5th Round Commentary

[Jetdoc 20]

As usual, the 2nd day of the draft has been lights-out. 3 rounds cranked out, and Thursday should also be a pretty hoppin' day.

 

So, are you fillin' out the final non-TE starter spot this round, or pulling the surprise and snagging a backup?

[Fumbleweed 547]

I had hoped Santonio Holmes would make it back to 5.06. Wishful thinking on that one.

 

I love Clash's team....I normally do. Of course getting the #1 pick now in 371 consecutive drafts doesn't hurt....

[Da Bomb 0]

normally i see pretty eye to eye with clash, so im surprised that this is now 4 picks in a row of his that i dont care for. just not super high on royal or santonio, though cant argue with the ADP of either pick. i was REAL glad to get 85 when i did, seeing the dropoff from him to either of these guys or the others left. santonio, for all his 4th round pick placements, has yet to put up a season worth of more than a poor WR2. not sure one huge SB catch is going to change that.

 

heading home, will check back in a few minutes.

[Clash of the Titans 1]

I had hoped Santonio Holmes would make it back to 5.06. Wishful thinking on that one.

 

I love Clash's team....I normally do. Of course getting the #1 pick now in 371 consecutive drafts doesn't hurt....

 

 

lol...i didn't ask for it this time.........

[remote controller 143]

I had Holmes picked out for Clash since he went on the clock. I like it much better tahn the Royal pick.

 

This pick won't be very popular, but I will be getting my #5 QB in the 5th round, and I am tickled about it. If I don't jump here I will lose a chance at my 6th, 7th, and 8th Qb, before I pick again, and I plan on grabbing another one on the next corner. I did not expect to have the luxary to go Qb here, but I am happy with my #1's and 2's at RB, and WR. I will gladly take Mr. McNabb as my Qb. I had him slated to fall at the end of this round, on the corner, but decided to give him a call and liked what he had to say!! TE and my RB3 were my only other considerations at this point. I can't wait to see what shakes out in rounds 5 and 6.

 

3800 combined and 28 Td's is my projection. Time to go to bed, because I'm old.

 

Edited to add I made a mistake above: 3,800 passing and 200 on the ground for 4,000 combinedand 28 Td's

 

He had 4063 last year and 25 Td's, so I haven't stuck my neck out. With additons on the line and new weapons like Maclin and McCoy I feel I was conservative.

[Da Bomb 0]

sorry folks, internet's been dead. let me take a look and get a pick in.

 

the mcnabb pick is a shocker to me. the QB order has been really baffling so far. guys i thought wouldve been the 4th and 5th and 6th taken, and solid 4th round picks, are still sitting there. and i wouldnt have been stunned to see rodgers or mcnabb slip into the 6th.

[Da Bomb 0]

this was a tough call for me. on the one hand, theres one WR that really stands out like a sore thumb to me as a guy i expect to have a terrific season and someone that i feel way better about than anyone else at this point. and obviously i need WR help.

 

on the other hand, there is gates. in a league where TE is not mandatory, i feel like people would start sniffing him by now normally. in a league where we start one of these guys every time, he is gold here. last season was a bit of a disappointment but he still had 700/8 and played most of the season with a toe injury that he was still recovering from offseason surgery. this season that issue is gone, and his production should be back to top notch. that means 900-1000 yards plus 9-10 TDs, good for 150+ points from the TE position. the wr i was looking at would be in great shape if he put up 150 points, and there are alot more 110 and 120 point wrs out there than TEs waiting for me later.

 

the reason it was difficult of course is that now i will be looking at a WR corps of 85 and then guys at 6.10 or later, and that obviously is going to hurt. its going to leave me with one of the weakest WR corps in the league. but its also going to leave me with what i feel pretty comfortably is a top 3 qb (peyton), a top 3 te (gates), and a top 3 rb tandem (mjd/mb3). and each of those could very well be #1 any given week or for the season. id rather build strength than scramble to recover weakness.

 

in a real league at this point, id be looking to trade up and pay whatever price necessary to get that other wr on my board. id be offering my 6/7 both for someones pick here and a 9 or 10 if necessary to get the job done. in this league i'll just have to be creative and find some diamonds in the rough. ive got my eye on a few for later.

