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Greetings! Tis I, returning to the glorious world of writing after three long years studying the art forms of Yoga, selflessness and celibacy. I won’t dedicate a significant amount of time discussing the past, as I prefer to live in the now, but in order to make an agonizingly long and fascinating story short (Details saved for the book), my Guru instructed me to expunge my pen name, Tehol Beddict; for in order to shed the purest levels of light and love, one must crawl from the shadows, exposing their mind, body, and soul, for all to witness, for all to judge like Sir William Wallace on the execution block. Yes, there’s a reasonable chance I have my genitals and intestines removed with a dull shovel, get stretched like Rita Farr making sweet love to Mr. Fantastic, only to then receive the kind of whooping Adrian Peterson himself would be proud of before ultimately being beheaded……….BUT, there’s also a decent chance that Mel Gibson makes a movie detailing the events of my life. Say one thing for Mel Gibson, say he’s a psychotic anti-semitic, racist, who’s fall from grace has been been more horrendous than celebrity that is not currently rotting in prison. You know who also had a fall from what was a brief grace? My man, Tygod! The Rodfather! Read on, if you’re curious as to why the man is ranked by PFF, ahead of some of your fantasy faves like: Drew Lock, Josh Allen, Teddy Bridgewater, Daniel Jones, my boy Gardner Minshew and Joe Burrow. He’s two spots behind KYLER MURRAY! Interested yet? Take heed! 

 

Those of you who know me from back in the olden days (maybe like two of you) will undoubtedly recall that I was the FIRST analyst to go on the record saying Tyrod Taylor would win the starting job for Buffalo in camp, and be a solid fantasy option at that. There I go again, being the opposite of selfless, but I’m just trying to reiterate the fact that I’ve been Rod supporter since his days at Virginia Tech. The man was able to produce at a high level for the Bills, with arguably the worst weapons we, as human beings, have ever witnessed. Sammy Watkins was injured for what seemed like the entirety of Taylor’s Buffalo tenure, leaving Charley Clay, who was also incredibly injury prone, as his number one option. What Taylor was able to accomplish in that pathetic situation was almost godlike in my opinion. I won’t dwell on the past, as again, I like to live in the present, so no need to speak on the atrocities that occurred in the dumpster fire which some of you refer to as the Browns of Cleveland. Let’s talk about what’s happening in the gorgeous, currently locked down city of Angels! 

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If you’ve never played in an IDP league you probably have one major question. When do you start taking defensive players in your draft? With July’s arrival the fantasy draft season starts to ramp up and we can take a look at early ADP. The linebacker position is your bread and butter when it comes to consistent fantasy scoring and finding value here can allow you to take a top defensive lineman early in your draft.  

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In the trenches of their team defenses, linemen can be the key to your IDP draft. Until I’m blue in the face I will say it over and over again: make sure you know your scoring system. Do you want a lineman with a high sack upside or someone in the interior who will produce tackles? Does your league separate out DE/Edge and DT? Does the hosting site have TJ Watt and Shaq Barrett as linebackers or Edge rusher? It’s simple to state that you need to know your rules but you’d be surprised at the number of fantasy players that don’t. Another aspect of drafting IDPs is how does their scoring compare to their offensive counterparts? This will help you decide when to jump into the defensive side of your draft. For those starting out with IDP, I’ll be covering draft strategies in upcoming articles and you’ll find out why you may want to prioritize this position over the more popular linebackers.

My rankings are based on a balanced scoring system (3:1 ratio of big play points to tackle points). If your league leans big play or tackle heavy, then some adjustments may be necessary.  

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Whenever you see an overall ranking for IDP leagues, linebackers will dominate the list.  Some will have the top 10-20 players be linebackers and that would be true if you only based the rankings on projected points, but draft strategy has to come into play.  As in your offensive player part of the draft, position scarcity and tiers come into play.  There is a large core of players in each of the three positions that don’t vary much, but the start of each of these cores varies greatly between positions.  

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First they came for David Johnson, and I did not speak out – Because I did not draft him. Then they came for Allen Robinson, and I did not speak out — Because I did not care about the Jaguars. Then they came for Greg Olson, and I did not speak out — Because he was just a tight end. Then they came for Odell Beckham Jr. — and there was no one left that could medically attend to my liver and rescue my fantasy team. Exactly how hurt is OBJ? Well, despite bringing out one of those weird curtains that they break out when a horse goes down on the track before carting him off the field… I’d say not good. It’s a broken leg (I guess I could have GIF’d the injury, but nothing is as cringe-inducing as watching a human body part break in slow motion… and all of our uncles drunk at Thanksgiving), so one first has to ask, how do we define “broken”? Well, I’m no doctor, but experts have told me (i.e. I know how to Google) that it was his fibula and that an MRI to check for ligament damage took place earlier today, but one thing’s for certain (unless Ian Rapport is involved), OBJ is gone for a while. (Along with the rest of the Giants receivers. Seriously, read the injury report further down after the jump… I feel like stigmata is next.) I still have to ask though, for the sake of my aforementioned liver… If Odell Beckham can catch with one hand, can’t he run on one ankle?

