Chad Pennington is the player in question.

Hippo is FOR C. Pennington being a valuable fantasy QB this season
Woodstock is AGAINST C. Pennington being a valuable fantasy RB this season

Do your best to convince us your side is the right one.

quote:

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Woodstock is AGAINST C. Pennington being a valuable fantasy RB this season

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This is the easiest one yet. I know Curtis Martin isn't getting any younger, but there's no way Chad Pennington is a valuable fantasy RB this season.

For the sake of argument, I'll take it a step further and say that he won't be a valuable QB.

No one can argue that Pennington's 2002 season was anything short of remarkable. It's almost unheard of for such an inexperienced QB to throw 22 touchdowns against only six interceptions. He finished the year with 3,120 yards and a QB rating of 104.2, with only 12 starts.

Last season was a different story. Pennington had only 2,139 yards and he threw 13 tds against 12 picks. Those aren't terrible numbers, but they are downright average.

The wrist injury happened to his non-throwing hand, so that's not an issue and it was such a brutal hit I can't even argue that he's injury prone. But there are other reasons to think he'll continue to be nothing more than average.

After his stellar 2002 season Pennington and the Jets faced the Raiders in the playoffs and he was, in a word, exposed. The Raiders took away the short routes on which he thrived all season and forced Pennington to look downfield. He was like a deer headlights, finishing 21-of-47 for 183 yards, 1 td, 2 ints and 2 fumbles. Until that game he had been compared to Joe Montana. Since that game he has yet to prove that he can compensate for his lack of arm strength and that he has the accuracy to find his receivers downfield. Opposing defensive coordinators just pull out that game tape and use it as a blueprint on how to defend the Jets and they'll continue to do so until Pennington proves he can solve the riddle.

There are some other factors that adversely affect his value as well. Pennington enjoyed a lot of success in 2002 with Laveranues Coles as his go-to-guy and then Coles was lost to free agency. Santana Moss did an admirable job of filling in, but Moss is a small, fast receiver and not the big target that Pennington needs to find his comfort zone. The addition of McCareins will help, but again we're talking about an unproven WR.

We're also talking about relative value and it's surprising to see Pennington ranked as the 6th or 7th best QB heading into fantasy drafts. With QBs like Jake Plummer, Drew Bledsoe and even Jake Delhomme going in double-digit rounds, those guys seem like a much better value.

As a final point, as I already pointed out, Curtis Martin isn't getting any younger and while I don't expect Pennington to cut into his carries, I do expect the Jets' offense to continue to struggle and have a hard time as they transition away from Curtis Martin in the backfield. That kind of situation never helps a QB.

Pennington's numbers last season were fair, but not enough to warrant even a 6th round draft pick considering the depth available at the position. This is a QB that has to prove he has a counterpunch ready for the defensive backs taking away his short, comfort routes and he's yet to come through since being exposed in Oakland.

Chad Pennington is easily a valuable fantasy QB this season. His 2002 season was "remarkable" He had everything in line for a great fantasy season and he came through. Now I will explain just how remarkable his 2003 season was too. He had to overcome obstacles such as losing his go to WR, he had to shake off the rust of not playing, he was coming off an injury and was asked to perform. All he did under these pressure circumstances was account for 15 TDs (2 rushing) and and throw for 2,139 yards in barely over half a season. Mr. Pennington proved when all goes right he is remarkable. Mr. Pennington proved under pressure circumstances he can deliver. Now lets move forward to the 2004 season. He has the benefit of training camp to prepare. He has a go to WR in Santana Moss. He has time to develop a rapport with newcomer Justin McCareins. He plays in a West Coast offense which utilizes his strengths. He is entering his third season as a starter. Everything seems to be breaking right for yet another remarkable season for Mr. Pennington. There is no reson to believe he will not deliver once again.