This year, I was hot on Roethlisberger and Campbell as late round QB selections. I nailed the Roethlisberger pick, at least, and Campbell could have been worse - like any Atlanta QB, for example.
Next year: Tarvaris Jackson and Jay Cutler. Neither QB's whole body of work warrants high consideration, but both are still brimming with potential.
Jackson has a 58.9% completion percentage, 1700 yards, 7 TDs and 12 INTs and a 6.6 yard per attempt average. However, since week 10, his completion percentages have been from the low 60s to the low 80s and he's only had one game with fewer than 22 attempts. He still throws too many INTs, though, even during his good stretch since week 10. Intangible: I watched his game against Washington and even though his YPA was low, he was confident and accurate.
Cutler has a 63% completion percentage, 3250 yards, 18 TDs and 14 INTs and a healthy 7.6 yard per attempt average. That's not shabby for a very young QB. The yardage should naturally increase with experience (and growing with two very good WRs). If he can get the TDs into the 22-24 range and the INTs down to 10 or so, he would be right around the top 10. He's top 10 in yards now. You know what - I just checked Yahoo and he's the #10 QB in fantasy *this year*. Intangible: he was an over-hyped prospect this year. Next year he'll be a better value.
At running back next year, my thoughts right now are mostly about who to avoid getting over excited about. This list includes Ryan Grant and Justin Fargas. Fargas will be on a team starting a new QB and will have been a partial season wonder. Grant will also only have a very good partial season to his credit and may or may not have a new QB under center to keep defenses honest. If Favre returns, I like Grant in the late second or after, but he'll probably go higher than that.
Pay attention to the draft picks and free agency moves on the offensive side of the ball in San Fran and Jacksonville. Gore and Jackson are better than their stats this year and might be a value if their teams make good moves.
Will Marion 'the barbarian' Barber inherit the stud RB slot in Dallas next year? Will Fred Taylor retire and make Maurice Jones-Drew a stud?
Jamal Lewis will only be 29 next year. I thought he was older than that. He's the #5 RB on Yahoo. I bet he goes a lot lower next year. Steal, even with the possibility of Quinn getting the start. I mean, Derek Anderson is new at the position this year.
I was wrong entirely on Clinton Portis. But if there's a coaching change in DC, maybe Portis' stats will take a hit in favor of RBBC with Betts.
TE - there'll be even more options next year. I think we can bury the Vernon Davis bandwagon, though, unless Derek Anderson ends up in San Fran.
more later...
Friday, December 28, 2007
Final Tally
Two championships, including the auction league and the NFL.com league, which was drafted as a stud RB team. Go figure. In all my championship teams, I think Kitna was QB, which was a let-down to say the least, so winning or losing came down to whether the rest of the roster was good enough to overcome a goose egg (2 pts in one league - different points for yardage) by the QB slot.
In the NFL.com team, Brandon Jacobs, my third RB, and Stephen Jackson did well for me. If I had started my second RB (Clinton Portis) instead of Jacobs, I would have scored three fewer points, but I won by 16. Really, though the victory is thanks to Anquan Boldin and his highly improbable 28-point game.
The auction team won with consistency. I had been scoring the 80s for weeks and was playing the highest scoring team of the regular season. I scored 91 and he scored 51. He had a disaster of a week at the wrong time.
In the NFL.com team, Brandon Jacobs, my third RB, and Stephen Jackson did well for me. If I had started my second RB (Clinton Portis) instead of Jacobs, I would have scored three fewer points, but I won by 16. Really, though the victory is thanks to Anquan Boldin and his highly improbable 28-point game.
The auction team won with consistency. I had been scoring the 80s for weeks and was playing the highest scoring team of the regular season. I scored 91 and he scored 51. He had a disaster of a week at the wrong time.
Friday, December 21, 2007
My Fantasy Season, pre-championship edition
Year in Review
My auction team, as already mentioned, is playing for the championship.
My pick 'em team at work is playing for third as I feared it would, having indeed lost to the guy who stole LT and Westbrook, the first and second backs on Yahoo. Yahoo, by the way, just happens to host this league.
The Redskins team finished with about three wins. I could doublecheck, but who cares. What a failed experiment. That said though, it is conceivable that someone really could have picked the Patriots in a pick 'em by going Maroney, Brady, Moss and whoever else in that order. Remember that the top ranked QBs in most leagues were Manning, Palmer, Brees. If you drafted 7th or 8th in the first, Brady most likely would have been there for you in the second and Moss probably would have been there in the third.
