THE Fantasy Draft Recap

My posting has been declining lately for a few reasons - busy at work, Charter Cable company employee(s) cutting my cable while installing a neighbor's and taking three days to fix it, and above all, preparing for my own auction fantasy draft in one of two leagues that I will really care about.

It's a 12-team league, featuring the Bombers as seasoned auction draft experts and myself with a grand total of two auctions under my belt prior to Friday followed by 10 other guys with between zero and one draft's worth of experience. Additionally, at least one participant is a poker player who won the league last year in part by using his people-reading skills to steal key sleepers from some of us late in the draft. Now I know a poker face is key to auction drafting.

It was interesting sitting at the draft and watching QBs go for $30 or more with a $100 cap. The Bombers and I gave each other wide-eyed looks of disbelief to watch top WRs and QBs go for as much or more than some top shelf running backs. However, that did work to advantage. Both the poker player and myself, sitting at the same table, decided to put up big name players and get the bidding running high. I forget the player, but said poker man's poker face failed when he very nearly ended up with an expensive one he didn't want. I saw him relax when his bid was upped as the hammer was going down. (I kept my bids to a less disastrous amount - I may not have wanted Steve Smith, for example, but at $8 or $9, it would have been okay and he was sure to go for much more.)

The most disappointing two moments of the night were being outbid by the Bombers for Steven Jackson and Travis Henry. So much for plan A.

Among the most amusing comments were: "You do realize there's a $100 cap, right?" and; "Did someone get a memo I missed?" as the Bombers and I were furiously bidding on Henry, who no doubt isn't on many 'must-have' lists.

Among the scariest moments were, one: sitting there with no players on my team, all the studs gone, and second; having the same needs as the poker player when he has about as much cap room left. When the studs are gone, you find yourself wondering how confident you really are in your list. And I had visions of paying way too much for my list of breakout candidates. Thankfully, the poker player had time to do his own research this year. (He showed up to be the auctioneer last year and was pressed into playing.)

To the point, my team consists of, with dollar values beside them from memory:

Jon Kitna - $7
Jason Campbell - $2

Laurence Maroney - $17
Thomas Jones - $16
Brandon Jacobs - $11
Tatum Bell - $3

TJ Houshmandzadeh - $7
Terrell Owens - $11
Reggie Brown - $7
Deion Branch - $3

Chris Cooley - $3
Jason Witten - $3

Adam Vinatieri - $4
Jason Hansen - $1

New England - $3
Pittsburgh - $2

The Bombers and I shared the observation that the roster is deep, but lacks a game-breaking stud. I'll weather any injury or two decently and should still make the playoffs, but without the stud, winning the trophy will be a challenge.

What I need is a stud to emerge from the roster, which is possible. I expect Kitna, Maroney, Houshmanzadeh, TO, Cooley, Witten, Vinatieri, Hansen and New England to all have legitimate shots at finishing in the top five of their positions and all should finish in or near the top 10. Additionally, I think Jones, Jacobs, and Brown have shots to finish near the top 10.

In retrospect, given the number of good players that went very cheaply late in the draft (Tatum Bell for $3, Edgerrin James for $10, WRs in my top 25 for under $3), I should have went harder after Steven Jackson, who I feel is the best combination of security in terms of production, competition for carries, and injury risk on the RB board.

I also let Willie Parker and Willis McGahee go too cheaply. I would rather have had either of those than Thomas Jones and in retrospect I should have paid for Parker or McGahee and counted on my research to find a cheaper WR3 than Reggie Brown. (On my own roster Deoin Branch for $3 is a great gamble. The Bombers got Braylon Edwards for a buck. There were many others.)

One mistake - late in the draft when things were going too fast and I was trying to keep my notes up, I bid $2 on Pittsburgh. I'm not really sure why, actually. Somewhere in my subconscious, something misfired and must have thought that Pittsburgh was too good to pass up. When the hammer fell, I wondered what I had done. Worse, the Steelers have the same bye week as the Patriots. At least I have 10 weeks to fix that.

Here's looking forward to a season of hope - hoping my roster of potential bears enough fruit.