Scott Engel reaches into the mailbag and answers your every question.

RotoExperts.com Senior Writer Scott Engel answers your pressing questions every week.

John Kelly, New York, N.Y.: I'm in 16-team league that starts: QB, 2 WR, 2 RB, TE, K, D/ST. My team's starting roster breaks down like this:  QBs: Drew Brees and Vince Young; WRs: T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Dwayne Bowe, Antwaan Randle El, James Hardy; RBs: Joseph Addai; Justin Fargas, Ladell Betts, Derrick Ward; TEs: Kellen Winslow II, Ben Utecht; K: Stephen Gostkowski; D/ST: Seattle. My question is what's my most glaring hole? I think it's Fargas as my RB2, but how worried should I be about his situation with the mega-talented Darren McFadden running right behind him? Who should I look to possibly fill that hole?

My Angles: With a good amount of quality running backs being kept in your league, it makes a lot of sense to keep Jones as your No. 2 RB. The Jets have improved their offensive line, and Jones is the type of runner who needs openings paved for him rather than creating his own running room like he had to do last season. Plus, Favre obviously spikes the offense and gives Jones more opportunities to finish off scoring drives with touchdowns. I believe Jones will be a solid second RB for any fantasy team this season and should complement your two superstars nicely. Yet he doesn't have an optimum long-term outlook and you may start thinking about replacing him in your lineup as soon as next season, so think about drafting a young guy with upside who can be his future replacement and an attractive backup for 2008 also. You may have to grab such a player pretty early in a keeper draft.


Andrew Park: I just read the “No RB Draft Strategy” piece by Chris Bangs and Tommy Landry in the Draft Kit and wanted to get your thoughts. I think they present a very solid argument. I think for leagues where I have a top four pick, it would be hard for me to draft Randy Moss (even though you have him ranked fourth) above guys likes LaDainian Tomlinson, Adrian Peterson, Brian Westbrook, and Joseph Addai. I can see it with perhaps a sixth to 12th pick and then coming around with a guy like Marques Colston, Braylon Edwards, or Larry Fitzgerald in the second round. What I’m not so sure about is trying to uncover the star running back in rounds 9 to 11 and trying to bank your draft in that. Last year, I had L.T. and my second RB was Deuce McAllister. The reason I won my league was because I was able to jump on Ryan Grant, but that was more a quick waiver pickup more than finding him in the draft, as I doubt anybody drafted Grant.

My Angles: Chris and Tommy's piece is very entertaining and thought-provoking. I do not personally adhere to any preset draft strategies and I don't use the "No RB" approach myself. With many RBs being uncertain picks this year, I cannot pass on an opportunity to get one of the very best guys early on. Moss may be the exception in the top five, but given Peterson's huge upside and the outstanding production you'll get with guys like Westbrook and Addai, you can’t pass on them. I might take Wayne at the end of the first round, but I am going to usually take at least one RB in the first three rounds, most likely the first two, as you will still see a lot of them go off the board early, and by the third to fourth rounds, you're looking at a somewhat shaky pick for your RB1 as the tiers begin to quickly taper off. I no longer think you have to go all-RB in the first two rounds, but I don't want to wait until the fourth to grab my first starter there, either. I focus on filling out my starting lineup at QB, RB and WR in the first five to six rounds depending on the requirements, but not in any set order. Good drafting is about being ready to adjust on the run, not projecting ahead before the draft starts. Yes, I am all for uncovering that gem in rounds 9-11 as long as I already have my starters set. I have been in many drafts already, and have taken players from all three positions in the first round, have grabbed WRs early in some drafts, and even went with two RBs early in a few. No two drafts seem to be alike, and I just make sure I am well-prepared and ready to make optimum picks when my turn is up in every round. Mock drafting is fun, but I try not to over think before draft day, I just make sure I over-prepare in terms of absorbing NFL information. Information is power in a fantasy draft, and always beats over analysis.

My Angles: While it is a necessity to get a QB early in your format, I can't see spending a first-rounder on Favre or Hasselbeck. Favre may be useful for only one more year if he decides to call it quits again after 2008, and Hasselbeck is good, but not a top player at his position. You want that first pick to be a possible superstar, and you need either a second running back or third wide receiver. I would certainly take McFadden with the first pick if he falls to you. Otherwise go for Marshall, keeping the longer term in mind, or Chad Johnson, if you simply can't bring yourself to pick Marshall because of the suspension. It's good you're aware of those available players, you're preparing well. If you get McFadden first, and be prepared in case he doesn’t fall to you, get the best QB available in the second round. If you grab a WR first, take the best available player between QB and RB in the second and then address the starting lineup opening in the sixth. I would lean towards the RB, as I have often been able to get a decent QB in two-QB drafts in the middle rounds more often than I have been able to get a starting RB, especially in keeper formats. By the way, I am baffled as to how you got Portis in the 10th round!  

