Auction drafting is my favorite way to build a fantasy football
team. While the general idea of this format is to allow every owner
an equal opportunity to “buy” the players they want,
it combines the ability to value a player’s potential contribution
with managing a budget, all the while testing a drafter’s
patience. Moreover, I feel it really tests the conviction an owner
has in certain players. Furthermore, I think it rewards the prepared
and punishes the unprepared. In snake drafts, it is obvious to anyone
using a draft board when a player is slipping. In auctions, owners
need to be keenly aware of who is left and balance that against
their remaining funds. Owners are forced to decide what players
they like the most and to what degree they are willing to go to
secure their services, which is perhaps the best part of auctions.
This coming season will mark the eighth year I have participated
in The
Huddle Expert Auction League. Over the previous seven seasons,
FF Today has made the six-team playoff every year
(finishing with no worse than a No. 4 seed) and advanced
to the championship game in four of the last six seasons –
winning two of the last four. Suffice it to say my approach
has proven to be effective. It should be noted that I have relied
exclusively on the value concepts I refer to in my Big Boards
to determine the dollar amounts I assign to players in preparation
for my auction drafts.
This year’s draft was held on August 23, so keep that date
in mind as you review the prices below (both the price each player
went for and the value at which I set for him). Below, you will
find the values I used to prioritize the players and the rationale
I used in selecting my team.
Pre-draft
There is something to be said about knowing your league. Almost
all of the redraft leagues I play in each year are against complete
strangers. Thus, there is no background from which to draw from,
such as Owner X loves a certain team or Owner Y is all about hoarding
receivers.
One thing I feel I can count on each season in this league is
finding some treasure on the waiver wire. Last year, I landed
Ryan Fitzpatrick, Tim Hightower, Allen Hurns, Tavon Austin and
the Broncos' defense in the weeks following the draft. In 2014,
Sammy Watkins was the crown jewel of my waiver-wire pickups. An
IR stash of Michael Crabtree helped me overcome the loss of Julio
Jones during FF Today's most recent championship season in 2013,
while Russell Wilson, Bryce Brown, Knowshon Moreno, Danario Alexander,
Chris Givens, Golden Tate and the Seahawks' defense helped FF
Today overcome a ton of injuries in order to win the first of
its back-to-back titles in 2012.
The point is this: After seven years in this league, I have come
to recognize I can rely on the waiver wire to build up my bench.
(Heck, as the 2012 example above shows, I can sometimes rely on
it to build my starting lineup!) This realization - along with
a much more open-minded approach to building around receivers,
especially in three-receiver leagues - has changed my auction
strategy in this league. The goal for me now is simply to build
the best starting lineup possible and trust the process when it
comes to building depth. In auction drafts, I am looking to acquire
as many “special” players (i.e. players that would
otherwise cost a fortune to acquire via trade during the season)
as possible.
My pre-draft plan this year was to secure either Antonio Brown,
Odell Beckham Jr. or Julio Jones (with my eyes set on the cheapest
of the three if possible) and the best value between a potential
top-five RB and another stud at WR. Beyond that, I wanted the
most proven and least expensive values I could find at QB and
TE in order to save as much money as possible to build the best
receiving corps I could.
I also make it a point to pay less than my valuation on just
about every player, knowing the depth at receiver will allow me
to find a bargain or two. Ideally, I’ll come away from a
draft with two surefire starters at running back and another mid-priced
player I believe will be an RB2 to use as my flex, but it doesn’t
always work that way.
Although it is a complete departure from conventional auction-draft
strategy, I’ve never been a big fan of setting pre-draft
positional budgets – such as spending 40 percent of my budget
at receiver. My method: Set aside the players I want the most
and place them in a different part of the spreadsheet, stay true
to my valuations and stick with that "preferred" list
of players as long as possible.
The Draft
Players with bolded names are ones I specifically selected
before the draft as players I was targeting. I was limited
on time this year, so I didn't go into quite the detail that I
did last year in regards to breaking down each position into tiers.
