Fantasy Football: Keepers

My Fantasy Football League doesn't use keepers, but I like to keep an eye on what others are recommending as keepers. I think this gives me a leg up come draft day. But sometimes I look at these rankings and wonder what they are thinking.

At QB, most of them have Manning and Culpepper at #1 and #2, right where they should be. But Michael Vick at #4!?!? Are they Serious!? Vick threw only 14 TDs last season, and he ran for only 3 more. He was 13th in the league in passer rating at 78.1. From a Fantasy Football perspective, he wasn't even worth a starting spot in a 12-team league. Why would you waste a keeper spot on him? And don't tell me about potential. He's been in the league for 4 seasons, he should be a little more developed by now.

In the few Falcons games I watched this year, including the playoffs, I was not at all impressed with his passing ability. He was too inconsistent, and his passes often missed their mark by a wide margin. He is also too quick to give up on his receivers and run. Peerless Price is taking some heat, but he is a good receiver who had a great year in Buffalo. Vick should be finding him often, but he's not.

Among the running backs, I think they have Edgerrin James and Jamal Lewis over-rated. If you are thinking long-term, I think you have to consider 3 rookies; Julius Jones (Dal), Tatum Bell (Den), and Kevin Jones (Det). All three had injury-marred seasons, but they all finished very strong.

Julius Jones is playing for Parcells, so the Cowboys will lean on him when he's healthy. Tatum Bell is the next back on the Broncos' running back production line, and he should be the starter for near future. And Kevin Jones finished very strong and could be headed for a monster year if Harrington continues to struggle.