Fantasy Football

The New England Patriots are unique in that no matter how many years they go without winning a Super Bowl, they’re always the favorite going into the season. And deservedly so. The best player (Brady) combined with the best coach (Belichick, despite what South Park may see) and the best front office (assuming Pioli wasn’t responsible for everything), tends to make a successful franchise, and with the exception of the San Antonio Spurs, no one has been more successful the past decade than the Pats in all of professional sports (spare me, Red Wings fans).

With this caliber of succcess tends to come a plethora of fantasy options, even though their offense hasn’t been all that blistering in their three Super Bowls, but that all changed with the acquisition of Randy Moss, who attracts a double team on every play and still produces as much as any receiver in the league. People have been expressing their doubts about the Patriots in 2009, given the age and recent injury issues they’ve endured, but should they remain healthy, there’s no reason they won’t produce just like they did in 2007.

Any excuse I can find.

Can’t Miss (for what one would reasonably expect): Tom Brady, Randy Moss, Wes Welker. All three of these guys, in no particular order, are almost invaluable. You could draft all three of them and be competitive. Brady should get his touchdowns with two pro-bowl receivers and both receivers are still the primary targets for the best quarterback in the league. We have no idea what the recovery process will be like for Brady, but it seems more likely that there isn’t one than if he never comes back to full-form. Obviously this entire operation hinges on his well-being, if he isn’t in good health than everyone else is rendered mediocre. But we’re confident the wheels aren’t coming loose just yet.

Tread Lightly: Laurence Maroney, Kevin Faulk, Fred Taylor. The first is injury prone, the second is aging and the third is over the hill. If Maroney stays healthy then he should prove to be a valuable prospect, and Faulk has some absolutely monster games in his absence last season, but we get the impression that carries are going to be pretty evenly spread, and none of them are going to be consistent fantasy performers. It would seem that the Patriots have taken to the Shannahan mode of running back play, and that’s not good for any of us. I’d also be weary of Joey Galloway, who’s going to be in the Dante Stallworth 2007 role, and while it looks and sounds promising, it’s good for one breakout play every three games.

Dark Horses: Benjamin Watson. If they’re as pass happy as they were two years ago, then Watson is always a viable option. If not, then he turns into another utility player, and they have at least four or five of those at skill positions.

All told, the real breakout performer for fantasy football from this team might be the defense. If they’re able to stifle opposing offenses like they were during the Super Bowl years, Belichick may not feel compelled to force the issue on offense, which means a lot of running out the clock and a lot of sitting with a comfortable but not record-breaking lead. You know they still want redemption for the 2008 Super Bowl against the Giants, that is the optimum goal here. And whenever a team this talented is going to be this hungry, I like them as a mainstay fantasy destination in my draft.

For tomorrow: The New York Jets