2006 NFL Busts by Steve Siniski

Donovan McNabb, QB, Philadelphia (FSRU Position Rank #5, Overall Rank #45)

McNabb may have the heart of a lion, toughness of a pitbull and athletic ability of few other players in the NFL. And he may even be one of the most-respected field generals around. He’s just not a great play as a fantasy quarterback in 2006. The name carries weight on the real field, but no one gets fantasy points for acts of heroism (i.e. playing with a sports hernia). Before Terrell Owens arrived in 2004, there was very little to get excited about as far as the offense was concerned. McNabb threw just 16 touchdowns in 2003, barely cracking the 3,000-yard passing barrier (3,216). With Owens on his side in ’04, McNabb nearly cracked the 4,000-yard barrier (3,875) and set a career-high with 31 touchdown passes.

Fast forward though 2005, a season everyone associated with the organization would love to forget. No distractions exist at the moment, but not much spark does either. A healthy McNabb hits the field with an unassuming cast of pass catchers, including Reggie Brown, Greg Lewis, Todd Pinkston and Jabar Gaffney. Who among the crew is ready to assume the No. 1 position? The Eagles hope it’s Brown, who experienced a trial-by-fire once Owens was suspended. He had just four touchdowns among his 43 receptions and no 100-yard games. The only reliable playmaker for McNabb is running back Brian Westbrook, but he’s yet to play a full NFL season. The bottom line: McNabb has a whole lot working against him than with him, and is not the type of fantasy quarterback to build your team around.

Santana Moss, WR, Washington (14, 50)

OK, how many predicted Santana Moss and Randy Moss to switch bodies in 2005? Following the lead of McDonald’s, fantasy owners shouldn’t expect the same type of super-sized numbers from Santana Moss anytime soon. The ‘Skins imported a pair of potentially strong playmakers in Antwaan Randle El and Brandon Lloyd, and new offensive coordinator Al Saunders is expected to make full use of Clinton Portis and Chris Cooley. The former Kansas City coordinator, Saunders knew how to put Tony Gonzalez and Priest Holmes and Larry Johnson together.

No longer the only receiving weapon in town, Moss drops back to the fantasy pack at wide receiver. Always one step away from turning a short catch into a long touchdown, the biggest hit Moss will absorb comes in the receptions column. There just isn’t enough pigskin to go around anymore. The added pressure on defenses, however, could positively impact Moss’ yards per catch and keep him over the 1,000-yard mark for the third time in four years. But figuring on another season of 80-plus receptions and almost 1,500 yards receiving is not the best way to build a fantasy team.

Dominic Rhodes, RB, Indianapolis (37, 72)

Once upon a time, Rhodes was a fresh face on the fantasy and real-life radar. He went from undrafted rookie to 1,000-yard rusher in the blink of any eye back in 2001. Stuck behind Edgerrin James in the three seasons since missing all of 2002, Rhodes hasn’t had an opportunity to reclaim his glory. Don’t count on it happening this year, either.

The Colts are saying Rhodes will enter training camp as the equal of rookie Joseph Addai, but don’t buy into the “promise”. Rhodes has become effective on special teams, anchoring the Indianapolis kick-return game, but he didn’t even get much run in as a third-down back. Addai is a complete player, almost as much an Every Down Back as James, and will undoubtedly enter Week 1 with the starting team. Rhodes makes a solid handcuff to Addai, but won’t amount to much in 2006.

Donte Stallworth, WR New Orleans (29, 88)

Even in mini-camp, Stallworth couldn’t get his act together. New offensive coordinator Sean Payton suspended the fifth-year wide receiver for oversleeping in early June. That, on the heels of Stallworth having to dodge offseason trade rumors. Does this sound like a player on the verge of wrestling the No. 1 wide receiver’s job from Joe Horn?

Stallworth may have had his breakout season in 2005, setting personal highs in receptions (70), yards (945) and touchdowns (seven), but the lofty numbers didn’t do much for his training regimen. In piling up the solid catch total, be aware that he combined for 16 in Weeks 2 and 4 and had four games with two receptions or fewer, including two games with a big fat zero. The veteran also posted three 100-yard efforts, but only one in the final 12 games.

