My first ‘Anarchy’ league experience so I wasn’t locked in to any one particular strategy, but rather just trying to let the draft come to me. I wanted to be flexible and draft a well balanced team, and hoped to avoid positional runs without getting frozen out of any particular position.
1.05 Turner, Michael ATL RB – I considered going with NO team QB here, but the daunting task of having to fill out 4 RBs and 5 WRs in a 16 team league had me thinking RB as long as there was still one of my top 3 available (ADP, MJD, Turner). There are only a handful of RBs that have a chance to score 20 TDs for you, and Turner is one of them. With MJD & ADP already gone, and no PPR for RBs, I felt good about Turner as my #1 RB. He is a beast and Atlanta’s offense should be even better in Turner’s 2nd year. I know some are worried about his workload being reduced, but I expect him to still receive well over 300 touches and see an increased number of red zone opportunities as Matt Ryan and the Falcons offense mature.
2,11 Jennings, Greg GBP WR – Everyone has to start 5 WRs and given the PPR scoring, I wanted to grab at least 2 with top 10-15 potential. With Jennings, White, Boldin, Welker, Colston, Bowe, all still available, I saw an opportunity to grab one here in the 2nd and follow up with another from this group in the 3rd round. I believe Jennings to be the safest bet of this group, and I fully expected to be able to grab one more from this group, so I decided to play it safe here and not get too fancy.
3.05 Colston, Marques NOS WR – Having already secured a safe bet in Jennings, now I wanted to follow up with the highest possible upside of the remaining WRs. Colston was an easy choice for me. I don’t necessarily want him on my dynasty team (fear of chronic knee problems), however, I predict elite production in the short term. Going into 2009 he is the #1 target in arguably the #1 passing offense in the NFL. Great value at #37 overall, and I will be surprised if he doesn't finish top 10 among WRs this year.
4.11 Bengals, Cincinnati CIN TMQB – The QB position is drying up, but I’ve been holding out hope that two of the Cowboys, Steelers, Bears, &/or Bengals teamQB would fall to me for my 4th and 5th rounders. I don’t think I’ll have a realistic shot at winning this thing without a couple of top 15 QBs, and I predrafted because I knew that I would be unavailable between 5AM and 2PM on August 6th. At least I ended up getting Palmer & Co., who I believe will make a return to top 5 fantasy QB status in ’09. I think he is THE BEST VALUE at QB this year, and am trying to obtain him in all my leagues. As long as he continues to be drafted outside the top 10 at his position, he represents the kind of value that can help you dominate leagues this year.
5.05 Lynch, Marshawn BUF RB - Unfortunately my predraft list was exhausted after Cincinnati TMQB, and 12 picks flew off the board between 6AM and 10AM on August 6th. By the time I got back to my computer the auto-drafter had just given me Lynch… UGH!!! This is the point at which I felt the draft might be slipping away from me. I had been hoping to close out the QB position with this pick, and then start balancing out my team, but now I was just hoping that I wouldn’t get skunked at QB and TE. Well at least Lynch is talented enough to deliver RB1 fantasy production (when he isn’t suspended) and even though top flight WRs and TEs are going to score the most points in this format, every team has to start at least 4 RBs…
6.11 Brown, Donald IND RB - I love Brown’s potential to be a fantasy force in Indy for several years to come, and I expect him to wrest the starting job away from Addai by midseason. Brown is just a much more talented RB than Addai IMO, and I’ve been actively seeking him out as my RB3 or RB4 in multiple leagues this year. With continued success during the preseason, he will become increasingly difficult to acquire cheaply.
7.05 Vikings, Minnesota MIN Def – I believe the Vikings D has a chance to be the league’s best this year. Pittsburgh just went off the board and my 8th rounder is over 20 picks away, so this may be the last chance to grab a top unit.
