Draft Results - Downtown SJ League

With the start of the NFL season just around the corner, fantasy drafts are taking place all over the country. Having recently participated in two drafts of uniquely different formats, I wanted to share the results of the drafts, as well as my perspective of how the drafts went and any related draft strategy.

Here's a shout out to my compadres in the Downtown SJ League!

League Settings:

• Host Site: ESPN
• League Size: 8 Teams
• Roster: QB, RB, RB, WR/RB, WR, WR, TE, K, DEF, B, B, B, B, B, B, B
• Draft Type: Standard Snake Format (Offline)

Draft Results:

Round 1:

1. T. Brady (NE)
2. A. Peterson (MIN)
3. M. Jones-Drew (JAC)
4. M. Turner (ATL)
5. D. Brees (NO)
6. D. Williams (CAR)
7. P. Manning (IND)
8. M. Forte (CHI)

Looking at Round 1, what jumps out to me most is the fact that 3 Quarterback's went in the first 8 picks. Not only is this rare in standard 10-12 team leagues, but in an 8 team league it's almost unheardof. As a result of the mini-run on QB's, I had Adrian Peterson fall in my lap with the #2 pick.

Round 2:

9. C. Johnson (TEN)
10. S. Slaton (HOU)
11. D. McNabb (PHI)
12. L. Tomlinson (SD)
13. L. Fitzgerald (ARI)
14. A. Rodgers (GB)
15. C. Johnson (DET)
16. R. Moss (NE)

Another 2 QB's went off the board in Round 2, as well as the first Wide Receiver (Larry Fitzgerald) at pick #13. Having had the #2 overall pick, I wasn't sure what type of talent would be available when the snake got back around to me at #15, but I was pleasantly surprised to find Calvin Johnson still on the board. He's a big-time receiver who's coming into his "breakthrough" 3rd season in the league.

Round 3:

17. J. Cutler (CHI)
18. F. Gore (SF)
19. A. Johnson (HOU)
20. C. Portis (WAS)
21. T. Owens (BUF)
22. A. Boldin (ARI)
23. S. Smith (CAR)
24. G. Jennings (GB)

With Frank Gore still on the board at pick #18, I had to pull the trigger. I have him rated as the #2 overall running back coming into the season and I think he's going to put up big numbers. Round 3 also saw a run on WR's with 5 out of the last 6 picks being pass-catchers. Terrell Owens is probably the biggest stretch here, with his advancing age and the uncertain Buffalo offense.

Round 4:

25. R. White (ATL)
26. S. Jackson (STL)
27. M. Barber (DAL)
28. B. Westbrook (PHI)
29. B. Jacobs (NYG)
30. K. Smith (DET)
31. M. Colston (NO)
32. R. Grant (GB)

I like picking up Marques Colston in the Round 4, but the biggest steals have to be Steven Jackson and Brian Westbrook. To get that type of scoring potential in Round 4 is an amazing value. It's also interesting to see how far Marion Barber has fallen from last year when he was going in the mid to late first round in standard leagues.

Round 5:

33. R. Wayne (IND)
34. P. Rivers (SD)
35. R. Williams (DAL)
36. T. Gonzalez (ATL)
37. D. Bowe (KC)
38. A. Gates (SD)
39. B. Edwards (CLE)
40. R. Brown (MIA)

Round 5 is where I finally get my QB, drafting Philip Rivers at #34. In my mind he's just below Tom Brady and Drew Brees, so to get him 4 rounds later in the draft is a great value. Hopefully a healthy Antonio Gates and LaDainian Tomlinson will keep the San Diego offense firing on all cylanders all season long. Speaking of Gates, the top 2 Tight Ends came off the board with Tony Gonzalez going first at pick #36.

Round 6:

41. K. Warner (ATL)
42. P. Thomas (NO)
43. K Moreno (DEN)
44. J. Stewart (CAR)
45. T.J. Houshmandzadeh (SEA)
46. A. Gonzalez (IND)
47. J. Witten (DAL)
48. D. Hester (CHI)

Round 6 was my turn to draft a TE, going with Jason Witten at pick #47. With Terrell Owens now in Buffalo, Tony Romo will be relying even more heavily on Witten in the passing game. No real surprises in this round, other than maybe Devin Hester going a little sooner than I would expect.

Round 7:

49. K. Winslow (TB)

50. D. McFadden (OAK)

51. B. Roethlisberger (PIT)

52. M. Ryan (ATL)

53. S. Moss (WAS)

54. B. Berrian (MIN)

55. V. Davis (SF)

56. T. Romo (DAL)

Round 8:

57. D. Clark (IND)

58. M. Schaub (HOU)

59. M. Hasselbeck (SEA)

60. T. Edwards (BUF)

61. T. Jones (NYJ)

62. G. Olsen (CHI)

63. M. Lynch (BUF)

64. J. Addai (IND)

In Rounds 7 & 8, I was able to stock up at the Running Back position by taking Darren McFadden and Marshawn Lynch. McFadden has all the skills to have a breakout season in Oakland and I can afford to wait for Lynch to come back from his 3-game suspension. Vernon Davis is probably the only reach at pick # 55.

