Tier one
1. Adrian Peterson (MIN)
Minnesota now has a QB who can keep the pressure of off him.
2. Clinton Portis (WAS)
Washington's offense should begin and end with him this year
3. Michael Turner (ATL)
Amazing runner, but each year Matt Ryan progresses, the Falcons will throw more and therefore Turner's numbers will dip slightly.
4. DeAngelo Williams (CAR)
Threat to score every time he touches the ball. Beware of an increased load for Jonathan Stewart though.
Tier two
5. Brandon Jacobs (NYG)
Now that Ward is gone, expect the mountain of a man Jacobs recieve 300+ carries, if he stays healthy.
6. Maurice Jones-Drew (JAX)
No longer has to share touches with Fred Taylor
7. Matt Forte (CHI)
Was Chicago's do-all and end-all player on offense last year. They haven't added much so expect more of the same.
8. Steven Jackson (STL)
Would be top 3 if he wasn't so injury prone (and if the Rams had an O-line)
Tier three
9. Chris Jonson (TEN)
Sensational rookie campaign, but runners that rely so much on speed always worry me...
10. Brian Westbrook (PHI)
The most versatile running back since Marshall Faulk, he just has a problem staying on the field.
11. Steve Slaton (HOU)
A perfect fit for the zone run scheme. Expect another great year.
12. Frank Gore (SF)
A versatile back who can contribute greatly...when he is healthy and playing on the west coast.
13 LaDanian Tomlinson (SD)
His YPC should head north of the 4.0 mark again, but Sproles will steal quite a few touches.
14. Marion Barber (DAL)
Punishing runners tend to have very short runs atop the fantasy world. Has his body taken too much abuse?
Tier 4
15. Ronnie Brown (MIA)
Now that he is over a year removed from his torn ACL, he should be quite a dynamic all around back again.
16. Thomas Jones (NYJ)
He's over 30, has a QB nobody is afraid of, and has a terrific athlete behind him. Bust watch!
17. Kevin Smith (DET)
Really came on strong the end of last year, but he plays for the Lions, that is never good.
18. Darren McFadden (OAK)
The Raiders have 2 starting material RBs in the backfield, he's had an injury history, and a below average O-Line. Don't put too much stock in him.
19. Willie Parker (PIT)
Shared carries with Mewelde Moore last year, and often times got outperformed. Now Mendenhall will be added to that mix.
20. Jonathan Stewart (CAR)
A load at runningback, he will be a very solid #2 this year.
Tier five
21. Ryan Grant (GB)
Didn't prove that the 2007 Ryan Grant was who he really is.
22. Joseph Addai (IND)
Banged up all of last year, something tells me he'll continue to be injured this year.
23. Pierre Thomas (NO)
Will take over the Deuce McAllister role, only will play it much more effectively. Still, the Saints will throw it 40+ times a game, leaving little value for Thomas
24. Cedric Benson (CIN)
Really came on strong down the stretch. Has he finally figured it out?
25. Larry Johnson (KC)
A definite canidate for suspensions, fines, benchings, etc.
26. Derrick Ward (TB)
Tampa has 3 or 4 runners who could all start. Be wary.
27. Willis McGahee (BAL)
Look for the Ray Rice to begin in Baltimore sooner rather than later
28. Marshawn Lynch (BUF)
If Fred Jackson performs well in his place, he could have trouble finding the starting lineup again.
29. Jamal Lewis (CLE)
He's old, he's slow, he's lucky he's Cleveland's only real option at RB (right now)
30. Sammy Morris (NE)
Will share carries with a stable of New England runners
31. Fred Jackson (BUF)
Performed better than Lynch last year. I expect the same this year.
32. Tim Hightower (ARI)
Has the goalline duties locked up, but will he be the go to guy for the rest of the field?
33. Leon Washington (NYJ)
Dynamic playmaker could steal several touches from started Thomas Jones
34. LenDale White (TEN)
I'm not sure he could break a 5.0 flat in the 40, but he will get his touchdowns
35. Darren Sproles (SD)
See: Leon Washington
36. Ray Rice (BAL)
I predict he takes over the starting job 6 weeks in.
37. Reggie Bush (NO)
A scat type back coming off microfracture surgery? No, thanks
38. Maurice Morris (SEA)
Was Seattle's most effective runner last year. (Congrats?)
