Fantasy Mailbag Q&A - Highest Quality A per Q Average In the World

A lot of people know how bad their fantasy teams are at this point. Conversely, there are a lot of fantasy owners out there who are preparing their money counters for the winnings they are expecting. In between are the scores of fantasy participants who know their team doesn’t suck, yet also know that so far there is no reason to believe they are going to have what it takes to cash in on the jackpot. For all of those folks, I am Ken Meringolo, and as usual, I am here to satisfy your every fantasy...football question.

Q: I am 2-0 and my matchups look great for week 3. I got lucky on some very late draft picks (Mike Bell, Mario Manningham) and I have strong starters. I get offered trade after trade but can’t seem to pull the trigger because I feel like if I rock this boat it will sink to the bottom. Is sitting tight a bad strategy in fantasy football? - Mike

A: Mike, I have known dudes who wouldn’t trade a player even if that player was hit by a bus and some idiot owner in the league still wanted him. I have also known individuals to become so trade happy that they had to go to rehab to stop from proposing deals to every fellow owner that would listen. Me? I’m a guy who likes to deal. I try to buy low and sell high. I am always more afraid of the deal I don’t propose than I am of the deal I do. When it is all going for you like it is now, it is ridiculously hard to deliberately shake things up. But if this economy has taught us anything, it is that what goes up must come down. You are in a position of strength right now. If you have guys like Bell and Manningham in the fold, you no doubt have choices to make each week with regard to who you will start. I like to be the guy that packages two medium-type players playing out of their mind for one elite stud player (FYI--Manningham might actually be a stud player by the way, so be careful how you categorize him.) Take some of your depth and turn it into a deadly starting lineup. Surely there is an owner out there that could use a couple players he would start immediately for one guy. Is sitting tight a bad strategy? Not in the short-term, but look back at your league’s last handful of winners. Did any of them sit tight for an entire season? The answer is that they probably did not. If you are going to make a move, better to make it from a position of strength than from a position of desperation.

Q: My squad is solidly mediocre from top to bottom with matchup decisions determining who I start at QB, RB, and WR. I have the Redskins’ defense, Jets’ defense, and Packers’ defense though, so I am best situated at this position. What is your philosophy on starting two defenses and which two would you roll with this weekend? - Peter

A: Defenses have grown in importance over the years in fantasy. I can recall a time when it was a throwaway pick, but these days, the scoring for defenses can be significant. The one thing though about defenses in fantasy football is that they can either win you the week or they can lose you the week. Negative scoring by a defense who has a bad day can crush you. I like the risk involved though when you can put two solid units in your lineup, and you can. The Jets have turned heads this season so far on defense, but the two I would go with are the Redskins and the Packers. The Redskins have played solid defense and they get Detroit this week and the rookie quarterback Matthew Stafford. He is tied for the league lead in interceptions. The Packers play the Rams, who can’t seem to get out of their own way on offense.

Q: I can flex two of the following four players: Brandon Marshall, Ted Ginn, Willie Parker and Jamal Lewis. Which two do you recommend? - JB

A: First, let’s eliminate Jamal Lewis. He has looked sluggish and he faces a tough Ravens defense this week--the Ravens have only given up 82 rushing yards through two games! Willie Parker has a good matchup this week against Cincinnati this week but the Steelers all of a sudden look like a passing team and Parker is sharing the backfield with Mewelde Moore and Rashard Mendenhall. I don’t trust Brandon Marshall to be a pro yet and he and Kyle Orton are simply not on the same page yet. Ted Ginn has turned into Chad Pennington’s favorite target in Miami. If he can figure out how to make a couple of the harder catches that he had a chance to make, he goes from being a flex player to being a stud wide receiver starter. Go ahead and give Ginn and Willie Parker the nod and hope Parker can get some big chunks early in that game against the Bengals.

Q: What in the world do you make of the Jake Delhomme situation in Carolina? - Chris

A: For years, I relished the opportunity to swoop in and get Delhomme in late rounds as a backup or as a bargain buy in auction drafts. Those days are over. He had a monster day in leagues that reward yardage last week, going over 300 yards in a loss to Atlanta. Personally, I don’t want my team to have to rely on him to have that kind of performance each week. What he does have going for him is his chemistry with Steve Smith, who went off for 8 catches and 131 yards last week. You also know that because of the contract situation and the loyalty to Delhomme from the coaching staff, he is going to get a long leash. So between Steve Smith, the loyalty factor, the contract situation, and the fact he performed in his most recent game, Jake Delhomme is actually a pretty solid fantasy quarterback to have in your rotation. Against Dallas this weekend, you might even consider giving him the start...if you have no other horses in your stable with good matchups.

Good luck this week.