Back by popular demand I bring you the first two rounds factor. And by ‘popular’ I mean ‘I’ve never typed this before’ and by ‘demand’ I mean ‘two people commented about how to handle the first two rounds on my Preseason-palooza post from awhile back and how it could dictate the rest of your draft and here’s me humbling obliging’. See how much less text you have to deal with when I say ‘popular demand’? You’re welcome. The reality is how you spend your first two picks has a domino effect on the rest of your draft. It makes guys who were sleepers or steals worthless pickups or dire needs depending on how you start this silly little game of ours. So to try and put out as many articles as possible assist you in your drafting journey, I’m here to give you the lowdown on how to handle the rounds beyond depending on what you did for the first two. So here’s my draft strategy for said sitch for 2013 Fantasy Football…but wait, there’s more! Ok, not really. Just me kindly reminding you that we have this whole Razzball Commenter Leagues thing going on. Nothing big, really, just a way for you to winner a killer Razzball jump suit and to show everyone on Razzball how awesometastic you are. No bigs. Oh you’re interested? Well then go click the link and get started! And now on with the post…
If you start RB/RB – I applaud you sir/ma’am. Truly, this is what you want. Or at least what I want and I want you to want, as I’m wont to do. In a typical league, you’ve taken care of two of the hardest positions to fill in a given draft – RB1 and RB2 – and you’ve done it right off the bat. Worried you missed a big name wide receiver? Well don’t. Remember Dez Bryant wasn’t a top 5 WR prior to this season. Nor was AJ Green for that matter. You’ll just have to ‘make do’ with a lower end wide out. I see names like Victor Cruz, Roddy White, Randall Cobb, Andre Johnson…wow, I could type names all day here. Those guys and more are all available at the 26th pick on in yahoo leagues. In reality, I start RB/RB, I do want to take a wide out in the following round unless for some reason another big RB name falls to me that I just can’t pass up. But in reality, I’m expecting to draft two wideouts and a running back in the next 5 rounds in this circumstance depending on the value of what’s presented. At QB, this is probably putting me in line with Romo or maybe Luck which wouldn’t bother me a bit. You’ll notice I didn’t mention TE. Once Pitta went down, I stopped seeing extreme value in taking a TE in the first 10 rounds of a standard league with all the late picks available as guys like Vernon zoom up the charts. Only guy I’d take a chance on at this point given his ADP is Gronk (69 of this typing) but it’s hard to gauge where he’s really going to go in drafts. In all, this start sets you up best for the draft this year, IMHO.
If you start RB/WR – I don’t hate you, I swear! I’ve seen Megatron slide too often in the first round. I ranked him 4th this year and that wasn’t me blowing smoke. He finished 5th in PPR leagues amongst skill players in fantasy points. You’re not doing yourself any harm taking him in the first round and you’re not killing yourself taking a receiver from the tier right behind him in the second round but it does create draft approach changes. Firstly, I think it makes taking an RB in round 3 pretty darn important. Guys like Lamar Miller, Frank Gore and Reggie Bush are all available here based on ADP but I’m gonna have a moment of honesty with you: I’m the one that farted on your pillow last night and gave you pink eye. Oops, wrong moment of honesty! What I was trying to say is I’m the jerk that takes those guys before you get to them cuz I collect RBs like a hoarder collects cardboard boxes filled with Rainbow Bright dolls. They were like 2 bucks a pop at a garage sale. Collector’s item! Don’t judge me. All I’m trying to say is ADP looks fine and dandy until people start drafting how they want to. We ain’t robots and we know what our team needs are. In the end, I’m not trying to scare you off from this strategy as I do think it’s the second best option. Basically, I still want to leave round 6 with 3 RBs so it puts a crunch on you to solidify your WR2 or your first QB – prefer the WR2 in here – and puts you almost in ‘must draft Romo’ mode unless you want to stream your QB position or draft major upside plays late but that – taking up so many bench spots with QBs – hurts in other ways. Again, TE is after the 10th – minus a Gronk discount – in this scenario and by the 10th round you can still nab a 4th RB to make me happy because that’s what it’s all about, really.
If you start WR/WR – You’re slightly nuts and I think you did it to spite me. No, it’s a contrarian take and I appreciate it for that factor. You’re like trying to be a hipster or something. I go WR/WR in my drafts…nevermind, you wouldn’t understand. To be honest, I get the sentiment. The position has less physical issues associated with it – unless you’re Hakeem Nicks of course – and could net you two top end receivers for the year, relegating your WR3 as borderline moot. That’s pretty darn impressive. What’s not so impressive? Your RB1. His name is Frank Gore. Are you excited about this? In the end, I wouldn’t say it’s a bad strategy at all. It simply puts pressure on you to draft RBs the rest of the way pretty aggressively and maybe some that you’re not as high on as you would have if you drafted one in the 1st or 2nd round. I’d say you can all but forget the Gronk discount on this path. You’ll be too busy making sure you’ve solidified your RBs and your QB to take notice. Again, not a bad plan but not one I’d employ. Your first attempt at a WR3 shouldn’t come before the 8th round with this strategy and preferably not before the 10th which gives you room for a shot at Daryl Richardson if he keeps creeping around those parts of the draft.
If you start RB/TE – Ehhhh, basically you just drafted Jimmy Graham in the second round. Ok, fine, you don’t like anything I have to say. I don’t hate Graham but I’m not drafting him this year so this sitch you’ve stuck me in kinda chaps my ass. Ok, not really, it’s viable to an extent but here’s my issue with it. Graham didn’t even outscore his teammate Colston last year for various reasons and one of the biggest was this: dude plays at a very physical position. The evolution of the Tight End into becoming a productive position still puts it third in line in my book in terms of drafting because of that. People want to draft Graham like he’s a WR because of the numbers but as last year with both him and Gronk shows, it doesn’t work that way. But that’s my little diatribe and nothing to do with strategy. This is where you are and now you need to know how to approach the next step. Your next round should be filled by – and this will surprise you – a WR. If you read my Wide Receiver Draft Strategy piece earlier this summer, you know well I’m not hip on drafting a bunch of WR2s or lower. So here I’m taking a wide receiver in the third. I mentioned what you could get here in the RB/RB scenario so I won’t repeat it. This puts you in line to battle for RB2 scraps and really leaning on ADP to hold so you can get them. You can’t reasonably aim for 3 RBs in the first 6 rounds with this scenario. I mean, you can try but it gets a bit hairy because you still want to draft a WR2 in here somewhere as well. In theory, you can take the Romo path here but that Graham pick really mucks up any flexibility you could have. Chances are, you end round 6 with Graham, a QB and 2 RBs and WRs. Not ideal in my mind. Hopefully Chris Ivory keeps floating under the radar for that to be deemed reasonable.
So that’s the best directions I can give you. I didn’t do a QB/Skill position because it’s very unlikely a scenario you should see this year. QBs are going too late to figure for it and as I’ve already showed from my RB/TE start, it’s a rocky road that only gets rockier, Sloth, and not one you really wanna nor need to trudge down. And with having cleared 1500 words on this subject I’m spent. Good night everybody!
Sky,
I planned 3-4 teams this year, and now I have my 6th draft tomorrow, so yeah, 6 teams.
Anyhow, for the most part I went RB/RB half and RB/WR/RB half
As the draft progresses, it all depends where people go, but I am drafting a least 3 RB by round 6.
I know you and most like RB/RB, but if I get something like Rice, Green, Julio, Gore, is it all that bad? Haha, I just don’t see how if the scenario is right or you know what you’re doing how RB/WR can’t be just as good as RB/RB depending on WHICH RB you take.
Thanks!
@TarmanGotHim: Yup, that’s what I said in the article. RB/WR is viable.
I just did a 12 team draft, picked 10th, non PPR. What do you think?
I went WR/RB because the top RBs I wanted all came off the board, Megatron was hard to pass up at 10 and then I picked up Forte with my next pick.
Ryan
Forte, Sproles, Vereen, D Richardson, Hillman, J Rodgers, Woodhead
C. Johnson, V Jackson, TY Hilton, E Sanders, D Hopkins
Sudfeld
Packers
Vinatieri
@Di Ro: Yup, that’s a huge discount for Megatron. Good you took it. The only issue I have is you took a lot of PPR guys in a non-PPR league. Sproles/Vereen are Flex plays in standard. Woodhead/Rodgers probably won’t bring as much value as they would in a PPR either. That said, if D-Rich hits it big, you should be in a very good place. Your WR3 has a lot of upside between Hilton/Sanders/Hopkins. You just need one to take off and you’re golden.
Overall, not a bad team just needs some of those RBs to take off for you.
@Sky: what if I traded Hilton and Richardson for Miller and Givens? This guys drafted 4 RB in a row to start off the draft and is looking for a good WR, I think Miller would really help out my RB situation.
Thoughts?
D-Rich is not one of your PPR-heavy guys…that doesn’t help you given what we’re talking about.
@Sky: ok, we’ll I really like Vereen this year. Would you trade Sproles or Vereen? I would obviously ask for more in that original trade proposal.
I getcha but he’s not going to be as thrilling in standard in my opinion. He’s the 3rd down back, don’t know if he’s going to be as consistent as you think he’ll be. I’d trade either, depends on what the other guy wants in return. Vereen is Sproles-lite in my book.
@Sky: ok thanks, I was offering him V Jackson and Sproles for CJ2K and C Givens.
That’s a reasonable trade if you believe in Givens (and I do). I like CJ2K this year as well.