Tier seix
39. Tashard Choice
40. LaMont Jordan
41. Jamaal Charles
42. Earnest Graham
43. Felix Jones
44. Ahmad Bradshaw
45. Carnell Williams
46. Justin Fargas
47. Michael Bush
48. Rashard Mendenhall
49. Mewelde Moore
50. Le'Ron McClain
51. Julius Jones
52. Warrick Dunn
53. Ricky Williams
54. Fred Taylor
55. Edgerrin James
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
March QB Rankings
Ah, its about that time of year...almost. Football is...kind of...about to kick off its 2009-2010 season, and with that comes countless hours of fantasy football research, looking up stats, trying to find the next sleeper, and also the drafts themselves. To help you out a little, I'm going to try to help you all out a little by giving you monthly fantasy rankings by position. And where else would we start but quarterback?
Tier one
1. Drew Brees (NO)
He threw for over 5,00o yards last year and with Deuce gone and Reggie Bush recovering from microfracture surgery, look for the Saints to chuck it as much or more as they did last year.
2. Peyton Manning (IND)
A lock for 3,800+ passing yards and 25 TDs. Sign me up.
3. Tom Brady (NE)
Yes the knee injury is scary, but with all the rules protecting quarterbacks, he should be alright. He won't be the 2007 Brady, but 4,000 yards and 30 TDs is likely.
Tier two
4. Philip Rivers (SD)
Was 2008 an anomaly or the beginning of a great career? I'd say the latter.
5. Kurt Warner (ARI)
His 2008 season was insane, but at his age can you really predict another season like that? 2009 should be close, but not the same.
6. Donovan McNabb (PHI)
Proved all of the critics wrong last year, again. Expect another big season from McNabb
7. Jay Cutler (DEN)
Its never good when a quarterback and coach aren't on the same page, but the product on the field shouldn't be affected. If he falls to the 3rd or 4th round, pick him up and reap the benefits
8. Tony Romo (DAL)
I think Dallas will become much more of a grind-it-out team this year which obviously will affect Romo's stats. He'll still be a very solid fantasy quarterback this year.
Tier three
9. Aaron Rodgers (GB)
He had a great year last year, but I'm still not 100 percent sold on him. I'd draft him as my number 2 QB.
10. Carson Palmer (CIN)
The elbow injury has me worried, but he could return to his '07 form. If you draft him, make sure you get a reliable backup.
11. Matt Ryan (ATL)
Atlanta's QB of the future outdid everyone's expectations last year. Can he prove us wrong again by becoming one of the top fantasy QBs in the league this year? I wouldn't go that far, but he should be very good.
12. Matt Shaub (HOU)
The guy does get hurt quite a bit, but if he could ever string together a full season, 4,000 yards is a possibility.
13. Ben Roethlisberger (PIT)
His numbers last year really weren't that great. Expect numbers a little better but nothing drastic.
14. Matt Cassel (KC)
Was Cassel a product of Belichick's sytem and 3 years of grooming in aformentioned system or is he the real deal? I'd say he'll produce somewhere inbetween how he started last year and how he ended.
Tier four
15. Eli Manning (NYG)
A very good real-life quarterback, much of his fantasy value is taken away by the Giants running game.
16. Chad Pennington (MIA)
The Dolphins really through the ball around the yard a lot more than I thought they would, granted it was a fair amount of dinking and dunking, but I expect them to focus on the ground game even more this year now that Ronnie Brown is a year-and-a-half removed from his torn ACL.
17. Joe Flacco (BAL)
Delaware's finest struggled early on (1 TD and 7 picks threw 5 games) but finished with 14 TDs and 12 INTs. Expect Flacco to continue to be a game manager this year, therefore not finishing with outrageous stats
18. Kyle Orton (CHI)
He was very good for part of the year then fell off a little after his injury. Potential sleeper here.
19. David Garrard (JAX)
2007 is looking like a fluke year. Don't expect much more than 3,300 yds and 16 TDs.
20. Matt Hasslebeck (SEA)
Many people will have him ranked higher, but I have a feeling he will be on the sidelines often due to injury. Draft him if you want, I'm staying away.
Tier five
21. Marc Bulger (STL)
Hasn't been the same since he got his contract. Don't be surprised if he loses his job before the season reaches its half-way point.
22. Shaun Hill (SF)
He hasn't officially been named starter, but once he is, he'll move up a handful of spots.
23. Brady Quinn (CLE)
See above
24. Trent Edwards (BUF)
Getting T.O helps, but bottom line is he won't ever be a big-time numbers QB.
25. Kerry Collins (TEN)
He's a game manager not a game changer, and his numbers will reflect that.
26. Sage Rosenfels (MIN)
All he'll be asked to do is not turn the ball over. He's just not going to put up numbers here.