My Manning-led QB in the first round team failed to make the playoffs(finished 9 of 12) while the Brady-led QB first team is in the championship. Brady made a difference, obviously, but also I was able to get better waiver wire picks on the Brady team. There were just more people paying more attention than I was in the Manning league.
I also have a championship team on NFL.com, which was drafted as a Stud RB Theory team.
I lost my login for the CBS.com team, but I don't think it was competitive anyway - at least not how it was drafted. It was autodraft.
My Fox autodraft team finished the season third and lost in the first round of the playoffs.
A Yahoo team drafted RB and then best available is also in the championship.
What Went Right
I have four out of nine teams in the championship game. W00T!! I really believe I was so successful this year not because I nailed my first round draft choice (I often did not, taking Jackson and Gore so frequently) but because:
1) I found value in the mid rounds, particularly Brandon Jacobs and Jon Kitna. Even though they weren't the studs I hoped for, they were available late for me while I took shots at players like TO and Reggie Wayne in the second and third round while others were looking for their second RB and starting QB;
2) I also got a little lucky along the way, with players like Braylon Edwards and Marshawn Lynch outperforming my expectations;
3) I nailed my picks at TE (Witten and Cooley) and defense (NE, GB and Minn.). Oftentimes I am tempted to rank the RBs and QBs and just rely on a combination of gut feeling and magazines for ranking the other positions. That rarely works. I'm not ready to declare I know how to pick a good TE and a good defense consistently, yet, however, I did look a little deeper than fantasy points from last year in picking a defense. GB and Minn. were lights out in the pre-season with GB particularly having added to their defensive unit via free agency and the draft the last few years. New England has a very good offense, the core of their defense returned and they picked up a stud or two in free agency. I figured they were bound to be better;
4) I picked pretty good kickers. Find a good offense and whatever the kicker's name is, draft him. Gostkoswki of New England, someone not high on any pre-season ranking lists that I can recall other than mine, is 5th in Yahoo default scoring - 22 fantasy points behind first place Crosby of Green Bay, or less than 2 points per game. Beckett's pre-season top 5 - Kaeding, Vinatieri, Rackers, Graham and Wilkins all suffered with their team's offense this year. Graham is ranked 7th (only 2 points behind Gostkowski) and Vinatieri is 15th. The others are lower. That said, Vinatieri was outscored by Crosby by less three points per game;
4) I watched the waiver wire. People forget there are players other than RB and WR on the waiver wire and even at those positions, they rush to get the pick de jour. When I first picked up Fargas, someone said I was pretty desperate. Seems like that worked out well for me.
Lessons Learned
1) Luck is huge in fantasy football. You finish the season third and lose in the first round of a six team playoff or you can back into the playoffs and win it all because the other guy's players are mailing in the remainder of the season. The injury bug is also luck unless your players have a history of injury, then it's your fault.
2) Nine teams is at least six, if not seven, too many teams to manage. I was busier than usual this year but let's face it - I forgot a login. I also lost a lot of good waiver wire picks by not checking some teams until Saturday or Sunday. You even lose the ability to focus on certain players - wanting Brady to do well in one league, but not in another, for one example. For another example, when someone asks if you have a player on your team, your response is "I think so."
3) Only one of my championship teams was drafted Stud RB (RB first and second round). On the Brady-led QB first team, I believe I waited until the fourth take a running back. So I proved that at least it is possible to win by picking QB, WR, TE while others fall all over the RBs.
Tips For Next Year
1) Don't take a kicker until you're satisfied with your roster.
2) Pay attention to TE and defensive rankings so you don't pick a big name too early and, particularly in an auction format, you can keep your cool while others are paying too much for Gates, Gonzalez and Heap again.
3) Do not force yourself to take a questionable running back in the second round while top talent at other positions is available.
4) Consider taking a top QB in the first if the only options left at running back are muddled mess of uncertainty, which will probably be the case until the NFL decides again that having a stud running back really is necessary.
5) Find the value plays at each position. In a pick 'em if you do go QB, WR, WR, you need to know who is worth a gamble at RB in the fourth and fifth rounds.
My auction team, as already mentioned, is playing for the championship.
My pick 'em team at work is playing for third as I feared it would, having indeed lost to the guy who stole LT and Westbrook, the first and second backs on Yahoo. Yahoo, by the way, just happens to host this league.