Rg3 in 5th or romo in 8th??
@Adam: The later the better. Romo.
12 tm ppr (RCL actually) started like this for me out of the 7 spot:
Calvin
AJ Green
Sproles
I’ll eat that candy all day.
@wtp: Nice
First draft of the season last night — 10 team 1/2 ppr qb wr wr wr rb rb te qb/flex k def
6th pick
Qb RGIII (3) wr colston (4) wr amendola (6) wr wallace (7) rb lynch (1) rb charles (2) te finley (9) k zuerlein 15
Def empty bench MJD (5) jennings (10) roethlisberger (11) randle (12) dwyer (13) broyles (14)
I think i did a good job here with qb depth for a 2 qb league and getting charles and MJD late should prove beneficial — TE and WR could be a problem — of the three flyers randle dwyer broyles who to drop for a def i have my eye on NE TB and IND — should i also drop one of these guys for fred davis
What do you think of the team it got rated a D on yahoo but i think its good and i can win with this
@Barker: Which Randle is it?
I’m not a Finley guy; at that point in the draft, I would’ve just waited and taken another TE with upside after the 10th and taken another WR there. Surprised MJD slid that far down. Would prefer one more starting RB given the flex but since you can have QB there, it’s hard to argue. I like your team overall, minus the TE position. You don’t really have room/need to pick up Davis. It’s better to see what you have out of the bench you picked up minus dropping for a DEF.
@Sky: its ruben randle — i guess i drop dwyer for NE
Thank you sky
@Barker: Yeah, just don’t do it until he plays; see how the Steelers treat him or if he gets the job. Then you’ll have to choose between Broyles or Randle at that point. I’d lean Broyles right now.
Thanks for the follow up article.
@Robert: No prob
Should I drop Kendall Hunter for Joique Bell? I’m a Reggie Bush owner.
@Eddie:
So I decided to be really contrarian in my commentator league. It was the theory to zig where everybody else zags. I was also sick and tired of losing because my RB gets an ACL injury or something like that which has been a recent theme of mine.
My draft was WR/WR/QB/RB/RB/RB/RB/WR/TE/WR/TE/WR/DEF/QB/DEF/K
1. (4) Calvin Johnson WR
2. (21) Julio Jones WR
3. (28) Drew Brees QB
4. (45) DeMarco Murray RB
5. (52) Darren McFadden RB
6. (69) Daryl Richardson RB
7. (76) Rashard Mendenhall RB
8. (93) Lance Moore WR
9. (100) Owen Daniels TE
10. (117) Malcom Floyd WR
11. (124) Fred Davis TE
12. (141) Andre Roberts WR
13. (148) Chicago DEF
14. (165) Carson Palmer QB
15. (172) New England DEF
16. (189) Steven Hauschka K
Funny that Yahoo gave me an A+ drasft rating. Probably a dumb idea but we will see where this goes. I like to experiment sometimes.
@Rob: sorry..put above in wrong place..me bad
@Eddie: Sounds reasonable
@Eddie: probably should even if you weren’t if it’s a PPR.
When would you take Gronk at what would be considered a decent enough discount? I’m in a 10 teamer draft tonight and picking 8th, right before a huge Patriots fan. I feel like Gronk at the beginning of the 4th should be deep enough and that he will have enough of an impact when he arrives (whether it’s week 2 or week 7) to justify the pick. And that’s me quoting a hunch!
@Black & White: I got him in the 6th of a 10 teamer if that gives you any indication. You should be able to wait until round 5. Four might be pushing it given the talent at WR and RB that’s still available.
Last night i drafted Martin-Graham-MJD in my 12 team h2h ppr league. Do you h8 me now?
@Natural Born Champs: No more then I did before! Who’s your WR1?
@Sky:
P.Garcon
J.Nelson
S.Johnson
also got Shorts, Hartline and D.Hopkins
Question for my draft tonight – 14 team ; 0.5 PPR – start 2 RB, 3 WR, 1 flex (with 1 QB, 1TE, 1PK, 1D).
I have kept QB Wilson, RB Mendenhall, RB Vereen and pick 12 (of 14).
Debating for my first two picks : Bush, CJ2K, Gore, Bryant, Julio, Fitz, Green, Marshall – please rank.
Thinking about going WR, WR and trying to get a RB later.
But my RB aren’t strong to start with so not sure if I can afford it.
Any opinions are welcome – thanks in advance.
@Curious D: For a 14 team, you don’t want Mendenhall and Vereen as your two starting RBs. You can try either RB/WR (Dez/Bush perhaps) or RB/RB (Gore/Bush) but I wouldn’t go WR/WR
So my 16 team league decided to give this a try:
QB
RB
WR
RB/WR
RB/WR
WR/TE
DST
K
What the hell should I do about all those flex positions? I pledge a mojito if you help me out! I pick 11/16, snake draft, NOT a PPR league (I know, I know…)
@Mr Popper: Draft RBs heavily. You only have to start 1 WR a week in that format; unless you see the draft going RB heavy and leaving you chasing low end RB2/flex guys, leaving WR value out there. Zig if they zag.
@Sky:
Thoughts?
QB – RG3
RB – Ivory
WR – Megatron
WR/RB – Demaryius Thomas
WR/RB – L. Bell
WR/TE – Gronk (Cook/Hartline in Meantime)
DST – Seattle
K – I don’t remember
BN – Hartline/Cook
BN – J Franklin
BN – Kerley
BN – I forget
Only RB’s were taken until I picked at 11. Then between there and my 2nd rounder, it was all RB’s again except Rodgers. I ended up going Megatron/D Thomas 1-2, couldn’t pass it up.
As much as I like DT and Megatron, one or the other should’ve been an RB pick, IMHO (probably DT). Le’Veon is going on the PUP list so you’re gonna fill that roster spot with Kerley or Hartline. I’m worried this team is going to struggle out of the gates without RB depth since most everyone else will have 3 RBs in their lineup and you’re going to pit them with guys who are WR3s and 4s. You’re gonna need some luck until Bell comes back to stay competitive or some huge weeks from your stars.
I think the strategy depends on where you are picking in the first round. I recently did a draft where I was 2nd. So naturally I got martin, but then like 15 rb all came off of the board and I had to go WR/WR with my next 2 picks. If the choice comes between Gore & Julio Jones, I go the dominant WR (by the way my next 2 choices were AJ Green & Julio Jones). After about the top 15 RB, they are all the same at that point. I ended up with Bradshaw/Richardson as my 6th & 7th round picks so you can definitely not have to pick 2 RB’s in the first 4 rounds.
@Jeff: I think that also depends who you’re drafting with. The latest a starting RB has gone in any of my drafts is the 5th. I got DeAngelo in the 6th of the Writers League but I’m not sure how aware people were of that scenario. I haven’t had a draft that allowed for those discounts at the RB position.
I agree that if you anticipate any sort of run at RB you will be happier going RB/RB. I decided to put my top 10 RBs in front of every receiver except Megatron, and I think I was pretty happy with that. It meant that I passed on AJ Green for Forte, for example, which may not work out if Chicago’s O doesn’t blossom fully, but it did let me survive a wicked RB run with nice WR/WR options for R3 and 4. I think the top 13 PPR RBs are every bit worth a first or second round pick and you just have to tier them out in three groups: the ones you take before Megatron, the ones you like between Megatron and the second group of WRs, and the ones you’d take before the third tier of wideouts.
Sky, why do you list Brees and Rodgers so high in your overall rankings? I think you’d convey your theory better if you dropped them behind the RBs and WRs you’d take before them.
@the imp: I convey my theory in my Top 20 for fantasy football. I’m highlighting their value and specifically state to take advantage of the discount. I did that with a lot of the QBs. Besides, Yahoo has them in the 2nd/3rd round. People are still taking them in the 4th and beyond.
Hey Sky,
In my 12-team, 2 WR, 2RB, 1 Flex, I ended up with this:
QB: T.Romo
WR: B. Marshall
WR: P. Garcon
RB: D. Martin
RB: MJD
Flex: D. Richardson
TE: no one
B: J. Jones
B: M. Ingram
B: K. Moreno
B: C. Givens
B: A. Jeffery
B: J. Bell
B: A. Roberts
So i’ll need to grab a TE – everyone was grabbing TEs and I ddin’t like any value, so all I have to choose from on waivers are Celek, Marcedes Lewis, Dwayne Allen, Eifert, Julius Thomas, Dallas Clark..
Who would you pick and who on my bench would you cut? Or should I try to trade one of my bench guys for someone like Cameron or Sudfeld?
Thanks!
@exactly: fyi, .25/reception, 6 pt TD, everything else pretty standard.
@exactly: IDK what the other owner would want. I’d like Sudfeld/Cameron over those TEs or you can drop Bell for Allen.
Drafted PPR last night, WR TD’s & RB TD’s both work 6, what do you think?
QB – Wilson
WR – Marshall, Amendola
RB – MJD, Lamar Miller
TE – Cook
FLEX – Richardson, Stevie Johnson
DEF – TB (@NYJ)
Bench – Le’Veon Bell, Emmanuel Sanders, Christine Michael, Knile Davis, Edelman
Basically will have 2 more bench spots with Bell goes IR and will drop Edelman since I took him last round because I didn’t have anyone else that I wanted. Should I just grab a couple more RB lottery tickets? LaMichael James, Stepfan Taylor out there. Or could handcuff my rookie backs.
