xPattonx

I am in a few money leagues this year (12 team CBS non flex/non ppr standard scoring leagues) and I drafted MJD first in two of those leagues with the 2nd and 3rd draft spots. I trade MJD today in both leagues for DeAngelo Willams and here's why. I feel like I was persuaded in the months leading up to my drafts by magazines and rankings like CBS/ESPN/Yahoo etc. all basically saying MJD was a better draft pick than De' so I ended up drafting MJD but my gut was always saying ''draft DeAngelo!" He was the #1 fantasy rb last year and it was no fluke so why is anybody reluctant to take him as the #1 or at the very least the #2 rb in fantasy behind Peterson? Also it looks like Stewart could be plagued by his Achilles week 1 and who knows it could last all year long giving Williams even more fantasy value. So anyway guys whadda you all think? Am part of a minority that will end up right or is the vast majority right on this one?

Exactly... fact is if I can get Larry Fitz or Randy Moss late in round 1 that's the direction I'm going and I'll be just fine with Brandon Jacobs on the turn. I do admit though it's important to have that one consistent high scoring rb but you don't have to get that guy in round 1. And as far as rb 2's with so many committee backfields quality rb's can be had later in drafts. Wr talent dries up a lot earlier and doesn't plateau like rb talent it just keeps dropping off. I made sure to get 2 stud wr's in every draft (2 wr's within the first 3 rounds) being that I start 3 wr's I feel that is a solid strategy especially with so many quality rb's (McFadden, D.Ward, T.Jones, Lynch, etc.) available in middle rounds. I wouldn't want to leave round 2 without a rb though unless I left round 2 with a combo like Fitz/Moss and that's a different story altogether. It's simple the way I see it.. there are 4 wr's in the NFL that are impossible to cover and have a legit shot at 300+ fantasy points (Fitz,Moss,Andre,Calvin) and I want one of them if at all possible in every single draft and I'll take one in round 1 every time as long the top 5 rb's are off the board and I feel like I have a legit shot at a stud rb on the turn.

He's worth drafting as a backup with upside. He's probably not a guy you'll be able to count on every week, even if he does stay healthy. I think Favre would be a good fit for a team that has Palmer, Cutler etc.

Maurice Jones-Drew, RB JAC News: When the Jacksonville Jaguars break the huddle, Maurice Jones-Drew can be difficult to find. Not just because he's small. The Jaguars are lining up Jones-Drew all over the field, an effort to keep the 5-foot-7, 208-pound running back from taking so many punishing hits in his first season as the team's offensive centerpiece. The Jaguars want to ensure that Jones-Drew stays healthy all season, so they're trying to minimize the number of times he's tackled by mammoth defensive linemen and hard-hitting linebackers. Jones-Drew has lined up at running back, fullback, receiver and quarterback. He's been in the backfield, in the slot and out wide. He's gotten the ball on handoffs, pitches, screen passes, flair passes, bubble screens, quick slants and deep routes. He even threw a touchdown pass in the team's first scrimmage last weekend, so there's no telling what he'll do in Jacksonville's preseason opener Monday night at Miami. "I'm just trying to be ready to do whatever the coaches ask - play receiver, run the ball, block, return kicks," Jones-Drew said. "Whatever it is, I'm willing to do it." ....The more touches the better I own MJD on two teams.. If you are still struggling with were to rank MJD maybe this will help you out a little.

This is a ridiculous statement. Everybody knew Michael Turner was good before he broke off a long run in a preseason game vs. the NFL's worst defense. Anybody that ranks MJD over Michael Turner just knows Michael Turner is fast... thus the nickname ''Turner the burner'' ...but overall they just like MJD a little better for fantasy purposes (i'm one of them) I just don't get how one preseason play would change anybody's mind if they already had MJD ranked above Turner. Samkon Gado broke off a longer run vs. a better pre season defense so where are you ranking him?

I would evaluate it like this.. who has the higher ceiling? I'd say Bowe could potentially reside in the top 5 fantasy wr's even before this season is over. I don't see Smith as having top 5 potential at his position. I'd say Smith has top 10-15 talent and he could very well finish inside the top 15 this year but he still doesn't have the upside Bowe has.

I would go with De' WIlliams. Why is everybody so reluctant to take him? He was only the best fantasy rb last season. No rb that had a year like De' WIll has ever been this disrespected and I don't get it. The numbers were no mirage he put up those points and he can do it again!

If you don't get an elite TE (and there are only 4 of those) It's wise to wait until the later rounds (8-11) to pick up a TE because after the elite guys are gone most TE's will give you around the same production. I never end up with an elite TE. I would rather have that extra rb or wr early instead of the TE. And when I take a TE early it also seems to screw up my depth. It's a personal preference really. When you take a top TE you loose out somewhere else and when you don't take an elite TE you obviously won't have get the production out of that position that some people will but as far as when to take one go elite early or get value as late as you possibly can.