[Clash of the Titans 1]

i thought i put you to sleep waiting to pick da bomb

 

 

i was hoping moreno, thomas, mcfaddden or ocho would have made it back to me but they didn't

 

i like holmes and royal to do really well this year....royal had 91 catches....which is incredible for a rookie....i think royal is gonna be a force for years....the fact that marshall may likely be suspended and this team is gonna be playing catchup all year bodes well for another great season.......

 

 

the draft has gone really up to par but i agree with da bomb i thought a couple of other qbs would have gone before mcnabb especially with the news about westbrook today

[Clash of the Titans 1]

this was a tough call for me. on the one hand, theres one WR that really stands out like a sore thumb to me as a guy i expect to have a terrific season and someone that i feel way better about than anyone else at this point. and obviously i need WR help.

 

on the other hand, there is gates. in a league where TE is not mandatory, i feel like people would start sniffing him by now normally. in a league where we start one of these guys every time, he is gold here. last season was a bit of a disappointment but he still had 700/8 and played most of the season with a toe injury that he was still recovering from offseason surgery. this season that issue is gone, and his production should be back to top notch. that means 900-1000 yards plus 9-10 TDs, good for 150+ points from the TE position. the wr i was looking at would be in great shape if he put up 150 points, and there are alot more 110 and 120 point wrs out there than TEs waiting for me later.

 

the reason it was difficult of course is that now i will be looking at a WR corps of 85 and then guys at 6.10 or later, and that obviously is going to hurt. its going to leave me with one of the weakest WR corps in the league. but its also going to leave me with what i feel pretty comfortably is a top 3 qb (peyton), a top 3 te (gates), and a top 3 rb tandem (mjd/mb3). and each of those could very well be #1 any given week or for the season. id rather build strength than scramble to recover weakness.

 

in a real league at this point, id be looking to trade up and pay whatever price necessary to get that other wr on my board. id be offering my 6/7 both for someones pick here and a 9 or 10 if necessary to get the job done. in this league i'll just have to be creative and find some diamonds in the rough. ive got my eye on a few for later.

 

 

the following is why i couldn't bring myself to taking gates this year- if he was healthy i am sure i would have taken him there- under normal circumstances would be tremendous value at 5.3....... but since he hurt his toe against the titans in that 2008 playoff game he just hasn't looked the same- he appeared to struggle just cutting last season..........i am really leery of drafting of him because i am afraid he may be breaking down....

 

 

SD TE Antonio Gates sat out May minicamp due to soreness in his injured big toe, and lingering effects from a late season high ankle sprain. 'I don't know how I got through last season,' Gates said. 'The toe bothered me for months and then I hurt the ankle. But, somehow, I made it through.' The toe is said to be 'structurally' fine, but pain management is obviously part of the package for Gates with this injury. He should be ready for training camp.

[Ace08 11]

Thrilled to have DeSean Jackson as my WR#3 in a league where it's mandatory to start 3 WR. I expect big things from Mr. Jackson this year after his solid rookie campaign.

[remote controller 143]

DeSean is a nice #3 wideout. He is among a group 4 others that top my list at this time. He is a big reason I took McNabb with my last pick. I knew it wouldn't be a popular pick but that's not the point of the mock. I had 3 other Qb's locked together in a tier that McNabb headlined, and I did not think they would make it back to me at pick 6.11. I figured there was a chance I might get one of them, but I wanted to decide which of them I got. I considered Gates but like 2 other TE's better at this point. Bomb makes a great point about a good TE in this format, and I agree. I feel I got my top 5 QB, I feel I can still get my top 5 TE, I have my top 3 #1RB, and landed my #4 and #8 Wr.

[Fumbleweed 547]

CRAP!!

 

I was salivating over DeSean Jackson falling to me at 5.06. That is disheartening. I think he could put #1 WR numbers this year and I came SO close to taking him where I took Bryant. That is frustrating.

 

This next pick will be pure VBD. I refuse to reach for any one position when I feel a player is a reach, so we'll see what happens.

 

Great pick, Ace.

[remote controller 143]

Fumble is setting us up for another QB grab!! j/k

[JScott 20]

This next pick will be pure VBD. I refuse to reach for any one position when I feel a player is a reach, so we'll see what happens.

