Think I'm killing my draft....

[SteelFaninBMore]

Self-serving thread, I know. In the midst of the e-mail (meaning slow moving) draft of my 10-team money league right now. All co-workers and we're all football addicts and seasoned fantasy players. Money isn't that big ($30 a team plus $2 per transaction), but the best part is bragging rights all year long.

It's PPR for WR/TE, no PPR for RB. Other than that, standard scoring. It's a keeper league, but we had a few new faces joining this year, so we decided to blow it up and redraft this season. Had the #2 pick....

1.2 (2nd overall): RB Jamaal Charles, KC

Other players available: Rice, Peterson, Johnson

Synopsis: Don't like Johnson's holdout, and don't like Peterson's offensive situation. Had a hard time picking between Rice and Charles, but in the end I couldn't make myself root for Ray Rice every week. I was on the Charles bandwagon last year, drafted him very early, and enjoyed it. Think I'll get the same satisfaction this year. Really can't go wrong with any of the top RBs here, though.

Suprise 1st round picks: Tom Brady, who went 6th, over Vick and Rodgers.

-------------------------------------

2.9 (19th overall): WR Hakeem Nicks, NYG

Other players available: MJD, Turner, Gore

Synopsis: The 2nd round saw a mini run on top tier receivers (including Johnson and White, who went at the end of the first). Didn't feel comfortable going into the 3rd without one of the top WRs, and Nicks was the last guy left in my top tier. I liked the RBs still on the board, but felt confident that at least one would make it back to me 2 picks later.

Suprise 2nd round picks: Vick and McCoy (both for lasting that long)

-------------------------------------

3.2 (22nd overall): RB Frank Gore, SF

Other players available: MJD, Turner, Forte, Hillis, S. Jackson

Synopsis: All three RBs made it back around to me, and then some. I'm really low on MJD and Turner this year (see my overvalued/undervalued thread). Struggled between Forte, Gore, and Jackson, but out of the three I see Forte and Jackson's ceiling at high RB2, while Gore has the chance at a top 10 finish.

Surprise 3rd round picks: None

-------------------------------------

4.9 (39th overall): WR Vincent Jackson, SD

Other players available: Miles Austin, P. Manning, M. Colston

Synopsis: Was so glad to get Jackson to fall to me, while watching a run of Bowe, Wallace, Wayne, and Colston in the late 3rd, early 4th. I hate Colston, am lukewarm on Austin. Jackson has been tearing it up this preseason, and should finish as a top 10 receiver. So 4 picks in and I have two probable top 10 RBs, and two probable top 10 receivers. I made a note of Manning here, but the guy picking between me already had Rivers, so I knew Manning would come back around.

Surprise 4th round picks: Schaub at 4.3 (with Manning on the board?)

-------------------------------------

5.2 (42nd overall): QB Peyton Manning, IND

Other players available: No one of comparable value

Synopsis: Injury is scaring way too many people off. He's already off the pup list. I see little chance of him missing Week 1, and even if he has some early struggles, his final 12 weeks feature 9 defenses who were 21st or worse in pass defense last year. His only challenge is the Saints (4th last year), and that's going to be a shootout anyway. A top 5 QB in the 5th round. Now 9 out of 10 owners have a QB, meaning that I can wait a couple rounds and be sure to get Roethlisberger or Ryan, which will be all the insurance I need at QB (possibly some trade bait later on, too).

Surprise 5th round picks: Hightower at 5.4 (I know his stock is rising fast after Thursday, but wow)

-------------------------------------

Will update as more picks come in. Have to say this is the best I've felt about a draft in a long time. There's still a ton of WRs that I love on the board (Austin, Holmes, Bryant, Welker, Harvin, Boldin), as well as some excellent RB3 options (D. Williams, Best, Grant).

[SteelFaninBMore]

6.9 (59th overall): WR Dez Bryant, DAL

Other players available: DeAngelo Williams, Jahvid Best, Shonn Greene, Percy Harvin

Synopsis: Very predictable TE run in the 6th. I called it out earlier today, and everyone fell for it anyway. It's such a deep position this year, I don't mind waiting another round or two. Knew the guy in between me needed another starting WR, so I put the RBs aside for now. Love Harvin in PPR, but no player (at any position) has as much breakout potential as Bryant. He could be putting up top 12 numbers by year's end. And considering this is a keeper league, he could be one of the cornerstones of my team for years. Think my next pick will be whoever's left between Williams, Greene, and Best...in that order.

