Fantasy Look: Week 6 Preview
Patrick Daly
Friday March 4, 2005
Austin Wranglers at Las Vegas Gladiators
The Wranglers have allowed an average of almost 64 points in the first five games this season, making this a good opportunity for the struggling Las Vegas offense who will be led for the second week by QB Craig Whelihan (267 passing yards and 5 TDs last week). QB Clint Dolezel (509 passing yards and 7 TDs this season) is expected back next week against Columbus after missing four weeks with a broken finger. OS Marcus Nash (35-508 and 6 TDs this season) has seen his touchdown numbers drop off with Dolezel out but should be a good start against Austin, while the Gladiators will be without WR/DB Dameon Porter (10-82 and no TDs this season), although he hasn’t figured big into the offensive side of the game. Las Vegas K Mark Lewis (5-8 FGs and 17-21 XPs this season) hasn’t gotten many chances with the Gladiators struggling on offense, but may not be a bad play this week.
Although QB Bobby Pesavento (283 passing yards and 4 TDs this season) was tabbed as the starter this season, it’s been QB John Fitzgerald (1170 passing yards and 22 TDs this season) that has tried to keep the Wranglers moving the right direction. WR/DB Kevin Nickerson (24-390 and 12 total TDs) has stepped up as the go-to guy around the goal line and should be one of your starters unless you’re simply stacked at the receiver spot. Neither OS Tacoma Fontaine (15-263 and 3 TDs this season) nor OS Ira Gooch (10-152 and 3 TDs this season) has established himself as a major scoring threat this season, but WR/LB Darrin Chiaverini (30-291 and 4 TDs this season) made his presence known last week with 123 receiving yards and two touchdowns and is worth grabbing for depth if you have the room.
New Orleans VooDoo at Dallas Desperados
VooDoo QB Andy Kelly (1569 passing yards and 32 TDs this season) might have a tougher outing against a Dallas defense that has given up only 102 points over the last three games although he’s still got the hot hand this season. OS Aaron Bailey (42-562 and 11 TDs season) has poured it on over the last three weeks with 377 yards receiving and nine touchdowns, while WR/DB Jacques Rumph (38-429 and 9 TDs this season) is a solid starter every week.
Dallas erupted for 72 points against the Soul last week with QB Clint Stoerner (1276 passing yards and 25 TDs this season) tossing eight touchdowns in the win. OS Jason Shelley (32-484 and 8 TDs this season) and WR/LB Bobby Sippio (21-374 and 9 TDs this season) have been the most productive so far, while WR/DB Will Pettis (31-279 and 7 total TDs) is a good option at your second or third receiver spot since he also handles kick returns. Both fullbacks, FB/LB Duke Petitjohn (100 rushing yards and 3 TDs this season) and FB/LB Ja’Mar Toombs (70 rushing yards and 5 total TDs), make good starters in a pinch.
Grand Rapids Rampage at Tampa Bay Storm
As long as Rampage QB Michael Bishop (770 passing yards, 193 rushing yards, 17 TD passes and 4 rushing TDs in three games this season) continues to develop, OS Chris Jackson (30-387 and 7 TDs season) will get his points, but he’s well off the yardage and touchdown pace of this past two seasons. No second receiver has really stepped up yet making Jackson the primary target of defenses.
Expect some big numbers from QB Shane Stafford (1066 passing yards and 21 TDs) against a weaker Grand Rapids defense, while Clif Dell (21-194 and 12 TDs this season) maintains the offensive specialist spot with OS Freddie Solomon (11-136 and 3 TDs this season) out at least another week. WR/LB Lawrence Samuels (34-395 and 4 TDs) has never been a big scorer, but he’s on pace for a personal best 1500+ receiving yards. WR/DB T.T. Toliver is close to returning, which may limit Dell’s production once Toliver and Solomon return.
San Jose SaberCats at Orlando Predators
After week off the SaberCats make the long trip to Florida and WR/LB James Roe (34-460 and 12 TDs this season) has been San Jose’s top offensive threat, while QB Mark Grieb (1324 passing yards and 23 TDs this season) has improved each week after a tough outing the opener against Tampa Bay.
Orlando liked OS Jimmy Fryzel (9-133 and 3 TDs in his debut) enough to let OS Travis McGriff (20-221 and 4 TDs in Orlando) go, but they’ll struggle some without WR/LB Cory Fleming (24-233 and 7 TDs this season). QB Joe Hamilton (1128 passing yards, 19 passing TDs and 4 rushing TDs this season) hasn’t lit up the scoreboard, but he’s matching last year’s pace and adds points by scoring on the ground. With FB/LB Rupert Grant (21 rushing yards and 1 receiving TD) out, FB/LB Idris Price (74 rushing yards and 5 TDs this season) is a good option to start at that position.
New York Dragons at Philadelphia Soul
Former Philadelphia Soul head coach Michael Trigg was expected to architect a powerhouse for one of the highest profile franchises in the Arena Football League, but instead got his walking papers after a 2-3 start in his second season in Philly. What does that mean to your fantasy team? Well, in the short term I wouldn’t expect a tremendous change, although keep an eye on the performance of OS Steve Smith (31-487 and 12 total TDs this season), who thrived under Trigg in Grand Rapids. QB Tony Graziani (1332 passing yards and 30 TDs this season) is on pace to break the 90-touchdown mark, but has already tossed seven interceptions after throwing only five all of last season. The Dragons defense grabbed a record-tying six interceptions against Arizona last week, but that’s an unlikely scenario this week. WR/LB Sean Scott (26-343 and 13 total TDs this season) remains a front line starter.
