Sep 2, 2009
Facebook Fantasy Draft from 9/1
As my head continues to swim this week, I had another draft last night, this one the “official” expert draft for Facebook. Yes, I know I make excuses about always being distracted during my drafts, but this one was indisputable: I did this draft online while hosting a national radio show, Sirius Fantasy Football (our first Tuesday night, no less), on Sirius NFL radio while putting callers on the air and interviewing Felix Jones nonetheless.
So I didn’t maximize value and the draft, yet while this was actually a pretty tough draft (facebook tried to get the top heavy hitters), I think my team is solid. It’s a 12-team NON PPR. You can only start 2 RBs and 2 WRs plus a flex (as opposed to 2 RBs, 3 WRs, and a flex). So I finally got a TE early. I didn’t pay a dear price, but my RBs are a little weak. But overall, pretty good team all things considering.
One other note: I found last year that there were a lot of good options on the WW in this league, so I decided to grab my DT earlier than I have, to create the best starting lineup possible. I think this is pretty solid:
QB: Kurt Warner
RB: Frank Gore
RB: LenDale White (no-ppr)
WR: Andre Johnson
WR: Vincent Jackson
Flex: Eddie Royal or Fred Jackson
TE: Jason Witten
PK: David Akers
DT: Minnesota (feeling this defense this year big time).
Here’s the draft.
Round 1
1. Adrian Peterson RB MIN Secret Treasure Loaf
2. LaDainian Tomlinson RB SD KFFL.com
3. Maurice Jones-Drew RB JAC Fanball.com
4. Matt Forte RB CHI Count Chocula’s Henchmen
5. Michael Turner RB ATL Yahoo! Fun-house
6. Steve Slaton RB HOU Vice Crew
7. DeAngelo Williams RB CAR The Unflappable Livers
8. Steven Jackson RB STL Tigers That Like Cinnamon
9. Larry Fitzgerald WR ARI Ickey Shuffle
10. Frank Gore RB SF FantasyGuru.com
11. Randy Moss WR NE Fantasy Focus 06010
12. Chris Johnson RB TEN The Defenestrators
Round 2
1. Calvin Johnson WR DET The Defenestrators
2. Clinton Portis RB WAS Fantasy Focus 06010
3. Andre Johnson WR HOU FantasyGuru.com
4. Brian Westbrook RB PHI Ickey Shuffle
5. Brandon Jacobs RB NYG Tigers That Like Cinnamon
6. Roddy White WR ATL The Unflappable Livers
7. Kevin Smith RB DET Vice Crew
8. Steve Smith WR CAR Yahoo! Fun-house
9. Reggie Wayne WR IND Count Chocula’s Henchmen
10. Marion Barber RB DAL Fanball.com
11. Greg Jennings WR GB KFFL.com
12. Pierre Thomas RB NO Secret Treasure Loaf
Round 3
1. Marques Colston WR NO Secret Treasure Loaf
2. Ryan Grant RB GB KFFL.com
3. Drew Brees QB NO Fanball.com
4. Anquan Boldin WR ARI Count Chocula’s Henchmen
5. Ronnie Brown RB MIA Yahoo! Fun-house
6. Wes Welker WR NE Vice Crew
7. Tom Brady QB NE The Unflappable Livers
8. Knowshon Moreno RB DEN Tigers That Like Cinnamon
9. Dwayne Bowe WR KC Ickey Shuffle
10. Vincent Jackson WR SD FantasyGuru.com
11. T.J. Houshmandzadeh WR SEA Fantasy Focus 06010
12. Braylon Edwards WR CLE The Defenestrators
Round 4
1. Antonio Gates TE SD The Defenestrators
2. Aaron Rodgers QB GB Fantasy Focus 06010
3. Jason Witten TE DAL FantasyGuru.com
4. Peyton Manning QB IND Ickey Shuffle
5. Chad Ochocinco WR CIN Tigers That Like Cinnamon
6. Thomas Jones RB NYJ The Unflappable Livers
7. Philip Rivers QB SD Vice Crew
8. DeSean Jackson WR PHI Yahoo! Fun-house
9. Joseph Addai RB IND Count Chocula’s Henchmen
10. Darren McFadden RB OAK Fanball.com
11. Tony Romo QB DAL KFFL.com
12. Ray Rice RB BAL Secret Treasure Loaf
Round 5
1. Terrell Owens WR BUF Secret Treasure Loaf
2. Larry Johnson RB KC KFFL.com
3. Anthony Gonzalez WR IND Fanball.com
4. Beanie Wells RB ARI Count Chocula’s Henchmen
