Ultimate Survivor - League 1 (1 Viewer)

[EBF]

Draft is done. Feel free to browse the results for strategy and comedy gold:

http://football27.myfantasyleague.com/2010...=51268&O=17

 

[EBF]

This was a survivor league with 1 QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE, and 1 FLEX. We get 1 PPR for RB/WR and 1.5 PPR for TE.

Going into the draft, I decided to emphasize QB, RB, and TE with my early picks because I think the scarcity of impact players at those positions, the lack of depth, and the 1.5 PPR for TEs gave them a big boost. I also made a very conscious effort to avoid players with week 4 and 5 byes because they'll be out of my lineup 20% of the time in this five week league setup.

My team analysis:

QB

1.11 - Peyton Manning

12.02 - Chad Henne

Great group. Manning should be a rock in my lineup. Henne is an excellent backup with big game potential. The only downside here is that Henne has an early bye, so I'll need Manning to play well during that week.

RB

4.02 - Ryan Mathews

5.11 - Jahvid Best

6.02 - Felix Jones

11.11 - Donald Brown

Not much in the way of depth, but the quality is there. I think I got excellent value with Mathews at 4.02 and Best at 5.11. People always give me flak for drafting a lot of rookies, but I think they often present great value in redraft leagues because other owners are overly-gunshy about rostering them. Mathews and Best are both easily the most talented backs on their teams and they should log a lot of touches starting immediately in week one. I was planning to avoid Felix Jones because he has an early bye, but the value made sense at 6.02. I needed another good RB who offered a strong combination of upside/reliability. Felix was one of the last good options left. My top three should give me at least two solid options every week if they stay healthy. For my RB4, I was left to decide between Donald Brown and Tim Hightower. I went with Brown because I think he has a little more upside. If nothing else, he should give me a decent emergency backup.

WR

3.11 - Michael Crabtree

7.11 - Jerricho Cotchery

8.02 - Lee Evans

9.11 - Nate Burleson

13.11 - Kevin Walter

14.02 - Josh Morgan

15.11 - Devery Henderson

16.02 - Brandon LaFell

19.11 - Davone Bess

20.02 - Jordy Nelson

23.11 - Emmanuel Sanders

24.02 - Donte Stallworth

I subscribe to a quantity > quality philosophy when it comes to best ball WRs. 3-4 mediocre starters can approximate one elite player's production because in any given week there are 60-80 guys who can catch 5 passes for 80 yards and a TD. With that in mind, WR was my lowest priority among the major positions. Crabtree and Cotchery give me two solid high-floor possession WRs. With Holmes sidelined for a few games, I don't see any reason to think Cotchery won't give me the kind of top 30 ppg numbers he has steadily averaged each of the past three seasons. Evans, Burleson, Walter, Morgan, and Bess are solid veterans who should see lots of playing time for their teams and catch some passes every week. Henderson, Stallworth, and Sanders give me major home run potential since they all have the ability to score long TDs. LaFell was a wild card for upside and Nelson could be a decent depth guy. Overall, this group lacks star power, but I have ridiculous depth with 12 guys competing to fill 3-4 spots every week. Only two of these guys, Bess and Sanders, have a bye in the first five weeks.

TE

2.02 - Jermichael Finley

10.02 - Greg Olsen

I was hoping to get Antonio Gates with my first round pick, but that plan was foiled. I knew I wanted an elite TE though, so I shoehorned Finley into this slot even though it was a bit of a reach. I didn't want Clark because I already had Manning and didn't want to be overly reliant on the Indy passing game. I didn't want Davis because I don't quite trust him yet and I think Crabtree will vulture some of his looks. I didn't want Witten because he has an early bye. That left Finley as the top TE on my board. He's more unproven than I'd like from such an early pick, but I think he's for real. Landing Olsen as my backup in the 10th round was a real stroke of luck. In this format with the flex spot and 1.5 PPR for TE, he really shouldn't have been available that late. I think he gives me a great insurance policy.

PK

21.11 - Josh Scobee

22.02 - Rian Lindell

Two veteran kickers with good job security and late byes.

DEF

17.11 - Redskins DEF

18.02 - Houston DEF

Not great units, but not horrible either and they each have late byes. I might have liked a third defense, but it didn't happen because teams took them early and one owner went bonkers drafting something like 6 defenses.

OVERALL

This is a classic example of my best ball/survivor strategy: elite starters and excellent depth at the premium positions with enough live bodies at RB and WR to keep me afloat. Anything can happen in these leagues and I could be in trouble if my RB crew disappoints, but this team should be hard to kill because it doesn't have any glaring weaknesses.

 

[Tau837]

With regard to the comedy gold comment:

LHUCKS drafted Vincent Jackson at 11.6... he will miss at least 3 of the 5 games in this competition, and it seems likely he will miss all of them due to holdout

gianmarco drafted Roethlisberger at 12.5... he is expected to miss all 5 weeks of this competition.

packertazman drafted Santonio Holmes at 18.12... he is expected to miss the first 4 (of 5) weeks of this competition.

LHUCKS takes the prize on this, given his pick was the earliest, and given his subsequent revelation that he was drafting with no clue about the rules.

 

[Jeff Pasquino]

This was a survivor league with 1 QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE, and 1 FLEX. We get 1 PPR for RB/WR and 1.5 PPR for TE.

Going into the draft, I decided to emphasize QB, RB, and TE with my early picks because I think the scarcity of impact players at those positions, the lack of depth, and the 1.5 PPR for TEs gave them a big boost. I also made a very conscious effort to avoid players with week 4 and 5 byes because they'll be out of my lineup 20% of the time in this five week league setup.

My team analysis:

QB

1.11 - Peyton Manning

12.02 - Chad Henne

Great group. Manning should be a rock in my lineup. Henne is an excellent backup with big game potential. The only downside here is that Henne has an early bye, so I'll need Manning to play well during that week.

RB

4.02 - Ryan Mathews

5.11 - Jahvid Best

6.02 - Felix Jones

11.11 - Donald Brown

Not much in the way of depth, but the quality is there. I think I got excellent value with Mathews at 4.02 and Best at 5.11. People always give me flak for drafting a lot of rookies, but I think they often present great value in redraft leagues because other owners are overly-gunshy about rostering them. Mathews and Best are both easily the most talented backs on their teams and they should log a lot of touches starting immediately in week one. I was planning to avoid Felix Jones because he has an early bye, but the value made sense at 6.02. I needed another good RB who offered a strong combination of upside/reliability. Felix was one of the last good options left. My top three should give me at least two solid options every week if they stay healthy. For my RB4, I was left to decide between Donald Brown and Tim Hightower. I went with Brown because I think he has a little more upside. If nothing else, he should give me a decent emergency backup.

WR

3.11 - Michael Crabtree

7.11 - Jerricho Cotchery

8.02 - Lee Evans

9.11 - Nate Burleson

13.11 - Kevin Walter

14.02 - Josh Morgan

15.11 - Devery Henderson

16.02 - Brandon LaFell

19.11 - Davone Bess

20.02 - Jordy Nelson

23.11 - Emmanuel Sanders

24.02 - Donte Stallworth

I subscribe to a quantity > quality philosophy when it comes to best ball WRs. 3-4 mediocre starters can approximate one elite player's production because in any given week there are 60-80 guys who can catch 5 passes for 80 yards and a TD. With that in mind, WR was my lowest priority among the major positions. Crabtree and Cotchery give me two solid high-floor possession WRs. With Holmes sidelined for a few games, I don't see any reason to think Cotchery won't give me the kind of top 30 ppg numbers he has steadily averaged each of the past three seasons. Evans, Burleson, Walter, Morgan, and Bess are solid veterans who should see lots of playing time for their teams and catch some passes every week. Henderson, Stallworth, and Sanders give me major home run potential since they all have the ability to score long TDs. LaFell was a wild card for upside and Nelson could be a decent depth guy. Overall, this group lacks star power, but I have ridiculous depth with 12 guys competing to fill 3-4 spots every week. Only two of these guys, Bess and Sanders, have a bye in the first five weeks.

TE

2.02 - Jermichael Finley

10.02 - Greg Olsen

I was hoping to get Antonio Gates with my first round pick, but that plan was foiled. I knew I wanted an elite TE though, so I shoehorned Finley into this slot even though it was a bit of a reach. I didn't want Clark because I already had Manning and didn't want to be overly reliant on the Indy passing game. I didn't want Davis because I don't quite trust him yet and I think Crabtree will vulture some of his looks. I didn't want Witten because he has an early bye. That left Finley as the top TE on my board. He's more unproven than I'd like from such an early pick, but I think he's for real. Landing Olsen as my backup in the 10th round was a real stroke of luck. In this format with the flex spot and 1.5 PPR for TE, he really shouldn't have been available that late. I think he gives me a great insurance policy.

PK

21.11 - Josh Scobee

22.02 - Rian Lindell

Two veteran kickers with good job security and late byes.

DEF

17.11 - Redskins DEF

18.02 - Houston DEF

Not great units, but not horrible either and they each have late byes. I might have liked a third defense, but it didn't happen because teams took them early and one owner went bonkers drafting something like 6 defenses.

OVERALL

This is a classic example of my best ball/survivor strategy: elite starters and excellent depth at the premium positions with enough live bodies at RB and WR to keep me afloat. Anything can happen in these leagues and I could be in trouble if my RB crew disappoints, but this team should be hard to kill because it doesn't have any glaring weaknesses.

A 5th RB >> 12th WR for you and Choice was available in Round 24. Considering Felix Jones is on your team that should have been the pick.3RBs can count for you, so only having 4 was an unnecessary risk.

 

[Tau837]

My team:

QB - Rivers, Garrard

RB - Grant, Stewart, Jacobs, Sproles, Larry Johnson, Bell, Brandon Jackson

WR - Calvin Johnson, Nicks, Breaston, Avery, Manningham, Doucet, Robiskie, Craig Davis

TE - Gates, Shockey

K - Crosby, Tynes, Nugent

D/ST - Bengals, Colts

No one on my roster has a bye within the 5 weeks of this competition. It remains to be seen if this strategy is good or if it would be better to take players who produced more in 4 of 5 weeks around their byes.

I went into the draft wanting 3 QBs and 3 D/STs, but I ended up on the wrong end of runs at both positions, and I felt the value wasn't there.

