hot route - unofficial staff vs. posters (1 Viewer)

[fruity pebbles]

Mike, isn't AJ a little old for you?

28-29? no. i won't go into specific players i was looking at at pick 1.10 but AJ's age is just fine with me.

 

[comfortably numb]

1.06

Larry Fitzgerald.

I feel this is a pick that is very safe, and probably the last true long term stud available

It was really between Fitz and Calvin.

I just felt Fitz is a more polished WR and is poised to have a long career in the top 5 each year at WR.

Losing Boldin and Warner has to eat into his numbers I would think, I just hope it doesn't have too much of an impact.

 

[Anthony Borbely]

I had the 1.08 and knew the big 4 RBs and big 3 WRs would all be gone. I picked Jonathan Stewart and it was my intended pick from the time I traded back. He is only 23 years old and has top 5 potential. I realize Williams is still there, but I'm building for the long haul and I am convinced this was the correct pick. I have talked up Stewart since day one and this was really an easy choice for me based on my thoughts. I know some will not like this pick and that's fine. More to come as time permits, but in summary, when I traded back, Stewart was the player I was drafting unless a WR slid to this pick. I have no reservations at all taking him here.

 

[fruity pebbles]

Update through 19 picks. Have Chris Johnson, Andre Johnson and Roddy White so far. No picks now until the 4th round. Felt i had to make these picks count since i have fewer picks than everyone else. Didn't want any potential one year wonders.

1.01 Mike Lightbown Johnson, Chris TEN RB Tue Apr 27 2:27:52 p.m. ET 2010 was never a question

1.02 Bob Magaw / Dave Baker Peterson, Adrian MIN RB Tue Apr 27 3:20:24 p.m. ET 2010 Far from an easy pick, but we like the true blue chip players.

1.03 Ralph Toobsteak Rice, Ray BAL RB Tue Apr 27 4:25:54 p.m. ET 2010

1.04 Jene Bramel Jones-Drew, Maurice JAC RB Tue Apr 27 6:57:53 p.m. ET 2010

1.05 Mike Lightbown Johnson, Andre HOU WR Tue Apr 27 8:17:00 p.m. ET 2010 start off with the Johnson brothers

1.06 Caitlyn Rodrigues Fitzgerald, Larry ARI WR Tue Apr 27 8:40:19 p.m. ET 2010 Probably the last of the true long term studs left on the board...

1.07 Ralph Toobsteak Johnson, Calvin DET WR Tue Apr 27 11:58:49 p.m. ET 2010 MEGATRON!!

1.08 Anthony Borbely Stewart, Jonathan CAR RB Wed Apr 28 12:09:36 a.m. ET 2010

1.09 Aaron Rudnicki Brees, Drew NOS QB Wed Apr 28 12:34:16 a.m. ET 2010

1.10 John Norton Rodgers, Aaron GBP QB Wed Apr 28 6:04:41 a.m. ET 2010

1.11 Nick Chadick Williams, DeAngelo CAR RB Wed Apr 28 7:56:40 a.m. ET 2010

1.12 Doug Bell Marshall, Brandon MIA WR Wed Apr 28 11:53:32 a.m. ET 2010

1.13 Brian Smith Davis, Vernon SFO TE Wed Apr 28 12:59:01 p.m. ET 2010 i love vernon

1.14 Nick Chadick Clark, Dallas IND TE Wed Apr 28 12:59:59 p.m. ET 2010

1.15 Rob Gabbard Jackson, Steven STL RB Wed Apr 28 1:52:59 p.m. ET 2010 Makin this pick from a porta ####ter...you're welcome for the dedication

1.16 Matt Waldman Manning, Peyton IND QB Wed Apr 28 2:30:10 p.m. ET 2010

2.01 Matt Waldman Gates, Antonio SDC TE Wed Apr 28 2:30:35 p.m. ET 2010

2.02 Rob Gabbard Witten, Jason DAL TE Wed Apr 28 3:21:32 p.m. ET 2010 Bunch of TE whores

2.03 Mike Lightbown White, Roddy ATL WR Wed Apr 28 4:47:08 p.m. ET 2010 was gonna take him at the 1.10 if i kept it

 

[Anthony Borbely]

I had the 1.08 and knew the big 4 RBs and big 3 WRs would all be gone. I picked Jonathan Stewart and it was my intended pick from the time I traded back. He is only 23 years old and has top 5 potential. I realize Williams is still there, but I'm building for the long haul and I am convinced this was the correct pick. I have talked up Stewart since day one and this was really an easy choice for me based on my thoughts. I know some will not like this pick and that's fine. More to come as time permits, but in summary, when I traded back, Stewart was the player I was drafting unless a WR slid to this pick. I have no reservations at all taking him here.

First, a brief reminder about the starting lineups and scoring: We start 1 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE, and a RB/TE flex. Scoring is TE friendly, which is why 5 TEs were taken in the first 1 1/2 rounds. the PPR scoring is RBs get 0.5 points per reception, WRs get 1, and TEs get 1.5. I had some options with this pick (2.09). First, I pick again at 3.02, so I know some of the players I really want will still be available. When I traded back from the 1.02, the main reason was to move up in round 2. This pick was right at the end of one of my tiers and that is where I like to draft, if possible. The same with my 3.02. The good thing is if players slide, I have the option of trading back a few spots, but I did not expect that for this pick and I did not seriously consider trading back once nobody really slid.As this pick approached, I had a short list of players that I would consider. One of them was Vincent Jackson, who wound up going the pick right after mine. But I saw 4 TEs go in a 6 pick span (from 1.13 to 2.02) and the only other TE I had in my early tiers was Finley, so he was going to be considered. He went the pick before mine, so I chose the other player on my short list and that was Mendenhall. With the TE tier dropping, and this league having a RB/TE flex, I decided to cover myself and took Mendenhall. I did consider V Jax, but I could not pass up a 23 year old top 10 RB at this pick. The trade I made was discussed earlier in the thread (moving back from 1.02 to 1.08 and moving up from 2.15 to 2.09, among other things) and I got poor value in the deal by being impatient, but I can say right now that I feel a whole lot better about it since I got Mendenhall here. I really thought he would be long gone by now. Needless to say, I am happy to build my core around a couple of 23 year old RBs in Stewart and Mendenhall. My 3.02 is also near the end of one of my tiers so I should have a solid 3rd piece to the puzzle later today. I will have more to say, strategy wise, after some players get drafted. I don't want to talk about players before they are drafted because that is very unfair to owners who have picks coming up, so some strategy discussions are limited at the time a pick is made.

 

[Ned]

I had the 1.08 and knew the big 4 RBs and big 3 WRs would all be gone. I picked Jonathan Stewart and it was my intended pick from the time I traded back. He is only 23 years old and has top 5 potential. I realize Williams is still there, but I'm building for the long haul and I am convinced this was the correct pick. I have talked up Stewart since day one and this was really an easy choice for me based on my thoughts. I know some will not like this pick and that's fine. More to come as time permits, but in summary, when I traded back, Stewart was the player I was drafting unless a WR slid to this pick. I have no reservations at all taking him here.

