Tough Decisions - Part 1

Peyton Manning vs. Tony Romo

Even though we recommend waiting on a QB in most cases, this conflict still has to be resolved. In times past, when Peyton was involved in a debate, his ravishing good looks and exceptional acting abilities always put him over the top. But now, he has met his match, Mr. Hollywood himself, Tony Romo. Should the deciding factor be Tony’s dreamy smile or adorable dimples, Peyton’s chiseled abs or rocket arm, or Jessica Simpson? While Romo has a slight edge because of his endearing personality, that’s not the reason were going to tell you to select him. We want you to pick him because he is a better fantasy quarterback.

We expect Romo to trail Brady all year for the league lead in touchdown passes, finishing just one or two behind. In 26 career starts, Romo has 53 passing touchdowns and 2 rushing touchdowns and is entering his second consecutive season with offensive genius Jason Garrett. Things are only getting better for Romo. To top it off, Romo has always had that indescribable ability referred to as “it”. Watch him play. He consistently amazes me as he always has a trick up his sleeve. He is rarely sacked due to his uncanny ability to avoid the rush and is never afraid to take a chance for the big play. Sure, because of this he may throw a few more picks than Manning, but he will also throw more touchdowns. Last time I checked, high touchdowns are still better than low interceptions. Both quarterbacks are great options, but Romo is the better option. And here’s the kicker, Manning is going before Romo in almost every draft across the country. So if you’re in the market for a big time quarterback, just sit back and let Romo come to you.

LaDainian Tomlinson vs. Adrian Peterson

This is a very common question this year, but it has an extremely simple answer. Yes, Adrian Peterson is amazing and yes he may be one of the greatest young backs we have seen in some time, but when forced to make this call, you still have to go with L.T. Why? For many reasons, first one, being Peterson’s lack of experience. We have to keep in mind Peterson only has 14 career games played. He definitely caught defenses by surprise and entering this year, every opponent he faces will stack the line and force the Vikings to pass. Every team will happily allow Tarvaris Jackson to beat them before they allow A.P. to run all over them. Simply said, the Vikings do not have a pass offense that warrants extra concern from the average defense, which will allow them to use more 8 man fronts. The Vikings were successful last year, but remember, this is a new year and defenses will be far more ready for Peterson and the Vikings offense. Second, would be his susceptibility to injury. Peterson had injuries in college and continued this pattern as a rookie in the NFL missing two games because of a knee injury. L.T., also known as Superman, is the complete opposite. Yes, he did suffer an injury in the 07’postseason, but Tomlinson has a stellar resume, both physically and statistically. Third, the amount of carries A.P. will receive. Minnesota will use Peterson frequently, but by no means will they run their franchise back into the ground. They have the very competent Chestor Taylor sitting on the bench and we expect the veteran to see a large amount of 3rd down opportunities as well as even spell Peterson in some 1st and 2nd down situations.

Don’t take this the wrong way, we fully see Peterson’s natural talent, but when it comes to the fantasy world, L.T. remains the better option. He is on the field almost every play, he is a better receiver, he has other weapons such as Gates and Chambers who force teams to cover the pass and he has proven himself many times over. We even recommend passing on Peterson for the likes of Brian Westbrook and Steven Jackson especially in PPR formats. We projected Peterson to do very well, but we expect Tomlinson, Westbrook and Jackson to end the year with more total yards. The touchdowns will vary, but when it’s all set and done, these three players will have more fantasy points than Peterson in both standard scoring formats and PPR formats.