 

Hands off my guy Fumble... you just march yourself right back to reaching on a position of need mr.

[Jetdoc 20]

The DeSean pick threw me for a loop as well. I had him targeted at 5.05, figuring he'd very nicely round out my WR corp.

 

Oh well, I'll settle on Warner, even though he's a pretty risky pick in the 5th round. He was the last in this tier of QB's (in my rankings, at least).

[Fumbleweed 547]

Fumble is setting us up for another QB grab!! j/k

 

Nope. Oddly enough (and this is VERY odd given the history of this particular mock), the value right now is at the running back position. Pretty bizarre stuff.

[JScott 20]

Nope. Oddly enough (and this is VERY odd given the history of this particular mock), the value right now is at the running back position. Pretty bizarre stuff.

 

This is something I felt from the start... hence my WR/QB (or could have been WR/WR) start. Ironically, as we get further into the RBBC era of pro football, I feel the RB position is deep this season and very good value can be had in rounds 3-5

[JScott 20]

5.07 - Joseph Addai, RB IND

 

 

Nothing worse than targeting a player watching him drop and then get taken one pick before you. I thought this is who Fumble was going to grab with his VBD pick. But everyone ahead of me in this round already had two RBs so I thought I was in the clear. Luckily I have a solid second option...

[Ace08 11]

This is something I felt from the start... hence my WR/QB (or could have been WR/WR) start. Ironically, as we get further into the RBBC era of pro football, I feel the RB position is deep this season and very good value can be had in rounds 3-5

 

+1000%

 

I don't regret taking a receiver at #4 at all. Like I said in the other thread the RB-RB thing to start a draft is a thing of the past IMO.

[Da Bomb 0]

i was really surprised to see warner get taken as late as he did. i expected him to be in the top tier of 4 QBs to go, probably 4th, but maybe late 3rd or definitely in the 4th after his huge year last year.

 

amazing how far addai has fallen too. that could be a huge slam dunk pick for someone in the 5th round. especially if you are taking him as a 5th round upside guy, pretty amazing upside for right there.

[JScott 20]

Nothing worse than targeting a player watching him drop and then get taken one pick before you. I thought this is who Fumble was going to grab with his VBD pick. But everyone ahead of me in this round already had two RBs so I thought I was in the clear. Luckily I have a solid second option...

 

Following up on my "quality RBs in the 3-5 rounds"... missed Addai by a pick, but the #5 RB from 2008 is a VERY nice fall back. Plus I believe TJ's cuff would be cheaper than Addai's, so that is an added benefit overall.

 

Jones is an enigma... everywhere he goes he's expected to be the backup yet he always wins the starting job (ARI, TB, CHI) and produces. Over the last 5 seasons he's topped 1300 combined yards. He went nuts last season on TDs and I don't expect that again this seaon. And Yes, the backfield is a little more crowded this year, but I still expect 8 - 10 with 1250 which is very nice production from the 5th round.

[remote controller 143]

i was really surprised to see warner get taken as late as he did. i expected him to be in the top tier of 4 QBs to go, probably 4th, but maybe late 3rd or definitely in the 4th after his huge year last year.

 

amazing how far addai has fallen too. that could be a huge slam dunk pick for someone in the 5th round. especially if you are taking him as a 5th round upside guy, pretty amazing upside for right there.

Totally agree on Addai. Last year the consideration was would he go before the 5th or 6th pick, this year it's the 5th or 6th round!!!

I passed on Warners stellar performance last year, and just have a real strnage feeling about him and the Cardinals this year. It's definitly nothing scientific, just a post Super Bowl hunch. I love the guy, and he went to my College in Cedar Falls IA.(UNI!!) He sometimes seems to have trouble keeping momentum from one year to next, and this year follows the let down of the Super Bowl loss. He has also lost the back that protected him from the blitz. I just don't get warm and fuzzy feelings about the Cardinals this year. There was another QB I strongly considered with McNabb.

[Da Bomb 0]

+1000%

 

I don't regret taking a receiver at #4 at all. Like I said in the other thread the RB-RB thing to start a draft is a thing of the past IMO.