27. Jason Campbell (WAS)
Clinton Portis will be options 1, 2, and 3 for this team, leaving little time for Campbell to put up stats.
Tier six
28. Daunte Culpepper (DET)
He's still the QB for the Lions-at least for now-and as long as he, or anyone else is there...they are fantasy irrelevant.
29. Kellen Clemens (NYJ)
Hopefully a year of tips from Favre will do him some good. I'm betting it doesn't though and he and the Jets stumble through the season with little more than nothing for a passing game.
30. Jake Delhomme (CAR)
He threw 5 INTs in his last game, a playoff game, and had an entire offseason to think about that. He won't be the 30th best QB in fantasy-16 to 20 is likely- I just don't want anything to do with him this year.
31. Luke McCown (TB)
Maybe the Bucs know something we don't-I'm not biting.
32. JaMarcus Russell (OAK)
He has a strong arm and...well he likes to be overweight. No thanks
Tier seven (backups)
33. Jeff Garcia (FA)
34. Seneca Wallace (SEA)
35. Drew Stanton (DET)
36. Vince Young (TEN)
37. Matt Leinart (ARI)
38. Alex Smith (SF)
39. Derek Anderson (CLE)
40. Tarvares Jackson (MIN)
41. Tyler Thigpen (KC)
42. Brett Ratliff (NYJ)
43. Matt Moore (CAR)
44. Brock Berlin (STL)
45. Chad Henne (MIA)
Tier one
1. Drew Brees (NO)
He threw for over 5,00o yards last year and with Deuce gone and Reggie Bush recovering from microfracture surgery, look for the Saints to chuck it as much or more as they did last year.
2. Peyton Manning (IND)
A lock for 3,800+ passing yards and 25 TDs. Sign me up.
3. Tom Brady (NE)
Yes the knee injury is scary, but with all the rules protecting quarterbacks, he should be alright. He won't be the 2007 Brady, but 4,000 yards and 30 TDs is likely.
Tier two
4. Philip Rivers (SD)
Was 2008 an anomaly or the beginning of a great career? I'd say the latter.
5. Kurt Warner (ARI)
His 2008 season was insane, but at his age can you really predict another season like that? 2009 should be close, but not the same.
6. Donovan McNabb (PHI)
Proved all of the critics wrong last year, again. Expect another big season from McNabb
7. Jay Cutler (DEN)
Its never good when a quarterback and coach aren't on the same page, but the product on the field shouldn't be affected. If he falls to the 3rd or 4th round, pick him up and reap the benefits
8. Tony Romo (DAL)
I think Dallas will become much more of a grind-it-out team this year which obviously will affect Romo's stats. He'll still be a very solid fantasy quarterback this year.
Tier three
9. Aaron Rodgers (GB)
He had a great year last year, but I'm still not 100 percent sold on him. I'd draft him as my number 2 QB.
10. Carson Palmer (CIN)
The elbow injury has me worried, but he could return to his '07 form. If you draft him, make sure you get a reliable backup.
11. Matt Ryan (ATL)
Atlanta's QB of the future outdid everyone's expectations last year. Can he prove us wrong again by becoming one of the top fantasy QBs in the league this year? I wouldn't go that far, but he should be very good.
12. Matt Shaub (HOU)
The guy does get hurt quite a bit, but if he could ever string together a full season, 4,000 yards is a possibility.
13. Ben Roethlisberger (PIT)
His numbers last year really weren't that great. Expect numbers a little better but nothing drastic.
14. Matt Cassel (KC)
Was Cassel a product of Belichick's sytem and 3 years of grooming in aformentioned system or is he the real deal? I'd say he'll produce somewhere inbetween how he started last year and how he ended.
Tier four
15. Eli Manning (NYG)
A very good real-life quarterback, much of his fantasy value is taken away by the Giants running game.
16. Chad Pennington (MIA)
The Dolphins really through the ball around the yard a lot more than I thought they would, granted it was a fair amount of dinking and dunking, but I expect them to focus on the ground game even more this year now that Ronnie Brown is a year-and-a-half removed from his torn ACL.
17. Joe Flacco (BAL)
Delaware's finest struggled early on (1 TD and 7 picks threw 5 games) but finished with 14 TDs and 12 INTs. Expect Flacco to continue to be a game manager this year, therefore not finishing with outrageous stats
18. Kyle Orton (CHI)
He was very good for part of the year then fell off a little after his injury. Potential sleeper here.
19. David Garrard (JAX)
2007 is looking like a fluke year. Don't expect much more than 3,300 yds and 16 TDs.
