Priest Holmes Lives!
LJ may have some familiar competition
Training camp has thrown its first curveball. Despite every indication that his career was over, Priest Holmes is expected to show up to Chiefs camp this week. The whole thing is curious, especially after reports this summer that Holmes was out of shape. NFL Network's Adam Shefter says he has medical clearance to play.
So what does this mean for fantasy leaguers?
First of all, this gives the Chiefs a bit of leverage in contract talks with Larry Johnson - but not that much. They certainly don't want to hand the starting job over to Holmes, who is turning 34 years old and hasn't played football in nearly two years.
Herm Edwards has also made it clear that he is favoring a youth movement at all positions, including running back. Kolby Smith and possibly undrafted rookie Marcus O'Keith were expected to have big roles. Will playing Holmes for one more year help Kansas City's future? GM Carl Peterson is loyal enough to invite Holmes to camp, but he's going to have to earn a role. Holmes is not guaranteed to make the team.
If Holmes can survive August, it certainly makes Kolby Smith a less intriguing sleeper. I believe LJ will get a new contract before Week 1, but Smith and Holmes could form a committee if the holdout drags out. The real loser is Michael Bennett. He probably won't make the roster if Holmes does.
The presence of Holmes, should he make it to opening week (we have our doubts), gives fantasy leaguers another reason to avoid LJ with a top-three pick. Priest won't provide competition, but he could give Herm another option to keep Johnson's carries reasonable.
Holmes is back on the fantasy radar and well worth picking up in deep dynasty leagues. Kudos to the five owners who held on to him this long. We'll have to watch camp before evaluating his redraft stock, but he's nothing more than a flier pick currently. Draft day is where the fuzzy 2004 memories of Priest have to end.
Most of this speculation is premature. Holmes defines mercurial, and could vanish like a ghost just as fast as he re-appeared. For now, only one thing is certain. It's going to be an awesome season of Hard Knocks.
Comments
come on gregg... you don't expect us to believe that this news in any way affects any draft or fantasy strategy anywhere in the world, do you? i mean you said it yourself, 34, which is way past prime for a running back that has been playing and working. let alone one that's been undergoing multiple surgeries and hasn't touched the grass in two years!
in other news, stephen jackson has slipped out of the first round on most draft boards as hershel walker talks about a comeback.
Posted by: Dibble | July 25, 2007 04:23 PM
absolutely it matters if he makes the team. Im surprised as anyone but I think he has a legit shot to make the team and he'd be draftable in that scenario.
Posted by: Gregg | July 25, 2007 04:51 PM
This is the point we take our Fantasy minds and try to measure just how much Heart does Preist have?
Holmes could have quit 2 years ago and just went on to enjoy life. But the man wants to run between the tackles again.
Sometimes I just get a gut feeling and this time I have to believe we will see Preist as a fantasy factor this year.
Posted by: Redskin Posse | July 25, 2007 10:02 PM
something else you have to take into account is that despite his age, he doesn't have nearly the wear on him some older backs do. priest was only a full-time starter for 3 or 4 seasons. as far as carries go, he has less than quite a few NFL starters who are still solid (or spectacular) players: tomlinson, fred taylor, jamal lewis, edge, ahman green, alexander, and probably a couple others i forgot (dunn maybe? *coughs*) all have as much if not more wear on them in terms of carries than does priest, and it's reasonable to think he could still perform on a jamal lewis / ahman green-esque level. not that this would be incredibly desireable, but it is notable and serviceable for fantasy purposes.
Posted by: The Dox | July 25, 2007 11:10 PM
say all you want... i'm not going near a 34 year old running back who's been out of the league for 2 years and injured.
gregg, you know i'm a frequent reader, and love the blog... but i think you're all way off on this one.
lj's stock dips none, and holmes is in the fantasy graveyard.
talking about priest's heart, btw... how do you know it's not his pocket book driving this comeback and not his heart? that seems like a more likely scenario to me.
jamal lewis and ahman? come on... i don't care how many carries the man's had, when you get to 34 as a running back you're done. finito. especially in today's league with young guys pilfering more and more carries. you guys know that.
Posted by: dibble | July 26, 2007 09:05 AM
The Dox has a good point, Preist just doesn't have a ton of carries in his career.
If you tell me Curtis Martin is coming back, then I would laugh. But with Preist I really think we are talking about a fantasy factor.
Preist had a hard time earning a starting job early in his career, then his career was cut short.
Before Preists injury he was the consensus #1 pick in fantasy drafts. According to reports his kneck is completly healed and he has cleared his physical.
So the Doctors are saying Holmes is completly healed up. That means the only difference between Preist now and the #1 pick a few years ago... is well.. a few years.
I think you have to look at Preist being the HB the Cheifs have been looking for to take some of the load off of Larry Johnson. (assuming Larry signs a contract)
Posted by: Redskin Posse | July 26, 2007 11:15 AM
i don't know the answer one way or the other on Priest, but I do know people wrote him off once (hip injury) and he came back to be more than just relevant in the fantasy world.
Dibble's comment on the pocket book shows a lack of research. Holmes is still on KC's PUP list and has been getting paid the past two years to sit and heal. So if his pocket book is motivating him shouldn't it be motivating him to sit at home and get paid.
Posted by: skidd | July 26, 2007 12:45 PM