First, a brief reminder about the starting lineups and scoring: We start 1 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE, and a RB/TE flex. Scoring is TE friendly, which is why 5 TEs were taken in the first 1 1/2 rounds. the PPR scoring is RBs get 0.5 points per reception, WRs get 1, and TEs get 1.5. I had some options with this pick (2.09). First, I pick again at 3.02, so I know some of the players I really want will still be available. When I traded back from the 1.02, the main reason was to move up in round 2. This pick was right at the end of one of my tiers and that is where I like to draft, if possible. The same with my 3.02. The good thing is if players slide, I have the option of trading back a few spots, but I did not expect that for this pick and I did not seriously consider trading back once nobody really slid.As this pick approached, I had a short list of players that I would consider. One of them was Vincent Jackson, who wound up going the pick right after mine. But I saw 4 TEs go in a 6 pick span (from 1.13 to 2.02) and the only other TE I had in my early tiers was Finley, so he was going to be considered. He went the pick before mine, so I chose the other player on my short list and that was Mendenhall. With the TE tier dropping, and this league having a RB/TE flex, I decided to cover myself and took Mendenhall. I did consider V Jax, but I could not pass up a 23 year old top 10 RB at this pick. The trade I made was discussed earlier in the thread (moving back from 1.02 to 1.08 and moving up from 2.15 to 2.09, among other things) and I got poor value in the deal by being impatient, but I can say right now that I feel a whole lot better about it since I got Mendenhall here. I really thought he would be long gone by now. Needless to say, I am happy to build my core around a couple of 23 year old RBs in Stewart and Mendenhall. My 3.02 is also near the end of one of my tiers so I should have a solid 3rd piece to the puzzle later today. I will have more to say, strategy wise, after some players get drafted. I don't want to talk about players before they are drafted because that is very unfair to owners who have picks coming up, so some strategy discussions are limited at the time a pick is made.

I was actually mildly shocked to see you take Mendenhall at 2.09. Not so much that I think Mendenhall is bad, but I didn't really expect to see anyone go RB/RB with their first 2 picks in this format (although I was strongly considering it if Gore fell to me at 2.06). I think Mendenhall would've been there at 3.02 for ya. That is a nice duo though. You should have no worries about who to play at RB for quite a while.

 

[fruity pebbles]

I had the 1.08 and knew the big 4 RBs and big 3 WRs would all be gone. I picked Jonathan Stewart and it was my intended pick from the time I traded back. He is only 23 years old and has top 5 potential. I realize Williams is still there, but I'm building for the long haul and I am convinced this was the correct pick. I have talked up Stewart since day one and this was really an easy choice for me based on my thoughts. I know some will not like this pick and that's fine. More to come as time permits, but in summary, when I traded back, Stewart was the player I was drafting unless a WR slid to this pick. I have no reservations at all taking him here.

First, a brief reminder about the starting lineups and scoring: We start 1 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE, and a RB/TE flex. Scoring is TE friendly, which is why 5 TEs were taken in the first 1 1/2 rounds. the PPR scoring is RBs get 0.5 points per reception, WRs get 1, and TEs get 1.5. I had some options with this pick (2.09). First, I pick again at 3.02, so I know some of the players I really want will still be available. When I traded back from the 1.02, the main reason was to move up in round 2. This pick was right at the end of one of my tiers and that is where I like to draft, if possible. The same with my 3.02. The good thing is if players slide, I have the option of trading back a few spots, but I did not expect that for this pick and I did not seriously consider trading back once nobody really slid.As this pick approached, I had a short list of players that I would consider. One of them was Vincent Jackson, who wound up going the pick right after mine. But I saw 4 TEs go in a 6 pick span (from 1.13 to 2.02) and the only other TE I had in my early tiers was Finley, so he was going to be considered. He went the pick before mine, so I chose the other player on my short list and that was Mendenhall. With the TE tier dropping, and this league having a RB/TE flex, I decided to cover myself and took Mendenhall. I did consider V Jax, but I could not pass up a 23 year old top 10 RB at this pick. The trade I made was discussed earlier in the thread (moving back from 1.02 to 1.08 and moving up from 2.15 to 2.09, among other things) and I got poor value in the deal by being impatient, but I can say right now that I feel a whole lot better about it since I got Mendenhall here. I really thought he would be long gone by now. Needless to say, I am happy to build my core around a couple of 23 year old RBs in Stewart and Mendenhall. My 3.02 is also near the end of one of my tiers so I should have a solid 3rd piece to the puzzle later today. I will have more to say, strategy wise, after some players get drafted. I don't want to talk about players before they are drafted because that is very unfair to owners who have picks coming up, so some strategy discussions are limited at the time a pick is made.

I was actually mildly shocked to see you take Mendenhall at 2.09. Not so much that I think Mendenhall is bad, but I didn't really expect to see anyone go RB/RB with their first 2 picks in this format (although I was strongly considering it if Gore fell to me at 2.06). I think Mendenhall would've been there at 3.02 for ya. That is a nice duo though. You should have no worries about who to play at RB for quite a while.

I was more than mildly surprised. I'd have bet a fair amount of money that VJax was your pick there.

 

[Dr. Octopus]

1.13 Brian Smith Davis, Vernon SFO TE Wed Apr 28 12:59:01 p.m. ET 2010 i love vernon 1.14 Nick Chadick Clark, Dallas IND TE Wed Apr 28 12:59:59 p.m. ET 2010

Wow. I could see the scoring system coming into play a little, but TEs in the first round?Davis is at least young and somewhat justifiable, but at 32-33 Clark is getting to the age where TEs start a serious decline.

 

[fruity pebbles]

1.13 Brian Smith Davis, Vernon SFO TE Wed Apr 28 12:59:01 p.m. ET 2010 i love vernon 1.14 Nick Chadick Clark, Dallas IND TE Wed Apr 28 12:59:59 p.m. ET 2010

Wow. I could see the scoring system coming into play a little, but TEs in the first round?Davis is at least young and somewhat justifiable, but at 32-33 Clark is getting to the age where TEs start a serious decline.

Scoring system and starting requirements come into play a lot. TEs are worth as much as RBs. Not only do they get 1.5 ppr but there is a RB/TE flex. For example, Dallas Clark was the #2 scoring non QB last season behind only Chris Johnson.

 

[Ned]

1.13 Brian Smith Davis, Vernon SFO TE Wed Apr 28 12:59:01 p.m. ET 2010 i love vernon 1.14 Nick Chadick Clark, Dallas IND TE Wed Apr 28 12:59:59 p.m. ET 2010

Wow. I could see the scoring system coming into play a little, but TEs in the first round?Davis is at least young and somewhat justifiable, but at 32-33 Clark is getting to the age where TEs start a serious decline.

Scoring system and starting requirements come into play a lot. TEs are worth as much as RBs. Not only do they get 1.5 ppr but there is a RB/TE flex. For example, Dallas Clark was the #2 scoring non QB last season behind only Chris Johnson.

TE = RB for the most part in this format.

 

[Unwrittenlaw]

1.13 Brian Smith Davis, Vernon SFO TE Wed Apr 28 12:59:01 p.m. ET 2010 i love vernon 1.14 Nick Chadick Clark, Dallas IND TE Wed Apr 28 12:59:59 p.m. ET 2010

Wow. I could see the scoring system coming into play a little, but TEs in the first round? but at 32-33 Clark is getting to the age where TEs start a serious decline.

Clark is 30.