5. Felix Jones RB DAL Yahoo! Fun-house
6. Tony Gonzalez TE ATL Vice Crew
7. Marshawn Lynch RB BUF The Unflappable Livers
8. Dallas Clark TE IND Tigers That Like Cinnamon
9. Reggie Bush RB NO Ickey Shuffle
10. LenDale White RB TEN FantasyGuru.com
11. Willie Parker RB PIT Fantasy Focus 06010
12. Roy Williams WR DAL The Defenestrators
Round 6
1. Derrick Ward RB TB The Defenestrators
2. Brandon Marshall WR DEN Fantasy Focus 06010
3. Eddie Royal WR DEN FantasyGuru.com
4. Santonio Holmes WR PIT Ickey Shuffle
5. Donald Driver WR GB Tigers That Like Cinnamon
6. Bernard Berrian WR MIN The Unflappable Livers
7. Lee Evans WR BUF Vice Crew
8. Antonio Bryant WR TB Yahoo! Fun-house
9. Donald Brown RB IND Count Chocula’s Henchmen
10. Jonathan Stewart RB CAR Fanball.com
11. Chris Cooley TE WAS KFFL.com
12. Donovan McNabb QB PHI Secret Treasure Loaf
Round 7
1. Leon Washington RB NYJ Secret Treasure Loaf
2. Santana Moss WR WAS KFFL.com
3. Donnie Avery WR STL Fanball.com
4. Hines Ward WR PIT Count Chocula’s Henchmen
5. Greg Olsen TE CHI Yahoo! Fun-house
6. Cedric Benson RB CIN Vice Crew
7. Owen Daniels TE HOU The Unflappable Livers
8. Julius Jones RB SEA Tigers That Like Cinnamon
9. Jamal Lewis RB CLE Ickey Shuffle
10. Kurt Warner QB ARI FantasyGuru.com
11. Darren Sproles RB SD Fantasy Focus 06010
12. Matt Schaub QB HOU The Defenestrators
Round 8
1. Jay Cutler QB CHI The Defenestrators
2. Ahmad Bradshaw RB NYG Fantasy Focus 06010
3. Fred Jackson RB BUF FantasyGuru.com
4. Lance Moore WR NO Ickey Shuffle
5. Ben Roethlisberger QB PIT Tigers That Like Cinnamon
6. Jerricho Cotchery WR NYJ The Unflappable Livers
7. Laveranues Coles WR CIN Vice Crew
8. Matt Ryan QB ATL Yahoo! Fun-house
9. Kevin Walter WR HOU Count Chocula’s Henchmen
10. Kellen Winslow TE TB Fanball.com
11. Derrick Mason WR BAL KFFL.com
12. Devin Hester WR CHI Secret Treasure Loaf
Round 9
1. Chester Taylor RB MIN Secret Treasure Loaf
2. Carson Palmer QB CIN KFFL.com
3. Ted Ginn Jr. WR MIA Fanball.com
4. John Carlson TE SEA Count Chocula’s Henchmen
5. Chris Henry WR CIN Yahoo! Fun-house
6. Percy Harvin WR MIN Vice Crew
7. LeSean McCoy RB PHI The Unflappable Livers
8. Earl Bennett WR CHI Tigers That Like Cinnamon
9. Rashard Mendenhall RB PIT Ickey Shuffle
10. Torry Holt WR JAC FantasyGuru.com
11. Steve Breaston WR ARI Fantasy Focus 06010
12. James Davis RB CLE The Defenestrators
Round 10
1. Michael Bush RB OAK The Defenestrators
2. Josh Morgan WR SF Fantasy Focus 06010
3. Willis McGahee RB BAL FantasyGuru.com
4. Jermichael Finley TE GB Ickey Shuffle
5. Justin Gage WR TEN Tigers That Like Cinnamon
6. Nate Washington WR TEN The Unflappable Livers
7. Tim Hightower RB ARI Vice Crew
8. Jamaal Charles RB KC Yahoo! Fun-house
9. Matt Hasselbeck QB SEA Count Chocula’s Henchmen
10. David Garrard QB JAC Fanball.com
11. Fred Taylor RB NE KFFL.com
12. Visanthe Shiancoe TE MIN Secret Treasure Loaf
Round 11
1. Baltimore Ravens DEF BAL Secret Treasure Loaf
2. Robert Meachem WR NO KFFL.com
3. Pittsburgh Steelers DEF PIT Fanball.com
4. Eli Manning QB NYG Count Chocula’s Henchmen
5. Jerious Norwood RB ATL Yahoo! Fun-house
6. Michael Jenkins WR ATL Vice Crew
7. Glen Coffee RB SF The Unflappable Livers
8. Bernard Scott RB CIN Tigers That Like Cinnamon
9. Correll Buckhalter RB DEN Ickey Shuffle
10. Minnesota Vikings DEF MIN FantasyGuru.com
11. Ladell Betts RB WAS Fantasy Focus 06010
12. New York Giants DEF NYG The Defenestrators
Round 12
1. Dustin Keller TE NYJ The Defenestrators
2. Zach Miller TE OAK Fantasy Focus 06010
3. Earnest Graham RB TB FantasyGuru.com
