Draft Ideas and Ideals: Everyone, well most everyone, goes into a fantasy draft with certain goals in mind. I for one, am a firm believer in drafting Running backs with the first two picks unless you can pick up Manning somewhere after the 8th pick. The logic behind this is fairly simple: 32 starting running backs and we each have to start two…there are at least 64 starting Wide Receivers, and if a team lines up in a singleback formation with a slot receiver, there is even more. Additionally, running backs are the only players on the field outside of the QB to touch the ball more than 10 times per game, so they inherently have more value than a WR who is a similar level player. Kickers and defenses are crapshoots in my opinion (last year Robbie Gould went undrafted yet led all Kickers in fantasy points) and I always wait until the last two rounds to grab them.
All that being said, there is no right or wrong way to draft. My theory has won me quite a few leagues, but I’ve been beaten by people who employ an entirely different strategy. Some people refuse to draft people they don’t like no matter how great of a value he might represent. I for one had the opportunity to draft Terrell Owens and passed him up. I don’t like the guy, plain and simple. Other times, people draft players based on who they like. We had two teams do that for this league and though I was initially shocked at some of the picks, their teams turned out to be at least decent. Do I think they’ll win it all? No. But they’ll at least have fun rooting for the players they picked.
Steal(s) of the Draft: Runner up goes to Deuce McCallister who drafted in Round 7 by VOLDEMORT. ESPN has The Deuce ranked as their 16th best running back and the 22nd best player overall. His value was depressed somewhat because he shares the carries with Reggie Bush, and lacks the flash that his partner exhibits but that won’t stop him from becoming the workhorse back for an 11 win team. He’ll get the goal line carries and probably score 8 or 9 TD’s. Not bad for a guy who went in the 7th round.
Winner- Chester Taylor, drafted by RILEY’S RAIDERS in the 12th round. Sure he’ll be splitting carries with the other Adrian Peterson, but Peterson has a knack for getting hurt, and until he can prove he can stay healthy Taylor is the only offense Minnesota has got. They’ll pound the rock early and often. ESPN has him ranked as the 26th best RB and 39th overall, a whopping 76 spots higher than where he went in this draft.
Reach of the Draft: Plain and simple, any kicker who was drafted before the rest of a team’s starting lineup was filled.
Deep Sleeper of the Draft: Bo Scaife to RILEY’S RAIDERS. Since we have so many first timers in the league I should probably explain what a sleeper is. A sleeper is a player who not many people know about, or who is going under a lot of people’s radars but has high upside. Clearly, a sleeper can never have had a big season the prior year, but perhaps he showed flashes of skill when given the opportunity. A deep sleeper is someone who is even further under the radar. Bo Scaife fits these qualities perfectly. ESPN shows that he is currently owned in only 8.1% of their leagues. But, if you look at the Titans roster it is pretty clear that Vince Young is lacking in quality weapons around him. The Titans let last year’s top running back and receiver go for no compensation in return. Its safe to say Young will be looking for some familiar faces out there, and what better guy to look for than your 6 foot 3, 250 pound former teammate in college. Big potential here.
The Playoffs: The general thought in fantasy is that it takes skill to make it to the playoffs but only luck to win the whole thing. The reasoning behind this is that the playoffs consist of two head to head matchups in week 15 followed by a final matchup in week 16. Having your whole season determined by how your team does in one week can be a tough pill to swallow, but then again that’s how the NFL season works as well. Additionally, by the end of the season, a lot of teams tend to rest their starters which often leaves fantasy players scrambling to fill roster spots, or hoping that their star player suits up…only to find out he didn’t.
And now for the moment you’ve all been waiting for. Here is a ranking of the teams, as they stand of today, in order from last to first. Do I think they’ll finish this way? Probably not. But I guess you can consider this the worst to best drafts, if nothing else. In coming up with these rankings I looked at ESPN.com’s fantasy projections for each player this year. I added the totals up for each of the starters (with the exception of K and Def) for each of the teams to give myself a good idea of where each team was. I then looked at the benches to figure out if they would make a difference one way or another in the rankings. Most of the time, they did not. Let’s get started:
10.
