Round 3 Commentary

[Da Bomb 0]

Commence.

 

[Fumbleweed 422]

Not thrilled about the Gates pick here.....I actually have a couple of RBs still left on the board valued higher, but I couldn't bring myself to pick 3 RBs in a row here even though I did that in the June Mock. In the June Mock, after choosing my three RBs to start, I had the first pick of the fourth round. Here, I don't pick again until 4.12. I just feared the repurcussions of picking nothing but RBs until 4.12 was more than I was willing to go with.

 

There certainly weren't any QBs I would value this high left....nor WRs, so Gates became the pick by default. Hard to argue with his recent performances. With Johnson in the fold, it's the safe play.

[Da Bomb 0]

i knew you would take antonio gates, fumble. i was really hoping i could snag him at 3.3, but i knew you'd grab him. i actually considered him very hard at 2.10, but i decided that harrison was more valuable to me. if nan had taken a RB and left harrison/moss/boldin all there, i wouldve taken gates at 2.10.

[Da Bomb 0]

can someone refresh me on the rules of the "no hassles" league concept?

[NAn 39]

can someone refresh me on the rules of the "no hassles" league concept?

 

From June Mock Threads:

 

This is mostly for new guys who are going to be a part of the June Mock this year. For the past 5 or 6 years, we have used the June Mock Draft to formulate an actual FF league that runs for 17 weeks during the year in a total points format. Essentially, it called the No-Hassle League because once the draft is over, there's nothing else to be done. There are no trades, no free agent acquisitions during the season....no changing of the roster that gets drafted in any way.

 

Then.....as the season starts, we use a "Best Ball" scoring system to determine each team's weekly points. For example, your top QB for that week, plus your top 2 RBs, plus your top 3 WRs, plus your top TE, K, and D/ST will constitute your overall score.

 

If you have any questions about any of this, please use this thread to ask and I'll try to answer. Otherwise, I will be happy to head this up again this year. Past winners of the No-Hassle league include Captain Lou, JetDoc, myself, and last year....Clash of the Titans. Lou has actually won twice, I believe.

 

I considered doing this with this mock but didn't want to do it if I couldn't commit to it fully.

[Da Bomb 0]

hate the pick at 3.3 that im going to have to make now. was going to have to get a stud WR to fall, or gates, in order to be happy with the pick.

 

i know full well who the next picks are "supposed to be" but i dont like any of them. in a real draft, id trade down about 6-10 picks and not lose any value. instead im going to have to make a pick that will be considered a reach. i have about four options, and i'll get railed on any one of them, so this should be fun.

 

heading to bed, will check in the morning when i get up. should be around 9 central, 10 latest. i'll have net access all day after that, so feel free to send me a list anyone.

 

I considered doing this with this mock but didn't want to do it if I couldn't commit to it fully.

 

wait, so are we doing this for the mock or not? because it will very much affect strategy and picks, at least for me.

[NAn 39]

No, not doing the league thing.

[Erb047 0]

hey fellas im back, thanks for the emails Da Bomb and NAn, I appreciate it!

 

Lets get this thing movin along!

[FantasyKing 4]

I agree with Da Bomb and I wasn't thrilled about my pick there either and probably would've traded down - however it's hard to gauge how far to trade down to get Chris Chambers - I'm pretty high on him this year. If he can put up those kind of stats the last few years that he has with the scrub QBs that have played there, I'm very interested to see what he can do with the new QBs. Plus, that offense is geared toward having one receiver be the focal point of the passing game - and it will definitely be CC. I might've taken Gates had Fumbleweed not done so.

[Fumbleweed 422]

The value early third round is definitely not what I thought/hoped it would be. I think in many drafts, one of the top tier WRs is making it through to the third.....not here. Contrary to what I said to remote in an earlier post, this draft is not going the way of the RB as it usually does......YET.

[FantasyKing 4]

The value early third round is definitely not what I thought/hoped it would be. I think in many drafts, one of the top tier WRs is making it through to the third.....not here. Contrary to what I said to remote in an earlier post, this draft is not going the way of the RB as it usually does......YET.

 

 

I agree - here and in my real drafts at this point I usually try to continue the run on WRs so that hopefully it forces other teams to stretch and take the next WRs a little early which pushes more RBs down for my next pick. This draft is pretty tough so far.

[remote controller 133]

I agree with Da Bomb and I wasn't thrilled about my pick there either and probably would've traded down - however it's hard to gauge how far to trade down to get Chris Chambers - I'm pretty high on him this year. If he can put up those kind of stats the last few years that he has with the scrub QBs that have played there, I'm very interested to see what he can do with the new QBs. Plus, that offense is geared toward having one receiver be the focal point of the passing game - and it will definitely be CC. I might've taken Gates had Fumbleweed not done so.

