Dream Team: The Unkindest Cutler

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Is your fantasy football team a nightmare? Express' Chris Mincher gives his advice on who to play and who to bench.

IN MOST FANTASY FOOTBALL LEAGUES, the playoffs are already underway, and you're not likely to risk it all by tinkering with borderline players. You're going to play the guys who got you there; this is good, over-analyzing when its all on the line can end in nothing but crushing heartbreak, dashed dreams and an abysmal hole in your soul that sucks away happiness. Go with your gut.

However, those with keeper leagues have more things to focus on than just their lineup. Late-season depth chart alterations and forward-thinking replacements should be monitored for their potential to contribute next year. In some cases, the failures of today's starters might be indicative of a new direction next year. An ill-timed injury might give other players a chance to make their free-agent-to-be case to other teams. It might even be a veteran, whose experience might be called upon next season when his supporting cast starts from scratch.

While those should all earn your attention, the obvious situations to watch are those in which a rookie gets his first looks and tries out the ropes he'll have to master in 2007. When evaluating these players — like this next guy — ignore the stat line and, instead, gauge how far he is along the learning curve.

JAY CUTLER, QB, Denver Broncos
Sunday was evidence of the typical fallout when a rookie — in this case, Cutler — is made the starter and doesn't know who his playmakers are: Brandon "Who?" Marshall leading the team in receiving, Javon Walker and Stephen Alexander having the same number of catches, and Rod "Pass To Me Or I Retire" Smith finishing with one catch for six yards. (Ideally, benched quarterback Jake Plummer would use the rest of the season to start looking for another job, but it'll take at least that much time for him to get clean-shaven enough to present himself in interviews.)
TAKE? Attention Jay: Sure, your fourth-string fullback might be open for a 3-yard gain, but your job is to make the tough play in coverage. It's called football, son.

DAVID GARRARD, QB, Jacksonville Jaguars
Byron Leftwich was either benched for being too hurt to play or being too not the coach's favorite quarterback to play. The downside of Garrard instead of Leftwich is that Garrard wasn't drafted in the first round. The upside is that when Garrard passes the ball to his receivers, he's not trying to be the first person in history to puncture polymer with inflated leather.
TAKE? Garrard has gone 4-2 in his six starts, and had QB ratings of more than 115 in half of them. Experienced, with more finesse than Leftwich, he's playing to send either himself or his predecessor somewhere else to start next year.

MARCUS ROBINSON, WR, Minnesota Vikings
Robinson was made the starter over Troy Williamson because quarterback Brad Johnson liked Robinson better. Now that Johnson's TD to turnover ratio would also accurately describe the size subatomic particles, no one likes him either. If the Vikings go with a new QB — a process that, I imagine, would involve throwing a dart at the depth chart — who knows whether Robinson will still be relevant or not. Y'know, assuming he was ever relevant, per se.
TAKE? A big-hands guy like Marcus "Questionable Relevance" Robinson could be a much-needed reliable target if Alabama State standout Tavaris Jackson gets the nod. If it's Brooks "Chris Berman Says 'Brothers' After My First Name" Bollinger that starts, all targets would be pointless.

LADELL BETTS, ROCK CARTWRIGHT, RB, Washington Redskins
Clinton Portis is a good fit for the Redskins system, but — as I've long suspected but been too afraid to say out loud for fear of looking like an idiot — Betts might be even better. Now that the interior of Portis' shoulder looks like a balled-up pipe cleaner, Betts gets a chance to prove that somebody needs his services out there. Meanwhile, Cartwright becomes the backup, leaving T.J. Duckett the NFL equivalent of an expensive collectable car that you buy because it's an impressive addition to your garage/roster, but *gasp* would never actually dream of driving ... much too valuable.
TAKE BETTS? With two straight 100-yard games and a better yards-per-carry average than Portis ever had with the 'Skins, Betts is the perfect oomph-back to put some muscle behind an offense still trying to find its way.
TAKE CARTWRIGHT? Cartwright has five carries this year, which is five too many.

BRIAN GRIESE, QB, Chicago Bears
The fans in Chicago are howling — and simultaneously coughing up bits of onion ring — for Griese to be made the starter. I would too, after having unofficially diagnosed Rex Grossman with having a random nerve disorder that causes him to uncontrollably jerk his arm in a forward motion and release his grip. This is the only plausible explanation for a majority of his so-called "passes."
TAKE GRIESE? Grossman's the NFC-leading interception-thrower, but the team is 10-2, and at least he's no Kyle "What, Me Quarterback?" Orton. The fans only want Griese because his name reminds them of their favorite food quality.

Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images.