@Fungazi: Also – I had 12th pick (Puke)
@Fungazi: Pick up Taylor for upside.
Like your team overall. Will look really good if Bell comes back healthy and a part of that Pitt offense. Probably wouldn’t have chased the handcuff RBs, though. Would’ve used that time to pick up more WR upside
So in my draft tonight, 12 team ppr, How late can I go without grabbing a QB?? Sometimes I don’t know if your taling about 10 or 12 team when you mention it
@Frank White: I ranked the QBs. Romo is the 12th QB and I’ve talked about him a lot as being the last ‘secure’ QB to take so doesn’t really matter if it’s 10 or 12. He’s the last ‘QB1’ that I’d mark on my sheet and the lowest you can go with that strategy. After that, aim for upside if all those guys are gone (shouldn’t be likely).
@Frank White: @Sky: Don’t know if this helps but in my draft of similar format, I took Wilson as the 11th QB as first pick in the 6th round. Romo was there until the last team without a QB took him in the 9th. Back-up QBs started going in the 10th round.
Yeah when I look at top 200 I see Russell Wilson In like The 8th 9th round and even after him Dalton was there.
@Frank White: Yup, since I was the 11th team and the other guy was waiting too I probably could have waited until the 9th round. Too hard to tell since I was doing B2B picks at the end of the rounds, I wouldn’t get another player until the end of the 7th.
And reading your top RB’s.. I’m number 5. You would want me to grab Richardson before Foster, Rice and Spiller?? I can’t do that. I had Trent last year and he was good but the browns?? I love Spiller n Lynch if I could.. What You think?
@Frank White: Don’t know what you’re expecting me to say telling me you disagree with my rankings and should you do something different. Go for it.
Hello sir, keep up the great work.
12 Team, 1 PPR, H2H League – here’s my team, below is an offer I got late last night.
QB – Cam Newton
RB – LeSean McCoy
RB – Reggie Bush
WR – Julio Jones
WR – DeSean Jackson
WR – Hakeem Nicks
TE – Brandon Pettigrew
D/ST – 49ers
K – Matt Prater
BE – Michael Vick
BE – Bryce Brown
BE – BJGE
BE – Shonn Greene
BE – Santonio Holmes
BE – Santana Moss
BE – Keenan Allen
I give: Julio Jones, Giovanni Bernard, and 49ers D/ST
I get: Marshawn Lynch, Tony Gonzalez, Packers D/ST
I have LeSean and Reggie Bush as my two RB’s, and Nicks and DeSean as my other WR, and I’m extremely worried about those two plus streaming a WR until one sticks during the season. Giovanni was my flex and had to put SOMETHING in TE with Pettigrew with my third to last pick.
The WR on Waivers I lilke:
Kerley
LaFell
Riley Cooper
Sanu
Burleson
or Donnie Avery
So, do you see this as a lateral move that only replaces a hole in my lineup with another one or would you make that trade? Having LeSean, Reggie Bush, AND Marshawn Lynch as my Flex sounds prrettty, prettty good.
@MF DOOM: That’s not a move I would make. Your WR set up worries me.
Not sure about that QB scenario not happening, Sky. I’ve done several mock drafts in Yahoo and Rodgers and/or Brees always go by the end of round 2 and I suspect the league I’m in will go that route as the commish was evidently a QB hoarder in last year’s draft. Not that I’m sheep enough to follow it, mind you, but there appears to be a lot out there doing it for some bizzaro reason.
@Clint (aka Pablo Death): Mock drafts don’t tell you much, Clint, unless you’re mocking with people you know. could’ve been robot picks or nitwits who are just following yahoo rankings (yahoo has them as late 2nd/early 3rd rounders).
The hoarders are hoping to scam others out of RBs/WRs after the draft via trade. Too much talent at QB to fall for it, though.
Also I was reading and I’m gonna do the Rb/Rb. So even if AJ green is available still go for a back? cause the list will come back quicker this time, 5th pick.. still allot of good backs but when I read your Top list of RB’s it’s from the beginning of June. Do you still live by that?? The 2nd round of backs I don’t know why but I don’t like Forte, Chris Johnson and I hear things about Drew.
@Frank White: I said both are viable routes to go, just RB/RB is a preference. It depends on the value of the players involved. I ranked plenty of WRs ahead of Forte/CJ/MJD for a good reason.
Also on Sportscenter Frank Gore got a lot slower.. True or still a great 2nd pick?
I know I’m bombing you with questions but I feel like in my position I can go RB RB WR Wr and still get a good 3rd RB in the 5th .. The point is if in the 4th, would you skip a couple receivers in order to grab a good RB if theres good WR’s in the future or the other way around or just stick to the top rankings?? Then in a 12 team should I risk another RB or WR in the 6th or start looking at QB’s like Russell Wilson if they’re all getting grabbed? I really think these questions might be impossible to answer so I would understand cause you have to see the draft to answer them but it’s worth a try. lol
@Frank White: It’s about value. Every draft is different. You need to let them play out to decide which way to go. That’s why I went over the multiple starts above.
@Frank White: ESPN says a lot of things. It has Skip Bayless. I don’t listen to ESPN.
Lol thanks!!! Oh when you were talking about the TE’s. Say the first 7 rounds are RB’s Wr’s and A qb last.. should I draft a TE after all of that or take one instead of a WR??
Oh and if I can get Graham in the 2nd, should I grab him then 2 more rb’s next??
Basically, what round did you take your TE?? Cause besides like 5 or 6, I have no idea the who the other ones are
OMG scratch that Graham question cause I just read the bottom blog… Sorry
Yo Scratch all of these questions I just asked.. I’ve been reading so many of your blogs that I forget that I’ve already answered my own questions.. I’m starting to confuse myself too!! Once the Draft starts it feels like all the info in my head goes down the tubes. That’s what i’m trying not to do!
Cool.
I just went over what happens if you draft Graham in this article…I’m not a fan…
If Gronk is there late enough, I’d take him. If not, just aim for upside after the 10th and draft WR/RB upside.
You mean aim for best Te after 10th and draft WR Rb before?? Is that what u mean by upside?
Also is Gronk out for weeks or starting the season?
It’s not clear yet how long he’ll be out. Could be one week, 3, 5…They have to make the decision here shortly whether he goes on the PUP which is an automatic 6 weeks.
Yes
So I decided to be really contrarian in my commentator league. It was the theory to zig where everybody else zags. I was also sick and tired of losing because my RB gets an ACL injury or something like that which has been a recent theme of mine.
My draft was WR/WR/QB/RB/RB/RB/RB/WR/TE/WR/TE/WR/DEF/QB/DEF/K
1. (4) Calvin Johnson WR
2. (21) Julio Jones WR
3. (28) Drew Brees QB
4. (45) DeMarco Murray RB
5. (52) Darren McFadden RB
6. (69) Daryl Richardson RB
7. (76) Rashard Mendenhall RB
8. (93) Lance Moore WR
9. (100) Owen Daniels TE
10. (117) Malcom Floyd WR
11. (124) Fred Davis TE
12. (141) Andre Roberts WR
13. (148) Chicago DEF
14. (165) Carson Palmer QB
15. (172) New England DEF
16. (189) Steven Hauschka K
Funny that Yahoo gave me an A+ drasft rating. Probably a dumb idea but we will see where this goes. I like to experiment sometimes.
@Rob: You drafted Murray/McFadden/Mendenhall because you don’t want your RBs to get injured?
@Rob: All those RBs are usually gone before the 4th round of most drafts. You got a little lucky being able to land 3 starters in a row. That said, as Fungazi said, you drafted 3 guys who haven’t played a full season in 2 years. Boom or bust team there but you at least have 4 RB so I can’t fault you there. Would’ve preferred more upside with your WR3 then a Moore/Floyd/Roberts combo. You had the ability to take a chance, probably should’ve. Not certain why you drafted two DEF either. In the end, the strategy seemed to be fine, but you drafted a team that I wouldn’t be drafting.
Hi Sky,
Great piece as usual. My league’s draft was on Tuesday night, and I ended up with the following team (settings = QB, 2RB, 2WR, TE, RB/WR, WR/TE, QB/RB/WR/TE, K, DEF; PPR, some points for return yardage):
QB1: Russell Wilson (keeper)
QB2: Tony Romo
RB1: Matt Forte
RB2: Reggie Bush
WR1: Antonio Brown
WR2: Cecil Shorts
TE: Jimmy Graham (keeper)
RB/WR: Daryl Richardson
WR/TE: Emmanuel Sanders
BN: Michael Floyd, Jacoby Jones, Jeremy Kerley, Percy Harvin, Jared Cook, Jordan Cameron
I followed your advice and didn’t bother drafting a kicker or defense. Unfortunately, I needlessly loaded up on TE depth, thinking that I could make a trade with the Gronk owner (who has instead opted to roll with Ed Dickson). I’m planning on dropping Kerley and Cameron first, and I’d like to shore up my RB depth. Here are available waiver options:
Bryce Brown, Le’Veon Bell, Joique Bell, Christine Michael, Roy Helu, Johnathan Franklin, Daniel Thomas.
WR options include Andre Roberts, Brandon LaFell, Kendall Wright, and Robert Woods.
I’m leaning toward grabbing Le’Veon and Christine. Your thoughts?
@Dingbat: Thanks!
Le’Veon/Wright (Wright should’ve been drafted).
Hold your TEs and drop Jones/Kerley.
