Drafting against non-geeks

[detlef]

One of the worst things you can do if you are drafting against your office buddies, especially if you're in a league smaller than 12 teams is take the Huddle top 120 as gospel. That list is a great asset, but it assumes two things, 1) that somebody is going to have to start the 24 best RB and 2) that everyone in your league is very fantasy football savvy.

 

If either of these is not true, you could do yourself more harm than good by following it too closely.

 

I completed a draft for my old-school eight team league this last weekend and I'm actually only happy about the results because I didn't confuse being disciplined with being stubborn.

 

I had the first pick and when my 2nd and 3rd picks came up, everyone had been drinking the RB Kool-aid, so only Payton Manning and M Harrison were off the board. I made my first, "trust DMD" pick and grabbed R Brown. Even though this league allows a flex player, I resisted grabbing a 3rd back because, 1) I already had one pick that I wasn't hyped about and 2) I really had a strong feeling that, once the sure-fire RBs taken in the 1st two rounds went, unlike hard core larger leagues, the run would peter out. I just couldn't see taking Willis Mc or MJD over a stud WR, so I grabbed C Johnson.

 

As I expected, not a whole lot of backs flew off the board with the next 14 picks. QBs, on the other hand... Brees, Brady, Palmer, all gone. Wayne, Steve Smith, Torry Holt, Roy Williams, all gone. McGehee, Edge, MJD were also taken along with A Gates and a handful of head scratchers.

 

Still needing a WR and another RB/WR, I made my first major deviation from the Huddle cheat sheet. B Jacobs was the top player left on that list, but there were still plenty of guys right behind him that I liked OK. On the other hand, if I didn't go QB here, Bulger, Kitna, and McNabb were all likely to get snapped up before my next pick. Since I sort of saw the QB field as 7 deep this year, I didn't want to be the only guy left out. So I grabbed Bulger. Once again, you have to remember that the geek sheet typically assumes a 12 team league. If that's the case, almost half the teams are going to end up starting someone like Romo, or Big Ben, and the one's that choose to take a stud QB will be paying a major price at another position because they'll be forced to start the 24th best RB or some-such. That's not the case here. After all, I was still able to tab Fitzgerald here as my WR2.

 

So, Portis and Jacobs, plus the predicted McNabb, Kitna picks fell off the board, along with even more head-scratchers (this, BTW, is where those picks really start happening. Most guys don't mind sticking with the experts for the first 3 rounds, but ego takes over by round 4-5 and they start taking the guys they like. Calvin Johnson went here, for instance (oddly to the guy who also had R Williams). The first 2 Ds was taken (I really had no designs on going there even somewhat close to this round and I was certainly not going to now). So, my patience was rewarded with being able to go with Adrian Peterson and Deuce McCallister back to back figuring one of them could rise to RB3. Honestly, I wasn't as high on B Jacobs as some and do prefer Bulger plus one of those just mentioned to Jacobs plus QB? (Rivers? Leinart? Romo?). I mean, all things being equal, I would have rather had Jacobs, but I like AP at 48 better than I like Jacobs at 32.

 

Now, from here, the only pick you might have to reach a bit relative to the big board is at TE. Like QB, my list of guys who had a shot at finishing #2 to Gates was about 5 guys long (Winslow, Gonzo, Shockey, Heap, Cooley (maybe)). I wouldn't mind having V Davis but this is a SF bay area league, so I knew he'd go before he really should.

 

By the time my next picks came up, Gonzo, Shockey, and Davis were off the board. Since I actually had Winslow as my #2 and 4 had been taken, that seemed a fine place to take him, once again, despite the fact that there were plenty of RBs and WRs ranked far a head of him on the big board. I also deviated from the main list a bit to grab my WR3 even though, I believe J Norwood was the highest listed player on the big board. So, Winslow and L Coles.

 

Another important thing to keep in mind. If you're in a smaller league, you'd better handcuff your stud RB sooner than you might think you have to. I tabbed M Turner for LT and then just grabbed one of the highest rated players left (J Galloway). The Turner picked ended up being solid as I was assured by no less than 3 teams after I made that pick that they were planning on grabbing Turner before my next pick. There was still a solid RBs out there (F Taylor) but one thing I've learned in this type of league, is that solid RBs with limited upside are not worth taking as RB 5 or 6. They're just too unlikely to make your starting line-up. If LT went down, Turner would be better than Taylor anyway, I had confidence that 2 out of my next 3 RBs would work out and strong enough WRs that, if push came to shove, I could always line up 3 WR.

 

The rest...

Big Ben and Santonio Holmes

Sea and Caro D

Elam with the last pick

 

I think I ended up with one of the better teams, but there are certainly others. There's a few teams that I think are pretty bad, but that doesn't mean that I was always the one to be able to best take advantage of their missed picks. I could have kept grabbing the top guys on the big board and ended up better than the dudes who didn't know what they were doing, but I really think I would have been a step behind the top squads because I would have had the worst QB and TE and only a bunch of RBs riding the pine for me to show for it.

Edited August 27, 2007 by detlef

[Bronco Billy]

I made my first, "trust DMD" pick and grabbed R Brown.

 

Championships aren't won in Round one, but they sure can be lost there.

 

Better luck next year. It's even tougher knowing that you got your ass kicked by neophytes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[detlef]

Championships aren't won in Round one, but they sure can be lost there.

 

Better luck next year. It's even tougher knowing that you got your ass kicked by neophytes.

You do realize Brown was my 2nd pick. I didn't bother mentioning LT as my first because I assumed that was a given.

[Bronco Billy]

You do realize Brown was my 2nd pick. I didn't bother mentioning LT as my first because I assumed that was a given.

 

Yeah, but I couldn't help myself. If I was going to rag you on a good pick & draft, I figured I'd go all the way - and I couldn't resist being able to take a cheap shot at David at the same time. I admit it - I'm weak.

 

Personally, I would have played it safe & gone WR/WR on the 2/3 turn & stayed ahead of the curve when drafting against people with limited FF knowledge/experience, knowing that these guys were going to let some solid RBs slip to me in later rounds, but I have a tough time arguing the way you went - but you may have let a few of them off the hook & back into the hunt when you could have been stomping a mudhole in their backs.

 

That said, you're probably going to have more fun in the league this way.

Edited August 27, 2007 by Bronco Billy

[detlef]

Yeah, but I couldn't help myself. If I was going to rag you on a good pick & draft, I figured I'd go all the way - and I couldn't resist being able to take a cheap shot at David at the same time. I admit it - I'm weak.

 

Personally, I would have played it safe & gone WR/WR on the 2/3 turn & stayed ahead of the curve when drafting against people with limited FF knowledge/experience, knowing that these guys were going to let some solid RBs slip to me in later rounds, but I have a tough time arguing the way you went - but you may have let a few of them off the hook & back into the hunt when you could have been stomping a mudhole in their backs.

 

That said, you're probably going to have more fun in the league this way.

I was very close to doing just that. I actually really hoped that Brown wouldn't be there but I figured, what the hell. DMD had him as a top 10, so I figured I'd give it a shot.