I used picks to pair up Brandon Jackson with Grant, Manningham with Nicks, and Doucet with Breaston. Not only does that provide some injury insurance, but in the case of the WRs I am also hoping it makes it more likely I get solid game scores from the Giants and Cards pairs.

 

[Detroit Fan 365]

My Team

QB Matt Schaub

Brett Favre

Byron Leftwich

Top 6 QB in Schaub and another top 12 qb in Favre if he comes back added Leftwich in case out of the 4 games he starts hoping he'll have one great game, although chances are I won't need him.

RBs:

Rashard Mendenhall

Cedric Benson

Clinton Portis

Leon Washington

Thomas Jones

Toby Gerhart

I like Mendenhall and Benson a lot, but in a ppr league they are mediocre at best, Portis adds decent depth although he's too old and could be replaced by Johnson, Washington could be the 3rd down back in Seatle which is good in ppr leagues, Jones should split carries with Charles, but behind that lind does it even matter?

WRs:

Andre Johnson

Miles Austin

Johnny Knox

Terrell Owens

Devin Aromashadu

Golden Tate

Nate Washington

I love my WRs I have the #1 and #7 WR on my board seeing that we start two that made me very pleased. Knox has been targeted more than any other WR so far in Chicago's training camp and under Martz that is gold, DA has been targeted the 2nd most and has caught 75% of the passes he has been targeted on, so he'll be a decent gamble. T.O. will no longer be double teamed, he looked good, but not spectacular tonight.

TE:

Heath Miller

Bo Scaife

Anthony Fasano

As a unit completely lackluster and could really hurt me in a league that rewards 1.5 ppr for TEs especially with Big Ben out the entire leg 1 competition.

PK:

David Buehler

Billy Cundiff

Buehler should win out and he look decent tonight, Cundiff is in a kicker battle for Baltimore if he wins then I like the kickers.

Def:

Packers

Steelers

Really happy with my defenses and they should give me a leg up on the competition.

Overall I should survive the first 4 weeks, but week 5 is really going to be a tough week.

 

[Will Grant]

With regard to the comedy gold comment:LHUCKS drafted Vincent Jackson at 11.6... he will miss at least 3 of the 5 games in this competition, and it seems likely he will miss all of them due to holdoutgianmarco drafted Roethlisberger at 12.5... he is expected to miss all 5 weeks of this competition.packertazman drafted Santonio Holmes at 18.12... he is expected to miss the first 4 (of 5) weeks of this competition.LHUCKS takes the prize on this, given his pick was the earliest, and given his subsequent revelation that he was drafting with no clue about the rules.

Lest we forget Misfitblondes and the single team defensive squeeze. Six total on their roster by the end of the draft, but only 1 QB and 1 PK.

 

[Will Grant]

QB - Rivers, GarrardRB - Grant, Stewart, Jacobs, Sproles, Larry Johnson, Bell, Brandon JacksonWR - Calvin Johnson, Nicks, Breaston, Avery, Manningham, Doucet, Robiskie, Craig DavisTE - Gates, ShockeyK - Crosby, Tynes, NugentD/ST - Bengals, Colts

I really like this team, and there were a couple guys that I was targeting at various points in the draft that I see on this roster. Nicks at 4.04 when I wanted him at 4.06 was very disappointing... well played. Only way this team fails is if the QBS have a bad week at the same time.

 

[renesauz]

A 5th RB >> 12th WR for you and Choice was available in Round 24. Considering Felix Jones is on your team that should have been the pick.3RBs can count for you, so only having 4 was an unnecessary risk.

I agree. With 22 man rosters, you're only two injuries away from being toast, at a position where it's NORMAL for a player to miss a game or 3 every season.That said, if your RB's stay upright, this team will be a near impossible out, as it should score excellant points at WR every week.

 

[Tau837]

With regard to the comedy gold comment:LHUCKS drafted Vincent Jackson at 11.6... he will miss at least 3 of the 5 games in this competition, and it seems likely he will miss all of them due to holdoutgianmarco drafted Roethlisberger at 12.5... he is expected to miss all 5 weeks of this competition.packertazman drafted Santonio Holmes at 18.12... he is expected to miss the first 4 (of 5) weeks of this competition.LHUCKS takes the prize on this, given his pick was the earliest, and given his subsequent revelation that he was drafting with no clue about the rules.

Lest we forget Misfitblondes and the single team defensive squeeze. Six total on their roster by the end of the draft, but only 1 QB and 1 PK.

Good point.

 

[Tau837]

QB - Rivers, GarrardRB - Grant, Stewart, Jacobs, Sproles, Larry Johnson, Bell, Brandon JacksonWR - Calvin Johnson, Nicks, Breaston, Avery, Manningham, Doucet, Robiskie, Craig DavisTE - Gates, ShockeyK - Crosby, Tynes, NugentD/ST - Bengals, Colts

I really like this team, and there were a couple guys that I was targeting at various points in the draft that I see on this roster. Nicks at 4.04 when I wanted him at 4.06 was very disappointing... well played. Only way this team fails is if the QBS have a bad week at the same time.

Hope you are right.

 

[EBF]

A 5th RB >> 12th WR for you and Choice was available in Round 24. Considering Felix Jones is on your team that should have been the pick.3RBs can count for you, so only having 4 was an unnecessary risk.

I agree. With 22 man rosters, you're only two injuries away from being toast, at a position where it's NORMAL for a player to miss a game or 3 every season.That said, if your RB's stay upright, this team will be a near impossible out, as it should score excellant points at WR every week.

I didn't see Choice as a good bet to threaten my top 3 RBs on a regular basis. With four superior options to fill 2 spots, I didn't think I needed another back. I was more worried about my spotty WR group, where high quantity was an absolute must to compensate for the low quality.

 

[Duckboy]

My team:

QB - Flacco, Leinart

RB - Forte, Bradshaw, Harrison, Hightower, Ward

WR - Roddy, Wayne, Ocho, Hester, Collie, Gonzalez, Steve Johnson, McCluster

TE - ZMiller Oakland, Winslow, Hernandez, Gronkowski

PK - Akers, Reed

D - MIN, TEN, STL

Mostly stayed away from week 5 players, as that week loses 2 of 6 (versus week 4 loses 1 of 7, not as critical). Tough draft all around, especially at the end with JWB, Couch Potato, and EBF picking right before/after me. 3 WR out of the gate, with the last of my top tier TEs at 4. Didn't expect winslow to be there at the next turn so had to go with the value. Left me scrambling a bit at RB but should get some good ppr weeks from the bunch, and my WR/TE flex score should help out as well. Need Leinart to play decently.

Had a couple nice pairups in Collie/Gonzo and the NE TEs as my last 2 picks. Should be solid but in survivor it only takes one off week to go home.

 

[Will Grant]

Manning, Eli NYG QB

Moore, Matt CAR QB

Stafford, Matthew DET QB

I always planned on going QBBC and getting two guys pretty early. However, there was a lot of value in the early rounds and the TE run forced me to hold off a bit. Still pretty happy with Eli/Stafford as 1-2. Moore was best of the rest at the time that I took him (17.07)

Buckhalter, Correll DEN RB

Faulk, Kevin NEP RB

Jackson, Steven STL RB

Tomlinson, LaDainian NYJ RB

Turner, Michael ATL RB

Westbrook, Brian FA* RB

I expected Jackson to be gone at 1.07 and figured I'd land AJ or Fitz. Jackson was a nice find at that point. I liked Turner in the second more than the WRS that were available so going RB-RB was more of a 'best player available' approach rather than my initial plan. The rest were more value picks than anything else. Westbrook is a total flyer pick in the 23rd round.

Douglas, Harry ATL WR

Gaffney, Jabar DEN WR

Gibson, Brandon STL WR

Moore, Lance NOS WR

Moss, Santana WAS WR

Murphy, Louis OAK WR

Smith, Steve NYG WR

Smith was the backup plan when I lost Nicks before my 4.06 pick. Moss was a nice complement to him. Very happy with Gaffney as he looks like the best WR in Denver - especially during the first five weeks. Moore and Douglas were swing for the fence type of plays and I'm happy with both. Murphy and Gibson were flyers more than anything else.

Daniels, Owen HOU TE

Gonzalez, Tony ATL TE

Scheffler, Tony DET TE

I wanted two TEs before the 10th round, but I never expected it to be this crowd. TE went VERY early with the bonus PPR, but I was still happy to land Gonzo and Daniels in the timeframe that I wanted. Scheffler was a bonus pick - Stafford really struggled last season looking for an alternative to Megatron and he never really had one. If Scheffler becomes that 'check down' guy for him this year, he's a steal at 13.07

Brown, Josh STL PK

Graham, Shayne BAL PK

PK run kinda snuck up on me. I wasn't interested in Graham at that slot but took him to make sure I landed a good starter. Brown was another guy at the wrong end of a PK run, but at least he kicks indoors.

Buccaneers, Tampa Bay TBB Def

Chargers, San Diego SDC Def

Eagles, Philadelphia PHI Def

I took the Eagles way way way early but I love their schedule and had them rated as my DEF1. Given the crazy runs that were going on, I didn't want to take a chance on missing them. I came in wanting 3 DEF and came out a little early to get SD as my #2. SD has some GREAT match-ups in the first five weeks. Tampa was just icing on this cake and their week 4 bye isn't something to worry about. I'll take my three over misfit's six.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

OK, let's allow the adults to take over. 6 defenses by MisfitBlondes, that's a new one. 5TEs to boot but only 1 QB and Kicker...I'm rooting for him/her.

LHucks despite taking VJax has a nasty trio to lead things off at WR.

Couch Potato looks good till bye weeks

Must have been a lot of photo contest winners in this

 

[Tau837]

OK, let's allow the adults to take over. 6 defenses by MisfitBlondes, that's a new one. 5TEs to boot but only 1 QB and Kicker...I'm rooting for him/her.LHucks despite taking VJax has a nasty trio to lead things off at WR.Couch Potato looks good till bye weeksMust have been a lot of photo contest winners in this

Which Survivor League are you in?

