Ian Allan's Mailbag
Posted Jul. 03 at 12:02 PM
Publisher Ian Allan fields your questions on strategy, how to run your league, player ratings -- and whatever else you think of. Updated every Friday during the season; Tuesdays and Fridays during the last two months of the preseason. You must be registered and signed-in to submit a mailbag question. After you sign in at the top of the page, the link to submit a mailbag question will become visible.
Question 1:
Our league combines WR and TE. In a PPR league where would Witten and Gates fall in the WR listing?
Ken Rose [ROCHESTER, NY]
A:
In the magazine, we don't combine WR-TE into one listing, because we're only showing about 75 at each position. If we combined them, we'd be showing only the top 60ish wide receivers, which isn't enough -- we combined them one year in the magazine and got too many nasty letters. We will, however, show those combined rankings on all of our online updates and products. And you'll be able to access those in the stat projections file that gets posted next week. For the PPR format, I've got Witten current coming in after 13 wide receivers. The next two tight ends (Antonio Gates and Kellen Winslow) are about 25 receivers in -- one on either side of Roddy White.
Question 2:
What are your thoughts on Brandon jacobs in the upcoming season? He is in a contract year, but how will the SuperBowl hangover as well as competion from Derrick Ward and BJ's injury prone past play out? Do you see him as a top 10 or 15 RB?
Keith Swiniarski [FT LAUDERDALE, FL]
A:
I don't think he'll play full-time. I think he'll get about 60 percent of the work, spelled heavily by either Ahmad Bradshaw or Derrick Ward in every game. In the postseason last year, Bradshaw actually averaged more rushing yards than Jacobs -- Bradshaw was definitely more effective in the Tampa Bay game, and had a game-winning touchdown at the end of the Green Bay game nullified by a penalty. Nice player. One thing I like about Jacobs, though: the Giants last year used Reuben Droughns in goal-line situations. I think Jacobs will get that work this season, giving him the chance to maybe score a dozen touchdowns if he can stay healthy. With a surplus of younger, better backs, I don't think Droughns will be on New York's roster.
Question 3:
I'm curious as to who you would hold from the following five players:Romo,Ryan Grant,Colston,Willie Parker,or Witten.
Our league consists of 14 teams that hold three players prior to the draft. We draft every round based on prior year's record, and I do not have a 1st rd pick this year. Scoring is basic for TD's and yardage, but rewards points for receptions.
Any insight you can provide would be greatly appreciated.
DAN BRADY [WINTER HAVEN, FL]
A:
Grant and Colston are definitely keepers. You need to secure solid players at those positions, and those guys should both rank in the top 10. For the third guy, it comes down to either Witten or Romo. If you look at the stat flow for each guy -- the difference between his stats and the guys ranked behind him, there's very little difference. Essentially no difference, for example, between the stat difference between those guys and the No. 14 players at their positions. (That is, Romo minus Vince Young is almost equal to Witten minus L.J. Smith). So either guy should be fine; just go with the one you like best. In a 14-team league, I would give the slight edge to the quarterback -- Romo -- figuring it should be slightly easier to land an adequate tight end.
Question 4:
In 07 my $100 auction league voted to allow each team to keep 1 player @ $5 more than paid for. 6 pts for all td's, "team qb,dst,and kicker. 10 position players no recquirements and all play. I had Brady in 07 for $18, should I keep him for $23 this year?? My future success rests in your hands...
Gerry Dix [CALEDONIA, MN]
A:
I think Brady will be a top-3 player overall, particularly in your type of league (with 6 points for all TDs). I think he's got a chance to maybe throw 40 TDs. So I would definitely protect him for $23,
Question 5:
Just got this year's edition in the mail today. It's just how I like it, as big as the New York City phone book and chock full of good fantasy info. Now the $10,000 question, how soon will the website be up and running so we can see the exact yardage projections for everyone?
MICHAEL ROPER [GLEN ALLEN, VA]
A:
My computer is in the shop right now (I'm working on a laptop), so give me another week on the stat projections and the auction prices. My guess is you'll see stat projections up by tuesday or wednesday of next week. Auction prices by Friday.
Question 6:
I have to laugh at all the chatter about Mike Martz reinvigorating the 49ers' offense. I think a lot of fantasy players remember his high-scoring Rams teams and think he'll do that everywhere he goes. I just don't see it. He helped the Lions improve a little bit, but nobody in that offense became a fantasy stud while he was there. Martz's schemes won't turn A. Smith into a player, and I don't think F. Gore is assured of having a decent year, given that Martz largely ignores the run until his teams get into the red zone. Fantasy players tend to give Martz more credit than he deserves. Your thoughts?
