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[Tom Kessenich]

Originally posted by The FF Maestro:
Tom or Greg, many FFowners hold off on selecting a QB early, especially in the 1st Round...do you think that Michael Vick or Aaron Rodgers is worthy of a late first round pick this year and if so, why?...thanks much... Rodgers yes. Vick no.

I don't trust Vick to stay healthy which is why I have him ranked lower than most at this time. Rodgers is a stud talent, has proven he can stay healthy (I'm not concerned about one concussion) and is in an explosive passing game. I could see taking Rodgers as high as seventh overall once the Top 6 RBs are off the board. And as much as I like LeSean McCoy, I'd consider taking Rodgers over him too.

[Tom Kessenich]

Originally posted by Bullgod:
I'll keep it close to home for you guys...Is this the year Finley stays healthy all 16 games? And if so what kind of numbers do you expect from him?
And is this the year James Jones gets the opportunity and actually seizes it? What have you heard out of Packers camp on him this year? Impossible to say whether Finley will stay healthy the entire season. He needs to prove it and until he does it's fair to question his durability. No denying his talent, though.

I think Jones is who he is. A talented, but inconsistent WR who will make big plays but struggle with his focus. I don't see him progressing beyond where he's currently at. Same with Nelson. I think both of those guys are solid No. 3 WRs and the Packers are in a great situation having both of them.

[nolencole]

Enough with the Top tens...What insight can you give on the middle round guys?

WR
Steve Johnson
Brandon Lloyd
Ocho
Kenny Britt
Mike Thomas
Danny Amendola
M. Manningham
Percy Harvin
M. Colston

RB
P. Hillis
Reggie Bush
Frank Gore
A. Bradshaw
Felix Jones
Shonne Green
Cedric Benson
Brandon Jacobs
Beanie Wells
L. Blount

Just pick 3 or 4 that have the best upside and your opinion why?

AA

[philpo]

Tom convince me that Vick is a bigger risk than the top Rbs.

Foster has a hammy played with a bad knee last season.

CJ holding out could go into the season more chance of a injury.

AP new OC and O line is in flux.

R Rice ricky takes the tds and loss of weapons around him.

L Mcoy R brown takes tds from him

J Charles new OC and a tougher schedule and Thomas Jones still their.

[Tom Kessenich]

Originally posted by A.A:
Enough with the Top tens...What insight can you give on the middle round guys?

WR
Steve Johnson
Brandon Lloyd
Ocho
Kenny Britt
Mike Thomas
Danny Amendola
M. Manningham
Percy Harvin
M. Colston

RB
P. Hillis
Reggie Bush
Frank Gore
A. Bradshaw
Felix Jones
Shonne Green
Cedric Benson
Brandon Jacobs
Beanie Wells
L. Blount

Just pick 3 or 4 that have the best upside and your opinion why?

AA At WR, I'll go Manningham (who I've been praising for several weeks here), Thomas and Amendola. Others are certainly talented but these three are good value picks, especially Thomas and Danny. Both of them are looking like the No. 1 WRs for their respective teams and strong PPR options. Manningham is a big-time talent who now gets a chance to start. Love him.

At RB, you have top guys listed like Gore and Bradshaw so I'll focus more on value picks like Benson, Bush and Blount. None of those guys will cost you must to get them but Benson should be a Top 20 RB again, Blount could crack that list and maybe be Top 15 while Bush - when healthy - will be a fine RB3 in PPR formats. Like the value with all three of those guys now.

[Tom Kessenich]

Originally posted by philpo:
Tom convince me that Vick is a bigger risk than the top Rbs.

Foster has a hammy played with a bad knee last season.

CJ holding out could go into the season more chance of a injury.

AP new OC and O line is in flux.

R Rice ricky takes the tds and loss of weapons around him.

L Mcoy R brown takes tds from him

J Charles new OC and a tougher schedule and Thomas Jones still their. Foster's hammy concerns me a bit but he's a three-down RB on a great offense. If healthy, he's a slam-dunk RB1. Peterson has been a stud on bad offenses before so I'm not worried about him now. Same with CJ should his holdout end. Charles plays on a KC team that is loaded at the skill positions so defenses can't just load up to stop the run. Rice should get more TD chances this season and is a stud talent. I don't see Brown being a meaningful threat to McCoy. He's an insurance policy.

I have Vick ranked fifth among QBs. I simply don't trust him to stay healthy. So I'll take Rodgers, Brees, Rivers or Brady ahead of him, all of whom are stud talents with no durability concerns. If Peyton didn't have the neck situation, I'd take him ahead of Vick too.

[ August 12, 2011, 11:01 AM: Message edited by: Tom Kessenich ]

[Tom Kessenich]

Michael, if we're just talking about best upside with the players you listed I'd go:

WR
Colston
Lloyd
Britt

RB
Gore
Bradshaw
Hillis

I was focusing more on value picks but if you're looking strictly at potential, those would be the guys I'd list.

[Tom Kessenich]

Vick has played a full season just once in his career. He missed four games last season and has missed an average of nearly four games per season since he entered the league. There is nothing on Vick's resume which indicates he should be counted on to play an entire season. He absolutely was a monster last season but it's fair to wonder if that level of production - which far exceeded his typical level of play - was an aberration or something he can be counted on to consistently deliver. With significant current issues at the WR position, that question becomes even more pressing.

I don't deny Vick's potential. I simply believe there are far safer options who are also elite talents available at the position. So if my choice is Elite Player A who comes with risk or Elite Player B who comes with little to no risk the choice is an easy one to make. But that's me.

[ August 12, 2011, 11:21 AM: Message edited by: Tom Kessenich ]