Tough Decisions - Part 2

Terrell Owens vs. Reggie Wayne We had a similar debate last year involving Reggie Wayne and his partner in crime Marvin Harrison (pun intended). We clearly stated Reggie would supplant Harrison and step in as Peyton’s new favorite target. As Peyton’s main man, is Reggie setting his fantasy sights on the incumbent number two, Terrell Owens. Not yet. Wayne is a phenomenal receiver and he will have an extraordinary year, but he still cannot compete with Terrell Owens’ nose for the end-zone. Over his entire career, Owens has averaged a touchdown in 3 out of every 4 games. When looking at other players with stellar careers such Marvin Harrison, Chad Johnson, Torry Holt, Randy Moss or any other active receiver that comes to mind, only Randy Moss has a better ratio. Owens has showed no signs of slowing down and I expect him and Romo to continue to connect. On the other hand, Wayne does have more value in one format and that is if your league rewards points for receptions (PPR). With Jason Witten on the field, Owens will never have the chance to compete for the league lead in receptions, whereas Reggie Wayne is the man we expect to end the year atop the receptions list. Even though T.O. will end the year with more touchdowns, Wayne’s yardage and reception totals will push him into the number two spot in PPR formats. So as you can see, while Owens is our choice, the winner of this battle depends greatly on you league rules and scoring format. Thankfully, our Customizable Cheat Sheets do all of the hard work for you. Chad Johnson vs. T.J. Houshmandzadeh Chad Johnson seems to be this year’s trendy “Bust” prediction. He threatened to hold out and he’s currently nursing injured ankles, so everyone’s jumping on the wagon and avoiding Chad. Let make this clear, Chad Johnson will be fine! But for the time being, take advantage of the situation and draft Johnson as he is falling deep into the third round in some leagues. Who would have thought we would see the day when Chad Johnson is drafted after T.J. Houshmandzadeh? I mean first of all, if for some strange reason Johnson does miss time, all of those who drafted T.J. in the late second round will be hating life. The Cincy offense needs Ocho Cinco to succeed and the only reason T.J. is so successful is because he’s constantly single covered. Take the time to watch the some film from the Cincy offense and you will always see the safeties shaded towards Johnson, and he will constantly be bracketed, especially in the red-zone. Secondly, T.J. has never eclipsed 1200 yards in a season. Even last year, when he led the league in receptions with 112, he still only managed 1143 yards. Simply said, he will never have the yardage to compete with the elite guys. Yes, he did have 12 touchdowns, but when it was all set and done, Johnson still ended the year with more fantasy points. Chad Johnson is arguably the most consistent receiver in fantasy football. Some claim his production comes in lump sums, but even that claim is flawed. All receivers, even the best, have days where they don’t show up. Last year, Moss had a 34 yard game, Owens had a 21 and a 25 yard game and even Reggie Wayne had a 38 yard game. Yet Johnson, who has been labeled the inconsistent one, never had less than 48 yards in a game. So when the time comes, pass on T.J. and pick Johnson. And don’t worry about his injury, rehab on his ankle is going fine and I fully expect Chad to be Chad. Still, I can’t complain about this growing trend. In one of my leagues that awards a point per reception, I was able to pick up Andre Johnson with my second round pick and was ecstatic when I grabbed Johnson with my third pick.