 

i still completely disagree with this. RB-RB is simply a choice you make. and especially with more and more people like you moving away from RB early, they have become value again and are worth that pick. lets say for example that you are sitting at 2.10 and you can either take your #10 ranked RB or your #7 ranked WR. so you'll start with RB in round 1, WR in round 3 and 4, and this pick sort of hinges on whether round 5 will see you go RB or WR. lets say in round 5, you can either end up taking the #22 RB or #25 WR.

 

#7 WR (175 points) + #20 RB (160 points)

#10 RB (215 points) + #22 WR (135 points)

 

the scenario with the wr first gives you 335 total points. the scenario with the rb first gives you 350 total points. the difference in points that you gain at WR just isnt as much as what you lose at RB, as long as you can still get one of those top RB types.

 

that being said, the difference is 1 ppg. so it really all comes down to your own rankings and preferences. lets say i look at my draft board and i love 85 and think he is a top 15 WR and i can get him at 5.3, while im sitting at 2.10 and dont particularly love the WRs avialable but think someone like marion barber is a likely top 10 runner.... well, the choice is pretty easy. but hey if its last year and im in that spot, i am the one telling people to go ahead and take someone like andre johnson in that early spot and take someone like thomas jones in the 5th round for a top 10 RB you can get there.

 

either way works if you can get the right players. with more and more people moving toward WR, it doesnt mean the value is there, it mostly means that you can put your VBD truly to work at last and pick the most valuable player at a particular spot. the value for most of this draft (end of the 2nd, and then again ever since the late 3rd) has been RB in my eyes.

 

we start 2 RBs, which means that if you are waiting to start a borderline RB as your rb2, you are probably getting something like the #28 RB there. thats roughly 130 points over the season. but a top 15 RB puts up 185 points, a top 10 guy gets you 215+, and a top 5 RB gets you 240+ points.

 

at WR instead, you wait and start a borderline WR as your wr3 and get maybe the #42 WR there. that is an ugly 95 point performer. your top 20 WR is 140 points. your top 10 WR is 165+ points. your top 5 WR gets you 180. heck even your #1 WR last you gets you 215 points.

 

for RB, that #15 RB gives you a 55 point edge over the replacement player, the #10 guy gives you 75, and the top 5 guy gives you a huge 110+ point advantage. for WR instead, your #20 WR gives you a 45 point edge, the #10 guy gives you 70, and the top 5 guy gives you 85 points. if you land the #1 WR, you got a 120 point boost over a replacement type. if you landed the #1 RB instead at your high first round pick, you were up 155 points over a replacement type.

 

rambling, yes. but you can see, the point advantages still ultimately favor the RBs in a non-ppr league. the team with the best RB tandem is most likely the one that is going to win. WRs may be *more* valuable, but fantasy football still comes down to the who has the best RBs. just because there are more average players there doesnt make the superstars any less valuable.

[Da Bomb 0]

amazing to see guys like addai and jones there in an experts mock in the mid 5th round. depending on what you think of either of those guys, you could pretty quickly render my whole essay right there moot.

[remote controller 143]

Looking at the last few picks made, and reading the on going conversation on RB's late, makes me wonder what will become of cuffing this year. Seems even more necessary than ever, given the state of the draft. I know JScott's opinion on this, but I am curious, Without tipping your hand, do you feel that cuffing will be more rampant then ever, to lock in backfields?

[Fumbleweed 547]

Any thoughts on Wells? I know he's been injury prone, but I don't think Hightower has the talent to compete with him in Arizona...

[remote controller 143]

There is literally tons of talent available. This doesn't always seem to be the case as round 6 approaches.

[Ace08 11]

amazing to see guys like addai and jones there in an experts mock in the mid 5th round. depending on what you think of either of those guys, you could pretty quickly render my whole essay right there moot.

 

I think both of those guys are going to be severely effected by RBBC's. I'm looking at the RB's that have been drafted before him in this draft and I think Addai and Thomas are going exactly where they should go......if you take either you're praying for the rookie in Indy or either of the other 2 guys in NY to get hurt...otherwise I think you're getting minimal return on your investment from both players this year.

 

I'll go as far as to say there's at least 2 RB's on the board right now that I'd take over either Addai or Thomas without hesitating.