Surprise 6th round picks: Julio Jones at 6.6

-------------------------------------

7.2 (62nd overall): RB Shonn Greene, NYJ

Other players available: DeAngelo Williams, Jahvid Best

Synopsis: I know I said Williams over Greene a few minutes ago, but I spent several minutes flip flopping on the two. Both have a lot of upside and a lot of risk. At the end of the day, I'll take the guy with a better shot at staying healthy, playing on a better team. Also, LT will take away less carries from Greene, than Stewart from Williams. I notice the RB well is drying up in a hurry - there's only 4 or 5 guys left that I'd trust as an RB3 (Williams, Best, Green-Ellis, Fred Jackson, Beanie Wells) . Hopefully everyone else notices the same thing, and I get some more WR/TE pushed back to me at the end of the 8th round.

Surprise 7th round picks: Steelers D (there's always one guy who drafts a D too early, but it's always surprising to me)

-------------------------------------

8.9 (79th overall): QB Ben Roethlisberger, PIT

Other players available: Ben Jarvus Green-Ellis, Brandon Jacobs, Owen Daniels, Percy Harvin

Synopsis: Stoked that I got Manning in the 5th round, but still not sure if he'll be playing Week 1, or how long it will take to get him back into rhythm. Before Manning fell, Roethlisberger was the QB I was targeting - homerism aside, he'll be a top 10 QB and has a great ADP. I'll reach a little for him here just to make sure I have plenty of insurance for Manning. Yes, they have the same bye week. I'm not worried about that. If I don't end up trading one of them away before Week 11, I'll get a waiver wire fill in.

Surprising 8th round picks: Lee Evans

-------------------------------------

9.2 (82nd overall): TE Owen Daniels, HOU

Other available players: Daniel Thomas, Reggie Bush, Percy Harvin

Synopsis: Waited long enough to get a TE. Daniels is the borderline for me between having an elite TE, and scouring the waiver wire each week looking for a new starter. Had to grab him here. People are shying away due to his injury, but after he came back last year, he led all TEs in targets over the last month, putting up some pretty good stats. Stud at a discount.

Surprising 9th round picks: Jets, Eagles, and Ravens D. One guy reaching is one thing, a run is a different story.

-------------------------------------

So as it stands now:

QB: P. Manning, Roethlisberger
RB: Charles, Gore, Greene
WR: Nicks, V. Jackson, Bryant
TE: Daniels

[SteelFaninBMore]

10.9 (99th overall): RB Mike Tolbert, SD

Other players available: Fred Jackson, James Starks

Synopsis: Tolbert's the top handcuff out there. Mathews is always getting hurt, and even when healthy, San Diego looks like a 50/50 split, with Tolbert getting goal line looks. That lone makes him a decent flex play in a pinch, and he soars to low RB2 status if/when Mathews goes down. And as my 4th RB, I think I'm set at that position.

Surprise 10th round picks: None

-------------------------------------

11.2 (102nd overall): WR Steve Smith, CAR

Other players available: Sidney Rice, Kenny Britt, Lance Moore

Synopsis: Smith will be a solid WR4. It all depends on Newton, but he has a decent amount of upside, particularly in PPR. Also like Lance Moore a lot, but I think he'll be there at my next pick, although I don't know if I want to carry 5 WR.

Surprising 11th round picks: None

-------------------------------------

So as it stands now:

QB: P. Manning, Roethlisberger
RB: Charles, Gore, Greene, Tolbert
WR: Nicks, V. Jackson, Bryant, Smith (CAR)
TE: Daniels

I normally don't carry two, but I'm going to need to take another TE, just to offset the risk that Daniels carries. Jimmy Graham was sniped right before my 10th round pick. However Cooley, Keller, and Jared Cook are still around, and either of those three will do.

Matthew Stafford is also still on the board. If he comes back around to 12.9, it's going to be hard to pass him up. I have no need for 3 QBs, but he could be my bye week filler, and if he blows up as expected, I'll definitely be able to move one of Stafford/Peyton/Roeth in a trade. And if Stafford gets hurt again, I'll just drop him and move on.

All the top big name defenses are already off the board. No matter. I like the Lions D a lot this year (in fantasy at least). I'm confident I can wait until the last couple rounds and grab them.

