Need Consistency? Look Elsewhere

We've already discussed the pillars of consistency, and now we're gonna go in the opposite direction.

Please understand the point of this exercise ... this is not an "avoid these guys" list. There's a difference between "inconsistent" and "sucks." The players you'll see on here are listed because they are good or even great fantasy performers. They also showed -- in 2007 or more -- a propensity to mix in very bad games with the good ones. The point of listing these guys is to serve as a reminder that for every Maurice Jones-Drew you'd like to have a consistent player alongside him like Peyton Manning. You load up with a team full of these guys and, sure, you'll have the occasional 120 point week. You're also in danger of a 55 point week. Balancing with consistent guys keeps you safe for when you get bad MJD and puts you in position for a monster week when you get good MJD. I guess that's as good a segue as any ... here they are, the poster-boys for fantasy inconsistency:

Maurice Jones-Drew, RB, Jags
Look, I love him. Little guys that pack a big punch (seriously, watch this) are so fun to watch and give us little guys everywhere someone with whom we can relate. But here's the thing, you can't count on him to carry your fantasy team on a weekly basis. Sure, he'll have the outbursts like this one ... or this one ... but the carries just aren't there for him to be counted on for a weekly 15-point or more showing.

Philip Rivers, QB, Chargers
I actually like him to be more consistent this year, but we can only really judge what's in front of us. For Rivers, his entire '07 season was a fluctuation. He threw at least two TDs seven times, but also went without a TD pass in five games. There were six games of less than 160 yards through the air, accompanied by six of over 200 -- with two of those being 300+. A 104 yard, no TD, 2 pick game against Indy was followed up by a 309 yarder and a 249 yard, 3 TD, zero interception masterpiece. If he does get things figured out in Norv Turner's second season, though, watch out.

Jason Campbell, QB, Redskins
You could cherry pick two games and hail him as the second coming (23-29, 248 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT in week 5 and 23-34, 215 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT in week 10), and you can rave about his consecutive 300 yard weeks immediately following the week 10 gem. Of course, you could point to eight of his 13 starts checking in at a less than 75 QB rating and claim mediocrity ... or you could just point to the three sub-60 rating games and say he sucks. The answer is always in the middle, but he's learning a new offense. He says he's more comfortable with it. We'll see.

Eli Manning, QB, Giants
It's been said over and over, especially during the course of the regular season and leading to the playoffs. We know he was inconsistent last year. The real issue is whether or not the confidence from the Super Bowl championship changes him internally and makes him into the franchise QB the Giants thought they were acquiring on 2004 draft day.

Adrian Peterson, RB, Vikes
Yeah, you can't pass on him. The reason he's on here is to remind you to surround him with pillars of consistency. He went absolutely ballistic twice (224 yards and three TDs ... 296 yards and three TDs), went over 100 four other times, and scored two TDs twice other than the trifecta jobs. The same guy had 11 carries for 45 yards, 14 carries for three yards (against the freaking 49ers), 9 carries for 27 yards, and 11 for 36. And these were all after the two monster games ... so it's not like he was finding his way early in the season for these clunkers.

Lee Evans, WR, Bills
He had less than 20 yards receiving six times. He also went nuts twice (5-138-1 and 9-165-1) and had a two-TD game. The Bills offense should be better this year, enabling him to shake free more often. Still, buyer beware.

Chad Johnson, WR, Bengals
Johnson talks a big game, but only backs it up some of the time. He only visited the end-zone in four different games last year. Of course, he milked eight TDs out of them. He did have a few good games without a TD (over 100 yards in two of them), but those were also accompanied by some pedestrian outings.

Roy Williams, WR, Lions
His numbers don't match his ilk in fantasy circles if you are looking anywhere but 2006. The Lions are heading into a more running-oriented system, and Williams wasn't even that good last year. Sure, he had the 9 catch/204 yard/TD performance ... he also went 3-36, 3-23, 3-44, and 3-22 at different times. With Mike Martz coordinating. Ouch.

Kevin Curtis, WR, Eagles
If you grab weeks 3, 6, 13, and 16 from last year, he's an All-Pro. Considering his pedigree isn't the same as the two receivers preceding this entry, Curtis is a spot starter. Good luck predicting when he blows up as opposed to when he just plain blows. How many owners benched him in week three and played him in week four? They'll never draft him again, you can bet on that. Trust me, I'm one of them.