It's very likely I'll keep it this way moving forward.
Below you will find the prices that secured that player’s
services (Actual $) and the price I valued them at before the
draft (My $). A dash in the first column reflects the fact a player
was not drafted. The yellow highlight represents winning
bids for FF Today. Finally, I will follow each position
with some brief commentary.
All values are based on a $200 cap and players are organized
by “My $”. All players that were nominated are included,
but I removed a number of players that are unlikely to go in auctions
in leagues with 12 teams and 18-man rosters.
Required starters: 1 QB, 2 RBs, 3 WRs, 1 Flex, 1 K and 1
Defense/Special Teams unit.
Quarterbacks
Actual $
My $
Player
Tm
19
22
Aaron Rodgers
GB
22
22
Cam Newton
CAR
18
20
Russell Wilson
SEA
16
19
Andrew Luck
IND
13
16
Drew Brees
NO
6
15
Ben Roethlisberger
PIT
8
12
Eli Manning
NYG
6
11
Tom Brady
NE
10
10
Philip Rivers
SD
13
10
Blake Bortles
JAC
8
9
Carson Palmer
ARI
3
8
Kirk Cousins
WAS
2
7
Matthew Stafford
DET
4
5
Tyrod Taylor
BUF
2
3
Ryan Fitzpatrick
NYJ
3
3
Derek Carr
OAK
1
3
Marcus Mariota
TEN
2
2
Ryan Tannehill
MIA
1
2
Andy Dalton
CIN
3
2
Matt Ryan
ATL
2
1
Jameis Winston
TB
-
1
Joe Flacco
BAL
-
1
Alex Smith
KC
-
1
Jay Cutler
CHI
3
1
Tony Romo
DAL
1
1
Robert Griffin III
CLE
1
1
Teddy Bridgewater
MIN
Observations: For what it is worth,
the first upper-level quarterback I was willing to consider was
Luck ($16). I had no intention of paying up for Newton ($22), but
I made it a point to nominate him early in order to set the price
ceiling for quarterbacks. The top quarterbacks usually draw bids
close to $30 in this league, so I knew I was in good shape with
my budget-conscious ways at this position once Newton sold for what
he did. Little did I know how good I was going to have it, however,
as I was stunned when the bidding for Brady ($6) stopped as quickly
as it did. Because I had every reason to believe - from previous
years - I was probably going to land a pretty decent $1 quarterback
(Mariota) at some point, I had no problem assuming the inconvenience
that comes along with Brady's four-game suspension at his price.
The fact I only needed to spend $7 to get an elite option at this
position and a high-upside backup was not only the highlight of
my draft, but it also allowed me to execute my vision for this draft
almost to a tee. I went into this draft expecting to get Manning
($8), Brady or Rivers ($10) because I feel each one will be more
than capable of performing at a mid-QB1 level, so I'll give a hap-tip
to The Huddle (Manning) and Fantasy Knuckleheads (Rivers) for taking
a ride with me on the quarterback value train.
