For the Arena Football League, the season continues into the playoffs next week. In the fantasy realm, it’s time to sign off, decide some champions and steam forcefully into the offseason.
In making your lineups, be wary of the teams with nothing to gain in the playoff standings. The ones who are eliminated are likely to go all-out; the ones who can’t move up or down the seeding table are worth reconsidering in case their teams decide to pull back on the throttle and avoid injuries heading into the postseason. In that vein, monitor the Dallas Desperados, Orlando Predators, New York Dragons and Arizona Rattlers; all are bolted into their current postseason positions.
But there are numbers to watch ... and that’s why we’re going to go against the above paragraph for at least one of the fantasy picks this week ...
Quarterback: Clint Dolezel, Dallas (vs. New York) His team wrapped up the National Conference’s top seed two weeks ago. It just lost at Philadelphia, ensuring a sweep at the hands of a team that might not even be in the postseason dance by the end of this weekend. So why, then, are we going with Dolezel when his team has little to gain? Because he has plenty to take, going for the league’s single-season touchdown pass record. He needs six scoring tosses to surpass the standard Aaron Garcia set for the Dragons in 2001. Look for Dallas to get Dolezel plenty of shots to take his place in league history.
Offensive Specialist: Damian Harrell, Colorado (vs. Arizona) The league’s leading scorer has two things going for him: His team needs to win (the Crush has never won at San Jose, so getting the No. 1 seed is vital for the team’s postseason chances) and he’s going for some historic marks. He already has the touchdown record, but is now three receptions from 150 for the season, five touchdowns from 60 and 141 yards from 2,000 for the season. Getting to those milestones would put Harrell into some exalted AFL territory. Look for the Crush to turn to No. 1 early and often to try and get its 11th win and to push Harrell’s season into the ages.
Wide Receiver/Defensive Back: Bobby Sippio, Chicago (at Grand Rapids) Hard to argue against a man whose team needs a win and who has averaged 40.5 fantasy points a game since joining the Rush four weeks ago. Those are Damian Harrell-type numbers.
Wide Receiver/Linebacker: Ben Nelson, San Jose (vs. Columbus) He’s all offense in reality, but still listed at WR/LB on the fantasy agame. He has 30 points in seven of the SaberCats’ last nine games and has been their most consistent threat during their playoff push. Play him, even though the Cats might already be locked into their playoff seeding by the time they kick off, depending on how the Crush fares Friday against the Rattlers.
Fullback/Linebacker: Marlion Jackson, Las Vegas (at Los Angeles) Tumult reigns all around the Gladiators, but Jackson has become a beacon of reliability for the team in the season’s closing stages. He’s averaged 20.5 fantasy points a game in his last four games and has eight touchdowns in his last six games. Play him this week, and remember his name for next year.
Defensive Specialist: Rashad Floyd, Colorado (vs. Arizona) What is an off week for Floyd from a fantasy perspective is an outstanding performance for other defensive specialists; he had 14 fantasy points last week, which was his lowest total since Week 9. He has at least five tackles in seven straight games, so expect him to be at least solid, if not spectacular, as the Crush has much at stake Friday night home-field advantage in the American Conference playoffs.
Kicker: Dan Frantz, Chicago (at Grand Rapids) He’s on the roster, he’s off the roster. He was on last week, and amassed 16 fantasy points. The Rush needs Frantz to come up big, and against the Rampage, he could have plenty of chances, even though his season has seen him operate at the extremes, with some high-scoring games (12, 16, 16 and 19 points) and some low ones (one point at Georgia, three against Colorado).
