How does Vick fit into the fantasy world?

Michael Vick continues to grab all the headlines and will be perhaps the biggest story in the NFL as the season opens. But that doesn't mean he should command too much attention from fantasy players.

Vick's signing with the Eagles is the kind of storyline fans and pundits will be talking about for weeks and months, but for fantasy purposes it's just another transaction. No need to go making a major overhaul to your pre-draft rankings. Sure, Vick's an intriguing late-round sleeper because Philly figures to use him in the wildly popular "Wildcat" role that often results in big plays. He gives the Eagles another skilled player who can certainly be an effective runner/passer/receiver in their West Coast offense. But honestly, how many touches can he get in an offense that also includes Pro Bowl performers like Donovan McNabb and Brian Westbrook and young playmakers DeSean Jackson, LeSean McCoy and Jeremy Maclin?

The idea behind the Wildcat is to utilize the elements of surprise and unpredictability, so how consistently would Vick be used anyway? At least other presumed Wildcat players around the league - Ronnie Brown/Ricky Williams in Miami, Percy Harvin in Minnesota - will be taking more snaps at their regular positions throughout the game, whereas Vick would only be stepping onto the field at a few strategic points when the Eagles use the package.

Make no mistake, McNabb is the starting QB. This won't be an even timeshare. Of course, taking into account McNabb's history, there is a decent chance of him getting injured at some point and Vick perhaps taking over, but that's not something you can bank on. And even then, the Eagles do have a supposed QB of the future, Kevin Kolb (although he's hurt right now). And assuming Vick is listed on Philly's roster as a QB and is eligible at that position in fantasy leagues, it's hard to justify taking him as your No. 2 fantasy QB when you could instead own another starter in the league - say, Eli Manning, Ben Roethlisberger, Carson Palmer, Matt Hasselbeck, etc. - who will see the field far more often and produce many more points on a more consistent basis.

If your league allows three QBs, by all means, take Vick. If your league allows really deep rosters with open bench spots from any position, Vick's your guy. If the Eagles for some reason use Vick exclusively as a RB/WR, snatch him up. The potential is there for some cheap fantasy points. But good luck predicting when they might come.

The true concern for fantasy purposes should rest with anyone who owns an Eagles skill player. Every time Vick touches the ball he'll be taking away potential points from Westbrook, Jackson and co. And more alarmingly, how will the signing affect McNabb's psyche? You could look at it as yet another slap in the face for a franchise QB who's been maligned by his team's fans for years, witnessed the franchise draft a potential replacement (Kolb) and who was benched by his coach last year for poor play. Now McNabb's got to deal with the circus that follows such a publicized move, and the guy may have to take a backseat to Vick at key points in the game and give up snaps. There's potential here for bad blood and fan backlash if the Eagles, clearly in a win-now-at-all-costs mode, aren't winning. And instability is never a good thing for fantasy production. Maybe it's no big deal, but it's something to think about

All-Dolphins lineup? Why not?

If you’ve been tinkering with the idea of starting an all-Miami Dolphins lineup, this might be the week to do it.

Normally this would sound a little crazy, unless we were talking about the Dan Marino-Mark Clayton-Mark Duper days of the mid-1980s, in which case it’d be totally radical.
But seriously, submitting a fantasy lineup of QB Chad Pennington, WRs Ted Ginn Jr. and Greg Camarillo and RBs Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams this week might not be such a wacky idea.

That’s because the Fish are facing the Denver Broncos, who hold the distinction of being one of only two NFL teams (along with the Detroit Lions) ranked in the league’s bottom five in both passing defense and rushing defense.

Discombobulated Denver is 28th against the pass (240 yards a game, 12 TDs allowed) and 30th against the run (154 yards a game, nine TDs). They’ve been responsible for some of the biggest individual efforts we’ve seen this season – Drew Brees’ 421 passing yards in Week 3; Larry Johnson’s 198 rushing yards in Week 4; Sammy Morris’ 138 rushing yards in the first half alone last week.

The Broncos are coming off a bye, so surely they spent some of that time rewriting the defensive playbook. But it’s still not a bad idea to dive in with at least some of the Dolphins this week for their favorable matchup in South Florida.

Miami’s offense is clicking right now, with Pennington (314 yards, TD) and Ginn (seven catches, 175 yards) each coming off their best outing while wearing aqua and orange. Brown has had some big weeks running in the Dolphins’ trendy “Wildcat” offense this year (519 total yards, seven TDs). And Camarillo and Williams, usually bit players, are certainly worth consideration this week as bye-week fillers.

The point is this: Never discount the matchup when assembling your lineup. Familiarize yourself with the NFL’s weakest Ds – not by reputation, but statistically – and use that information to your advantage. For instance:

g The Indianapolis Colts are atrocious against the run; New England Patriots no-names Kevin Faulk and BenJarvus Green-Ellis are fantasy-worthy this week.

g The Kansas City Chiefs are equally allergic to playing run defense; Earnest Graham, it’s your time to shine.

g The Seattle Seahawks secondary has struggled; Donovan McNabb, Kevin Curtis, DeSean Jackson and crew could have big days Sunday.

g The Detroit Lions are inept in all areas of defense; Kyle Orton and Matt Forte will prove it.