As you said, you went TE heavy. Keepers always make strange drafts. Hopefully Bell comes back fast and you have a 4th RB. Keep your eye on Helu, Would’ve preferred another WR1 but again, keepers make things strange. Overall, not a bad team but needs a bit of help from the FA pool to shore up the WRs.
@Sky: Thanks! I opted for a second top-12 QB in the 3rd round, which meant that I missed out on Amendola and Colston, but other than that, the only WR1s available were Garcon, Steve Smith, and Nicks, and I didn’t feel comfortable rolling the dice with them. I grabbed Wright and will pick up Bell once he clears waivers (he was drafted and then dropped).
If you have an IR for Bell, that’s pretty sweet.
Hello, good article Sky. please share your thoughts on my team. also, which 2 would you drop for a Def/K (id prob wait closer to the beginning of the season to do so in case roster changes occur).
10 team H2H KEEPER w/playoffs, 2QB, non-PPR, start 3WR, 2RB, NO FLEX. 6pts a TD, 15yds receiving/rushing=1pt, 40yds passing =1pt., 30 ret yds=1pt
I kept AJ Green 8th rd and TRADED my 2nd/3rd for the #1 overall. Rd selection in parenthesis. Can keep players drafted after the 5th rd
QB – Brees (1), P. Manning (1)
WR – AJ Green (8),Colston (4),Gordon (10),Givens (11),Blackmon (13),Britt (14),C.Patterson (16)
RB – MJD (5), D. Wilson (6), Lacy (7), Vereen (12), L. Bell (15), C.Michael (16)
TE – Witten (9) – (thinking i shouldve taken weeden as QB3 instead)
Thank you
@timmy riggins: Solid looking team for a 10 teamer. You’ll want to drop Michael and probably Patterson there. I could see the argument for Britt, though. Non-PPR, I probably wouldn’t have gone after Vereen but the value in that pick is there so I can’t fault you. Love your WR depth. Givens as your WR3 until Blackmon/Gordon come back is nice. Can probably trade from strength there eventually if you need an upgrade. Solid looking team overall.
Nice article. Had my first real draft last night. I laughed, I cried, I heard your voice telling me to wait on a QB and to not draft a back-up QB, but after Romo fell all the way to 98 I couldn’t let that one schmuck that had held out perfectly waiting on QB to land him so late while I drafter Brian friggin Heartline or somesuch. In the end I came away with an awkward bunch that may work out OK. Any thoughts?
QB: Luck
RB: Martin
RB: Bush
Flex: Ivory
WR: D. Thomas
WR: K. Thompkins
TE: Cameron
BN: Bradshaw, D. Richardson, Romo, Hartline, Heyward-Bey, Stills
@Moose Out Front: 12 team 0.5 PPR
@Moose Out Front: Great RB depth for a 12 teamer. Hartline was a smart pickup in case you need something solid to lean on if Thompkins bombs. Not a believer in DHB or Stills. Probably would’ve wanted someone else there but your starting roster looks great. Keep your eyes peeled for WR upstarts the first couple of weeks. If Thompkins goes off, your team is gonna be a monster. Well done!
@Sky: I really appreciate the feedback, and your help with the gameplan prior to drafting. Is Sudfeld a reasonable guy to speculate with instead of Stills for the 1st couple weeks or should I just say screw it and avoid rostering 2 TEs, as you usually suggest?
You’ve already got a lot of upside at TE. You can see what you have in Stills. He might surprise, I’m just getting a Devery vibe from him
@Moose Out Front: And, fwiw regarding draft strategy, I picked from the 2 hole (beevis laugh) and went RB/WR/RB/RB/RB/RB/QB/QB
I passed up Gore at the 2nd/3rd round turn because my 4th rounder at pick 47 is too late to get Amendola or Colston and thusly gets shut out on any semblance of a WR1 in every mock I’ve done. Meanwhile, picks 47 and 50 get me 2 of Bradshaw, Ivory, Miller, DRich and Sproles every time. In retrospect I could see going WR two of the 1st 3 picks. Especially if you feel good about lucking into DRich at pick 71 like I did in this draft.
Yeah, it really depends on whose available late if the lucking into D-Rich works. I haven’t drafted anywhere where starting RBs have gone outside of the 5th except for DeAngelo.
I have to draft a 10 team ESPN league for my buddy later today. I have never seen ESPN’s format, any tips for the wisest of our football sages?
I’ve never played ESPN myself. Have no sage advice, sad to say.
@Sky: My buddy says that there are five QB’s ranked ahead of AP, if that tells you anything, and it’s only a 4 point TD league
thats disturbing
@Sky: speaking of disturbing things I was at my proctologist the other day….oh wait, um wrong blog
@Jack Full of Hate: Jack Full of Doctor Finger…
@Sky: more like Dr. Finger full of Jack
You gave him the nickname Dr. Feelgood
@Sky: no comment
Haha. It’s a female doctor so it’s ok.
@Sky: true but not a hot doctor, think large east german woman in the 1960’s
Ha, with a very large, visually unavoidable to stare at mole on her left cheek.
@Sky: You’ve seen Dr. Helga……I distract from the mole by starring at the basketball sized knockers
It’s the only way to survive…
My first football draft in 8 years or so…..10 team H2H PPR (.5pt), $200 auction league with no restriction on moves. How did I do?
QB – RG3 $12
RB – T Richardson $46
RB – J Charles $49
WR – D Thomas $32
WR – H Nicks $11
TE – Gronk $22
Flex – M Ball $6
D – L McKelvin $1
DT – Denver $1
K – M Bryant $1
BN – Russel Wilson $9 (QB)
BN – Antonio Brown $5 (WR)
BN – J Stewart $2 (RB)
BN – A Jones $1 (D)
BN – R Ventrone $1 (D)
BN – C Givens $1 (WR)
Slipped onto the dreaded autopick for the last three. Did not want the extra two D. Have waiver claims in for Danny Woodhead and also Brandon Myers to cover Gronk for the first couple of weeks.
@Nightpandas: hit you up on the original one; just wasn’t sure of your cap.
Hey Sky thanks for the strategy tips!
Here’s the breakdown for my draft next Tuesday:
12 Team ESPN League, Standard, 2 Keepers each. Big Money Pool.
We have kept MJD and Fitz. Here’s the fun part…we have the 3rd, 10th, 12th and 13th pick. I tanked last year for this year. I have bandied about a couple strategies. Would love your advice:
Here are the guys available based on ADP
Dez Bryant
DT
Brandon Marshall
Chris Johnson
Jimmy Graham
Steven Jackson
Stevan Ridley
Roddy White
David Wilson
Gronk
Andre Johnson
DMC
Jordy Nelson
Cam Newton
Demarco Murray
Lamar Miller
Reggie Bush
I was thinking of taking either SJAX or Chris Johnson at #3 and either next 2 best available RB’s at #10 and #12 and Gronk #13
or
Dez #3, two RB’s and Gronk I
Suggestions??
No prob, glad you like them; do you have a flex? Are we assuming Graham won’t be there? I like the second option best.
The guy with the first pick is taking Graham. Yes, there is a flex.
So you suggest taking Dez at three and then taking two RB’s and Gronk?
Which two of these RB’s would you target?
Bush, Ridley, Gore, Miller, Murray, Lacy
Assuming CJ and SJAX are gone
Thanks again!
I ranked Gore ahead of that crew as a tried and true play. Depends if you want upside (Miller).
ESPN standard 10 team league and i ended up with following:
QB Stafford starter and Russell Wilson back up
RB T-Rich, Forte starters and ryan mathews backup
WR V-Jax, Andre Johnson starter and Kenbrell Thompkins backup
WR/TE flex James Jones starter or Antonio Gates (I could just have 3 WRs starters and no TE)
Def Bears starter and Vikings Backup
K Phil Dawson starter and Mason Crosby backup
What do you think of this? I am nervous about Ryan Mathews but Daryl richardson is gone of the waivers already and i am only seeing redman, dwyer, moreno etc.
Any tips you can recommned as far as strategy goes? what do you think of the team? I need to strengthen RBs but not sure how i can do that with options available.
You didn’t need a backup QB. Could’ve spent that pick on another RB or a more solid WR2. Do you have roster restrictions? I don’t understand why you’d draft backup K’s and DEF…
@Sky:
I did have roster restrictions and had 3 RBs already before I drafted back up QB because we needed two, i picked gates and KT after the back up QB pick and rest K and Def as required slots had to be filled. Mathews is still better than available dwyer, redman, moreno options on WW, correct?
Ok, gotcha. Yeah, you’re not dropping Mathews for that…
We keep three each year as our first three picks, and I feel like I’ve got four good options. Consider, too, that we give 6pts for each PaTD:
J.Charles (lock)
V.Cruz (pretty solid)
Romo (solid point scorer due to team always falling behind)
J.Graham (solid to spectacular production at an awful position)
Thanks!
Depending on who’s available at QB or WR in the draft, it’s between Cruz and Romo. I’d lean letting Romo go.
I don’t think this team is as epic as my auction team was but I think it just might work.
10 team, .5ppr, 2qb:
q: Ryan
q: Vick
r: Charles
r: SJax
w: Garcon
w: Austin
w: V Brown
t: Gronk
flex: Forte
b: DeAngelo
b: Britt
b: Blackmon
b: Givens
b: J Cameron
A little worried about your WRs…is that Tavon or Miles? Garcon needs to be a top 15 WR for your team but your upside on the bench is great with Givens/Blackmon/Britt. If any of those three hit big, you’re in a good place. Overall, I like this team, just needs your WRs to hit.