Nice pick on Chambers. I was able to get him 3.08 in the June Mock and was quite pleased. That allowed me to also have Tiki and Westy to compliment him.

 

The value early third round is definitely not what I thought/hoped it would be. I think in many drafts, one of the top tier WRs is making it through to the third.....not here. Contrary to what I said to remote in an earlier post, this draft is not going the way of the RB as it usually does......YET.

 

I agree - here and in my real drafts at this point I usually try to continue the run on WRs so that hopefully it forces other teams to stretch and take the next WRs a little early which pushes more RBs down for my next pick. This draft is pretty tough so far.

I am quite pleased with the way it is falling so far, though my next pick will have to be the variety many of you have spoke of above, or at least Da bomb. My next pick might be deemed a reach. We'll just have to see if my man falls, otherwise my pick will be "out there"

[Fumbleweed 422]

I'm curious as to why Bomb didn't make his pick last night? He talked like he was going to, but I guess he wanted to sleep on it.........

[Erb047 0]

I love the Chambers pick. I think he'll have a great year in Miami, especially because he's the main man with some pretty good 2 and 3 WRs IMO, that are underrated and could do pretty well with CPep back there.

 

 

I'm prayin that the two guys I want will be there come my pick time, but I'm not sure about them being there at all...

[NAn 39]

Sounds like we all like Chambers this year...he was the guy I thought may have gone before Boldin, but as it worked out Kiing got em both.

 

Yes, the value here is not great, but with many on the Chambers bandwagaon(Gates too for that matter), this is likely about where they'll go come our real drafts.

[FantasyKing 4]

The RBs left on the board after Julius did not thrill me . CC is not a guy in the past I've been that excited about, but last year watching him play got me on the bandwagon.

 

On a side note - I wish we could do that no hassle league thing, I know Fumble already does it for the June Mock but maybe we can figure something out for this.

 

If anybody wants to email me their picks, feel free - I'll be available all day and I don't pick for a loooooooong while.

[remote controller 133]

The RBs left on the board after Julius did not thrill me . CC is not a guy in the past I've been that excited about, but last year watching him play got me on the bandwagon.

 

On a side note - I wish we could do that no hassle league thing, I know Fumble already does it for the June Mock but maybe we can figure something out for this.

It really affects the draft. There are decisions made that skew it from a typical mock. Actually a decision should be made for next year to keep the June Mock a mock, and change this one to the No Hassle concept.

 

For purpose of others following a draft, the No Hassle style mock changes it up substantially. Hard to explain, but if you go through commentary, you will know what I mean.

 

 

I will be out for about 2 hours, so I should be safe. I will check in at noon Central.

[Da Bomb 0]

I'm curious as to why Bomb didn't make his pick last night? He talked like he was going to, but I guess he wanted to sleep on it.........

 

sorry - wasnt my pick yet. im looking now at my couple of options and will pick in 5 minutes. would never sleep on a mock selection.

[Da Bomb 0]

there, i done it.

 

you boys are gonna have some FUN with that one!

 

[FantasyKing 4]

there, i done it.

 

you boys are gonna have some FUN with that one!

 

 

Maybe a bit early - but high risk/high reward, I like CT this year. In my PPR league especially he is bumped up pretty high on my list. Hopefully Minny finally gets rid of that RBRBRBRBBC mess.

[Fumbleweed 422]

there, i done it.

 

you boys are gonna have some FUN with that one!

 

 

Taylor was the #1 overall player on my board when I picked Gates, so you'll get no fun from me.

 

If I had decided to take a third consecutive RB at 3.01, Taylor would have been the guy. He's in a situation in which he should excel. I almost took him at 2.12 as I have he and Julius Jones nearly even in terms of ranking.

 

So...obviously, I like the pick.

[Da Bomb 0]

wow, and i expected to be torn a new one. no worries, im sure some like nan and miller will still put their word in.

 

i considered all of the other options that were frequent choices in the third round here, including about 5 other RBs and five other WRs. there was one WR i was very close to taking but expect a bit of a hit to his numbers this year to make him not much more valuable than the WR i can get later. theres another WR that i probably wouldve taken here if this was a no hassle league. and chambers, if he fell another spot, wouldve obviously been tempting. im not sure if i wouldve taken taylor over him. as far as the RBs, frankly, i just dont like any of them. theres another one which wouldve made for a funny pick, and i tried so very hard to convince myself into him, but i just couldnt.

 

so those are the reasons why i DIDNT take someone else. so why DID i take taylor, even though i thought there was maybe a 25% shot he'd be there at my next pick, and he was far from the most perceived value on the board? simple, because you dont win in fantasy by being conservative, and he was the most valuable player available for me.

