My first draft of this fantasy season.

The league I really care about, here's the link to the review.

Here is the review.

Do I have a winning combination?

As promised, my review for my first fantasy football draft of the season. I run a 12-team league comprised of family members and friends. If you look at the order in which I drafted you may notice some discrepancies when you compare that to my rankings. That can be attributed to being a part of three prior drafts in this same league and learning people’s tendencies and favorite teams/players. It is a point per reception league (half of a point to be exact) and passing touchdowns are worth 6 points.


Due to a small mishap on my part we decided to only keep one player from last year’s roster on our teams this year. I had no players on my team worth a first round pick so I did not keep anybody. It was a snake style draft and I had the 11^th pick in the second (first after keepers) round. In the keepers round I selected CJ2K, best of the running backs still available, and then had the 11^th pick in the next round and then the snake format began. Due to this format my picks were almost back to back, it was nice when the two guys I had set next fell to me and I only had to figure out who the one person picking between my picks might want.


I will not go down pick by pick, but some notable acquisitions I made are:


Titus Young in the sixth round. He could have a huge year if he starts opposite Calvin Johnson and he keeps out of trouble off the field.


Robert Griffin III in the seventh round. I know some other guys were licking their chops to take this guy in our keeper league (which will have four keepers this year) and I had to snag him in order to get a quarterback and someone with amazing potential.


Randy Moss in the tenth round. To be honest I thought he would be gone before then, and because he wasn’t I was happy to land him after already picking starters at every offensive position and a backup at RB and WR. He could pay huge dividends this year.


Russell Wilson in the fifteenth round. If he starts for Seattle this year he could catch fire and have a long illustrious career and open the door for short quarterbacks across the country. Do it for the vertically challenged Russell!


Josh Gordon in the sixteenth round. He could be the best WR on a team that is lacking in talent at that position. I was very surprised he was left.


Ronnie Brown in the seventeenth round. The likely man to start at running back in week one and whenever Ryan Mathews isn’t healthy (which seems to be all of the time) was left in the final round. Why not?


Take a look at my picks round by round and let me know what you think. #NFLFF2012

1. Chris Johnson
2. Larry Fitzgerald
3. Brandon Marshall
4. Steve Smith
5. Reggie Bush
6. Titus Young
7. RGIII
8. DeAngelo Williams
9. Fred Davis
10. Randy Moss
11. LeGarrette Blount
12. Chiefs D/ST
13. Jermaine Gresham
14. Robbie Gould
15. Russell Wilson
16. Josh Gordon
17. Ronnie Brown

You really need to get stronger at QB, you'll survive all the other positions, but RGIII is not Cam, he's not going to set the world on fire w/the Redskins. Your top 3 rb's are solid, but the rest are fairly weak(blount was thought might not make the team, R Brown even w/the starter hurt is looking at a backup role). WR is your storng position too strong, Titus Young is the man, but how does he ever get on the field (outside the bye) w/Marshal/Fitz/Smith? I would look at trying to unload a guy or 2 to get a solid qb in case RGIII is nothing more then the backup most rookie's. Marshal/Fitz could snag you a solid guy and you still have 1 of them, yount and smith...as well as being able to steal someone off FA. WR's are a dime a dozen.
Also look to FA, try and pick up Rashaad Jennings or Lance Ball (Jennings is MJD's backup, who still hasn't reported to camp...guess who's going to get a look ecspecially early) Ball is 2nd behind an ancient RB in Den; or since you're in a PPR league snag McCluster from KC up(if he's available). He's actually looking to be a slot WR more then RB, which would be like having 1 rb, 4 wr's on a team that gets PPR, sick. You could also look at Michael Bush who's going to be a TD theif to Forte; and get a few series a game to boot.


I just picked 2nd out of ten in a ppr league, draft went like this for me:
1 Brees(had my choice of the top 3, in another draft I was able to get Rodgers and never like having the same qb in multiple leagues so I went different here)
2 Gronkowski
3 Charles
4 Gore
5 Antonio Brown
6 Desean Jackson
7 David Wilson
8 DeAngelo
9 Wayne
10Boldin
11Titus Young(big fan of his also, he's going ot be huge)
12Pierre Frenchy Thomas
13NYG D
14Flacco
15Olsen
16Bronco's D
17Matt Bryant(as if that matters)

1 nube player out of the 10, rest have all been playing for well over a decade. I felt I got some real steals. Mainly Gronk Both NYGs D(was a huge run on d's to rounds before) and Flacco. He could actually be a better starter then some people's first qb pick. I reached for David Wilson in the 7th, but I didn't think he would last another near 20 rounds after the manhandling he put on the Bears on primetime TV Friday night.

Also just did my first auction draft...didn't go as well as I hoped. But here's the way it came down:

5	Aaron Rodgers, GB QB	$66
7	Victor Cruz, NYG WR	$29
13	Vernon Davis, SF TE	$16
15	Jimmy Graham, NO TE	$35
25	Steven Jackson, StL RB	$25
35	Michael Crabtree, SF WR	$4
45	Ronnie Brown, SD RB	$1
55	Michael Bush, Chi RB	$10
65	Darrius Heyward-Bey, Oak WR	$2
85	Titus Young, Det WR	$4
103	Kevin Smith, Det RB	$2
105	Giants D/ST D/ST	$1
115	Rashad Jennings, Jac RB	$1
125	Jay Cutler, Chi QB	$1
132	Lions D/ST D/ST	$1
138	Robbie Gould, Chi K	$1