20. Matt Hasslebeck (SEA)
Many people will have him ranked higher, but I have a feeling he will be on the sidelines often due to injury. Draft him if you want, I'm staying away.
Tier five
21. Marc Bulger (STL)
Hasn't been the same since he got his contract. Don't be surprised if he loses his job before the season reaches its half-way point.
22. Shaun Hill (SF)
He hasn't officially been named starter, but once he is, he'll move up a handful of spots.
23. Brady Quinn (CLE)
See above
24. Trent Edwards (BUF)
Getting T.O helps, but bottom line is he won't ever be a big-time numbers QB.
25. Kerry Collins (TEN)
He's a game manager not a game changer, and his numbers will reflect that.
26. Sage Rosenfels (MIN)
All he'll be asked to do is not turn the ball over. He's just not going to put up numbers here.
27. Jason Campbell (WAS)
Clinton Portis will be options 1, 2, and 3 for this team, leaving little time for Campbell to put up stats.
Tier six
28. Daunte Culpepper (DET)
He's still the QB for the Lions-at least for now-and as long as he, or anyone else is there...they are fantasy irrelevant.
29. Kellen Clemens (NYJ)
Hopefully a year of tips from Favre will do him some good. I'm betting it doesn't though and he and the Jets stumble through the season with little more than nothing for a passing game.
30. Jake Delhomme (CAR)
He threw 5 INTs in his last game, a playoff game, and had an entire offseason to think about that. He won't be the 30th best QB in fantasy-16 to 20 is likely- I just don't want anything to do with him this year.
31. Luke McCown (TB)
Maybe the Bucs know something we don't-I'm not biting.
32. JaMarcus Russell (OAK)
He has a strong arm and...well he likes to be overweight. No thanks
Tier seven (backups)
33. Jeff Garcia (FA)
34. Seneca Wallace (SEA)
35. Drew Stanton (DET)
36. Vince Young (TEN)
37. Matt Leinart (ARI)
38. Alex Smith (SF)
39. Derek Anderson (CLE)
40. Tarvares Jackson (MIN)
41. Tyler Thigpen (KC)
42. Brett Ratliff (NYJ)
43. Matt Moore (CAR)
44. Brock Berlin (STL)
45. Chad Henne (MIA)
Saturday, March 28, 2009
MSN Fantasy Baseball
I just got done drafting the weirdest draft I've ever been apart of. Its an 8 team MSN (head-to-head, points) league and their was two problems with this league.
1.) MSN's draft rankings are RIDICULOUS! Victor Martinez was the 42nd ranked catcher in the draft room!!!! Josh Hamilton was ranked in the 30s, Chris Davis was available in Round 18 and probably would have been around even later because you had to scroll through half of the third base pool to find him.
2.) I don't think anyone except for me and one other person knew what the crap we were doing so I was able to get a lot of those players that the rankings hid...
*The commissioner changed the draft time the night before to 9:30 AM so i missed the first 11 picks, but here is my draft
1/7: Matt Holliday (Would have picked Pujos, yes he was still there)
2/10: Lance Berkman (would have picked Ryan Braun)
3/13: Josh Hamilton (good with this one)
4/26: Jimmy Rollins (good)
5/29: Ichiro (would have picked Ian Kinsler)
6/42: Magglio Ordonez (would have picked Nick Markakis)
7/45: Derek Lee (would have picked BJ Upton)
8/58: Jermaine Dye (would have picked Brian McCann)
9/71: Chad Billingsly (would have picked Evan Longoria)
10/74: Carlos Delgado (would have picked Felix Hernandez)
11/87: Andy Pettitte (would have picked Geovany Soto)
and now for when I started drafting, and who I would be picking
if I was there for the entire draft
1.) MSN's draft rankings are RIDICULOUS! Victor Martinez was the 42nd ranked catcher in the draft room!!!! Josh Hamilton was ranked in the 30s, Chris Davis was available in Round 18 and probably would have been around even later because you had to scroll through half of the third base pool to find him.
2.) I don't think anyone except for me and one other person knew what the crap we were doing so I was able to get a lot of those players that the rankings hid...
