personal concerns with torry holt...

[buhda]

hi everybody, my first post here, main reason i registered was to try to get some insight for my fantasy football league...i do like the rams okay though, a favorite nfc team of mine....anyways I am in a 12 team keeper league where i have owned holt for two consecutive years now, starting to have concerns about his abilities he seemed to struggle quite a bit last year as far as points are concerned.... but i understand pace was out and quarterback issues were at hand, anyways basically i was worried about him getting older now and his ability to be a productive reciever... i figured this would be the best place for someone to convince me to stick with him or maybe even a few doubters....anything???

thanks in advance

brad

p.s. - go browns ... haha gotta throw that in where i can

[UtterBlitz]

hi everybody, my first post here, main reason i registered was to try to get some insight for my fantasy football league...i do like the rams okay though, a favorite nfc team of mine....anyways I am in a 12 team keeper league where i have owned holt for two consecutive years now, starting to have concerns about his abilities he seemed to struggle quite a bit last year as far as points are concerned.... but i understand pace was out and quarterback issues were at hand, anyways basically i was worried about him getting older now and his ability to be a productive reciever... i figured this would be the best place for someone to convince me to stick with him or maybe even a few doubters....anything???

thanks in advance

brad

p.s. - go browns ... haha gotta throw that in where i can

Hi brad, welcome to the clan.

I would not read too much into pace being out or any QB issues from last year. Holt struggled last year because he had knee surgery and the knee never completely healed. He played at less than 100% and it showed in the stats. I have a feeling that he will do much better this year.

Here is some good information on Holt.Torry Holt | NFL Football at CBSSports.com

I would keep him on your team.

So how do you think the Browns are going to do this year? They had a good run last year. Was that a fluke or will it continue?

[buhda]

thanks for the link.... and yeah i'd like to think the browns weren't a fluke last year, it was definitely strange seeing them capable of moving the ball downfield at will for the first time basically since before the team came back to cleveland...and there is nothing more dissapointing than having a 10-6 season and not make the playoffs....we had a few good additions also, i hope derek anderson is up to the task, i have my doubts sometimes

thanks for the help on holt...i really hope he can come through for me....hey here's my other dillema if you're into solving fantasy football problems...we have 4 possible keepers one keeper is payton, if i do keep holt then i will be keeping two of my three running backs.... the running backs are ryan grant, mcgahee, and portis...i was leaning toward dumping mcgahee, but with the new coaching there it might be a run heavy season for him...ryan grant was amazing once he started, and portis, while injury prone, is usually a stud i dunno any suggestions?

[UtterBlitz]

You Brown fans have had some bad years to make it through. I was kinda surprised that you did not make it into the playoffs last year, but you are in a good division so a 10-6 record will not always get you there. I was at the Steelers Browns game in November. Close game, but Big Ben pulled that one off for them.

ok, back to fantasy football - 4 possible keepers

Holt - I think he will improve this year if his knee is feeling better and he is in the mood to compete with the new receivers. There are many offensive options on the team and the ball may be spread to thin for Holt to get a lot of points. WRs don't always get you a lot of fantasy points even when they are good so I am a little on the fence with Holt as a keeper.

Peyton Manning - keeper

Ryan Grant - I don't know a lot about him. It says he has not signed a contract yet. I see that he got most his action in the second part of the season. His numbers could be really good if he plays the whole year. Will GB suffer this year with Favre out of the picture?

McGahee - solid numbers. 990 yards 6 TDs in 2006, 1207 yards 7 TDs in 2007. I expect he will have a good year. Baltimore just picked up Cam Cameron and I expect their offense should improve this year.

Clinton Portis - redskins have changed up their whole coaching staff and they could be in for a tough transition year. He had a good year in 2007, 1262 yards and 11 TDs. Will he stay healthy?

This is a tough call. Which company are you using for your league and how much did each of these players score in 2007? Good RBs are sometimes the most important players in FF.

[evil disco man]

I agree with all of UtterBlitz's points - very good summarization.

If Torry Holt is your only blue-chip WR, I'd definitely keep him. Even if he is slowing down, he's still a lock to get you 1100 yards and 6 TDs, plus his game-to-game numbers are normally very consistent. His knee worries me, and he might be more of a possession receiver now, but there are currently no other dependable options at WR so he should get plenty of looks from Bulger.

As far as those RBs go, I think Willis McGahee and Clinton Portis are your best options. Ryan Grant may have been a one-year wonder benefitting from the long-ball threat that Favre brought to the table - hell, the entire Green Bay team might've been a fluke last season. While they have a solid, young squad, I could easily see them going 5-11 without Favre at the helm.

McGahee should flourish under Cam Cameron's system (see: L.T., Ronnie Brown pre-injury). While he didn't have eye-popping numbers last year, he was still the best player on their offense.

Portis might not be the most consistent player, but there are some weeks where he'll give you huge points. His injuries concern me, but since going to Washington, he's started 15/15, 16/16, 7/8, and 16/16 games. Other than the 2006 season (the only year I had him on my team, go figure) he has managed to stay on the field. Keep your eye on any news items that might clue you in as to how Jim Zorn wants to distribute carries between he and Ladell Betts.

Both Portis and McGahee are also entering their prime, as they will both turn 27 years old this autumn. Grant, while new to the scene, is only one year younger. All three should see plenty of touches as they are in run-first schemes and have no quarterbacks that can really carry the offense.

If you have more confidence in Grant than I do, factoring in his younger age and fresh legs, it's a toss-up. But personally, I'd go with Manning, McGahee, Portis, and Holt as my keepers.

[UtterBlitz]

Thanks Disco...you make good points also. Valid point about Portis and Betts. If Betts gets more of the red zone rushing and TDs, Portis's fantasy value will suffer.

This is hard to evaluate without the fantasy stats. I would be tempted to go with the 3 RBs and Manning as my keepers and then pick up WRs in the draft. Grant managed to get 8 TDs in half a season. If the league gives big points for TDs, you might be better off with Grant.

[buhda]

yeah it's 6 points a td, i really considered keeping three running backs too, and leacing holt out all together...but the more i thought about it the more worried i was about getting behind in the draft and getting receivers after they already had been picked through...there won't be a lot of them out there to begin with being a 4 keeper 12 team league...i dont know i 've been all over on this issue, i even thought about combining grant and manning in a trade for a top teir receiver...then keeping whoever that would be, mcgahee, holt, and portis, then scoop up a quarterback with my first or second pick....actually considered bulger, not just saying that cause of where i am posting now haha....i was kicking around warner too but i forgot how leinart is in there and you really never know what they're gonna do...however i have no idea why because i think warner is good especially fantasy wise...i think someone is dropping romo too i dont know though