@Sky: You sound like you doubt Pete Waiter! Frankly, his foot scares me but, if that’s healthy, he’s an easy top 15 wr. Miles Austin is my Austin of choice.
Basically I took the “at least 3 of these guys will pan out” approach.
@Bone Smuggler: It’s a solid approach, just usually hope I have at least one guy at WR I feel really comfortable leading my crew with. I don’t doubt Garcon at all, I doubt his health. He’s a top 15 guy if he stays healthy with upside to be in the lower top 10 guys.
different league: 12 team .5PPR 2RB, 3WR, 1 flex (w/r/t) h2h. NO PLAYOFFS – Leader after week 15 wins. Big $ league so shrewd drafters
I have a bunch of thoughts and appreciate your feedback.
I have the 2nd pick and am leaning towards the Muscle Hamster > Ray Rice, but still have my doubts. I like D. Martin and his upside, but feel like he is a mini ray rice on a worse team, so why not just draft the real thing. Hes been highly productive and consistent the past 4 yrs, still young, better team, better QB, should also be the focal point of the offense, and gets goal line carries. and V.Leach.
On the way back i have picks 23,26. if youre taking the RB/RB approach you hope that either S-Jax, CJ2K or Ridley fall to you. They are all projected to be drafted ahead of my slot (YAHOO) If they dont make it, would you be happy with R.Bush, D.Sproles in Rd2? Would you reach for Gore, MJD, Wilson, Lacy in one of those slots. they might not come back rd4 too.
It also seems like a lot of high-end WRs will be there for both picks. Maybe D. Thomas or J.Jones (tough to pass on), Victor Cruz, Cobb, Roddy White, Larry Fitz, Andre Johnson.
Would you rather take a bush/sproles type vs 2 of those WRs? also, at that point would you take jimmy graham instead and take one of those WRs on the way back in rd2?
Also, if i pass on Brees and the #1 team with AP takes him and Graham or another elite option would that be giving him too big of an advantage?
Thanks again for your time and insight
D. Martin is the only back in TB that is going to get touches. You have to compete with Pierce in Baltimore. Offense is centered around Dougie, Ray-Ray is definitey not. Martin can give you similar yardage and more touchdowns. I’m not seeing a good argument here for Rice as the second pick.
My rankings say who I’d take there. I have SJax/MJD ahead of all those guys. Think you should take a look at the rankings if you’re curious how I view them.
I’m fine with Demaryius. Wouldn’t be taking any of those WRs if I already have him. Again, my rankings say which guys I like more/less from that group and where I’d draft them.
I wouldn’t be taking Graham this year, as per what I say in the article you’re asking me about him on; he won’t be there at that turn. If he falls to you in the 26th range, it’s reasonable, just depends on who’s left at RB whether that’s a reasonable thing to do.
I don’t understand why you’d think that. QB is deep and so is TE. That team no longer has a shot at another elite RB or a solid WR1 to count on with that draft strategy. He’s tying himself to roster spots he can fill later in the early rounds. Not smart.
@Sky: thanks for the response. Ive read your rankings. It doesnt necessarily correlate to draft slots and pick pairings. you also have brees, and rodger ranked 11/12 overall and are advocating not to draft them at 23/26.
Also, the same can be said about RBs popping up to stardom. Doug Martin, T-Rich, Alf Morris, ridley, BJGE, bush, spiller, sproles, (AP) etc werent picked in the top 2 rounds last year. this year could be wilson, lacy,
im assuming Sjax and MJD would be off the board by my pick. They are projected at the 21 & 18 picks, respectively. if theyre NOT there for my 2/3 (23 and 26 overall) would you reach for a Bush/Sproles/D.Wilson in RD 2 or go for a more consistently productive WR like: larry fitzgerald, cobb, cruz, Roddy White, andre johnson instead.
how would you approach the second/third rd if you have D-Mart?
Thanks
Understand, but you weren’t talking about pairings necessarily; it’s about best players available. Whether you choose to go RB or WR is still a question of whom you think is better to draft, not a pairing question concerning D-Mart.
I’ll take the best player available at that point based on how I view them, rankings-wise. I’m highest on Cobb/Cruz of that crew but think taking an RB there would still leave you a shot at White/Cobb/Cruz at 26 for a solid WR1.
Part of the problem is you never know how a draft is going to go. Thats why you go by rankings that fit your likes/dislikes but be aware of how the draft is going. Maybe RBs don’t get drafted heavily in the first 2 rounds, creating an opportunity. Maybe they do, creating a different opportunity. It’s about the value of the players involved moreso then worrying about who to pair with your lead back. I don’t mind Wilson in the 3rd round. I don’t mind him in the 2nd. It just depends whose really there and the value associated which route is best.
12 PPR
Start 3 WR, 3 RB, 2 FLEX, 2 TE
QB Cutler
WR Calvin, AJ, Gordon, Broyles, Blackmon
RB Murray, Miller, Vereen, Bernard,Tate, Helu, Le’Von, Joigue, Knile
TE Cameron, F.Davis
What say you?
Looks like you went WR/WR to start. Could work out well for you, though. Will be interesting to see how Cutler performs. Probably will be streaming your QBs, which theres’ nothing wrong with. Your RBs are solid for a PPR. Probably would’ve liked one more clear lead back but Bernard/Vereen are gonna be solid flex plays most weeks anyways. Your WRs are gonna be amazing when Gordon/Blackmon come back. Looks good, just don’t stay married to Cutler if he falters.
You have a keen eye sir. I heard you scorning me with every tick and tock of my second pick. “Don’t you do it! Don’t even think about it!” Didn’t like my options at RB more than Green (SJax, CJ2K, MJD, Bush, Sproles) I think the potential is there. Need some things to go my way but, isn’t that the case for everyone every year? Might have waited a bit TOO long on QB. Most teams have better backups than Cutler. Thats how I got the rest of my depth though. Plus, the scrap heap of QB’s left actually have some descent matchup on Cutler’s bye. EJ vs NO for example.
@Chicken Dinner: QB’s left Philip Rivers, Weeden, Locker, Manuel, Ponder, and the Raiders tandem. Yuck! Had a chance at Romo in the 10th went F. Davis. Vick in the 11th went Broyles. Te is thin starting two so I’m not too upset with that but Broyles may bite me.
There’s zero wrong with that; that said, would’ve passed on Davis and taken Romo there. Romo/Vick in the 10th/11th I wouldn’t have passed on them. I getcha about the TE players, though.
Haha yeah, you’ll be fine. It’s scary not having that ‘solid QB’ but it’s quite freeing at the same time and very doable as long as you’re an attentive owner. I like SJax but you gotta do what you gotta do.
I play in a 12 team league, scoring only, qb’s TD’s all 6 points. 1 qb, 2 rb, 3 wr/te, 1 kicker. An old school league going into year 22.
I have the 3rd pick in the draft, what would you do for a strategy? AP may go first, otherwise Brees, Rogers 1-2.
Any advice on my first 4 rounds?
Thanks!!
Have you looked at my rankings yet? Even with a 6 points per TD, you shouldn’t have to draft a QB that high. Lock up your RBs and draft a WR within the first three rounds unless there’s a major run on QBs. That just means you can take a WR or RB in the 4th without hurting yourself.
@Sky:
Checked out your rankings. If AP falls to 3, I’ll take him. But if Brees or Rodgers fall to 3, I have to take the QB. This is a 6 pt TD everything league(no yardage) and my guess is 5-8 qb’s will fall before my 2nd pick based on owner tendicies leaving lots of talent to my 2-3 picks.
Given that scenario, what would be your strategy?
I guess when you say you still have a shot at a top 12 QB, I question why you feel compelled to take one in the first round if there’s a top end RB available. You’ll still need an RB. Draft based on value at that point.
@Sky:
When I do a fantasy sharks or cbs sportsline VBD chart with my scoring it spits out Brees, Rodgers, Manning then AP as the top 4 values. If I do go RB first, who are your personal top 3 TD only guys and projected TD’s?
You don’t need to be in a 6 points per passing TD league to get that kinda line; that’s what I’m trying to say.
TD only pushes T-Rich/McCoy/Lynch up over Charles for me.
Sky thanks for your thoughts on my team. Just scanning the wire in my 10 team league are any of these guys potential starters or at least good backups to what I have? T Rich and J Charles at RB and Ball at flex. (also have J Stewart on the bench). I have two garbage guys I could drop.
The WW has:
Dwyer – starter for now?
Ballard
Woodhead
Hillman – handcuff
Michael
Helu
Pierre Thomas
Do you have an IR spot? J-Stew won’t be coming back even by week 7, or so say the reports. I’d want Hillman/Dwyer for possible starter upside. If it’s PPR (can’t remember), don’t mind Woodhead/Helu.
@Sky: @Sky: .5 PPR
Cool; pick up Dwyer/Hillman for now. Hillman may/may not have the edge on the starting spot in Denver right now but I really don’t think Ball is starting any time soon. If Dwyer doesn’t cut it, Woodhead and then Helu are how I’d rank those others.
So here’s what I’ve got. 12 team/std. scoring/non keeper. What say you, Sky?
