I'm a HUGE LT fan. Was considering drafting him ahead of Priest this fall. However, the Chargers continue to kill themselves. They toy with starting a rookie QB, lost the only WR with potential (Boston) and didn't make any drastic improvements in their defense. LT has become THE ONLY weapon on the team, which means that everyone will focus on him. How far down the draft rankings will he fall? He's a monster back -- with all those receiving yards adding to his value -- but again, if he's getting the ball most every play (like Ricky Williams), isn't he going to get killed?
Dude, defenses facing the Chargers planned for one threat and one threat only last year: LT. Did they stop him? No. He's the best RB there is. He does not need an O-line. He does not need a high-priced receiver (hey, neither does Priest!). The important thing is that LT can break one at any time. And, he finds the end zone like a mofo. I have him at number one, followed by Priest.
I also agree that Boston was never a threat. SD is in some huge black hole right now and LT is all they really need. What also makes him so good is Neal has to be a top five FB which does create room for him.
Boston is one of those guys that no matter his previous performance, you have to go into every game preparing for him, just because of his ability. his "presence" was enough to make it easier on LT.
The Priest does have the luxury of an efficient passing game, and the best O-line (toss-up between green-bay) in the NFL.
So from a pure skill standpoint, LT is the better back. But from a fantasy standpoint, Priest not only gives you those consistent 15-20 point days, but he's always a threat to single handedly win you the week with his points alone.
I still have Preist ranked before LT2 for redraft leagues. Both will be good RBs next season, but Preist just has the luxury of having a competent QB and WR to help take some pressure off of him. LT2 can still get it done, but it's not going to be easy for him.
fantasyfiend wrote:Boston is one of those guys that no matter his previous performance, you have to go into every game preparing for him, just because of his ability. his "presence" was enough to make it easier on LT.
The Priest does have the luxury of an efficient passing game, and the best O-line (toss-up between green-bay) in the NFL.
So from a pure skill standpoint, LT is the better back. But from a fantasy standpoint, Priest not only gives you those consistent 15-20 point days, but he's always a threat to single handedly win you the week with his points alone.
With Drew Brees throwing any team that didn't have 8-9 in the box on every down deserved to lose to SD last year. LT is that entire team. They shouldn't have even wasted time with Brees last year, just hike the ball directly to LT (that's where it went anyway), and have an extra fullback in the backfield the block for him.
Also, while KC has one of the best offensive lines. For running in particular, Denver cannot be denied as the best. Their line could make Hambrick into a 1500+ yard rusher (ok maybe only 1200+ Hambrick just that bad). The Ravens as well have one of the best run blocking units in all of football. Not to deny GB's excellent offensive line (they may even be more competent at pass blocking than Denver or Baltimore), but they're not as good with run blocking.
Oh, yeah. In a redraft, go with Priest. Even if you don't, you can't go wrong taking LT2 in any draft.
Sometimes, when I'm wrestling with the value of two players of the same skill position, I'll "transpose" their teams; I try to imagine how and why each would perform in the other's system.
In such a scenario, it seems obvious to me that Priest would probably be a serious risk without the benefit of the KC offense; conversely, Tomlinson could, in my mind, become the best running back in the history of the NFL, were he in a situation similar to Holmes'.
The notion that LT may already be the best fantasy back despite the total lack of support in SD is a testament to how talented he truly is. If you're drafting in the one or two spot, you probably can't go wrong either way; however, pound for pound, Tomlinson is the better of the two IMO.
"Life's battles don't always go to the stronger or faster man. But sooner or later, the man who wins is the man who thinks he can." - Vince Lombardi
Personally i think you make some good points. I also as a LT fan am a bit worried about what could happen to him this season. I agree that LT is a special player since he is one of the few players that are able to carry an offense on their shoulders, however i think the lack of a WR or credible QB could hurt him this season. A few have said that Boston didn't count as a threat last season, and i probably agree with this since he was up and down like a yo-yo, however some of LT's biggest games last season came when Flutie came in as QB and Boston became a solid WR threat. Check this out, in weeks 10, 12, 13, 14 and 15 Boston had at least 4 receptions, in these corresponding games LT had the following yard totals: 207 yards, 144 yards, 123 yards, 236 yards and 195 yards. Now that's massive. I realise that LT also had a number of monster games when Boston stunk it up, but i think it's plain to see how having some sort of other offensive threat helped LT rack up the yards. Without such a threat this season these huge games could become a rarity. Now having said all that i still think LT is a top 2 back, lol, and that just says how damn good he is.
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by Warpigs » Fri May 14, 2004 1:40 am 