 

[Dr. Octopus]

1.13 Brian Smith Davis, Vernon SFO TE Wed Apr 28 12:59:01 p.m. ET 2010 i love vernon 1.14 Nick Chadick Clark, Dallas IND TE Wed Apr 28 12:59:59 p.m. ET 2010

Wow. I could see the scoring system coming into play a little, but TEs in the first round? but at 32-33 Clark is getting to the age where TEs start a serious decline.

Clark is 30.

Sorry I was off on that. He'll be 31 in June. gianmarco did a study last offseason that showed 31 was the line where TEs start a serious decline - althought I would say Clark's role is more slot WR than typical TE so perhaps he isn't as worn down.

 

[Anthony Borbely]

I had the 1.08 and knew the big 4 RBs and big 3 WRs would all be gone. I picked Jonathan Stewart and it was my intended pick from the time I traded back. He is only 23 years old and has top 5 potential. I realize Williams is still there, but I'm building for the long haul and I am convinced this was the correct pick. I have talked up Stewart since day one and this was really an easy choice for me based on my thoughts. I know some will not like this pick and that's fine. More to come as time permits, but in summary, when I traded back, Stewart was the player I was drafting unless a WR slid to this pick. I have no reservations at all taking him here.

First, a brief reminder about the starting lineups and scoring: We start 1 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE, and a RB/TE flex. Scoring is TE friendly, which is why 5 TEs were taken in the first 1 1/2 rounds. the PPR scoring is RBs get 0.5 points per reception, WRs get 1, and TEs get 1.5. I had some options with this pick (2.09). First, I pick again at 3.02, so I know some of the players I really want will still be available. When I traded back from the 1.02, the main reason was to move up in round 2. This pick was right at the end of one of my tiers and that is where I like to draft, if possible. The same with my 3.02. The good thing is if players slide, I have the option of trading back a few spots, but I did not expect that for this pick and I did not seriously consider trading back once nobody really slid.As this pick approached, I had a short list of players that I would consider. One of them was Vincent Jackson, who wound up going the pick right after mine. But I saw 4 TEs go in a 6 pick span (from 1.13 to 2.02) and the only other TE I had in my early tiers was Finley, so he was going to be considered. He went the pick before mine, so I chose the other player on my short list and that was Mendenhall. With the TE tier dropping, and this league having a RB/TE flex, I decided to cover myself and took Mendenhall. I did consider V Jax, but I could not pass up a 23 year old top 10 RB at this pick. The trade I made was discussed earlier in the thread (moving back from 1.02 to 1.08 and moving up from 2.15 to 2.09, among other things) and I got poor value in the deal by being impatient, but I can say right now that I feel a whole lot better about it since I got Mendenhall here. I really thought he would be long gone by now. Needless to say, I am happy to build my core around a couple of 23 year old RBs in Stewart and Mendenhall. My 3.02 is also near the end of one of my tiers so I should have a solid 3rd piece to the puzzle later today. I will have more to say, strategy wise, after some players get drafted. I don't want to talk about players before they are drafted because that is very unfair to owners who have picks coming up, so some strategy discussions are limited at the time a pick is made.

I was actually mildly shocked to see you take Mendenhall at 2.09. Not so much that I think Mendenhall is bad, but I didn't really expect to see anyone go RB/RB with their first 2 picks in this format (although I was strongly considering it if Gore fell to me at 2.06). I think Mendenhall would've been there at 3.02 for ya. That is a nice duo though. You should have no worries about who to play at RB for quite a while.

I was more than mildly surprised. I'd have bet a fair amount of money that VJax was your pick there.

First, some background. Romo and Rivers went between my Mendenhall pick (2.09) and my 3.02, but I made my mind up quite a while ago that neither my 2.09 nor my 3.02 picks would be a QB unless all of the WRs I liked were gone and Mendenhall was gone. The only TE I would have taken that high that was available was Finley and he was picked right before I took Mendenhall. That left WR and RB as my choices at the 2.09. I had a short list of WRs that I liked and had them all in a reasonably close tier. I would have considered going WR/WR with the 2.09 and the 3.02, but if I took a WR at 2.09 and the other WRs I liked were all taken, then I would have a big drop in value from my tiers. My short list of WRs that I would have considered at the 3.02 were V Jax, Rice, Colston, Crabtree, and Dez Bryant. I did not see me being able to take one at 2.09 AND have one of them also slide to my 3.02. So I took Mendenhall because I figured I would be able to get one of the above WRs and I did. I took Dez Bryant with the 3.02 and that pretty much shows my swing for the fences mentality. I think this guy is going to be an absolute beast and the pick was a no brainer for me considering my strategy. I think he will be every bit as good as any of the WRs I listed above with a huge ceiling. So I now have Stewart, Mendenhall, and Bryant.

 

[Aaron Rudnicki]

1.09 QB Drew Brees

Thoughts: I wanted to grab a RB but didn't feel that any of the ones available here separated themselves enough from the pack to be an easy choice. Also, RBs have such a short shelf life in football that I felt it made more sense to look elsewhere. None of the WRs left warranted a pick this high either so I turned my attention to QB. I considered Rodgers given his age, but went with what I felt was the safer pick in Brees given that he has a much longer track record and doesn't seem to take as many sacks. In this scoring system, I think he'll be a solid anchor to build my team around for the next 3 to 5 years.

2.11 WR Miles Austin

Thoughts: Well, I was initially up at 2.08 and couldn't talk myself into any of the players as there seemed to be a group of players with similar value at RB, WR, and TE so I took a trade to move down a few spots in exchange for a slight bump up in 3 later rounds. I'm not sold on Mendenhall so I don't think he would have been a strong consideration for me. I did consider Vincent Jackson, but him being picked made my decision easier. Austin is probably who I would have taken anyway. I was definitely concerned that last year might have been a fluke but I think he was too good for that to be the case. Also slightly concerned that Dez Bryant could overtake him as the focal point on offense, but I think there are enough balls to go around in Dallas to keep both productive.

3.06 TE Brent Celek

Thoughts: Actually gave some consideration to taking him with my pick in the 2nd round. He ranked as TE4 in this scoring system last year and I think Kolb will rely on him pretty heavily. He's young and in a very productive offense so hopefully he can be another core player that will be a major contributor for the next 5 years or so. Was hard to keep passing on RBs but it's not that unusual given the rules and scoring system here and the fact that they aren't likely to remain productive for nearly as long as the other offensive skill positions.

 

[Marino13]

I'm a little surprised a certain RB hasn't been taken yet.....

 

[fruity pebbles]

I'm a little surprised a certain RB hasn't been taken yet.....

Turner just went. You can rest easy.

 

[Marino13]

I'm a little surprised a certain RB hasn't been taken yet.....

Turner just went. You can rest easy.

Whew!

 

[comfortably numb]

Fitzgerald

3.05

Kellen Winslow

As you can see TE is extremely important.

I felt KW was the last tier of current TE STUDS. Freeman looks to have several new weapons added, but the main weapon will still be Winslow.

3.07

Michael Turner

Wanted to go in a few directions here, mainly young WR (Nick's perhaps).

I just felt despite this being a PPR, Turner has the potential even in this scoring to be a top 5 RB.

At the end of the day, I consider my 1st 3 picks to be players that can put up top 5 stats at their position.

next up....