*The commissioner changed the draft time the night before to 9:30 AM so i missed the first 11 picks, but here is my draft
1/7: Matt Holliday (Would have picked Pujos, yes he was still there)
2/10: Lance Berkman (would have picked Ryan Braun)
3/13: Josh Hamilton (good with this one)
4/26: Jimmy Rollins (good)
5/29: Ichiro (would have picked Ian Kinsler)
6/42: Magglio Ordonez (would have picked Nick Markakis)
7/45: Derek Lee (would have picked BJ Upton)
8/58: Jermaine Dye (would have picked Brian McCann)
9/71: Chad Billingsly (would have picked Evan Longoria)
10/74: Carlos Delgado (would have picked Felix Hernandez)
11/87: Andy Pettitte (would have picked Geovany Soto)
and now for when I started drafting, and who I would be picking
if I was there for the entire draft
12/90: Brandon Phillips (Brandon Phillips) -ranked 95!?
13/103: Carl Crawford (Carl Crawford) ranked 108!?
14/106: Matt Cain (Fransisco Liriano) I didn't see that Liriano was available because I didn't scroll down enough
15/119: Troy Glaus (Jay Bruce)
16/122: Zack Grienke (Erik Bedard)
17/135: Victor Martinez (same) WOW....
18/138: Chris Davis (same)...
19/151: Pablo Sandoval (same)
20/154: Stephen Drew (same)
21/167: Howie Kendrick (Jonathan Broxton)
22/170: John Danks (Carlos Marmol)
23/183: James Loney (same)
24/186: Heath Bell (same)
I am currently working on trading Jermaine Dye, Carlos Delgado, Andy Pettitte, and Troy Glaus
13/103: Carl Crawford (Carl Crawford) ranked 108!?
14/106: Matt Cain (Fransisco Liriano) I didn't see that Liriano was available because I didn't scroll down enough
15/119: Troy Glaus (Jay Bruce)
16/122: Zack Grienke (Erik Bedard)
17/135: Victor Martinez (same) WOW....
18/138: Chris Davis (same)...
19/151: Pablo Sandoval (same)
20/154: Stephen Drew (same)
21/167: Howie Kendrick (Jonathan Broxton)
22/170: John Danks (Carlos Marmol)
23/183: James Loney (same)
24/186: Heath Bell (same)
I am currently working on trading Jermaine Dye, Carlos Delgado, Andy Pettitte, and Troy Glaus
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Fantasy baseball league, team 3
My third team is in a head-to-head, 5X5, 10 team, point per category league. This draft kind of has me a little bit nervous because I don't really like my offensive depth and I'm not sure how I'll do in the saves category but everything should work out alright.
My strategy was to mainly focus on getting the best hitters regardless of position through the tenth round, and then start focusing on filling specific needs and categories after that. (Round/Pick in parentheses)
C-Brian McCann (5/41)
1B-Prince Fielder (3/21)
2B-Dan Uggla (8/80)
3B-Chipper Jones (6/60)
SS-Hanley Ramirez (1/1)
OF-Carlos Beltran (2/20)
Of-Nick Markakis (4/40)
OF-Curtis Granderson (7/61)
U-Nelson Cruz (OF) (14/140)
U-Andre Eithier (OF) (15/141)
B-Stephen Drew (SS) (9/81)
B-Ryan Zimmerman (3B)- (10/100) I didn't want to draft him, but I figured I'd just use him as trade bait and use him strictly as a back up til i get rid of him.
B-Howie Kendrick (2B) (12/120)
B-James Loney (1B) (16/160)
B-Chris Young (OF) (18/180)
B-Kelly Shoppach (C) (20/200)
SP-Rich Harden (11/101)
SP-Matt Cain (13/121)
SP-Adam Wainwright (17/161)
RP-Jason Motte(23/221)
RP-Manuel Corpas (22/220)
P-Scott Baker (SP) (19/181)
P-Kevin Slowey (SP) (21/201)
P-Huston Street (RP) (24/240)
I know that I have both of Colorado's potential closers. Once they decide who will be getting the saves and who won't, I will drop the one who won't for another bullpen arm.
I currently have 2 trade proposals out right now, to teams who have very weak outfield players/depth since my team is rather loaded in the outfield. Those trades are
Roy Oswalt
2. Chris Young and Kevin Slowey
for
Yovanni Gallardo and Erik Bedard
My strategy was to mainly focus on getting the best hitters regardless of position through the tenth round, and then start focusing on filling specific needs and categories after that. (Round/Pick in parentheses)
C-Brian McCann (5/41)
1B-Prince Fielder (3/21)
2B-Dan Uggla (8/80)
3B-Chipper Jones (6/60)
SS-Hanley Ramirez (1/1)
OF-Carlos Beltran (2/20)
Of-Nick Markakis (4/40)
OF-Curtis Granderson (7/61)
U-Nelson Cruz (OF) (14/140)
U-Andre Eithier (OF) (15/141)
B-Stephen Drew (SS) (9/81)
B-Ryan Zimmerman (3B)- (10/100) I didn't want to draft him, but I figured I'd just use him as trade bait and use him strictly as a back up til i get rid of him.