Round 9:

65. L. Johnson (KC)

66. B. Marshall (DEN)
67. D. Ward (TB)
68. W. Welker (NE)
69. D. Sproles (SD)
70. S. Holmes (PIT)
71. E. Royal (DEN)
72. V. Jackson (SD)

Round 10:

73. D. Jackson (PHI)

74. J. Nedney (SF)
75. L. White (TEN)
76. O. Daniels (HOU)
77. C. Ochocinco (CIN)
78. H. Ward (PIT)
79. R. Rice (BAL)
80. C. Benson (CIN)

Having already drafted Johnson and Colston, I felt pretty comfortable drafting Brandon Marshall in Round 9. I won't be relying on him early, but with all of his talent he could be a factor later in the season. With all of the positive buzz surrounding Ray Rice this preseason, I was also very surprised to find him still available at pick #79. With the way Baltimore likes to run the ball, he could have a very good season.

Round 11:

81. S. Gostkowski (NE)
82. F. Jones (DAL)
83. R. Mendenhall (PIT)
84. W. Parker (PIT)
85. Ravens D/ST
86. Giants D/ST
87. R. Bush (NO)
88. C. Wells (ARI)

Round 12:

89. D. Brown (IND)
90. 49ers D/ST
91. P. Harvin (MIN)
92. A. Bryant (TB)

93. C. Palmer (CIN)

94. Patriots D/ST

95. L. Evans (BUF)

96. Steelers D/ST

Another value pick with Felix Jones in Round 11. I could have gone with Rashard Mendenhall here because I think both guys have the potential to put up points this season, but I ended up going with Jones. Snagging Lee Evans at pick #95 is a nice value now that he'll be playing across from Terrell Owens. If Trent Edwards stays healthy, I like Evans' chances at a 1000 yd. season.

Round 13:

97. J. Cotchery (NYJ)

98. L. McCoy (PHI)

99. J. Lewis (CLE)

100. C. Cooley (WAS)

101. M. Crosby (GB)

102. D. Mason (BAL)

103. G. Coffee (SF)

104. J. Carlson (SEA)

Round 14:

105. K. Walter (HOU)

106. M. Crabtree (SF)

107. D. Akers (PHI)

108. L. Coles (CIN)

109. Titans D/ST

110. A. Bradshaw (NYG)

111. E. Manning (NYG)

112. J. Norwood (ATL)

Probably the biggest mistake of the draft for me was taking LeSean McCoy instead of Glen Coffee in Round 13. Nothing against McCoy, but having Coffee as insurance for Gore would have been the smart move here. Getting Eli Manning in Round 14 is also a nice value pick for a back-up QB. His receiving options are uncertain right now, but he's a proven leader and New York should still have an excellent ground game this year.

Round 15:

113. C. Taylor (MIN)

114. Eagles D/ST
115. T. Holt (JAC)

116. N. Kaeding (SD)

117. T. Choice (DAL)

118. M. Bush (OAK)

119. D. Avery (STL)

120. R. Longwell (MIN)

Round 16:

121. Vikings D/ST
122. J. Morgan (SF)
123. P. Crayton (DAL)
124. Z. Miller (OAK)
125. L. McClain (BAL)
126. K. Brown (HOU)
127. R. Bironas (TEN)
128. D. Driver (GB)

The last 2 rounds are roster fillers. I like the Philadelphia defense and Rob Bironas has one of the biggest legs in the league. Not a bad way to round out my team.

Overall I thought I came away with some absolute steals. From Peterson in Round 1 to Gore in Round 3 and Rivers in Round 5 to Rice in Round 9, I think my roster looks pretty formidable. Only time will tell.

Preseason Rankings: Tight End

The following series of posts will list the top 10 fantasy players at each skill position based on projected fantasy output for the upcoming 2009 season.

With the explosion of talent at the tight end position over the recent years, the gap between the top tier and free agency pickups is smaller than ever. With a rejuvenating season last year and a trade to an offense loaded with weapons in Atlanta, Tony Gonzalez tops the list going into the season. Antonio Gates still put up decent fantasy numbers while missing significant time due to an array of injuries that are now behind him. Another 1,000 yard, 10 TD season out of Gates wouldn't surprise me at all. I'm also expecting another strong season from Dallas Clark, who'll probably see the lions share of passes formerly allocated to Marvin Harrison. Looking a little further down the list, it's about time for Visanthe Shiancoe and Greg Olsen to step into that top-tier conversation. Both Minnesota and Chicago will be counting on their TE's to move the chains and also get open in the red zone. With Pittsburgh's penchant for looking to the tight end in the end zone, Heath Miller is always a scoring threat.

