Fantasy News
Do you have to take a running back early? If everyone else is taking running backs, does that mean you should follow suit and selecting runners with your first and second picks?
I don’t think so. I think you take players who’ll help your team the most. I don’t care if they play running back, quarterback, wide receiver or long snapper.
I’m testing that theory in the ongoing experts draft at Fanex. Though “testing” is too strong of a word. This is something I do every year in this league, and I’ve had more success than anybody. (Well, in the regular season anyway – in the last 10 years, I’m just 4-6 in the postseason but have gone 89-51 in regular-season games, the only guy with a winning percentage over 57 percent).
Instead of focusing on running backs, I’m tending to take wide receivers. It’s a PPR format, which slants things in favor of the pass catchers, and you also start three of them. Plus there’s a flex position, and that can be yet another wide receiver.
So in this year’s installment, I’ve just selected four straight wide receivers after opening with Ray Rice. These are all guys who’ll catch 80, 90-plus passes and 8 or 9 or more touchdowns. They’re less likely to get hurt than the running backs, and they’ll give me a big edge at those four spots.
Via my math, I don’t look at overall production for players. I look at the production they give beyond what I would get if addressed that position in about the 10th round (when guys are relatively cheap).
I just double-checked my numbers, and I thik I’ve got 574 “above-and-beyond points” so far. Comparing that to the other teams, I’m now 100 points ahead of everyone except Mark Nulty (who’s No. 2 in wins in this league over the last 10 years, with 79).
Do I need to find a quarterback? And a running back? Yes. But that will happen. I’ll probably nail down those positions with my next two choices (though I’m not ruling out a tight end or even another wide receiver – let’s see what’s there).
FANEX SCORES THROUGH FIVE ROUNDS
(Showing draft position and adjusted fantasy production).
574 Allan
1.02 RB Ray Rice (171)
2.11 WR Victor Cruz (114)
3.02 WR Julio Jones (114)
4.11 WR Miles Austin (80)
5.02 WR Eric Decker (94)
398 Cannon
1.12 RB Trent Richardson (70)
2.01 RB Maurice Jones-Drew (93)
3.12 WR Dez Bryant (67)
4.01 WR Percy Harvin (83)
5.12 WR Demaryius Thomas (85)
407 Charchian
1.11 RB Marshawn Lynch (87)
2.02 TE Rob Gronkowski (86)
3.11 WR Jordy Nelson (102)
4.02 RB Ryan Mathews (73)
5.09 RB Isaac Redman (59)
398 Christiansen
1.09 RB Darren McFadden (94)
2.04 TE Jimmy Graham (88)
3.09 WR Hakeem Nicks (76)
4.04 WR Steve Smith (66)
5.11 WR Antonio Brown (75)
423 Hickerson
1.01 RB Arian Foster (193)
2.12 QB Cam Newton (69)
3.01 RB Steven Jackson (87)
4.12 WR Vincent Jackson (47)
5.01 TE Vernon Davis (28)
384 Holm
1.05 WR Calvin Johnson (135)
2.08 QB Matthew Stafford (70)
3.05 WR Brandon Marshall (81)
4.08 WR Mike Wallace (53)
5.05 RB Reggie Bush (44)
293 Kellogg
1.08 RB Matt Forte (75)
2.05 RB Jamaal Charles (58)
3.08 WR A.J. Green (100)
4.05 RB Frank Gore (22)
5.08 RB Peyton Hillis (38)
491 Nulty
1.06 RB Chris Johnson (119)
2.07 WR Larry Fitzgerald (107)
3.06 WR Roddy White (117)
4.07 RB Ahmad Bradshaw (75)
5.10 TE Jason Witten (73)
445 Panizo
1.07 QB Tom Brady (128)
2.06 RB Fred Jackson (85)
3.07 RB Darren Sproles (93)
4.06 WR Marques Colston (62)
5.07 WR Stevie Johnson (77)
396 Perlow
1.03 RB LeSean McCoy (137)
2.10 WR Wes Welker (82)
3.03 RB Doug Martin (63)
4.10 TE Aaron Hernandez (50)
5.03 WR Jeremy Maclin (63)
353 Rito
1.04 QB Aaron Rodgers (143)
2.09 RB Adrian Peterson (37)
3.04 WR Andre Johnson (76)
4.09 RB Michael Turner (59)
5.04 WR Brandon Lloyd (39)
382 Tinker
1.10 RB DeMarco Murray (84)
2.03 QB Drew Brees (97)
3.10 WR Greg Jennings (89)
4.03 TE Antonio Gates (73)
5.06 RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis (40)
—Ian Allan
- Comments [4]
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Posted by James COSTELLO | Aug. 14 at 04:36 PM
Yeah I did a 10 team mock draft yesterday and had as my receivers:Julio Jones,AJ Green,Victor Cruz. My bench was Austin and Decker.I didn't sacrifice other positions...Stafford at QB; Donald Brown and Ridley as RBs I picked 10th
Posted by GREG THOMPSON | Aug. 15 at 05:17 AM
I have been utilizing the same strategy for the last two years...drafting WRs 1-2-3 and have had tremendous success...The NFL is a passing league, WRs tend to stay healthier, less risky than RB....and you can pick up serviceable RBs in the middle rounds...
Posted by Zach Smith | Aug. 17 at 09:59 AM
I picked 7th last yr and went w/ Roddy And Nicks my 1st 2 picks, and they had a terrible 1st half. I wasn't able to recover...
Posted by DANIEL HIRSCH | Aug. 18 at 04:27 AM
This varies tremendously depending on the scoring system and the number of Wrs and flex players. I played in two leagues last year which both use PPR and three WRs and a flex, allowing me to use as many as four Wrs. I drafted Calvin Johnson and Fitzgerald 1-2 in one of them, then went RB heavy and then grabbed AJ Green in the 7th and later traded for Andre Johnson. My Rbs of Lynch, and Sproles, neither of which are studs like Foster or Rice, enabled me to dominate my league. It didn't hurt to have Cam and Jimmy Graham to round out my team. If we only started 2 Wrs, this simply does not work.