At first glance, it might seem like Aaron Diehl is a safe bet to take his Vince Young team to a 2009 division title in the loaded South, but a closer look hints at another possible outcome.
Granted, a healthy season for his starting lineup would almost certainly give Diehl an easy road to one of the six playoff spots in the LOTC postseason but a division title could be a totally different story.
Joe Harper has Drew Brees, the 2008 fantasy point champion, quarterbacking I Have a Bush, as well as a healthy MJD in one of his running back slots. Jones-Drew is officially the man in Jacksonville, with the departure of Fred Taylor, and being THE man is an increasingly rare quality in today's NFL format of sharing the load in the backfield.
Of course it just so happens the other two South teams are full of running backs that don't have to share the load. Stephen Dinger (I'm a Texan) has a running back lineup that consists of Steve Slaton, Ryan Grant and Larry Johnson and Diehl boasts possibly the strongest tandem in Adrian Peterson and Frank Gore.
Both owners also boast having a quarterback to contend tremendously against I Have a Bush's Brees. With weapons like Andre Johnson and Owen Daniels, Matt Schaub is a fantasy dream, provided he doesn't suffer another late-hit injury. He could quite easily give Dinger some of the best quarterback numbers in 2009. Diehl is set to rely on the arm of Kurt Warner once again this season. Warner has the luxury of throwing the ball to one of the most lethal receiver tandems in NFL history, with Fitzgerald and Boldin on the outside. Even more exciting for Diehl is the fact that if anything happens to Warner, he won't lose much production at all with another star as a backup; Carson Palmer.
At receiver, I Have a Bush seems to have the most shaky starting lineup, though few fantasy managers would complain to have a healthy Marques Colston as their number one guy. It's the other guys who are a bit shaky. Hines Ward is always dependable, but can't be counted on to get strong numbers anymore, as he ages more and loses many throws to Santonio Holmes this season. After Colston and Ward, Harper employs three other Saints receivers and the expired hands of Muhsin Muhammad. This leaves a lot of doubt in the way of depth. He does have the benefit of starting Jeremy Shockey at tight end, but it is again, a moot point in the loaded South, where Dinger and Diehl start Owen Daniels and Chris Cooley, respectively. I'm a Texan has Andre Johnson, who is undoubtedly the best fantasy receiver whenever he plays, but Andre does tend to miss several games every year, which could prove costly. Dinger also starts Kevin Walter and Donnie Avery, who, if healthy, is likely to have a tremendous season in St. Louis with the departure of Torry Holt. Vince Young is solid, with Calvin Johnson, Anthony Gonzalez and Steve Breaston at receiver. I would even have given him the edge at the position except for the fact that he has literally no other receivers on the roster, which could pose a serious problem.
Prognosis: This division has three strong teams, with little weakness in their starting lineups. But this game is won with depth, especially at wide receiver and running back. Because of this, I give a slight edge to I'm a Texan, provided his Texan players can finally stay healthy for an entire season. Close behind him, if not finding a way to win the division outright, will be Diehl's Vince Young franchise. While I Have A Bush seems likely to finish last in the division, his team is strong enough to surprise and work its way into the playoff race, but if anything happens to any one of his stars (Brees, MJD or Colston), I don't see any chance of salvaging a strong season.
I'm a Texan and Vince Young will both make the playoffs.
No comments:
Post a Comment