 

*minnesota's line will be unbelievably better. assuming birk is healthy again, like all signs are pointing, its like we signed the #1 center and #1 guard in the league in the offseason. plus an upgrade at RG and some added depth. ive always felt that shaun alexander was overrated as a player and that anyone could put up huge stats behind jones and hutch. well, mckinnie is no walter jones, but we have hutch now plus matt birk, the best pulling center in the league, along with tony richardson who is a top 5 blocking fullback (just ask priest and LJ), and i think SOMEONE is going to run for a lot of yardage for minnesota.

 

*chester taylor looks like the starter to me, until he loses the job. he was signed the first day of free agency, the top priority, and given 14 million for 4 years. we also passed on deangelo and hometown maroney in the draft, so it seems to me that they are confident in him. mewelde has had three chances now to take the starting job. he hasnt done it because he cant carry the load (15+ carries in only 3 of 8 starts last year), he isnt durable, hes an awful blocker, and hes just not a complete back. i love him and am glad we have him as a backup, but hes shown that hes not an nfl starter imo. taylor is the starter by default and should get 20+ touches a game until he shows that he cant handle it.

 

*he has the best shot of anyone on minnesota to score TDs. gone are the days of culpepper vulturing, and the days of 2 yard TD passes to cris carter and randy moss. as of this moment, we have no great redzone WR, and brad johnson couldnt run 2 yards to save his life. we also have a stacked left side of the line to run behind. mewelde has already shown hes not good at short yardage. we tried fason last year and he also sucked. again, that leaves taylor as the default option. we simply dont have anyone else, unless they try to use tony richardson. i dont think taylor's going to bust loose for 15 TDs, but he has a pretty good shot at scoring 8 times or more.

 

*receiving numbers look good, and he plays for brad childress. he was like 8th in the league in receptions last year as a backup who had only one start. he should get plenty of catches this season as well, esp with hutch and birk able to be a devastating screen combo. hes not going to be a receiving monster, probably, but he's going to catch a lot of passes and get a lot more yardage than any of the other RBs here through the air.

 

alright, thats long enough. honestly, im not totally sold on chester taylor. i loved when we signed him, and i think he'll be good, but im not sold on him in a fantasy league. but i tried to convince myself into ANYONE else available, and i couldnt. i think hes the best pick here, with the weakest downside, and one of the best upsides.

[Da Bomb 0]

ward was the WR i almost convinced myself into taking. but the roeth situation concerns me, and pitt as a whole concerns me this season. ward isnt a big yardage guy, only about 1000 a season the last two years, so the TDs have to be there. i think he will slip a bit to 6-8 TDs, and even at 1000/8, he wasnt enough better for me than the WRs i could take at my next pick.

 

ETA: nan, can you pin the thread i just started below about sending pick lists? thx.

[NAn 39]

Chester Taylor

Awful pick! Horrible!

Naw, yes a bit early, but we're not trading so I can see him going here...not completely sold on him, but admittedly warming up a bit from recent commentary.

 

Ward

I wouldn't be surprised if this is the WR you considered here but IMO he'll be fine and back to previous years form, as far as recs, bringing his ydage totals back up to go with what I feel is a lock for 10+tds (he's done it 3 of 4 yrs). He's just far and away their best recieving option, but with enough in Miller/Holmes to free him up a bit.

 

There's a couple guys who I considered value wise here, but it came down to fact that they have very little value to me personally.

 

Thoughts?

[thedanzone 2]

I was actually debating between two RBs pretty strongly and ended up with Willie Parker. PIT is committed to the run and the other RB was in a less desirable situation. The other RB probably has more upside, but I went with the safe pick IMo and I hope his goalline carries don't get vultured by Staley.

[Miller_Time_21 0]

Taylor isdefinatly not a guy I will be picking and I'm glad he went where he did, allows other RB's I will consider to slide. I'm just not sold this is his job, he's gonna have to earn it IMO, and Moore is no slouch IMO. I personally just will avoid the situation. However, FF is all about personal prefrence. If you wanted him, you had to take him there, early, but not terriable. He wouldn't be there in the 4th for ya.

[FantasyKing 4]

Maybe we shouldve done a Monday morning check in thread.

[remote controller 133]

Maybe we shouldve done a Monday morning check in thread.

Looks like we need to regroup and get this thing rolling

[Erb047 0]

good pick bomb! I think Taylor is going to have a breakout season. My only question mark for him is his durability, if he can hold up with over 300 touches....But he's got the talent around him to be a very good back. I have complete confidence in his skills, having watched him in Baltimore. Ravens almost lost him to Cleveland last year, but they got him back for a 1 year deal. This year I'm glad to see him get a chance to shine. Good pick once again IMO.