 

[Ministry of Pain]

Manning, Eli NYG QB Moore, Matt CAR QBStafford, Matthew DET QBI always planned on going QBBC and getting two guys pretty early. However, there was a lot of value in the early rounds and the TE run forced me to hold off a bit. Still pretty happy with Eli/Stafford as 1-2. Moore was best of the rest at the time that I took him (17.07)Buckhalter, Correll DEN RB Faulk, Kevin NEP RB Jackson, Steven STL RB Tomlinson, LaDainian NYJ RBTurner, Michael ATL RB Westbrook, Brian FA* RBI expected Jackson to be gone at 1.07 and figured I'd land AJ or Fitz. Jackson was a nice find at that point. I liked Turner in the second more than the WRS that were available so going RB-RB was more of a 'best player available' approach rather than my initial plan. The rest were more value picks than anything else. Westbrook is a total flyer pick in the 23rd round. Douglas, Harry ATL WRGaffney, Jabar DEN WRGibson, Brandon STL WR Moore, Lance NOS WR Moss, Santana WAS WRMurphy, Louis OAK WR Smith, Steve NYG WR Smith was the backup plan when I lost Nicks before my 4.06 pick. Moss was a nice complement to him. Very happy with Gaffney as he looks like the best WR in Denver - especially during the first five weeks. Moore and Douglas were swing for the fence type of plays and I'm happy with both. Murphy and Gibson were flyers more than anything else. Daniels, Owen HOU TE Gonzalez, Tony ATL TEScheffler, Tony DET TEI wanted two TEs before the 10th round, but I never expected it to be this crowd. TE went VERY early with the bonus PPR, but I was still happy to land Gonzo and Daniels in the timeframe that I wanted. Scheffler was a bonus pick - Stafford really struggled last season looking for an alternative to Megatron and he never really had one. If Scheffler becomes that 'check down' guy for him this year, he's a steal at 13.07Brown, Josh STL PKGraham, Shayne BAL PK PK run kinda snuck up on me. I wasn't interested in Graham at that slot but took him to make sure I landed a good starter. Brown was another guy at the wrong end of a PK run, but at least he kicks indoors. Buccaneers, Tampa Bay TBB Def Chargers, San Diego SDC DefEagles, Philadelphia PHI DefI took the Eagles way way way early but I love their schedule and had them rated as my DEF1. Given the crazy runs that were going on, I didn't want to take a chance on missing them. I came in wanting 3 DEF and came out a little early to get SD as my #2. SD has some GREAT match-ups in the first five weeks. Tampa was just icing on this cake and their week 4 bye isn't something to worry about. I'll take my three over misfit's six.

Steve Smith and Santana Moss are not on the same level as the top tier WRs, you must realize that. SJax offers little value at 1.07 I think you should have gone WR in the 2nd IMHO, would have helped. RB2 is a position that can be filled later with all the RB value in best ball.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

OK, let's allow the adults to take over. 6 defenses by MisfitBlondes, that's a new one. 5TEs to boot but only 1 QB and Kicker...I'm rooting for him/her.LHucks despite taking VJax has a nasty trio to lead things off at WR.Couch Potato looks good till bye weeksMust have been a lot of photo contest winners in this

Which Survivor League are you in?

10

 

[Ministry of Pain]

This was a survivor league with 1 QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE, and 1 FLEX. We get 1 PPR for RB/WR and 1.5 PPR for TE.

Going into the draft, I decided to emphasize QB, RB, and TE with my early picks because I think the scarcity of impact players at those positions, the lack of depth, and the 1.5 PPR for TEs gave them a big boost. I also made a very conscious effort to avoid players with week 4 and 5 byes because they'll be out of my lineup 20% of the time in this five week league setup.

My team analysis:

QB

1.11 - Peyton Manning

12.02 - Chad Henne

Great group. Manning should be a rock in my lineup. Henne is an excellent backup with big game potential. The only downside here is that Henne has an early bye, so I'll need Manning to play well during that week.

RB

4.02 - Ryan Mathews

5.11 - Jahvid Best

6.02 - Felix Jones

11.11 - Donald Brown

Not much in the way of depth, but the quality is there. I think I got excellent value with Mathews at 4.02 and Best at 5.11. People always give me flak for drafting a lot of rookies, but I think they often present great value in redraft leagues because other owners are overly-gunshy about rostering them. Mathews and Best are both easily the most talented backs on their teams and they should log a lot of touches starting immediately in week one. I was planning to avoid Felix Jones because he has an early bye, but the value made sense at 6.02. I needed another good RB who offered a strong combination of upside/reliability. Felix was one of the last good options left. My top three should give me at least two solid options every week if they stay healthy. For my RB4, I was left to decide between Donald Brown and Tim Hightower. I went with Brown because I think he has a little more upside. If nothing else, he should give me a decent emergency backup.

WR

3.11 - Michael Crabtree

7.11 - Jerricho Cotchery

8.02 - Lee Evans

9.11 - Nate Burleson

13.11 - Kevin Walter

14.02 - Josh Morgan

15.11 - Devery Henderson

16.02 - Brandon LaFell

19.11 - Davone Bess

20.02 - Jordy Nelson

23.11 - Emmanuel Sanders

24.02 - Donte Stallworth

I subscribe to a quantity > quality philosophy when it comes to best ball WRs. 3-4 mediocre starters can approximate one elite player's production because in any given week there are 60-80 guys who can catch 5 passes for 80 yards and a TD. With that in mind, WR was my lowest priority among the major positions. Crabtree and Cotchery give me two solid high-floor possession WRs. With Holmes sidelined for a few games, I don't see any reason to think Cotchery won't give me the kind of top 30 ppg numbers he has steadily averaged each of the past three seasons. Evans, Burleson, Walter, Morgan, and Bess are solid veterans who should see lots of playing time for their teams and catch some passes every week. Henderson, Stallworth, and Sanders give me major home run potential since they all have the ability to score long TDs. LaFell was a wild card for upside and Nelson could be a decent depth guy. Overall, this group lacks star power, but I have ridiculous depth with 12 guys competing to fill 3-4 spots every week. Only two of these guys, Bess and Sanders, have a bye in the first five weeks.

TE

2.02 - Jermichael Finley

10.02 - Greg Olsen

I was hoping to get Antonio Gates with my first round pick, but that plan was foiled. I knew I wanted an elite TE though, so I shoehorned Finley into this slot even though it was a bit of a reach. I didn't want Clark because I already had Manning and didn't want to be overly reliant on the Indy passing game. I didn't want Davis because I don't quite trust him yet and I think Crabtree will vulture some of his looks. I didn't want Witten because he has an early bye. That left Finley as the top TE on my board. He's more unproven than I'd like from such an early pick, but I think he's for real. Landing Olsen as my backup in the 10th round was a real stroke of luck. In this format with the flex spot and 1.5 PPR for TE, he really shouldn't have been available that late. I think he gives me a great insurance policy.

PK

21.11 - Josh Scobee

22.02 - Rian Lindell

Two veteran kickers with good job security and late byes.

DEF

17.11 - Redskins DEF

18.02 - Houston DEF

Not great units, but not horrible either and they each have late byes. I might have liked a third defense, but it didn't happen because teams took them early and one owner went bonkers drafting something like 6 defenses.

OVERALL

This is a classic example of my best ball/survivor strategy: elite starters and excellent depth at the premium positions with enough live bodies at RB and WR to keep me afloat. Anything can happen in these leagues and I could be in trouble if my RB crew disappoints, but this team should be hard to kill because it doesn't have any glaring weaknesses.

As long as you're happy EBF, that's what counts. That WR group is not gonna stack up but it sounds like you got what you wanted. No 2nd thoughts about the rookies so early in their careers? You expect them to hit the ground running? Top10 from both each week...top20? Caddy owns the record for most yds 1st 4 weeks of his career, do you expect that to be eclipsed?

 

[Ministry of Pain]

Phoenix is going to have QB issues...Cutler will be boom or bust on a weekly basis so you follow him up with someone steady not Sanchez and Bradford, that's a weak group IMO. TE is a big issue on that team as well.

 

[Detroit Fan 365]

MOP what is your analysis of my team?

 

[Will Grant]

Phoenix is going to have QB issues...Cutler will be boom or bust on a weekly basis so you follow him up with someone steady not Sanchez and Bradford, that's a weak group IMO. TE is a big issue on that team as well.

Be gentle with Phoenix. He stepped in as an alternate with pick 1.02 on the clock and 12 other guys screaming at him to get moving. Given his total lack of draft prep, I'd say he did pretty well. The alternative was to auto-pick and two teams having six defenses would have really messed up the late rounds of the draft...

 

[Jeff Pasquino]

JEFF PASQUINO - Pick 1.04

Player YTD Pts Bye

Campbell, Jason OAK QB - 10

McNabb, Donovan WAS QB - 9

Smith, Alex SFO QB - 9

Addai, Joseph IND RB - 7

Choice, Tashard DAL RB - 4

Foster, Arian HOU RB - 7

McGahee, Willis BAL RB - 8

Rice, Ray BAL RB - 8

Taylor, Chester CHI RB - 8

Avant, Jason PHI WR - 8

Berrian, Bernard MIN WR - 4

Floyd, Malcom SDC WR - 10

Jennings, Greg GBP WR - 10

Kelly, Malcolm WAS WR (P) - 9

Maclin, Jeremy PHI WR (P) - 8

Mason, Derrick BAL WR (P) - 8

Thomas, Mike JAC WR - 9

Celek, Brent PHI TE - 8

Cooley, Chris WAS TE - 9

Gould, Robbie CHI PK - 8

Nedney, Joe SFO PK - 9

Bills, Buffalo BUF Def - 6

Cowboys, Dallas DAL Def - 4

Ravens, Baltimore BAL Def - 8

24 Total Players

Don't have a ton of time to break this down but I feel I got a really solid squad here.

Have at it

 

[Ministry of Pain]

Phoenix is going to have QB issues...Cutler will be boom or bust on a weekly basis so you follow him up with someone steady not Sanchez and Bradford, that's a weak group IMO. TE is a big issue on that team as well.

Be gentle with Phoenix. He stepped in as an alternate with pick 1.02 on the clock and 12 other guys screaming at him to get moving. Given his total lack of draft prep, I'd say he did pretty well. The alternative was to auto-pick and two teams having six defenses would have really messed up the late rounds of the draft...

Didn't know that, sorry Phoenix nice job to come to the rescue

 

[Ministry of Pain]

MOP what is your analysis of my team?