1. Tony Gonzalez (ATL)
2. Antonio Gates (SD)
3. Jason Witten (DAL)
4. Dallas Clark (IND)
5. Kellen Winslow (TB)
6. Visanthe Shiancoe (MIN)
7. Greg Olsen (CHI)
8. Owen Daniels (HOU)
9. Chris Cooley (WAS)
10. Heath Miller (PIT)

Fantasy Impact: With the emergence of several viable fantasy options at the tight end position, there's no need to reach for a tight end early. Unless Gonzalez, Gates, or Witten falls to you in the 5th or 6th round, look to try and grab Shiancoe or Olsen in the 9th or 10th round. And if that doesn't work out, you can always troll the free agent pool once the season starts. There's always at least one TE that comes out of nowhere to produce good numbers, think Jon Carlson last season.

Preseason Rankings: Running Back

The following series of posts will list the top 10 fantasy players at each skill position based on projected fantasy output for the upcoming 2009 season.

At the running back position the conversation starts and ends with Adrian Peterson. He's built for power and speed, and has stayed relatively healthy so far in his young career. After him, there's a group of really strong backs who all have something to prove. The guy who made the biggest jump last season was Michael Turner, who stepped in as the every-down back in Atlanta and simply ran wild. Known primarily for his speed, the versatile Turner held up all season under the grueling workload of being the every-down back for the first time in his career. Two rookies of a year ago, Chris Johnson and Steve Slaton, made the list due to their breakout seasons. I think they both have what it takes to stay there. I'm not as high on Maurice Jones-Drew as some of the "experts" because I don't think he can be an every-down back. Part of his strength the last few years has been returning kicks, working primarily in the red zone, and being the "change of pace" back. Now that it's just him in Jacksonville, he's got to prove that he's got the toughness to battle all season long. Pierre Thomas is my wildcard. After finishing strong last season, it'll be interesting to see how he fits in to the pass-happy New Orleans offense over the course of a full season.

1. Adrian Peterson (MIN)
2. Matt Forte (CHI)
3. Frank Gore (SF)
4. Chris Johnson (TEN)
5. Michael Turner (ATL)
6. LaDainian Tomlinson (SD)
7. Maurice Jones-Drew (JAX)
8. Ronnie Brown (MIA)
9. Steve Slaton (HOU)
10. Pierre Thomas (NO)

Fantasy Impact: It's a widely held belief that running backs are what win fantasy championships, but I'm one of the few who disagree with this strategy. Depending on the format of your league, I would say that having a single top running back is all you need. I'd take any one of the top 10 backs and then not take another RB until at least the 4th round. With the way the running game is evolving in the NFL, more than half of the teams will be splitting carries between at least two backs this season, and in some cases three (i.e. Baltimore with McGahee, Rice, McClain and New York with Jacobs, Ward, Bradshaw last season). Avoid the pressure to draft RB's back-to-back in the first and second round and you'll find yourself with some amazing players on the board.

Preseason Rankings: Quarterback

The following series of posts will list the top 10 fantasy players at each skill position based on projected fantasy output for the upcoming 2009 season.

Let's start with the quarterback position which had some breakout performances last year, most notably by Matt Cassel, Matt Ryan, and Aaron Rodgers. All three guys have moved into the top 10 at the quarterback position going into this season, so it's up to them to prove that they deserve it. At the top of the list, I think Tom Brady's 100% back from his season-ending knee injury last season and should put up big numbers with Randy Moss and Wes Welker still in New England. There's some doubt in Dallas whether Tony Romo can succeed without Terrell Owens, so I think he's got something to prove. I was hesitant to put Kurt Warner higher on this list because I think his age will finally catch up to him this season. Jay Cutler barely made it on the list after a tumultuous off-season that saw him traded from Denver to Chicago. He's definitely got the skills to be a top 5 quarterback, but I just don't think Chicago has enough talent at the wide received position.

1. Tom Brady (NE)
2. Peyton Manning (IND)
3. Drew Brees (NO)
4. Tony Romo (DAL)
5. Philip Rivers (SD)
6. Matt Ryan (ATL)
7. Kurt Warner (ARI)
8. Matt Cassel (KC)
9. Aaron Rodgers (GB)
10. Jay Cutler (CHI)

Fantasy Impact: I'm of the opinion that drafting a quarterback is one of the most critical moves you can make in the draft. They're historically the top fantasy point producers, so even though many "experts" will say that the drop-off from #1-#10 isn't as great as at other positions, I would much rather have a quarterback that I can count on every game to deliver 20- 25 pts. for my team. Usually the first QB comes off the board in the late first-early second round. I would shoot for Ryan in the 5th to 6th round as a solid value pick with tons of upside.