RILEY’S RAIDERS. This team is loaded with darkhorse sleepers and high potential guys. However, you need more than that to be in contention in this league. The strengths here clearly lie in the quarterbacks. Drew Brees is either the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th best QB in the league depending on who you talk to. However, some of RILEY’S RAIDERS roster could be upgraded simply by picking up guys from the free agent pool and dropping the backup kicker and defense. There are some serious players still out there, and if you combine them with a potential stats monster like Drew Brees this team may play the spoiler role for someone before too long.
All that being said, there is no right or wrong way to draft. My theory has won me quite a few leagues, but I’ve been beaten by people who employ an entirely different strategy. Some people refuse to draft people they don’t like no matter how great of a value he might represent. I for one had the opportunity to draft Terrell Owens and passed him up. I don’t like the guy, plain and simple. Other times, people draft players based on who they like. We had two teams do that for this league and though I was initially shocked at some of the picks, their teams turned out to be at least decent. Do I think they’ll win it all? No. But they’ll at least have fun rooting for the players they picked.
Steal(s) of the Draft: Runner up goes to Deuce McCallister who drafted in Round 7 by VOLDEMORT. ESPN has The Deuce ranked as their 16th best running back and the 22nd best player overall. His value was depressed somewhat because he shares the carries with Reggie Bush, and lacks the flash that his partner exhibits but that won’t stop him from becoming the workhorse back for an 11 win team. He’ll get the goal line carries and probably score 8 or 9 TD’s. Not bad for a guy who went in the 7th round.
Winner- Chester Taylor, drafted by RILEY’S RAIDERS in the 12th round. Sure he’ll be splitting carries with the other Adrian Peterson, but Peterson has a knack for getting hurt, and until he can prove he can stay healthy Taylor is the only offense Minnesota has got. They’ll pound the rock early and often. ESPN has him ranked as the 26th best RB and 39th overall, a whopping 76 spots higher than where he went in this draft.
Reach of the Draft: Plain and simple, any kicker who was drafted before the rest of a team’s starting lineup was filled.
Deep Sleeper of the Draft: Bo Scaife to RILEY’S RAIDERS. Since we have so many first timers in the league I should probably explain what a sleeper is. A sleeper is a player who not many people know about, or who is going under a lot of people’s radars but has high upside. Clearly, a sleeper can never have had a big season the prior year, but perhaps he showed flashes of skill when given the opportunity. A deep sleeper is someone who is even further under the radar. Bo Scaife fits these qualities perfectly. ESPN shows that he is currently owned in only 8.1% of their leagues. But, if you look at the Titans roster it is pretty clear that Vince Young is lacking in quality weapons around him. The Titans let last year’s top running back and receiver go for no compensation in return. Its safe to say Young will be looking for some familiar faces out there, and what better guy to look for than your 6 foot 3, 250 pound former teammate in college. Big potential here.
The Playoffs: The general thought in fantasy is that it takes skill to make it to the playoffs but only luck to win the whole thing. The reasoning behind this is that the playoffs consist of two head to head matchups in week 15 followed by a final matchup in week 16. Having your whole season determined by how your team does in one week can be a tough pill to swallow, but then again that’s how the NFL season works as well. Additionally, by the end of the season, a lot of teams tend to rest their starters which often leaves fantasy players scrambling to fill roster spots, or hoping that their star player suits up…only to find out he didn’t.
And now for the moment you’ve all been waiting for. Here is a ranking of the teams, as they stand of today, in order from last to first. Do I think they’ll finish this way? Probably not. But I guess you can consider this the worst to best drafts, if nothing else. In coming up with these rankings I looked at ESPN.com’s fantasy projections for each player this year. I added the totals up for each of the starters (with the exception of K and Def) for each of the teams to give myself a good idea of where each team was. I then looked at the benches to figure out if they would make a difference one way or another in the rankings. Most of the time, they did not. Let’s get started:
10.