One of the best for sure. QB: Schaub in front of Favre plus you have Lefty thrown in for the time he is starting but you won't need him. I'm a big Schaub fan and they are going to throw a lot. RB: Benson, Mendenhall, then the Portis/TJones for your RB3/4, this is solid perhaps even strongWR: Love the AJ/Austin/TO trio at the 1-2-3, that's probably close to the best trio at WR. You'll have a couple weeks where they score enough that it won't matter what others do on your roster.TE: Heath Miller, Scaife and Fasano will be enough to get you by. Doubt you fill the flex much with these guys but I like it enough. Def and Kicker seem solid...you should make it into the round of 48.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

JEFF PASQUINO - Pick 1.04

Player YTD Pts Bye

Campbell, Jason OAK QB - 10

McNabb, Donovan WAS QB - 9

Smith, Alex SFO QB - 9

You used the term "solid" down below. You took 3 guys in the 12-20 range and beyond but what you and many other fail to realize is you are going to get smoked by Rodgers, Romo, Brees, Manning...this is not a top5 QB unit.

Addai, Joseph IND RB - 7

Choice, Tashard DAL RB - 4

Foster, Arian HOU RB - 7

McGahee, Willis BAL RB - 8

Rice, Ray BAL RB - 8

Taylor, Chester CHI RB - 8

This is pretty good.

Avant, Jason PHI WR - 8

Berrian, Bernard MIN WR - 4

Floyd, Malcom SDC WR - 10

Jennings, Greg GBP WR - 10

Kelly, Malcolm WAS WR (P) - 9

Maclin, Jeremy PHI WR (P) - 8

Mason, Derrick BAL WR (P) - 8

Thomas, Mike JAC WR - 9

This is not great either. Look at what Det Fan 365 did, LHucks has a pretty top heavy unit as well. I think in a short 5 game season for this leg you could have some problems here.

Celek, Brent PHI TE - 8

Cooley, Chris WAS TE - 9

If you liked Philly this much outside of being a fan you should have locked up Kolb.

Gould, Robbie CHI PK - 8

Nedney, Joe SFO PK - 9

Bills, Buffalo BUF Def - 6

Cowboys, Dallas DAL Def - 4

Ravens, Baltimore BAL Def - 8

I do like the drafting of 3 defenses with large rosters like this. You have a chance JP, but you are far from a shoe in of advancing. I would say closer to to a bubble team. Not bad by any stretch either but you're a staffguy so I am even more critical.

24 Total Players

Don't have a ton of time to break this down but I feel I got a really solid squad here.

Have at it

 

[gianmarco]

I didn't get to do mine yet, so here goes:

I got to pick from the 8th spot. Not really a fantastic spot but I found that I was able to land some decent value from there.

QB

Rodgers -- 2.5

Orton --16.5

Roethlisberger 12.5

Yes, yes, I'm the one who drafted a worthless player in the 12th round. I thought I had selected Sanchez and didn't even pay attention. Either way, even in the 12th round, I'm not that particularly worried about it. As for my QBs that will actually play, getting Rodgers in the 2nd round was robbery, IMO. No bye week issues and I actually considered him in the 1st. I have him ranked as the #1 QB and if he repeats his consistency from last year, he should give me a sizeable advantage over all but 4-5 teams each week. Orton in the 16th for cheap insurance is enough for me. That was the other benefit of Rodgers in that I honestly had a "set it and forget it" mentality and didn't even bother looking at QBs until after the 10th round.

RB

McCoy -- 5.8

McFadden -- 9.8

Ricky Williams -- 10.5

Maroney -- 11.8

Julius Jones -- 21.8

Lynell Hamilton -- 23.8

Bernard Scott -- 24.5

This is where I waited and went for quantity instead of quality. Since we only need to start 2 RBs, I wanted to get one guy I felt comfortable with in ppr format and then a bunch of bodies for a RBBC for RB#2. McCoy fit the bill for that in the end of the 5th round. I'm not a huge fan of his in general for dynasty formats, but for the first few weeks of the season, he should get a lot of work and catch a ton of balls. I then kept finding other value after him so I continued to wait. The rest of the RBs are far from impressive but I only really need one of those other guys to step in on a weekly basis and get me ~10 pts for me to feel comfortable. I've got 3 guys that should easily get enough touches to start the year to accomplish that even though it won't be consistent from any one guy. Hamilton was a gem in the 23rd as he should be good for 2-3 TDs in those first 5 weeks and will likely fill in once. The main concern is that both Ricky and Maroney have a bye in week 5 so that means Hamilton and/or McFadden will HAVE to produce that week. It's actually the biggest concern for my team, IMO.

WR

Randy Moss -- 1.8

Sidney Rice -- 4.5

Garcon -- 6.5

Mike Wallace -- 7.8

Massaquoi -- 13.8

James Jones -- 14.5

Earl Bennett -- 18.5

I love this group. Sidney Rice and the hip is a bit of a gamble but I feel confident enough in him playing that he was easily worth it in the 4th round. Loved Garcon in the 6th and Wallace in the 7th. I'm not a huge Massaquoi fan, but in the 13th as the likely WR1, I'm just looking for 1 or 2 big weeks. James Jones as the 3rd WR in a potent passing offense with Driver coming off surgery is a nice upside pick and Bennett in the 18th in a Martz system where WR3/WR4 can go off on any day was also a nice upside pick late. Bye issues in this group are Rice in week 4 and Moss/Wallace in week 5. Losing only Rice in week 4 shouldn't be an issue, but that week 5 bye is gonna be tricky again without 2 main scorers. But, again, with Rice/Garcon, I only need one of the other 3 guys to step up with a 10 pt week.

TE

Witten -- 3.8

Carlson -- 8.5

Once again, like QB, I wanted to get the cream of the crop here with 1.5 ppr. Even if Witten doesn't score many TDs, his consistently high reception total makes him a goldmine in this format. I know Dez is in the mix now, but for the first few weeks of the season, I expect Witten to continue at his previous rate. Carlson in the 8th as a 2nd option with this scoring was too good to pass up for a middling RB. I think he's going to be a frequent flex contributor. Both have byes, one in week 4 and one in week 5, but the pair should do just fine until then.

PK

Bironas -- 17.8

Janikowski -- 20.5

Hanson -- 22.5

3 kickers capable of big pt totals on any given week and no bye issues. Particularly Bironas has been a high scoring kicker the last few years. Very content with this group

Def

Saints -- 15.8

Broncos -- 19.8

Nothing exciting. I don't expect the Saints to repeat their fantastic fantasy performance last year but they should be serviceable. Combined, I like what they have. Denver faces Jax/Seattle the first 2 weeks. Then NO faces Atlanta/Carolina at home and Arizona away in week 5. I'm fine with that. Nowhere near the best in the league, but hopefully won't put me at a big disadvantage. With the scoring being skewed toward turnovers, I like the fact that Denver was a top team in fumble recoveries and the Saints in INTs last year.

All in all, I'll be surprised if I don't make it to week 5. Week 5 is definitely going to be a major test as I'll be missing Maroney, Ricky Williams, Randy Moss, Mike Wallace, and Carlson. Still, with Rodgers/McCoy/Rice/Garcon/Witten as "surefire" contributors, I'll need 3 players out of the remainders to step up that week out of McFadden/Hamilton/Scott/Massaquoi/Jones/Bennett. I think being elite at QB/TE as well as being in the top 3-4 at WR is enough to cover for my deficiencies at RB and D/ST.

As always, any and all comments welcome so have at it

 

[ceo3west]

JEFF PASQUINO - Pick 1.04

Player YTD Pts Bye

Campbell, Jason OAK QB - 10

McNabb, Donovan WAS QB - 9

Smith, Alex SFO QB - 9

You used the term "solid" down below. You took 3 guys in the 12-20 range and beyond but what you and many other fail to realize is you are going to get smoked by Rodgers, Romo, Brees, Manning...this is not a top5 QB unit.

I disagree with the QB assessment. In best ball, I would rather have three guys like this than one stud and a mediocare starter. The PPG disparity between a top flight guy and one of these three on a weekly basis will be very small, and if the stud craps out one week that team is in trouble.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

JEFF PASQUINO - Pick 1.04

Player YTD Pts Bye

Campbell, Jason OAK QB - 10

McNabb, Donovan WAS QB - 9

Smith, Alex SFO QB - 9

You used the term "solid" down below. You took 3 guys in the 12-20 range and beyond but what you and many other fail to realize is you are going to get smoked by Rodgers, Romo, Brees, Manning...this is not a top5 QB unit.

I disagree with the QB assessment. In best ball, I would rather have three guys like this than one stud and a mediocare starter. The PPG disparity between a top flight guy and one of these three on a weekly basis will be very small, and if the stud craps out one week that team is in trouble.

I'm sorry ceo3 but this is not true. Stats in a vacuum at the end of the year, sure there is a 2 point difference per game between QB1 and QB5...QB5 and QB10, but I did a thread on this if you search titled QBs-2009 a look back and how the stats don't always tell the whole story. The difference when a guy like Brees or Rodgers knocks in 30-35 and you're best QB manages 15-20 is a big spread. It's not a couple points per week. A 3 some form the 12-20 pack is fine over the course of 14 weeks and even then I might not agree totally but in this format you want to go 9-2 every week...maybe I don't have the rules squared away but this is not about just not being on the bottom, you face everyone each week.

So it's not a very small difference and this year I plan on trying to point this out in season more because I think some folks don't get it when I go over it in the Spring.

Edited to add: That trio might be OK if he had a loaded WR or RB stable but I don't see a loaded group, just a middle of the road group mostly. Nothing that screams they will make up for a few points lost at QB. Maybe you feel differently.

 

[ceo3west]

JEFF PASQUINO - Pick 1.04

Player YTD Pts Bye

Campbell, Jason OAK QB - 10

McNabb, Donovan WAS QB - 9

Smith, Alex SFO QB - 9

You used the term "solid" down below. You took 3 guys in the 12-20 range and beyond but what you and many other fail to realize is you are going to get smoked by Rodgers, Romo, Brees, Manning...this is not a top5 QB unit.

I disagree with the QB assessment. In best ball, I would rather have three guys like this than one stud and a mediocare starter. The PPG disparity between a top flight guy and one of these three on a weekly basis will be very small, and if the stud craps out one week that team is in trouble.

