Fantasy Sports Review

Here is another post to help you get those rusty fantasy gears oiled and moving again. I have a quick little four round mock draft for you to look over to get an idea of how some fantasy savvy bloggers/writers and I value many of the top players.

The scoring format was based on a standard system other then the fact that QB’s will get 6 points per TD.

If you are wondering about my picks, they are in bold and I will provide a little insight as to why I chose them below (your thoughts are welcome encouraged).

Oh and one more thing, make sure you stop by each of these blogs and add them to your reader or sign up for email updates - links to the sites are in the first round. That way you will never, EVER miss even a morsel of fantasy football information from now until you are counting your first place cash.

Check it out!

Round 1

1. Curveballs 4 Jesus: L. Tomlinson
2. Sean McCall/Football Outsiders: A. Peterson
3. Football Burrito: J. Addai
4. Pancake Blocks: S. Jackson
5. West Coast Nonsense: B. Westbrook
6. Bruno Boys: T. Brady
7. The Hazean: M. Barber
8. Football Jabber: F. Gore
9. Fantasy Football Fools: C. Portis
10. Fantasy Football Geek Blog: M. Lynch
11. Fantasy Football Goat: Larry Johnson
12. Fantasy Football Librarian: Randy Moss

Round 2

1. Fantasy Football Librarian: Reggie Wayne
2. Fantasy Football Goat: Terrell Owens
3. FF Geek Blog: Ryan Grant
4. FF Fools: Braylon Edwards
5. Jabber: Peyton Manning
6. Hazean: Willis McGahee
7. Bruno Boys: Brandon Jacobs
8. West Coast Nonsense: Larry Fitzgerald
9. Pancake Blocks: Andre Johnson
10. Football Burrito: MJ Drew
11. Sean McCall/Football Outsiders: L. Mauroney
12. C4J: Drew Brees

Round 3

1. Curveballs 4 Jesus: Jamal Lewis
2. Sean McCall/Football Outsiders: Marques Colston
3. Football Burrito Tony Romo
4. Pancake Blocks: Chad Johnson
5. West Coast Nonsense: T.J. Housh
6. Bruno Boys: Steve Smith
7. The Hazean: Brandon Marshall
8. Football Jabber: Plaxico Burress
9. Fantasy Football Fools: Edgerrin James
10. Fantasy Football Geek Blog: Torry Holt
11. Fantasy Football Goat: Santonio Holmes
12. Fantasy Football Librarian: Reggie Brown

Round 4

1. Fantasy Football Librarian: Ronnie Brown
2. Fantasy Football Goat: Earnest Graham
3. FF Geek Blog: Anquan Boldin
4. FF Fools: Michael Turner
5. Jabber: LenDale White
6. Hazean: Carson Palmer
7. Bruno: Darren McFadden
8. West Coast Nonsense: Willie Parker
9. Pancake Blocks: Jonathan Stewart
10. Football Burrito: Wes Welker
11. Sean McCall/Football Outsiders: Jason Witten
12. Curveballs 4 Jesus: Lee Evans

My Round One Choice
I was all over Marshawn Lynch until Matt and Brandon over at FFGeeksBlog wisely picked him just before me (props to them) which led me to taking Larry Johnson.

I’m not crazy about taking him considering the laundry list of question marks surrounding his supporting staff; the line, the QB and experience in general. But he’s the best player on his team (equaling touches), an every down back (rare these days) and has a schedule filled with “projected” weak run D’s.

Add to that the fact that you gotta think he’ll be playing with a chip on his shoulder after a dismal 2007. I’ll take my chances.

My Round Two Choice
I took T.O. The running back pool drops of some right here and I think I can get some some decent value later. I was thinking QB with 6 points per TD but again, I think there will be some value in the later rounds. I am going to make sure I have a solid WR1 and take Terrell Owens before they get run on (long time until my next pick).

My Round Three Choice
I was not that excited about any of the running backs left and I think there is some good value at QB to be had in the later rounds. So, I am going to take Santonio Holmes.