RILEY’S RAIDERS. This team is loaded with darkhorse sleepers and high potential guys. However, you need more than that to be in contention in this league. The strengths here clearly lie in the quarterbacks. Drew Brees is either the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th best QB in the league depending on who you talk to. However, some of RILEY’S RAIDERS roster could be upgraded simply by picking up guys from the free agent pool and dropping the backup kicker and defense. There are some serious players still out there, and if you combine them with a potential stats monster like Drew Brees this team may play the spoiler role for someone before too long.9. 
STEELERS OWN COWBOYS. Much like RILEY’S RAIDERS, it was clear from the start that this team valued players the owner liked more than players that would’ve helped the team win. Fantasy Football is about having fun, and if this is the way this team wants to go about it, then who am I to judge? The strength of STEELERS OWN COWBOYS is its Running backs and defense. Chicago will dominate most of the year, Reggie Bush will show flashes of brilliance, and if Clinton Portis can stay healthy he’ll have some big games. This trio, along with Hines Ward, should carry STEELERS OWN COWBOYS to at least a couple of wins.
8.
LVL INFINITY + 1. This team’s draft was all over the place. It drafted at top 3 QB at the perfect time, yet reached for a wide receiver in round 1. The two Running backs on the team are both question marks, but in a somewhat good way. At least as good a way as a connotation like that can have. Maroney has the potential to be very good but all indications point to a running back by committee. That doesn’t necessarily mean bad things, but New England has never been known for having stud fantasy RB’s. Jacobs on the other hand was the Giant’s primary goal line back last year. There is no question he can get it done inside the 20’s, but can he produce at midfield? If he can cure his fumble problems, he’ll go along way towards answering those questions. Look, Marvin Harrison and Tom Brady will be great like they are every season, and the RB’s we just talked about; the real problem with this team lies in its remaining Wide Receivers. I’m just not sold on Reggie Brown, and Deion Branch has never lived up to his reputation. This team has an opening on its roster after having dropped a backup Def, and perhaps should look into picking up another Receiver from the free agent pool. Wes Welker comes to mind. It also might not be a bad idea to drop Isaac Bruce and pickup a good solid backup running back who is currently starting somewhere in the NFL. Someone like Warrick Dunn would be an outstanding pickup and could pay huge dividends in the long run.
7.
COWBOYS. I know the owner of this team is going to be pissed when he sees his team ranked here. I know I was surprised when I first ran the numbers, but after taking a closer look at this team’s roster, I have to say that this seems to be the right place for them. Let’s start with strength’s first. The true lynchpins of fantasy football are the running backs, and this team has a pair of solid ones. Frank Gore was projected to go as high as 4th in the draft and should have an outstanding season. Brian Westbrook is always a back who flies under the radar but usually ends up having great per game numbers. His health, however, is his Achilles heal, and until he can prove that staying healthy last season was not a fluke, most fantasy owners will never be able to rest easy. Not that COWBOYS will be lacking for a replacement should Westbrook revert back to his ailing ways, as they have three solid running backs sitting on the bench. It is these three bench running backs that are part of the problem with this team though. It seems that the COWBOYS were intent on grabbing value with every pick in the draft, which is a strategy that is usually commendable. However, no matter how great a value some of those running backs represented in later round, those picks might have been better spent grabbing better wide receivers. Andre Johnson is a reach as a number one receiver even with new QB Matt Schaub in Houston. Laverneous Coles has only scored a total of 12 touchdowns in the last three years, and Braylon Edwards is an up and down type player with absolute crap throwing him the ball at QB. Jason Elam, Tony Gonzalez (who will struggle more than people realize now that he has to stay in and block more thanks to an aging O-line), and Donovan McNabb were undoubtedly solid pickups, but unless one or two of those running backs can be moved for a true number one receiver, this team will have a roller coaster season. A recipe for the playoffs it is not.