Ok then the league requirements are insane so why would anybody play in this league to begin with?

I just don't think there is any excuse for leaving 12 team league with Eli Manning and Sage Rosenfels as your QB's. It's Ok to wait on a QB but even with the best rb's/wr's you need a QB that is a starter in a 12 team league and most likely Eli won't be a top 15 fantasy QB. He struggled to be a decent fantasy backup QB at times even with Burress. Since everybody seems to love Ronnie Brown do yourself a favor and package him up along with the TENN defense (a defense will not be the difference in winning a championship or not winning one) and I would even consider offering up DeSean who I think is highly overrated. Also, why in the world are you carrying two TE's, two defenses and two (for the love of God) kickers!??? Drop those backups and grab however many rb's your roster limit provides you and keep those roster spots for rb's for the remainder of the season. You'll thank me later.

There are two basic opinions of LT this year. one is that he's all but done and the other is that he still has enough left to be an elite rb. The huddle is in the later camp I guess and I would lean more that way myself than to disregard LT altogether, although it is a pretty high ranking I agree. Personally I would not take a chance on LT until Peterson, MJD, Turner, Forte, De' Williams, Chris Johnson, Slaton and SJax are off the board but I wouldn't be shocked to see LT finish ahead of any but the top 4 honestly.

Coach Steve Spagnuolo revealed Sunday that Donnie Avery will miss 4-6 weeks after an MRI showed more damage to Avery's foot that the Rams originally thought. Avery doesn't have a fracture, but it sounds like he's got a pretty severe sprain. His status for Weeks 1-3 is in jeopardy. Keenan Burton and Laurent Robinson started Saturday's scrimmage and will likely be St. Louis' first-string wideouts on opening day at Seattle. Avery will miss valuable practice time in the Rams' new West Coast offense. Downgrade him in fantasy drafts and keep a close eye on his recovery. Foot sprains tend to linger There.. details were never important though the point is it's a foot injury and foot injuries can be complicated with rb's/wr's. Last year alone we saw a few guys miss big portions of their seasons and their performances affected even when they did play because of a toe injury. I haven't heard the phrase ''high ankle sprain'' associated with this yet so I guess that's a good thing.

Rams' Avery out with soreness in foot By Mike Sando ESPN.com The St. Louis Rams expect to be without starting receiver Donnie Avery for four to six weeks after the second-year pro suffered a foot injury, coach Steve Spagnuolo told reporters Sunday. I found that headline @ ESPN after someone told me about Avery and I didn't believe them... Worst case scenario looks like he would be unavailable week 1 and would start week 2 of the regular season if you count 6 weeks from today. Still it's a pretty big blow to Avery owners if you are counting on him as your #3 wide out. Not only will you be without him opening weekend but these things can linger . If you own him i'd hold on to him but missing the entire pre season alone could set him back quite a bit.

Truth is yes injuries do happen every day in camp and in pre season but devastating ones to big name players are rare. It's happend yes, but it's rare. When you draft a little early some guy you are competing with in your league is as likely to sustain an injury to one of his players as you are to one of yours so it's not like anybody has an advantage or disadvantage, just like the regular season. From my experience waiting to draft because you want to check out the pre season games can also be a mistake. What you see in the pre season is rarely what you'll see in the regular season. I think it can cause more confusion than anything else. I draft ''early'' (I've drafted 3 teams as of yesterday and I'll draft one more Aug 14th) because I feel like it actually gives me a little edge. I start preparing in early June and I really hit it hard. I feel like I've put in more time and energy into my preparation than anybody else i'm competing against in a draft room at this time of the year so why give anybody else a chance to catch up through the media and every fantasy online site coming out with article after article daily? I also use to be of the opinion that it's better to wait until late Aug but last year a few things happened that changed my mind. I was able to target Warner late in pretty much every draft on a hunch before the news officially broke that he was the starter, that was one of them. I was also able to target guys I considered sleepers before a ton of other people had either been told by other people or like I said found out through the constant barrage of fantasy football related info' fed to the public daily in various forms. Really it's a personal preference and I guess a good argument can be made either way but early works for me.

This does not look like an average first round to me this year but you are mocking at the site you are drafting from , I'll assume, so I guess this how it's shaping up with those particular people/rankings. I have recently decided to rank Calvin ahead of Andre but however you rank Andre/Calvin I would grab one of them first thing. On the turn I would shoot for Slaton/SJax/Jacobs in that order. Jacobs will almost certainly be there at 14 and imo if you leave round 2 with Calvin (or Andre) and Jacobs likely being the worst case scenario at rb you would looking good.