The Redskins team finished with about three wins. I could doublecheck, but who cares. What a failed experiment. That said though, it is conceivable that someone really could have picked the Patriots in a pick 'em by going Maroney, Brady, Moss and whoever else in that order. Remember that the top ranked QBs in most leagues were Manning, Palmer, Brees. If you drafted 7th or 8th in the first, Brady most likely would have been there for you in the second and Moss probably would have been there in the third.
My Manning-led QB in the first round team failed to make the playoffs(finished 9 of 12) while the Brady-led QB first team is in the championship. Brady made a difference, obviously, but also I was able to get better waiver wire picks on the Brady team. There were just more people paying more attention than I was in the Manning league.
I also have a championship team on NFL.com, which was drafted as a Stud RB Theory team.
I lost my login for the CBS.com team, but I don't think it was competitive anyway - at least not how it was drafted. It was autodraft.
My Fox autodraft team finished the season third and lost in the first round of the playoffs.
A Yahoo team drafted RB and then best available is also in the championship.
What Went Right
I have four out of nine teams in the championship game. W00T!! I really believe I was so successful this year not because I nailed my first round draft choice (I often did not, taking Jackson and Gore so frequently) but because:
1) I found value in the mid rounds, particularly Brandon Jacobs and Jon Kitna. Even though they weren't the studs I hoped for, they were available late for me while I took shots at players like TO and Reggie Wayne in the second and third round while others were looking for their second RB and starting QB;
2) I also got a little lucky along the way, with players like Braylon Edwards and Marshawn Lynch outperforming my expectations;
3) I nailed my picks at TE (Witten and Cooley) and defense (NE, GB and Minn.). Oftentimes I am tempted to rank the RBs and QBs and just rely on a combination of gut feeling and magazines for ranking the other positions. That rarely works. I'm not ready to declare I know how to pick a good TE and a good defense consistently, yet, however, I did look a little deeper than fantasy points from last year in picking a defense. GB and Minn. were lights out in the pre-season with GB particularly having added to their defensive unit via free agency and the draft the last few years. New England has a very good offense, the core of their defense returned and they picked up a stud or two in free agency. I figured they were bound to be better;
4) I picked pretty good kickers. Find a good offense and whatever the kicker's name is, draft him. Gostkoswki of New England, someone not high on any pre-season ranking lists that I can recall other than mine, is 5th in Yahoo default scoring - 22 fantasy points behind first place Crosby of Green Bay, or less than 2 points per game. Beckett's pre-season top 5 - Kaeding, Vinatieri, Rackers, Graham and Wilkins all suffered with their team's offense this year. Graham is ranked 7th (only 2 points behind Gostkowski) and Vinatieri is 15th. The others are lower. That said, Vinatieri was outscored by Crosby by less three points per game;
4) I watched the waiver wire. People forget there are players other than RB and WR on the waiver wire and even at those positions, they rush to get the pick de jour. When I first picked up Fargas, someone said I was pretty desperate. Seems like that worked out well for me.
Lessons Learned
1) Luck is huge in fantasy football. You finish the season third and lose in the first round of a six team playoff or you can back into the playoffs and win it all because the other guy's players are mailing in the remainder of the season. The injury bug is also luck unless your players have a history of injury, then it's your fault.
2) Nine teams is at least six, if not seven, too many teams to manage. I was busier than usual this year but let's face it - I forgot a login. I also lost a lot of good waiver wire picks by not checking some teams until Saturday or Sunday. You even lose the ability to focus on certain players - wanting Brady to do well in one league, but not in another, for one example. For another example, when someone asks if you have a player on your team, your response is "I think so."
3) Only one of my championship teams was drafted Stud RB (RB first and second round). On the Brady-led QB first team, I believe I waited until the fourth take a running back. So I proved that at least it is possible to win by picking QB, WR, TE while others fall all over the RBs.
Tips For Next Year
1) Don't take a kicker until you're satisfied with your roster.
2) Pay attention to TE and defensive rankings so you don't pick a big name too early and, particularly in an auction format, you can keep your cool while others are paying too much for Gates, Gonzalez and Heap again.
3) Do not force yourself to take a questionable running back in the second round while top talent at other positions is available.
4) Consider taking a top QB in the first if the only options left at running back are muddled mess of uncertainty, which will probably be the case until the NFL decides again that having a stud running back really is necessary.
5) Find the value plays at each position. In a pick 'em if you do go QB, WR, WR, you need to know who is worth a gamble at RB in the fourth and fifth rounds.