B-Howie Kendrick (2B) (12/120)
B-James Loney (1B) (16/160)
B-Chris Young (OF) (18/180)
B-Kelly Shoppach (C) (20/200)
SP-Rich Harden (11/101)
SP-Matt Cain (13/121)
SP-Adam Wainwright (17/161)
RP-Jason Motte(23/221)
RP-Manuel Corpas (22/220)
P-Scott Baker (SP) (19/181)
P-Kevin Slowey (SP) (21/201)
P-Huston Street (RP) (24/240)
I know that I have both of Colorado's potential closers. Once they decide who will be getting the saves and who won't, I will drop the one who won't for another bullpen arm.
I currently have 2 trade proposals out right now, to teams who have very weak outfield players/depth since my team is rather loaded in the outfield. Those trades are
- Chris Young
Roy Oswalt
2. Chris Young and Kevin Slowey
for
Yovanni Gallardo and Erik Bedard
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Fantasy Baseball Draft Strategy
There are millions of ways you can draft a fantasy baseball team; you can draft for young potential, you can draft proven veterans, you can draft your favorite players, focus on pitching, punt categories, focus on hitters, and thousands more. Many of us use a combination of several of these strategies, but the two ways I have found to be the most useful over my youthful three years (10 teams) of fantasy baseball are....
#1: Draft the best available player (preferably for an active manager)
----This idea is pretty simple, but it is a lot harder to really execute successfully than you would think. The idea, as I'm sure you well know, is to simply take the highest rated or best player available with your pick-regardless of position. You could end up with a solid all-around team this way, or you could end up with a logjam of players at a position and little to no depth or talent at another. Don't fret if the latter scenario happens though. Since you have such depth and skill at a certain position, other teams in your league will be hurting for a solid starter to plug into their lineup at that position. What you do next is simple, trade off your excess players at the position for well above what you normally could get for that player. Often times the other manager will feel as if he has to do the trade because he is running low on options, if he doesn't accept right away, keep sending proposals to he (or she) and other owners and you will eventually hit the jack pot.
#2: Fill all of your starting hitter spots first, then draft pitchers with upside
----This is the strategy that I use the most and have the best results with. To me, pitchers are far too hard to predict (they get hurt more and often without warning, they fall off the map quicker, etc) so, with your first 8 to 10 (or more) picks, fill out all of your hitting positions and maybe grab a few high quality or big-time potential players for your bench, and then for the remainder of your draft focus on getting the highest upside pitchers left. Sure, you will probably guess right on about half of the pitchers you pick, but that is why there is a free agent pool. You can add and drop your struggling pitchers for other pitchers who are putting up great numbers.
-The thing you have to remember though is...leagues aren't won with the draft. Sure a good draft will ease the road to victory, but you have to always be on the lookout for possible free agent additions and trades and such to make your team as good as it possibly can be.
If any of you have any thoughts, tips, ideas, or questions that you would like to share, don't hesitate to comment.
Good luck to everyone this year on all of your drafts and leagues.
#1: Draft the best available player (preferably for an active manager)
----This idea is pretty simple, but it is a lot harder to really execute successfully than you would think. The idea, as I'm sure you well know, is to simply take the highest rated or best player available with your pick-regardless of position. You could end up with a solid all-around team this way, or you could end up with a logjam of players at a position and little to no depth or talent at another. Don't fret if the latter scenario happens though. Since you have such depth and skill at a certain position, other teams in your league will be hurting for a solid starter to plug into their lineup at that position. What you do next is simple, trade off your excess players at the position for well above what you normally could get for that player. Often times the other manager will feel as if he has to do the trade because he is running low on options, if he doesn't accept right away, keep sending proposals to he (or she) and other owners and you will eventually hit the jack pot.
#2: Fill all of your starting hitter spots first, then draft pitchers with upside
----This is the strategy that I use the most and have the best results with. To me, pitchers are far too hard to predict (they get hurt more and often without warning, they fall off the map quicker, etc) so, with your first 8 to 10 (or more) picks, fill out all of your hitting positions and maybe grab a few high quality or big-time potential players for your bench, and then for the remainder of your draft focus on getting the highest upside pitchers left. Sure, you will probably guess right on about half of the pitchers you pick, but that is why there is a free agent pool. You can add and drop your struggling pitchers for other pitchers who are putting up great numbers.