Paul Owers [RIVIERA BEACH, FL]
A:
I agree 100 percent. Unless your league gives bonus points for interceptions, sacks and fumbles (Martz lets his QB take a beating every year), I wouldn't be particularly interested in the San Francisco offense.
Question 7:
Hello, I have read about drauction football leagues that have auctions to stat and then end with a draft. I'd like to get about 10-12 teams to do this but what would be a fair way to run the auction (nominations, max bid, salary cap, number of players auctioned, etc), and then to finish out the draft? We'll have 15-18 total players on the roster. We would not use IDP.
And if we do a keeper system, what if someone wanted to keep a player they won in an auction and in the draft? What would be the fairest way to handle this? I feel that this could be the new innovative concept in fantasy football. Thanks for your time.
Brian Harwood [Bowling Green, KY]
A:
I would propose giving each team a $100 payroll to spend on six players (if you go three-four players, you run the risk of multiple teams thinking a single player is worth the entire payroll). Determine a draft order (no snaking on even rounds). When it's a team owner's turn in the draft, he must open the bidding on a player (unless you have a designated outsider, that owner also serves as the auctioneer for that player). At the end of the auction portion, each team gets to move ahead in the draft order of all teams that have less remaining money (again, no snake order on the draft). As for keepers, I would say that it would be fair to allow teams to keep any player purchased in an auction for three years. Only three years -- and they'd lose that money (and roster spot) at the 2009 auction. No keeping of players selected in the draft.
Question 8:
I've ordered the Index and I'm camping out at the mail box! I've been a loyal reader for 10 years and have been extremely successful thanks to you guys. My league is pretty basic 2QB 4RB 4WR 2TE 2K 2D and our scoring system is very close to your cheat sheet. The only major thing we have changed in the 12 years since we started is going to the auction format 8 years ago. I was considering approaching my fellow owners with adding the keeper option to our bylaws. Could you please tell me which keeper systems are the most common and which one's you would recommend?
Scott DENHAM [MILLBROOK, AL]
A:
I like the option of allowing teams to protect players for up to three years. That option, however, would be available only for players who were purchased at the auction -- nix on getting to keep Ryan Grant for three years because you happened to pick him up for $3 during the season. If you want to give teams some ability to protect players beyond three years, perhaps also include "franchise players" -- at the end of the three years, if a team designated a player a "franchise player", he would be guaranteed at least his existing salary. The team then wouldn't even bid on that player -- just the other teams would. At the end of the bidding on that player, the team holding his right would then simply announce whether or not he wanted to keep the franchise player by paying him ~85 percent of the highest bid. I'm sure readers will chime in with what works in their leagues.
Question 9:
Also, your mag is significantly thicker than last year, yet same number of pages. Higher quality, beer resistant paper? :)
L DALE GANDER [SUN PRAIRIE, WI]
A:
You're very observant. Yes, the magazine is thicker this year. A different kind of paper. Unfortunately, with the exploding gas prices, it's costing us more to ship and mail. And if you look at the side of the magazine, you'll see that the thickness caught us off guard -- the black spine isn't nearly wide enough.
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Question 7: Hello, I have read about...
Posted by Brian Harwood | Jul. 05 at 07:32 PM
OK this is my first year of the drauction so I would set a random draft order this year? Then when we go to the draft, would we still use a non-snaking draft for the final 8 or 10 rounds? THanks and let me know.
Question 7: Hello, I have read about...
Posted by Brian Harwood | Jul. 03 at 06:32 PM
Thanks for the response Ian. What if after the auction more than one team spends their $100 or the same amount of money. What would the policy be in your opinion on how to break the tiebreaker?
Question 7: Hello, I have read about...
Posted by IAN ALLAN | Jul. 05 at 10:34 AM
In regards to the draft order in a Drauction. The order would be set initially (for the auction). I suggest going with the order the teams finished the previous year, with the league champ given the honor of kicking things off. Then, after the auction, teams would move ahead of any teams that had spent more money. If two teams tied, that would be enough to merit a change in the order. If all teams spent $100, for example, the order would be the same as it was for the auction portion.
Question 8: I've ordered the Index and...
Posted by ERIC SCOLNICK | Jul. 03 at 03:49 PM
The rules for keepers are should depend on how complicated you want the keeper system. On one end, I would recommend simply costing $5 more for any player drafted in the auction. On the other end you can have salary contracts that cost $1 for as many years as you want to sign the player under contract (with a max of 5 years). For example if you sign a player for 3 year it would cost you $3 more each year you keep the player. The middle ground is costing $5 for RB, $4 for QB, $3 for WR, $2 for TE and $1 for D/ST and K each year you keep a player. If it cost the same as last year to keep player the good teams stay at the top without the potential for other teams to move up.