Draft Strategy

Some of my strategy for drafting includes:

- Don't take a Kicker until the last round.  Only 25 points separated the #1 kicker last year from the #10 kicker.  That's about 1.8 points more per game for getting the #1 kicker.  Not a big difference in the grand scheme of things.

- Take at least 1 Elite WR in the 1st 2 rounds.  There are 10 top guys in my opinion.  After that, 11-30 are (or could be) fairly similar.  So, it's best to get one early.  It can kill you not having one, no matter how good the rest of your team is.  The top guys are:
1) Larry Fitzgerald
2) Andre Johnson
3) Calvin Johnson
4) Greg Jennings
5) Randy Moss
6) Reggie Wayne
7) Steve Smith
8) Roddy White
9) Anquan Boldin
10) Dwayne Bowe

After that, the next 10-15 receivers are pretty similar.  For a PPR league, I would count Wes Welker as the 11th guy b/c of all the receptions he gets.  If any of the guys listed are available in the 3rd round as well, take the guy.

- Don't go Defense too early.  In fact, that's the last starting position I'd take (other than Kicker).  Historically, the top ranked defenses don't really do that much better than a defense ranked 8th or 9th.  I love the Chargers as a sleeper defense.  They were a Top 3 one going into last year before injuries decimated them.  But, they showed a lot of improvement at the end of the year under a new Defensive Coordinator, so they are ranked lower by a lot of people, but I think they'll be pretty good.  (**As long as Merriman is not suspended or anything like that for recent legal troubles).

- TE depth in pretty good this year.  If you don't get one of the Top 4, wait until you've got all the WR's, RB's, and QB position filled before getting a TE.  The Top 4 consist of: Tony Gonzalez, Jason Witten, Antonio Gates, and Dallas Clark.  Don't take a TE before the 6th round.  If one of those is their in the 6th, take him (unless someone else falls who you have highly rated).  But, they'll likely all go in the 5th round b/c that's when people love to take TE's.  I got burned last year taking a TE too early, and they don't make a big enough difference to warrant that.  I love guys like Visante Shiancoe, Zach Miller, or Kevin Boss, and they typically go in Rounds 10-12, so it's better to wait, IMO.

- If you're getting squeezed out of a position (say, Running Back), don't panic and take a guy like Larry Johnson if a WR like Marques Colston (who, IMO, is rated much higher overall) is available, for instance.  Even if you already have 2 stud WR's and only 1 RB, take the WR, and if you need to, you can use him as trade bait to a team with good RB's but not as good WR's.

- Don't get too caught up in rankings.  If you feel great about a player most people don't have ranked as high and want to take him, take him.  Trust your gut.

Hopefully, you'll get a good enough pick to go RB, WR, WR, RB, QB in the 1st 5 rounds.  That's how I ideally like a draft to breakdown.  But again, don't reach to fill those spots.  If you go RB, WR, WR, WR, QB, that's fine too.  You can get a RB later.

Let's Get Started in Here (okay, so it's a little late)

Okay, so I know it's mid-season right now for the NFL, and probably past the mid-way point of your fantasy league's season... But, I've been meaning to start this up for some time as I feel like I have expertise in the area of fantasy football. Just as a little background, this is the 5th season I've played fantasy football, in 3 different leagues.

The 1st 2 seasons were in the same league with my high school friends. Season 1 I finished 3rd, but in Season 2 I won my league. The 3rd season and 4th seasons of FF I played was in a league with my brother-in-law and his army buddies. I won the league both years. This season, I joined a highly competitive 12-team league with my buddies, as well as continued my 3rd year with my brother-in-law (we co-manage a team, he's the General Manager, I'm the Head Coach, lol). So, my winning % has been pretty darn good, and I tend to be ahead of the curve in regards to players. I had Carson Palmer in his 1st good year in the league, I had Tony Romo 2 years ago (the season he became a starter), I had Tom Brady last year, I have Drew Brees this year... Not sure what it is, but I've got something when it comes to taking Top QB's.

Anyway, this is just going to be a blog focused on who I feel are the good/bad players to play each week, who might be good pickups if still available in your league, etc. I may not be paid by ESPN to do this, but I do know what I'm talking about.

Oh, and did I mention how my teams are doing this year? I'm in 1st place in one league and 2nd place in the other. I know, I know. 2nd place??? That's unacceptable considering I haven't lost a season of fantasy football in over 3 years. Just kidding... ;)