Warpath league early evaluation

[jsarno]

OK, after taking a look at some of the teams out there, here is my breakdown thus far. Of course it's early and there are always surprises to change things, but this is how I see it as of right now. (please note in terms of defenses, i agree with Athlon sports rankings down the line, I could provide stats about sacks, int's etc, but it would take up too much space)

Fistfulloffacemask
QB'S- Leinart, Garcia, Green- D-. None of these guys are decent options at this point.
RB'S- Tomlinson, C. Williams, B. Jackson- B+. It's a good thing you have Tomlinson cause Williams will lose his job, and Jackson is not currently a starter. Jackson will be eventually, but until then he holds little value.
WR'S- Harrison, Holt, Cal. Johnson, ARE, M. Jenkins- A-. For as good as the first three are (best 3 in this league), the last two are the worst. There are likely better options on the waiver wire right now. You start 3 wr's and 1 flex, and those three are top notch, even if Johnson is just average.
TE's- Gonzalez, E. Johnson- A. Gonzalez is a top 5 TE and Johnson squeeks in as a top 10, to have both is a good thing. Very strong two!
K- Gostkowski- A. Kickers are basically a dime a dozen, there is very little difference from #1 to #12 and every year it changes, so everyone will get an A here. A kicker should be taken in the final 2 rounds, no exceptions.
DEF- Carolina- B+. Defenses are EXTREMELY hard to rank as they constantly change like kickers. There are a clear cut top 2, after that it's kinda a crap shoot as 3-10 or so are pretty equal. According to Athlon Sports, Carolina ranks 11th in fantasy production.

Loose Deuce
QB'S- Brady, Losman- A. Brady is a top 4 QB, and Durable.
RB'S- S. Jackson, M. Barber, A. Green- B-. Jackson is a clear cut #2 best RB'S- Barber is in a committee and drops his fantasy value, and Green is old, but at least he's a clear starter, and IMO a better pick than Barber.
WR'S- Chad Johnson, P. Burress, M. Clayton, T. Glenn, Brandon Jones, M. Jones, M. Furrey- A-. 7 WR's is too many, but backups rarely hurt. Johnson and Burress are top notch, Clayton and Glenn could provide good fantasy value. The 2 jones' and furrey are basically a "we'll see what happens". One of the two Jones' should break out, but Furrey is useless now with CJ in Detroit.
TE'S- T. Heap- B. Heap is a top 5 or 6 TE, but you can't get points from him on a bye week. Should have gotten a back up TE instead of 7 wr's. The waiver wire will be thin here.
K- Stover- A. Get the point that almost everyone will get an A here?
DEF- Pittsburgh- A- (ranked 9th by Athlon)

Smackiaveli
QB'S- J. Campbell, S. McNair- F. Both are backups at best and should not be asked to provide starter QB stats.
RB'S- L. Johnson, D. McAllister, A. Peterson, C. Taylor- B. LJ is amazing, but after that there is trouble. At best, one will emerge between Taylor and Peterson then the value will go up, but for now they will split all season. McAllister is taking a back seat to Bush now making a C- mark generous.
WR'S- R. Williams, V. Jackson, B. Berrian, Drew Carter, B. Lloyd- C+. Williams is solid, but after that it's huge questions. I love the Jackson pick, but he should be a WR3 with the fact that he's done nothing yet. Berrian rely's on Grossman, and career high 51 catches might be his ceiling. Carter could be a sleeper, and same with Lloyd, but this seems more like desperation.
TE'S- Owen Daniels, R. McMichael- C+. Daniels was a waste of a pick (especially at 7th round) considering Houston has Putzier and Bruener at TE and this will be his sophomore season, plus it's houston! Good thing you got McMichael. He's right around a top 12 or so. He has good sleeper potential in St. Louis.
K- Neil Rackers- A. Solid kicker.
DEF- Denver- B+. (ranked 13th in Athlon)
*- sorry to be rough on this team, but I see this as a hurting team.

