Sleeper Watch

With week 17 in the books, the 2004 fantasy football season has come to an end in all but the handful of leagues that incorporate the NFL postseason. And while many will be participating in playoff contests, the end of the regular season means that the countdown to the 2005 season has begun.

Keeper and dynasty leaguers, in particular, will already be planning ahead, and searching for bargains and bounceback candidates to target in off-season trade talks. One such player might be an old fantasy favorite: Giants backup QB Kurt Warner.

Warner clearly is no longer the player he was in 1999 (a season fantasy veterans will remember fondly, at least if they had Warner on their rosters). Yet his achievements in New York shouldn’t be underestimated. Playing in a frequently less than spectacular Giants offense, the former MVP compiled a solid 86.5 quarterback rating, his best since 2001. That mark puts him in the territory of current fantasy favorites such as Billy Volek (87.1), Byron Leftwich (84.1) or Jake Plummer (83.2). With Warner at the helm, the Giants won five games. Since rookie Eli Manning took over, the team has yet to post a victory.

A comparison between Warner (6 TDs, 4 interceptions) and Manning (3 TDs, 8 interceptions, 48.1 passer rating) confirms just how well Warner performed under difficult circumstances this season. Now, no longer content to serve as a second-stringer, Warner is expected to leave the Giants this-offseason, and should draw considerable interest from other franchises. It’s still too early to do more than speculate about possible suitors for the veteran signal-caller’s services, but one possible destination is Dallas, a team that might be a good fit, particularly with the emergence of running back Julius Jones to take pressure off the passing game.

Heading into the 2005 season, Kurt Warner is a high-risk player about whom little can be said with certainty. Yet if he lands in the right situation, his fantasy upside is intriguing. Considering how much his stock has fallen since his glory days, you might be able to pick up the much-maligned passer for peanuts. If so, consider stashing Warner on your roster. If he pans out, you’ve successfully added depth to your QB position. If he doesn’t, all you’ve lost are the handful of dry-roasted goobers you spent.