2007 Fantasy Football Preview: Quarterback and Running Backs

Quarterback Provide Consistency

It was week 17 of the 2003 season. My league's championship game and I was happy enough just being in it, no less having a chance to win it all. But, my team had this guy beat. This was just my coronation as champion. After suffering long and hard with injuries, bad luck, "ifs and buts", this would have been my first ring!! Well, it would have been. In a points league where a good score is around 120-130 a week, I lost by FOUR points, 56-52!!! How? Well, Chad Johnson turned into Lady Bird Johnson, compiling 29 yards. Deuce McAllister, who had a streak of 9 straight 100-yard games earlier in '03, had his 2nd-worst output of the season with a sweet 55 total yards. And, Marc Bulger threw under 200 yards for the first time in 8 games against that fierce Lions secondary (oh, feel the sarcasm rushing over you). No doubt, my defeat was disappointing. Now, it may not have hurt as much if my team was a squad of shlubs. Yet, these are All-Pro players we are talking about here. These types of players put up dependable, quality numbers that make them stars.

Running Back Consistency

Jump onto any Internet Fantasy Football discussion and you can dissect the term consistency for a RB in a number of ways. Some will look at seasonal stats, while others will compare game to game and really, the argument can be made each way for determining who is right or wrong. Corey Dillon used to be the poster child for the argument, with many people finding reasons to take up each side of the argument for him. Before you can start a discussion on consistency it is best to first have an idea of whether or not you're talking about game-to-game or year-to-year performance. This article will explore both and the results may surprise you. The popular perception is the RB position is the most stable of the main positions in Fantasy Football. (RB/WR/QB) If you explore the Top 10 running backs from year to year you'll actually find that the opposite is true, the RB position is actually one of the least consistent in terms of who finishes in the Top 10 from year to year. Look at the turnover from year to year between the RB's.