-The thing you have to remember though is...leagues aren't won with the draft. Sure a good draft will ease the road to victory, but you have to always be on the lookout for possible free agent additions and trades and such to make your team as good as it possibly can be.
If any of you have any thoughts, tips, ideas, or questions that you would like to share, don't hesitate to comment.
Good luck to everyone this year on all of your drafts and leagues.
Fantasy baseball league, team 2
Hey everyone, hope you all are having a great day
My second team is in a 10 team league with an 11X11 head-to-head, point per category win set-up
The team...
C-Russel Martin (3B) (5/41)
1B-Prince Fielder (3/21)
2B-Brandon Phillips (4/40)
3B-Chipper Jones (9/81)
SS-Hanley Ramirez (1/1)
OF-BJ Upton (2/20)
OF-Curtis Granderson (6/60)
OF-Bobby Abreu (10/100)
U-Adrian Gonzalez (1B) (7/61)
B-Hunter Pence (OF) (12/120)
B-Chris Iannetta (C) (15/141)
B-Mike Aviles (2B/SS) (17/161)
B-Brad Hawpe (OF) (18/180)
SP-Chad Billingsly (8/80)
SP-John Danks (20/200)
RP-Joba Chamberlin (11/101)
RP-Max Scherzer (16/160)
P-Matt Cain (13/121)
P-Yovanni Gallardo (14/140)
P-Zack Grienke (19/181)
B-Jonny Cueto (21/201)
My strategy for this draft was to completely ignore saves, knowing full well that I will be able to pick up several cheap saves via free agency and trades. I drafted hitters first to fill out my starting line up, then I focused on picking the best available player (upside factored in), whether it was a starting pitcher or a batter.
I currently have proposed 2 trades:
Hunter Pence (OF) and Max Scherzer (SP/RP)
for
Delmon Young (OF), Justin Verlander (SP), and Huston Street (RP)
and:
Hunter Pence (OF)
for
Cameron Maybin (OF) and Matt Garza (SP).
As you can probably well tell, I am not a fan of Hunter Pence. I think he is extremely overrated and will be a huge bust for the ADP he normally falls at (I picked him up with a pick 12th round, about 50 picks later than his ADP). I picked him up just to use him as trade bait since many people view him as a potential superstar (hopefully not).
Alright everyone, thanks for stopping by. If you all have any questions or comments about anything fantasy related, including but not limited to: baseball, football, basketball, or Scarlett Johansson, feel free to ask away.
Also, if you are a MLB fan or NCAA basketball fan, be sure to check out my other blogs!
My second team is in a 10 team league with an 11X11 head-to-head, point per category win set-up
The team...
C-Russel Martin (3B) (5/41)
1B-Prince Fielder (3/21)
2B-Brandon Phillips (4/40)
3B-Chipper Jones (9/81)
SS-Hanley Ramirez (1/1)
OF-BJ Upton (2/20)
OF-Curtis Granderson (6/60)
OF-Bobby Abreu (10/100)
U-Adrian Gonzalez (1B) (7/61)
B-Hunter Pence (OF) (12/120)
B-Chris Iannetta (C) (15/141)
B-Mike Aviles (2B/SS) (17/161)
B-Brad Hawpe (OF) (18/180)
SP-Chad Billingsly (8/80)
SP-John Danks (20/200)
RP-Joba Chamberlin (11/101)
RP-Max Scherzer (16/160)
P-Matt Cain (13/121)
P-Yovanni Gallardo (14/140)
P-Zack Grienke (19/181)
B-Jonny Cueto (21/201)
My strategy for this draft was to completely ignore saves, knowing full well that I will be able to pick up several cheap saves via free agency and trades. I drafted hitters first to fill out my starting line up, then I focused on picking the best available player (upside factored in), whether it was a starting pitcher or a batter.
I currently have proposed 2 trades:
Hunter Pence (OF) and Max Scherzer (SP/RP)
for
Delmon Young (OF), Justin Verlander (SP), and Huston Street (RP)
and:
Hunter Pence (OF)
for
Cameron Maybin (OF) and Matt Garza (SP).
As you can probably well tell, I am not a fan of Hunter Pence. I think he is extremely overrated and will be a huge bust for the ADP he normally falls at (I picked him up with a pick 12th round, about 50 picks later than his ADP). I picked him up just to use him as trade bait since many people view him as a potential superstar (hopefully not).
Alright everyone, thanks for stopping by. If you all have any questions or comments about anything fantasy related, including but not limited to: baseball, football, basketball, or Scarlett Johansson, feel free to ask away.