4.12

5.05

 

[Anthony Borbely]

I took Dez Bryant with the 3.02

Wanted to go in a few directions here, mainly young WR

 

[Getinthemix]

Joe Flacco as the 7th QB? wow

 

[dirtyhalos]

Joe Flacco as the 7th QB? wow

i think this one surprised everyone

 

[Getinthemix]

I am all for being ahead of the curve, but that blows my mind. I am significantly lower on Flacco than most, perhaps that is clouding my judgment.

 

[ClownDogs]

Flacco is 12th according to the FBG's staff concensus

Might have been a little bit of a reach, but if he thinks he will be a top tier qb next year, why not grab him when he can?

 

[comfortably numb]

I took Dez Bryant with the 3.02

Wanted to go in a few directions here, mainly young WR

 

[Bob Magaw]

1.2 - adrian peterson (very tough decision, strongly looked at rice & MJD - would have loved to have traded down to 1.4)... what can i say... peterson is a prodigy/phenom... one of best size/strength/speed packages at RB i've ever seen, with eric dickerson and bo jackson... potential future HoFer, if he stays healthy... just 25, but has already had three big seasons (kind of a sweet spot in terms of relative youth and proven production)... very consistent... has the passion, intensity & desire to be one of the best ever... had a career high in receptions in 2009, and taylor left for the bears... one of the few players ever that maybe could have turned pro out of high school... great work ethic, he has always been the hardest worker on his team (dating back to oklahoma, probably before)... not the kind of person to get complacent...

2.15 - tony romo... tantalized by the confluence of romo coming off easily his best season ever (4,500 passing yards and 26 TDs, 9 INTs - i think slightly outscored peyton manning in this scoring system last year... manning got pulled last few games... BUT THAT IS THE POINT! happens nearly every year)... AND they add maybe the top offensive talent in the draft in bryant... he been called one of the best WR prospects in past decade (doesn't have the speed of andre or calvin, and not as highly regarded as fitz coming out - maybe TO is a better comp, in terms of size, athleticism and RAC skills)... nearly took rivers, who also has a great supporting cast, and a bit younger (romo recently turned 30, rivers turns 29 in dec... brees is 31, brady 33 & manning 34)... austin looks to me as good as jackson, witten is a couple years younger than gates (28-30?)... if dez is as good as advertised, and felix jones could be explosive in the flat and in space, few QBs will have as fearsome an array of weapons as romo... the NFC East is a very competitive division... WAS should be on the up with shanahan/mcnabb, the giants could be more competitive and the eagles have a dangerous team, so cowboys/romo could be in a lot of shootouts for perpetuity... would have jumped on austin or vince jackson, but knew they wouldn't drop that far... it spared us from probably missing out on romo/rivers (maybe romo would have lasted to our 3.8, but i doubt it?)...

3.8 - chris "beanie" wells (from wells thread today)...

i think beanie inexorably will take on a bigger and bigger role... barring injury, there is too much of a talent discrepancy to not happen...

he is a rare combination of size, strength, balance, speed, quickness, athleticism, vision, instincts and elusiveness... he punches through the DL in a blink, can run around LBs and is a rampaging rhino/unstoppable freight train in the secondary... tough for one DB to bring him down in the open field...

ohio state didn't throw to RBs, but he is a superior athlete with good hand/eye coordination, and can catch the ball (if not be split out like faulk, westbrook, bush, spiller, best)... agree HC was probably being conservative in bringing him along slowly, while he learned pass protection (even more importantly than leinart, was protecting warner last year)...

i really like his temperment (tough, physical, determined), and his overall game... he has the physical traits and talent to be a bell cow, a rarity in the contemporary NFL... he can pound it inside and in short yardage/goal line situations, but has the explosiveness and speed to break long runs if a defender misses a tackle (which he did at ohio state, didn't break one last year, but i would be shocked if he doesn't bust a few long runs of 40+ yards in 2010, especially if he does get an increasing workload)...

imo, future top 10 potential, with upside...

 

[rgabbard]

I'll give my thoughts on my team later today...as for the flacco pick, I can't say I agree with it, but in this league..if you like a certain guy, then you better take him when you can. There will be very few players that slip thru the cracks.

 

[Aaron Rudnicki]

Bloom traded up to snipe me on CJ Spiller so I went with Owen Daniels in the 4th. I think he'll outscore all the remaining RBs so it looks like I'm going with the 2 TE formation every week.

 

[fruity pebbles]

I traded twice with bloom, both very similar. Essence of the deals were a 4th, 8th and 25th for a 5th, 6th and 15th. I had no picks between 11-25 and now i have a 15th and 16th. Also saw no had to have players in the 4th so was willing to drop back and acquire some much needed picks.

 

[Anthony Borbely]

I was sitting on the 4.11 and 5.04 and had several players that I liked, so I was getting ready to email the league, stating my interest in trading back from the 4.11. Right then, Jene "The Mindreader" Bramel sent me an offer and I took it. I moved down from 4.11 to 5.04 and moved up from 7.13 to 6.14. That 15 spot move up from 7.13 to 6.14 is huge for me based on my tiers and I really wanted to move back into the 6th round.

This gave me the 5.02, 5.04, 6.14, and 7.07. I used the 5.02 and took Percy Harvin, who would have been my pick at 4.11, so this trade worked out as good as can be.

I then made another small trade back with Bachman. I moved back 3 spots from 5.04 to 5.07 and moved up from 6.14 to 6.06. The 6.14 was a pick acquired in the previous deal mentioned above. This trade was a no brainer for me. I will explain this deal better after some more players are taken, but with my board, this trade does not affect me in a negative way at all and benefits me with the 8 spot moveup. I traded my 6th for a 2011 first early in the process and am glad to have moved back into the 6th without hurting myself.

So combining those 2 deals, I moved back from 4.11 to 5.07 (12 spots) and used my 5.02 to take Harvin, who I would have taken at 4.11, so no loss at all moving back. I moved up from 7.13 to 6.06, which is 23 spots and a big different on my draft board. The other owners both got what they wanted to (both made the offers to me), so it was win-win, which are the best kind of trades.

More to come later. I have the 5.07, 6.06, and 7.07. I have drafted Stewart, Mendenhall, Dez Bryant, and Harvin and am happy with how this is progressing.

 

[Anthony Borbely]

I was sitting on the 4.11 and 5.04 and had several players that I liked, so I was getting ready to email the league, stating my interest in trading back from the 4.11. Right then, Jene "The Mindreader" Bramel sent me an offer and I took it. I moved down from 4.11 to 5.04 and moved up from 7.13 to 6.14. That 15 spot move up from 7.13 to 6.14 is huge for me based on my tiers and I really wanted to move back into the 6th round. This gave me the 5.02, 5.04, 6.14, and 7.07. I used the 5.02 and took Percy Harvin, who would have been my pick at 4.11, so this trade worked out as good as can be. I then made another small trade back with Bachman. I moved back 3 spots from 5.04 to 5.07 and moved up from 6.14 to 6.06. The 6.14 was a pick acquired in the previous deal mentioned above. This trade was a no brainer for me. I will explain this deal better after some more players are taken, but with my board, this trade does not affect me in a negative way at all and benefits me with the 8 spot moveup. I traded my 6th for a 2011 first early in the process and am glad to have moved back into the 6th without hurting myself. So combining those 2 deals, I moved back from 4.11 to 5.07 (12 spots) and used my 5.02 to take Harvin, who I would have taken at 4.11, so no loss at all moving back. I moved up from 7.13 to 6.06, which is 23 spots and a big different on my draft board. The other owners both got what they wanted to (both made the offers to me), so it was win-win, which are the best kind of trades. More to come later. I have the 5.07, 6.06, and 7.07. I have drafted Stewart, Mendenhall, Dez Bryant, and Harvin and am happy with how this is progressing.

