Mewelde Moore and Kevin Faulk are also tremendous receivers out of the backfield on offense and warrant consideration in some larger formats.

I am in a 10-team keeper league and need to retain four players from Travis Henry, Brandon Jacobs, Larry Johnson, Donald Driver, Marvin Harrison and Antonio Gates. I plan to retain Johnson and Harrison, but I'm not sure about the other two. Your thoughts? -- T. Pantini, Canada

MF: While he will turn 29 in October, Henry doesn't have the typical wear of a back his age (he had a combined 182 carries from 2004-05), so I would retain him ahead of Jacobs and pair him with Johnson in the backfield. Gates, who is the most valuable and productive tight end in the world of fantasy football, is a virtual lock to produce 70-plus catches and eight-plus touchdowns and should be the fourth keeper.

I'm in a first-year, 12-team keeper league and had the No. 1 overall selection in the draft, so I took LaDainian Tomlinson. The draft is in a forum so there are long durations between selections. What players should I target in the second and third rounds? -- P. Banks, Norway

MF: Because of the long duration between your first and second selections, there's a good chance that the number of solid runners will wear thin. However, I would still look to add a second back such as Marshawn Lynch, Ahman Green, Brandon Jacobs or Carnell Williams to pair with Tomlinson. With a quick pick in the third round, take account of the flow of the draft and make an educated decision. If quarterbacks benefit from the scoring system, you might want to draft Drew Brees, Carson Palmer, Tom Brady or Marc Bulger. In the event that a number of solid quarterbacks are still on the board at the start of the third round, I would then target an elite wide receiver such as Marvin Harrison, Terrell Owens or Larry Fitzgerald instead.