Many fantasy football leagues start the playoffs in the next two weeks, with the remaining leagues waiting until Week 15 to begin the fantasy postseason. Oftentimes, fantasy leagues put a moratorium on roster additions once the playoffs commence.
Because an injury late in the season can derail a fantasy team's playoff hopes, owners need to insure their best players now before it is too late. At this point in the season, each fantasy team probably has a player or two who are unproductive and can be dropped in favor of an insurance player.
A vast majority of NFL teams have one primary running back and quarterback, so those are the two most important positions to insure.
The resurgence of the Atlanta Falcons is due in significant part to rookie quarterback Matt Ryan, yet the acquisition of running back Michael Turner has considerably helped the Falcons. Likewise, fantasy owners who drafted Turner as a second or third running back have been pleasantly surprised.
Turner has rushed for 971 yards and nine touchdowns this season. An injury to Turner could be decimating to fantasy owners. If a malady befalls Turner, the Falcons will turn to backup Jerious Norwood. Fantasy owners should do the same.
Norwood has 631 yards from scrimmage this year and three touchdowns. He is averaging an impressive 5.6 yards per carry and 10.3 yards per reception. He will be ready to fill the void Turner gets hurt in the next couple of weeks. Norwood is available in about 40 percent of leagues and is a wise acquisition for owners of Michael Turner.
The leading rusher in the NFL is Adrian Peterson of the Minnesota Vikings. Peterson's talent was never in question, but his durability was. That he is leading the league in rushing is a byproduct of avoiding injury. As Peterson has maintained his health, fantasy owners have dropped Chester Taylor.
Taylor has only 61 rushing attempts and two total touchdowns this year. He has been relegated to a third-down back, where he has caught 27 balls out of the backfield for 260 yards. If Peterson goes down, though, Taylor will become one of the more coveted players in fantasy football. Fantasy owners of Adrian Peterson that have not picked up Chester Taylor need to do so immediately.
Quick — who is the leading rusher in the AFC? The surprising answer is Thomas Jones of the Jets. Brett Favre continues to get an undue amount of credit for New York's 7-3 record, but Jones' 854 rushing yards and nine touchdowns are leading factors in the Jets' renaissance.
Jones has managed to stay healthy for much of his career, despite being one of the older starting running backs in the NFL at 30 years, 5 months of age. Leon Washington is his capable backup in the Big Apple.
Washington has seen plenty of action as a receiving threat this year, catching 30 passes for 226 yards and two scores. He has made the most of his 51 rushing attempts, covering 240 yards and reaching the end zone twice. Washington is available in one-third of leagues, and he will be indispensable in case Jones gets hurt.
Insuring star running backs is an easier task than safeguarding a quarterback. Few NFL teams have tested second-string quarterbacks. Most fantasy teams have a strong backup on their roster; however, some owners will opt to drop other quarterbacks if they have a prolific starter.
For instance, fantasy owners of Petyon Manning, Drew Brees or Kurt Warner may not have another quarterback on their rosters because this trio has been stellar this year.
Owners that have just one quarterback on their team need to quickly get a second signal caller for the playoffs. Those owners would not be wise to insure Peyton Manning with Jim Sorgi or Drew Brees with Mark Brunell. Fantasy teams with Kurt Warner, on the other hand, might insure him with Matt Leinart.
Leinart has had a disappointing NFL career, playing in merely 18 games in three years. The reasons that Leinart is a respectable option as an insurance policy for Kurt Warner are Warner's injury history and the Cardinals' receiving corps.
Kurt Warner has played 16 games twice in his 11-year career. Incidentally, both times he has played 16 games, he has won the NFL MVP award. If 2008 is another year that Warner cannot complete the season healthily, Leinart will put up good yardage totals by throwing to Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald.
Dan Massey's Fantasy Sports appears each Sunday. E-mail him at dmassey@lnpnews.com.