I just moved back again, trading 5.07 and 7.07 for 5.11 and 6.13.I have made 3 tradebacks, still got Harvin, still see players I was targeting, and turned my 7.13 and 7.07 into 6.06 and 6.13. Those 2 moveups from round 7 to round 6 are huge with my draftboard being what it is. I still can't give better detail because players I need to discuss are still not drafted and it is important that we don't talk about those players, nor any positions we are targeting. I will have more specifics to post when more players have been drafted. I think these 3 trades have made a major difference in this draft for me.I have 5.11, 6.06, and 6.13 coming up.

 

[comfortably numb]

4.12

John Beason

Probably would have taken Cooley in this spot.

Was down to Beason/Felix/Allen maybe Forte. In the end I decided playing in a league where these IDP guys can pick up and plug WW starters with ease, I needed to ensure a presence on the IDP side. I went with Beason as I love his production/age and value.

TRADE DOWN

I gave

5.05 and 11.05

Jene Bremel gave

5.09 and 9.11

I took a risk here and felt a sudden feeling of regret as Bremel took one of the 2 guys I had my eye on with Felix Jones.

I think Felix can be drafted in the 1st RD next year after a very good year in 2010.

With that said, I was surprised Aaron did not take Jared Allen as in Red Dog, he has continually been rewarded with his great production.

5.09

Jared Allen

Could have bolstered my O with this pick, but DE is one of the most valuebale positions, being after the top 4-5 guys, there is a huge drop off. Almost like there is an A category and then a C category in terms of value. My next pick (baring a trade) will be 7.14, I felt the top DE would be gone by then.

All in all what I like about my 1st 5 picks, I feel each player can finish in the top 5 at their position.

I don't think many teams can say that.

RB

Turner

WR

Fitzgerald

TE

Winslow

DE

Allen

LB

Beason

 

[DBELL54]

Joe Flacco as the 7th QB? wow

Thought I would give my 2 cents on why I drafted Flacco.....I know he isn't the highest rated QB on everyone's board, but I think he is going to have a great year. The Ravens added Boldin to the team this year, who on the Football Guys website is #17. This right there will be a big boost to his stats. They also added Stallworth, who didn't play last year and might not be much, but is still a weapon. They drafted 2 TE's in the draft, so hopefully one of them will pan out after Heap is done. He is 25, and his best football is ahead of him.As far as not picking Brady, Welker's injury really scared me. Also, Moss may not be there after this year. We will see how this pick turns out, but I see Flacco improving each year and being a stud for many years to come.

 

[Anthony Borbely]

I was sitting on the 4.11 and 5.04 and had several players that I liked, so I was getting ready to email the league, stating my interest in trading back from the 4.11. Right then, Jene "The Mindreader" Bramel sent me an offer and I took it. I moved down from 4.11 to 5.04 and moved up from 7.13 to 6.14. That 15 spot move up from 7.13 to 6.14 is huge for me based on my tiers and I really wanted to move back into the 6th round.

This gave me the 5.02, 5.04, 6.14, and 7.07. I used the 5.02 and took Percy Harvin, who would have been my pick at 4.11, so this trade worked out as good as can be.

I then made another small trade back with Bachman. I moved back 3 spots from 5.04 to 5.07 and moved up from 6.14 to 6.06. The 6.14 was a pick acquired in the previous deal mentioned above. This trade was a no brainer for me. I will explain this deal better after some more players are taken, but with my board, this trade does not affect me in a negative way at all and benefits me with the 8 spot moveup. I traded my 6th for a 2011 first early in the process and am glad to have moved back into the 6th without hurting myself.

So combining those 2 deals, I moved back from 4.11 to 5.07 (12 spots) and used my 5.02 to take Harvin, who I would have taken at 4.11, so no loss at all moving back. I moved up from 7.13 to 6.06, which is 23 spots and a big different on my draft board. The other owners both got what they wanted to (both made the offers to me), so it was win-win, which are the best kind of trades.

More to come later. I have the 5.07, 6.06, and 7.07. I have drafted Stewart, Mendenhall, Dez Bryant, and Harvin and am happy with how this is progressing.

I just moved back again, trading 5.07 and 7.07 for 5.11 and 6.13.I have made 3 tradebacks, still got Harvin, still see players I was targeting, and turned my 7.13 and 7.07 into 6.06 and 6.13. Those 2 moveups from round 7 to round 6 are huge with my draftboard being what it is.

I still can't give better detail because players I need to discuss are still not drafted and it is important that we don't talk about those players, nor any positions we are targeting.

I will have more specifics to post when more players have been drafted.

I think these 3 trades have made a major difference in this draft for me.

I have 5.11, 6.06, and 6.13 coming up.

Now that certain players can come off the board, I can be more specific about what I was trying to accomplish as I made the 3 trades that allowed me to drop back a few spots at a time. I explained the part about Harvin above. That leaves the last 2 tradebacks, one where I moved back 3 spots and the other where I moved back 4 spots. Pretty much from the time I drew the 4.15 pick (later traded for the 4.11), and my 5.02, I had made a decision that one of those picks was going to be a stud DE. Three of them have been drafted, so I can use them to make my point. The three drafted were Jared Allen, Mario Williams, and Trent Cole, who coincidentally are the top 3 on my board.

After taking Harvin at 5.02 and seeing my 5.04 approaching, I wanted to trade back, but no more than 3-4 spots. Although I think Jared Allen is the top DE, I did not want to be the first one to draft a DE, but I pretty much knew Allen would go first to someone. I also was really hoping Williams would be the one I could draft for 2 reasons: First, he is only 25 years old, 3 full years younger than Allen and Cole and I don't think he has even approached his best yet. He is also 290 pounds and that should eliminate him from any possible moves to a 3-4 defense. Since I pretty much knew Allen would go first. I decided to try and drop back 3-4 spots at a time and do it as many times as I could until I saw Allen get picked, then hopefully draft Williams or if he was taken, I would have drafted Cole. I was able to trade back 3 spots from 5.04 to 5.07, then move another 4 spots from 5.07 to 5.11 and in the process, I moved up from my 6.14 to 6.06, and from my 7.07 to 6.13. I then drafted Williams with the 5.11 so this worked out perfectly.

I want to comment on trades like the above. I know some owners, both newer ones and experienced, that always want to make this giant deals. But small deals like this are pretty easy to make in certain parts of the draft because there are usually owners wanting to move up in small increments to draft a targeted player that they don't think will make it to their pick. Both ways are good. I chose to move back for the above reasons and the owners I traded with had specific players targeted and the price was fair for both the owners I traded with and me. The main thing for my side of the deal was not dropping too far because I did not want to miss out on one of the DEs I mentioned above.