 

I do like the Chris Wells pick though.....he'll have every opportunity to win that job and will have a passing game that should in theory open up holes (apparently the same holes Hightower failed to find last year?)

[FantasyKing 4]

This is definitely going to be a very weird year in fantasy, every year I say that and every year it seems to get even more difficult. Stars trading teams, stars coming off down years, emerging players, rookies who's impact is not yet sure. This draft alone makes me very glad I traded down in my league, and it's just a 10 teamer.

 

Another thing I saw that I have never seen before, an ADP list had FIVE guys whose highest draft position was #1 overall, and Steven Jackson was not even one of them. Westbrook (maybe not now with latest news), MJD, Forte, Peterson, and Turner. Talent really seems to be spreading throughout the league, in the past it seemed like if you could move up and get multiple 1st/2nd/3rd round picks you would be set but not anymore.

[JScott 20]

Any thoughts on Wells? I know he's been injury prone, but I don't think Hightower has the talent to compete with him in Arizona...

 

Wells is in a good situation, strong passing attack and another young RB to help shoulder the load (although will vulture TDs)... that being said I liked a handful of other RBs better... Also given your roster at the time RB was not a need. I understand your decision not to reach on WR, but if you weren't going to do that (understandable) TE might have been the way to go instead. The final analysis can't happen until your WR corp is filled out but for now I think another direction might have been better.

[remote controller 143]

Any thoughts on Wells? I know he's been injury prone, but I don't think Hightower has the talent to compete with him in Arizona...

I figured you would go rookie back when you posted on Jackson falling in front of you. He is in a great position in Arizona for major contributions. My only concern would be for Warner, depending on how good of a grasp Wells has on protrcting the QB. I don't know that. That will be a major factor on his impact. Moreno is a great pass protector. I'm just not sure on wells.

[Ace08 11]

i still completely disagree with this. RB-RB is simply a choice you make. and especially with more and more people like you moving away from RB early, they have become value again and are worth that pick. lets say for example that you are sitting at 2.10 and you can either take your #10 ranked RB or your #7 ranked WR. so you'll start with RB in round 1, WR in round 3 and 4, and this pick sort of hinges on whether round 5 will see you go RB or WR. lets say in round 5, you can either end up taking the #22 RB or #25 WR.

 

#7 WR (175 points) + #20 RB (160 points)

#10 RB (215 points) + #22 WR (135 points)

 

the scenario with the wr first gives you 335 total points. the scenario with the rb first gives you 350 total points. the difference in points that you gain at WR just isnt as much as what you lose at RB, as long as you can still get one of those top RB types.

 

that being said, the difference is 1 ppg. so it really all comes down to your own rankings and preferences. lets say i look at my draft board and i love 85 and think he is a top 15 WR and i can get him at 5.3, while im sitting at 2.10 and dont particularly love the WRs avialable but think someone like marion barber is a likely top 10 runner.... well, the choice is pretty easy. but hey if its last year and im in that spot, i am the one telling people to go ahead and take someone like andre johnson in that early spot and take someone like thomas jones in the 5th round for a top 10 RB you can get there.

 

either way works if you can get the right players. with more and more people moving toward WR, it doesnt mean the value is there, it mostly means that you can put your VBD truly to work at last and pick the most valuable player at a particular spot. the value for most of this draft (end of the 2nd, and then again ever since the late 3rd) has been RB in my eyes.

 

we start 2 RBs, which means that if you are waiting to start a borderline RB as your rb2, you are probably getting something like the #28 RB there. thats roughly 130 points over the season. but a top 15 RB puts up 185 points, a top 10 guy gets you 215+, and a top 5 RB gets you 240+ points.

 

at WR instead, you wait and start a borderline WR as your wr3 and get maybe the #42 WR there. that is an ugly 95 point performer. your top 20 WR is 140 points. your top 10 WR is 165+ points. your top 5 WR gets you 180. heck even your #1 WR last you gets you 215 points.

 

for RB, that #15 RB gives you a 55 point edge over the replacement player, the #10 guy gives you 75, and the top 5 guy gives you a huge 110+ point advantage. for WR instead, your #20 WR gives you a 45 point edge, the #10 guy gives you 70, and the top 5 guy gives you 85 points. if you land the #1 WR, you got a 120 point boost over a replacement type. if you landed the #1 RB instead at your high first round pick, you were up 155 points over a replacement type.

