OT - Yet another "rate my fantasy draft" thread

[QuikSand]

Well, in an old and rather competitive office league of mine (as the league founder, I have been grandfathered in even though I haven't worked there in 10 years) we held our draft on Tuesday night. It's a fairly standard 12-team setup -- start 1QB, 2RB, 2WR, 1TE, 1PK, 1DT -- and we go 16 players deep. Scoring is a different system, but is pretty equivalent to the standard performance systems widely used -- every 75 yards rushing or receiving counts about as much as a TD. Passing TDs count as much as others. Defenses get scored generously for sacks and turnovers, and lose points for points conceded.

So, with that -- I pick at #9 overall...

- - - - -

The top picks are pretty predictable, with one exception, Rudi Johnson going at #7. That leaves two guys from my "top 9" list for me to choose from -- Edgerrin James and Randy Moss. I had all but resigned myself to taking Moss here anyway, but I'm convinced enough that James is all the way back that I have him ranked higher, and I decide to pull the trigger and take the RB, expecting that there's some shot I get either Moss or Harrison at #16, or else double up at RB to make a strong combo there. Moss and Harrison actually go with picks #10 and #11, and I am pleasantly surprised to get RB Kevan Barlow with my second pick.

Later in round three, I have about four RBs I still like, and no receivers. My default pick here was Tony Gonzalez, but he got taken at pick #22 (the earliest we have seen any TE go in this league's history). I end up betraying my usual credo about quarterbacks, and select Donovan McNabb with my third pick, expecting to go RB in round four. As I suspected, two of my short list of running backs remained, and I grab Tyrone Wheatley as my #3 back.

In round five, I grab Warrick Dunn -- a guy I considered for my 4th round pick. Oddly, TJ Duckett went in the third round, but I had Dunn rated more highly. (This happened to me in two different drafts, oddly enough) In round six, I take the Patriots defense, after the Ravens had just been selected. By my scoring system, I projected those two to be substantially ahead of all others, and thought it better to be ahead of a usual "run" than behind it. (About six more defenses were selected by my next pick, incidentally).

I finally get a wide receiver in round seven, and am delighted to see Andre Johnson still available. I come back with Chris Chambers as my #2, and feel like I recovered pretty well there.

The rest of the story is less compelling, but I felt very good about getting good overall value in every round. Here's the final roster:


QB Donovan McNabb (3)
QB Jake Delhomme (11)
QB David Carr (12)

RB Edgerrin James (1)
RB Kevan Barlow (2)
RB Tyrone Wheatley (4)
RB Warrick Dunn (5)
RB Emmit Smith (10)
RB Jerome Bettis (14)

WR Andre Johnson (7)
WR Chris Chambers (8)
WR Muhsin Muhammad (10)
WR Jerry Rice (15)

TE Alge Crumpler (9)
PK John Kasay (16)
DF Patriots (6)



My history in this league is that it tends to be RB-scarce, in some part due to managers like me who tend to hoard decent guys. So, by stacking up a couple of extra RBs, I will hope to translate that into more capital wherever might need it later on.

Actually, had I known I could get Barlow/Wheatley/Dunn so easily (or even Curtis martin with my 3rd had I wanted to) I think I would have taken Moss at #9 overall. I have already proffered this idea to the team who took him at #10 -- they are awful at RB behind Moss, with Marshall Faulk joined by Duckett, Moe Williams, Ron Dayne, and Musa Smith. Tough call there -- they are a division rival, too. Even if I get Moss out of the deal, do I want them to get a lot beter at RB?

I'm happy. I love a RB-heavy team, and I don't have as many glaring weaknesses as I often do at this point in the season. After missing on the top TEs, I was surprised to see Crumpler drop so far, and to get him pretty effortlessly -- I had him 4th or 5th on my list, but didn't expect to see him without a much earlier pick. (I saw him go in rounds 6 and 7 in two comparable leagues, using the same scoring system) And I love Andre Johnson as my #1 WR after waiting that long at the position.