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Brad Evans Clings to Stud RB Theory
Yahoo sports writer Brad Evans will be drafting Stud RB next year. I want to know who he thinks is worthy of the number one slot. Adrian Peterson of Minnesota or Joseph Addai? Maybe he'll go with LT or Westbrook. Assume for a second you have the pick and you're on the clock. Which one of those are you certain is a can't miss pick that will score every week for you? Maybe Peterson, if he can stay healthy, but... You can't decide either, can you?
To be fair, he raises the valid point of Manning's career year over inflating the value of QBs the next year. (or so I assume - it seems plausible without doing my own statistical analysis) But I would say that 1) I'm not necessarily saying you should take a QB first, just that you should consider certain QBs and certain WRs at some points in round 1, 2) he fails to consider whether the NFL is any longer a running league.
He raises another valid point - do not pay for last year's success. I knew taking Manning first overall was a mistake in '05, but the giddy masses of mindless magazine readers did not. Ironically, the same mindless masses, having been burned in 2005, let Manning fall back a little too far in 2006 - a fact the Bombers rode to an auction league championship by getting the great one at a bargain.
The story is linked above and here, but Brad writes:
" Grievance No. 1: Back Panic Attack During the fantasy regular season, the otherworldly contributions of Brady, Romo, Brett Favre, Derek Anderson and Drew Brees coupled with the widely perceived running back fallout, have altered owner mindsets and mistakenly challenged conventional drafting principles. Sure the aforementioned names deserve consideration in the early rounds next season. But, as you may recall from '04, Peyton Manning spearheaded a quarterback boom that resulted in an ADP spike at the position the following drafting year. However, running backs reclaimed their dominance in '05, not quarterbacks. Trends in fantasy, like the economy, are cyclical. No consecutive seasons are identical. So instead of paying for career years at quarterback, stick with traditional draft day truths. As any fortunate Brady, Romo, or Anderson owner would attest, they couldn't have advanced to their league championship without headline performances from '07 first-rounders LaDainian Tomlinson, Steven Jackson, Brian Westbrook, Clinton Portis and, unbelievably, Laurence Maroney. Believe me. The running theory is hardly dead. Running backs will rise again next year."
Last thought: Does Drew Brees really belong on the same list as Romo, Favre and Brady? Holy cow, I guess he does. Despite having just one TD in his first four games, he's turned it on since. Check out these stats: 3800 yards/ 25 TDs/ 15 INTs / 68.7% completion. Most passes completed, most attempts, fourth in yards, tied for 7th in TDs.
I wonder why he slighted Peyton, though? His stats, though un-Peyton like, are still top notch.
To be fair, he raises the valid point of Manning's career year over inflating the value of QBs the next year. (or so I assume - it seems plausible without doing my own statistical analysis) But I would say that 1) I'm not necessarily saying you should take a QB first, just that you should consider certain QBs and certain WRs at some points in round 1, 2) he fails to consider whether the NFL is any longer a running league.
He raises another valid point - do not pay for last year's success. I knew taking Manning first overall was a mistake in '05, but the giddy masses of mindless magazine readers did not. Ironically, the same mindless masses, having been burned in 2005, let Manning fall back a little too far in 2006 - a fact the Bombers rode to an auction league championship by getting the great one at a bargain.
The story is linked above and here, but Brad writes:
" Grievance No. 1: Back Panic Attack During the fantasy regular season, the otherworldly contributions of Brady, Romo, Brett Favre, Derek Anderson and Drew Brees coupled with the widely perceived running back fallout, have altered owner mindsets and mistakenly challenged conventional drafting principles. Sure the aforementioned names deserve consideration in the early rounds next season. But, as you may recall from '04, Peyton Manning spearheaded a quarterback boom that resulted in an ADP spike at the position the following drafting year. However, running backs reclaimed their dominance in '05, not quarterbacks. Trends in fantasy, like the economy, are cyclical. No consecutive seasons are identical. So instead of paying for career years at quarterback, stick with traditional draft day truths. As any fortunate Brady, Romo, or Anderson owner would attest, they couldn't have advanced to their league championship without headline performances from '07 first-rounders LaDainian Tomlinson, Steven Jackson, Brian Westbrook, Clinton Portis and, unbelievably, Laurence Maroney. Believe me. The running theory is hardly dead. Running backs will rise again next year."
Last thought: Does Drew Brees really belong on the same list as Romo, Favre and Brady? Holy cow, I guess he does. Despite having just one TD in his first four games, he's turned it on since. Check out these stats: 3800 yards/ 25 TDs/ 15 INTs / 68.7% completion. Most passes completed, most attempts, fourth in yards, tied for 7th in TDs.