Tea and Scrumpets
QB'S- McNabb, Pennington- A-. McNabb's injuries aside, when he plays, he puts up great numbers...top 3 numbers. Pennington is nothing special, which means you better hope McNabb stays healthy.
RB'S- Parker, B. Jacobs, L. Jordan, D. Foster- B. Parker might see fewer points considering that Tomlin wants to air it out this year, Jacobs is a TD machine and this is a TD league. Jordan is a nothing pick considering they have Rhodes and Bush...at least Jordan will get PT until Rhodes suspension is done. D. Foster could be interesting. Will D. Williams get more touches? If one gets hurt, the other looks great.
WR'S- Owens, Ward, Cotchery, Curry, Henry- A. Owens, when healthy, will provide TD's by the bunches, Ward will benefit from new system and he could see 10+ td's, Cotchery is huge in N.Y., and Curry should be the #1, even though Porter has more talent. Henry is decent pick considering his 9 td's last year, but he'll only play half the season and could be forgotten by the time he comes back...still not a bad chance to take.
TE'S- Winslow. B+. Winslow got a lot of flack for "not scoring". But like Shockey (who was labelled that way too) he touches the ball too much not to score. Great pick up and a top 3 TE. Your back up will be below average on the waiver wire.
K- Viniteiri, Hanson. A. Good starter and back up. (should have got a back up TE though, not a kicker)
DEF- Miami- A. Could be an A+ if get's more int's. (8th in Athlon)
*overall, solid team!

Hog Squad
QB'S- Brees, Cutler- A+. Could be the best duo in the league. Brees is top 5, and Cutler could be a top 10, he's a sleeper.
RB'S- Addai, Benson, J.Lewis, R. Droughns- A. Very solid group other than Droughns, but you can only start 2 at max at rb, making this group tough. Benson hasn't proven himself yet, but he will get the chance, and Lewis will get all the goal line chances.
WR'S- Driver, Branch, S. Holmes, B. Marshall, M. Booker- B+. Driver is solid and underrated, Branch hasn't proven much, but it is expected for him to be great this year, and Holmes will be #2 in a more pass oriented system. Marshall is a sleeper and could be the #2 soon in Denver, and Booker is just there if need be, and has produced when healthy.
TE'S- L.J. Smith, M. Pollard- D+. L.J. is not as good as he used to be, and Pollard is useless in Seattle. (hey every team has a weak spot)
K- Gould- A. Won't be as good as last year, but still and A.
DEF- Philadelphia- A. If reverts back to 05 will be a B at best.
*this is one of the teams to beat.

Homers Revenge 80
QB'S- Palmer, Delhomme- A. One of the best combos in the league, Palmer will rival Manning as the #1, and Delhomme will score a lot.
RB'S- Gore, T. Jones, Betts, Turner- A-. Gore is a stud, and T. Jones will put up huge numbers in N.Y. Betts could be extremely valuable if Portis injury woes bite him again. Turner will be a great pickup if Tomlinson goes down, if not, he's useless.
WR'S- B. Edwards, D. Jackson, J. Horn, G. Jennings, D. Mason- B. No stud here, but all are adaquate starters. Edwards could have a huge season, and Jackson SHOULD have a huge season. Horn is Harrington's #1 WR...keep in mind that his #1 WR has produced 8 tds in 05, 8 tds in 04, (considering Harrington only threw for a total of 31 tds those two years, his #1 caught over 50% of his tds. Jennings was on fire until his injury last year, and we all know GB is pass happy. Mason had a down season but is still McNairs favorite.
TE'S- Gates, Scheffler- A+. Best in the league. Gates is head and shoulders above everyone at TE, and Scheffler is good back up as the #1 TE in Denver, and a solid sleeper.
K- J. Scobee- A. Strong leg.
DEF- Minnesota- A. Could drop if 5td's aren't duplicated. (6th in athlon)
*This is one of the teams to beat.

