Fantasy Football ’11
(not edited)
The Cincinnati Zombies are back, for the 2011 fantasy football season. My brother was kind enough to both host the league this year, and to hold our (now forth) annual live-draft on a day I had off from work. So I was able to sit down with my white-board charts of busts and sleepers and go to work getting myself the best team I could put together. I haven’t followed the pre-season too much this year, but I feel like I put together a solid corp.
My strategy was stock up on running talent as quickly as I could, which meant taking LeSean McCoy with my first pick (3rd overall), and McFadden next before worrying about my receivers or quarterback. With 14 teams I already decided that getting a QB would be a low priority, so I chose Hakeem Nicks and Felix Jones with my next picks to round out running depth and add a quality to starter to my wideouts.
Then I found myself able to secure Mark Sanchez later in the draft as a decent quarterback to my team, and later Alex Smith as a replacement. And finally after adding the Giants to my team, I filled the bench with extra receivers and ‘backs that could help in my byes – which I payed much less attention to than I should have. Point is, week seven is going to be a loss.
Starters
Mark Sanchez
(QB -New York Jets)
The more I think about it, the happier I am with this pick. Sanchez was by far the best QB on the board at the time, and I think will be a consistent starter capable of a decent season. Though I don’t think he’ll suddenly snap into a touchdown machine, I think with another year to improve his skills, he’ll do well without the risk of a total collapse in offensive potency. He’s just the kind of low-risk, low reward, consistent signal caller I was hoping for. I was hoping to snag Stafford with a late pick, and almost went Flacco, but I think it worked.
LeSean McCoy
(RB – Philadelphia Eagles)
LeSean was my first round pick, which I had in my head as my lock for the first round weeks before we entered the draft. It’s no secret I’m an Eagles fan-boy this year, which means I think they’re due for a breakout season. So combine my thoughts about Philly with average ranks, and I think this rusher was perfect for 3rd overall. I’m hoping he can stay healthy and fit, and be the workhorse of my team. He’s who I wanted, and I got him exactly when and where I was hoping for.
Darren McFadden
(RB – Oakland Raiders)
I honestly don’t know much about McFadden. The only reason I took him was for the fact that I was trying to stock up on running talent at the time before the draft picked away good starters, and he simply seemed the best pick at the time. I didn’t want to reach for Felix Jones (who I had pegged as a sleeper) but I still needed a running back to help anchor my team’s point scoring. I can’t say somebody jumps out as a better pick in retrospect. Since I don’t know much about him, I’m only hoping he’s consistent and doesn’t make me look like an idiot for not researching running backs better.
Hakeem Nicks
(WR – New York Giants)
I think Hakeem was my first real reach of the draft, as their was probably better receiver talent on the board at the time, but I took Nicks because I just had the gut feeling. Some players stand out in your head as having certain qualities you want on your team. I just couldn’t shake the feeling that Nicks is due, and I know I’d regret not picking him more than I would picking him and him being a bust.
Brandon Lloyd
(WR – Denver Broncos)
Brandon Lloyd was just another example of taking who I thought to be the best player in his position at the time. I’m not really happy with how much I ended up drafting Oakland and Denver players, but he simply fit the bill at the time. But maybe his relationship with Kyle Orton, and playing in the west can culminate into Lloyd being a reliable pick for my second ride receiver slot. But I’m not worried, because receiver depth isn’t something I expect to have much of a problem with.
Zach Miller
(TE – Seattle Seahawks)
So far, the tight end position has been my biggest regret for the draft this year. I forgot to let to the draft dictate when I should reach for certain positions, because even with a run on TEs, I would have still had time to grab a sleeper or better value. But stupidly I reached for Miller (an obvious bust) and have regretted since. I hope he can be a consistent starter, but I’m already looking for ways to get him off my team in exchange for somebody I can feel comfortable with.
Felix Jones
[Flex] (RB – Dallas Cowboys)
This Cowboys rusher was on the top of my sleepers list this year, and a few different articles and lists I compiled from the internet had justified my thoughts – I was just happy to be able to grab Felix later rather than sooner. I didn’t need to reach, and have him for my flex position and to fill running back bye weeks. Unfortunately if he goes down, he takes with him my entire running depth. As much as I valued running depth, my final roster didn’t really reflect that. Felix is crucial to my season this year, in many different ways.
Stephen Gostkowski
(PK – New England Patriots)
This is was a comfort pick for me, as I’ve had this sharpshooter on my team for three of the four years I’ve played fantasy football. Basically he’s never let me down, which is all I ask for in a kicker. He’s no better or worse than any other kicker, and I greatly considered not even drafting a kicker. But here we are, with Gostkowski on my team.
New York Giants
(D/ST)
I’m already not feeling comfortable with the New York Giants special teams for the ’11 season, but I realized that if I’m turning to my defense to score points, I need to rethink my fantasy strategy. Obviously scoring points is a fantastic bonus, but a defense should be consistent over anything else, and I’m looking for the Giants run stopping to pour a foundation for a decent defensive performance – certainly worth the low pick.
Bench
QB – Alex Smith (San Francisco 49ers)
Essentially a backup for Mark Sanchez until the bye weeks blow over, then I consider him expendable for bench room. He’s no better than anyone I could pick up off waivers, so I’m not worried about losing him to another team as a trade incentive or if I need the room later in the season.
RB – Willis McGahee (Denver Broncos)
I always thought McGahee was one of the better running backs in the NFL during his time with the Ravens, he just never really got his big break. Regardless, I took him as a long shot in case injuries launch a veteran into a starting role, or in case he suddenly snaps into a point scorer. I can take him or leave him.
WR – Eddie Royal (Denver Broncos)
Honestly, I mixed up my buttons on the Fox Sports draft center, and took Royal over Houston Texans wideout Kevin Walter, whose bye week was what I was really looking for. If the waivers go through the way I’m hoping, then he’ll be on waivers by the end of the week, with a shiny new Kevin Walter in his place.
WR – Jacoby Ford (Oakland Raiders)
This guy was on everyone’s list for sleepers, so it was a no-brainer to put him on my bench and hope he’d mature into a safe bye week starter, and backup for my other receivers. If he becomes a superstar, then I can trade away the talent for running back depth, combine him for a heavier-hitting QB, or a tight end I can live with.
WR – Brandon Marshall (Miami Dolphins)
The final example of a player I took for the sake of depth. I don’t really know much about him either, but as long as he can put some somewhat decent numbers consistently, I can keep him around long enough to serve as a backup, or trade away any talent if he shows promise.
TE – Benjamin Watson (Cleveland Browns)
Benjamin Watson was my knee-jerk reaction to the Zach Miller decision I made earlier in the draft. I figured with his bye week cutting into bench space I’d need for other (more important) starters, I could draft one of the many extra TEs still available. So I took Watson to help replace Miller if need-be, or at the least as a backup come his bye week. Either way, the tight-end position is what I’ll most need to keep an eye on this year.
-
I’m extremely happy with my team this year, especially with LeSean and McFadden anchoring my running game, and with Nicks and Jones as possible break-outs. I tried not to get too wrapped up big names and big personalities, with a good sprinkling of sleepers and consistency, as well as taking some risk on a few players I hope will blossom into something I can use. I’m really ambitious about this season.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a Comment
Tags: fantasy football, football, FoxSports, NFL, sports, The Cincinnati Zombies
No Responses Yet to “Fantasy Football ’11”