 

rambling, yes. but you can see, the point advantages still ultimately favor the RBs in a non-ppr league. the team with the best RB tandem is most likely the one that is going to win. WRs may be *more* valuable, but fantasy football still comes down to the who has the best RBs. just because there are more average players there doesnt make the superstars any less valuable.

 

I understand what you're saying but I completely disagree with this logic...I always have disagreed with this logic everytime someone on the board has tried to use it as a rebuttal. You're using PY stats to justify current year draft slotting based on possible total aggregate points. I'm not going to go into a long deposition here (I've been planning to do a long write up for the main board in the near future) but let's just say you're not looking at the bigger picture if you think a Marion Barber or any other RB you're getting in the second round couldn't be easily matched at seasons end by a Marshawn Lynch, Pierre Thomas, or Moreno type of player that can be had 2-3 rounds later. Meanwhile in those 2-3 round you're accumulating and stacking the remaining part of your core lineup. I'll admit it's a weird year...but I'm looking at what's available at WR right now and I wouldn't be happy with much of what's left at WR in my starting lineup. Conversely I still see some nice options at running back.

 

Every year is a different animal. I've just noticed that as the years have gone by it's become easier and easier to get quality RB's late...that's why it would take quite a set of circumstances on draft day for me to go RB-RB at this point.

 

Mind you...back in the day I was MR RB-RB. I just don't see the value in doing that anymore, not in this day and age.

[Jetdoc 20]

patriotsfatboy should be making his pick in the next 15 minutes...he got stuck at work.

[Patriotsfatboy1 1,432]

patriotsfatboy should be making his pick in the next 15 minutes...he got stuck at work.

I am back. I notice that that the a-holes in front of me took all of the guys that I was hoping would slip a little more.

[Da Bomb 0]

I understand what you're saying but I completely disagree with this logic...I always have disagreed with this logic everytime someone on the board has tried to use it as a rebuttal. You're using PY stats to justify current year draft slotting based on possible total aggregate points. I'm not going to go into a long deposition here (I've been planning to do a long write up for the main board in the near future) but let's just say you're not looking at the bigger picture if you think a Marion Barber or any other RB you're getting in the second round couldn't be easily matched at seasons end by a Marshawn Lynch, Pierre Thomas, or Moreno type of player that can be had 2-3 rounds later. Meanwhile in those 2-3 round you're accumulating and stacking the remaining part of your core lineup. I'll admit it's a weird year...but I'm looking at what's available at WR right now and I wouldn't be happy with much of what's left at WR in my starting lineup. Conversely I still see some nice options at running back.

 

Every year is a different animal. I've just noticed that as the years have gone by it's become easier and easier to get quality RB's late...that's why it would take quite a set of circumstances on draft day for me to go RB-RB at this point.

 

Mind you...back in the day I was MR RB-RB. I just don't see the value in doing that anymore, not in this day and age.

 

like i said, its all about the players you like. last year i drafted thomas jones as a starter in the 4th or 5th in literally every league i was in, and that allowed me to take WRs earlier on. this year i dont feel comfortable taking someone here as my regular starter and getting decent production whereas i still see a whole bunch of WRs id feel just fine starting.

 

i would say YOU are not looking at the bigger picture if you dont think i can get a WR late in the draft that gives me value, the same way you can get a RB late. and there are still a lot more WRs who will contribute late or out of nowhere than there are RBs. i look at the RB list from last year and the top 18 finishers (who would make up a "good" starter on any team) were drafted in the first 7 rounds of any respectable league last year. not so with WRs.

 

it all comes down to opinion on players. im not saying RB-RB is the only way to go "anymore" because its never been the only way to go for me. but i still say that youd be absolutely crazy to draft a WR in the top 5 picks and that it would take a pretty special pair of players to just ditch RB all together in the first two or three rounds. you say you have an eye for later RB talent. i happen to have an eye for later QB and WR talent. i like surefire RB studs to carry my team, not wishy washy rbbc types that i have to guess on each week. build around what you like.