QB: RGIII
RB: Doug Martin
RB: Reggie Bush
Flex: Rashard Mendenhall,
WR: Dez Bryant
WR: DeSean Jackson
TE Rob Gronkowski
D/ST Rams
K Sebastian Janikowski
Bench:
WR Chris Givens
QB Eli Manning
WR Alshon Jeffery
RB Michael Bush
TE Fred Davis
RB Joique Bell
Would’ve liked to have seen one more RB there on your bench that’s startable with a flex position and would not have taken a backup QB. Like your WRs for a standard league; all have 10 TD potential. Overall, it’s a good looking team, just would’ve preferred that extra RB starter/huge role type.
@Eddie: Martin Dez and Bush is a very fortunate top3 three picks. What slot were you drafting out of?
And yeah, it looks like your choice likely came down to extra flex RB or Gronk in that 5th or 6th round. I can see going either way though I’m probably going with the extra startable RB in most cases.
Draft evaluation. I need some opinions on my draft for my local 12 team 1 pt per reception $3k per man league. strengths/weaknesses or just some general thoughts would be appreciated. Qb 2 rb 3 wr flex Te
Ill break down the team per which round i drafted them. I had the 8th pick
Megatron
Forte
Bush
Gronk
V jackson
Lamar miller
K britt
Luck
Michael floyd
A bradshaw
Woodhead
Daniel thomas
Blackmon
Zac sudfeld
K moreno
Is this in the order of how you drafted? Hard to believe a 12 teamer would let Bradshaw slip to the 10th, let alone Miller to the 6th…like this team a lot. You waited on QB and got to take some good players because of it. I don’t see any major deficiencies to point out. If Moreno gets the starter’s nod, you’re gonna be stacked. Well done!
Just listened to Matthew Berry on Stern. He said he is a millionaire crazy. Maybe someday sky maybe someday…
He also said he co wrote Crocodile Dundee 3 was his co writer Grey? Good shit today but savvy drafters know it really starts after the first few rounds.
Haha, he’s a millionaire because of Fantasy Sports…not! His books are what rakes in his money. Like Jim Cramer and his stock books, it’s not his day job that makes him all that moola…
Grey was cast as a coked out Miami Vice lookin’ guy…oh and i agree. But how you start usually determines what direction you go later.
10 team standard
5rb and 5WR max
Drafted McCoy,forte,and Wilson for first 3RB
Would u leave spots open to draft Bryce brown and Andre brown as handcuffs OR
Draft Tate and Bernard as your 4th and 5th backs??
Bernard was available and passed to leave spot open
Took Tate as 5th RB
Thanks
I’m confused…you’ve already drafted or you’re wondering who of those groups I’d go after? I’d draft Bernard and Andre Brown. They have actual roles within their offenses that are defined.
I made some moves, have 6 picks in first 4 rounds, no picks in rounds 5-7. 11 teamer, non ppr but distance scoring and 1pt per 25 yards. All TD’s are 6 plus distance bonus.
What is my plan?
1 pt for every form of 25 yards? Rushing/Passing/Receiving?
I’d plan to join a different league…I hate distance bonuses; way too fluky. Target long bomb WRs like DeSean Jackson/Chris Givens/Mike Wallace for your WRs. Within the first 4 rounds, I can’t see drafting any different then you normally would. Get 3 RBs if you can and one of the top 5 or 6 WRs. You should be able to do that with your picks available. Maybe even take Graham since you don’t need to worry about what falls to you in the 5-7 section.
Was just offered Lamar miller and tavon Austin for Julio in 6 player keeper league? Got demarco and David Wilson currently with v-jax and b. Marshall.
How many can you start at the two different positions?
@Sky: 2 rb, 2 wr and a flex
@dave: Go for it then
Le’Veon Bell was dropped in my 12 team league. Should I drop Pierre Thomas to stash him? Five bench spots.
Can you use an IR spot? It’s not a bad idea but I’d rather wait and see what you have in PT before I make that move.
@Sky: Can’t use an IR spot. I was kind of thinking “wait and see” as well. It’s tough to lose a bench spot with bye weeks and all. Thanks for the input, bro.
No prob
Solid advice as always. I got pushed into the RB/WR in my first draft this year (12 team ppr), with all of the RBs I was really keen on being taken before my second pick. Still ended up okay I think. Draft order (2nd overall pick) went:
Doug Martin
Demaryius Thomas
Chris Johnson
Chris Ivory
Pierre Garcon
Miles Austin
Ahmad Bradshaw
Michael Vick
Greg Jennings
Brian Hartline
Fred Davis
Vincent Brown
Johnathan Franklin (already dropped to pick up J. Bell)
NYG Defense
Garrett Hartley
Probably should have just waited on the TE pick, and not bothered with the D and K picks. Outside of that, any thoughts/advice? I’ve got another draft tonight for a 10 man ppr league.
Have zero problem with that team. Nothing wrong with with your TE; probably would’ve liked a few more upside WR plays late but if Garcon goes off, it won’t matter. 4 starting RBs, well done!
Yo Sky – I play in a 12 team .5 PPR league with an IDP player. How do you think I drafted? I kind of went crazy and drafted 5 RBs in the first 6 rounds.
Doug Martin
Demariyus Thomas
Reggie Bush
Frank Gore
Lamar Miller
Daryl Richardson
Robert Griffin III
T.Y. Hilton
Greg Olsen
Miles Austin
Ben Tate
Vincent Brown
Josh Gordon
Michael Vick
Zach Sudfeld
Sean Lee
Justin Tucker
Arizona Cardinals D/ST
Yo!
Team looks very solid. Weird you got to draft that many RBs…did people fall asleep? Like DT as your WR1. When Gordon’s back, you’re gonna look very solid at WR. Probably didn’t need the backup QB and I wouldn’t have taken Olsen but like your players overall. This team should be very competitive.
You like Hunter on my bench more than Hartline if I have Gore as starting RB? We start 3 WRs, 2 RBs, 1 TE, then have a WR/RB flex and a WR/RB/TE flex. My WRs and RBs:
Dez, Green, Garcon, Decker, Buc Williams, Hartline, Forte, Gore, Wilson, D-Rich, Giovani, A. Brown – NYG.
I’m not a handcuff guy; rather have someone I can start then someone I have to see an injury for before they hit my lineup.
@Sky: understood. I’ll hang on to Hartline for now. He’s the first to go if an injury hits.
Hey Buddy.. I was wondering, If I wait until like the 8th round or so for a qb, should I just go by your top 20 list by who’s left?? I mean You got them ranked for a reason but is there any changes you would make since you made that list?? I’m going by you not what Yahoo says. I trust you
As long as you read over the notes on the top 20 QBs, you should be fine. Past Romo, go upside.
When u say go upside you mean, GO NEXT PLayer from top?
I mean read what I wrote about the tiers. Eli Manning is not an upside play. He’s ranked 13th. Vick is in the next tier. He has upside.
From the way I hear what you write about all these qb’s past 10 or so makes me feel like I should grab one early.. Every one I read talks me out of it
11. Stafford: Just as much as he’s not a 41 touchdown guy, he’s also not a 20 touchdown guy either. Stafford looks primed for a fantasy bounce back campaign this year.
Not sure how that can be read as a negative…Romo’s says he’s undervalued and steady. I say Eli Manning is meh. That’s the 13th QB. Not sure what to say at this point.
I just thought you pick them by the highest rank.. What are all the Number slots?? like one is yards and so on??
Is Daryl Richardson supposed to be good? like a 3RB? H’es really low on your list but I don’t know if that was old news
Rankings are based on stability. Can’t rank him ahead of Murray/DMC and other guys who don’t have competition for their starting job. I like him but he has his own question marks. He’s an RB3 on most boards right now.
I don’t understand what you’re saying here.
Sorry dude I mean the numbers under each QB. Whats the order? Yards passin/td’s/…
It says what they are at the top of the post…
Just drafted my team, what do you think?
espn h2h 10 man mix league
QB – RG3
RB – MARTIN
RB – MILLER
WR – MARSHALL
WR – D. THOMAS
TE – COOK
FLEX – A. JOHNSON
D/ST – RAMS
K – PRATER
BENCH
IVORY
BRADFORD
B.BROWN
T.Y HILTON
S. JOHNSON
That’s a really solid team. Would’ve preferred one more starting RB on the bench but Martin/Miller/Ivory isn’t a bad combo. I’d be inclined to trade Andre to someone who needs him for another RB but this team should definitely be competitive. Well done.
@Sky: Should I drop any of my bench for any of these waiver wires:
J Gordon
J Blackmon
K Britt
V Brown
F Jackson
B Pierce
J Bell
Doind a 10 team E$PN draft for my buddy right now. I f**king hate the way some people draft
@Jack Full O’ Hate: remember, kicker in the 5th….
Oooh and make sure you leave the first two rounds with a QB. YA GOTTA DRAFT A QB EARLY
@Sky: I did, I couldn’t help my self, it’s a standard league and I had the 2nd pick, so I started with Martin, Brees, and Marshall. It’s for someone else i don’t want them freaking out because therie league drafted by position and not value. I just got Cook in the 12th round
Nice on Cook. I fart in your general direction for Brees but it’s not your team so there’s that.
@Sky: standard format, and three QB’s were already off the board, he’s a niner fan and would have been pissed I got him Russell Wilson
You’re a good friend but a terrible troll friend.
@Sky: TF?
TFF!
@Sky: are Troll Friends an Oregon thing?
I’ll show you my troll doll collection when you get here.
@Sky: “hey jack, come here, it’s down in my basement, yeah go down there and turn on the light…no no go in deeper, there in the back”
Ha!
