Talking NFL

Consider this post an inside hand off here at 451 Press.  As you may have noticed, we have a new Fantasy Football site here on the network, and writer Mr. Joe Badalucco knows his stuff (in fact, we share many similar thoughts - he might be that half-brother of mine my parents don’t like to talk about…).

So look to Joe for your Fantasy Football insights, and keep it right here for…whatever the hell it is that I do.

(This works great for 2 reasons:  (1) Obviously, with the regular season beginning, I can concentrate on that, and (2) This way I’m not giving my league any more disinformation help.)

So to finish off my Fantasy Football segments, I’m leaving you with the roster I just drafted this past weekend.  Now I realize that Internet readers are split in two here; either you’re genuinely curious & want to see who I drafted, or you could care less.  So I’ve included my roster (along with my draft reasoning & a few more general thoughts on fantasy football) after the fold.  If you’re interested, keep on reading.  If not, well, I won’t take it personally…

OK, a quick note about the “Fat Boys & Girl” league:  10 teams, 15 roster spots, 9 active positions:  QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, TE, K, DEF.  Scoring is 6 points for all TD’s, along with yardage. Plus, it’s a keeper league & we get one carry-over player from the previous season.

Onto my roster (listed by position in the order drafted):

Quarterbacks

- Carson Palmer
- Matt Leinert

Palmer was my first draft pick at the #7 spot (keeping in mind it’s a keeper league, so it’s more like #17).  Tom Brady, Drew Brees and Peyton Manning were the keepers on 3 other teams, so I was praying there would be a run on running backs & he would fall to me.  After those 4 guys, I think there’s a big drop-off.

Which leads me to a quick rant about any so-called Fantasy Expert who says the #1 rule of any draft is to go RB, RB in the first round.  No, you don’t.  You need to take the best player available & then take some undervalued running backs in the later rounds.  (Like Larry Johnson in ‘05 and Frank Gore in ‘06)  My new 451 compadre Joe agrees with me - like I said, he knows his stuff…

Leinert should improve this year, and will be a good spot start if the Bengals have a tough opponent (like Baltimore this week).

Running Backs

- LaDainian Tomlinson (keeper)
- Laurence Maroney
- Jerious Norwood
- Ahman Green
- Ladell Betts

Yep, LT was my keeper & has been for years.  This has infuriated the league so much that a rule change was proposed this year to put a 2-year term limit on keepers (meaning I can have him until he turns 30; fine by me boys!).

As for Maroney, he dropped to the #24 spot overall.  Not that surprising, since we’re all Pats fans & know that when it comes to scoring fantasy points, it’s Brady followed by a crap shoot.  Still, I’ve got no problem with him as my #2 guy.

After getting the 2 starters, my strategy for the last 2 years for running backs has been to pick one guy that’s a veteran starter on the way down, along with an up & coming youngster that might be starting by mid-season.  Thus the Green & Norwood picks (I know, Dunn & Norwood would have been safer, but I hate taking 2 guys from the same team at the same position.  That’s just me - I live dangerously, man…).

Finally, Betts somehow fell to the last few rounds, which I thought was stunning.  Portis isn’t near 100%.  Then again, the beer was flowing pretty good by then, so nothing in the later rounds should have surprised me.

Wide Receivers

- Roy Williams
- Lee Evans
- Hines Ward
- Jerry Porter
- Wes Welker

LOVE my wideouts!  After pimping the Lions all off-season, I HAD to take at least one (more later); you know how I feel about Lee Evans, and I get a guy who’s averaged 8.6 TD’s and 1,089 YDS receiving over the last 5 years as my #3 guy?  Giddy-up!

Porter has rebound year written all over him, especially if Culpepper is resurrected this year, and Welker rounds out my WR core perfectly as my sleeper pick.  In fact, even if he does nothing, it was still worth drafting him just to hear the groans from everyone who wanted to pick him.  THAT is music to a fantasy player’s ears.

Tight End

- Chris Cooley

If I had one pick to do over, this would be it.  I passed up Dean Vernon Davis for Cooley, and I really think I’m going to regret that move.

(Now that I think about it, I’m guessing his fiancee’s photoshoot swayed my decision…)

(yep, definitely)

Kicker

- Jason Hansen

Knew he’d be there in the last round, so I didn’t have to waste an early pick on a kicker.  Good enough.

Defense

- Raiders

THIS was the defense that I would not disclose the name of.  Keep in mind they finished 3rd in the league last year in yards allowed, had an utterly abysmal offense, and return all their starters.  Plus, the first four games?  Detroit, Denver, Cleveland and Miami.  Tons of turnover potential there.  My feeling on Defenses is after the first few sure things, you just don’t know how things will turn out, so why not take a borderline one with an easy early schedule?  We’ll see how that works out.

By the way, I nearly had a coronary last week when Simmons put down the Raiders as HIS defense sleeper as well.  We’re all from New England, so I was terrified someone else read the column and would pick them before me.  Fortunately, I dodged that bullet.  (But damn you anyways, Sports Guy!  Oh, uh, and love your work…)

So there’s the roster.  Feel free to comment, rip me, or whatever.  As for my Fantasy football writing career, well as Token said after watching the ‘Lord of the Rings’ tape:

“I’m not playing anymore.”  (Blackjack dealer clap.)

“I’m out.”

Fantasy Football, tips, strategy, chhhampionship