He’s a number one on a fairly pass happy team and he seems to get a little better every year. In my opinion, he is a very solid WR2 (arguably even low end WR1).

My Round Four Choice
I took Ernest Graham. A potentially reduced workload with Warrick Dunn in town presents some risk but he is a good value in round 4. And I don’t think Cadillac will be a factor - at least until much later on in the season.

Bottom line, a very solid RB2 who runs behind a good offensive line and plays on a team that will run and play ball control against an accommodating schedule.

Again, I invite any comments or questions you might have.

There you have it. I want to thank all the bloggers and writers that participated. And most importantly, I want to thank you for reading this.

If you are anything like me, you are starving for any football discussion that doesn’t include Brett Favre (please make it stop!). So, I figured I would give you an update on a little mock draft that some very football savvy bloggers and I have been participating in over the last week or so.

So far, not many surprises but round two is a pick away and there are usually a few head turners to be had. Check it out.

Oh, and before I forget, make sure you stop by each of these blogs and add them to your reader (or sign up for email updates). That way you will never, ever miss even a morsel of fantasy football information from now until you are counting your first place cash.

Here ya go:

1. Curveballs 4 Jesus: L. Tomlinson

2. Sean McCall: A. Peterson

3. Football Burrito: J. Addai

4. Pancake Blocks: S. Jackson

5. West Coast Nonsense: B. Westbrook

6. Bruno Boys: T. Brady

7. The Hazean: M. Barber

8. Football Jabber: F. Gore

9. Fantasy Football Fools: C. Portis

10. Fantasy Football Geek Blog: M. Lynch

11. Fantasy Football Goat: Larry Johnson

12. Fantasy Football Librarian: Randy Moss

I was all over Marshawn Lynch until Matt and Brandon over at FFGeeksBlog wisely picked him just before me (props to them) which led me to taking Larry Johnson.

I’m not crazy about taking him considering the laundry list of question marks surrounding his supporting staff: the line, the QB and experience in general. But he’s the best player on his team (equaling touches), an every down back (rare these days) and has a schedule filled with “projected” weak run d’s.

Add to that the fact that you gotta think he’ll be playing with a chip on his shoulder after a dismal 2007. I’ll take my chances.

Everybody wants the best running back in the league when fantasy football drafts kick off around the country, and San Diego’s LaDanian Tomlinson is clearly the top choice. Not only is he the best running back in the league, but he benefits by playing behind the best offensive line in the league. When you can find strong skill players supported by strong line play, then you’ve got a formula for success. Young quarterbacks like San Diego’s Philip Rivers and Denver’s Jay Cutler absolutely benefit from strong offensive line play in front of them. So bet big on skill players from San Diego and Denver on draft day as these teams are among the top lines in the conference.

San Diego Chargers (1st in AFC West, 1st in Conference)
The success of this unit over the last few years speaks for itself. McNeill, Dielman and Hardwick are a formidable trio, and remain a big part of LaDanian Tomlinson’s assault on the record books.

LT Marcus McNeill
LG Kris Dielman
C Nick Hardwick
RG Mike Goff
RT Jeromey Clary
Denver Broncos (2nd in AFC West, 5th in Conference)
Denver as a franchise takes great pride in the play of its offensive line, though with less talented linemen than the Broncos are used to, they land in the Top 5 based on their zone-blocking system and their commitment to run the ball. And first-round pick Ryan Clady should continue the team’s tradition of solid line play.

LT Ryan Clady (12th overall pick)
LG Ben Hamilton
C Casey Wiegmann
RG Montrae Holland
RT Erik Pears

Oakland Raiders (3rd in AFC West, 14th in Conference)
Former No. 2 overall pick Robert Gallery, who was supposed to be a mainstay at tackle after being drafted in 2004, has been moved inside to guard. Enough said.

LT Kwame Harris
LG Robert Gallery
C John Wade
RG Cooper Carlisle
RT Cornell Green

Kansas City Chiefs (4th in AFC West, 16th in Conference)
The Chiefs could’ve used Jake Long, but first-round pick Branden Albert should help their cause. This unit needs a lot of assistance after losing a few key veterans to retirement in the last year or so. Larry Johnson is praying for help.