Again, do these sound like performance befitting a No. 1 wide receiver or fantasy stud? Hardly. Critics will point to Horn’s down year and the acquisition of ultra-accurate quarterback Drew Brees as favoring Stallworth. While that may be true to an extent, Brees and Horn aren’t the only other games in town. Part of Stallwoth’s increased workload was also due to Deuce McAllister’s injury, because New Orleans couldn’t rely on Antowain Smith to be a featured-back. Add Reggie Bush (at some point in 2006) and a 6-8 tight end (Zach Hilton), and the offense has quite a different feel to it this time around.

Isaac Bruce, WR, St. Louis (36, 114)

It’s entirely possible that one of the more consistent fantasy receivers over the last 10 years has started the fall from grace. Injuries limited Bruce to just 11 games in 2005 and the lowest stat totals since 1998. In his absence, the Rams began to groom a pair of younger wideouts in Kevin Curtis and Shaun McDonald and the duo responded with a combined 106 catches, 1,324 yards and six touchdowns.

While Bruce’s lone 100-catch season was back in 1995, he has posted seven 1,000-yard seasons and six years with at least 75 grabs. Torry Holt is still the top dog, and there’s the new dynamic duo to contend with. Throw in a new respect for the running game, an area largely ignored by Mike Martz and Joe Vitt over the last several campaigns, and the writing is on the wall. Bruce is being phased out, the offense is being revamped and the veteran’s on the verge of becoming a fantasy memory.

Trent Green, QB, Kansas City (17, 119)

Green has been the perfect mid-to-late round quarterback over the last four seasons. Build your team around backs and receivers, grab the underrated Green later and watch the yardage pile on. Looking to continue three consecutive years of 4,000 yards passing, the winds of change are blowing through Arrowhead Stadium. Offensive coordinator Al Saunders is now in Washington and Herman Edwards replaces Dick Vermiel on the sidelines.

Both moves will have a negative effect on Green’s performance. Edwards is a huge fan of letting the offense role behind a ground-oriented attack, and he’s got the perfect workhorse in Larry Johnson. And someone still has to figure out how much longer Eddie Kennison is going to be the No. 1 target at wide receiver. Kennison deserves some props for netting his first two 1,000-yard seasons in his ninth and 10^th NFL seasons, but how much longer can the act go on? Is Kennison really the player the Chiefs want to count on in a big spot? Samie Parker is supposed to slide into the role down the road and is only beginning to see some regular playing time. That leaves tight end Tony Gonzalez. Green will benefit from the dynamic Johnson piling up rushing yardage, but the quarterback simply won’t have the normal opportunities to throw the ball on a regular basis. Over the last two years his attemps have dropped (556-507) and the yardage (4,591-4,014) and touchdowns (27-17) followed suit. In one fell swoop, Green has gone from underrated to overrated.

Others to consider…

Domanick Davis, RB, Houston (13, 15)

It’s never a good sign when any NFL player who’s undergone surgery still has some lingering issues before training camp even begins. Davis still has some problems with his surgically repaired knee.

Reggie Bush, RB, New Orleans (24, 35)

At this point, there is no way Bush can live up to the hype he surrounded by. The current word on the street says he is threatening to sit out all of 2006. All of a sudden he’s turning into some morph of Maurice Clarrett and former teammate Mike Williams. Maybe he should consult them on how tough it is to return to the field after sitting out a season.

Ron Dayne, RB, Denver (45, 91)

If Dayne manages to beat out Tatum Bell, two things will happen. Giants fans everywhere will be jumping off the George Washington Bridge (remember, he was drafted ahead of Shaun Alexander) and Mike Shanahan will have an entire wing at the Hall of Fame dedicated to his running attack.

Ben Roethlisberger, QB, Pittsburgh (12, 92)

His motorcycle accident aside, Roethlisberger has several new components to deal with. The running game no longer has the Bus, his most versatile weapon (Antwaan Randle El) is gone and a rookie (Santonio Holmes) is slated to be the new No. 2 wide receiver. For a Super Bowl champion, he sure has a lot of questions to be answered.

Michael Vick, QB, Atlanta (13, 101)

Vick’s name sells jerseys, but doesn’t win any fantasy championships. Enjoy him on TiVo, but stay away from the fantasy frustration.

Steve Siniski is a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers’ Association.