Trends I've been noticing in drafts this year (1 Viewer)

[Gbagzz]

Weather it's a 2 keeper league or a redraft league I've been noticing a lot of time taking during 3-4 selection.

If you already have 2 undisputable top 10 backs and could start a 3rd back as a flex (PPR scoring) do you....

A) Take the best player available

B) Take a Droughns or Parker or Dunn over a Wayne or D Jackson or Ward or Chambers

C) Take a Wayne or D Jax or Ward or Chambers level player over one of those bottom tier starters

I have LT and Alexander so it's not an issue to me but I've noticed a lot of time taken on these pics and I've seen more people (that already have 2 backs) go after one of those lesser backs then lock up one of those 2nd tier wideouts... basically ending up with a Housh or Buress in the next round as their #1 WR?!?!

I know backs are valuable but come on... isn't balance just as important?

 

[The Duff Man]

Weather it's a 2 keeper league or a redraft league I've been noticing a lot of time taking during 3-4 selection.If you already have 2 undisputable top 10 backs and could start a 3rd back as a flex (PPR scoring) do you....A) Take the best player availableB) Take a Droughns or Parker or Dunn over a Wayne or D Jackson or Ward or ChambersC) Take a Wayne or D Jax or Ward or Chambers level player over one of those bottom tier startersI have LT and Alexander so it's not an issue to me but I've noticed a lot of time taken on these pics and I've seen more people (that already have 2 backs) go after one of those lesser backs then lock up one of those 2nd tier wideouts... basically ending up with a Housh or Buress in the next round as their #1 WR?!?!I know backs are valuable but come on... isn't balance just as important?

Guy in our league in the 10 spot has started withRudiMcGaheeDroughnsMike BellI assume he will take his WR1 at 5.10. Start 2 RBs and 3 WRs.

 

[NoFBinLA]

Weather it's a 2 keeper league or a redraft league I've been noticing a lot of time taking during 3-4 selection.

If you already have 2 undisputable top 10 backs and could start a 3rd back as a flex (PPR scoring) do you....

A) Take the best player available

B) Take a Droughns or Parker or Dunn over a Wayne or D Jackson or Ward or Chambers

C) Take a Wayne or D Jax or Ward or Chambers level player over one of those bottom tier starters

I have LT and Alexander so it's not an issue to me but I've noticed a lot of time taken on these pics and I've seen more people (that already have 2 backs) go after one of those lesser backs then lock up one of those 2nd tier wideouts... basically ending up with a Housh or Buress in the next round as their #1 WR?!?!

I know backs are valuable but come on... isn't balance just as important?

Guy in our league in the 10 spot has started withRudi

McGahee

Droughns

Mike Bell

I assume he will take his WR1 at 5.10. Start 2 RBs and 3 WRs.

Those two must really sting right now (if McGahee's injury lingers)

 

[cstruk]

Since you can play 3 RB's, teams are going to load up earlier on their third RB's earlier than most leagues. By your 5th pick, there may nothing worth picking left as even the A. Green types could be gone. Therefore, if you want a 3rd RB that is worth playing or is at least a quality backup to your other 2, then you'd be better off taking one sooner rather than later since the dropoff in RB's is much steeper than the dropoff in WR's. I personally can live with someone like Plaxico as my #1 as long as I know my rb's are taken care of as I would pick WR's in the next several rounds who should at least be decent. The downside to picking the third RB early is if you get a sleeper later, you never get a chance to play him except for on bye weeks. Happened to me last year with T. Jones and Mike Anderson.

 

[SSOG]

Since you can play 3 RB's, teams are going to load up earlier on their third RB's earlier than most leagues. By your 5th pick, there may nothing worth picking left as even the A. Green types could be gone. Therefore, if you want a 3rd RB that is worth playing or is at least a quality backup to your other 2, then you'd be better off taking one sooner rather than later since the dropoff in RB's is much steeper than the dropoff in WR's. I personally can live with someone like Plaxico as my #1 as long as I know my rb's are taken care of as I would pick WR's in the next several rounds who should at least be decent. The downside to picking the third RB early is if you get a sleeper later, you never get a chance to play him except for on bye weeks. Happened to me last year with T. Jones and Mike Anderson.

That's not a downside. If you hit on some sleepers later, you could trade them for a better WR than you could have drafted in the 3rd round, anyway.I always go BPA, even if it means drafting a player at a position of strength and ignoring a position of weakness. Why? Trades. Even if I wind up overstocked at one position, I can always deal that extra depth for help at another position later. BPA is the way to go.

 

[King for a Day]

Something I noticed in multiple drafts were guys going RB, WR, and TE in the first three rounds. The TE was normally Gates so not everyone can do this but when you do pair Gates with a true #1 WR and a stud RB you get a damn good start to the draft.

I'm not necessarily endorsing this but it has caught my attention. Due to the multiple RB spots that are still undecided or heavily laden with question marks (Chicago with Benson/Jones-Denver with the Bell's-Jacksonville, SF, and on and on...) these guys are getting guys in the 4, 5th, and 6th rounds that will be as good as most other teams #2 RB's so they're not falling back much at #2 RB while they're ahead of the game at #1 WR and #1 TE.

It's interesting. You have to have the right pick placement to pull it off but it's interesting and seems to be working this year for those that are doing it.

 

[stealthrunner]

Here is one I did in yahoo, 12 team league, standard scoring, don't give it too much credit though, the first round below shows some unusual first round picks. I am interested to see how my WR work out, don't expect to do great, but never took the #1 TE before. I am deep on RB, hoping to trade one for a tier 2 WR or decent #3 by week 2-3.