@Sky: and my family never heard from me again
I’ll send them postcards. I’ll superimpose you into a ‘Wish you were here’ from various tropical islands. Surrounded by troll dolls of course
@Sky: and in a decade when I break out of your dungeon, I will go home to find they all moved on and will go back to your place because that’s now home
And because you miss Ross, Rachel and all the friend troll dolls you made
Sooo i guess we set our picks ahead of time in the RCL i joined… Looks like im 3rd.. our very own Shake N Bacon got 1st and already said hes takin (bacon?) AP… Assuming 2nd pick follows your rankings and goes Martin, where do i go?
I really want to get McCoy.. but i like charles too.. then theres Rice… And spiller! Ugh.. im torn.. charles scares the bajesus out of me, i dont know why.. really, i probably cant miss, but still… What would Sky do?
And dont say rain on me!
Ps im disappointed the RCL’s are PPR now… Just my opinion…
Psssh, I’m disappointed in you for wanting standard. How bout dem apples?!?
@Sky: snappp! Haha dont get me wrong, ppr is fun, but with so many people competing for the same jumpsuit, it makes it a little more luck driven, imo.. just think ppr adds more of “hey i beat this guy by a point cuz my guy caught a screen for no gain on the last play. Woohoo”. Its really all luck though, no matter how you slice it.
But I understand, Razzball has to adapt to the new trends and hip stuff. I get it sky!
@Prezi: shut the F**K up prezzi, PPR is awesome and standard are for people who thought the “talkies” would ruin film
@Jack Full O’ Hate: haha im old school man!
@Jack Full O’ Hate: haha
Interesting, I see PPR as a counterbalance to the luck associated with TDs. You get 6 points for something that’s driven by the circumstances of the game at hand. Andre Johnson – as much as I say I’m not drafting him this year – is just as viable a WR as a wideout who scores 10 points on 40 yards for a TD. It adds a wrinkle to drafting but I say it gives the game back a bit more balance rather than adding more luck to it. I like to think of it as the Rice/McGahee factor when Ray wasn’t getting to tote it at the GL. I remember a game where McGahee had like 13 points because he had two touchdowns and like 10 yards. Rice did all the heavy lifting to get him to the 1 and scored less. Now how’s THAT for luck driven? *Drops mic*
Next year, we’ll add points per rush just for you!
@Sky: Give him the business Sky! yeah boy!
Stand still Prezi, I’m not done lashing you!
@Sky: *runs away covering butt*
You make some good points. But thats why you are the god and i am a foot soldier. Im down for whatever, ill play points per coach challenge if you want. Bring it on! I just perfer a large league with some idp and return yards. Thats just me though.
@Prezi: Yeah, I’d love to do away with K’s but I try not to mod the league settings too much. Gotta add the human element of people setting the league up right for RCLs.
@Prezi: he’ll tell you to take Charles and sleep easy knowing Uncle Sky has your back
@Jack Full O’ Hate: i can deal with that… He had my back last year and lets just say my back wasnt very dry… Wait, what!? Racist!
Charles broseph!
It’s rainin RB men!
@Sky: figured youd say that… Thanks man, maybe i get dougie fresh if 2nd pick goes else where. So many options at 3rd…
Can’t hate any picks at 3rd with RBs, really. At this point, I just like Andy Reid and how I’ve seen him use his RBs in the past and know Charles is talented enough to be awesome even when Matt Cassel is his QB. That’s mad skillz dawg!
@Prezi: Richardson is the pick sir. And whatever you do not draft Steven Jackson if he is still there in the second.
@frankgrimes: ive never really been big on sjax..
@Prezi: AP is my boy! He brought me to the promise land last year. I can’t pass him up.
I had my first draft last night and had 4th pick and had a hard time deciding between Charles and McCoy. I ended up going with Charles, but I’m a little nervous.
Looks like we go head to head first week of the season Prezi. It should be a pay-per-view event!
Hey Sky and everyone else,
I’m super high on Dez for obvious reasons.. but is it too much to try and give Fitzgerald and Ivory for him?
RIght now in a 12 teamer I have Ivory as my flex, and a weak wr3 of Thompkins and a bench consisting of Andre Brown, Woodhead, Le’veon Bell, Broyles, Cordarelle Patterson and Rueben Randle.
Thanks!
That’s too much.
here is the team,
Bress
Martin
L Miller
Marshall
Cruz
Cook
Decker
K- who cares
Def – Who cares
Bench
Bernard
Mendenhall
Moreno
K Thompkins
Vick
Tate
E. Sanders
That’s a solid looking squad. Like the RBs on the bench a lot. Did you draft against a buncha schmucks? I think you woned that draft.
@Sky: yeah, Reggie Bush was the 3rd pick. It’s only a 10 teamer, but dumb across the board. My buddies brother thinks Kapernick will have a better year than Brees, or be roughly the same because of the 6 points for rushing TD’s. I told him that Kapernick would have to average a lot of rushing TD’s to do that. I tried to explain the math and the risk of the running QB vs a guy that will average three passing TD’s a week, but he’s a niner fan and swears that has nothing to do with his opinion. I love my back up backs and my back up recievers.
Yeah, he was fanboying there. I like him too but I’m not taking him that early…oy…I agree, your back up backs rock. Your buddy’s gonna run his league…with your help.
@Sky: what are your thoughts on Kimbrel and Emanuel?
Kimbrel? The Braves closer?
I like Emanuel. Both the receiver and the art house porn from the 70s. Think he’s got a chance to be a cheap Torrey Smith
@Sky: sorry Kenbrell thompkins
Wait got it, Kenbrell.
I don’t trust his usage in NE. He has the higher upside of the 2 because of his QB but Sanders has the better more solidified role. I’d call it a needs play.
@Sky: but I have both
You have to decide between the two? If your team needs major upside with zero promise for a floor, Thompkins is your man. Sanders has lower ceiling but higher floor. More of a team needs thing
@Sky: I hear ya, but damn Brady sure seems to like Thompkins alot
Gotta remember Gronk and Amendola haven’t been out there…those preseason numbers a a bit tinted.
@Jack Full O’ Hate: Wheaton > Sanders
@Jack Full O’ Hate: tell that doode he is drunk…. Kap will have a good year though. Lotta niner fans are on kaps nutsack hard this year… Still alot to prove for the guy.
Hey Sky, I have my draft in a few hours. Any late risers or fallers I should keep in mind?
Not sure how up to date you are. Wouldn’t touch that Denver backfield unless it’s Moreno (because he’s the cheapest). Ball/Hillman are going too high for me to want to speculate.
DeAngelo is creeping because of the news about JStew. I’ve taken him in the 6th of 2 separate 12 team drafts despite his current ADP.
Thompkins is creeping but I think it’s into nosebleed territory. I don’t trust it.
10 team ppr 6 pt all tds with flex
Brady, luck
Forte, McCoy, cj2k, woodhead, b brown,
Decker, lance, James jones, Cecil, Blackmon, k thompkins
Graham, cook
Tampa
Not thrilled that I took graham over roddy when gronk went in the 8th. Who do I drop for kicker (cook or lance)?
Yeah, that’s why I don’t like going after Graham; creates the problems you’re describing. You’ll need Blackmon/Cecil/Thompkins to outperform their draft price. Decker’s not a WR1 this year. But I digress, drop Cook; you’re never going to start him having Graham.
Sorry last question before draft,. If I pick a qb late, Could Bradford be good enough for my only QB?
No prob; he could be. I like his upside. Got to remember there are plenty of QBs out there over the course of the season in most leagues. Don’t feel chained just because you drafted them. Russell Wilson was not universally drafted last year.
I picked Doug Martin as 1st pick… over Spiller n MCcoyy good right or no?
I put him as my #1 in my rankings so yes.
Got Martin, MGD and Demarious thomas so far… Do I grab a Sprolles, Mcfadden, Lamar Miller over a receiver next if they’re there???
I took Bowe cause WR’s were running low but do you like Fadden, Daryl, Sproles over Giovani??
@Frank White: Bowe bites you blew it. Take Ladarius Green or Julius Thomas with your last pick.
I would. Go Miller
Doug Martin over Shady? I just don’t see that. Mind explaining that to me so if I get in another league I can target Martin as well. Thanks!
Trust him a bit more given offensive setup. He’s THE guy there. Could see Chip giving a few over Bryce a few times. That said, were talking first rounders here separated by 5 spots
Sky,
Which of these would you target? Assume that I have Gronk, MJD, Fitz and Dez
Bush, Ridley, Gore, Miller, Murray, Lacy
THanks!
I think Gores history and stability would be good to lean on as your RB2 with MJD but I’m almost inclined to go crazy upside with what you’re proposing and go Miller…tough. I think I’d go Miller there for upside factor
How much did David Wilson’s stock rise or is it still the same?
What’s with the coaches in nyc playing their starters?
It’s the city that never sleeps. Leads to insomnia and bad decisions.
Still the same to me. He feels like CJ2K. Homerun hitter with good PPR value who’ll drop some bombs now and then because Andre Brown is the GL back.
Is there someone else though that you see taking the GL touches now that Andre Brown broke his leg?
F…breaking news; I’ll have to see how long he’ll be out. I’m at a bar, my evaluation would be knee jerk and drunken. Let me take a look later. At the moment I don’t see another poacher, Wilson probably moves into top 15 RB
@Sky: dont tell JB!
@Prezi: Your secret is safe with me!
@Mike: I’d take wilson in late first now and over guys like Steven Jackson in the second. Next year we will be debating where in the top 5 he will go.
