Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Draft time

So, I've got a fantasy draft coming up this weekend. Two of them, actually, but only one with prizes riding on it. It's the FFLUM, and it's a great league (naturally, I'm the commish, of course I'm gonna say that), but I'm really disappointed with the position I'm in this fall. It's sort of a hybrid keeper/dynasty league: after the annual draft in August, each team gets to select which 5 players to sign to 2- or 3-year contracts. So there are a few keepers, but it's not a "keeper league" in the traditional sense of naming your keepers right before the draft.

Anyway, here's my team right now: Philip Rivers, Kevin Smith, Wes Welker, Dwayne Bowe, Todd Heap, BAL D. I also have Joey Galloway and Fred Taylor on my bench that could fill the last starting spot (a RB/WR flex). So I'm not in terrible shape there, however, I am left with few picks (in a 12-team league) after a trade or three: #10 and #34 overall. Then, 5th, 5th, 8th, 9th, 10th, and 10th round picks.

In my mind, our draft this year really only offers 7-8 quality players: Brady and Brees at QB; Slaton, P.Thomas, and maybe Moreno or D.Ward at RB; A.Johnson, S.Smith (CAR), and Wayne at WR. After those guys, you're looking at Warner or Houshmandzadeh or even T.O. as next best players available. Slim pickings.

So I'm hoping some of the other owners reach for a guy like T.O. or Warner, maybe allowing Pierre Thomas to slide down to my spot at 10. I think that would be huge. I just don't like the idea of Housh being the guy on whom I spend my top pick. The drop off after those top 7-8 is just so huge. I fret about it more each day as the draft nears.

I was the inaugural winner of this league in '06, and was the top seed in the playoffs last season (until my team laid a complete egg in week 15), so I feel like I have a little bit of a reputation to uphold as a competetive team - but this year worries me a little bit. I just don't know what to expect.

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