The move ups from the above trades wound up being very important in that they gave me the chance to draft Stafford. I had a short list of QBs after I picked Mario Williams and was not sure if any would slide to my 6.06 pick. I was really sweating it out after Gabbard took both Kolb and Roethlisberger. That left only Stafford on my list and 3 picks to go before mine came up. I decided that I would not trade up and if Stafford was taken, I would have tried trading back again. But Stafford made it to my pick and these trade backs worked out far better than I could have hoped for.

I now have Stafford at QB, Stewart and Mendenhall at RB, Dez Bryant and Harvin at WR, and Mario Williams at DE. Williams is 25 and the others are all 23 and younger, so my core should be around for a long time to come.

I now have the 6.13, then nothing until the 10th. I traded my 6.15 early on for a 2011 first, but then acquired two 6ths in the above trades. This 6.13 is similar to a 7th, so I am basically lacking an 8th and 9th right now.

Overall, I am very happy with the results of my draft and the last 3 trades really helped. The good thing is those trades were all relatively small trades and the owners I traded with all got what they wanted and so did I.

More to come as my 6.13 is just 3 picks away.

 

[Anthony Borbely]

One thing I can say about a deep IDP dynasty league (lineup and roster size are in initial thread) is that you have to have a plan, but be flexible enough to adjust on the fly when things go a different way then you want. This is especially true in a league like this with sharks coming at you from all directions. While there have been a few picks that I thought were reaches, I really haven't seen any player that has had a major slide thus far. This fact is the reason for the high number of trades in which teams were moving up/back a few spots at a time. We all know very few players will slide and if we want someone, we have to make a move. Conversely, some owners moved back, as I did 4 times because my tiers were big enough at those picks to be able to trade back and still get the players I wanted.

My strategy should be pretty obvious now: I wanted to build a core of young studs and players I deemed as potential future studs. I traded the 6.15 early on for a 2011, deciding that I could either draft a potential stud or trade the pick. I figured either way I could get a player as good as what I thought would be available at that pick. I also made a bad trade, but the 4 trade back deals allowed me to move up and acquire 2 picks in the 6th round and move a late 7th to the 7.01 (this was the combined effects of the 4 deals).

This is what I have now:

QB Matthew Stafford

RB Jonathan Stewart

RB Rashard Mendenhall

WR Dez Bryant

WR Percy Harvin

TE Aaron Hernandez

DE Mario Williams

Williams is 25 and all the other players are 23 and younger. The only player who I am not 100% sure of is Hernandez. I personally think the others are either studs or future studs. Time will tell if I am correct, but after trading my 6th, I am extremely happy to have drafted the players I have. Hernandez was a bit of a risk, but I let TE go because they kept getting snagged before my picks. I did not like any of the TEs left so I decided to take Hernandez here, knowing he would not last much longer. Along with these players, I have an extra 2011 first, so this is a two year project and that is how I planned it once I traded my 6th for the 2011 first.

Now I have a vacation until the mid 10th, when I will have the 10.07, 11.01, and 11.02. I will have a much better feel for my team after those 3 picks.

This 54 spot wait will seem like an eternity.

 

[ClownDogs]

Well, my draft is going as planned. Needed to fill out my offensive starters first, then with my loaded 6th round(7 picks), i got some IDP studs.

On offense, i have Cutler, Benson(who was great value falling to 5.04) SSmith(car), Boldin, Meachem and Mike Wallace, Finley and Keller for flex (1.5ppr for TE's)

On the defensive side, started with a perennial top 5 DE in Cole, then went LB heavy with Lofton, Mayo and DJ Williams(start 4)

I have 12 total players and the next team has 8 players, so a little head start is always good when league is full of sharks.

13th pick coming up in next 3, then off till mid 10th.

 

[fruity pebbles]

Well i have the core of my offensive team. I stuck to my plan going in but i ended up with worse tight ends than i anticipated. Guess in a league this size with the kind of competition we have, i can't beat myself up too bad. Tight ends just went far quicker than i planned for in my strategy.

I had three 1sts and three 4ths going in to the draft. My plan was the take CJ 1.01 and then not worry about RB until much later. I did that. Then the plan was two draft two top WRs. That worked as well as i traded up to get AJ and traded back to get Roddy at the 2.03. Where the plan kinda fell apart was the three 4ths. I probably should have taken Zach Miller at the 4.03 but instead decided to trade back to acquire more picks. Moved two of the 4ths and two of my 8ths for two 5ths and two 6ths. Also moved up from the 25/26 to the 15/16. This was more because of necessity than desire. I had no picks between rounds 11 and 24 and i really needed to fill in some space or my defense was going to be a band of waiver wire frauds. So with those two 4ths i would have taken Zach Miller and Percy Harvin. I ended up using the two 5ths and two 6ths to draft Heath Miller, Eli Manning, Justin Tuck and Greg Olsen. Traded back a touch with my other 4th and drafted Jeremy Maclin at 5.03. Had predraft visions of a tight end core of Owen Daniels and Zach Miller. Ended up with Heath Miller and Greg Olsen. Not as pretty.

I have now been trading back trying to acquire a group of picks in the 12-14 range. Like that spot to build my defense. I came in short of picks because of the three 1sts so my D isnt going to be stellar. But i think i can be serviceable there. Especially with Tuck anchoring my DEs. With only 6 top notch DEs and the fact that we start 32 of them, i couldn't pass him up in the 6th. Jared, Mario and Cole were already off the board.

 

[Anthony Borbely]

I have now been trading back trying to acquire a group of picks in the 12-14 range.

The "accept" button is your friend.

 

[fruity pebbles]

I have now been trading back trying to acquire a group of picks in the 12-14 range.

The "accept" button is your friend.

fine

 

[Matt Waldman]

With enough rounds to choke a hippopotamus, I want to wait a bit longer to comment on my draft and my strategy. I will do so in the coming days/week(s).

 

[Bob Magaw]

we have a break with no pick until the 11th...

after getting a QB & two RBs in the first three rounds (romo - 2.15, peterson - 1.2 & wells - 3.8), we had some catch up to do at WR & TE... sometimes engineering a startup dynasty rosters can be like fitting together a puzzle of interlocking pieces, when dealing with the tactical exigencies of taking value presented in the draft, while trying to round out a strong and balanced roster across the positions...

very hard to do this, in a 16 team league, that is so competitive...

with seven picks from rounds 4-9 (no pick in 6th, two in 7th & 9th), we started slamming WRs (four), and managed to squeeze in two TEs and a backup QB...

WRs

demaryius thomas (4.9) - raw, but has the protean physical traits and encompassing game to fill the brandon marshall role... big & strong enough to run intermediate routes and go over the middle, fast enough to get open deep, and a size/athleticism mismatch breaking tackles in the open field and in the red zone. i found his upside compelling enough to pass on harvin, maclin & britt... braylon edwards (5.8) - plagued by drops (like TO), but has a few things going for him... pedigree, elite physical traits to be a #1 WR, a 15 TD season on his resume... and he should be in the best position to succeed in his career, once holmes returns, and as sanchez matures and develops as an NFL QB... devin thomas (7.2) - highest graded WR at the time (avery went first, right before his pick), from the class of 2008 that featured desean jackson, and didn't have a 1st rounder for the first time in like a decade. expected to start opposite moss, he also has the physical traits to be a #1 WR... if he fulfills his potential, can be a dangerous RAC weapon... donnie avery (9.02) - like devin thomas, upside linked to massive QB upgrade (mcnabb & bradford)...

