By Dalton Del Don – Senior Writer
I’m aware that it just turned May and baseball is in full effect, but I recently participated in not one, but two fantasy football drafts. The first was an industry league, and my team can be found here. The second was for RotoWire’s magazine. The way I see it, it’s never too early to talk some fantasy football, is it? Here are some thoughts after completing the two drafts:
People like Shaun Alexander a whole lot more than I do. In both leagues, he went No. 5 overall. He’s my 14th ranked running back. Supposedly, the injury wasn’t due to wear and tear, and he didn’t get overworked last year for a change, but history doesn’t bode well for guys his age and with his mileage. Also, Seattle’s offense isn’t even good anymore. Still, he could be a poor running back and produce 1,100 yards and 13 TDs since he’ll get almost all of the carries, so he’s not a terrible pick. I just like guys with more upside better. When you don’t have any receiving stats to fall back on, you better average more than 3.6 YPC.
Joseph Addai went No. 3 overall in the RotoWire mock. I commend the aggressiveness, but I probably don’t have the guts to take him over Larry Johnson and Frank Gore. Since no one reading this could even name Addai’s backup, and Indy’s offense is the best in the league, Addai has a great chance at entering next year as the consensus top overall pick. I have him ranked No. 5 overall, but feel free to reach if you want.
Coming off a 416-carry season worries me. But playing in Herm Edwards’ predictable offense with no wide receivers and terrible quarterback play scares me even more. I have moved Frank Gore ahead of Larry Johnson on my draft board.
When you get past the top-5 (LT, S-Jax, Gore, LJ, Addai), I’m taking Laurence Maroney at No. 6. I’m chalking up his late season swoon last year to the rookie wall and a severe shoulder injury that was concealed at the time. When right, he looked about as impressive as any other runner in the league. With Corey Dillon jettisoned, and the passing offense improving exponentially with Randy Moss, Donte Stallworth and Wes Welker on board, Maroney won’t be seeing too many 8-man boxes, and the Pats will be playing with the lead an awful lot. Just because guys like Rudi Johnson, Brian Westbrook and Willie Parker had better seasons last year, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take Maroney ahead of them this year.
I like Travis Henry (can’t believe Denver didn’t draft another back), Clinton Portis, Maurice-Jones Drew and Reggie Bush to round out the end of the first round and beginning of the second, but after the top-14 RBs, I think it’s better to go with a wideout. Everyone always preaches RBs, but I’ve probably never been in a draft where 15 straight were immediately taken like in the industry league. I’d rather Steve Smith than question marks like Willis McGahee, Cedric Benson and Ronnie Brown.
I have Vince Young ranked No. 4 on my QB list but was able to get him in Round 6 during both leagues. I don’t care how ugly his release is; he’s going to run wild and will be a fantasy monster as soon as this year. Madden curse be damned. I was also able to nab Matt Leinart in Round 10 in both leagues. If Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin are both universally ranked as top-10 WRs, then how can Leinart not put up big numbers?
Some other mid to late round picks I like: Vernon Davis, Drew Bennett, Devery Henderson, Vincent Jackson, Brandon Jackson, Chris Henry (RB) and Greg Jennings.
The two craziest picks I saw were made by the same team: he took Ahman Green in the second round, and then followed that up by selecting LaMont Jordan in Round 4. I’d rather Michael Bush.
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