Not looking for analysis, just going off of the premise that a stud RB, Gates and Housh as #1 WR might be able to work. Did best available quite often, just to see how it worked out for my $$ drafts this weekend.

I personally still like the RB, RB, WR or RB, WR, RB depending on draft position. I hope to do RB, WR, RB this year.

01.06 RB4 Tiki Barber

02.07 TE1 Antonio Gates

03.06 RB12 Willis McGahee

04.07 RB15 Willie Parker

05.06 WR17 T.J. Houshmandzadeh

06.07 QB10 Drew Bledsoe

07.06 WR22 Eddie Kennison

08.07 RB23 Chester Taylor

09.06 WR26 Matt Jones

10.07 WR30 Michael Clayton

11.06 RB26 Dominic Rhodes

12.07 WR51 Kevin Curtis

13.06 QB13 Jon Kitna

14.07 PK8 Matt Stover

15.06 DEF11 Green Bay

First round (SIGH)

01.01 RB3 Shaun Alexander

01.02 QB2 Matt Hasselbeck

01.03 RB1 Larry Johnson

01.04 QB1 Peyton Manning

01.05 RB2 LaDainian Tomlinson

01.06 RB4 Tiki Barber

01.07 RB5 Clinton Portis

01.08 RB10 Edgerrin James

01.09 RB7 Rudi Johnson

01.10 RB17 Reuben Droughns

01.11 RB9 LaMont Jordan

01.12 WR3 Steve Smith

 

[Sack-Religious]

Something I noticed in multiple drafts were guys going RB, WR, and TE in the first three rounds. The TE was normally Gates so not everyone can do this but when you do pair Gates with a true #1 WR and a stud RB you get a damn good start to the draft.

I'm not necessarily endorsing this but it has caught my attention. Due to the multiple RB spots that are still undecided or heavily laden with question marks (Chicago with Benson/Jones-Denver with the Bell's-Jacksonville, SF, and on and on...) these guys are getting guys in the 4, 5th, and 6th rounds that will be as good as most other teams #2 RB's so they're not falling back much at #2 RB while they're ahead of the game at #1 WR and #1 TE.

It's interesting. You have to have the right pick placement to pull it off but it's interesting and seems to be working this year for those that are doing it.

I know what you're getting at here, but nobody will know if it worked until after the season plays out. If one of those later RB's doesn't pan out the team could be in for a long season.

 

[stealthrunner]

Where did Gonzo go a couple of years ago when he was really tearing it up. I think the earliest was 4th round or so normally. Is Gates the same as a Tier 2 WR?

I know I took him in my above draft with that logic, but that was more experimenting than anything.

 

[Bobcat10]

Here is one I did in yahoo, 12 team league, standard scoring, don't give it too much credit though, the first round below shows some unusual first round picks. I am interested to see how my WR work out, don't expect to do great, but never took the #1 TE before. I am deep on RB, hoping to trade one for a tier 2 WR or decent #3 by week 2-3.

Not looking for analysis, just going off of the premise that a stud RB, Gates and Housh as #1 WR might be able to work. Did best available quite often, just to see how it worked out for my $$ drafts this weekend.

I personally still like the RB, RB, WR or RB, WR, RB depending on draft position. I hope to do RB, WR, RB this year.

01.06 RB4 Tiki Barber

02.07 TE1 Antonio Gates

03.06 RB12 Willis McGahee

04.07 RB15 Willie Parker

05.06 WR17 T.J. Houshmandzadeh

06.07 QB10 Drew Bledsoe

07.06 WR22 Eddie Kennison

08.07 RB23 Chester Taylor

09.06 WR26 Matt Jones

10.07 WR30 Michael Clayton

11.06 RB26 Dominic Rhodes

12.07 WR51 Kevin Curtis

13.06 QB13 Jon Kitna

14.07 PK8 Matt Stover

15.06 DEF11 Green Bay

First round (SIGH)

01.01 RB3 Shaun Alexander

01.02 QB2 Matt Hasselbeck

01.03 RB1 Larry Johnson

01.04 QB1 Peyton Manning

01.05 RB2 LaDainian Tomlinson

01.06 RB4 Tiki Barber

01.07 RB5 Clinton Portis

01.08 RB10 Edgerrin James

01.09 RB7 Rudi Johnson

01.10 RB17 Reuben Droughns

01.11 RB9 LaMont Jordan

01.12 WR3 Steve Smith

 

[BertJones]

Balance is important if you are standing on the edge of a cliff.

If you can start 3 backs, and you start off with three good ones, you can live with picking up the best available WR/TE (depending on your league rules) in the 4th.

RB's will usually get somewhere between 25-30 touches a game to do something. Even the best WR will have weeks like 5/66 or something like that.

Again, it depends on your league. If you are playing in and 8 or 10 man league, then this advise might not hold as well. If you are playing in a 14 man league, you know that chances are high that you will wind up with subpar RB's if you avoid them until the 3rd round. And there won't be anthing on the waiver wire.

Good luck this year!

BJ

 

[SSOG]

Where did Gonzo go a couple of years ago when he was really tearing it up. I think the earliest was 4th round or so normally. Is Gates the same as a Tier 2 WR?I know I took him in my above draft with that logic, but that was more experimenting than anything.

Gonzo did usually go in the 4th round, but he was always underrated. he had a ridiculous stretch of 6 years (iirc) where he outperformed his ADP every single season (i.e. had a higher season-ending VBD than preseason ADP). That means he was undervalued every year.