[Ace08 11]

like i said, its all about the players you like. last year i drafted thomas jones as a starter in the 4th or 5th in literally every league i was in, and that allowed me to take WRs earlier on. this year i dont feel comfortable taking someone here as my regular starter and getting decent production whereas i still see a whole bunch of WRs id feel just fine starting.

 

i would say YOU are not looking at the bigger picture if you dont think i can get a WR late in the draft that gives me value, the same way you can get a RB late. and there are still a lot more WRs who will contribute late or out of nowhere than there are RBs. i look at the RB list from last year and the top 18 finishers (who would make up a "good" starter on any team) were drafted in the first 7 rounds of any respectable league last year. not so with WRs.

 

it all comes down to opinion on players. im not saying RB-RB is the only way to go "anymore" because its never been the only way to go for me. but i still say that youd be absolutely crazy to draft a WR in the top 5 picks and that it would take a pretty special pair of players to just ditch RB all together in the first two or three rounds. you say you have an eye for later RB talent. i happen to have an eye for later QB and WR talent. i like surefire RB studs to carry my team, not wishy washy rbbc types that i have to guess on each week. build around what you like.

 

Who's saying 'wishy washy" rbbc types? All those guys I mentioned in the earlier thread who were available in the round 4 and 5 area are solid starters. Some of which I project higher point totals for than some of the "consensus" guys taken way earlier.

 

Like you said....it is all about who YOU like. All I'm saying is RB-RB is by no means the rule of thumb anymore. I was in 3 big money leagues last year....none of the winners went RB-RB...or even RB-WR-RB. The winning teams were dominated by the Mojo's, Forte's, and Chris Johnson's of the world who were all selected late. I see at least 3 or 4 guys this year that fit EXACTLY those molds and can be had just as late.

 

And the reason late RB's work out so much is because of the nature of the position....RB's get hurt, that's what they do. They take hits on every down and year off their lives on every play. WR turnover due to injury is nowhere near as high and thus much harder to predict.

[robb 81]

Thank you all.....for not taking the running back I really wanted at this pick!!

 

I think Benson has great upside, new blocking back to open up holes for him, very little competition, a rookie who I don't think will take many touches away from him.....and he was excellent at the end of last season! I know, many of you will have issues with him, but that is based on his past and being in Chicago. IMO-a very good value pick at 5.10 to get a starting running back with no RBBC.

[Jetdoc 20]

Very interesting debate. While I agree with Ace08 that the RB talent in the 2nd and 3rd round isn't that far off from the talent available in the 4th and 5th rounds, I definitely see Bomb's view that the early-to-mid 1st round RB's are still very hard to pass on for another position. They simply function as the "anchor" to your squad, and give you much more flexibility in your draft selections.

 

For the past few years this has been my strategy in my different leagues, and it has worked pretty well. It's amazing how a solid corp of WR's can allow you to RBBC your RB2 and RB3 positions into success, but 2 "good" RB's might not take you that far if you're scrambling for WR help.

 

For example, the following team took me to the Landry league championship game last year:

 

RB Frank Gore

WR Anquan Boldin

WR Marvin Harrison

WR Plaxico Burress

WR TJ Houshmanzadeh

 

My other RB's were nothing but RBBC guys (i.e. Ward, Thomas, Hightower), but worked great if you made the right lineup decision week in, week out.

 

Definitely a mix of opinions on the matter, though.

[Ace08 11]

Thank you all.....for not taking the running back I really wanted at this pick!!

 

I think Benson has great upside, new blocking back to open up holes for him, very little competition, a rookie who I don't think will take many touches away from him.....and he was excellent at the end of last season! I know, many of you will have issues with him, but that is based on his past and being in Chicago. IMO-a very good value pick at 5.10 to get a starting running back with no RBBC.

 

In this format this is a very good pick......clear cut starter who gets goal line carries and all the between the tackles work. The Bengals have enough talent on offense that , if everyone is healthy, will give Benson enough opportunities to have a good fantasy year. He's a great #3 RB. Nice pick.

[robb 81]

Hey Doc-can you (or anyone) call me at 970-689-8358 when my next selection is up. I am driving to Denver in 40 minutes, and I could then verbally tell you my 6th round selection as I will have my list with me. This way, I won't hold the draft up!