Fantasy Football 2008 consultation! Who should I hold onto in this keeper league? Details below, thanks...?

Question

Hello Fantasy Football Gurus!

Here's the deal:

I am in a 16 team league drafting snake style, and I have the 5th pick.

We have a keeper option and here are 2 players I am considering:

*Ben Rothelisberger--QB Steelers, 36 tds 2007 (drafted 6th round);

*or Michael Turner--starting RB Falcons (drafter 9th round)

In our league we are required to start:

1QB

2RB

3WR

1TE

1K

1DST

and FLEX PLAYER (i.e. RB, WR, TE)

Please note, for our keeper league we forfeit the round the player was selected in the previous fantasy football draft (my case, 2007).

Should I hold onto Big Ben and draft the stud WR and RBs in rounds 1-5? Or does the prospect of Michael Turner being a solid RB (taken my draft, round 9) allow me to add depth at other positions, since he would fill the void of a decent #2 RB---I can add a stud RB in round 1, then stack WR and a solid QB in rounds 2-8. Remember, Stud rbs are overvalued, since RB by Commitee is prevalent in the NFL (not case in point with L.T., AP, Steven Jackson).

I don't know what to do! Help!

Answer 1

Tough......

Ben has the ball which means he can pass, run, or hand-off.

Turner will block, run, or receive.

My money is big ben until I see Turner do something for the first time as a starter.

Answer 2

tough call. but i think you nailed it when you said Turner is decent as a #2 RB. if it turns out that he's NOT a decent #2 RB, then you only gave up a 9th rounder/crapshoot pick to find that out. and by the 9th round of your draft you should have picked 3 or 4 RBs. it's great value for a guy who's getting the bulk of his team's carries. even if it's a crappy team. in a 16-team league, if he's back in the draft, he would definitely be someone's #2 RB, and he would probably go in the first 3 rounds. you gotta keep him.  

as steady as Roethlisberger is, you'll have the chance to draft one of the 4-5 QBs ranked ahead of him (unless they're being kept), OR pick one of the 4 or so comparable QBs.  

Answer 3

RB Position is the hardest to fill with talent in a very large league.  If you feel like you can get a decent QB to replace Ben then I would hold on to Michael Turner.

But Michael Turner isn't that great of a player to begin with.  If I was you I would keep Ben Rothelisberger and look for a sleeper RB pick or play the free agency when starting RB's get injured.