Fantasy Football '08 $$ League (Gambling)

"With the 10th pick in the 2008, Fantasy Football League draft, Rice Noodle selects..."

And so it went. 3 hours of a Tuesday night. 14 pitchers of beer. Two large pep & sausage pizzas. 180 players (and/or Defensive teams). $20 a head for the food and beverages... and 10 of the pitchers were Labatt Blue, not Bud Light.

Anyway... This is pre-season, post-draft analysis of my 2008 squad. I have not yet pillaged the waiver wire or offered up terrible trade proposals.

Background: each privately organized fantasy football league has it's own set of rules and scoring parameters. So before I'm castrated for picking Peyton Manning in the 10-slot, I'll paint the landscape.

• QBs - 1 pt per 20 yds passing. 6 pts per TD. Bonuses for eclipsing the 250 yard passing mark (and other hurdles) and for 'big plays' (i.e. pass play over 20, 30 and 50 yards).
• RBs - 1 pt per 10 yds rushing. 6 pts per TD. Bonuses for eclipsing the 75 yard mark (and other hurdles) and for 'big plays'. 1 pt per 10 yds receiving.
  
• WRs/TEs - 1 pt per 10 yds receiving. 1 pt per reception (does NOT apply to RBs). Bonuses mirror those of rushing.
• Ks - standard scoring. 3 pts per FG. Bonuses for distance. 1 pt per extra point.
• Team Defense/ST - 6 pts per TD. 2 pts per INT or fumble. 1 pt per sack. Bonus for points allowed. Special teams scoring is included. (makes Chicago more valuable via Devin Hester)

Other notable notes: no negative points; partial points allowed; must start 1 QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE, 1 K, and 1 DEF. No flex position here... and no minuses for Brett Favre's 12 INTs... Payouts to the #1 and #2 in total points and the playoffs. Potential winnings: $800.

The Roster:

• Quarterbacks - Peyton Manning; Matt Schaub; Tarvaris Jackson
• Runningbacks - Laurence Maroney; Selvin Young; Maurice Morris; Fred Taylor
• Wide Receivers - Reggie Wayne; Anquan Boldin; Brandon Marshall; Nate Burleson; Isaac Bruce
• Tight Ends - Antonio Gates; Owen Daniels
• Kickers - Rob Bironas; some other guy
• Defense - SD Chargers; Philadelphia Eagles

The Pros: I'm very content with a positive outlook on my QB, WR, and TE situation. I'm not sure if there will be much drop-off by the Colts scoring machine, but Reggie Wayne is still a gamebreaker, Boldin has the huge upside after the catch, and Brandon Marshall is a 3rd-year WR (which in fantasy-world, means BREAKOUT season). I have to wait until Week 2 to reap the rewards from Mr. Marshall... Nate Burleson is one of the only healthy, experienced WRs in Seattle and therefore should see plenty of passes. Many forget that he was a stud in Minnesota... Isaac Bruce was a 14th round pick out of need, but he's the current #1a in San Fran. He knows the Mad Martz pass-happy system from his days as a Ram (LA AND STL). Antonio Gates was the fourth overall TE taken in the draft behind KWII, Witten, and Tony Gonzo. It was a value pick during the run on TEs and should have another great season. He was rated higher than my 25th ranked WR, so essentially I have four top-25 receivers in the league. Note: Burleson and Bruce are both starters at the top of their respective depth charts. I was the first to steal the Chargers off the board, hoping to couple them with the Patriots DEF, but to no avail. Needless to say, the Eagles should be a good bye-week fill-in and if Brian Westbrook takes a punt to the house, I get 6 points!

The Cons: I didn't draft a RB until round 6 and consequently got stuck with Maroney. All four of my RBs are question marks with big exclamation points behind them. It's just a matter of which one of the four blows up this year. If Brady goes down or sits, Maroney should get his fair share of touches. Young is playing in a system that allows for 1,500 yard rushers. Maurice Morris is playing behind a strong O-Line in Seattle (and Owen Schnittker - the monster from WVA) and held his own when Shaun was out. Then there's Fred "Fragile" Taylor. I had to take him based on historical production and a moderate projection. He was the best available RB after the gentleman in the 9th slot drafted LenDale White leaving me defenseless... and dejected. I think most of these guys should be able to rack up 75 yards and a TD here and there. My sleepers are Young and Morris... but would have preferred to be sleeping on Jonathan Stewart (CAR) or Matt Forte (CHI) instead.

Assessment: I graded out 4th or 5th overall according to our fantasy league guru (who didn't finish in the money last year). I was very pleased with my aerial attack options picking up Gates and Burleson much later than I anticipated. I was also pleased to not be handcuffed with drafting an "old" WR (i.e. Holt, Ocho Cinco, Harrison) or one of those little slot WRs that were popular in 2005 (Santana Moss, Steve Smith, Lee Evans). I admit, I do have an "old" WR in Isaac Bruce, but he's a system WR... Remember Rod Smith? Wayne Chrebet? Plus, who else is JT O'Sullivan going to throw to? Picking up Peyton Manning,Gates and the SD defense will help me sleep at night (and consequently set my rosters on Sunday mornings).

Final Grade: B+. I'm missing a true 2nd tier RB. I really wanted Thomas Jones, but he was snatched up three picks before I would have made the pick in the round that I wanted my 2nd RB. I settled for Selvin Young. I would have also liked to have grabbed the Patriots DEF as well... (perhaps a trade will be offered here..). Toss in Thomas Jones, LenDale White or Brandon Jacobs to complement Maroney, and I bump my grade up to an A-.

I didn't pick a kicker until Round 17 and 18... and didn't lose any sleep last night.