OK, Maybe We Need to Try This Again

Do you know why serious fantasy football players have busier Labor Day weekends than Jerry Lewis used to have? It's because serious players hold their drafts as close as possible to Opening Day. They want to have all the preseason games (physical and mental) done and over with before they make their selections.
We're all used to players getting banged up during the preseason. But we may never have had a situation like the one we have this season.
When Peyton Manning announced that he was having a second surgery on his neck, most observers brushed it off. After all, he missed absolutely no regular season playing time as a result of his first surgery. But then a few things happened. First, Manning's backups, Curtis Painter and Dan Orlovsky (remember him?) demonstrated once and for all why they were backups. Then, the Indianapolis Colts signed Kerry Collins. Those two events, when taken together, suggest that someone in Indianapolis suspects Manning may not be ready for the opening Sunday, after all, and they needed a better back up plan than "Start Painter and hope the opponents get lost on the way to the field."
For the NFL fan, of course, Manning's health issues are a lot more pleasant than the issues in the New York Giants defensive backfield, where players are dropping like flies. After all, we know those defensive backs are done for the season, and Manning could very well start all his team's games again. For the fantasy football fan, however, Manning's health issues are far worse. After all, you already know what happened to the Giants, and you can reassess their defense/special teams accordingly. In the worst-case scenario, Manning may not be scratched until right before kickoff.
That's why the People's Pigskin, for the first time in its brief history, is reopening a poll. We asked last week which quarterback we should target first, and you chose Manning by a healthy margin. Now that you know Kerry Collins is an option for Indianapolis, do you want to change your vote? Here's your chance.
The quarterback and running back polls will close Saturday night. The NASCAR polls beneath them about picking a lineup for the People's Pitstop will close Thursday night. Please get your votes in for all of them. Thanks.
We'll be back with a look at this week's race.