4. Laurence Maroney RB NE Ickey Shuffle
5. Kelley Washington WR BAL Tigers That Like Cinnamon
6. Shonn Greene RB NYJ The Unflappable Livers
7. Steve Smith WR NYG Vice Crew
8. Brett Favre QB MIN Yahoo! Fun-house
9. San Diego Chargers DEF SD Count Chocula’s Henchmen
10. Domenik Hixon WR NYG Fanball.com
11. Carnell Williams RB TB KFFL.com
12. Patrick Crayton WR DAL Secret Treasure Loaf
Round 13
1. Trent Edwards QB BUF Secret Treasure Loaf
2. Chicago Bears DEF CHI KFFL.com
3. Stephen Gostkowski K NE Fanball.com
4. Rob Bironas K TEN Count Chocula’s Henchmen
5. Tennessee Titans DEF TEN Yahoo! Fun-house
6. Jason Elam K ATL Vice Crew
7. New England Patriots DEF NE The Unflappable Livers
8. Green Bay Packers DEF GB Tigers That Like Cinnamon
9. New York Jets DEF NYJ Ickey Shuffle
10. Ricky Williams RB MIA FantasyGuru.com
11. Philadelphia Eagles DEF PHI Fantasy Focus 06010
12. Nate Kaeding K SD The Defenestrators
Round 14
1. Michael Crabtree WR SF The Defenestrators
2. Mason Crosby K GB Fantasy Focus 06010
3. David Akers K PHI FantasyGuru.com
4. Kris Brown K HOU Ickey Shuffle
5. Chris Brown RB HOU Tigers That Like Cinnamon
6. Ryan Longwell K MIN The Unflappable Livers
7. Dallas Cowboys DEF DAL Vice Crew
8. Nick Folk K DAL Yahoo! Fun-house
9. Sidney Rice WR MIN Count Chocula’s Henchmen
10. Jeremy Shockey TE NO Fanball.com
11. Robbie Gould K CHI KFFL.com
12. Garrett Hartley K NO Secret Treasure Loaf
wow…braylon going a little higher than i would have expected to see…i agree with john though…he is mostly being undervalued and could be a great bargain…im drafting tomorrow in my big money league(we start a mandatory 3 rbs)…im loving grant in the 3rd round(reminds me of when i took t jones in the 3rd last year…lotta of looks like “you reached”….we also had portis, chris johnson, and slaton…cj and slaton on the word of the guru!)…the offense looks great…and you just get the vibe that its going to be easy going/flowing for grant
oh by the way john…thought u werent feeling witten?
Not bad, not great. Can tell you were distracted some. 1st 3 weeks, you can get away with Freddy obviously, and by then who knows how things shake out. Warner stays healthy and Willis gets his gig back, this team will be fine.
I just grabbed DWill in a PPR league in the 11 spot, so to see him go at #7, gives me some instant good mojo. Wow! To Get AJ AFTER Calvin is money. I got Calvin in the 2nd round of the aforementioned PPR draft, and was thrilled. Would be giddy to get AJ. Good call on Witten with Roy W on the gimp. May have passed on Warner for Cutler, just don’t have a good feeling about his health. Might want to stash away Leinart just in case.
I think I would have passed on Graham though, the whole TB running game situation gives me agita. Oi!
Hey “VICE CREW”, please join our league next year,,LOL
Pretty good team John! It looks like everyone is on the James Davis bandwagon. He really was selected in round 9!!???? Looks like you may have another “internet icon”, or maybe he’s this year’s Steve Slaton and by middle of the season he’s the starter getting the majority of the reps. I’d just have to think though that the Browns will be throwing a whole lot this year and don’t have the downfield threats that the Texans had last year to give Slaton the opportunities he got. I also got McGahee in round 10 of my ppr keeper league draft, Felix Jones in round 5, Devin Hester in round 6, and Steven Smith in round 12! All these guys I think will play MAJOR roles this year and have major fantasy value (even on my bench).
Also got Ahmad Bradshaw in round 9!
