Jason Wood's Thoughts

This offseason Brett Favre left Packers fans, coaches and teammates dangling as he remained unsure whether he would return for another season. His indecisiveness was ironic considering that Favre has been anything but indecisive on the football field. In fact, sometimes his decisiveness has hurt him and the team, witness his abysmal 29 interceptions a season ago as he forcibly threw passes where he shouldn't have in hopes of somehow miraculously rescuing the Packers from a lost season.

But the decision has been made and Favre will once again command the Packers huddle. Should fantasy owners take note? If so, is he worth a starting nod any longer?

Getting a handle on the turnovers -- Brett Favre has always been a gunslinger prone to turnovers. It's that "all-or-nothing" style that's made him a Hall of Famer and only 3-time NFL MVP. But there's a difference between throwing interceptions with regularity and what Favre did last year. He regressed to a point where he consistently made poor decisions. He threw into double and triple coverage at times, and probably was lucky to finish the season with 29 Inst. The question is, will he have more confidence in his teammates this season?

The running game should be better -- Regardless of what you think of new head coach Mike McCarthy or new OC Jeff Jagodzinski, it would be difficult to imagine the running game won't improve this year. A season ago, the Packers offensive line couldn't recover from the loss of long-time starters Mike Wahle and Marco Rivera. And then, as if that weren't enough, Ahman Green and Najeh Davenport were lost for the season. This year, both Green and Davenport are back in the fold, which combined with Samkon Gado equate to a formidable RB corps. The Packers are going to implement a zone-blocking scheme (a la the Falcons and Broncos), which should play to Ahman Green's cutback skills and patience.

But what about the receiving corps? -- Donald Driver is a reliable weapon, but the cupboard may be barren beyond him. Rod "50/50" Gardner and Robert Ferguson are hardly the kind of WR2/WR3 tandem that will help stem Favre's need to win games single-handedly. And lest you think Marc Boerigter is a sleeper, take a look at his career numbers. Making matters worse, long-time red zone stud Bubba Franks has become a virtual non-factor.

And then there's the offensive line -- The good news is the Packers drafted two offensive lineman, Daryn Colledge and Jason Spitz. The bad news is that Green Bay lost another proven veteran, center Mike Flanagan, and as a result, both rookies are considered favorites to start the season. Whether Colledge and Spitz win the guard slots or veterans Junius Coston and Adrian Klemm win the jobs, the Packers arguably have one of the worst interior lines in the league.

At the end of the day, it's difficult to say the Packers offensive situation has improved much this offseason. The defense may be better with the additions of LB AJ Hawk, LB Adbul Hodge and CB Charles Woodson; which might help. And the Packers get the benefit of a last place schedule. But all in all, the Packers could be the worst team in football, and it could be a long season for Favre and company.

Positives

• Despite having a season to forget in 2005, Favre finished 13th among fantasy QBs; consider that his downside in 2006
• An improved defense and healthy running game should allow Favre to play within himself more this season
• He's still an accurate passer who should give you a minimum of 3,500 yards and 22-25 TDs; especially valuable if you aren't penalized heavily for Inst

Negatives

• Favre devolved into a bad decision-maker last year because of a lack of faith in his teammates; yet the Packers haven't added anyone of note on offense
• The new coaching staff is, shall we say, unproven
• Favre's WR2/WR3/TE1 combination could be the worst in the NFC

Final Thoughts

Last season Favre's troubles played directly into his desire to win games on his own, to carry the team. Can we say this year will be any different?

But here's the good news; and it's an extremely important thing to remember...even last year, in just about as bad a situation as Favre could imagine, he finished as the 13th best fantasy QB using FBG scoring. As long as he stays healthy, that's his downside. Yet, he's being drafted on average QB18. That's VALUE folks. Putting it in broader terms. That means you can draft Brett Favre two or three rounds later than your league mates are drafting their QB2s; yet you're virtually guaranteed of comparable performance.

Quotations from the Message Board Thread

To view the entire Player Spotlight thread (there's a ton of fantastic commentary in there), click here.

TURFPACK:
If you looked up Brett Favre name in the dictionary one of the many words that define him would be "competitor". I don't know all the reasons Brett decided to play this season, but I know one is to erase last year terrible season. Brett should slip several rounds this summer and can offer fantastic value.

Anonymous Internet User:
Without a stud RB or WR combo, he'll be forced to rely on driver catching his lobs. I love driver, but he's not Steve smith. for the second half of the season I see consistent yardage but a large increase in Int:TD ratio which progressively gets worse until the end of the season where favorer is pulled for Rodgers in weeks 16 and 17.

gman8343:
Favre almost HAS to improve on last year's abysmal season, but he's still the type of guy who's prone to take huge risks throughout the game, which often lead to turnovers.

Brett Favre Projections

SOURCE	PYD	PTD	INT	RSHYD	RSHTD
Jason Wood	3675	25	20	45	0
Message Board Consensus	3844	26	15	40	1