TEs

tony scheffler (8.9) - languished as a mismatch for mcdaniel, could play an expanded role as a receiving TE with the up 'n coming lions, to take pressure off calvin johnson, and give the ascendant stafford another weapon... if so, he should get signed to a long term contract, or is talented enough to land on his feet elsewhere... which would make pettigrew (see below) more valuable... with johnson terrorizing secondaries deep, and best the front seven with his faulk/westbrook-like receiving skills, the middle of the field could be wide open for the DET TEs... brandon pettigrew (9.8) - scheffler has missed time in previous seasons, so pettigrew could also be made more valuable that way, as well... petigrew also has the pedigree (highest graded TE from class of 2009)... he will be on the field a lot because of his blocking, but has the complete, overall game to be a receiving weapon. probably the lions lineup that puts their best skill position players on the field together will be with two TEs (with best, calvin & burleson)... very pleased to come up with these two TEs, in a league like this, waiting until the 8th & 9th rounds (AFTER taking two QBs, two RBs & four WRs)... they may have both dropped because they are on the same team... but by having both of them, it could position us to benefit from some advantages (if scheffler moves on, or either is injured... BETWEEN them, we should have 1-2 starters for all but the bye week)...

QB

mark sanchez (7.8)... like to have strength and depth at what we find a key position... romo not old at 30, but wanted have a player that could could start if pressed into action, with upside, & that could play for the next decade... not sure what the WR corp will be in the future, but if it remains edwards, holmes, cotchery & keller, that is formidable.

a theme here is youth and pedigree... other than outlier romo as a 30 year old UFA (not old for a QB), pretty much everybody here is in their early to mid-20s...

 

[Anthony Borbely]

This 54 spot wait will seem like an eternity.

This was an understatement and for people new to startup dynasties (especially with our 53 round draft) this is a tough time to keep your patience because it's easy to panic when you are watching that many players drafted between your picks.

 

[Anthony Borbely]

This is what I have now:QB Matthew StaffordRB Jonathan StewartRB Rashard MendenhallWR Dez BryantWR Percy HarvinTE Aaron Hernandez DE Mario Williams

I added Vince Young with my 10.07 and have a cluster of picks coming up with the 10.15, 11.01 and 11.02. I made a couple of trades in between my 7.01 pick and the VY pick at 10.07 and will comment later.

 

[comfortably numb]

8.06

Julius Peppers

I was a bit torn here, was considering Jacobs, and he went right after, but in the end, Peppers was the last of the elite DE's.

Most of the RB's are marred in RBBC situations, and i figured having Peppers and Allen will be the best combo in the league heading into the season.

8.12

Santana Moss

Loved the value for him here.

Since emerging as a bona-fide WR in the NFL in 2003, he has averaged about 67 REC/year.

In a league that rewards 1PPR for WR's gettinga WR that can catch 60+ balls is good value this late.

I like Mcnabb as his QB, Shannahan in town and am hoping for a floor of 60/1000/6

9.01

Golden Tate

Shot in the dark here.

I think Sea will pass the ball alot, and was considering TJ, but decided to take a chance on Tate as he is young and I think he brings some athletic ability to the SEA passing game. Despite being my 3rd WR taken, I expect him to ride the bench much of the time.

9.05

Lee Evans

Didn't know which way to go here.

I promised myself to stay away from the mirage that is Lee Evans, but i got sucked back in.

He is the clear #1 on his team, he is fast, and still in his prime.

But god he sucked last year.

I just felt if he does ANYTHING decent, his value escalates rather quickly.

Bloom always seems to be very high on him, so at least I can deal him to Bloom down the road!

10.11

Montario Hardesty

I didn't love this pick.

As you can see RB is a position I am in need of.

I felt I wanted someone younger with some upside to hopefully contribute in a couple of years.

What I like about Hardesty, is I think he will actually get many reps this year. Jerome Harrison had just been picked, so I figured the Hardesty would soon follow.

10.12

Brett Favre

I can't believe he is still here. The guy will play another 4 years at least, so this pick is .

Seriously,

I do expect him to play this year, and in this offense even if it is for 1 year, for that 1 year, I expect to have a top 5 QB.

I started thinking about Favre in the 6th RD, thinking I could scoop him up, I was going to get greedy and wait til the 13th RD but decided to pull the trigger.

Now if he is in fact DONE with football.

This pick clearly is worthless and this plan as him being my QB1 back fires.

We shall see...

QB

Favre

RB

Turner

Hardesty

WR

Fitzgerald

SMoss

Evans

Tate

TE

Winslow

DE

Allen

Peppers

LB

Beason

 

[Sigmund Bloom]

With enough rounds to choke a hippopotamus, I want to wait a bit longer to comment on my draft and my strategy. I will do so in the coming days/week(s).

QBMatt Schaub (3.4)Donovan McNabb (8.3)RBFrank Gore (2.4)CJ Spiller (4.7)WRHakeem Nicks (3.10)Arrelious Benn (6.13)Hines Ward (8.13)Donald Driver (10.1)Dexter McCluster (10.9)TEZach Miller (4.4)LB DeAndre Levy (9.10)Karlos Dansby (9.11)

 

[Anthony Borbely]

One thing I can say about a deep IDP dynasty league (lineup and roster size are in initial thread) is that you have to have a plan, but be flexible enough to adjust on the fly when things go a different way then you want. This is especially true in a league like this with sharks coming at you from all directions. While there have been a few picks that I thought were reaches, I really haven't seen any player that has had a major slide thus far. This fact is the reason for the high number of trades in which teams were moving up/back a few spots at a time. We all know very few players will slide and if we want someone, we have to make a move. Conversely, some owners moved back, as I did 4 times because my tiers were big enough at those picks to be able to trade back and still get the players I wanted.

 

[Marino13]

Nice picks Bloom on the Oak RB's...

Also like the Schilens pick....

And I'm not a Raider homer either...

 

[Bob Magaw]

draft wrapped.

 

[Anthony Borbely]

Warning: This is a LONG post.

Note: This team was built with a heavy emphasis on year 2 and none on year 1. Basically, the lack of older players was intentional and this is a 2-year plan. Keep that in mind when commenting. All comments and questions are welcome.

I will explain this in pretty good detail, but I am also planning on writing a case study article on a full IDP dynasty startup using my strategy. I will explain every pick and every trade and the reason I made them. At the end of the article, I will look back on some of the good moves I made as well as the bad...and there were both. This article will be similar to the one below, but probably longer because of 53 draft picks being involved. The article below was an IDP case study on rebuilding a really bad team. The basics and detail of the new article will be similar to the one below.

Link

The league basics are in the first post. Of note, we start 1 QB, 1 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE, 1 RB/TE, and 11 IDPs. TE friendly scoring, which is why they went early.

I am breaking this down as follows: The first group (29 players) are those I expect to have on my team next year unless they are traded. The other 24 are prospects and a handful of replacement level players.

Another thing of note that will be explained in much more detail in the article is that I had no picks between the 7.01 and the mid 10th.

Barring trades, here are the 29 players I expect to be on my team next year:

QB Matt Stafford

QB Vince Young

QB Tavaris Jackson

QB Dennis Dixon

I like the long-term prospects of my QBs. I am really high on Stafford and VY was 12th in our league in scoring from his first start to the end of the season. Stafford was the 14th QB taken and Young 21st. I think Stafford is a future top 10 QB with huge upside. I think I got value with both picks considering how many QBs went prior to those picks.