I wonder why he slighted Peyton, though? His stats, though un-Peyton like, are still top notch.
Monday, December 17, 2007
Death of the Stud RB 'Law'
In science, something is called a 'law' when it is said to be immutable. You can base other science off of the law and it is beyond normal question unless you're the type who questions whether the cat in the box is dead or alive until you observe the cat.
Well, in fantasy football, it is generally accepted as fact that to win you draft two running backs as fast as possible except maybe if you're really late in the second round and then it's okay to take a top WR. At the beginning of this season, I read an article stating the 'Stud RB Theory' should be called the 'Stud RB Law' because there are only so many stud RBs, that position is the most consistent points producer, and having two studs there sets you apart.
Well, not so fast.
Looking around preparing for the draft, it seemed to me there was a plethora of good RBs available. Gore, Jackson, LT, Addai, Alexander, Willie Parker, Maroney, Thomas Jones, Travis Henry, Cedric Benson, Brandon Jacobs, Edge, Ronnie Brown, Carnell Williams, Marshawn Lynch, Larry Johnson and probably others all looked to be in situations where they were the unquestioned starter and not in a committee. There were even relatively good gambles on potential studs in Green Bay and Detroit. I knew this was the year, if there ever was one, to abandon Stud RB Theory.
Indeed, at my auction draft, I let the top RBs go, settling for Thomas Jones, Lawrence Maroney, Brandon Jacobs and one of the Detroit backs - all of whom let me down to some degree or another. Even though they didn't turn out to be as productive as I hoped, my WRs, TEs and defenses carried me to the championship.
Having watched the above-named backs' performances (and seeing some of them split time with unknowns), I'm about ready to bury Stud RB Theory. Sure LT and Westbrook as a tandem on the same team would win their owner a pile of games late this season, but that same owner might have been out of the running if he had to rely on them early in the year. Besides, they were both top 5 or 6 picks and you couldn't normally have had both of them.
So what's up with the running backs? I agree with the Bomber - we're seeing a new era emerge in the NFL. Officiating is so geared toward protecting not just the QB, but also allowing the WRs to run their routes, the need to 'establish the running game to open up the pass' is no longer present. You can win in the NFL without a running game. And more importantly, you can score more points and sell more tickets doing so.
There's a new variable in rating running backs - is the OC committed to controlling the clock? If not, next year might be the year that your top pick's team decides the running game is irrelevant, as happened to Maroney this year.
Write it down: in a year or two, someone will write an article saying 'Stud WR Theory should be called Stud WR Law.'
Well, in fantasy football, it is generally accepted as fact that to win you draft two running backs as fast as possible except maybe if you're really late in the second round and then it's okay to take a top WR. At the beginning of this season, I read an article stating the 'Stud RB Theory' should be called the 'Stud RB Law' because there are only so many stud RBs, that position is the most consistent points producer, and having two studs there sets you apart.
Well, not so fast.
Looking around preparing for the draft, it seemed to me there was a plethora of good RBs available. Gore, Jackson, LT, Addai, Alexander, Willie Parker, Maroney, Thomas Jones, Travis Henry, Cedric Benson, Brandon Jacobs, Edge, Ronnie Brown, Carnell Williams, Marshawn Lynch, Larry Johnson and probably others all looked to be in situations where they were the unquestioned starter and not in a committee. There were even relatively good gambles on potential studs in Green Bay and Detroit. I knew this was the year, if there ever was one, to abandon Stud RB Theory.
Indeed, at my auction draft, I let the top RBs go, settling for Thomas Jones, Lawrence Maroney, Brandon Jacobs and one of the Detroit backs - all of whom let me down to some degree or another. Even though they didn't turn out to be as productive as I hoped, my WRs, TEs and defenses carried me to the championship.
Having watched the above-named backs' performances (and seeing some of them split time with unknowns), I'm about ready to bury Stud RB Theory. Sure LT and Westbrook as a tandem on the same team would win their owner a pile of games late this season, but that same owner might have been out of the running if he had to rely on them early in the year. Besides, they were both top 5 or 6 picks and you couldn't normally have had both of them.
So what's up with the running backs? I agree with the Bomber - we're seeing a new era emerge in the NFL. Officiating is so geared toward protecting not just the QB, but also allowing the WRs to run their routes, the need to 'establish the running game to open up the pass' is no longer present. You can win in the NFL without a running game. And more importantly, you can score more points and sell more tickets doing so.