Running Backs
Actual $
My $
Player
Tm
39
46
David Johnson
ARI
35
46
Lamar Miller
HOU
32
45
Ezekiel Elliott
DAL
38
41
Todd Gurley
LA
34
41
Adrian Peterson
MIN
28
38
Jamaal Charles
KC
25
37
Le'Veon Bell
PIT
29
33
LeSean McCoy
BUF
21
32
Doug Martin
TB
27
32
Mark Ingram
NO
25
32
Carlos Hyde
SF
22
32
Eddie Lacy
GB
29
31
Devonta Freeman
ATL
26
30
Latavius Murray
OAK
17
23
Danny Woodhead
SD
21
20
C.J. Anderson
DEN
21
18
Matt Forte
NYJ
16
18
Duke Johnson
CLE
21
16
Jeremy Hill
CIN
19
16
Thomas Rawls
SEA
10
15
Frank Gore
IND
16
15
Giovani Bernard
CIN
11
13
Matt Jones
WAS
19
13
DeMarco Murray
TEN
13
13
Ryan Mathews
PHI
7
13
Rashad Jennings
NYG
23
13
Jeremy Langford
CHI
13
12
Charles Sims
TB
11
11
Melvin Gordon
SD
8
10
DeAngelo Williams
PIT
9
10
Jonathan Stewart
CAR
6
10
Chris Ivory
JAC
13
9
Ameer Abdullah
DET
11
9
James White
NE
7
9
Derrick Henry
TEN
3
8
Tevin Coleman
ATL
10
8
Theo Riddick
DET
17
7
T.J. Yeldon
JAC
6
6
Isaiah Crowell
CLE
6
6
Arian Foster
MIA
6
6
Justin Forsett
BAL
9
6
Bilal Powell
NYJ
2
5
Spencer Ware
KC
2
5
LeGarrette Blount
NE
2
5
Christine Michael
SEA
6
4
Devontae Booker
DEN
1
4
Darren Sproles
PHI
6
3
Dion Lewis
NE
1
3
Terrance West
BAL
1
3
Shane Vereen
NYG
3
3
Alfred Morris
DAL
-
2
C.J. Prosise
SEA
1
2
Jerick McKinnon
MIN
1
2
Shaun Draughn
SF
3
2
Jay Ajayi
MIA
3
2
Tim Hightower
NO
1
2
James Starks
GB
1
2
Zach Zenner
DET
1
1
Jordan Howard
CHI
3
1
Kenneth Dixon
BAL
5
1
DeAndre Washington
OAK
1
1
Chris Johnson
ARI
1
1
Keith Marshall
WAS
1
1
Darren McFadden
DAL
1
1
Josh Ferguson
IND
3
1
Javorius Allen
BAL
6
1
Chris Thompson
WAS
1
1
Reggie Bush
BUF
1
1
Tyler Gaffney
NE
2
1
Kenjon Barner
PHI
Observations: Given the massive industry
shift from running back-centric teams to ones built around receivers,
I knew the price of the top available backs was certain to come
down from the $50-plus many owners spent in previous years. I thought
I accounted for this by putting my top three backs in the mid-40s
and the less PPR-friendly backs like Gurley ($38) and Peterson ($34)
in the low-40s, but it turns out I didn't even come close. Had I
known not a single back was going to draw a $40 bid, I may have
went into this draft with a plan to go David
Johnson-Lamar
Miller-Antonio
Brown and let the rest of the chips fall where they may. As
it was, I can't complain. Depending on the day, Miller is usually
either the first, second or third back on my board. There were a
few glitches throughout this 3 1/2-hour draft, and one of them allowed
Football Guys to land Bell ($25) cheaply. I thought long and hard
about making Woodhead ($17) my RB2 in order to set aside even more
money at receiver, but the temptation of landing a Chip Kelly running
back (Hyde; $25) with no player standing in the way of 300-plus
touches was too much for me to resist. I hated letting backs like
Gore ($10) and Jennings ($7) go so cheap, but my desire to land
a top WR3 was stronger than making sure I had early depth behind
Miller and Hyde. I had no intention of landing Ivory ($6) before
the draft, but I think you'll agree he's a pretty reasonable value
at the price I snagged him at late, especially when compared to
what Yeldon ($17!!!) went for later. Sims ($13) was the RB3 I was
hoping to get after bringing my first two backs on board, but I
could bid no higher than $12 and lost out to Rotoviz. I also wanted
to get my hands on either Lewis ($6) or White ($11) - the former
so I can stash on IR and the latter to fill the void I was left
with after missing out on Sims, but it was not to be. Among the
best values at this position in this draft was Charles ($28). Although
I would have liked to see his owner handcuff him with Spencer
Ware (The Huddle; $2), Rotoviz probably only needs a low-end
RB1 effort from Charles in order to make a deep playoff run with
the quality and quantity he has at receiver. Division rivals The
Huddle ($95) and Football Guys ($100) blew away most of the competition
in terms of spending money at this position. It will be very interesting
to see if that approach pays off for them in this brave new receiver-based
world.
