Draft

[Drax]

Nice draft, all! More to follow :)

[Drax]

Had a lot of fun at the draft! Did the whole thing within 1hr 20min, which for a 16 team league is not bad at all! :)

After the first three rounds, I thought Kristin (Ash's gal) had a spectacular team started. Overall, tho', I think I have the best team. ;) But if I exclude myself, I think Car's autodrafted team will be the team to beat - LT, Gonzo, Stephen Davis (when he plays), Brady, J Porter, Driver, sleeper pick Justin Fargas, and perpetual cheerleader Vinny T.

I think the surprise pick of the entire draft was the 4th overall pick of Ben Roethlisberger (QB for Pittsburgh, I think?). I'm betting if the GM had waited until round 15, Roeth would've still been available, mostly b/c most if not all of the draftees had no clue who he was. Tho' that was hindsight at the time, I know... :)

I'm pleased with my performance. Picking 1st in a 16 team snake draft, i thought, would be overwhelming and a near guarantee towards a dismal draft. Instead I got Priest Holmes (shocker :)), Chad Pennington, and Correy Dillon ... Not a shabby first three rounds. Kinda disappointed I didn't get a backup kicker, but that should be easy enough to find a kicker for the bye week. Got a backup for every other position, including TE, and I nabbed two of my three desired sleeper picks, Freddie Mitchell (WR Phi) and Ron Dayne (RB NYG, from whom I expect big big things, as opposed to slippy fingers Tiki :lol:). Also grabbed Eli Manning just for the heck of it. :) For weeks when NYG play weaker defenses... :)

Great job all!

[Erudite]

I was the exact opposite of Drax, picking 16th of 16 teams, and I expected a miserable draft as well. I was surprised that Fred Taylor dropped all the way to 16 and snapped him up, and followed him immediately with Michael Vick. I almost took McNabb instead, and I may regret that later.

I was also surprised by Roethlisberger going so high, especially considering he won't even be the starter in Pittsburgh for the first few weeks at minimum. I was also a little surprised when the same owner took Randel El in the second round despite Plaxico Burress still being available, and I was happy to nab Burress with the last pick of the third round.

I had to settle for Curtis Martin and Travis Minor to round out my running backs, so I hope Taylor has a big year. I'm pleased with my receivers, though, acquiring McCariens, Shockey, Rice, and Calico (a sleeper that I expect will surprise a lot of people) to accompany Burress. And Boldin was still sitting there in the 13th round, so I picked him up too. He'll ride the pine for me while he rehabs his knee.

And of course, I picked up Kordell Stewart with the last pick in the draft. He will be HUGE for me again this year. HUGE, I TELL YOU!

Injuries could kill me this year. I hope Taylor and Vick stay healthy.

Edit - I was very surprised to see Tomlinson drop all the way to the 5th pick. If I'd had the top pick, I'd have taken him even over Priest Holmes. Instead, not only does Roethlisberger go ahead of him but Santana Moss as well? :roll: :? :shock:

[Zyzzyx]

Hmm... mebbe I should log in and see who ended up on my team.

[Gaulron]

Just checked mine and only name I recognized was emmit smith.

[Quervo]

That stupid Auto drafter gave me Ricky Williams... I just droped him and picked up a new RB... on waiver till 8-27.

Bah at least i got 2 players i had listed... I think RW was my second pick of the draft or something...

[Drax]

I was the exact opposite of Drax, picking 16th of 16 teams, and I expected a miserable draft as well. I was surprised that Fred Taylor dropped all the way to 16 and snapped him up, and followed him immediately with Michael Vick. I almost took McNabb instead, and I may regret that later.

I was also surprised by Roethlisberger going so high, especially considering he won't even be the starter in Pittsburgh for the first few weeks at minimum. I was also a little surprised when the same owner took Randel El in the second round despite Plaxico Burress still being available, and I was happy to nab Burress with the last pick of the third round.

I had to settle for Curtis Martin and Travis Minor to round out my running backs, so I hope Taylor has a big year. I'm pleased with my receivers, though, acquiring McCariens, Shockey, Rice, and Calico (a sleeper that I expect will surprise a lot of people) to accompany Burress. And Boldin was still sitting there in the 13th round, so I picked him up too. He'll ride the pine for me while he rehabs his knee.

And of course, I picked up Kordell Stewart with the last pick in the draft. He will be HUGE for me again this year. HUGE, I TELL YOU!

Injuries could kill me this year. I hope Taylor and Vick stay healthy.