[SteelFaninBMore]

12.9 (119th overall): QB Matthew Stafford, DET

Synopsis: He's on my overvalued list just because of his injury history. But I can't deny how good he's looked in preseason, and the upside he has. With him behind Manning and Ben, there's no risk (if he gets hurt, I drop him at no loss). And if he blows up as many expect, I have three starting QBs that I can use as trade bait.

-------------------------------------

13.2 (122nd overall): Detroit Lions DEF

Synopsis: The top tier defenses were going off the board way too early for me. I like Detroit from a fantasy perspective. Worst case scenario, I play the waiver wire for matchups each week. Not too concerned.

-------------------------------------

14.9 (139th overall): TE Dustin Keller, NYJ

Synopsis: I like Daniels, but he is an injury risk. I'll hedge my bets with Keller, who will be one of Sanchez's favorite targets even with the new receivers he has. Not to mention a huge red zone threat.

-------------------------------------

15.2 (142nd overall): WR Lance Moore, NO

Synopsis: With my last pick, I take a WR5 who has WR3 upside. He needs a little help to get there, mainly Henderson getting cut (which is very possible). And if Colston goes down, Moore has a ton of upside. If I have to trim the WR group to 4, I'll probably end up cutting Smith; I like Moore too much to throw him back.

[SteelFaninBMore]

Final Roster:

QB: P. Manning, B. Roethlisberger, M. Stafford
RB: J. Charles, F. Gore, S. Greene, M. Tolbert
WR: H. Nicks, V. Jackson, D. Bryant, S. Smith (CAR), L. Moore
TE: O. Daniels, D. Keller
DEF: Detroit
K: None

I'll need to grab a kicker, but I have two weeks to decide who I want to drop. It will likely be Keller, as after the draft there were still a lot of decent TEs who went undrafted that I could get by with if needed.

Usually I'm overly critical of my teams, but I really think this was a great draft. A plethora of talent at QB/RB/WR, and high upside options at TE and DEF.

[dandrews]

Jesus Christ that's good. I personally would have taken S. Jackson over Gore, but thats just preference.

Pat yourself on the back, hell of a job.

[SteelFaninBMore]

Jesus Christ that's good. I personally would have taken S. Jackson over Gore, but thats just preference.

Pat yourself on the back, hell of a job.

You would think. The old saying that you don't win your league on draft day, definitely proves itself here.

2-4, and 7th in total points. Part of that has been running into the wrong players at the wrong time (3rd in points against), but mostly inconsistent guys on my own team.

Charles going down killed me. Gore has struggled up until Week 5. Gotten to the point where I'm starting Sproles as my RB2. Nicks and VJax have had a couple strong games, but have disappeared as well. Steve Smith is blowing up on my bench, and when I start him, he puts out his lowest points of the season (Week 3 - 15 yards, Week 6 - 66 yards). So frustrating that I'm trying to move him for RB help.

I do have a 6-0 team in that league, and it's amazing how I didn't notice the draft he had:

QB - Newton (late round pick)
RB - Rice, McCoy (and MJD on the bench)
WR - Wallace, Welker

[shocksyde]

I do have a 6-0 team in that league, and it's amazing how I didn't notice the draft he had:

QB - Newton (late round pick)
RB - Rice, McCoy (and MJD on the bench)
WR - Wallace, Welker

Good lord.

[SteelFaninBMore]

Make that 7-0. He had McCoy on a bye, and didn't like MJD against the Ravens, so who does he pick up and start? DeMarco Murray. 253 yards and a TD. Lol.

Never seen a team go undefeated in fantasy (either a 13-0 regular season, or a 15/16-0 perfect season). Kind of excited to see if he can pull it off.

[Kyle Cactus]

Yea, even outstanding drafts can get turned on their head. The luck factor keeps things exciting though.

[Tucking]

i have a friend in my money league thats 7-0. Of course im rooting for him to lose im sitting here at 5-2 and i play him next week(same division). i feel this will be the week he finally loses though. He has Turner and Mcfadden on a bye. He has a terrible bench so he picked up Tolbert(who is now doubtful) but he has Brees,Mccoy,tolbert?,M. Wallace,Steve Johnson,Miles Austin, Pettigrew against Rivers,Gore,MJD,Fitz,Steve Smith,Colston and Graham.

I feel this is a very bad matchup for my friend since Brees two biggest weapons are on the opposing team.

[SteelFaninBMore]

Adding this year's draft. I know it's of no interest to anyone else, but screw it, the thread's already here.