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IDP is becoming a big part of what we do at Razzball, especially in our new RCL IDP leagues.  Background knowledge of players to draft can set you apart and become a deciding factor in weekly wins and losses.  I’ve already written a general strategy piece about how and when to draft IDP spots.  Also the article emphasized recognizing how your league scores your IDP scoring, that is the most important part of all.  But, we haven’t really expressed what individual players to target.  If your IDP spots aren’t position specific, I’ll give you a few linebacker names that I really like.  If your IDP leagues are position specific, we will dive into a few defensive line and defensive back names as well.

Take me on in the Razzball Commenter Leagues for a chance at prizes! Free to join, leagues still open!

Also, check out Rudy’s exclusive DFS and season-long tools that are sure to help you be profitable this fantasy football season!

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Early yesterday morning, the Titans and L.A. Rams completed a massive trade in which both teams acquired a slew of draft picks, and in return, sent a slew of draft picks.

No players were traded, although it felt like Case Keenum was cut immediately. Here’s the full trade…

Titans Receive – 1st round pick no. 15, 2 second-round picks, 1 third-round pick, 2017 first round pick, and 2017 third round pick.

Rams Receive – 1st round pick no. 1, round 4 and 6 picks.

Well, if there is any indication that the Titans want Goff/Wentz, it is now confirmed, as the Rams are giving up an arm and a leg to select a quarterback. Remember, no matter where they finish in their 2017 campaign, the Rams are giving up their first round draft pick. That decision could blow up in their face.

But is it definite that they would select a QB with their first round pick? It is likely, but not set in stone. Carson Wentz and Jared Goff are definitely one of the top options in the draft, but what are the team needs of the Rams? Their biggest team need is definitely QB, as Case Keenum doesn’t really get the job done, and Nick Foles was downright awful. Yet are there any other positions they could address at the first spot? Wide Receiver is another position for the Rams to target in the draft, however top prospects Will Fuller and Laquon Treadwell at the Wide Receiver position are the best in College Football, yet they aren’t Top-5 material. They are definitely 1st-Round material, as there are a few teams that need to address the Wide Receiver position. However, their next team need is where it could get interesting.

As you remember, I had the Titans selecting Cornerback Jalen Ramsey from Florida State in the previous mock draft, yet the Titans no longer have the pick, so where could Ramsey fall to? The third, and next big team need for the Rams is at the Cornerback or Safety position, as their secondary was one to improve last year. So could the Rams select Ramsey, who up until the trade, was one of the top prospects? No.

The Rams were busy in the offseason, and managed to slap a Franchise Tag on Trumaine Johnson, and went out and got Coty Sensabaugh. Their secondary will be a group to fix during the draft, yet during rounds 4, 5, or 6. In the first round, they’ll manage to snag the QB coming out of North Dakota State in one of the biggest blockbuster (draft) trades in the NFL.

I’ll make sure to touch on the Fantasy Impact of Wentz going to Cleveland, and I’ll fix my Mock Draft to accommodate the trade, with new selections for the teams who pick after the Rams.

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Welcome to the start of the NFL Season, the Draft!

Believe it or not, the process leading up to the NFL Draft started last preseason, when all of the team scouts gathered to share the plan for collegiate scouting all across the country. They looked at offensive tackles, inside linebackers, and each and every special teams player to formulate an idea for how their team should attack the draft based only on a big board, an entire list of the top prospects of the country. Next, back at their headquarters, teams missed the playoffs, won the Super Bowl, had injuries, lacked certain depth at certain positions, players performed great, players failed to live up to potential, and everything else happened during the course of the regular season. Scouts, the front office, and the coaching staff have met before the pro days, scouting combines, and other individual training sessions, and have fully formulated a answer to the most crucial question: “team needs or individual talent?”.

Teams always approach the draft differently. However, specific positions have to be addressed in the draft, but sometimes, a player might just have so much sheer talent you can’t afford to let them pass. One example could be what the Patriots did a couple years ago. They drafted Jimmy Garoppolo. One might think to themselves “Oh yeah, quarterback is a pressing need in the first few rounds when you have a such lack of talent at the position”. However, Belichick and company saw something in the young thrower and decided that individual talent trumped team needs, and they could address it in the later rounds.

Below, I will make the decision in a mock draft of what teams I believe will take picks based on team needs, and then individual talent. Let’s get to it!

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