The Blast that is the Fantasy Football Draft

We are less than a week away from the official kickoff of the 2011 NFL season (Saints@Packers on Thursday), and for all the football junkies out there you know that means one thing … fantasy football and dominating your drafts. I love the NFL and I love watching the games, but fantasy just adds a different little "something something" to it. You know what I mean. It gives you that extra rooting interest for players and teams all across the league. Plus it’s a great excuse to talk serious smack with the guys (or gals) in your league.

The draft for our ESPN 12-team league (I'm the commish) was last night. We met in person (nine of the 12 owners, at least) at Journey Church, huddled around tables in the lower level and began the journey. Alternating between staring intently at our laptop screens and cramming down plates of junk food, we spent a jam-packed two hours picking, jawing, laughing and finally, basking in the glow of a drafting job well done. Shout-out to the boys in the league: Derrell Carter, Mel Stanger, Mark Freeman, Brad Mudd, Brandon Cathcart, Chris Hudson, Andrew Hopkins, Jesse Quiroz, Corey Hudson, Mike Huber, Casey Miller and yours truly. Listed in the order of last year’s finish, of course!

Even though I won last year’s league title, my draft was a disaster. This year, with everybody running their own draft board and picking via laptop, it went much smoother. For anyone that hasn’t done a fully online draft, it is definitely the way to go. Try it. You’ll like it.

My Starting Team: QB Ben Roethlisberger; RBs Jamaal Charles, Peyton Hillis; WRs Larry Fitzgerald, Santonio Holmes, Kenny Britt; TE Zach Miller; Rams D/ST; and K Jay Feely. Plus a solid bench. Not too bad.

We had a blast at the draft last night. It was a chance to talk football and have fun drafting, but it was just as much about being with friends, hanging out, getting to know each other and most of all … TALKING SMACK!

As always, I’d love to hear from you. How did your draft go? What surprised you in this year’s fantasy pre-season? Who is going to be the breakout player this year?

Until next time, thanks for reading.

Steve

Predicting the 2011 NFL Playoff Teams

It’s that time of the year when all the so-called national experts and football pundits take their shot at predicting the field of NFL playoff teams for the upcoming season. It’s a pretty mixed bag, with most of the ”predictions sure to go wrong” as ESPN’s Mike & Mike have labeled it. Pretty funny actually.

So with all the know-it-alls giving it a shot here in the last few days of the pre-season, I thought I’d jump into the fray. I spend a lot of brainpower thinking about it anyway, so I just as well share it with the sporting world and make a jerk out of myself like everybody else.  So here goes …

*Division winner

**Wildcard team

AFC North – Pittsburgh*, Baltimore**, Cleveland, Cincinnati

Steelers continue their dominance of the Ravens. Both make the playoffs, again.

AFC South – Houston*, Indianapolis, Tennessee, Jacksonville

Texans take advantage of Peyton’s neck and finally break through.

AFC East – New England*, NY Jets**, Buffalo, Miami

The hoodie does it again; Jets continue to back up Rex’s big talk.

AFC West – San Diego*, Kansas City, Oakland, Denver

Chargers get the special teams figured out; Chiefs can’t overcome the tougher schedule.

NFC North – Green Bay*, Detroit**, Chicago, Minnesota

Packers win the division this year while the Lions are the NFC surprise.

NFC South – New Orleans*, Atlanta, Tampa Bay, Carolina

Saints O and D are tough all season while the rest of the division takes a step back.

NFC East – Philadelphia*, Dallas**, NY Giants, Washington

Eagles aren’t as dreamy as everyone expects and Romo leads the ‘Boys back to the playoffs.

NFC West – St. Louis*, Arizona, Seattle, San Francisco

Rams are the class of this weak division; Kolb and Co. are better but not quite there yet.

Super Bowl prediction: Packers v Chargers.

Titletown USA celebrates again because (as a Chiefs fan) I just can’t make myself predict the Chargers winning the championship. I don't see it happening with Norv Turner as coach.

As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Come on … give it a shot. Who do you think will be the surprise and potential flop teams this season?

Until next time, thanks for reading.

Steve

Prepping for your Fantasy Football Draft

It’s that time of the year. The NFL Regular season is rapidly approaching (Kickoff Weekend is Sept. 11) and many of us die-hard fans are not only ready for the real deal to begin, we’ve been busy preparing for our fantasy season for weeks. I know I have. The draft for the main league that I’m in (Look us up on ESPN: BigTime FBallers) is gearing up for our draft this Friday night. Can’t Wait!

So, in order to help those of you out there still formulating your exact moves, I thought I’d offer a sprinkling of advice from a brain that has read scores of “experts” over the past couple of months. I’ll provide some brief written tips, and then include a link to the first-ever MTSS Video Blog … complete with a special guest. Enjoy.

1. Plan. Analyze. Adapt. – Map out a draft strategy and key players you’d like to have AND that you think will be available when your picks come up. Then, watch the draft develop. You’ll need to think quickly and possible change strategy as the draft unfolds. Be ready.

2. QB Strategy – Decide early on (preferably before the draft) what you plan to do for your quarterback slot. There are only a handful of elite signal callers for fantasy. Get one early or wait for a value pick much later. (More on this in the video.)

3. Quality v Quantity – When it comes to the RB and WR positions, you have to figure out whether you want quality (early picks) or quantity (more guys). Conventional wisdom, at least this year, is to get a stud RB and then a quality WR before going back to the well for more RBs. That a significant change from previous years.

4. Rookies – Every year, there are a few hot-shot can’t-miss rookies that fantasy owners are quick to jump on in the early to middle rounds. See Mathews, Ryan; 2010. Be very wary of rooks this year, especially because of the shortened training camp, missed OTAs, min-camps, etc. These young guys have had even less time than usual to get in the flow. Be very careful picking them. Wait for a value pick.

5. Risk/Reward Ratio – Look in the mirror … no, not now, you doofus. Figuratively. What kind of a fantasy player are you? Do you prefer to take a chance on a could-be breakout player or play is safe with proven commodities? Know who YOU are going in, and then do some research. Seasoned fantasy players love being in leagues with guys that don’t do their homework. On second, thought … nevermind.

Now, watch this video for more specific advice: MTSS FANTASY FOCUS

Upcoming blog posts: NFL division-by-division predictions, my very specific prognostications for the Chiefs and Rams, and the final pre-season NFL Power Ranking.  Stay tuned.

I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Until next time, thanks for reading.

Steve