8.11 Lewis, Jamal CLE RB (P) Was really hoping to grab Shiancoe as my TE1 here, but Buddy Ball 2k3 beat me to it and John Doe nabbed Scaife, so Shiancoe may have been a pipe dream at this stage of the draft either way. Well, with TEs pretty well picked over at this point, and seeing an undisputed starting RB still available, I took Jamal Lewis as a BPA pick. I think he will be better as injuries slowed him down last season, and am hoping that a healthier Jamal can return to 2007 form. However, at age 30 there is plenty of risk that his physical style of play and advancing age are simply taking their toll, and that his career will continue a downward spiral. Still though, not bad for a RB4 in a 16 team draft…
9.05 Scheffler, Tony DEN TE – gotta believe that captain check down is going to throw a lot of passes to the TE and RBs this season, and that the Broncos are going to be throwing the football a ton again this year. I certainly hope so, as I’m not feeling too good about my #1 TE in a 2PPR league, and need Scheffler to repeat or exceed last year’s numbers for my squad to remain competitive.
10.11 Bears, Chicago CHI Def – I really like the Bears to improve greatly this season. I think they have a chance to return to the elite Def/Special Teams again this season, and I like the prospect of closing out with two of the best defenses IMO. I wouldn’t normally even draft 1 defense in the first 10 rounds of an ‘ordinary’ draft, so I’m very anxious to see how this pans out in my first season of ‘Anarchy’. Not sure if I’ll end up looking foolish for having done so, or if this will help push me over the top when all is said and done.
11.05 Bennett, Martellus DAL TE – I really hope he lives up to the hype, because I’m pretty desperate at the TE position. Certainly Bennett is one of the most talented TEs in the NFL, but it’s tough to get excited about relying upon a guy who isn’t even the #1 receiving TE on his own team. I don’t believe in the Cowboys WR core sans TO, and the buzz out of training camp is that Dallas will run a lot of 2 TE sets on passing downs this year. IF that is true and IF Martellus can squeeze out at least 35-40 receptions, then I’ll be satisfied with this pick.
12.11 Schilens, Chaz OAK WR – I feel great about this pick, as Schilens provides crazy value near the end of round 12. He is likely to be Russell’s #1 WR this season and as a possession receiver should rack up a lot of receptions. Love this value for my WR3.
13.05 Bradley, Mark KCC WR – At this point I’m looking for WRs who are starters for their NFL clubs and offer some upside as I fill out the WR position. I would have preferred Laurent Robinson here but benm3218 just nabbed him. Anyhow, I expect KC to be passing a ton this year from their spread formation offense, and I’m taking a bit of a gamble that Bradley and Cassell will pick up where Bradley left off last year with Thigpen.
14.11 Rams, St. Louis STL TMQB – I expect the Rams offense has to be better this year, and Bulger has been a decent fantasy option in the past. It remains to be seen if Bulger can adapt to the new WCO and if the new personnel are going to pan out. However, of the limited options remaining at team QB, at least Bulger has some upside based on prior track record, and this offense is going to be forced to throw the football. Just hoping to make lemonade out of the remaining lemons at this point of the draft.
15.05 Folk, Nick DAL PK – kickers, meh
16.11 Tynes, Lawrence NYG PK (P) second verse, same as the first…
17.05 Garcon, Pierre IND WR – Manning has praised Garcon’s development, and Pierre is set to take over Harrison’s old role in the offense (with Collie being relegated to slot duties). I don’t expect him to get targeted as anything more than the 4th option in 2009, but the opportunity and upside are present if he and Manning continue to develop a good rapport. Honestly though, I Wish I had taken Bernard Scott the RB from CIN here. Garcon might still have fallen to me for my last pick, and Scott offers insanely good upside at this point in the draft. Kudos to HALtheCOW for being able to grab him in the last round.
18.11 Barden, Ramses NYG WR – Was hoping Scott would fall to me, but instead I finished with a ‘lottery ticket’ in Barden. Glowing reports out of camp, and his size and skill set are similar to Burress, and Manning seems to have taken a liking to him. Here’s hoping that he can develop into the Giants big play WR and a force in the red zone.
Concerned about my potential weaknesses at QB and TE, and anxious to see how my strategies at RB and TD work out. Either way though, this was fun for me, so thank you to David for organizing and to the rest of my leaguemates who participated and I wish you all good luck in Anarchy 4 this season.
-Geoff
oudschestatfiddlesgivinghimsammysosatypelove:........