6.
BIG TUNA. Another team that I thought did better in the draft until I looked at it closely. The strength of BIGTUNA is all about the Wide Receivers. You could make an argument for all 3 of the starters as number 1 options. Torry Holt is always good for a big year, Colsten is out to prove that last year was no fluke, and Walker had a teammate die in his arms over the summer; he’ll be motivated and focused this season. People forget that just 3 seasons ago he had 89 catches for 1382 yards and 12 Touchdowns. Joseph Addai has also been a trendy draft pick as of late and has been going as high as 3rd in some drafts. He’ll be carrying the load for the Colts for the first time in his career and that leaves quite a few pundits expecting Edgerrin James circa 2000 type numbers. I don’t know if I’ll go that far, but he should have a very good year. Travis Henry at RB-2 is a talented back playing for a team that makes even mediocre backs look good. If Henry can stay healthy he should have a very nice season in Denver….I said it in my draft write up but I’ll say it again, Todd Heap will catch more touch downs that Gonzalez this year at TE….Despite all these strengths, there is one glaring weakness on this team: The QB position. This will be the first time in Tony Romo’s career that he will be the full-time starter entering the season. No one is quite sure how he’ll handle this, or how he’ll get over the botched hold on the field goal in last year’s playoffs. Dallas isn’t sold on him yet either, as they have not offered him a contract beyond this year….backing up Tony Romo is the snitch Matt Leinart. He’ll be playing in a nice offense this year with a couple of big time receivers, but he’s a sell out and its hard to imagine his teammates rallying around him. Perhaps he’ll have a good year, but he’s even more of a question mark than Romo. This team is better than the COWBOYS, but not by much.
5.
DUMMY TEAM 2. Your classic middle of the road auto-drafted team. Solid at every position but a questionable bench. No one owns this team so I won’t say too much about them except this: the running backs on this team are both very solid and they have an underrated set of wideouts. If Alexander is all the way back from his injury and two of the three WR have breakout years, this team will move up in the standings. They do, however, have Vince Young; he of he Madden Curse. That will be with them, wreaking havoc on their season all year long and causing them to just miss the playoffs.
STEELERS OWN COWBOYS. Much like RILEY’S RAIDERS, it was clear from the start that this team valued players the owner liked more than players that would’ve helped the team win. Fantasy Football is about having fun, and if this is the way this team wants to go about it, then who am I to judge? The strength of STEELERS OWN COWBOYS is its Running backs and defense. Chicago will dominate most of the year, Reggie Bush will show flashes of brilliance, and if Clinton Portis can stay healthy he’ll have some big games. This trio, along with Hines Ward, should carry STEELERS OWN COWBOYS to at least a couple of wins.8.
LVL INFINITY + 1. This team’s draft was all over the place. It drafted at top 3 QB at the perfect time, yet reached for a wide receiver in round 1. The two Running backs on the team are both question marks, but in a somewhat good way. At least as good a way as a connotation like that can have. Maroney has the potential to be very good but all indications point to a running back by committee. That doesn’t necessarily mean bad things, but New England has never been known for having stud fantasy RB’s. Jacobs on the other hand was the Giant’s primary goal line back last year. There is no question he can get it done inside the 20’s, but can he produce at midfield? If he can cure his fumble problems, he’ll go along way towards answering those questions. Look, Marvin Harrison and Tom Brady will be great like they are every season, and the RB’s we just talked about; the real problem with this team lies in its remaining Wide Receivers. I’m just not sold on Reggie Brown, and Deion Branch has never lived up to his reputation. This team has an opening on its roster after having dropped a backup Def, and perhaps should look into picking up another Receiver from the free agent pool. Wes Welker comes to mind. It also might not be a bad idea to drop Isaac Bruce and pickup a good solid backup running back who is currently starting somewhere in the NFL. Someone like Warrick Dunn would be an outstanding pickup and could pay huge dividends in the long run.7.
