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Do you take a Kicker and Defense at the draft? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Borden
- Start date
Godsbrother
Footballguy
Defense usually in rounds 12-14. Kicker is always my last pick.
Thunderlips
Footballguy
Guppies ignore DEF and Ks.
Same here. Why waste two spots on a position that you may stream (if you are into streaming defenses) and a kicker who is just essentially a crapshoot? Take two extra high upside bench players, then wait to see if they win a starting job or perhaps if there is an injury. This of course depends on your league, if you have to pay for each transaction, use your waiver priority, rules that say you have to always have a complete team, etc., then the situation may be different.
Godsbrother
Footballguy
Our draft is the Sunday of labor day after the last preseason game and 99% of the starting jobs and major injuries are known. Except in a rare case I'm not seeing the point in selecting 2 bench players that you'll have to cut in the next 2 or 3 days for a kicker and defense anyway.
Now if your draft is earlier then I can see the logic...
Thank you. Yes, as I have bolded, it all depends on your league. I realize I'm new to these forums but not new to fantasy football and other fantasy football forums. We draft usually after the first or second preseason game, so it totally makes sense to roster two extra players. If your draft is the night before the season starts, then yeah, for obvious reasons this makes no sense.
Pip's Invitation
Footballguy
One of my leagues has no waiver period before Week 1 so you have to draft K and D. Two others have large rosters so it's not much of a burden to carry them for a few extra days/weeks.
cubbie5150
Footballguy
Yes, because in all of my leagues, we use FAAB to pay for all transactions, and every transaction costs FAAB $$. But for that, tbh, I wouldn't pick up a K until right before opening weekend.
FUBAR
Footballguy
this.
If the choice is taking my 8th RB or taking a top 10 kicker I like, I'm taking the kicker. Same for D
Fat Nick
Footballguy
This. If it's a few weeks from opening day, and certainly if there's a pre-season game or two left, no way. I use my last 2 picks on guys who stand to benefit from possible injury and/or are backing up injury prone guys or guys who are still questionably hurt.
I think I've only drafted them 1-2 times, and that's only when the season starts in like 2-3 days and I just didn't want to fuss with it.
Despite this, I usually end up with one of the top 5 in each spot by the end of the season. I think those two positions are too hard to predict anyway.
K - Offense is REALLY good? Not a lot of FG's...It's kind of a happy medium to get a good kicker.
Def - Defense is REALLY good? Lots of 3-and-outs...not a lot of opportunity to make big plays, etc...you want a dynamic defense that is good at making big plays, but not so good as to never be on the field.
As you said, there is no real science to picking a kicker. Perhaps there is for defense, but it's still hard with constant personnel changes.
Disagree slightly with your kicker argument. Yours is what everybody says. Don't pick a kicker in a great offense because all you'll get are extra points. But is that really true? Top 5 kickers last year? Gostowski (NE), Parkey (Phil), Vinatieri (Ind), Carpenter (Buf), and Bailey (Dal). Of those, only Carpenter falls into the "not good offense" category. Of the kickers who played all 16 games, the bottom finishers were Janikowski (Oak), Scobee (JAC), and Succop (Tenn). So you pick a kicker on a really bad team, you're not doing yourself any favors either, which should be obvious.
How do you end up with one of the top 5 every year? Do you draft them and hang onto them the entire year? If so, wow, that's a pretty good track record. But if you pick up Dan Bailey or Vinatieri mid-season after somebody drops him because he his bye and they didn't want to carry two kickers, then that's a different story.
I generally look to fill those couple slots about two rounds or so before "the last two rounds."
This is because when it comes to "end of draft" sleepers, there are usually a bunch of them who I value about equally, many of whom won't be drafted at all.
At that point -- where I no longer see picking D and K as a detriment to the strength of my roster -- it makes sense to maximize those two positions to the best my knowledge and guesswork will allow.
This usually amounts to getting the last of the "more desirable" D's (or the first choice among the perceived "weaker" ones who has a good first matchup or two), and a pretty good choice among K's on high-powered O's, before all the people who are waiting for the last two rounds to take their D and K "on principle."
It's only a small advantage, and only then sometimes, but when any advantage has no opportunity cost, why not pursue it?
This is because when it comes to "end of draft" sleepers, there are usually a bunch of them who I value about equally, many of whom won't be drafted at all.
At that point -- where I no longer see picking D and K as a detriment to the strength of my roster -- it makes sense to maximize those two positions to the best my knowledge and guesswork will allow.
This usually amounts to getting the last of the "more desirable" D's (or the first choice among the perceived "weaker" ones who has a good first matchup or two), and a pretty good choice among K's on high-powered O's, before all the people who are waiting for the last two rounds to take their D and K "on principle."
It's only a small advantage, and only then sometimes, but when any advantage has no opportunity cost, why not pursue it?
Oh, sorry, I meant to add that that's the "late draft" strategy, even if those positions aren't mandatory.
For earlier drafts, I like to take as many of those high upside endgame fliers as possible, to hedge against (or capitalize on) preseason injuries.
And these days, on suspensions, too.
For earlier drafts, I like to take as many of those high upside endgame fliers as possible, to hedge against (or capitalize on) preseason injuries.
And these days, on suspensions, too.
Dan Lambskin
Footballguy
Hawk move is to get Gostkowski while your league mates are drafting Dan Herron and Cody Lattimer