LT Branden Albert (15th overall pick)
LG Brian Waters
C Rudy Niswanger
RG Adrian Jones
RT Damion McIntosh

This is another post in a series in which we go division by division looking at and ranking the most overlooked factor in the success of your fantasy football squad, the offensive line. So you might want to keep an eye out over the next few weeks - which by the way, I have made it easy for you to do because…

In case you didn’t know, subscribing to the Goat is at the all time low price of free. You can subscribe to The Fantasy Football Goat by email and have this stuff in your inbox seconds after I post it or you can subscribe in your feed reader or on your home page. Either way you get the info fast and easy. Don’t understand this whole subscribing thing? Check out this short video on RSS. Isn’t technology great?

Choosing the right player who is in just the Right Spot is critical for winning your fantasy football league. And that doesn’t mean you have to have one of the top picks to select San Diego’s LaDainian Tomlinson, Kansas City’s Larry Johnson or St. Louis’ Steven Jackson. It’s all about location, location, location when a player is in the Right Spot. Is he playing on a good team? Is he surrounded by a good supporting cast? Does the offensive feature him? And is he in a contract year?

Having one of those top guys can help, but it’s not the answer. Just look at how each of those players struggled last season: Tomlinson was off his game, Johnson failed to dominate after the Chiefs lost a few key linemen, and Jackson suffered through injuries.

Further down the draft board, running backs like Cleveland’s Jamal Lewis, Pittsburgh’s Willie Parker, Philadelphia’s Brian Westbrook, Indianapolis’ Joseph Addai, Dallas’ Marion Barber and Jacksonville’s Fred Taylor thrived. Then there were the surprise backs of 2007, including rookies Adrian Peterson (Minnesota) and Marshawn Lynch (Buffalo) and emerging runners like Earnest Graham (Tampa Bay) and Ryan Grant (Green Bay) — who flourished when finally give a chance.

There are always players who come out of nowhere and produce big numbers, like wide receiver Marques Colston of the New Orleans Saints a few years ago or the above mentioned Grant. So for this discussion, we’ll leave the players that burst on the scene out of the equation. There is no way to predict it, unless you have a hunch. But drafting smart and winning your league should be about more than just a hunch.

Arm yourself with facts

Know what players are having good camps. Know who is winning the position battles. Know what teams have improved themselves in the offseason, both through free agency and the draft. And that doesn’t mean just offensive players either. If a team made substantial improvements on defense, that success should transfer over to offensive skill guys because generating turnovers or more three-and-outs on defense will give the offense more opportunities to score.

You can never have enough depth

If you’ve done your homework, then you are poised to build a strong, competitive team. Everyone can pick out the top players at each position. That’s easy. It doesn’t take a ton of skill. But when you get into the middle-to-late rounds, choosing wisely can make all the difference. And those smart choices are all about the right player in just the Right Spot.

How to draft a gem

With a former offensive line coach taking over the head coaching reigns in Miami, look for running back Ronnie Brown to have an impressive season. It’s not just the coach, but with Bill Parcells overseeing the operation you can bet on a commitment to running the ball. And with No. 1 overall pick and offensive tackle Jake Long leading a new group of line additions, the Dolphins should be leaning on Brown heavily. Especially when their quarterback situation is shaky at best.

How to avoid a lemon

Don’t draft Cincinnati wide receiver Chad Johnson. Unless he gets traded or finally signs a big deal, it’s far too risky to draft him. He’s one of the best receivers in the league, but thanks to his power struggle with the Bengals, he might not play a down as he is threatening to sit out the season. He’s simply in the wrong spot.

Brown and Johnson are just examples, and Johnson is pretty obvious, but each example makes a strong point. Know who has the tools around him to succeed. Who is in the Right Spot. By studying up and keeping your ear to the ground this summer, you just might be the envy of your league when the dust settles following your draft. And just maybe, a championship will follow.