10 man money league with co-workers. Doing an e-mail draft, so it's slow moving. We redrafted last year due to some new faces - this year, keeping two players (but they have to be from different positions), which takes roughly the top 20 players off the board. I choose Charles (the best of my bad RB group) and Stafford (no brainer).

Start 2 RB, 2 WR. Receivers and tight ends get .5 PPR, no PPR for RB. Otherwise, standard scoring. Had the 4th pick.

1.04 - RB Matt Forte, CHI

Other players considered: DeMarco Murray, Maurice Jones-Drew, Andre Johnson

McCoy and McFadden were the top RB available, and went 1-2. Already set at QB, and WR is ridiculously deep, as noted in other threads on this forum. I'm a little wary of Charles coming back from injury, so I want to grab the best RB available. Forte is it. Not a sexy pick, but solid. He won't get many TDs with Bush around, but plenty of yards.

2.07 - WR Julio Jones, ATL

Other players considered: SJax, Doug Martin, Trent Richardson

WR is deep, but I'm on the Jones bandwagon this year. I see a breakout year, with a potential top 3 finish. I'll lock down my WR1 here, and wait until later for WR2, of which there are plenty available. Still some really solid RB3 options were still on the board here. Rolling the dice that at least one of them makes it back around to me.

3.04 - RB Steven Jackson

Other players considered: Richardson, Martin, Nicks, Harvin

I like the potential of Martin and Richardson, even more so in a keeper....but I'm a little wary of rookies. I want something safer, given the risk I'm taking with Charles, and not being overly thrilled with Forte. Jackson has been a top 15 back for 7 years straight, and has generated a lot of buzz in camp and preseason. As an RB3, it's hard to do better, and he can easily step into the RB2 role if Charles goes down, or Forte underperforms. Thought a while about taking my WR2 here, with Nicks and Harvin available. But I'll wait.

4.07: WR Dez Bryant, DAL

Other players considered: Colston, Bowe

Top-notch WR2 to pair with Julio. Has had a strong off-season, and his recent injury seems to be not that serious. The WR1 potential has been there for at least a year now, hopefully he can finally put it all together in his 3rd season.

5.04: WR Dwayne Bowe, KC

Other players considered: Vernon Davis

Solidify my WR corp with a WR2 in my WR3 spot. I went back and forth for a while between him and Davis...and I may still end up regretting not filling my TE slot. But injuries to my starting RB and WR last year have scared me, and this year I want top notch backups at both positions. TE is rather deep this year, as it seems to be every year, and I feel like I can grab a couple guys later on (Pettigrew, or Tamme, or Cook, or Olson, etc), and do well enough. Unless you're getting one of the big G's (Gronk, Graham, Gates), it makes more sense to just wait it out.


Trade! - One of my league mates was out of the country when the draft started, and ended up on auto-pick without his knowledge. Didn't catch it until a couple rounds in. He had drafted Mathews in the 2nd, and didn't like it, since he already had Rivers. Offered him SJax for Mathews, and he was all over it. Mathews has injury concerns aplenty, but he only has to be an RB3 at worst. At his ceiling, I've got a top 5 back on my bench, and a keeper for years to come.

6.07 - WR Brandon Lloyd, NE

Other players considered: VJax, Spiller

Did I say WR was deep? Make that my 4th top-20 receiver drafted. Liked VJax a lot, but I really wanted to get away from the week 5 and 7 byes, which I already have way too many of. Spiller was also tempting as a great RB4. But my current RB group is strong enough, I'll wait and nab him or someone similar after the turn.

7.04 - RB CJ Spiller, BUF

Other players considered: Stevan Ridley, Peyton Hillis

Ridley is getting a lot of love, but I just don't trust New England to stick with one guy, and it's not a great run-first offense anyway. Hillis was considered as a handcuff (and even a potential bye week filler), but I like Spiller's upside more. A lot of sites have him listed as a low-end RB2, or top RB3 with upside, and I snagged him as a 4. I'll take it.



And now we're starting to enter the 8th round. Still need:

Backup QB - no rush now. A big run on backups just took place between my last two picks. At this point, out of 10 teams, everyone has a starter, and 7 of us have backups. Meaning that I'm guaranteed to get one of the next 3 QBs on the board - which include Ben, Fitzpatrick, and Locker. I'd be fine with any of them. So I can pretty much wait until the last couple rounds to grab whoever's still standing.