John–
Two things stuck out at first glance: You took Gore over Chris Johnson, Portis, Jacobs, and Steve Slaton, all guys ranked higher in the Guru mag. Does this say more about a change in your feelings about Gore or about the others? The second observation also concerns Johnson and Slaton. I consider them to be pretty similar overall, but they seem to move around quite a bit in drafts, anywhere from 5 to mid-2nd round. Usually Johnson is a ahead of Slaton, but this draft seemed unusual for Slaton going very high and Johnson nearly falling out of the first round. What’s your current take on these two, and how much does scoring system impact their respective values?
–Luke
1. 4th Round, Witten before Manning? I even like T.Jones(NYJ) here as your 2nd RB, although you did fine with L.White in the 5th. Most of my thoughts stem from fear of Warner.
2. I know E.Graham is getting drafted and will see time in any scenario in TB, but I can’t bring myself to draft him in any round.
Rd 1 – Think I would have had to go with Johnson over Gore
Rd 2 – love the pick, was in a similar situation and took AJ over Steve Smith and thought I made a mistake. Made me feel good to see you make the same pick.
Rds 3 & 4 – if WR/TE was the plan, I would have to take Gates in 3rd, I think VJ would have still been there in 4th if he was you’re target, but personally would have gone with Ocho or DeSean in that spot.
Rd 5 – perfect
Love Ricky Williams that late
I’m surprised no one’s mentioned VJax going in Round 3. I mean, I like him and all but that’s the highest I’ve seen him go.
Hey John,
I need a little expert help. I am going to draft a 12 team PPR league in a couple of days and I have the 4th pick. I think AP, Jones-Drew, and Forte will be gone. If they all are gone, who would you take, or If one was still there, would you take him. The team starting lineup is QB, RB,RB,WR,WR,WR,TE,K,D.
Hate to bother you, but this is my Big Money league and would love to win.
Also, who would you be looking at in the 2,3,4,5 rds.
Thanks
P.S Big Fan of yours.
I agree with HP…VJax is getting LOTS of love for a guy on a team that had the ball for fewer minutes than most any in the league, and has a healthy, Gates, LT, Chambers and even Floyd in the Redzone and Sproles as super sub get the ball.
VJax is a talent and on another team, he might be top 10…but on this team…MUCH lower I’m guessing. Rivers had the most efficient 34 TD season…I can’t imagine him being THAT efficient again…but John, you are consistent…you’ve liked him all preseason.
HP (& I.S.)- I actually did make that point on VJ. I think if you’re in love with VJ you probably don’t need to reach in round 3 to get him, he should still be there in round 4 or maybe even early 5.
I’ve been hearing about Vincent Jackson’s breakout year for 3 years now. I understand he is talented and appears to be getting better, but here is what I cannot wrap my head around…
I’m not sure there is ANY team that has to feed more mouths that San Diego. It was already a tough sell BEFORE Sproles got franchised with multi-millions. Not to mention you have one of the elite TE’s that commands the ball, which isn’t the case on MOST teams. Add in LT who not only has something to prove, but appears VERY MUCH like he’s EXPECTING his chance to do it healthy. Add in Chris Chambers in a contract year along with the other talent at WR and the math just doesn’t add up for me.
I think if anyone is interested in VJ (or this offense in general), they ought to look seriously at just drafting Phillip Rivers who will reap the rewards from everyone he gets the ball to. (In my humble opinion). I just don’t see VJ having the ability (given the players around him) to produce better than a #3 MOST weeks…and it’s no indictment on his talent.
How much would MJD have produced without Fred around? CJ without Lendale? There are only so many plays in a game and when you have a bunch of superstars on your team…they demand the ball.
Chris, at that point I’d like at DeAngelo (upside) or Turner (safe). Those should be your guys, really.
I’d have to chalk Gore over Johnson up simply to just grabbing a guy I like cause I saw him. Keep in mind I was hosting a radio show while drafting on Sirius. I was just grabbing guys I liked at times.
Jackson, however, I’m ok with. It’s an aggressive move, but when you look at the WRs I took him over, only Ocho Cinco really stands out, and I like the vibes in SD better. I may look like a chump if Rivers spreads the ball around, but Jackson looks fantastic.
[...] The second annual Facebook Experts League held its draft on Wednesday. Jeff Ma of Citizen Sports assembled a delightful group of fantasy professionals. It’s a standard setup, non-PPR, with a flex. Everyone selected their pet player(s), so the draft results are a nice survey of the industry. Funston basically spent the entire draft attempting to negotiate complicated trades for Maurice Jones-Drew(notes). He failed. Check the bracketed links for commentary from Liss and Hansen. [Rotosynthesis, Fantasy Guru] [...]