Enough rambling... what say you?

[sachmo71]

I think Andre Johnson is due for a nice year, and that may help you, but you may be too weak at WR. I'm nervous about Chambers with the lack of running down there, but maybe Minor will break out, or Gordon will impress.

Rice could be a steal. I should have take him in the Keeper.

[rkmsuf]

It's up to James. I'm not as high on him but if he clicks then your team is very good. If not it's average.

I guess you could say that about a lot of rosters and their big gun.

I went the other way and took Moss at 11 out of 12 teams after 10 straight backs. It was an easier decision since the best ones left were S.Davis and R.Johnson who I'm not high on.

[Chubby]

It's a good team. What QBs went in the top 8? I would have went with Manning or Daunte with your 1st pick if they were there since pass TDs = rush/rec TDs.

Edge is a good pick, Chambers I would have stayed away from but that's me. You have 2 solid sleeper backup QBs which could become trade bait later in the season.

It does seem you fell into the "Pick older players past their prime with later picks" trap instead drafting youth/players with upside with late picks tho.

It's a solid team without seeing others teams' rosters. I think your one weakness right now is WR #2.

[Maple Leafs]

You flirted with disaster by waiting so long on WR, but Johnson and Chambers saved you. Not a strategy I'd recommend but in this case it worked out.

[QuikSand]

I usually flirt with similar disaster -- unless I get an absolute top tier WR, I rarely take one before round five or six. I'm always fascinated at the teams that take WRs in round 3 and 4, then find themselves with total stiffs as their 3rd RB (even 2nd RB) and when the 12th round rolls around, they still take WRs (because there are so darned many of them).

I'd rather take my stabs at the shallow positions when I can, get high quality players when it makes sense, and fill in at the positions where I can get passable guys. For now, I have no trouble starting Chambers/Muhammad ... but I agree that's a spot that would be nice to improve before too long.

But I have had many a successful fantasy team in thi same league built form the same principle -- mopst of them end up with a top-10 WR by halfway through the season, as someone who spent their picks in rounds 2 and 3 on QB and WR suddenly finds that he's starting DeShaun Foster and his 11 carries every week -- and sucks it up and trades me Torry Holt. (or fill in the names appropriately)

[QuikSand]

Well, wrapping up the fantasy regular season, my team won its division, and posted the highest point total in the league's 14-year history (I think, but am not certain, this is true). We won the weekly high score prize 5 times in 13 weeks, and this week posted the highest weekly score in league regular season history.

All this with the most decidedly hands-off team I have ever managed. I am usually a major waiver-wire troll, always looking for scraps here and there, especialy at RB. But this year, even with two early RB picks (Barlow and Wheatley) turning into relative busts, we've kept the roster largely intact -- I have made by far the fewest moves that I can recall. I'm shocked that 13 of my original 16 players are currently on my team -- ordinarily that would be about 6-9, I'd guess.

A great season thus far -- with a good deal of luck involved. I could have cut Muhsin Muhammad early in the year, but didn't -- and then watched him turn into a monster down the stretch. I have aldo had great fortune at RB, with various guys stepping up when I started them, once I got over using barlow every week. I got nice production out of Warrick Dunn, Emmitt Smith, and then definitely Jerome Bettis.

Fascinating year... not at all the team I had planned to draft, but sometimes you catch a real break. (I basically thought Kevan Barlow was my best value pick in the draft, too)

[MIJB#19]

I can't agree more with you that the trio of McNabb, Muhammad and Patriots Defense can do wonders. Especially after this weekend.

[Maple Leafs]

If you look at most fantasy leagues, you'll find that the top teams this season almost universally did one or both of the following:
- Use an early pick on one of the "big three" QBs
- Get Tiki Barber, Curtis Martin or Warrick Dunn in the middle rounds

If you did both of those, you are probably in a very good position to win your league.