TE - I'm one of two teams left that don't have a starting TE yet. Everyone else has drafted one. Players still around - Pettigrew, Cook, Witten, Celek, Fleener, Gresham, Olsen, Tamme. I like them all, in that order. I would say I can wait until the end for a TE as well, but some of these guys are prone to drafting two (I don't know why). So I'll probably make a move for Pettigrew or Cook in the next couple rounds, just to be safe.

RB5 and 6 - Love Jacquizz Rodgers. Question is how long to wait before pulling the trigger. Thinking 11th. If Hillis is still around in the 9th I may pull the trigger on him as well.

WR5? - Have to give up an RB6 spot for this, or forgo a backup QB (might be the better option). Kenny Britt might be an interesting late flyer. A steal if he comes back and does well. If he gets hurt again or suspended again, I can drop him with no consequence.


Roster so far:

QB: Stafford
RB: Forte, Charles, Mathews*, Spiller
WR: Julio, Dez, Bowe, Lloyd
TE:
DEF:
K:

* Pending post-draft trade of Steven Jackson for Mathews (already verbally accepted).

Some observations so far: RB quality falls off a cliff after the first couple rounds. After the tier of guys like SJax and Richardson, you're looking at picks like Greene, Green-Ellis, Wells, McGahee, etc. There are some potential gems hidden in there, and they're certainly not bad backups. But I would hate to have to draft any of them as a weekly starter. This, coupled with the abundance of WRs, makes it that much more important to lock down your starting RBs early on.

[dandrews]

Why on gods earth were Mcoy, McFadden, and Forte not kept as keepers??

Solid draft as always. I love the Julio Jones pick, I think he's going to really burst out this year. It's a little risky taking him 2.4, since that takes the value out of the pick, but it's certainly understandable considering the potential.

[SteelFaninBMore]

Why on gods earth were Mcoy, McFadden, and Forte not kept as keepers??

Solid draft as always. I love the Julio Jones pick, I think he's going to really burst out this year. It's a little risky taking him 2.4, since that takes the value out of the pick, but it's certainly understandable considering the potential.

Due to the keeper rules (2 per team, have to be different positions). McCoy owner had Rice and kept him, and the Forte/DMac owner threw both back to keep Brady and Calvin. Still not sure how I feel about those rules, but on the plus side, it puts more top tier talent back into the draft pool.

As for Julio, in a redraft I'd be hard pressed to take him in the 2nd. But with keepers involved, it became a no brainer between the best WR1 on the board, or my RB3.

More picks in:

8.07 - TE Brandon Pettigrew, DET

Other players considered: Witten

Wanted to wait a little longer, but before this pick Tamme and Fleener both got taken, and I started worrying about a ridiculous backup TE run. I'm really surprised to see Witten fall this far (and as of this writing, he's still on the board well into the 9th round). I know the spleen injury is scary, but I didn't expect that kind of drop. As for Pettigrew, he was the 2nd most targeted TE last year, and in 14 of 17 games, hauled in 4 or more catches. The knock on him is that he only averaged 9.4 yards per catch, but I don't mind that. A stable, reliable weekly producer, with a high floor and a lot of potential.

9.04 - RB Jacquizz Rodgers, ATL

Other players considered: Kenny Britt

I wanted to wait another round or two before making this pick. But it's a long wait until my next pick, and the Falcons play tonight. If Rodgers has a great game, he probably won't be there in the 10th. Turner looks old, slow, and done. He'll get plenty of goal line looks this year, but between the 20s, I think Rodgers is going to play a much larger role than last year. I'm a sucker for home run RBs like Rice and Charles, and Rodgers has the same build and style of play. Hopefully it pans out.




So I have 4 picks left. This is how I envision them panning out:

10.07 - RB6 or WR5. Targeting Britt, Hillis, Jennings. In that order. If the MJD hold out becomes even more toxic between now and then, Jennings could jump to the top of the list.

11.04 - QB2. Jake Locker. At this point every team but mine has 2 QBs, so I feel safe that he'll still be here, as teams taking 3 QBs is very rare. Of all the remaining QB2 prospects, Locker has the best Week 5 matchup (Stafford's bye), against a weak Minnesota secondary.

12.07 - DEF. There's six teams, including mine, that still need a DEF. Plenty of big names still on the board - Philly, Packers, Patriots, Ravens, Bears, Jets. I expect those to be gone by the 12th. No matter. I love Houston. They were a dominant defense last season, 2nd overall, 3rd against the pass, 4th against the run, with 44 sacks and 27 turnovers.

