20 replies to this topic

[cheesesteaks]

I have 9 players that are worthy 1st rounders: 3 QBs (Brady, Brees, Rodgers), 1WR (CJ), 5RBs (McCoy, Rice, Foster, McFadden, Chris Johnson). After those 9 picks there are too many question marks on the remaining RBs. I pick 11th out of 12 in standard league w/ all TDs worth 6pts.

I've generally gone RB, RB in my drafts, but now I'm considering 3 different strategies:
(1) rd 1 RB; rd 2 TE Graham; then going for top RB and WR in the next 2 rds; and a QB in rds 5-8
(2) rd 1 RB; rd 2 QB Stafford; then going for top RB and WR in the next 2 rds; a TE sleep like Gresham/Cook in the late rds
(3) rd 1 QB Stafford; rd 2 TE Graham; then going for top RB and WR in the next 2 rds; then RB-RB in rds 5-6 (in mocks ended up with Turner/Bradshaw/Doug Martin in rd 3, Nicks/Cruz/Dez Bryant in rd 4, Reggie Bush rd 5, Hillis rd 6).

Which strategy appears better picking near the end of round 1? Better to go with more consistent picks and get a leg up on other teams by getting top quality in QB and TE? Or will I be too weak at RB? I think there is great value in WRs in rds 3-9 to wait for them, plus Graham would be top 5 if included with WRs.

[vegassandwich227]

i recently posted pretty much the same topic. i'm sitting at the 12 spot, and feel the same dilemma. i feel like going qb-te is actually the best value, but i'm not a fan of the rb1 options at the end of the 3rd and am really down on grabbing a rb2 at the end of the 5th. if you go qb-te then rb-rb, you miss out on what i consider the only good aspect to that draft slot: the wr options at the end of the 3rd/early 4th. after megatron, there is a huge crop of top wr's that start going in early rd2 and extend into the 3/4 turn...

so, i'm still not sure what i'm doing, but i'm leaning toward having a rd1-2 strategy that allows me to take 2wr's at rd3-4...

also, a lot goes into what the other owners are like in your league...if they are people who draft their 3rd rb's in the 5th rd, then you better grab your rb2 by rd4 OR be really lucky in the rb2 you grab in rd 5/6

[DexterMorgan]

Went McFadden/Julio at 12/13 and couldn't be happier. Was also contemplating Stafford/Best RB but Stafford got taken at 11

[boseshy]

Im in a similar situation but luckily have aaron rodgers as my keeper who will be slotted in the 12th pick of the first round, think im gonna go Graham with the 13th pick and hope two RB's make it back to me at 3/4

[DrG]

Depends a bit on both your scoring and how others draft in your league

[72dolfan]

Im in a similar situation but luckily have aaron rodgers as my keeper who will be slotted in the 12th pick of the first round, think im gonna go Graham with the 13th pick and hope two RB's make it back to me at 3/4

Last season (.5 PPR league), I picked from the 10th spot and took Roddy White and Brees. By the time my 3rd pick rolled around, the best RB available was J Addai or K Moreno. I about Shat myself. Even the rookie Ingram was gone early 3rd round. Guys like Hillis, McFadden, S Greene were kept and counted towards the owner's 5th round picks.

This year, I'll be drafting in a similar spot (11th). I will not go w/o a RB in the first two picks. Of the possible RBs available at the 11th pick, I assume I'll end up with one or two of the following, depending on if I draft one or two RBs;

Forte, Charles, Murray, Lynch........ If I can get two of those, I may just do that. If not, I'll go RB and WR/TE (J Jones or Graham). We do not have a TE position so they count as WRs...

[cheesesteaks]

It is hard to go QB/TE when I have generally drafted RB-RB throughout the years. After several mocks I'm more comfortable with RB/TE since Graham puts up points like a top 5 WR.

Now the question is which RB to go with? Forte who does not get many TDs and has Bush + an improved passing game? Murray and his 2-tds and health concerns? Charles?

[PATSSOX]

It is hard to go QB/TE when I have generally drafted RB-RB throughout the years. After several mocks I'm more comfortable with RB/TE since Graham puts up points like a top 5 WR.

Now the question is which RB to go with? Forte who does not get many TDs and has Bush + an improved passing game? Murray and his 2-tds and health concerns? Charles?

Im in same boat but in 11 spot. I would love to take MJD but im scared to take him and not thrilled with others.

[vegassandwich227]

It is hard to go QB/TE when I have generally drafted RB-RB throughout the years. After several mocks I'm more comfortable with RB/TE since Graham puts up points like a top 5 WR.