Other things that helped, but didn't gaurantee anything:
- Draft Shaun Alexander as your stud RB
- Don't draft Keven Barlow as your stud RB
- Get Antonio Gates with a late pick
- And of course, avoid building your team around any players who suffered serious inuries or otherwise missed time: McAllister, Lewis, Holmes (although you may have started well enough to still make the playoffs)

[rkmsuf]

Don't forget Pittman...he's been on a tear and was an afterthought pick in the 7th or 8th round if drafted at all. I think I took him in the 8th.

[MIJB#19]

Originally Posted by Maple Leafs

If you look at most fantasy leagues, you'll find that the top teams this season almost universally did one or both of the following:
- Use an early pick on one of the "big three" QBs
- Get Tiki Barber, Curtis Martin or Warrick Dunn in the middle rounds

If you did both of those, you are probably in a very good position to win your league.

Other things that helped, but didn't gaurantee anything:
- Draft Shaun Alexander as your stud RB
- Don't draft Keven Barlow as your stud RB
- Get Antonio Gates with a late pick
- And of course, avoid building your team around any players who suffered serious inuries or otherwise missed time: McAllister, Lewis, Holmes (although you may have started well enough to still make the playoffs)

You missed some:
* picking up Reuben Droughns in time to start instead of Quentin Griffin
* picking up Mewelde Moore for the three weeks he actually had rushing attempts
* like QS said, not giving up on Mushin Muhammad

[rkmsuf]

In 90% of the leagues I'd bet Droughns was wasn't picked up until after his big game.

[primelord]

Originally Posted by Maple Leafs

If you look at most fantasy leagues, you'll find that the top teams this season almost universally did one or both of the following:
- Use an early pick on one of the "big three" QBs
- Get Tiki Barber, Curtis Martin or Warrick Dunn in the middle rounds

If you did both of those, you are probably in a very good position to win your league.

Other things that helped, but didn't gaurantee anything:
- Draft Shaun Alexander as your stud RB
- Don't draft Keven Barlow as your stud RB
- Get Antonio Gates with a late pick
- And of course, avoid building your team around any players who suffered serious inuries or otherwise missed time: McAllister, Lewis, Holmes (although you may have started well enough to still make the playoffs)

Heh, for what it's worth I have a team where I picked up McNabb in the 3rd round, Barber in the 5th, and Gates in the 10th and after this week I will likely be in 5th place and not looking good at even making the playoffs.

[Travis]

Okay, semi thread jack, but here's a question for the fantasy guys.

Already looking ahead to next year, the keeper league I'm in has a rule, 3 keepers from your current roster plus 1 more for a player acquired via trade.

My roster currently (QB: McNabb/Leftwich, RB: D. Davis, James, Bell, WR: R. Williams, J. Smith, K. Robinson, M. Jenkins, TE: J. Shockey, C. Lewis, K: J. Brown, T. Peterson D/ST: Minn, Atl)

Now this is a 16 team league where we start 1 QB, 1 RB, 2 WR, 1 RB/WR, 1 TE, 1 K, 1 D/ST

So I'm definitely looking at keeping a QB, Edge and a tossup option. I'm curious to see who others would consider as my last personal keeper, and who on that roster you would consider the best trade bait (I'm guessing anywhere from 20 to 25 RB's will be declared as keepers after trading is done).

As far as this discussion goes though, Jimmy Smith has been a huge pick for me (think I took him in the 11th round or so, especially with Koren out and Williams having fallen by the wayside lately. I got McNabb in the (equivalent) of the 3rd round (we started this year with 2 keepers, so first round of the draft), though I almost took Michael Bennett instead (wow would that have sucked).

Another one that would have helped I would think at a relatively cheap drafting cost would have been Chris Brown. I know the 3 leagues I'm in, he didn't go all that high.

[rkmsuf]

If that's Roy Williams I'd consider keeping him.

I'd try and wheel Davis and Bell out of town along with Shockey.