Dog Fighters-
QB'S- P. Manning, Favre- A. One of the best combo's in the league. Manning speaks for himself, and Favre will score, but Favre will also throw a slew of int's.
RB'S- McGahee, Lynch, James, Dunn, Washington- A-. 5 rb's in a league that you can only start 2 is a bit much. But your top 3 are solid. Lynch is a question, but he should be given the full reins. Dunn will lose time and td's to Norwood, and washington is a waste unless Jones gets hurt.
WR'S- A. Johnson, C. Chambers, D. Henderson, Muhammad. B-. Johnson is underrated, and I expect big things from him. Chambers is inconsistant, which Chris will show up, the 05 or the 06? If 05, he's a 4-5th wr at best. Henderson should be the #2 in N.O., but he will have to earn it from Copper and Meachem. Muhammad has not produced since going to Chicago averaging 62 receptions for barely over 800 yards and only 4.5 td's in 2 years. A lot of questions here.
TE'S- Dallas Clark, David Martin- D. Clark should get 4 td's, but he'll only catch around 30 balls, for a #1 TE, that sucks. Martin didn't produce in GB, so why will he in Miami? Martin COULD actually get better stats considering he doesn't have to fight for opportunity like Clark will in Indy.
K- J. Elam- A. Still produces in thin air!
DEF- Dallas- F. (JK), A-. (Athlon ranks them 10th)

He-Man Woman Haters
QB'S- T. Romo, Roethlisberger- B-. Romo is overrated, and not worthy of a starting job. Roethlisberger should actually be your starter. They will throw more, and I think Ben could be a good sleeper.
RB'S- Alexander, Jones-Drew, Tatem Bell, the "other" Adrian Peterson. B. Alexander will be a top RB again, and Jones Drew will likely be the feature back at some point this season, but I don't see him getting 16 tds again. T.Bell could be a sleeper if K.Jones foot hasn't completely healed, although if it has, then Jones gets the PT, not Bell. The other Adrian Peterson is thankful someone thinks he's valuable enough to pick...he's not.
WR'S- Fitzgerald, J. Walker, R. Brown, Stallworth, A. Gonzalez- B+. I feel Boldin is the better WR, but Larry will be solid. Javon is a stud. Brown should be the #1, but McNabb never really has liked to have a #1 so I think he's an overrated sleeper. Stallworth is not mentally a patriot, and it will show in his stats cause he will not produce the way people are saying. A. Gonzalez could be intriguing since Manning likes to throw to the slot.
TE'S- Vernon Davis- B+. Could be an A-. He's THE sleeper this year for TE's...could put up HUGE numbers. Your back up will be below average.
K- Mare- A. 176th pick will be solid in a dome!
DEF- Jacksonville- A. (athlon ranks them at 7th)

Oompa Loompas
QB'S- M. Bulger, P. Rivers- A+. Likely the best combo in the league. Bulger for some reason is underrated when he's the 3rd best fantasy QB, and Rivers is a great backup and should be a starter for a number of other teams here.
RB'S- R. Bush, Norwood, Holmes- C-. Weak group here. R. Bush is solid, but still splits with Duece. Norwood should get the goal line carries, but Dunn is still the first RB there. Holmes is great 4th rb pickup, but he's your third. He could be worth nothing at all. Insurance for LJ is good though.
WR'S- Boldin, S. Moss, Curtis, I.Bruce- B+. Boldin is the best WR in Arz, and Moss will put up huge numbers when healthy. Curtis could be a reach, but you never know who will emerge in Phily. Bruce is actually a great pickup, he will still produce over 70 catches and 1000+ yards, problem is he doesn't score much anymore. Ironically that could change since Curtis is not in St. Louis anymore.
TE'S- Cooley, H. Miller- B+. Would be higher, but miller is adaquate at best. Cooley could be primed for a huge season!
K- Wilkins, J.Brown- A. No point in having 2 kickers until bye week.
DEF- San Diego, San Fransisco- A. San Diego is an A, San Fran is C+, maybe a B-. Again, no point in having two teams until the bye week. (S.D. ranked 3rd, and SF ranked 21st in athlon)