COWBOYS. I know the owner of this team is going to be pissed when he sees his team ranked here. I know I was surprised when I first ran the numbers, but after taking a closer look at this team’s roster, I have to say that this seems to be the right place for them. Let’s start with strength’s first. The true lynchpins of fantasy football are the running backs, and this team has a pair of solid ones. Frank Gore was projected to go as high as 4th in the draft and should have an outstanding season. Brian Westbrook is always a back who flies under the radar but usually ends up having great per game numbers. His health, however, is his Achilles heal, and until he can prove that staying healthy last season was not a fluke, most fantasy owners will never be able to rest easy. Not that COWBOYS will be lacking for a replacement should Westbrook revert back to his ailing ways, as they have three solid running backs sitting on the bench. It is these three bench running backs that are part of the problem with this team though. It seems that the COWBOYS were intent on grabbing value with every pick in the draft, which is a strategy that is usually commendable. However, no matter how great a value some of those running backs represented in later round, those picks might have been better spent grabbing better wide receivers. Andre Johnson is a reach as a number one receiver even with new QB Matt Schaub in Houston. Laverneous Coles has only scored a total of 12 touchdowns in the last three years, and Braylon Edwards is an up and down type player with absolute crap throwing him the ball at QB. Jason Elam, Tony Gonzalez (who will struggle more than people realize now that he has to stay in and block more thanks to an aging O-line), and Donovan McNabb were undoubtedly solid pickups, but unless one or two of those running backs can be moved for a true number one receiver, this team will have a roller coaster season. A recipe for the playoffs it is not.6.
BIG TUNA. Another team that I thought did better in the draft until I looked at it closely. The strength of BIGTUNA is all about the Wide Receivers. You could make an argument for all 3 of the starters as number 1 options. Torry Holt is always good for a big year, Colsten is out to prove that last year was no fluke, and Walker had a teammate die in his arms over the summer; he’ll be motivated and focused this season. People forget that just 3 seasons ago he had 89 catches for 1382 yards and 12 Touchdowns. Joseph Addai has also been a trendy draft pick as of late and has been going as high as 3rd in some drafts. He’ll be carrying the load for the Colts for the first time in his career and that leaves quite a few pundits expecting Edgerrin James circa 2000 type numbers. I don’t know if I’ll go that far, but he should have a very good year. Travis Henry at RB-2 is a talented back playing for a team that makes even mediocre backs look good. If Henry can stay healthy he should have a very nice season in Denver….I said it in my draft write up but I’ll say it again, Todd Heap will catch more touch downs that Gonzalez this year at TE….Despite all these strengths, there is one glaring weakness on this team: The QB position. This will be the first time in Tony Romo’s career that he will be the full-time starter entering the season. No one is quite sure how he’ll handle this, or how he’ll get over the botched hold on the field goal in last year’s playoffs. Dallas isn’t sold on him yet either, as they have not offered him a contract beyond this year….backing up Tony Romo is the snitch Matt Leinart. He’ll be playing in a nice offense this year with a couple of big time receivers, but he’s a sell out and its hard to imagine his teammates rallying around him. Perhaps he’ll have a good year, but he’s even more of a question mark than Romo. This team is better than the COWBOYS, but not by much.5.
DUMMY TEAM 2. Your classic middle of the road auto-drafted team. Solid at every position but a questionable bench. No one owns this team so I won’t say too much about them except this: the running backs on this team are both very solid and they have an underrated set of wideouts. If Alexander is all the way back from his injury and two of the three WR have breakout years, this team will move up in the standings. They do, however, have Vince Young; he of he Madden Curse. That will be with them, wreaking havoc on their season all year long and causing them to just miss the playoffs.4. 