[Da Bomb 0]

surprised to see a pair of pittsburgh guys go here already. i guess no one is concerned at all about big ben being healthy?

[remote controller 133]

surprised to see a pair of pittsburgh guys go here already. i guess no one is concerned at all about big ben being healthy?

Why???? maddox will come back and toss for 5000 and all will be good!! Willy and Ward were solid at this point regardless of Ben in my opinion. So was Chester for your pick, and that choice really comes with as many ???'s. It is that point in the draft. It can drive you nuts, but you just got to go with your gut, and be ready for the comments.

[FantasyKing 4]

surprised to see a pair of pittsburgh guys go here already. i guess no one is concerned at all about big ben being healthy?

 

Ditto - I would not alter my Willie Parker projections too much because they will run no matter who is QB, but will he have as much room to run with Charlie Batch? I definitely lower Hines Ward with this Big Ben injury and also with Randle El gone and Santonio Holmes criminal antics. Teams are just going to line up 3 DBs on Ward.

[Da Bomb 0]

it just strikes me that big ben is one of the 5 most valuable guys to his team in the league. with him, they won a super bowl last year. but if theyre without him, like if he missed a whole season, i think they would struggle to win 5 or 6 games.

 

i honestly cant think of too many other guys who are more valuable to their team that big ben. i wouldnt take FWP this high anyways, and with ward, the injury was enough to scare me just a bit and shy away. that, and the fact that i just dont expect a huge year from ward. not bad picks though, as this is where both are going, i just was surprised to see people taking stillers here as though nothing ever happened.

[NAn 39]

I understand the concern re: Pitt players but have to agree that they will run the ball no matter what and with Ward you have a guy who avgd 95+recs/1200yds/9tds with Maddox/Kordell throwing to him...kind of guy who gets it done, no matter who's throwing to him.

[FantasyKing 4]

I say Shane has until 1:14pm and then we move on...that's 2 hours after the last pick and he has not been around all day. I emailed him and it got returned. I had a bad feeling when I saw 2 newbies in the draft.

[remote controller 133]

I say Shane has until 1:14pm and then we move on...that's 2 hours after the last pick and he has not been around all day. I emailed him and it got returned. I had a bad feeling when I saw 2 newbies in the draft.

We do need to take control of this right away. This is unacceptable movement for the beginning of a draft.

[Da Bomb 0]

We do need to take control of this right away. This is unacceptable movement for the beginning of a draft.

 

i think with the way we started slow over the weekend, we can be forgiving at least as we start up. hopefully we can get rolling and get into the 4th today, and then we can start knocking off 2-3 rounds a day tomorrow.

 

re: ward. nan, i like him too, but your stats are misleading. you make it sound like, well at least in kordell/maddox years, he was still good, when in reality those were his top years. in his two years under roethlisberger, he has averaged 75 catches, 1000 yards, and 8 TDs. his yardage has been consistent, and his TDs not so much. if hes a guy whos only going to get around 1000 yards now, then he has to be a double digit TD lock to be a good pick this high. 1000/8 is not any better than 1200/5, which is what some of the 4th/5th round WRs are. thats why i passed on him. if you believe he can still reach the 10-12 TD plateau, then the pick is sound, but im not so sure and thats why i passed on him personally.

[Erb047 0]

If Shane doesn't make his pick by 4pm I have to email a list for my picks once again...

[thedanzone 2]

it just strikes me that big ben is one of the 5 most valuable guys to his team in the league. with him, they won a super bowl last year. but if theyre without him, like if he missed a whole season, i think they would struggle to win 5 or 6 games.

 

i honestly cant think of too many other guys who are more valuable to their team that big ben. i wouldnt take FWP this high anyways, and with ward, the injury was enough to scare me just a bit and shy away. that, and the fact that i just dont expect a huge year from ward. not bad picks though, as this is where both are going, i just was surprised to see people taking stillers here as though nothing ever happened.

 

Like others have said, I think PIT will stick to the run regardless of who is at QB. ALso, Parker should have more carries and more goal line work with Bettis gone. The O-Line is PIT is regarded as one of the best as well.

 

I just didn't see another option to pair with Tiki and Holt in a QB or WR. It was between two RBs and I thought Parker was the safer pick.

 

Ward is a good talent and should be able to overcome any QB deficits. Maybe a bit early for my taste and compared to one or two others Wrs out there.

[FantasyKing 4]

-jb-

 

I see you lurking around, it's up to NAn but I say you step in and take over for Shane. You ready?