Wide Receivers
Actual $
My $
Player
Tm
53
48
Antonio Brown
PIT
50
46
Odell Beckham Jr.
NYG
51
45
Julio Jones
ATL
41
40
A.J. Green
CIN
39
38
Dez Bryant
DAL
40
36
Allen Robinson
JAC
31
34
Brandon Marshall
NYJ
30
33
Mike Evans
TB
38
33
Keenan Allen
SD
44
32
DeAndre Hopkins
HOU
26
29
Demaryius Thomas
DEN
37
29
Amari Cooper
OAK
25
28
T.Y. Hilton
IND
30
28
Brandin Cooks
NO
30
27
Randall Cobb
GB
36
26
Jarvis Landry
MIA
27
26
Jordy Nelson
GB
27
26
Sammy Watkins
BUF
23
24
Donte Moncrief
IND
30
23
Alshon Jeffery
CHI
18
20
Eric Decker
NYJ
19
20
Doug Baldwin
SEA
21
19
Julian Edelman
NE
26
19
Golden Tate
DET
25
19
Jeremy Maclin
KC
16
18
Sterling Shepard
NYG
14
18
Larry Fitzgerald
ARI
12
16
John Brown
ARI
18
16
Marvin Jones
DET
14
14
DeVante Parker
MIA
18
13
Michael Floyd
ARI
18
13
Tyler Lockett
SEA
4
12
Kevin White
CHI
17
12
Kelvin Benjamin
CAR
12
11
Allen Hurns
JAC
10
10
Michael Crabtree
OAK
11
10
Emmanuel Sanders
DEN
8
9
Corey Coleman
CLE
22
8
Torrey Smith
SF
25
8
Jordan Matthews
PHI
9
8
Stefon Diggs
MIN
10
8
DeSean Jackson
WAS
9
7
Willie Snead
NO
4
6
Tavon Austin
LA
4
5
Bruce Ellington
SF
2
5
Vincent Jackson
TB
6
5
Kamar Aiken
BAL
8
5
Michael Thomas
NO
8
5
Travis Benjamin
SD
11
5
Josh Gordon
CLE
2
5
Mike Wallace
BAL
4
4
Sammie Coates
PIT
19
4
Markus Wheaton
PIT
1
4
Anquan Boldin
DET
8
4
Devin Funchess
CAR
3
4
Rishard Matthews
TEN
5
4
Tyler Boyd
CIN
1
4
Ted Ginn Jr.
CAR
2
3
Phillip Dorsett
IND
2
3
Davante Adams
GB
17
3
Tajae Sharpe
TEN
2
2
Josh Doctson
WAS
5
2
Mohamed Sanu
ATL
7
2
Will Fuller
HOU
5
1
Laquon Treadwell
MIN
-
1
Brandon LaFell
CIN
1
1
Pierre Garcon
WAS
4
1
Breshad Perriman
BAL
2
1
Dorial Green-Beckham
TEN
1
1
Steve Smith
BAL
1
1
Jermaine Kearse
SEA
1
1
Marqise Lee
JAC
1
1
Chris Conley
KC
10
1
Terrelle Pryor
CLE
-
1
Charles Johnson
MIN
1
1
Victor Cruz
NYG
1
1
Nelson Agholor
PHI
1
1
Terrance Williams
DAL
1
1
Braxton Miller
HOU
Observations: Much like the story
I told above about running backs, I thought I accounted for all
the love at the receiver position during the pre-draft process.
In past years, receivers rarely brought more than $40 or $41. I
guess I was didn't account for it enough. Fortunately, Brown ($53)
came up for bid right before Beckham ($50), so I had a minute or
so to further contemplate my Brown-Beckham-Jones-or-else plan. As
it turned out, I landed the cheapest of the "Big Three"
receivers and don't regret it a bit. I stayed in the bidding for
Marshall ($31) until the end, but reasoned at the time I could fall
back on Cobb ($30) if necessary since he was probably going to come
a few dollars cheaper. (Saving a dollar wasn't quite what I had
in mind.) It's not a big deal in my mind, however, since it would
hardly surprise me if Cobb finished as a top-10 receiver. I thought
for sure Marvin Jones ($18) was going to be my WR3 until Fantasy
Alarm eventually won our little tug-of-war to secure his services.