Joel Holm: I will have the ninth or tenth pick in a 12-team point per reception league and a might keep Steven Jackson. If I decide to keep Tony Romo instead, I would probably have a top four pick overall and could then have a shot at either Clinton Portis, Marion Barber III or Marshawn Lynch. The problem with that is that I will miss out on the marquee WR run. Tom Brady and Peyton Manning are already being kept so that inflates Romo’s value even more.
P.S. Creatures of the Night is the most underrated KISS album.

My Angles: Jackson is a top-5 fantasy RB, and it doesn't seem like you are going to get an elite RB of that caliber if you keep Romo. With the ninth or 10th pick, you can still get a very good QB, even if it's not Romo. If no one falls there that is worth a first-rounder in your estimation, wait a bit longer to get a decent, but not superstar starter. I would rather see you keep the elite RB if it's not Brady or Manning you are considering as the alternative. Your "franchise" player should ideally be a true fantasy superstar, and Jackson fits that description better than Romo, who falls in the second tier of QBs behind Brady and Manning. You can’t have everything, and you can focus on getting the best WR you can in the second or third round.
Creatures is the second-best KISS album not containing the original lineup in my opinion, behind Revenge.

Andrew Poplaski: Just completed my league draft, PPR format.  Here's my roster:
QB - Derek Anderson, Jake Delhomme; RB - Maurice Jones-Drew, Earnest Graham, Chester Taylor, Ryan Torain, Jerious Norwood, Tatum Bell, Derrick Ward; WR - Randy Moss, Marques Colston, Brandon Marshall, Joey Galloway; TE - Kellen Winslow II; K - Josh Scobee; D/ST – Packers.
Lineup requirements are 1 QB, 2 WR, 2 RB, 1 Flex, 1 TE, 1 K, 1 D/ST. Your thoughts?

My Angles: Your QB situation looks good. Love your TE, the D/ST is solid, and oh yeah, there's a kicker. You have outstanding WRs, but your RB situation concerns me. You don't have what I consider to be an ideal No. 1 RB, and I would rather see you use a RB at flex, because they usually get more touches. The guys you have backing up Jones-Drew and Graham, though, are not players I would start, and you could end up cutting Torain and Bell, while Norwood may never get off your bench for more than a week. I think you should deal Marshall for another RB if you can. I'd like to see you start Jones-Drew, Graham and another RB at flex. If you can't get an ideal No. 1 RB, you'll at least acquire another good starter and will have three strong RBs in your starting lineup, and you'll have nice balance at the position. Galloway gives you one top-level backup and you can add more depth by cutting Bell to begin with. No fantasy team is perfect, and I don't see any major glaring holes, which is good, but your surplus at WR can help you at RB. Marshall is great, but you want to start the season off with a complete lineup and not with Galloway as your flex player, plus Marshall may be able to bring you a nice return. You already have Moss and Colston, so Marshall is a luxury and you can minimize lost production while he is suspended.

Mike Degnean (Lamar, Colorado): Roddy White is at No. 43 in the One-Man Mock Draft (Note: Available in our Draft Kit)? No Packers receiver in the top 60? Appears you may be leaning too heavily on the fact Aaron Rodgers is going to struggle. Sorry to tell, you but Greg Jennings is better than four of the receivers you have listed. I won’t even start about Donald Driver; how does that guy get left out? I understand the uncertainty about the QB, Favre is gone, but he was only part of the equation. Rodgers has the tools to deliver the ball on time and on target, now will that translate into wins? Who knows, but one thing for sure is there WILL be some receivers getting the ball, and they have PROVEN what they can do with it after the catch.

My Angles: Wow, Mike, seems like I pressed a green and yellow button with you. You certainly sound like a Packers fan, but I'm looking at this objectively, from a fantasy perspective. Plus, first you say it's a fact that Rodgers is going to struggle, but then you say he has all the tools. So I see you’re not completely sure how he is going to fare, either. Yes, Rodgers has the skills to eventually succeed, I agree. But he lacks the experience to do so right away. He has never started a game in the NFL and it shows. He has jittery feet, his mechanics that need work, and he gets rattled at times when going through his progressions. He doesn't throw a consistently accurate ball downfield and sometimes his decision making is questionable too. Jennings' outstanding production last year heavily hinged on Favre's ability to get him the ball downfield often, and Rodgers simply won't have the same on-field relationship with him this season. As for Driver's ability to make things happen after the catch, he is going to have fewer opportunities to do so when Rodgers doesn't get him the ball nearly as consistently as Favre did. White has a rookie QB throwing to him, and I can see people being skeptical about him; that's fair. Yet that doesn't make me bump up the Green Bay WRs any further. For your sake, I hope the Packers play well this year. That doesn't mean I will bump Jennings and Driver up in my rankings. They have proven what they can do with Favre, but he's not there any more. So both players take a dip in value, especially Jennings. Favre was a huge part of the equation, and that cannot be discounted at all. What Jennings and Driver did last season or before this year no longer applies.

Scott Engel joined RotoExoerts.com in June of 2008. E-mail Scott at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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