Seriously, Don't Even Consider Daunte Culpepper for Your Fantasy Team

Friends don't let friends start Daunte Culpepper in Fantasy Football. Enemies don't let enemies start Daunte Culpepper for that matter. I'm pleading with you today to give Daunte "Get Your Roll On" Culpepper a wide birth. Yup, I simply can't stand pat and watch this mistake happen again. Look, they don't call it Daunte's Fantasy Inferno for nothing. As it stands there is still a class action suit on the table "People Fantasy Owners vs. Daunte Culpepper - circa 2005." That's when it all went to (bleep).

You might be reading the local reports out of Detroit that say Culpepper is taking reps with the first team and may get the starting nod with Dan Orlovsky on the mend. However, it simply would be a monumental mistake to stir up the nostalgia and get visions of grandeur. I know and you should know better. Maybe you have a short term memory or maybe you weren't impacted by the Culpepper Inferno's. However, I'm here to remind you of the tragedies he left behind.

The year was 2004 and had Peyton Manning not shattered the Fantasy Football records, Daunte Culpepper would have. An embattled Culpepper put together one of the greatest statistical seasons we'd ever seen. Of course, it was overshadowed by the magic of Manning. Culpepper threw to the tune of 39 TD's against only 11 INT's and nearly 5,000 yards. Mind you he did this all without the help of Randy Moss for the better part of the season and made the most of a make shift receiving core.

In fact, Culpepper helped establish Nate Burleson into Fantasy relevance. He suckered us all into believing that Burleson had a bright future. And more importantly he suckered us all into believing that "Get Your Roll On" was the new standard in Fantasy excellence. Insert 2005, when Culpepper was snagged in the 1st or 2nd round of most drafts just after Peyton Manning. Most folks were holding out the belief that Culpepper despite the departure of Moss from Minnesota was primed for repeat success.

Well, he suffered a catastrophic knee injury a few games into a very, very sub-par season and that was that. Things have never quite been the same for Culpepper since. Yet, some people took the bait when Culpepper changed locations and took his show to Miami. No, he was hardly considered an upper Tier QB coming off the knee injury, but he was still given the trust to be the Point Guard for many a team.

Um, that buzz quickly faded. Not only did he sabotage the season for every owner that trusted him, he also destroyed the Pre-Season hype that surrounded a potential breakout WR in Chris Chambers. Well, the Miami "Inferno" didn't last all that long. In fact, it was pretty much over before it even got off the ground. Culpepper wasn't healthy and it showed. It was like he was trapped in quick sand and anybody thinking he could rekindle the 2004 magic was left feeling betrayed. Seriously, what did you expect?

Well, the Raiders figured to give the man a whirl and although that was met with mild buzz amongst the Fantasy Football community, some were still willing to give it a try. Maybe it was the Raiders or maybe it was the fact that Culpepper had lost the desire. However, you know the rest -- he went in retirement, eventual hiding and has now re-surfaced with the worst team in the NFL, the Detroit Lions.

And let's be honest, right now there a few owners out there who are "kinda" talking themselves into Culpepper this week. How bad could he be right? He's got Calvin Johnson to go deep for him and a few other decent options in Mike Furrey and Shaun McDonald. Plus, the un-official word is that he might start this weekend. If anything, this should make for good humor and ridicule on the message board for the owner that does take a flier on Culpepper.

Let's be honest here though, there was a reason Culpepper couldn't land a deal anywhere in the league. His time has come and it's now gone. He's simply NOT going to rediscover the magic after almost a full year away from Football. And he's certainly not going to uncover the fountain of youth with a lousy organization like the Detroit Lions. Not this year, not next year and not any year. Somethings are better just left alone and left in the past. For Culpepper that'd be 2004, but that's a distant memory.

Don't kid yourself and don't even think it to yourself. Daunte Culpepper will do you no good. It's a disaster waiting to happen. And that's why I implore you not to fall into a Daunte relapse. Shrug it off and look the other way. Trust me, you'll no doubt thank me for steering you back in the right direction.