Fantasy Football

It’s exceedingly difficult to find a sports headline that doesn’t involve steroids and/or Alex Rodriguez, and you are fortunate enough to it’s some kitschy pun about Michael Phelps and his bong. Man, it’s a good thing no NFL players do steroids or smoke weed, can you imagine the negative press?

Wait, what?

But there is some news, as discrete as it may be. Actually, the most notable news item as it might pertain to your fantasy season in 2009, is Josh McCown being re-signed by the Buccaneers. I kid of course, I think they’re now sporting about a dozen quarterbacks on payroll. Which include Trent Dilfer’s return from office and Jeff George’s return from the arm wrestling circuit. When he wears his hat backward, that means he’s ready to compete.

...And that's why the franchise will always be relevant.

But in all honesty, if you’re actually considering drafting any players high off this Tampa team (and for the sake of your fantasy season, we sincerely hope this isn’t the case) that you take their current prospects into consideration. Right now, they have at best average receivers (you’re not going to be able to sell me on the reliability of Antonio Bryant. At least not highly), a tentative running back situation (which sports about three average at best options) and, as has been eluded too, about the worst quarterback situation in the league (sans every team in the NFC North that doesn’t call Wisconsin home).

Basically, if you have a hunch about any one player and that he might seem productive, he’ll be rendered a disappointment because even if you’re right about his potential he’ll have so little help that teams will just load up on him. This, I think, is where Jon Gruden was valuable. Even if he was at least partly responsible for the nothing they sported on offense, he at least was able to make something out of it. I can’t say the same will be true for whoever their new coach is.

They have the draft coming up and free agency always opens up a lot of doors (especially in this economy), but if this team is making the playoffs they’re doing it on the back of their defense. In fact, assuming they find a quarterback that isn’t an interception machine, their defense is probably your best alternative. You’d be better off drafting any backup running back than what the Bucs are offering at any of the three primary positions.

Back tomorrow with something equally random and mailed in.