I have since added mccluster and ball and dropped cutler and brown. Rogers bye week isn't until week 10 so I don't need one unless he gets hurt...and if that happens I'm screwed regardless. I overpaid for Cruz; but to be honest I was trying to run another person up, I thought he'd go for 30 and he didn't. But outside of that and not having a legit 2 rb it was a solid draft; and having Rodgers/Graham more then make up for that.
It was a crazy draft also; the computer somehow got a guy Foster/Rice/Gore; he's got a monster team....even w/average te's/wr's(he got cam as his qb, who will be solid even if he doesn't perform like he did last year.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Riczaj01

You really need to get stronger at QB, you'll survive all the other positions, but RGIII is not Cam, he's not going to set the world on fire w/the Redskins. Your top 3 rb's are solid, but the rest are fairly weak(blount was thought might not make the team, R Brown even w/the starter hurt is looking at a backup role). WR is your storng position too strong, Titus Young is the man, but how does he ever get on the field (outside the bye) w/Marshal/Fitz/Smith? I would look at trying to unload a guy or 2 to get a solid qb in case RGIII is nothing more then the backup most rookie's. Marshal/Fitz could snag you a solid guy and you still have 1 of them, yount and smith...as well as being able to steal someone off FA. WR's are a dime a dozen.
Also look to FA, try and pick up Rashaad Jennings or Lance Ball (Jennings is MJD's backup, who still hasn't reported to camp...guess who's going to get a look ecspecially early) Ball is 2nd behind an ancient RB in Den; or since you're in a PPR league snag McCluster from KC up(if he's available). He's actually looking to be a slot WR more then RB, which would be like having 1 rb, 4 wr's on a team that gets PPR, sick. You could also look at Michael Bush who's going to be a TD theif to Forte; and get a few series a game to boot.

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I do realize that my quarterback position is potentially weak. But with everyone keeping only one player from last season all of the top QB's were taken at the start. Brees, Brady, Rodgers, Stafford were all kept, Newton was picked before I got to him and I did not want to spend my first round pick on any other quarterbacks. It just so happened that by the time I got to the third-sixth rounds I thought it better to draft a few receivers that could possibly be top ten and a running back who has a good chance to produce (because of the lack of offensive weapons and experience) then a second tier quarterback. I could have had someone like Matt Ryan, Ben-Ro, Cutler, Schaub at that spot, but I feel like Griffin is a special talent that will be a keeper for me for years. Wilson was just anointed the starter for the Seahawks and although he is another rookie, he is playing very well in the preseason and did Bucky well last year in college. And you are right about the backup running backs being suspect, but by the time I picked Blount Michael Bush was gone. I did see that Jennings was doing well in preseason, but when MJD does come back there is no way Jennings sees more than 12 touches a game. I agree that I could probably trade one of my WR's for a RB or QB, but I do like having at least one stud to throw in when someone is out with an injury or they have an unfavorable matchup. By the time I picked Titus Young the best RB's available were Helu, Ridley, Michael Bush... I'd rather have Titus Young on my team no matter who I have at other positions than any of those players, except possibly maybe Helu. I've had Mccluster on my team before and he is such hit and miss it's frustrating to play him.

I agree with mostly everything that you said, I think I just have a little different idea about how players will perform this season than you do. I think my draft philosophy this year was more "pick the best player available" than "draft for need", within reason. I am going to go put some of the WR's on the trade block right now though.

Washed Up Dried Out
QB Tony Romo
RB Trent Richardson
RB Beanie Wells
RB/WR Reggie Wayne
WR Calvin Johnson
WR Dwayne Bowe
TE Jimmy Graham
D/ST Cowboys D/ST
K Randy Bullock
BE Michael Bush
BE Daniel Thomas
BE Davone Bess
BE Alshon Jeffery
BE Rashard Mendenhall
BE Michael Floyd

Got Romo after everyone had picked their first and or second QB. Got ******* out of Eric Decker, but I'm looking at tradebait here. EDIT: kicker was my last position to be filled. didn't know dude was on IR, but it doesn't matter..

Henry you got a solid team. again a bit strong on WR's, and a little weak on RB's. If you are in a PPR league, snag McCluster he's being touted as the 3rd wr more then t he 2nd or 3rd rb; and espn/yahoo don't switch a players position mid season(colston's rookie year yahoo had him as a te/wr when he was strictly a wr) and is quickly becoming Cassle's favorite target. That will give you a legit point getting wr as your 2nd rb. I'm not high on Bennie Wells(although maybe this will finally be his year). I love Trent, but he's on the Browns. Bush is a great get as a td machine.

Gopher, there is a lot of thought in Jax that MJD will NOT get the same workload he got last year(340) touches. Also when RB's get into that 350 range they tend to get hurt the following year. Jax wanted to use Jennings last year but he got hurt in pre season, don't knock the upside. He COULD only get 12 carries; or he COULD end up getting 15-20, w/the potential to be 20-30 if MJD doesn't show or gets hurt.
In a Keeper league having RGIII is great, but you need to win THIS year. You lost out on guys w/real legit ability to get points this year like Schaub, Romo, Culter, Fitzpatrick(none should have been kept) for a guy that(from what I've seen) is going in the late rounds.
I'm all about BPA,but you have to balance the BPA between active and bench. Sometimes you have to pass the bpa to make sure you get a position of need player on the field. I could have had Turner(rb atl) for 3 rounds AFTER I took Jamal AND Gore, but getting my wr's taken care of was more important, and I still got decent RB's backing them up. You are right, if someone goes in IR you'll be set, but if they don't you'll have lost points on the field for points on the bench.

I have a small dilemma, do i start Russell Wilson the first game? Or RGIII? I also have 2 RB spots, 2 WR spots and a WR/RB spot, I have Chris Johnson, Reggie Bush and Deangelo Williams. Also Brandon Marshall, Larry Fitzgerald and Steve Smith. My plan is to play Johnson, Bush, Marshall, Fitz and Smith; but I am contemplating putting in Williams for Smith, especially if Stewart is ruled out.