Morning Sky… So this is my draft picks
Eli
demarious T
Dwayne Bow
Nikks
Doug Martin
MGD
Martellus Bennett
Sproles
Daryl Richardson
Kenny Britt
Chris Givens
Vincent Brown
Pierre Thomas
Santonio Holmes
Akers
Pitts
12 team PPR
@Frank White: Took a lot of guys I would not (Eli/Bennett/Santonio). I’m guessing Nicks went cheap enough to take a gamble with his health history but he’s one of those guys I avoid in general as well unless he falls to me. Your bench has nice WR upside in Britt/Givens/Brown so that should make up for Nicks if he goes down. Like your RBs, would be concerned about your choices for TE/QB. Would’ve drafted upside with your DEF/K picks until games started but that’s just a general strategy. Team doesn’t look bad. I’m sure you can make up for your QB/TE situation if they don’t pan out via the FA pool.
I got the Def n Kicker n Holmes with last 3 picks like you said. I had to fill those spots I think but I Didn’t know it was a 3 Receiver team until after the draft like an idiot but after the backs I was trying to catch up on Receivers so I waited till like the 9th round for QB.. Whats out there was pretty much what was left.. I can stll grab Bradford. Should I do that and drop Holmes??
I thought you said don’t really worry about a TE and that I can change him week to week?? I didn’t try for him I just grabbed him
@Frank White: If you had to pick a DEF/K I understand. I never once told you to draft Santonio Holmes. Don’t know what you mean by that. Sure, drop Holmes for Bradford.
I said not to worry about it as in aim for upside late unless you’re drafting Gronk late enough. I don’t see the upside in Bennett. There were plenty of late TEs. You’ll want to take a look out in FA unless you really want to stream Bennett week 1 vs the Bengals. Just a guy I’m not high on and haven’t been all offseason.
14 team PPR..
The following players have been kept..(round in parentheses)
R. Bush(4) My Keeper
A. Foster (1)
D.Martin (2)
S. Jax (2)
Ridley(5)
Spiller(6)
RGIII (4)
Cobb(9)
AJ Green(6)
Julio(4)
D.Thomas (3)
E. Sanders(12)
Witten(7)
I have pick 7…what would be a good strategy…in our league QB’s fly off the board(probably 3 or 4 will go in the first round)….should we go BPA out of Mccoy, Lynch, Megatron at 1.7 or should I def go a RB at 7 and then grab my WR1 at 22? My thought is to go WR/WR since I have Reggie Bush or go WR(if Megatron is there) and RB or WR in the second, and in the third go the latter of the two or grab a QB if they are flying off the board…
Thoughts?
Thanks
Eli(6)
@Drew: Take BPA there if Megatron is one of them. Go RB/RB if he’s not unless someone like Dez is out there.
Lost Andre the Giant last night. Luckily I have my cousin David. However, I’m probably going to drop him because he’s useless for the first few weeks at least. Who is the RB pickup:
Knowshon
Bilal
Thomas
Joique Bell
Christine
FJax
Helu
Standard scoring, 0.5 PPR, 3/6 point bonuses at 100 yards/150 yards reached in the game.
You and me both…wish I had your cousin! Moreno for the what if factor. You don’t have an IR spot in your league? He should go on that. Might be worth waiting.
@Sky: I do have an IR spot. I could play the waiting game and see if he makes it to IR. Last I heard was that he didn’t think he would be there. I was leaning Moreno, too. I think he ends up being the lead back in DEN, which could have some ridiculous value.
Moreno was solid last year and should be good this year too if he gets that role. He’d just have a shorter leash is all.
I’m waiting to see what they do in one of my deeper leagues. We will have to see.
Sky, I had my first draft of the year last night. 10-team 1/2PPR.
How do ya think I did?
Qb – RG3
RB1 – Charles
RB2 – MJD
WR1 – D-Thomas
WR2 – Colston
WR3 – DeSean jax
TE – Cook
Flex – Sproles
I got Ivory and Bell as my backup RBs and Britt and Tavon as my backup WR’s. I had the 4th overall pick.
I missed out on David Wilson by one pick and “settled” for Sproles, whom I’m happy with at my Flex.
Solid looking team. Like your depth at RB and Sproles/Charles should be really good in a PPR setting. Also like your depth at WR. This is a really solid looking team. Well done!
@Sky: Gracias oh gracious one!
I have you to thank. I was ill-prepared for my first draft until I read this draft strategy post. The last few years I have blown my wad on a QB in the 1st or 2nd round. It worked out, only because I got lucky with AP and Dougie Fresh last year. Both were overlooked in my league.
I had a difficult time choosing Charles at 4th overall. Richardson, Spiller and McCoy were also on my mind. For some reason, I really think Richardson is an absolute beast this year. I really hate Norv though. I think he’s an alien. No one is named Norv. You can’t even say it. Your mouth doesn’t know how to say it. Say his name 5 times fast….See?
Yeah, I overlooked Doug but not AP in most drafts last year. That’s a monster find if you paired them.
You have to have dually vibrating vocal cords to say Norv in his mother language…cuz he really is an alien. Agree on T-Rich, it’s why I have him closer to the top 3 on my list then I’ve seen. I think yahoo has him at like 11 which feels criminal. Then again, RB is so deep with talent in the first two rounds its hard to say which guy is better worse when you’re separated by a max of 6 picks with these guys.
@Sky: Oh I got lucky last year for sure. People were scared of AP’s knee.
I’m glad someone else agrees with me about Norv’s extra terrestrial upbringing. The way he used Tolbert inside of the red zone and left Ryan Mathews on the bench to rot made me sick. Maybe Norv just liked to watch Tolbert do his TD dance? http://tinyurl.com/o3xgvuw
Yeah you really can’t go wrong choosing between the top 10-15 RB’s in rounds one and two. Richardson almost made it back to me in round two, which would’ve been some crazy $h!t
Ha, dude’s got moves like Jagger, I tell you!
T-Rich is getting undervalued along with Lynch in my leagues so far. Too many people want the shiny new toy and aren’t willing to go tried and true with Lynch is what I’ve seen.
@Sky: Yeah I’m probably guilty of underrating Lynch. You’d think he would slow down at some point, with how tough he runs. People have said the same thing about AP though. If anything, he’s gotten faster, stronger, better.
I agree, this is probably the last year I’m ok with taking Lynch. He’s an ‘old 28’ in my book but Wilson’s gonna make his life a little easier.
David Wilson’s Yahoo ranking has already been updated to 17th…
Cool, I’ll have to look at my rankings and see where he fits for me.
Would you keep Ivory for $10? I’ve got McCoy at $50 locked in already. Rice is the only top-10 RB that won’t be kept, so RBs could come at a premium on draft day. You still optimistic about your boy Ivory?
$10 is cheaper then he’ll come in drafts this year and you’re paying for an RB3 at that price when he could be an RB2. Great value, I’d keep him.
I need a little keeper help. I’m keeping 2 and don’t have anyone fantastic to choose from. The good news is this motley crew peaked at the right time last year and got me a championship, the bad news is I now have the 12th pick in a 12 team league that doesn’t snake…
Here are my choices:
Dez Bryant
Julio Jones
Stevan Ridley
Chris Johnson
Andrew Luck
The scoring in this league heavily favors QB’s (non-PPR) and Luck is a viable option for this reason, plus the fact that there’s no keeper inflation and should Luck break out in 2013, I’d have him for the next decade.
Part of me thinks I’ve got to go WR/WR with Dez/Julio, simply because these are the two names guaranteed not to drop to me at the 12 spot in the draft. Any of the other three could go too, but the other teams in the league are only keeping a total of 3 WR cumulatively (Megatron/AJ Green and some sorry sucker had to keep Cobb), so WR will be flying off the board in the 1st (effectively the 3rd) round.
I’m pretty stumped on this one… thanks for the help.
Dez/Luck in a keeper makes a lot of sense to me. I’d go that route.
@Sky: That’s what my gut was telling me, but seeing Luck ranked so low everywhere makes me nervous. Thanks!
It’s about trust and how plentiful QB is. Keeper, you gotta think long term. He looks like he’s gonna become a great one, just depends when he takes that step.
I’m normally draft the standard rb/rb but I was drafting 9th in a 12 team league. I ending up going Calvin Johnson. Then on the way back to me I drafted Dez Bryant ahead of backs like Ridley and S Jax. Did I do make the right move here? This is my team
Qb RG III(Round 6), Dalton
RB Darren Sproles (Round 3), Giovani Bernard (Round 4), Daryl Richardson(Round 5), Isaiah Pead
WR Calvin Johnson (Round 1), Dez Bryant (1 Round 2), Cecil Shorts(Round 7), Deandre Hopkins(Round 10)
TE Jordan Cameron (Round 8), Tyler Eifert
DEF Bears (Round 9)
K janikowski
@alex:
sorry forgot to add we start 1 qb 2 rb 2 wr 1 te 1 flex 1 def
Gonna be a bit rough if Gio/D-Rich don’t pan out. Sproles is a solid PPR RB2 but you probably shouldn’t have followed Calvin up with Dez. Leaves you open to risk at RB. You’ll need to work hard to make up for that via the FA pool over the course of the year.
@Sky:
thanks for your help. I never drafted wr/wr before but I thought it was too good of value to pass up. Do you think I should trade dez bryant for a rb like ridley?
@alex: You’re not getting the return value on your Dez investment if you take Ridley for him. Hold.
@Sky:
Ok thanks!