Now the question is which RB to go with? Forte who does not get many TDs and has Bush + an improved passing game? Murray and his 2-tds and health concerns? Charles?

from the mocks i've done, going QB-TE leaves you hoping that guys like Martin,Bradshaw,Turner drop...then, IF that happens and you take 2 of those guys, you get a really thin looking WR corps...and with you behind in the WR game, you have to wait a little longer than others to grab your RB3...which is a problem, because you'll need RB depth with the RBs you plan on starting.
all that is ugly...which doesn't mean it's the wrong move, but you better be right that your QB and TE are THAT MUCH BETTER than the later round options.

[We Tigers]

from the mocks i've done, going QB-TE leaves you hoping that guys like Martin,Bradshaw,Turner drop...then, IF that happens and you take 2 of those guys, you get a really thin looking WR corps...and with you behind in the WR game, you have to wait a little longer than others to grab your RB3...which is a problem, because you'll need RB depth with the RBs you plan on starting.
all that is ugly...which doesn't mean it's the wrong move, but you better be right that your QB and TE are THAT MUCH BETTER than the later round options.

I agree with this. Blocking out a pair of start-1 slots when you've got 20+ picks before your next shot gives you very little room to get value if it falls. At either end of a draft, you're super susceptible to positional runs. You have to maintain some flexibility, because you might only see 1-2 premier guys slip to you at 3/4, but especially 5/6, when there will almost certainly be some good QBs and TEs left.

[Fantasy Noob]

A lot depends on scoring setup like already mentioned above but needs to be reiterated.

You might be able to pull this off in a full 1ppr league because WR is so deep this year and you could load up on pass catching RB's late. I can see maybe a Brees-Graham combo if you get 6 pnts for TD's and 1ppr but I don't particularly like Newton/Stafford as first rounders (just to be clear Graham is the top TE you are targeting right?). I really don't like TE in the first two rounds but I am old fashioned, how old fashioned? I am about to recommend you go RB/RB in rounds 1 and 2 with a late pick this year.

I like the DMC/Charles combo myself and if either of those RB's are taken only then take a WR. I think its a mistake to let DMC or Charles fall into the late second round (too big an advantage for a team with a top 3 pick to pair an upside RB like this and have a dominate backfield). I am gambling that one of those guys finishes top 5RB numbers by the end of the year and potentially both could do it. Thats the risk I am taking this year in every league I have a 8th or later pick. It also lets you take full advantage of how deep WR is this year in the middle rounds. I have ended up with an electric squad that is very boom or bust oriented with some solid depth to back them up.

It's not the only way to go and it is very risky but I am pretty happy with my team so far.

[GobbleDog]

I don't know my draft position yet, but if it's late like you... I've already made up my mind that I'll take Stafford #1. The best RB in round 2. A WR in round 3. Then decide between RB and WR in round 4.

I'll take my chances on a TE later.

[the spanker]

I'm in a 12-man league 6pts per TD and I'm drafting from the 11th spot. I'm seriously considering taking the best RB in the first and Mathews in the 2nd. Mathews was a top 5 pick before his injury and getting him in the 2nd may be a blessing (talking PPR). He's one of the few bellcow RBs who's potential is thru the roof. Also I'm very afraid the 1-3 owners of Rice, Foster, and MCcoy will take him (I know they will if he falls that far, two turns to take him) and that backfield would be lethal.

Any thoughts on this? Only other guy I like is MJD there.

[greenegt]

I'm trying to decide what to do, as well. I've got 12th pick in a 12-team PPR league. 6 pts for all TDs. We also start 1 RB, 1WR, and two RB/WR flex spots, so I only have to start 1 RB a week. My thinking has gone all over the place from RB/WR, to WR/WR, to WR/TE, to QB/RB, etc. In the end, I think I'll go with the safest picks available, at whatever possition, and go from there.

[vegassandwich227]

I'm in a 12-man league 6pts per TD and I'm drafting from the 11th spot. I'm seriously considering taking the best RB in the first and Mathews in the 2nd. Mathews was a top 5 pick before his injury and getting him in the 2nd may be a blessing (talking PPR). He's one of the few bellcow RBs who's potential is thru the roof. Also I'm very afraid the 1-3 owners of Rice, Foster, and MCcoy will take him (I know they will if he falls that far, two turns to take him) and that backfield would be lethal.

Any thoughts on this? Only other guy I like is MJD there.

Most importantly, you shouldn't draft Mathews because you're scared of what another team will look like if you pass and they take him (especially since it's 8 picks later). These are your first two picks...if you want a guy take him, and if you don't, then don't. This is a year where it's a huge advantage having one of the first three picks, because RBs are so dicey after the top 3 RBs...not much you can do about it (except do an auction league!).