Yeah, they lost Williams. But look at some of the QBs they get to play: 6 games against Locker, Gabbert, and Luck. Tannehill in his first career start. Sanchez/Tebow. Ponder during FF championship week. For those who don't want to have to spend an earlier pick on a big name defense, I think Houston is an under the radar unit that will give you some very good weeks.

13.04 - Kicker. Meh, who cares. Given the red zone problems that Ravens first team has had in preseason (no offense), I probably like Tucker here - assuming he wins the starting job.


Roster as it stands now:

QB: Stafford
RB: Forte, Charles, Mathews*, Spiller, Rodgers
WR: Julio, Dez, Bowe, Lloyd
TE: Pettigrew
DEF:
K:

* Pending post-draft trade of Steven Jackson for Mathews (already verbally accepted).

[dandrews]

Call me crazy, but I really like Russell Wilson as a QB2. I think he has crazy fantasy upside with his running ability

[SteelFaninBMore]

Seems to be a lot of young or rookie QBs being talked about as high upside QB2s this year. Luck, RG3, Locker, and now Wilson. Of that group, I think Wilson definitely has the best value, as you can get him crazy late, while Luck and RG3 are going a little too early for my tastes.

10.07 - RB Rashad Jennings, JAX

Other players considered: Britt

I said I wanted Britt here, and he was still on the board. This is my 6th RB, and I still want a WR5 (hoping Britt makes it around the turn). Which means I won't be drafting a backup QB. I figure I have until Week 5 before I need a QB2. It's very probable that MJD will be back by then, at which point I can cut Jennings and make room on the bench for Locker or Wilson. But in the meantime, the MJD holdout seems to be getting worse, and now Schefter is speculating that will go into the regular season. So I'll grab Jennings and block the MJD owner (who I play in Week 1).

11.04 - WR Leonard Hankerson, WAS

Other players considered: Meachem, Crabtree, Lance Moore

Britt didn't make it back around. Oh well. For my WR5, and last bench spot, I'll take a flyer on Hank. He showed some flashes last year before getting hurt. I avoided Meachem because I didn't want 3 out of 5 WR with the same bye week. Moore is too inconsistent, and Crabtree is on an offense with too many mouths to feed. If Hankerson proves himself before Week 5, great - if not, he'll be just a guy that I can drop for a backup QB or TE.



So only two picks left, and they'll be DEF and K. The Texans are gone, so I'll pencil in Buffalo. The pass rush is going to improve with Williams, and I love their schedule - facing Sanchez twice, Tannehill twice, the AFC South (Gabbert, Luck, Locker), and the NFC West (Wilson, Skelton). And I'll probably go with Tucker as my K. I assume both will still be on the board when I make my picks, as they're both flying under the radar.

Final roster:


QB: Stafford
RB: Forte, Charles, Mathews*, Spiller, Rodgers, Jennings
WR: Julio, Dez, Bowe, Lloyd, Hankerson
TE: Pettigrew
DEF: Buffalo
K: Tucker

I'm more than happy with this. Then again, I felt the same this time last year, before injuries derailed me. But if everyone stays healthy, I think my biggest problem will be figuring out who to start every week.

[dandrews]

Might as well tack on my team to this thread. Let me know how I did. 10 team, non-PPR league.

1.6 Darren McFadden: He's an absolute stud, if he stays healthy. I'm banking on him to not miss half the season 2 years in a row. If he can give me 13 games, that's plenty good enough with his talent. I can scrounge together some WW running backs for the other 3 weeks. Couldn't believe Calvin Johnson made it to me here, but I decided to pull the trigger on my original strategy.

2.5 Julio Jones: Risky pick taking him so early, but I love the upside. Probably wouldn't have taken him so high were this a money league, but since it's free picking somebody fun to root for played a part. Also considered AJ Green and Rob Gronkowski

3.6 Jamaal Charles: Looks like his old self in preseason. Another risky pick with injuries, but he's a 1st round talent when healthy, easily. Did not consider anybody else here.