There's a new variable in rating running backs - is the OC committed to controlling the clock? If not, next year might be the year that your top pick's team decides the running game is irrelevant, as happened to Maroney this year.
Write it down: in a year or two, someone will write an article saying 'Stud WR Theory should be called Stud WR Law.'
I was right enough
I was wrong about a lot of players, but I was right enough to make the championship in my auction league. The fabulous Brooks Bombers are crushed under my heal, finishing sixth. He'd be quick to point out, though, that in the league that really matters to him, he's in the championship again. He has something of a dynasty going over there, even if his name's not on the trophy as much you'd think it is to listen to him.
Most of my errant predictions have been at RB. It has been an absolutely crazy year for running backs. The exception is Kitna. He was going great gonzo through the first few weeks and I felt like a genius. He plum melted down about the half way mark, though. He's had a few good weeks since, but honestly, I started Jason Campbell a few times to play the matchups. Yeah, he wasn't as good as I hoped, but I took him in the last round, so no big loss.
Back to the backs....
LT, Jackson and Gore all suffered along with their respective teams, at least initially. LT has at least recovered enough form to be the top fantasy RB right now in Yahoo standard scoring format. Still - you couldn't count on him in the early part of the year. In fact, in the league at work, I'm about to lose to the guy who traded for LT, giving up LAMONT JORDAN. I cringed when I saw the trade go through. LT was down, but trade him away for a waiver wire pickup???!!!!!
A couple weeks later, the same owner who acquired LT in a highway robbery, got Westbrook in pretty much the same fashion, giving up Jackson and two scrubs - like Jesse Chatman and someone else. Actually, one of those scrubs may have been Earnest Graham, who is astonishingly the ninth ranked running back. Meanwhile Westbrook exceeded everyone's expectations and is the #2 fantasy running back. - I was way wrong on him, having predicted a good season, but not one worthy of a top 10 draft pick. Oops.
What really struck me this year was that around week 10, Ronnie Brown was still in the top 5 of fantasy running backs, despite having been on IR for several weeks AND not really getting any carries until week 3 or 4. Which reminds me, I was wrong on Ronnie in that I wasn't high enough on him.
I was really, really wrong on Lawrence Maroney. I had him as a possible top 5 and probably a top 10 back. How the heck was I supposed to know the Patriots would decide a running game was for sissies?
On the bright side, I snagged players like Justin Fargas and Ryan Grant off the wires. Sure, there were some not so bright picks along the way. (I held onto the backup in Indy most of the season. Whatever his name is.) At least I avoided wasting moves on Selvin Young.
Most of my errant predictions have been at RB. It has been an absolutely crazy year for running backs. The exception is Kitna. He was going great gonzo through the first few weeks and I felt like a genius. He plum melted down about the half way mark, though. He's had a few good weeks since, but honestly, I started Jason Campbell a few times to play the matchups. Yeah, he wasn't as good as I hoped, but I took him in the last round, so no big loss.
Back to the backs....
LT, Jackson and Gore all suffered along with their respective teams, at least initially. LT has at least recovered enough form to be the top fantasy RB right now in Yahoo standard scoring format. Still - you couldn't count on him in the early part of the year. In fact, in the league at work, I'm about to lose to the guy who traded for LT, giving up LAMONT JORDAN. I cringed when I saw the trade go through. LT was down, but trade him away for a waiver wire pickup???!!!!!
A couple weeks later, the same owner who acquired LT in a highway robbery, got Westbrook in pretty much the same fashion, giving up Jackson and two scrubs - like Jesse Chatman and someone else. Actually, one of those scrubs may have been Earnest Graham, who is astonishingly the ninth ranked running back. Meanwhile Westbrook exceeded everyone's expectations and is the #2 fantasy running back. - I was way wrong on him, having predicted a good season, but not one worthy of a top 10 draft pick. Oops.
What really struck me this year was that around week 10, Ronnie Brown was still in the top 5 of fantasy running backs, despite having been on IR for several weeks AND not really getting any carries until week 3 or 4. Which reminds me, I was wrong on Ronnie in that I wasn't high enough on him.
I was really, really wrong on Lawrence Maroney. I had him as a possible top 5 and probably a top 10 back. How the heck was I supposed to know the Patriots would decide a running game was for sissies?
On the bright side, I snagged players like Justin Fargas and Ryan Grant off the wires. Sure, there were some not so bright picks along the way. (I held onto the backup in Indy most of the season. Whatever his name is.) At least I avoided wasting moves on Selvin Young.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)