I'm sorry ceo3 but this is not true. Stats in a vacuum at the end of the year, sure there is a 2 point difference per game between QB1 and QB5...QB5 and QB10, but I did a thread on this if you search titled QBs-2009 a look back and how the stats don't always tell the whole story. The difference when a guy like Brees or Rodgers knocks in 30-35 and you're best QB manages 15-20 is a big spread. It's not a couple points per week. A 3 some form the 12-20 pack is fine over the course of 14 weeks and even then I might not agree totally but in this format you want to go 9-2 every week...maybe I don't have the rules squared away but this is not about just not being on the bottom, you face everyone each week.

So it's not a very small difference and this year I plan on trying to point this out in season more because I think some folks don't get it when I go over it in the Spring.

Edited to add: That trio might be OK if he had a loaded WR or RB stable but I don't see a loaded group, just a middle of the road group mostly. Nothing that screams they will make up for a few points lost at QB. Maybe you feel differently.

But the thing is that the stud is not going to get 30-35 each week. That Qb might average 25 PPG for the 5 weeks if you're lucky, and taking the best game from the above trio each week will likely get you around a 20-22 PPG avg. Stud QB's paired with a scrub is not a winning strategy in best ball regardless of the length of the season IMO.

 

[Couch Potato]

I'm satisfied with my draft and think I'm in good position to advance. I drafted with a couple specific thoughts in mind --

1) Draft for value without letting the week 4 and 5 byes over-influence my decisions. While it's true I have a number of bye week players, I think they are spread across positions well enough, with good players still playing those weeks, to allow me to compete and survive weeks 4 and 5. And I was able to cherry pick a lot of solid production others were leaving because of the byes, giving me a better chance than most to get to weeks 4 and 5. I didn't want a watered down roster just to avoid bye week players. We'll see how well that strategy works.

2) Be concerned with early season production and VBD, not with how things may play out over the course of the season. I don't care that this or that player might not hold up for 16 games. I'm playing a 5 week season. I don't care that a young draftee's role will increase over the course of the season. The vet is going to be counted on in Sept and Oct when it counts for this contest. I'm primarily a dynasty player so I really had to guard against my tendency to think young at the cost of current production. I wanted to be sure to avoid the mistake others here made -- falling for the sexy shiny new name if the production in the first 5 weeks isn't going to be there to match the spot where he had to be taken.

03.10 Romo, Tony DAL QB (4)

11.10 Young, Vince TEN QB

16.03 Hasselbeck, Matt SEA QB (5)

24.03 Delhomme, Jake CLE QB

This year I think there are three QBs who will stand out. Brees, Rodgers, and Romo (sorry Peyton owners, it looks like IND is looking for better run/pass balance going forward). I was able to get Romo as the 5th QB off the board so I'm pleased. I didn't take another QB until the 11th round even though Romo has a week 4 bye and that's a concern, but each time I had planned an earlier QB pick someone else would take the player I wanted, and I decided there was better value elsewhere and therefore to wait. FWIW, matchups are good during Romo's bye, with Young playing DEN and Hasselbeck playing STL. Having four QBs might help even if that 4th one is Delhorrible; he was my 24th rounder so if he ever factors into my team's scoring it's just a bonus.

04.03 Charles, Jamaal KCC RB (4)

05.10 Bush, Reggie NOS RB

07.10 Brown, Ronnie MIA RB (5)

09.10 Jackson, Fred BUF RB

10.03 Barber, Marion DAL RB (4)

Very pleased with my RBs. I think other owners' bye week avoidance allowed me to get some real bargains at RB. IMO all these guys can be best ball starters in any given week. PPR boosts Charles and Bush quite a bit over non-PPR rankings. Ronnie and Reggie's health over 16 games is always a concern, but I'm betting they can manage to play a whole month which is all I care about. Chan Gailey in BUF uses one back as a workhorse and at least early on that will be Fred Jackson, lessening my week 4 bye concern. And Barber's role in DAL looks to be much bigger than was thought even a month ago. I think both Jackson and Barber were real bargains in the 9th and 10th rounds.

01.10 Fitzgerald, Larry ARI WR

06.03 Ward, Hines PIT WR (5)

08.03 Houshmandzadeh, T.J. SEA WR (5)

12.03 Royal, Eddie DEN WR

13.10 Schilens, Chaz OAK WR

15.10 Jones, Jacoby HOU WR

21.10 Hartline, Brian MIA WR (5)

While some folks whose opinions I respect believe Fitz will fall off some this year, others (and more importantly, I) believe he'll be just fine. I took him at 1.06 in another draft a week ago in this same scoring format, so I was obviously happy he fell to me here at 1.10. Hines and Housh will be relied on heavily early on while younger WRs get their feet under them and s/b PPR studs in Sept and Oct. And once again, bye week avoidance let them fall. I looked at FBG staff PPR rankings this morning, and Ward is ranked WR17 and I got him as the 24th WR off the board. Housh is ranked WR24 and I got him 33rd off the board. Royal returns to the role on the field he had when he caught 91 balls as a rookie, correcting last year's miscasting disaster. He could be good for 30 catches over the first 5 weeks of the year with the rookies struggling with health concerns and, well, being rookies. Chaz could get 4-5 catches a game if he can stay on the field now that he has at least a decent QB to get him the ball. Word is Jacoby Jones is pushing for a starting job in the HOU pass happy offense, and he's especially useful in best ball formats where he can blow up with a couple of deep catches. Hartline looks to have the starting gig opposite Marshall, and I'm loving him as my 21st rounder in best ball since he's the guy when MIA throws deep. He could have a 3-107-1 type day for me in there somewhere.

02.03 Clark, Dallas IND TE

14.03 Heap, Todd BAL TE

23.10 Miller, Zach JAC TE

1.5 PPR at TE and Clark led all TEs with 100 catches last year. While I don't see that happening again, I still see him as a very solid VBD value and worth a 2nd round pick and the 3rd TE off the board. Heap's role will not be challenged by the rookies early on so he's a safe play and I thought a bargain in the 14th round and 24th TE off the board. ZM#2 is a bit of a flier in the next-to-last round, and I'm intrigued by his 8 catches and 2 TDs in week 17 of last year as well as an offseason quote by Assist HC/TE Coach Mike Tice regarding Miller's role: "(Dallas Clark) is the guy we’re going to emulate."

18.03 Kaeding, Nate SDC PK

20.03 Rackers, Neil HOU PK

22.03 Carpenter, Dan MIA PK (5)

I think this is a strong group. I'm very confident Rackers will beat out K Brown, getting a PK on a really good offense cheaply because others shied away from the camp battle.

17.10 Patriots, New England NEP Def (5)

19.10 Panthers, Carolina CAR Def

Fantasy defenses are largely dart throws to begin with from year to year, with solid NFL defenses like IND and WAS often not doing well for fantasy while so so defenses pile up the fantasy points. And over a 5 week period it's even less predictable who will shine. DTs were disappearing way too fast for my taste with value still on the board at other positions, and I wasn't going to burn picks as high as others were willing to. I was very satisfied taking the Patriots as the 17th DT off the board, with games against Cin, NYJ, Buf, Mia over the first four weeks. In week 5 I'm having to rely on Carolina to get some INTs and sacks on Cutler CHI, and given the histories of both Jay and the Martz system that's not a reach at all. I would like to have had a 3rd DT but not at the price. Especially with one owner grabbing 6 of them, they were just going too soon to be a value.

 

[Couch Potato]

PKavid BuehlerBilly Cundiff

I'd say your chances are better than 50-50 you won't have a PK scoring for you by about week 3.Cundiff will most likely lose the camp battle to Graham, and Buehler is on such a short leash he's already choking on it. Jerry Jones has said he won't hesitate to replace him for FGs with some old guy (like Stover or Carney) if he struggles, leaving him with just KO duties, and it could happen before week one. You could easily be PK-less for the whole 5 weeks. When you draft someone as iffy as Buehler, you can't back him up with the underdog in a camp battle. Oof.

 

[Deranged Hermit]

QB

Brees, Drew NOS

RB

Bush, Michael OAK

Jones-Drew, Maurice JAC

Spiller, C.J. BUF

Wells, Chris ARI

WR

Bowe, Dwayne KCC

Driver, Donald GBP

Heyward-Bey, Darrius OAK

Marshall, Brandon MIA

Meachem, Robert NOS

Robinson, Laurent STL

Williams, Mike TBB

TE

Davis, Fred WAS

Lewis, Marcedes JAC

Nelson, Shawn BUF

Schouman, Derek BUF

Watson, Ben CLE

PK

Hartley, Garrett NOS

D

Browns, Cleveland CLE

Cardinals, Arizona ARI

Falcons, Atlanta ATL

Jaguars, Jacksonville JAC

Lions, Detroit DET

Raiders, Oakland OAK

Ouch. Never, never, never take one QB in a best ball format.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

PKavid BuehlerBilly Cundiff

I'd say your chances are better than 50-50 you won't have a PK scoring for you by about week 3.Cundiff will most likely lose the camp battle to Graham, and Buehler is on such a short leash he's already choking on it. Jerry Jones has said he won't hesitate to replace him for FGs with some old guy (like Stover or Carney) if he struggles, leaving him with just KO duties, and it could happen before week one. You could easily be PK-less for the whole 5 weeks. When you draft someone as iffy as Buehler, you can't back him up with the underdog in a camp battle. Oof.

Buehler is #9 on FBG, just sayin...But you bring up a good point.

 

[Iraqi Information Minister]

Holy crap, fellas. I'm really sorry I messed up and thought the draft was tonight not last night.

What a dimwit.

 

[ceo3west]

I'm sorry ceo3 but this is not true. Stats in a vacuum at the end of the year, sure there is a 2 point difference per game between QB1 and QB5...QB5 and QB10, but I did a thread on this if you search titled QBs-2009 a look back and how the stats don't always tell the whole story. The difference when a guy like Brees or Rodgers knocks in 30-35 and you're best QB manages 15-20 is a big spread. It's not a couple points per week. A 3 some form the 12-20 pack is fine over the course of 14 weeks and even then I might not agree totally but in this format you want to go 9-2 every week...maybe I don't have the rules squared away but this is not about just not being on the bottom, you face everyone each week. So it's not a very small difference and this year I plan on trying to point this out in season more because I think some folks don't get it when I go over it in the Spring. Edited to add: That trio might be OK if he had a loaded WR or RB stable but I don't see a loaded group, just a middle of the road group mostly. Nothing that screams they will make up for a few points lost at QB. Maybe you feel differently.

