Empty the Bench

The season is so close you can taste it. The draft is done, and now we find out what kind of fantasy football genius you really are. But no matter what happens, be careful about resting on your draft laurels and falling in love with your sleeper and late-round selections. More often than not the most successful teams will be the ones who intelligently adapt to developments, admit where they’re wrong, and cycle the bottom third of their roster accordingly. Even now, before a single fantasy point has been scored, there may be an add or two that can improve your team. Remember, last season Steve Slaton went undrafted in half the leagues in fantasy land. 2009′s Steve Slaton is out there. Here are a few suggestions for those of you with itchy trigger fingers – which is all of you – to consider adding to the bottom of your roster before Week One.

James Davis, RB, Cleveland Browns: Davis has been getting a lot of ink in fantasy football blogs and websites of late, and yet he’s still available in nearly half of fantasy leagues. That likely has a lot to do with the fact that he plays for the lowly Browns, but Davis was impressive this preseason in averaging nearly 7 yards per carry. Jamal Lewis was not en route to about 2 yards per after an atrocious 3.6 yards per in two of the last three seasons. We’re still talking about a guy who I think is the odds-on favorite to start by Week Four and has flashed fresh legs and impressive game-breaking ability. You don’t find that on the wire often.

Kurt Warner photo credit: Icon SMI

Matt Leinart, QB, Arizona Cardinals: I’m no Leinart fan, not yet anyway, but his preseason play suggests he may have turned a corner. I find it odd that Kurt Warner’s draft stock plummeted this season as we all anticipate injury for the old man, and yet nobody is buying Leinart stock, especially in a year when the QB2 cupboards are relatively bare. He may not be a top QB if/when Warner goes down, but you have to figure Leinart’s an elite backup if he gets a chance to start and throw to Fitzgerald, Boldin, Breaston, et al. At the very least Leinart’s a necessary handcuff for Warner owners, and at most he’s a high-upside stash for the rest of us.

Mike Bell, RB, New Orlans Saints: I don’t have a lot of faith in Mike Bell’s abilities, but I have all the confidence in the world in the Saints offense. With Pierre Thomas likely to miss at least Week One as he deals with an MCL sprain (those tend to linger) and Reggie Bush being typically nicked up Bell makes for a fantastic Week One start against the brie Detroit D. Bell should get a bulk of the goal-line work on Sunday, and if Thomas’s injury hangs around or returns so will Bell’s fantasy value. Surely you have a dreg at the bottom of your roster you can part with in order to start Bell as your RB3 for a week or two.

Glen Coffee, RB, San Francisco 49ers: Somehow this guy is still out there in many leagues. If you’re a Frank Gore owner and Coffee is still available in your league, shame on you. His strong preseason performance puts Coffee squarely in the “necessary handcuff” camp. We know Frank Gore will be the focus of defenses and that he’ll likely be fed the rock an obscene amount, which limits Coffee’s initial value, but also makes a Gore injury a distinct possibility. We also know that new head coach Mike Singletary likes to run and new offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye is saying, “[The offensive] balance for us will be closer to 60-40 run-pass.” If Gore goes down, Coffee could emerge as a rock-solid RB2 option.

Possibly Related Content:

1. Fantasy Football – Week 9 RB Rankings


2. Fantasy Football – Week 2 DEF Rankings


3. Fantasy Football – Week 3 TE Rankings


4. Fantasy Football – Week 9 Defense Rankings


5. Fantasy Football – Week 10 Defense Rankings