No matter, as I outlasted Rotoviz for the last quality WR2 on my
board (Decker; $18) about 30 minutes later. There weren't many values
(as it relates to my initial valuations anyway) at receiver, although
Kevin White ($4) was definitely one. In my defense, funds were starting
to run low at the time he was nominated and I felt like I had a
good shot at Decker if I didn't pursue White any further. It worked
out in my favor in the end, but landing White would have made my
draft even better. The same could be said about Tavon Austin ($4),
although I'm not exactly giddy about trusting any non-Gurley part
of the Rams' offense this year. Feel free to disregard the bids
for Wheaton ($19), Sharpe ($17) and, to a lesser extent, Pryor ($10).
There were two owners - the only ones with any significant money
left to bid with at that point of the draft - who fought tooth-and-nail
for a handful of lesser players in an attempt to use up their $200.
It's not to say all three receivers can't/won't live up to those
prices, but none of them are going to bring more than $5 bids at
the majority of auctions. It's also a reminder not to play too conservatively
at these kind of drafts. Another owner may also try to discount
shop at the end as well. As a result, both of you are left with
is bidding up lesser players.
Tight Ends
Actual $
My $
Player
Tm
24
30
Rob Gronkowski
NE
14
22
Jordan Reed
WAS
13
16
Greg Olsen
CAR
10
15
Delanie Walker
TEN
9
15
Travis Kelce
KC
11
14
Coby Fleener
NO
6
10
Gary Barnidge
CLE
7
8
Tyler Eifert
CIN
4
8
Zach Ertz
PHI
4
8
Julius Thomas
JAC
10
6
Martellus Bennett
NE
2
6
Jason Witten
DAL
2
5
Antonio Gates
SD
4
5
Dwayne Allen
IND
2
4
Eric Ebron
DET
3
3
Clive Walford
OAK
3
3
Jimmy Graham
SEA
-
2
Virgil Green
DEN
-
2
Charles Clay
BUF
2
2
Vance McDonald
SF
-
2
Will Tye
NYG
1
2
Zach Miller
CHI
1
2
Jared Cook
GB
-
1
Ladarius Green
PIT
-
1
Ben Watson
BAL
1
1
Jordan Cameron
MIA
1
1
Austin Seferian-Jenkins
TB
-
1
Kyle Rudolph
MIN
-
1
Dennis Pitta
BAL
-
1
Austin Hooper
ATL
-
1
Richard Rodgers
GB
Observations: In recent days, I have
found myself opting for the comfort of Olsen ($13) over the upside
of players such as Walker ($10) or Fleener ($11) - two players who
I think have a realistic shot at outscoring the current Panther.
With that said, Olsen has settled into a high-floor tight end with
back-to-back years of 1,000 yards receiving with at least 77 catches
and six touchdowns - pretty decent WR2 production in most leagues
- and not missed a game since his rookie year in 2007. As much as
I liked landing Olsen for the second straight season, I loved getting
my hands on Thomas ($4) as my TE2. While I'm well aware of his durability
issues, I'm only counting on him as a part-time flex and bye-week
fill-in. If he ends up being as unstoppable as he was reported to
be in the offseason and during camp, a 60-catch, 8-10 score season
probably isn't too much to ask. Because the fantasy community has
made such a dramatic shift to receivers in recent years, it is probably
only natural owners would lead toward using a receiver in the flex
spot, even in three-receiver leagues. While I wouldn't necessarily
recommend the strategy I about to mention to everyone, don't overlook
the possibility of using a second tight end at that spot in auction
formats instead. A 75-800-6 line from Fleener plays very well at
tight end, but it is scored just the same as it would be if your
fourth receiver was doing it. The point is a second very good tight
end may come cheaper than a fourth receiver, so it is another avenue
for owners to save some dough. Even at his advanced age, Gates ($2)
should not be going for a song, so congrats again to RotoViz for
mimicking my TE strategy (or vice versa). I also like Football Diehards'
move to land Eifert ($7). Even if he misses the first four games
of the season, I can see him performing like a top-tier tight end
over the final 12 weeks. The fact he cushioned that blow by snagging
Ertz ($4) makes Eifert's absence even less painful.
