S.F.L. season #2 draft guide

[Corsair]

We're finally ready to draft for football this year!

Having filled the last league slot, I was able to randomize the draft order, so the official draft positions are as follows:

Pick #1 - Team Hennebeck
Pick #2 - Desert Blue
Pick #3 - Drinking Druids
Pick #4 - Tan's Templars
Pick #5 - Bread Puddings
Pick #6 - Dallas Anarchy Corps.
Pick #7 - Portland Xotics
Pick #8 - Karana Storm

That is round one...round two will be in reverse order, so if you pick last in round one you you are first in round two...

Pick #9 - Karana Storm
Pick #10 - Portland Xotics
Pick #11 - Dallas Anarchy Corps.
Pick #12 - Bread Puddings
Pick #13 - Tan's Templars
Pick #14 - Drinking Druids
Pick #15 - Desert Blue
Pick #16 - Team Hennebeck

Then in round three we go back to the round one order, etc etc.

The draft is scheduled in pencil for 6:30 Pacific time Wednesday evening. (9:30 Eastern.) If you cannot make it, please suggest a couple alternate times, and if possible I will contact others to see if a different plan is better for most folks!

Finally, the draft is set up to work automatically. You can log into your team and change every single player's priority on your list. This list will be used in your absence, so i recommend changing it, even if you plan to make the live draft! This way, if you have a freak disconnection problem, your list will at least help your chances of getting players youy like.   

Okay, that's all for draft info I think...next will be the patent pending pre-draft advice column.....hey. Stop snoring.

[Corsair]

Alright...we have a draft set...now what?

Who to draft..that is the question.

Some of our owners are pretty new to fantasy football, so first a few basic thoughts! Our league has only 8 teams this year...ramifications? Well, for one thing, there are 32 starting NFL Quarterbacks. So that means everyone should get at least a pretty good QB on their team...unless some clever soul grabs two QB stars early.

Running backs will be a bit more scarce, as each team can start two per week...for a total of 16 RB's playing each week possibly. Tradition holds to backs being drafted early and often, but there are also fewer "sure thing" backs this year than some. Also, teams can opt to start one running back and three recievers, which can be really handy to cover your RB'd when they have a bye week!

Wide recievers are plentiful. There will be a lot of good ones on each team, but again there are only a few of them that fall into the "almost sure to score a lot of points" category.

Tight Ends - You need to start one every week, and there are a few really good ones, and after that a few that shoudl be pretty good...after that the dropoff is big....and backup TE's are neither often huge scorers, or overly desirable in trades.

Kicker and Defense - Every NFL team has one, and you need to start one every week. Scoring for D's is hard to predict, and good ones can really be a big factor. That said supply will be greater than demand, so you need not rush to draft a D. Same with a kicker...good scoring here can make the difference, but unlike RB's or QB's, knowing who will have a huge year is pretty impossible to predict...much easier to predict a group of 5 guys..one of whom is likely to be the best at the position...but which one? No one knows. Draft these later in your priority, unless you want to spend a mid round pick on something liek the Chicago Bears or Steelers D.

[Menemas]

As the season starts on thursday, we're running out of options.  Tuesday would work well at about those times.  But don't reschedule for me if Wednesday is best for others.

Menemas

[Corsair]

One man's opinion on some stars, and some sleeper picks...as well as a few guys to avoid come draft day!

Players to avoid like the black plague
1. Domanic Davis - Texans: Out for the year with a knee injury.
2. Koren Robinson - Vikings: Suspended for like his 13th DUI in the last 5 years, and arrested for trying to evade the cops when they pulled him over. His career is probably over
3. Ricky Williams - Dolphins: After a comeback last season from a pot unduced haze, he failed another drug test and is out for the year..maybe forever. He also got hurt playing in the Canadian league when the NFL suspended him for this year.

Notes on a few stars
1. Carson Palmer - Bengals: Coming off getting his knee ligaments replaced. He came back to play in the last two preseason games and looked good, so he seems less risky than might be expected. There is still risk, but this guy also carries a lot of potential reward. If his health is to be trusted, he is the #2 QB prospect in football this year to Peyton Manning.
2. Terrell Owens - Cowboys: After the blowup last year between Owens and the Eagles/McNabb, Owen is on a new team...and in teh same division as the Eagles to boot! He has been nursing a sore hamstring, and so comes with soem risk. When on teh field though, he is dominant. He might or might not have a great honeymoon season in him with the Cowboys, and at teh very least will want to utterly crush the Eagles in both games he gets to play them this year. A classic boom-bust pick.
3. Edgerrin James - Cardinals: James has been a true star with the Colts for years. However the Cardinals just are not as good. James should still be a top back, but it seems unlikely he can produce numbers liek last year...still...nothing is impossible.
4. Clinton Portis - Redskins: Dislocated his shoulder amonth ago. He has not been eexposed to any playing time since while he heals. If healthy, he is a top RB, even if he loses some goal line carries to TJ Duckett. He looks to be a Tiki Barber with more health risks now.

Sleepers
1. Daunte Culpepper - Dolphins: New team, coming off a major injury and a terrible season in general. However he looks pretty healthy, like Carson Palmer. He also has looked fairly crisp...so while still some risk...he could suprise and be a pretty good QB again this year. It would be a huge comeback, but it is very doable. He will not put up the monster numbers of his best seasons with the Vikings and Randy Moss..but he might be very good.
2. Mike Bell - Broncos: This guy might start for teh Broncos all season, and get 2/3 of the RB work. If that happens, he is going to be a valuable #2 back this year and start all season for your fantasy team. However, his current position on teh depth chart is very precarious. There are two other more experienced backs that could take over at any moment, Tatum Bell and even Cedric Cobbs. Mike Bell was not even drafted this year...he signed after the draft passed him by as an un-drafted free agent.
3. Cedric Cobbs - Broncos: Yep...same team and position as the guy above. Cobbs is the #3 RB for his team right now, but could vault to #1 in the early weeks of teh season. If Mike Bell drops a fumble or two, Cobbs is possibly the most likely replacement as a starter.
4. Drew Bledsoe - Cowboys: Want a QB that might put up top 5 numbers but be the 8-10th QB drafted? Bledsoe might be for you. He had a good year last year, and now has TO...if you do not believe in TO, then do not expect anything more from Bledoe than last year...which was good for him BTW...
5. Wali Lundy - Texans: Remember that part in players to avoid about Dominic Davis being out for teh year...well guess who the new starting RB for the Texans is? Yep, rookie Wali Lundy. Unlike Mike Bell, this guy was drafted in the second round by Houston, so you kow they really like his potential. His potential starts today with Davis aleady out for the year. The Texans look like a pretty bad team, but Davis has performed well there in the past despite that, and the new coach is more offensively minded.

That is enough for now....so it's time for us to get ready to  

Cheers!

[Noa]

how come my team name isn't what my team name is supposed to be??

[Corsair]

You can change it any time! When you click on your team your team page has a linkie to change team name and or logo at your whim.

If this does not work let me know and I will try to fix it!