PINK PONIES. The absolute biggest surprise after I ran all the numbers. The owner at times seemed lost during the draft, yet here her team is, in the top 4. This shows you the power of having a top 3 pick in Fantasy Football. I initially had the PINK PONIES in the top 3, but the primary reason this team is so highly ranked is because of Larry Johnson. The more and more I thought about it, the less comfortable I felt with placing a team relying heavily on LJ in the top 3. History has shown time and time again that a running back who racked up more than 370 “touches” in his previous season has a higher risk of some kind of catastrophic injury or awful season the following year. Let’s run down the list, shall we: 2003 Jamal Lewis carries the ball 387 times, gains 2077 yards and scores 14 TD’s. The next year, he gets hurt, plays in 12 games, carries the ball 235 times for about a thousand yards and scores only half as many touchdowns; Eddie George in 2000 carried the ball 407 times and had a monster year, the next year he didn’t even crack a thousand yards; Edgerrin James had 400 plus touches in 2000 and the next year blew out his knew and played in only 6 games; 2004 Priest Holmes, a consensus top 5 pick every year in fantasy; missed half the season with an injury after getting 394 touches the year before. The list goes on and on. Surely there have been exceptions, but LJ had a whopping 457 touches last year and a pretty significant 360 + the year before. This year he is missing both Willie Roaf and Will Shields (two hall of fame offensive lineman who retired) which means Tony Gonzalez has to stay in and block, limiting his effectiveness as receiver (and eliminating him as a threat for the defense). Oh KC has two GOD-AWFUL choices at QB (the immortal Brodie Croyle and Damon Huard). The Chiefs traded Dante Hall in the offseason, and their top wide receiver retired during the middle of a season three years ago, only to come back that same season to a different team. A true winner. With defenses not fearing any passing game, it’ll be interesting to see how LJ fares against 8 and 9 man fronts…..The rest of PINK PONIES is well put together. Carson Palmer is the surefire number 2 QB in the league. Benson should be a good, respectable number 2 back even if most of his teammates don’t really like him. Shockey will have a good year as usual. The potential at WR with Moss, Owens, and Jackson is absolutely ridiculous. And the defense is one of the 2 or 3 that you can start every week with no worries and with the very good chance that it will actually win you some games. IF LJ can stay healthy there is no doubt that this team will be very, very good.
3.
VOLDEMORT. This is about where I expected them to finish up after the draft. This team might’ve had the best first and second round combinations in the draft. Manning is already proving his worth, and there are some people saying Willie Parker will top 2000 yards. Granted, those people are in the minority, but any time those words are being discussed anywhere, you know you have arrived. Fast Willie will be a borderline top 5 back this year. Deuce McCallister, as I have said before, was an inspired choice that late in the draft. He’ll have a good year and should be a solid number 2 back all season long. Throw Antonio Gates into the mix and you have the makings of a monster team, with two players the clear cut number one at their position in the entire league and another in the top 7 at the lowest. So what’s the downfall? There is precious little depth at wide receiver after Reggie Wayne. Wayne is clearly a true number 1 this year, and by having Manning on the team as well, every time Wayne scores on a TD pass it’ll be like getting double the points. However, the opposite is also true. If Manning does not have a big game, neither will Wayne. Santana Moss is an enigma, and so is the QB who will be throwing him the ball in Washington. Calvin Johnson is even more of an unknown. Not since Randy Moss, and maybe Michael Clayton, has a highly touted rookie receiver had any impact whatsoever in fantasy (please note that Marques Colston was not highly touted—he was a 7th round pick). VOLDEMORT has an outstanding backup QB who he could maybe peddle to BIGTUNA for some help at receiver. All in all, where this team’s strengths lie is in the sheer greatness of its best players. That star power alone should be enough to carry VOLDEMORT to the playoffs, and once there, anything can happen. Bonus points for picking Big John Henderson and the Jacksonville D—a must start against Tennessee.
2.