Edit - I was very surprised to see Tomlinson drop all the way to the 5th pick. If I'd had the top pick, I'd have taken him even over Priest Holmes. Instead, not only does Roethlisberger go ahead of him but Santana Moss as well? :roll: :? :shock:
Yeah, Erudite, I like LT more than Priest as a RL and fantasy back, but decided on securing the safer of the picks. I was shocked and very happy that I picked up Dillon with the 32-33 pick (interchangeable, since both were me :)).

There were a lot of picks that shocked me, and I wish the best to the teams who made them. Picks like Roeth----, Randle El, Bulger, Rice ... I thought all were potentially risky picks, especially given where a couple were made. To counter that, tho', I know I shocked a few folks with picking Ron Dayne, but like the other owners, I think Thunder may be able to do more than most were expecting...

Only Ash and you drafted someone I wish I could've grabbed .... I would've loved to own Calico! Nice pickup on that one. I also would've loved McCareins, but didn't want too many folks sitting during the first bye week (week 3, when the NYJ have off; I already have Pennington).

[Asharad]

If my running game holds up, I should be in good shape.

Sporting news had McAllister ranked in the top 5 running backs (ahead of Portis). Brown is putting up excellent numbers for Tenn and I think Kevin Jones is the next Clinton Portis.

Hassleback is a strong and steady (and top 5 in terms of fantasy points) quarterback, so I should be okay there, and if not I think Leftwych ahs the potential to be a bit of a sleeper.

I'm weak at WR, but I got a lot of them to make up for it.

[Shiz]

Dillon was a great pick. I was very tempted to take him at 19th, but then I would have had really bad WR options I thought.

Surprises for me (other than Roeth and Williams, of course!):

1) Hasselback so early
2) S. Moss ahead of LT
3) T. Green ahead of Jamal Lewis
4) Getting Warrick so late
5) Getting Brunell so very, very late. He is going to start, right? And Portis will give him some good opportunities.

[Raveneye]

If my running game holds up, I should be in good shape.

Sporting news had McAllister ranked in the top 5 running backs (ahead of Portis). Brown is putting up excellent numbers for Tenn and I think Kevin Jones is the next Clinton Portis.

Hassleback is a strong and steady (and top 5 in terms of fantasy points) quarterback, so I should be okay there, and if not I think Leftwych ahs the potential to be a bit of a sleeper.

I'm weak at WR, but I got a lot of them to make up for it.

On my draft sheets I had McAllister in the top 4 as well, ahead of Portis and Lewis. I also had Hasselback as a top 4 choice at QB. Leftwich is a definte sleeper, he's got good NFL expereince now and a talented pool of options to throw to. WR are a dime a dozen, and starters change regularly throughout the season, so with the exception of the top 10 stub WRs, the rest are pretty interchangeable.

I think you drafted a very strong team there Ash. Kristin didn't do too bad for herself either, and I admire the strategy of picking positions out of the usual order, she gained some stud position players doing that.

[Lycos]

I have to say that my lack of research hurt me when it came to knowing who is hot these days. It's been 3 years since I played last, and a lot of the guys who were hot then are gone or not performing as well these days. Oh well, I'm looking forward to seeing how the league develops as the season progresses. It should be interesting.

[Drax]

Just saw this on ESPN...
Question: Question: Would you draft any rookie quarterbacks for your fantasy team this season?
Well, I do think Eli Manning has a bright future. Can he better than his brother? Let's just say both have lots of talent, and in three years it wouldn't shock me if two of the top five QBs in the game share the last name of Manning. But for this season, it's very unlikely Eli can have a productive and mistake-free season. It's not just that he's a green rookie. It's not just that we've gone many years without seeing a rookie QB have season like Dan Marino had, or even close. Even Peyton Manning had some troubles as a rookie. And those Colts were at about the same level as these current Giants. New York has a questionable running attack and a patchwork line. Amani Toomer is no Pro Bowler. We don't know whether Jeremy Shockey will play right away. If Eli was in Cincinnati, I'd feel a little differently. But other Giants' incompetence, along with Eli's inexperience, will hold him back. In a keeper league, draft late and stash. As for other rookies, I think Ben Roethlisberger has almost as bright a future as Eli. Tommy Maddox is the Steelers guy this year, but when the next concussion comes, Ben will play, and could be strong down the stretch. I'd avoid Phillip Rivers; he missed too much time, and Drew Brees has won the job. And the Chargers are in worse shape than the Giants.

There were other quotes, but this has as much to do with our league as most of the answers. :)

[DinbinFanfoom]

Geez. Football is like a religion to you people, eh?

[Serani]

You have no idea...

[Caranthir]

It's like hockey is to the Great White North.

[Zyzzyx]

Geez. Football is like a religion to you people, eh?
No, its just something to make some noise on the TV while I sit on the couch with chips, salsa, and beer. ;)