Bohnzie's Reapers
QB'S- Jon Kitna, Rex Grossman- B-. Kitna should put up a lot of TD's and yards, but he was sacked 63 times last year and doesn't appear to be slowing down. Eventually that will take it's toll. Grossman is a question mark. He could be lights out, or he could suck badly. Who is going to show up this year? Too high a risk for the reward IMO.
RB'S- R. Johnson, R. Brown, J. Jones, L. White- B+. Johnson is solid averaging 12 td's over 3 seasons. Brown should be the man in Miami, but I keep hearing negative things about him. Still, should be a solid RB. Jones has lost his luster in Dallas. White was maga talented at USC, but it seems Tenn. isn't high on him to be the man this year. Not bad to take a chance on him with your last RB spot though.
WR'S- Houshmandzadeh, Evans, Coles, Kennison, Welker. A. TJ is the 3rd best #2 WR in the league, Evans will be amazing this year. Coles as a #3 WR is a great pick, and Kennison as a #4 is a great pick too. Welker won't put up great numbers as the #3 in NE, not a bad 5th though.
TE'S- Crumpler, Watson- B. Neither are top notch, but both are pretty solid. Crumpler loses value with Vick gone, he used to be a top 5, now he's a top 10. Watson has a lot of talent, but gets lost in the NE offense. I think you will be going back and forth on who to start.
K- Kaeding- A. Could be the best kicker this year.
DEF- New England- A. (ranked 4th in Athlon)

#1 Stunnas
QB'S- Vince Young, E. Manning- B+. I think Young is overrated, but can't deny his ability to score with his legs. Throw in the curse of Madden and a sophomore season, and this could be a season to regret for him...then again, he could find his throwing arm and be much more valuable, still reminds me of a lesser Vick, and I wasn't high on him either. Manning could be a great pick up. He seems to be motivated.
RB'S- Maroney, T. Henry, Taylor, K. Jones- A-. Maroney should be a stud this year, and Henry is a steal at the 14th pick, if healthy, he will put up HUGE numbers. Taylor is losing time to Jones Drew, but not a bad 3rd, and K. Jones is worth taking a chance on as a 4th.
WR'S- Wayne, Colston, Galloway, Drew Bennett, D. Bowe- B. Wayne is the best #2 in the league and puts up great numbers. Colston is the #1 guy in NO, but I don't think as highly about him. 1- he's inexperienced / sophomore slump coming, 2- He scored 6 of his td's when Horn was in the lineup to take the pressure off, and only 2 when he wasn't in the lineup to take the pressure off. He could face a lot of double teams this year and reduce his stats. Galloway is a bananna peel away from the DL, and I think he's showing his age with his decrease in stats last year, but not a bad 3 at all! Drew Bennett will never be worth more than what he was in Tenn, but could be a steal as your 4th. Bowe is intriguing. Rumor has him being the #1 soon.
TE'S- Witten- B. 1 TD last year is troublesome especially considering that was Romo's check down guy. Should see fewer balls thrown his way, but should have a couple more tds. No good waiver wire TE's for a backup.
K- Shane Graham- A. Good kicker for a high powered offense.
DEF- Chicago, Seattle- A+. The reason your team isn't extremely strong is cause you took Chicago in the 7th and Graham in the 9th rounds. A great kicker will be about 10-15 points better than the good kickers, which makes any kicker being taken earlier than 2nd to last round fairly dumb. Chicago is the best DEF you can have, better hope they do it again to warrent the 7th round pick.

Most Definitely
QB'S- Hasselbeck, Smith, Shaub- B+. Hasselbeck has been forgotten about, but he's healthy now and should return to form. Smith could be a good sleeper. Shaub is chance, but it could pay off...but it's not wise to carry 3 QB's.
RB'S- Westbrook, Portis, D. Williams, Rhodes- B. Westbrook showed he can carry the load, and Portis when healthy is a stud but concerns of Betts taking snaps are valid. Williams could be great or could be dead weight, time will tell. I understand the Rhodes pick. The Raiders offered good money, so he SHOULD be the #1 back after his suspension. Bush and Jordan will hurt his PT though.
WR'S- S.Smith, R. Moss, Hackett, Porter- B+. S.Smith is a super stud. Moss used to be, but no one knows what to expect from him considering he's at a place that doesn't pick a #1, and he has injury issues. Hackett could end up being your #2, and he's on everyone's sleeper list meaning he should light it up this year. Porter has been a fantasy bust. Amazing talent, but his head is not skrewed on right!
TE'S- Shockey- B+. He's top talent, and he produces! But no back up means you will have a less than average TE to put in when Shockey gets hurt...and BTW Shockey has been hurt every season he's played, granted not long, but even 1 game without him means smaller numbers, throw in the bye week, and that's 2 games that you're not at full strength.
K- Akers- A. Still has it.
DEF- Baltimore, Washington- A+. Baltimore is the 2nd best def. to take, and I know taking Wash. is a home pick, but come on, that's a waste of space on your team that you could be taking a chance on someone else. (Balt. ranked 2nd, and Wash. ranked 31st in Athlon)