Kickers
Actual $
My $
Player
Tm
2
1
Stephen Gostkowski
NE
1
1
Dan Bailey
DAL
2
1
Steve Hauschka
SEA
1
1
Justin Tucker
BAL
2
1
Graham Gano
CAR
1
1
Chris Boswell
PIT
1
1
Chandler Catanzaro
ARI
-
1
Adam Vinatieri
IND
2
1
Mason Crosby
GB
-
1
Sebastian Janikowski
OAK
-
1
Kai Forbath
NO
-
1
Josh Brown
NYG
1
1
Cairo Santos
KC
-
1
Matt Bryant
ATL
1
1
Blair Walsh
MIN
1
1
Nick Novak
HOU
-
1
Dustin Hopkins
WAS
-
1
Josh Lambo
SD
1
1
Brandon McManus
DEN
Observations: Year after year, I look
for the same qualities in a kicker. I want a strong-legged one in
a good offense and don’t mind paying an extra $1 to get him
if necessary. (Yes, I'm one of the four guys who was willing to
spend $2 on my kicker. Yes, I'm sure that makes me the laughingstock
of the league, but I could care less.) Additionally, I target kickers
who play on teams with good or great defenses since coaches are
more apt to settle for field goals when they are confident their
defense can keep the opponent off the board. Gostkowski ($2) has
been the No. 1 overall kicker in each of the last four years and
is probably the one kicker I can say won't be available in many
leagues at any point during the season. People can say what they
want; I'm perfectly fine spending an extra buck on a kicker I don't
have to think about replacing during the year.
Defense / ST
Actual $
My $
Team
4
2
Cardinals
3
2
Broncos
2
2
Texans
4
2
Seahawks
2
2
Panthers
3
2
Vikings
-
2
Patriots
-
1
Eagles
-
1
Bengals
1
1
Giants
-
1
Raiders
3
1
Chiefs
1
1
Jets
-
1
Jaguars
1
1
Steelers
1
1
Packers
-
1
Redskins
1
1
Rams
Observations: While I can understand
the appeal of streaming defenses, most of the leagues I play seem
to have teams willing to carry two defenses, which often leaves
roughly 12-14 to choose from in a given week. Kudos to the owners
who stream and do it well, but I analyze matchups for a living and
don't feel comfortable with the options on the wire most weeks.
I prefer the peace of mind that comes with landing a defense I believe
will be a top-five unit and adding another during the season if
it looks like it could be special. Am I always right with my draft-pick
selection? Of course not. However, I'm reasonably confident the
Panthers' defense ($2) will still be one of the finer ones in fantasy
this season because Ted Ginn Jr. is still around to return punts
and the front seven should be as nasty as it was last year. I had
seven units earmarked as $2 values and I got a pretty good one in
Carolina, so I'm happy. If I don't land one of the $2 defenses,
then I will stream until I find a multi-week option. The Patriots
went undrafted; don't expect that to happen very often. I expect
New England to finish among the top eight D/STs in 2016. The Raiders,
Eagles and Bengals will almost certainly be worth rostering as well.
I have a pretty simple philosophy when it comes to fantasy football.
Give me at least one player that can finish in the top five at
each of the four core positions and I’ll show you a team
that has a realistic shot at winning it all. Miller, Beckham,
Gostkowski and the Panthers' D/ST all have realistic shots at
finishing No. 1 overall at their positions, while Brady and Olsen
certainly should play like top-five options at their positions.