RB Jonathan Stewart

RB Rashard Mendenhall

RB Justin Forsett

Stewart and Mendenhall will anchor my team for the next 5 years. Even with RBs being a bit devalued in this league, getting a 23 year old bellcow like Mendenhall at pick 2.09 was highway robbery. Forsett is a RBBC who should be a respectable fill-in.

WR Dez Bryant

WR Percy Harvin

WR Johnny Knox

WR James Jones

WR Jacoby Jones

WR Damien Williams

WR Jordy Nelson

I am a huge fan of Dez Bryant's talent and even though he is a rookie, I never expected him to last to the 3.02. He has top 5 upside and I believe very little chance of being a bust. Harvin was 23rd in WR scoring as a rookie and should be in the top 20 or higher this year. The WR3 spot will be a work in progress. I believe Knox is a great fit in the Martz offense and he impressed enough as a rookie last year for me to believe he will be close to the top 40 this year. Jacoby Jones was a bit of a risk, but he has 1000 yard talent if he can mature and take advantage of opportunity. I think Driver will be gone after this year and either James Jones or Jordy Nelson will start next year on a powerhouse offense. Damien Williams has talent and a great opportunity. I think at least 2-3 of the above WR3 candidates will eventually be solid WR3s and some have WR2 upside. It probably won't happen this year. I am extremely happy with this group considering only 2 of them went in the first 10 rounds.

TE Aaron Hernandez

TE Fendi Onobun

Obviously, this is where I gambled, but it wasn't by design. I had already made 6 picks and missed on some TEs that I wanted. When I chose Hernandez, every TE that I wanted was gone. Hernandez was the 17th TE taken and that pretty much tells why he went at the 7.01. I did not like any other TE enough to draft this early and I am a huge fan of Hewrnandez's upside. Onobun is a project, but he was the 39th TE taken, so that is to be expected. A total boom or bust pick. I know TEs have value, but I think they were getting drafted way too early and that is why I just waited. Hernandez didn't seem like a good pick at 7.01, but he WAS a good pick as the 17th TE taken, and I know sure as I'm standing here that one of the sharks in this league would have taken him shortly after I did. With all this, I have zero reservations drafting him when I did.

K Josh Brown

A kicker. Meh. I do think he is a very good kicker and the hope is that the Rams will be much better next year.

DT Corey Williams. DTs have less value than any position other than kicker and I waited until near the end of the draft. The last two years that he played DT in a 4-3 defense, he had 7 sacks in each year and was a top 20 DT. Not bad for a pick in the late 40s.

DE Mario Williams

DE Ray Edwards

DE Jerry Hughes

DE Carlos Dunlap

I have 2 of the top 10 DEs and both 25 years old. I also drafted 2 talented prospects and will be happy if 1 of them hits. With the lack of quality DEs, I think this is a really strength for me.

LB Lofa Tatupu

LB Elvis Dumervil

LB Thomas Howard

LB Rocky McIntosh

LB Leroy Hill

Obviously, this is the weakest part of my team in that I do not have an elite LB. But that was something I expected since I did not draft a LB until round 16. Tatupu was a top 15 LB in each of his first 3 years and has battled injuries since. I see no reason why a healthy Tatupu can't at least be near the top 20. He was the 50th LB taken. That is insane value. Dumervil was 19th in this leagues scoring last year. I don't expect that again, but top 30 is realistic. He was the 52nd LB taken. Howard was taken late and is a bit of a risk, but I can't see a LB like him not starting somewhere next year. He has been a LB3 or so when he plays. McIntosh has been in the top 50 3 years in a row. He isn't great by any stretch, but he is a viable starting LB in a 16 team league that can start 4 LBs. He was the 68th LB taken. Hill is a backup fantasy LB, but I'll take it since he went in the 42nd round. I do not like my LBs much, but I am satisfied to get the ones I have at the places I drafted them. That will be my top priority from now until the beginning of next season.

CB Richard Marshall

I usually have no problems finding CBs, but I only have to find 1 since I drafted my top dynasty corner (and also my top dynasty DB. Marshall should be at 75 or more solos every year with enough ball skills to put up some solid numbers. I'm not worried about CB2 or CB depth.

S Bob Sanders.

This was a risk because of his injury history, but he has been a top 10 safety before when healthy. It is a big if, but who cares since this was a 31st round pick. There is no risk because of that. I also never worry about finding safeties. I picked up multiple safeties last year off waivers who put up top 10 caliber numbers when starting (Mike Brown, Ndukwe, the Buffalo safeties, the Detroit safeties). They are a dime a dozen and since this is a long term effort, I don't care about depth at CB or safety.

There are 29 players I expect to have next year, barring trades, and I think it is a solid core of young talent with several upper end players. I really need Hernandez to pan out so I can focus on improving my LBs. Figure I will add 2 CBs and 2 safeties next year to bring the total to 33. With 45 player rosters, that only leaves 12 roster spots to fill. Looking at it this way, it doesn't seem so bad because the roster above should be pretty damn good next year if the young players like Stafford, Dez Bryant, and Harvin improve like I expect them to.

I have 24 more players and almost all are young prospects with varying levels of upside. If only 5 or 6 hit, then I will consider this strategy to be a success. I also have 2 firsts next year.

Below are the other 24 players on my roster.

The rest of the team, mostly prospects with some backups and lower end depth mixed in. All of these players except for Armanti Edwards and Anthony McCoy were drafted after round 30, so the risk is next to nothing.

QB Shaun Hill

RB Ryan Torain

RB Kregg Lumpkin

RB Mike Hart

RB Keiland Williams

WR Armanti Edwards

WR Dezmon Briscoe

WR Jacoby Ford

WR Adrian Arrington

WR Blair White

WR Jeremy Williams

WR Dudley Guice

TE Anthony McCoy

TE Martin Rucker

TE Jacob Tamme

LB A.J. Edds

LB Dekoda Watson

LB Eric Norwood

LB Desmond Bishop

LB Tavares Gooden

LB Jason Williams

LB Tyrone McKenzie

LB Gerris Wilkinson

LB Corey Mays

I realize this is not a bunch of elite prospects, but only 2 went before round 30 so that should be expected. I do think a handful are decent prospects and some of them should hit. If I can add 5-6 of these, I will be satisfied. I don't think that is unrealistic. Knowing this strategy was targeting year 2, I didn't see a need to draft many older replacement level players after round 30 and that is pretty much all that was left. This part of the draft is what makes my team look like a bunch of projects, but I feel my core is solid overall with some risk at TE and weak LBs. But I can guarantee that will not be the case next year. I will also have 2 firsts to work with next year.

I also think the true judgment of this strategy will be determined by what this team looks like next year.

 

[Aaron Rudnicki]

someone drafted 8 kickers, 1 DT, and 2 DE.

I'm sure it's nice to have 7 backup kickers to play matchups and cover injuries/byes, but kind of sucks to not have any backups on the defensive line.

 

[Anthony Borbely]

someone drafted 8 kickers, 1 DT, and 2 DE.I'm sure it's nice to have 7 backup kickers to play matchups and cover injuries/byes, but kind of sucks to not have any backups on the defensive line.

He's the one in yellow.