I look forward to your responses.
Please keep in mind these are preseason rankings, once the season starts, injury and other factors take their toll and things change.

[MTK]

I have to say I really like my team, I think it's my favorite of the 3 teams I have right now.

Of course anything can happen when it comes to injuries. I remember a few years ago I had a team with McNabb, Priest Holmes in his prime, and Torry Holt as my big 3. McNabb and Holmes both got hurt and my season was sunk.

[Dlyne8r]

Holy crap, I'll take a closer look at this when I have a day off! J/k, but I wish I had your schedule...

[TheMalcolmConnection]

Tea and Scrumpets for the championship baby!

I haven't been at one draft in my fantasy career but DAMN the computer made good picks for me this time.

[SmootSmack]

Um...thanks for not mentioning I got Larry Johnson as well.

And, all Berrian does? Score Touchdowns!

[jsarno]

Originally Posted by SmootSmack

Um...thanks for not mentioning I got Larry Johnson as well.

That is completely my fault...I missed him somehow. My bad. I have edited my post to include him. Good thing you mentioned it, cause I figured you'd be lucky to win 1 game with that team, now you can win a couple!

And, all Berrian does? Score Touchdowns!

You sure about that?
Last year he had 6, which was all him cause 4 of his 6 tds came from 34 or more yards out. Meaning he gets no looks in the red zone.
05- 0 tds.
04- 2 tds.

[jsarno]

Originally Posted by Mattyk72

I have to say I really like my team, I think it's my favorite of the 3 teams I have right now.

Of course anything can happen when it comes to injuries. I remember a few years ago I had a team with McNabb, Priest Holmes in his prime, and Torry Holt as my big 3. McNabb and Holmes both got hurt and my season was sunk.

You have a strong team. I feel your team, and mine (Homers Revenge 80) are the best two teams in this...but like you mention, injuries can kill your team quickly.

[jsarno]

Originally Posted by TheMalcolmConnection

Tea and Scrumpets for the championship baby!

I haven't been at one draft in my fantasy career but DAMN the computer made good picks for me this time.

That was an auto draft team?
Overall, it's a solid team, possibly 3rd best at this point. Not bad if it was indeed an auto draft.

[TheMalcolmConnection]

Yes it was. I either forget or just don't have time to ever participate in a draft. I DO the pre-draft rankings, but that only got me so far last year.

[SmootSmack]

I'm not really sweating this league. Free league, might as well have fun.

Next Tuesday night is my "real" draft. Money league, $150 per entry.

[jsarno]

Originally Posted by SmootSmack

I'm not really sweating this league. Free league, might as well have fun.

Next Tuesday night is my "real" draft. Money league, $150 per entry.

Good to know. I hope you pick better in the money league, not trying to dog you, but you have to have a lot go your way with this team.
I have my huge money league draft on Saturday.

[jsarno]

Does anyone realize that there were 3 teams taking a kicker in the 9th round? #1 Stunnas, Bohnzies Reapers, and Tea and Scrumpets.
At least we know tea and scrumpets was auto drafted...but what is it with people thinking a kicker makes that much of a difference?

[EARTHQUAKE2689]

Did I miss something when did this go down? How come I didnt know I could enter?

[TheMalcolmConnection]

Originally Posted by jsarno

Does anyone realize that there were 3 teams taking a kicker in the 9th round? #1 Stunnas, Bohnzies Reapers, and Tea and Scrumpets.
At least we know tea and scrumpets was auto drafted...but what is it with people thinking a kicker makes that much of a difference?

But I got Vinateri!

[ArtMonkDrillz]

I know Bohnzie had to auto-draft too.