I did some more investigation on this, and it further validates three mid-pack QB's can hang with a stud in best ball. I looked at the top 5 QB's per ADP last year - here are the averages of their first five games played using the scoring system in this league:QB1 Brees - 24.4QB2 Brady - 19.5QB3 Manning - 25.2QB4 Rogers - 24.0QB5 Rivers - 21.7Then I looked at last years QB's with the same ADP's as Pasquino's QB's this year. That gave me the following 3 QB's, along with the averages of their best 5 games each week:QB15 Cassel; QB17 Garrard; QB21 Flacco - 23.6 PPGThis is a good sample of QB's in the mid range group from last year because some were better (Favre, Rothlisberger, Eli) and some were worse (Hass, Edwards, Orton).

 

[footballman_696969]

I'm satisfied with my draft and think I'm in good position to advance. I drafted with a couple specific thoughts in mind --

1) Draft for value without letting the week 4 and 5 byes over-influence my decisions. While it's true I have a number of bye week players, I think they are spread across positions well enough, with good players still playing those weeks, to allow me to compete and survive weeks 4 and 5. And I was able to cherry pick a lot of solid production others were leaving because of the byes, giving me a better chance than most to get to weeks 4 and 5. I didn't want a watered down roster just to avoid bye week players. We'll see how well that strategy works.

2) Be concerned with early season production and VBD, not with how things may play out over the course of the season. I don't care that this or that player might not hold up for 16 games. I'm playing a 5 week season. I don't care that a young draftee's role will increase over the course of the season. The vet is going to be counted on in Sept and Oct when it counts for this contest. I'm primarily a dynasty player so I really had to guard against my tendency to think young at the cost of current production. I wanted to be sure to avoid the mistake others here made -- falling for the sexy shiny new name if the production in the first 5 weeks isn't going to be there to match the spot where he had to be taken.

03.10 Romo, Tony DAL QB (4)

11.10 Young, Vince TEN QB

16.03 Hasselbeck, Matt SEA QB (5)

24.03 Delhomme, Jake CLE QB

This year I think there are three QBs who will stand out. Brees, Rodgers, and Romo (sorry Peyton owners, it looks like IND is looking for better run/pass balance going forward). I was able to get Romo as the 5th QB off the board so I'm pleased. I didn't take another QB until the 11th round even though Romo has a week 4 bye and that's a concern, but each time I had planned an earlier QB pick someone else would take the player I wanted, and I decided there was better value elsewhere and therefore to wait. FWIW, matchups are good during Romo's bye, with Young playing DEN and Hasselbeck playing STL. Having four QBs might help even if that 4th one is Delhorrible; he was my 24th rounder so if he ever factors into my team's scoring it's just a bonus.

04.03 Charles, Jamaal KCC RB (4)

05.10 Bush, Reggie NOS RB

07.10 Brown, Ronnie MIA RB (5)

09.10 Jackson, Fred BUF RB

10.03 Barber, Marion DAL RB (4)

Very pleased with my RBs. I think other owners' bye week avoidance allowed me to get some real bargains at RB. IMO all these guys can be best ball starters in any given week. PPR boosts Charles and Bush quite a bit over non-PPR rankings. Ronnie and Reggie's health over 16 games is always a concern, but I'm betting they can manage to play a whole month which is all I care about. Chan Gailey in BUF uses one back as a workhorse and at least early on that will be Fred Jackson, lessening my week 4 bye concern. And Barber's role in DAL looks to be much bigger than was thought even a month ago. I think both Jackson and Barber were real bargains in the 9th and 10th rounds.

01.10 Fitzgerald, Larry ARI WR

06.03 Ward, Hines PIT WR (5)

08.03 Houshmandzadeh, T.J. SEA WR (5)

12.03 Royal, Eddie DEN WR

13.10 Schilens, Chaz OAK WR

15.10 Jones, Jacoby HOU WR

21.10 Hartline, Brian MIA WR (5)

While some folks whose opinions I respect believe Fitz will fall off some this year, others (and more importantly, I) believe he'll be just fine. I took him at 1.06 in another draft a week ago in this same scoring format, so I was obviously happy he fell to me here at 1.10. Hines and Housh will be relied on heavily early on while younger WRs get their feet under them and s/b PPR studs in Sept and Oct. And once again, bye week avoidance let them fall. I looked at FBG staff PPR rankings this morning, and Ward is ranked WR17 and I got him as the 24th WR off the board. Housh is ranked WR24 and I got him 33rd off the board. Royal returns to the role on the field he had when he caught 91 balls as a rookie, correcting last year's miscasting disaster. He could be good for 30 catches over the first 5 weeks of the year with the rookies struggling with health concerns and, well, being rookies. Chaz could get 4-5 catches a game if he can stay on the field now that he has at least a decent QB to get him the ball. Word is Jacoby Jones is pushing for a starting job in the HOU pass happy offense, and he's especially useful in best ball formats where he can blow up with a couple of deep catches. Hartline looks to have the starting gig opposite Marshall, and I'm loving him as my 21st rounder in best ball since he's the guy when MIA throws deep. He could have a 3-107-1 type day for me in there somewhere.

02.03 Clark, Dallas IND TE

14.03 Heap, Todd BAL TE

23.10 Miller, Zach JAC TE

1.5 PPR at TE and Clark led all TEs with 100 catches last year. While I don't see that happening again, I still see him as a very solid VBD value and worth a 2nd round pick and the 3rd TE off the board. Heap's role will not be challenged by the rookies early on so he's a safe play and I thought a bargain in the 14th round and 24th TE off the board. ZM#2 is a bit of a flier in the next-to-last round, and I'm intrigued by his 8 catches and 2 TDs in week 17 of last year as well as an offseason quote by Assist HC/TE Coach Mike Tice regarding Miller's role: "(Dallas Clark) is the guy we’re going to emulate."

18.03 Kaeding, Nate SDC PK

20.03 Rackers, Neil HOU PK

22.03 Carpenter, Dan MIA PK (5)

I think this is a strong group. I'm very confident Rackers will beat out K Brown, getting a PK on a really good offense cheaply because others shied away from the camp battle.

17.10 Patriots, New England NEP Def (5)

19.10 Panthers, Carolina CAR Def

Fantasy defenses are largely dart throws to begin with from year to year, with solid NFL defenses like IND and WAS often not doing well for fantasy while so so defenses pile up the fantasy points. And over a 5 week period it's even less predictable who will shine. DTs were disappearing way too fast for my taste with value still on the board at other positions, and I wasn't going to burn picks as high as others were willing to. I was very satisfied taking the Patriots as the 17th DT off the board, with games against Cin, NYJ, Buf, Mia over the first four weeks. In week 5 I'm having to rely on Carolina to get some INTs and sacks on Cutler CHI, and given the histories of both Jay and the Martz system that's not a reach at all. I would like to have had a 3rd DT but not at the price. Especially with one owner grabbing 6 of them, they were just going too soon to be a value.

Great draft. This is by far my favourite team. You got great starters and great depth. You aren't weak at any position it looks like. Nice mixture of high upside players and some savy reliable vets. Good Job.

 

[Jeff Pasquino]

I'm sorry ceo3 but this is not true. Stats in a vacuum at the end of the year, sure there is a 2 point difference per game between QB1 and QB5...QB5 and QB10, but I did a thread on this if you search titled QBs-2009 a look back and how the stats don't always tell the whole story. The difference when a guy like Brees or Rodgers knocks in 30-35 and you're best QB manages 15-20 is a big spread. It's not a couple points per week. A 3 some form the 12-20 pack is fine over the course of 14 weeks and even then I might not agree totally but in this format you want to go 9-2 every week...maybe I don't have the rules squared away but this is not about just not being on the bottom, you face everyone each week. So it's not a very small difference and this year I plan on trying to point this out in season more because I think some folks don't get it when I go over it in the Spring. Edited to add: That trio might be OK if he had a loaded WR or RB stable but I don't see a loaded group, just a middle of the road group mostly. Nothing that screams they will make up for a few points lost at QB. Maybe you feel differently.

I did some more investigation on this, and it further validates three mid-pack QB's can hang with a stud in best ball. I looked at the top 5 QB's per ADP last year - here are the averages of their first five games played using the scoring system in this league:QB1 Brees - 24.4QB2 Brady - 19.5QB3 Manning - 25.2QB4 Rogers - 24.0QB5 Rivers - 21.7Then I looked at last years QB's with the same ADP's as Pasquino's QB's this year. That gave me the following 3 QB's, along with the averages of their best 5 games each week:QB15 Cassel; QB17 Garrard; QB21 Flacco - 23.6 PPGThis is a good sample of QB's in the mid range group from last year because some were better (Favre, Rothlisberger, Eli) and some were worse (Hass, Edwards, Orton).

Also keep in mind I don't need to finish first every week - just avoid the bottom 1-2 spots.

 

[Jeff Pasquino]

I'm satisfied with my draft and think I'm in good position to advance. I drafted with a couple specific thoughts in mind --

1) Draft for value without letting the week 4 and 5 byes over-influence my decisions. While it's true I have a number of bye week players, I think they are spread across positions well enough, with good players still playing those weeks, to allow me to compete and survive weeks 4 and 5. And I was able to cherry pick a lot of solid production others were leaving because of the byes, giving me a better chance than most to get to weeks 4 and 5. I didn't want a watered down roster just to avoid bye week players. We'll see how well that strategy works.

2) Be concerned with early season production and VBD, not with how things may play out over the course of the season. I don't care that this or that player might not hold up for 16 games. I'm playing a 5 week season. I don't care that a young draftee's role will increase over the course of the season. The vet is going to be counted on in Sept and Oct when it counts for this contest. I'm primarily a dynasty player so I really had to guard against my tendency to think young at the cost of current production. I wanted to be sure to avoid the mistake others here made -- falling for the sexy shiny new name if the production in the first 5 weeks isn't going to be there to match the spot where he had to be taken.