TRIPLE T’S PAINTRAIN. This team was able to overcome a stupidly handled turn between the 2nd and third rounds where it could’ve obtained Steve Smith as well as Maurice Jones-Drew, instead of the Chad Johnson/Jones-Drew combo that it ended up with. Still though, not a bad consolation prize. This is perhaps the most well-rounded of all the teams in the draft. The QB is one of the 6 top tier QB’s in the league. Steven Jackson actually had more total yards from scrimmage last year than LaDanian Tomlinson. Maurice Jones-Drew is a homerun threat playing behind a ferocious offensive line in Jacksonville. Lee Evans is a borderline number 1 receiver and Plaxico Burress is a borderline number 2 receiver. Evans caught the most deep passes of any receiver last year as the only threat in Buffalo, and Burres is a TD catching machine and Eli’s saftely blanket. They will be filling the WR2 and WR3 roles, respectively. Crumpler is bit of a mystery with Vick out, but thanks to having a QB who will actually stay in the pocket this year, he should get more passes thrown his way on the goal line. TRIPLE T’S PAINTRAIN built its bench exactly the way you would want to in fantasy football. There is a good mixture of solid vets who you can count on (Joey Galloway, L.J. Smith, and The Edge) and high upside young players (Vincent Jackson, Brandon Jackson, and J.P Losman) who could end up in the top 10 at their positions if everything breaks just right. As the clear cut veteran in this league, there is little doubt that I would’ve ended up this high, but to get beaten by the computer is quite a bit sobering.
PINK PONIES. The absolute biggest surprise after I ran all the numbers. The owner at times seemed lost during the draft, yet here her team is, in the top 4. This shows you the power of having a top 3 pick in Fantasy Football. I initially had the PINK PONIES in the top 3, but the primary reason this team is so highly ranked is because of Larry Johnson. The more and more I thought about it, the less comfortable I felt with placing a team relying heavily on LJ in the top 3. History has shown time and time again that a running back who racked up more than 370 “touches” in his previous season has a higher risk of some kind of catastrophic injury or awful season the following year. Let’s run down the list, shall we: 2003 Jamal Lewis carries the ball 387 times, gains 2077 yards and scores 14 TD’s. The next year, he gets hurt, plays in 12 games, carries the ball 235 times for about a thousand yards and scores only half as many touchdowns; Eddie George in 2000 carried the ball 407 times and had a monster year, the next year he didn’t even crack a thousand yards; Edgerrin James had 400 plus touches in 2000 and the next year blew out his knew and played in only 6 games; 2004 Priest Holmes, a consensus top 5 pick every year in fantasy; missed half the season with an injury after getting 394 touches the year before. The list goes on and on. Surely there have been exceptions, but LJ had a whopping 457 touches last year and a pretty significant 360 + the year before. This year he is missing both Willie Roaf and Will Shields (two hall of fame offensive lineman who retired) which means Tony Gonzalez has to stay in and block, limiting his effectiveness as receiver (and eliminating him as a threat for the defense). Oh KC has two GOD-AWFUL choices at QB (the immortal Brodie Croyle and Damon Huard). The Chiefs traded Dante Hall in the offseason, and their top wide receiver retired during the middle of a season three years ago, only to come back that same season to a different team. A true winner. With defenses not fearing any passing game, it’ll be interesting to see how LJ fares against 8 and 9 man fronts…..The rest of PINK PONIES is well put together. Carson Palmer is the surefire number 2 QB in the league. Benson should be a good, respectable number 2 back even if most of his teammates don’t really like him. Shockey will have a good year as usual. The potential at WR with Moss, Owens, and Jackson is absolutely ridiculous. And the defense is one of the 2 or 3 that you can start every week with no worries and with the very good chance that it will actually win you some games. IF LJ can stay healthy there is no doubt that this team will be very, very good.3.