After watching what Dallas did to the Soul defense last week, which seems to have helped seal Trigg’s fate, the Dragons are poised for another big week. QB Aaron Garcia (847 passing yards and 20 TDs this season) is a little off the 90-touchdown pace, but should shine against Philly. WR/LB Mike Horacek (18-244 and 8 total TDs this season) has been banged up, but he’s still remained a big part of the New York offense and OS Kevin Swayne (15-227 and 8 TDs this season) has had no issues reconnecting with Garcia.
Columbus Destroyers at Georgia Force
The Destroyers become Grand Rapids’ first win of 2005 in QB Matt D’Orazio’s (539 passing yards and 9 TDs this season) second start. D’Orazio wasn’t quite as efficient this past week and faces a tougher Georgia defense in Atlanta. Both WR/LB Cornelius White (26-341 and 5 TDs this season) and OS Damien Groce (23-331 and 5 TDs this season) are serviceable starters, but their fate will ride on the arm of D’Orazio.
The Force suffered a major blow with the loss of QB Jim Kubiak (1148 passing yards and 22 TDs this season) due to a season-ending knee injury. Fortunately, QB Matt Nagy (257 passing yards and 7 TDs last week) filled in nicely and should play well within Georgia’s system, so grab him if you have Kubiak or can use some additional depth at quarterback. OS Troy Bergeron (43-534 and 15 TDs) had his best game of the season and scored three touchdowns for the fifth straight week. He’s a bonafide starter, as is WR/LB Derek Lee (35-446 and 10 TDs this season), who broke out with a five-touchdown game against Austin.
Nashville Kats at Chicago Rush
The Kats have struggled offensively since their opening weekend win over Columbus and will likely be without QB Leon Murray (845 passing yards, 12 passing TDs and 6 rushing TDs this season) again this week, meaning QB Tony Zimmerman (344 passing yards and 3 TDs) is back in. Either way starting a Nashville player, outside of FB/LB Dan Alexander (103 rushing yards and 5 TDs this season), is a gamble. OS Fred Coleman (38-389 and 4 TDs this season) hasn’t produced the touchdowns you expect from an offensive specialist, and the Kats snatched OS Travis McGriff (20-221 and 4 TDs) off waivers from Orlando, although he won’t suit up this week.
Chicago QB Raymond Philyaw (1301 passing yards and 23 TDs this season) has been productive and that shouldn’t stop this week. WR/LB Etu Molden (34-366 and 12 total TDs this season) has been consistent and OS Jeremy McDaniel (7-92 and 2 TDs last week) saw plenty of action with OS Henry Douglas (30-393 and 7 TDs this season) out. Douglas is still questionable, so starting either is a gamble this week. FB/LB Bob McMillen (38 rushing yards and 1 TD this season) hasn’t quite gotten the opportunities to score this week, with only one touchdown so far, but he’s still a good goal line option for the Rush.
Los Angeles Avengers at Arizona Rattlers
The Avengers stumbled in Colorado, scoring only 40 points after posting 71 against San Jose the week before. QB John Kaleo (1263 passing yards and 24 TDs this season) should be in good shape against a struggling Arizona defense. After a pretty quiet stretch WR/LB Greg Hopkins (32-301 and 5 total TDs this season) came back with 100 yards and a pair of touchdowns last week, while WR/DB Kevin Ingram (20-263 and 7 TDs this season) has been a consistent scorer. OS Tony Locke (13-175 and 5 TDs this season) took a step ahead of OS Jerome Riley (17-350 and 5 TDs this season) last week and should see more time as the season goes on. K Remy Hamilton (15-16 FGs and 27-29 XPs this season) has averaged over 14 points per game and has been one of Los Angeles’ biggest weapons.
The Rattlers have struggled through a miserable slump the past four weeks and the Avengers won’t be an easy opponent. The combination of learning a new offensive scheme and the loss of QB Sherdrick Bonner (473 passing yards and 9 TDs this season) for three weeks has made life difficult, although Bonner’s return last week was marred by a record-setting six interceptions. That said, Bonner should bounce back this week with a much better performance. From a fantasy football perspective, the lone bright spot has been OS Siaha Burley (37-499 and 13 TDs this season), although WR/DB Randy Gatewood (31-379 and 5 TDs this season) has looked good over the past few weeks and will benefit from Bonner’s return.
BYE: Colorado Crush
The Crush continue to look good despite a rocky start that included two tough losses. OS Damian Harrell (40-562 and 16 TDs this season) has shown why he’s one of the top players on offense, while QB John Dutton (1322 passing yards and 28 TDs this season) is on pace for his best touchdown total.
Patrick Daly has been an Arena Football League enthusiast since he first stumbled across the late-night ESPN broadcasts and has followed the Arizona Rattlers since their inaugural season in 1992. He graduated from Arizona State University with an engineering degree and is currently a member of a web development team for Direct Alliance in Tempe. Patrick currently resides in the Phoenix suburb of Chandler, Arizona with his beautiful wife, son and a very large football helmet collection.