Also, if you are a MLB fan or NCAA basketball fan, be sure to check out my other blogs!
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Fantasy Baseball Leagues
As i previously stated, I am a fantasy sports nerd-just want to throw that out there before i say anything else...
I am currently in five baseball leagues, four of which have drafted. My "strategy" i guess you would call it was to take the best available hitter (slightly biased towards the shallow positions) early and then load up on potential pitchers late, knowing I will be able to pick up several solid starters (ah, hello alliteration) and many a new closer will poke through the waiver wire dirt throughout the year.
Team 1: This league is an 8 team 5X5 format
C-Brian McCann (7/50)
1B-Albert Pujos (1/2)
2B-Dustin Pedroia (4/31)
3B-Russell Martin (C) (6/47)
SS-Jimmy Rollins (2/15)
OF-Carl Crawford (5/34)
OF-Matt Kemp (8/63)
OF-Curtis Granderson (9/66)
Util-Mark Teixeira (1B) (3/18)
B-Chris Davis (1B/3B) (14/111)
B-Troy Tulowitzki (SS) (15/114)
B-Howie Kendrick (2B) 16/127)
B-Lastings Miledge (OF)(17/130)
SP-Felix Hernandez (10/79)
SP-Rich Harden (11/82)
SP-Edison Volquez (12/95) *All three of these picks were by the computer, I was about to get Aramis Ramirez in the 10th, 11th, and 12th rounds but my computer froze...crushing i know
RP-Heath Bell (18/143)
RP-Joel Hanrahan (21/172)
P-Matt Cain (13/98)
P-Erik Bedard (20/159)
B-Brandon Morrow (19/156)
In this league, I plan on trading Russel Martin or Brian McCann and maybe a bench player or pitcher for a legit 3B and shoring up my pitching throughout the year mainly on the free agent market. I don't trust pitchers at all-they are far too injury prone and inconsistent-so therefore i feel it is okay to go off of potential then find some diamonds that fell threw the cracks and focus on batting categories.
Team 2 will be posted tomorrow. Thanks everyone for visiting. If you have any fantasy questions-baseball, football, basketball-comment me with your question and I will do my best to help you all out. Best of luck everyone and good night.
I am currently in five baseball leagues, four of which have drafted. My "strategy" i guess you would call it was to take the best available hitter (slightly biased towards the shallow positions) early and then load up on potential pitchers late, knowing I will be able to pick up several solid starters (ah, hello alliteration) and many a new closer will poke through the waiver wire dirt throughout the year.
Team 1: This league is an 8 team 5X5 format
C-Brian McCann (7/50)
1B-Albert Pujos (1/2)
2B-Dustin Pedroia (4/31)
3B-Russell Martin (C) (6/47)
SS-Jimmy Rollins (2/15)
OF-Carl Crawford (5/34)
OF-Matt Kemp (8/63)
OF-Curtis Granderson (9/66)
Util-Mark Teixeira (1B) (3/18)
B-Chris Davis (1B/3B) (14/111)
B-Troy Tulowitzki (SS) (15/114)
B-Howie Kendrick (2B) 16/127)
B-Lastings Miledge (OF)(17/130)
SP-Felix Hernandez (10/79)
SP-Rich Harden (11/82)
SP-Edison Volquez (12/95) *All three of these picks were by the computer, I was about to get Aramis Ramirez in the 10th, 11th, and 12th rounds but my computer froze...crushing i know
RP-Heath Bell (18/143)
RP-Joel Hanrahan (21/172)
P-Matt Cain (13/98)
P-Erik Bedard (20/159)
B-Brandon Morrow (19/156)
In this league, I plan on trading Russel Martin or Brian McCann and maybe a bench player or pitcher for a legit 3B and shoring up my pitching throughout the year mainly on the free agent market. I don't trust pitchers at all-they are far too injury prone and inconsistent-so therefore i feel it is okay to go off of potential then find some diamonds that fell threw the cracks and focus on batting categories.
Team 2 will be posted tomorrow. Thanks everyone for visiting. If you have any fantasy questions-baseball, football, basketball-comment me with your question and I will do my best to help you all out. Best of luck everyone and good night.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Fantasy Welcome Note
Hello everyone, my name is Eric Palmer and well...lets just say that I am a little bit of a freak when it comes to fantasy sports. I play the three main sports; football, baseball, and basketball. In the upcoming days I will be posting my preseason rankings for Fantasy Football and Fantasy Baseball and will keep you all up to date on the current state of my teams and fantasy news.
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