Brown Out

And you Dolfans thought things couldn't get any worse this year.

As if the 0-7 start and the bombardment by the Patriots weren't bad enough, Miami learned Monday that Ronnie Brown, the one bright spot in a dreary South Florida season, is out for the year with a torn ACL.

Brown's been a fine fantasy performer this year, much better than expected. Entering Sunday he led all players in yards from scrimmage and had five straight 100-yard rushing games, along with five total TDs. I was a little higher on him that a lot of prognosticators out there, but even I didn't see that kind of consistent production from the kid, and he was obviously a big boost for anybody who took him in the second round or later

And what's with the Auburn RBs getting hurt? Cadillac Williams, Browns' former Tigers teammate, is done for the season too. Maybe it's just bad karma for all those bogus classes they used to take.

So anyway, now what for the Fins? Well we pretty much know Jesse Chatman is the No. 1 guy. He took over for Brown on Sunday and did a decent job overall (seven rushes, 73 yards, TD). Cam Cameron even toyed with the idea of giving Chatman the starting job during the preseason, but who knows if that was really just a smokescreen by the new coach to motivate Brown and the rest of his guys.

So Chatman's pretty much a must-add for anybody who had Brown, or anybody in a league where starting RBs are hard to find. We can be fairly confident Chatman will get the bulk of the touches for Miami over Patrick Cobbs and Lorenzo Booker. The Fins are at least going to try to run the ball a lot with Cleo Lemon at the helm. The only problem is this: of Miami's remaining nine games, six are against teams ranked in the NFL's top 10 in rushing defense, beginning with the Giants this Sunday in merry old England. I see three nice matchups, at least on paper, where Chatman should excel: Week 10 against Buffalo, Week 13 against the Jets, and Week 17 against Cincy when you might not be playing anymore. So good luck with that.

Don't sleep on these guys

I'm still finalizing my 2007 positional rankings for the upcoming football season, and I hope to share those with you in the coming days. Sorry, I'm a busy guy, and being a "guru" takes work. But let me tell you what I'll do for you: how about I throw a few sleepers your way? I like the following guys to exceed expectations this season:

TE Vernon Davis, 49ers: I was ecstatic to grab Davis in one draft last year, as I had him pegged as one of the few rookies who'd make a fantasy impact. And in the games he was healthy, he did, averaging 13 yards a catch and grabbing three TDs. The flip side, of course, is that he missed six games with a broken leg and was a non-factor in a handful of others. That's why you're seeing Davis typically ranked somewhere in the eight-to-10 range among tight ends, but don't let that dissuade you. He has the raw physical skills to surpass some other established vets (Alge Crumpler, L.J. Smith perhaps?) and finish in the top five - or better. A lot of his success, of course, hinges on the continued development of young Alex Smith.

RB Ronnie Brown, Dolphins: His 1,000 yards and five TDs last year didn't justify his status as a No. 1 RB for a lot of owners last year, as they were essentially the same as his rookie campaign. But looking back, those weak numbers weren't all Ronnie's bad. A lot of it had to do with the Fins' trifecta of terrible QBs (Culpepper, Harrington, Lemon, oh my!) and Nick Saban's ineptitude. The QB play should be at least a little steadier with vet Trent Green manning the ship, assuming he's shaken off the cobwebs, and with new coach Cam Cameron looking for his own take-home version of LaDainian Tomlinson, I can see Brown making a big splash this year. Grabbing him as a No. 2 RB will pay dividends.

QB David Carr, Panthers: Carr's a deep sleeper this year now that he's carrying the clipboard for veteran Jake Delhomme in Carolina after being dumped by the Texans (doesn't get a whole lot lower than that, does it?). But if Delhomme doesn't step it up this year after a disappointing 2006, I can see Carr flourishing in a much more stable environment than the one he left behind in Houston. Some have tried to spin the story as if Houston realized Carr's limitations and gave up on him because wasn't going to cut it as an NFL QB, but I'm not totally buying that - the Texans don't exactly have a history of making good decisions, do they? Anyway, Carr likely won't even be drafted in most leagues, but keep a close eye on Delhomme this preseason and at the start of '07, because the still-young Carr offers a lot more upside than most of the NFL backups out there.

Steelers vs. Dolphins - what we learned

- Daunte Culpepper owners have to be concerned. Miami's new QB looked lost, overthrowing his receivers several times and tossing two damaging interceptions with the game on the line. Sure, he was playing against a fired-up Pittsburgh defense on its home turf, but based on how Daunte looked early last season before his knee injury, you have to wonder if he's still got some mental rehabbing to do.

- Will Culpepper's struggles affect WR Chris Chambers? I wouldn't worry too much. Chambers didn't do much last night, but you can chalk that up to the Steelers' D. Check out the numbers he put up last year with the scrubs the Dolphins used at QB.

- Ronnie Brown had a rough night running the ball, but his two short TDs made up for it. There will be plenty more yards to come for Miami's workhorse.

- Speaking of a workhorse, Willie Parker had a career high in carries and is going to get more goal-line touches now that Jerome Bettis is driving a school bus. Parker's going to have a monster year.

- Heath Miller will be solid, but don't expect 100 yards every game. And somebody tell Nick Saban he throws like a girl.