That said, I have the 12th pick in my main league, and will likely either go QB-RB (stafford and top available) or RB-RB. My rb order after the top 3 is:
dmc
cj
murray
forte
...and then it's anybody's guess for me (and frankly i'm not in love with any of those guys i just listed)...i won't take mjd, even if he signs, because of what i saw in cj2k last year...my rank after this is(and this will probably change 5 times every day until my draft):
mathews
adp
lynch
richardson
s jax
charles

if i go qb-rb in rd1-2, i'll be taking a rb in rd3-4, and given how mocks are going, i'll likely grab someone like martin, bradshaw, turner, or sproles. i'll grab a wr with my other 3-4 pick, then go wr-wr in rd5-6 and use rd 7-8 for a rb3 and a te...

if i go rb-rb in rd1-2, i'll go wr-wr in 3-4 and qb-wr in rd 5-6, hoping one of ryan/eli/rivers falls to me there...if they don't, since i'm down on romo and manning, i may just grab my wr3 there and take a couple lower tier qb's later and hope one breaks out

still not sure which way i'm leaning, and it will probably depend on what rb's fall to me in rd1.

lastly, i'm not even considering a wr with my top2 picks, given my draft spot, and given the premium wr options available at rds3-4...i would choose gronk/graham over any wr that i'd consider in early rd2

[cyclone24]

Im at the 10.....i was going to go RB-TE-WR-WR-RB......but im actually high on SJAx and Jamal Charles this year...and with Matthews injury....hes available on the turn...and im ok with that risk of maybe taking a hit of not having him week one....but having a top 6 guy the rest of the way.

So ive changed my tune a bit watching preseason.

Im going RB, Rb, WR, Wr....then best available with a preference towards a WR, then TE then QB....i want value RB's later. They get hurt too much.

[the spanker]

Most importantly, you shouldn't draft Mathews because you're scared of what another team will look like if you pass and they take him (especially since it's 8 picks later). These are your first two picks...if you want a guy take him, and if you don't, then don't. This is a year where it's a huge advantage having one of the first three picks, because RBs are so dicey after the top 3 RBs...not much you can do about it (except do an auction league!).

That said, I have the 12th pick in my main league, and will likely either go QB-RB (stafford and top available) or RB-RB. My rb order after the top 3 is:
dmc
cj
murray
forte
...and then it's anybody's guess for me (and frankly i'm not in love with any of those guys i just listed)...i won't take mjd, even if he signs, because of what i saw in cj2k last year...my rank after this is(and this will probably change 5 times every day until my draft):
mathews
adp
lynch
richardson
s jax
charles

if i go qb-rb in rd1-2, i'll be taking a rb in rd3-4, and given how mocks are going, i'll likely grab someone like martin, bradshaw, turner, or sproles. i'll grab a wr with my other 3-4 pick, then go wr-wr in rd5-6 and use rd 7-8 for a rb3 and a te...

if i go rb-rb in rd1-2, i'll go wr-wr in 3-4 and qb-wr in rd 5-6, hoping one of ryan/eli/rivers falls to me there...if they don't, since i'm down on romo and manning, i may just grab my wr3 there and take a couple lower tier qb's later and hope one breaks out

still not sure which way i'm leaning, and it will probably depend on what rb's fall to me in rd1.

lastly, i'm not even considering a wr with my top2 picks, given my draft spot, and given the premium wr options available at rds3-4...i would choose gronk/graham over any wr that i'd consider in early rd2

Not considering going WR in 2nd?

[vegassandwich227]

Not considering going WR in 2nd?

well, if i must be literal, of course i considered it, but it's the option i like the least, because i have wr's 2 thru wr 13 all projected around the same...so, to me, you can pretty much get the same wr you draft at the start of the 2nd as you can at the end of the 3rd...that can't be said for qb, rb, or te

[greenegt]

well, if i must be literal, of course i considered it, but it's the option i like the least, because i have wr's 2 thru wr 13 all projected around the same...so, to me, you can pretty much get the same wr you draft at the start of the 2nd as you can at the end of the 3rd...that can't be said for qb, rb, or te

That's a great point. Depending on who is available, I'll probably take some combination of QB, RB, TE at the turn.

[cyclone24]

Just to throw this in there......many of the mocks Ive done ive locked up two rbs early (Usually Forte and SJAX), then in round 3 the best WR avail (Usally a Roddy or Greg Jennings) and getting Matt Ryan or Vick on the round 4 turn. And then a WR in rd 5.


So usually looks like:

Ryan
Forte
SJAX
Roddy
Jennings
Bowe


And ill look at value TE's (who are similar after the big 2) like Gonzo, Gresham, Tamme, etc. Not much variance in those guys.

[the spanker]

well, if i must be literal, of course i considered it, but it's the option i like the least, because i have wr's 2 thru wr 13 all projected around the same...so, to me, you can pretty much get the same wr you draft at the start of the 2nd as you can at the end of the 3rd...that can't be said for qb, rb, or te

Julio jones may be an exception to your rule.