4.5 Hakeem Nicks: I think I regret making this pick after hearing that Nicks will be dealing with "pain management" all season. That frightens me. Almost pulled the trigger on Percy Harvin here, and I think I should've done so. Also considered Greg Jennings and Wes Welker. I f'd this pick up big time

5.6 Dez Bryant: He's been on my team every year of his career, might as well add another. In case you can't tell, I'm a sucker for upside. With no Laurent Robinson, Jason Witten with spleen troubles, and Austin's injury history, I think Dez is going to rack up the points early in the year. Also considered Aaron Hernandez and Antonio Gates

6.5 Antonio Gates: How he slipped to the 6th round I have no idea. I snatched him up instantly. He's a stud, and with nobody else for Rivers to throw the ball to, he's going to pile up stats this year. Please just don't get hurt (this seems like a recurring theme)

7.6 Torrey Smith: I'm a homer. I love what I see from him in preseason. In a 3 receiver and a flex league, I need all the WRs I can get. Again, another upside pick.

8.5 Peyton Manning: (Hey look another guy with injury history!) I really wanted Michael Vick here. If Vick does what he did 2 years ago, I win the league, plain and simple. Last year he was a 1st rounder because of this. This season he's an 8th rounder. Admittedly, I was furious when I didn't get my guy. I was left to chose between Manning and Rivers. Manning has the upside to do great things this year. I also had Rivers last season and that was a catastrophe. I kind of wanted to avoid that again this season.

9.6 Robert Griffin III: Took a back up QB extremely early here. Peyton had 4 neck surgeries last year. That's insane. If he play all 16 games it will be a miracle. Tim Tebow's rushing abilities carried me to a 2nd place finish last season (mainly because the aforementioned Phillip Rivers stunk). RGIII is a better runner and is a much better passer. While he won't be Cam Newton this season, him being a top 10 QB certainly isn't out of the question.

10.5 Peyton Hillis: It's time to handcuff Jamaal Charles. Personally, I like Hillis here even if Charles stays healthy. They're both going to touch the ball at least 250 times this season barring injury. I'll take 1000 total yards and the potential for double digits touchdowns out of my 10th round pick every day of the week.

11.6 Jacquizz Rodgers: There's going to be a back up RB to explode this season. I'll take the one behind Michael Turner. Rodgers plays much better in ATLs up tempo offense as well.

12.5 Kenny Britt: Was on pace for Calvin Johnson numbers last season before he blew out his knee. This is purely a lottery ticket.

13.6 David Wilson: Looks incredibly explosive in preseason. He's easily a top 15 RB if Bradshaw goes down (which is basically a matter of when, not if)

14.5 Jacob Tamme: Remember how good Tamme was last time Manning was throwing him the ball? Me too

15.6 Toby Gerhart: I'd assume Minnesota plans on limiting AD's carries this year. Gerhart is the beneficiary to that.

16.5 Michael Bush: Touchdown vulture in Chicago

17.6 NYG Defense: Reason number 1 why you don't take a defense until the last few rounds.

18.5 Greg Zuerlein: Kind of a WTF pick. If he's as good as the hype, he'll be a stud. He also gets to kick in a dome, for a offense that will probably struggle putting the ball in the endzone. If he sucks, I drop him and pick up Matt Prater.


QB: Manning, RGIII
RB: McFadden, Charles, Hillis, Wilson, Bush, Gerhart, Rodgers
WR: Jones, Nicks, Bryant, T. Smith, K. Britt
TE: Gates, Tamme
DEF: NYG
K: Zuerlein

Definitely could use another receiver, but I'm good for the first few weeks at least. Hopefully somebody good shows up on waivers.

[bensmotorcyclehelmt]

I took a lot of flyers this year, I think it will either pan out big time, or I'm in big trouble.

12 team standard scoring:

QB, 2RB, 2WR, WRT, TE, K, D

I picked 10th.

I got:

QB: Flacco, Schaub
RB: Demarco Murray, Issac Redman, David Wilson, Isaiah Pead
WR: Antonio Brown, Eric Decker, Torrey Smith, Brandon Lloyd
TE: Ed Dickson, Tony Meoki
K: Mike Nugent
D: Bills

Hind sight was 20/20, think I reached a tad too far on Redman and Decker. But overall I was pretty stoked. We drafted last week before MJD and Wallace were back. It threw some people off. Some overvalued, some under. I got a few steals late, I think.

1.10 Murray
2.3 Brown
3.10 Redman
4.3 Decker
5.10 Flacco
6.3 Torrey
7.10 Lloyd
8.3 Wilson
9.10 Shaub
10.3 Dickson
11.10 Pead
12.3 Moeoki

Like I said, pretty much praying that some of these guys can have breakout years/return to form. We shall see.