VOLDEMORT. This is about where I expected them to finish up after the draft. This team might’ve had the best first and second round combinations in the draft. Manning is already proving his worth, and there are some people saying Willie Parker will top 2000 yards. Granted, those people are in the minority, but any time those words are being discussed anywhere, you know you have arrived. Fast Willie will be a borderline top 5 back this year. Deuce McCallister, as I have said before, was an inspired choice that late in the draft. He’ll have a good year and should be a solid number 2 back all season long. Throw Antonio Gates into the mix and you have the makings of a monster team, with two players the clear cut number one at their position in the entire league and another in the top 7 at the lowest. So what’s the downfall? There is precious little depth at wide receiver after Reggie Wayne. Wayne is clearly a true number 1 this year, and by having Manning on the team as well, every time Wayne scores on a TD pass it’ll be like getting double the points. However, the opposite is also true. If Manning does not have a big game, neither will Wayne. Santana Moss is an enigma, and so is the QB who will be throwing him the ball in Washington. Calvin Johnson is even more of an unknown. Not since Randy Moss, and maybe Michael Clayton, has a highly touted rookie receiver had any impact whatsoever in fantasy (please note that Marques Colston was not highly touted—he was a 7th round pick). VOLDEMORT has an outstanding backup QB who he could maybe peddle to BIGTUNA for some help at receiver. All in all, where this team’s strengths lie is in the sheer greatness of its best players. That star power alone should be enough to carry VOLDEMORT to the playoffs, and once there, anything can happen. Bonus points for picking Big John Henderson and the Jacksonville D—a must start against Tennessee.2.
TRIPLE T’S PAINTRAIN. This team was able to overcome a stupidly handled turn between the 2nd and third rounds where it could’ve obtained Steve Smith as well as Maurice Jones-Drew, instead of the Chad Johnson/Jones-Drew combo that it ended up with. Still though, not a bad consolation prize. This is perhaps the most well-rounded of all the teams in the draft. The QB is one of the 6 top tier QB’s in the league. Steven Jackson actually had more total yards from scrimmage last year than LaDanian Tomlinson. Maurice Jones-Drew is a homerun threat playing behind a ferocious offensive line in Jacksonville. Lee Evans is a borderline number 1 receiver and Plaxico Burress is a borderline number 2 receiver. Evans caught the most deep passes of any receiver last year as the only threat in Buffalo, and Burres is a TD catching machine and Eli’s saftely blanket. They will be filling the WR2 and WR3 roles, respectively. Crumpler is bit of a mystery with Vick out, but thanks to having a QB who will actually stay in the pocket this year, he should get more passes thrown his way on the goal line. TRIPLE T’S PAINTRAIN built its bench exactly the way you would want to in fantasy football. There is a good mixture of solid vets who you can count on (Joey Galloway, L.J. Smith, and The Edge) and high upside young players (Vincent Jackson, Brandon Jackson, and J.P Losman) who could end up in the top 10 at their positions if everything breaks just right. As the clear cut veteran in this league, there is little doubt that I would’ve ended up this high, but to get beaten by the computer is quite a bit sobering. 1.
DUMMY TEAM 03. The epitome of a perfect draft, at least with respect to starters. Of course, anyone who can draft LT is way ahead of the game already. However, this team also ended up with the top WR as well. The top two players at the two most premium of positions makes DUMMY TEAM 03 a bitch of a team to deal with. The rest of its team is pretty damn good as well. Ronnie Brown played well in stretches last year and now has LT’s offensive coordinator from last year as his coach. John Kitna is playing for a coach who turned former grocery bagger and arena leaguer, Kurt Warner, into a star, surely after two years of tutelage under Mike Martz John Kitna can excel as well (even if he does play for the Lions). WR Roy Williams plays in that offense as well and is a true number 1 receiver filling the number 2 role for DUMMY TEAM 03. Almost every team in this league would like to have Anquon Boldin as its number two receiver, yet this team has him slotted to be their number 3. Chris Cooley has averaged more than 6 TD catches per year the last three years, a phenomenal number for a TE. The only suspect thing about this team is its lack of a deep bench. Should a starter go down, it could blow this competition wide open.
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