03.10 Romo, Tony DAL QB (4)

11.10 Young, Vince TEN QB

16.03 Hasselbeck, Matt SEA QB (5)

24.03 Delhomme, Jake CLE QB

This year I think there are three QBs who will stand out. Brees, Rodgers, and Romo (sorry Peyton owners, it looks like IND is looking for better run/pass balance going forward). I was able to get Romo as the 5th QB off the board so I'm pleased. I didn't take another QB until the 11th round even though Romo has a week 4 bye and that's a concern, but each time I had planned an earlier QB pick someone else would take the player I wanted, and I decided there was better value elsewhere and therefore to wait. FWIW, matchups are good during Romo's bye, with Young playing DEN and Hasselbeck playing STL. Having four QBs might help even if that 4th one is Delhorrible; he was my 24th rounder so if he ever factors into my team's scoring it's just a bonus.

04.03 Charles, Jamaal KCC RB (4)

05.10 Bush, Reggie NOS RB

07.10 Brown, Ronnie MIA RB (5)

09.10 Jackson, Fred BUF RB

10.03 Barber, Marion DAL RB (4)

Very pleased with my RBs. I think other owners' bye week avoidance allowed me to get some real bargains at RB. IMO all these guys can be best ball starters in any given week. PPR boosts Charles and Bush quite a bit over non-PPR rankings. Ronnie and Reggie's health over 16 games is always a concern, but I'm betting they can manage to play a whole month which is all I care about. Chan Gailey in BUF uses one back as a workhorse and at least early on that will be Fred Jackson, lessening my week 4 bye concern. And Barber's role in DAL looks to be much bigger than was thought even a month ago. I think both Jackson and Barber were real bargains in the 9th and 10th rounds.

01.10 Fitzgerald, Larry ARI WR

06.03 Ward, Hines PIT WR (5)

08.03 Houshmandzadeh, T.J. SEA WR (5)

12.03 Royal, Eddie DEN WR

13.10 Schilens, Chaz OAK WR

15.10 Jones, Jacoby HOU WR

21.10 Hartline, Brian MIA WR (5)

While some folks whose opinions I respect believe Fitz will fall off some this year, others (and more importantly, I) believe he'll be just fine. I took him at 1.06 in another draft a week ago in this same scoring format, so I was obviously happy he fell to me here at 1.10. Hines and Housh will be relied on heavily early on while younger WRs get their feet under them and s/b PPR studs in Sept and Oct. And once again, bye week avoidance let them fall. I looked at FBG staff PPR rankings this morning, and Ward is ranked WR17 and I got him as the 24th WR off the board. Housh is ranked WR24 and I got him 33rd off the board. Royal returns to the role on the field he had when he caught 91 balls as a rookie, correcting last year's miscasting disaster. He could be good for 30 catches over the first 5 weeks of the year with the rookies struggling with health concerns and, well, being rookies. Chaz could get 4-5 catches a game if he can stay on the field now that he has at least a decent QB to get him the ball. Word is Jacoby Jones is pushing for a starting job in the HOU pass happy offense, and he's especially useful in best ball formats where he can blow up with a couple of deep catches. Hartline looks to have the starting gig opposite Marshall, and I'm loving him as my 21st rounder in best ball since he's the guy when MIA throws deep. He could have a 3-107-1 type day for me in there somewhere.

02.03 Clark, Dallas IND TE

14.03 Heap, Todd BAL TE

23.10 Miller, Zach JAC TE

1.5 PPR at TE and Clark led all TEs with 100 catches last year. While I don't see that happening again, I still see him as a very solid VBD value and worth a 2nd round pick and the 3rd TE off the board. Heap's role will not be challenged by the rookies early on so he's a safe play and I thought a bargain in the 14th round and 24th TE off the board. ZM#2 is a bit of a flier in the next-to-last round, and I'm intrigued by his 8 catches and 2 TDs in week 17 of last year as well as an offseason quote by Assist HC/TE Coach Mike Tice regarding Miller's role: "(Dallas Clark) is the guy we’re going to emulate."

18.03 Kaeding, Nate SDC PK

20.03 Rackers, Neil HOU PK

22.03 Carpenter, Dan MIA PK (5)

I think this is a strong group. I'm very confident Rackers will beat out K Brown, getting a PK on a really good offense cheaply because others shied away from the camp battle.

17.10 Patriots, New England NEP Def (5)

19.10 Panthers, Carolina CAR Def

Fantasy defenses are largely dart throws to begin with from year to year, with solid NFL defenses like IND and WAS often not doing well for fantasy while so so defenses pile up the fantasy points. And over a 5 week period it's even less predictable who will shine. DTs were disappearing way too fast for my taste with value still on the board at other positions, and I wasn't going to burn picks as high as others were willing to. I was very satisfied taking the Patriots as the 17th DT off the board, with games against Cin, NYJ, Buf, Mia over the first four weeks. In week 5 I'm having to rely on Carolina to get some INTs and sacks on Cutler CHI, and given the histories of both Jay and the Martz system that's not a reach at all. I would like to have had a 3rd DT but not at the price. Especially with one owner grabbing 6 of them, they were just going too soon to be a value.

Great draft. This is by far my favourite team. You got great starters and great depth. You aren't weak at any position it looks like. Nice mixture of high upside players and some savy reliable vets. Good Job.

I like CP's team some (not as much as a few others, but looks top half).The problem I see is WR in Week 5. That's going to hurt.

 

[fightingillini]

I'm satisfied with my draft and think I'm in good position to advance. I drafted with a couple specific thoughts in mind --

1) Draft for value without letting the week 4 and 5 byes over-influence my decisions. While it's true I have a number of bye week players, I think they are spread across positions well enough, with good players still playing those weeks, to allow me to compete and survive weeks 4 and 5. And I was able to cherry pick a lot of solid production others were leaving because of the byes, giving me a better chance than most to get to weeks 4 and 5. I didn't want a watered down roster just to avoid bye week players. We'll see how well that strategy works.

2) Be concerned with early season production and VBD, not with how things may play out over the course of the season. I don't care that this or that player might not hold up for 16 games. I'm playing a 5 week season. I don't care that a young draftee's role will increase over the course of the season. The vet is going to be counted on in Sept and Oct when it counts for this contest. I'm primarily a dynasty player so I really had to guard against my tendency to think young at the cost of current production. I wanted to be sure to avoid the mistake others here made -- falling for the sexy shiny new name if the production in the first 5 weeks isn't going to be there to match the spot where he had to be taken.

03.10 Romo, Tony DAL QB (4)

11.10 Young, Vince TEN QB

16.03 Hasselbeck, Matt SEA QB (5)

24.03 Delhomme, Jake CLE QB

This year I think there are three QBs who will stand out. Brees, Rodgers, and Romo (sorry Peyton owners, it looks like IND is looking for better run/pass balance going forward). I was able to get Romo as the 5th QB off the board so I'm pleased. I didn't take another QB until the 11th round even though Romo has a week 4 bye and that's a concern, but each time I had planned an earlier QB pick someone else would take the player I wanted, and I decided there was better value elsewhere and therefore to wait. FWIW, matchups are good during Romo's bye, with Young playing DEN and Hasselbeck playing STL. Having four QBs might help even if that 4th one is Delhorrible; he was my 24th rounder so if he ever factors into my team's scoring it's just a bonus.

04.03 Charles, Jamaal KCC RB (4)

05.10 Bush, Reggie NOS RB

07.10 Brown, Ronnie MIA RB (5)

09.10 Jackson, Fred BUF RB

10.03 Barber, Marion DAL RB (4)

Very pleased with my RBs. I think other owners' bye week avoidance allowed me to get some real bargains at RB. IMO all these guys can be best ball starters in any given week. PPR boosts Charles and Bush quite a bit over non-PPR rankings. Ronnie and Reggie's health over 16 games is always a concern, but I'm betting they can manage to play a whole month which is all I care about. Chan Gailey in BUF uses one back as a workhorse and at least early on that will be Fred Jackson, lessening my week 4 bye concern. And Barber's role in DAL looks to be much bigger than was thought even a month ago. I think both Jackson and Barber were real bargains in the 9th and 10th rounds.

01.10 Fitzgerald, Larry ARI WR

06.03 Ward, Hines PIT WR (5)

08.03 Houshmandzadeh, T.J. SEA WR (5)

12.03 Royal, Eddie DEN WR

13.10 Schilens, Chaz OAK WR

15.10 Jones, Jacoby HOU WR

21.10 Hartline, Brian MIA WR (5)

While some folks whose opinions I respect believe Fitz will fall off some this year, others (and more importantly, I) believe he'll be just fine. I took him at 1.06 in another draft a week ago in this same scoring format, so I was obviously happy he fell to me here at 1.10. Hines and Housh will be relied on heavily early on while younger WRs get their feet under them and s/b PPR studs in Sept and Oct. And once again, bye week avoidance let them fall. I looked at FBG staff PPR rankings this morning, and Ward is ranked WR17 and I got him as the 24th WR off the board. Housh is ranked WR24 and I got him 33rd off the board. Royal returns to the role on the field he had when he caught 91 balls as a rookie, correcting last year's miscasting disaster. He could be good for 30 catches over the first 5 weeks of the year with the rookies struggling with health concerns and, well, being rookies. Chaz could get 4-5 catches a game if he can stay on the field now that he has at least a decent QB to get him the ball. Word is Jacoby Jones is pushing for a starting job in the HOU pass happy offense, and he's especially useful in best ball formats where he can blow up with a couple of deep catches. Hartline looks to have the starting gig opposite Marshall, and I'm loving him as my 21st rounder in best ball since he's the guy when MIA throws deep. He could have a 3-107-1 type day for me in there somewhere.

02.03 Clark, Dallas IND TE

14.03 Heap, Todd BAL TE

23.10 Miller, Zach JAC TE

1.5 PPR at TE and Clark led all TEs with 100 catches last year. While I don't see that happening again, I still see him as a very solid VBD value and worth a 2nd round pick and the 3rd TE off the board. Heap's role will not be challenged by the rookies early on so he's a safe play and I thought a bargain in the 14th round and 24th TE off the board. ZM#2 is a bit of a flier in the next-to-last round, and I'm intrigued by his 8 catches and 2 TDs in week 17 of last year as well as an offseason quote by Assist HC/TE Coach Mike Tice regarding Miller's role: "(Dallas Clark) is the guy we’re going to emulate."

18.03 Kaeding, Nate SDC PK

20.03 Rackers, Neil HOU PK

22.03 Carpenter, Dan MIA PK (5)

I think this is a strong group. I'm very confident Rackers will beat out K Brown, getting a PK on a really good offense cheaply because others shied away from the camp battle.

