Scott Pianowski of Yahoo! Sports had a nice quote that was used in the magazine. It was part of an interview for the Experts Poll competition.
“Sometimes a short memory is your best friend in this fantasy racket,” Pianowski said.
Pianowski won the 2013 poll because he had a short memory with the San Diego Chargers. Everybody else was down on Philip Rivers, Nick Novak and Ryan Mathews because that team was terrible in 2012. Pianowski correctly observed that Rivers is an above-average quarterback but simply was held back by a bad offensive line that couldn’t help get better.
Pianowski was higher than anybody on Rivers and Novak, and among the highest on Mathews. Those picks helped to life him above the other 19 analysts.
This year he thinks the short-memory guy is Doug Martin. I disagree, but that’s a player for another day.
I will instead go with RODDY WHITE as your Short Memory Player of the Year. White is fine. He’s a good receiver. He just happened to try to play for most of last year on a sprained ankle, which isn’t possible. He just kept re-injurying it. Once White got healthy late in the year, though, he caught 43 passes in the final five games. He’s 33. He’s still got some good ball left.
That’s a passing team. The Falcons can’t grind it out against people, and they have a good quarterback. Matt Ryan has averaged over 280 passing yards two years in a row. With Tony Gonzalez gone, it’s really a two-man receiving corps there, Julio Jones and White. Probably both will go over 90 catches.
So White is my choice at the end of the fourth round in the Fanex Analysis Draft. This is a PPR league, which works in White’s favor. You are also encouraged to start four wide receivers because of the format, which includes a flex player (WR-TE-RB) and three starting receivers.
Previously, I selected wide receivers in the second and third rounds. The other owners combined have chosen 15 wide receivers, and I think White will outproduce almost half of those guys (he’s the No. 11 receiver on my board).
I’m on the clock again at pick 5.03. Not sure what to pick there. Could be a quarterback. Could be that second running back starter. There are a couple of nice wide receivers left, but unlikely to go with one of them, because I have some sleeper-type receivers I’ll want to work in a few rounds later.
FANEX ANALYSIS DRAFT | |||
---|---|---|---|
Pick | Pos | Player | Franchise |
1.01 | RB | Matt Forte | Panizo |
1.02 | RB | Jamaal Charles | Holm |
1.03 | RB | LeSean McCoy | Allan |
1.04 | RB | Adrian Peterson | Adams |
1.05 | WR | Calvin Johnson | Cannon |
1.06 | RB | Marshawn Lynch | Rito |
1.07 | RB | Eddie Lacy | Harmon |
1.08 | TE | Jimmy Graham | Cahill |
1.09 | WR | A.J. Green | Kellogg |
1.10 | WR | Brandon Marshall | Nease |
1.11 | WR | Demaryius Thomas | Dolfi |
1.12 | WR | Dez Bryant | Schauf |
2.01 | RB | DeMarco Murray | Schauf |
2.02 | RB | LeVeon Bell | Dolfi |
2.03 | WR | Alshon Jeffery | Nease |
2.04 | RB | Arian Foster | Kellogg |
2.05 | RB | Giovani Bernard | Cahill |
2.06 | WR | Julio Jones | Harmon |
2.07 | WR | Antonio Brown | Rito |
2.08 | RB | Doug Martin | Cannon |
2.09 | QB | Peyton Manning | Adams |
2.10 | WR | Randall Cobb | Allan |
2.11 | WR | Jordy Nelson | Holm |
2.12 | QB | Drew Brees | Panizo |
3.01 | RB | Montee Ball | Panizo |
3.02 | RB | Zac Stacy | Holm |
3.03 | WR | Julian Edelman | Allan |
3.04 | RB | Reggie Bush | Adams |
3.05 | TE | Julius Thomas | Cannon |
3.06 | WR | Wes Welker | Rito |
3.07 | RB | Alfred Morris | Harmon |
3.08 | RB | C.J. Spiller | Cahill |
3.09 | WR | Keenan Allen | Kellogg |
3.10 | RB | Bishop Sankey | Nease |
3.11 | WR | Andre Johnson | Dolfi |
3.12 | RB | Andre Ellington | Schauf |
4.01 | RB | Shane Vereen | Schauf |
4.02 | WR | Pierre Garcon | Dolfi |
4.03 | RB | Ryan Mathews | Nease |
4.04 | RB | Ben Tate | Kellogg |
4.05 | QB | Aaron Rodgers | Cahill |
4.06 | WR | Percy Harvin | Harmon |
4.07 | TE | Rob Gronkowski | Rito |
4.08 | QB | Matthew Stafford | Cannon |
4.09 | WR | DeSean Jackson | Adams |
4.10 | WR | Roddy White | Allan |
—Ian Allan