So yeah, I'm pretty happy with this team.
My biggest regret? Waiting one round too long to nominate Shaun
Draughn ($1). I knew taking Hyde was a risk but was willing
to do it at the time because I knew I'd come back around to Draughn.
My belief in Chip Kelly - what his offense does for running backs
and devotion to sports science does for his players' health -
has me willing to roll the dice on Hyde and his well-documented
injury history this season. As I alluded to above, I'm aware I'm
going to have to hit the waiver wire to build some depth, but
what do I really need? A RB4 and WR4? If those spots are my only
question marks following my upcoming high-stakes drafts, I think
I'm going to enjoy 2016. I am very confident I'll be able to find
capable players at those positions as the season progresses.
Brady is Brady. If I start out 2-2 or better (which is something
I expect to do), then taking the Brady discount was the right
play because I should be able to get the same production with
him as the owners who spent nearly four times as much on Newton
and Rodgers. Mariota wasn't my first choice to lead the team in
Weeks 1-4, but I like the safe floor he provides while I'm waiting
on Brady.
Let me be as clear as possible about Miller and Hyde; IF either/both
play 16 games (realistic for Miller since he has done it three
straight years, less realistic for Hyde), they would each be among
my first five choices to lead the league in rushing. Miller's
a great bet for 50-plus catches as well, while I think Kelly wants
to use Hyde as a receiver much more often. I'll admit it is a
calculated risk, but Kelly doesn't like to substitute backs as
it slows down his offense, so it stands to reason Hyde probably
won't be coming off the field too often. Ivory wasn't exactly
what I had in mind for a RB3 pre-draft, but I'm also not counting
on him to do all that much for me either. I shouldn't need him
to do much more than rush for 50 yards and a score in any given
week. Coleman also wasn't a priority for me per se, but I'm only
one injury to Devonta Freeman away from having the depth I usually
crave at the running back position. I'm willing to bet I have
one keeper out of my final two backs (West and Zenner), but I'm
not going to hold on to either one past Week 2 if I don't like
what I see in terms of usage.
During my first year in this league (2009), I ended the season
with Miles Austin, Steve Smith, Roddy White and Calvin Johnson.
That foursome is the best collection of receivers I have owned
in this league at any one time. Suffice it to say I have never
started any season in this league with the receivers I will this
season. OBJ, Cobb and Decker have each had at least one 80-catch,
1,000-yard, 10-plus touchdown season over the last two years,
and I don't think many will be surprised if Beckham finished as
the best receiver in fantasy. I'm obviously not counting on a
repeat season from Ginn this year, but I can see him serving as
a flex option for me when the matchup dictates it. I guess Boldin
is a hard habit for me to break (he seems to end up on my teams
a lot over the years), but it frankly wouldn't surprise if he
manages 50 catches and 5-6 scores. Lee will probably be my first
drop after Week 1, but perhaps he can surprise now that his injury
luck has taken a turn for the better.
Besides Gronk, is there a safer high-upside than Olsen? I don't
think so. His dependability makes Thomas a luxury pick, which
is how most owners should view him.
In case anyone cares about such things, I believe this is the
second-best team I have drafted in this league. The 2013 draft
- when I landed Peyton
Manning during his record-breaking season, Jamaal
Charles in his 19-score campaign and Julio
Jones during his ridiculous five-game start prior to his foot
injury - will probably go down as the best. However, whenever
an owner's biggest complaint coming out of the draft is a slight
lack of depth, it's probably been a good draft. Assuming the waiver
wire remains as fruitful as it has been to me in the past, I like
FF Today's chances of playing for another title.
Doug Orth has written for FF Today since 2006 and been featured
in USA Today’s Fantasy Football Preview magazine since 2010.
He hosted USA Today’s hour-long, pre-kickoff fantasy football
internet chat every Sunday in 2012-13 and appears as a guest analyst
on a number of national sports radio shows, including Sirius XM’s
“Fantasy Drive”. Doug is also a member of the Fantasy
Sports Writers Association.