17.10 Patriots, New England NEP Def (5)

19.10 Panthers, Carolina CAR Def

Fantasy defenses are largely dart throws to begin with from year to year, with solid NFL defenses like IND and WAS often not doing well for fantasy while so so defenses pile up the fantasy points. And over a 5 week period it's even less predictable who will shine. DTs were disappearing way too fast for my taste with value still on the board at other positions, and I wasn't going to burn picks as high as others were willing to. I was very satisfied taking the Patriots as the 17th DT off the board, with games against Cin, NYJ, Buf, Mia over the first four weeks. In week 5 I'm having to rely on Carolina to get some INTs and sacks on Cutler CHI, and given the histories of both Jay and the Martz system that's not a reach at all. I would like to have had a 3rd DT but not at the price. Especially with one owner grabbing 6 of them, they were just going too soon to be a value.

Great draft. This is by far my favourite team. You got great starters and great depth. You aren't weak at any position it looks like. Nice mixture of high upside players and some savy reliable vets. Good Job.

On paper this a great team, but Couch Potato is going to have some serious bye week problems. He's OK with Romo's bye, as VY, Hass and Delhomme should put together a decent QB score. But he will have only 3 RBs in week 4 and only 4 WRs in round 5 (having to start 3 of them), as well as relying on CAR D for Week 5.

 

[Joe T]

My TeamQB Matt SchaubBrett FavreByron LeftwichTop 6 QB in Schaub and another top 12 qb in Favre if he comes back added Leftwich in case out of the 4 games he starts hoping he'll have one great game, although chances are I won't need him.RBs:Rashard MendenhallCedric BensonClinton PortisLeon WashingtonThomas JonesToby GerhartI like Mendenhall and Benson a lot, but in a ppr league they are mediocre at best, Portis adds decent depth although he's too old and could be replaced by Johnson, Washington could be the 3rd down back in Seatle which is good in ppr leagues, Jones should split carries with Charles, but behind that lind does it even matter?WRs:Andre JohnsonMiles AustinJohnny KnoxTerrell OwensDevin AromashaduGolden TateNate WashingtonI love my WRs I have the #1 and #7 WR on my board seeing that we start two that made me very pleased. Knox has been targeted more than any other WR so far in Chicago's training camp and under Martz that is gold, DA has been targeted the 2nd most and has caught 75% of the passes he has been targeted on, so he'll be a decent gamble. T.O. will no longer be double teamed, he looked good, but not spectacular tonight.TE:Heath MillerBo ScaifeAnthony FasanoAs a unit completely lackluster and could really hurt me in a league that rewards 1.5 ppr for TEs especially with Big Ben out the entire leg 1 competition.PKavid BuehlerBilly CundiffBuehler should win out and he look decent tonight, Cundiff is in a kicker battle for Baltimore if he wins then I like the kickers.DefackersSteelersReally happy with my defenses and they should give me a leg up on the competition. Overall I should survive the first 4 weeks, but week 5 is really going to be a tough week.

This is a great draft from the 5 spot. I'm not sure what issues you have in week 5 other than Mendenhall?The only thing that I might change was in round 3 taking Mendenhall over Witten (or another TE). In this league two very good TE's can go a long way. Witten, Miller, and all your nice WR's would go a long way. Plus, Schaub and a good set of RB's.But overall, still a very good draft and I do not see a team better than yours.

 

[gianmarco]

QB

Brees, Drew NOS

RB

Bush, Michael OAK

Jones-Drew, Maurice JAC

Spiller, C.J. BUF

Wells, Chris ARI

WR

Bowe, Dwayne KCC

Driver, Donald GBP

Heyward-Bey, Darrius OAK

Marshall, Brandon MIA

Meachem, Robert NOS

Robinson, Laurent STL

Williams, Mike TBB

TE

Davis, Fred WAS

Lewis, Marcedes JAC

Nelson, Shawn BUF

Schouman, Derek BUF

Watson, Ben CLE

PK

Hartley, Garrett NOS

D

Browns, Cleveland CLE

Cardinals, Arizona ARI

Falcons, Atlanta ATL

Jaguars, Jacksonville JAC

Lions, Detroit DET

Raiders, Oakland OAK

I like it. I'm also gonna wager that you have the top scoring defense 4 out of the 5 weeks. That's key to these.

 

[gianmarco]

QB

Brees, Drew NOS

RB

Bush, Michael OAK

Jones-Drew, Maurice JAC

Spiller, C.J. BUF

Wells, Chris ARI

WR

Bowe, Dwayne KCC

Driver, Donald GBP

Heyward-Bey, Darrius OAK

Marshall, Brandon MIA

Meachem, Robert NOS

Robinson, Laurent STL

Williams, Mike TBB

TE

Davis, Fred WAS

Lewis, Marcedes JAC

Nelson, Shawn BUF

Schouman, Derek BUF

Watson, Ben CLE

PK

Hartley, Garrett NOS

D

Browns, Cleveland CLE

Cardinals, Arizona ARI

Falcons, Atlanta ATL

Jaguars, Jacksonville JAC

Lions, Detroit DET

Raiders, Oakland OAK

Ouch. Never, never, never take one QB in a best ball format.

Over a full season, definitely not, but for just 5 weeks, if you've got a guy like Brees who very rarely puts up a true stinker, it's not terrible.

 

[Deranged Hermit]

QB

Brees, Drew NOS

RB

Bush, Michael OAK

Jones-Drew, Maurice JAC

Spiller, C.J. BUF

Wells, Chris ARI

WR

Bowe, Dwayne KCC

Driver, Donald GBP

Heyward-Bey, Darrius OAK

Marshall, Brandon MIA

Meachem, Robert NOS

Robinson, Laurent STL

Williams, Mike TBB

TE

Davis, Fred WAS

Lewis, Marcedes JAC

Nelson, Shawn BUF

Schouman, Derek BUF

Watson, Ben CLE

PK

Hartley, Garrett NOS

D

Browns, Cleveland CLE

Cardinals, Arizona ARI

Falcons, Atlanta ATL

Jaguars, Jacksonville JAC

Lions, Detroit DET

Raiders, Oakland OAK

Ouch. Never, never, never take one QB in a best ball format.

Over a full season, definitely not, but for just 5 weeks, if you've got a guy like Brees who very rarely puts up a true stinker, it's not terrible.

What if Brees goes down? You're absolutely sunk. That not necessarily the case if you have someone, anyone, else to play QB.

 

[Couch Potato]

Ouch. Never, never, never take one QB in a best ball format.

Over a full season, definitely not, but for just 5 weeks, if you've got a guy like Brees who very rarely puts up a true stinker, it's not terrible.

Yeah, what the Saints homer said.

... because a stud QB never has his bell rung or ankle tweaked in the 2nd quarter and has to come out for the rest of the game after amassing 5 fantasy points. It's Drew Brees so that just can't happen, and it's much better to get 6 important defenses than totally waste a pick on a second QB in best ball. You want your chances in this contest totally dependent on one guy's health. I mean, it's the NFL. Why sweat the potential for injuries? Injuries as as rare in this sport as they are in chess.

 

[Deranged Hermit]

What if Brees goes down? You're absolutely sunk. That not necessarily the case if you have someone, anyone, else to play QB.

Now what if Brees doesn't go down and the player (or most likely D) that I chose instead of another QB scores enough to keep me in for 5 weeks?

Never mind, I get it. You hooked me, I'll admit it.

 

[EBF]

As long as you're happy EBF, that's what counts. That WR group is not gonna stack up but it sounds like you got what you wanted. No 2nd thoughts about the rookies so early in their careers? You expect them to hit the ground running? Top10 from both each week...top20? Caddy owns the record for most yds 1st 4 weeks of his career, do you expect that to be eclipsed?

The thing about WRs is that there are literally dozens of them who can go off for 15-20 points in a given week, so the best ball format really diminishes the value of that position. I have done really well in these leagues over the past few seasons with this approach.As for the RBs, you act like I took Best and Mathews in the top 10. Mathews may have been a slight reach at RB11, but it's not like many of the RBs selected after him have a better talent/situation outlook. As for Best, he was huge value at RB22. Neither player needs to have a historic rookie season to justify his draft slot. Moreover, I'm not relying on my RBs to carry my team (that's what Peyton/Henne and Finley/Olsen are for). The key with survivor leagues is to avoid dud weeks. The way you do that is by building quality depth at every position. I think I accomplished that in this draft, although another TE and/or D would've been nice. I feel like I came away with a decent team though. That's all you can do. The rest is up to the football gods.

 

[Anthony Borbely]

Ouch. Never, never, never take one QB in a best ball format.

Over a full season, definitely not, but for just 5 weeks, if you've got a guy like Brees who very rarely puts up a true stinker, it's not terrible.

Yeah, what the Saints homer said.

Brees had less than 200 passing yards and no TDs in weeks 3 and 4 last year. Even the great ones have clunkers.

 

[gianmarco]

Ouch. Never, never, never take one QB in a best ball format.

Over a full season, definitely not, but for just 5 weeks, if you've got a guy like Brees who very rarely puts up a true stinker, it's not terrible.

Yeah, what the Saints homer said.

Brees had less than 200 passing yards and no TDs in weeks 3 and 4 last year. Even the great ones have clunkers.

We'll just call that a fluke...if he does it this year, we can call it a trend.

 

[Tau837]

I used DraftDominator to track the draft. I just used the latest default projections and made no effort to tweak them. FWIW, here is its predicted order of elimination based on its weekly points projection:

Week 1 - EBF (98.1) and packertazman (108.8) eliminated; 10th best score is Just Win Baby (111.3)

Week 2 - Mr. Phoenix (115.2) eliminated; 9th best score is Detroit Fan 365 (116.3)

Week 3 - MisfitBlondes (111.8) and Couch Potato (116.3) eliminated; 7th best score is LHUCKS (118.8)

Week 4 - Detroit Fan 365 (108.8) eliminated; 6th best score is gianmarco (109.2)

Week 5 - gianmarco (104.1) and LHUCKS (105.8) eliminated; 4th best score is Pasquino (121.6)

So DD (Dodds) currently projects Pasquino, Grant, Duckboy, and JWB to advance. Hope it's right...