Industry Insiders Fantasy League: Round 5
To start with Round 1 (and see the scoring system and roster requirements), click here.
My team so far: 1) Chris Johnson, 2) Steve Smith, 3) Ronnie Brown, 4) Marshawn Lynch
Heading into Round 5, I had already drafted three RBs, so I was definitely looking to draft a QB, TE or WR with my next pick. Antonio Gates and Tony Gonzalez went in the late fourth and early fifth, respectively, so TE wasn’t really an option at 5.08.
Here’s how the first part of Round 5 went: 49) Chad Ochocinco, 50) Tony Gonzalez, 51) Derrick Ward, 52) Larry Johnson, 53) Dallas Clark, 54) Joseph Addai, 55) Anthony Gonzalez
This left a group of WRs — Santana Moss, Braylon Edwards, Santonio Holmes — and a QB, Philip Rivers, to consider at 5.08. As I looked at the rosters of the teams drafting after me, I noticed that a couple already had a QB but they all still had plenty of need at WR. There were a few other WRs that I’d like in the 5th or 6th round — Hines Ward, Jerricho Cotchery and Antonio Bryant — that I was targeting in the next round, but didn’t feel great about any of those guys as my WR2.
So I decided to let Rivers go and hope he’d be there on the way back. If not, Tony Romo, Donovan McNabb and Kurt Warner could easily put up Rivers-type numbers. I put Rivers slightly ahead of those three because Romo lost Terrell Owens, while McNabb and Warner are pretty injury prone.
Looking at the WRs, I crossed Holmes out first because other than a great late run through the Super Bowl, he didn’t have all that good of a season last year. He finished as fantasy’s WR33, plays on a run-oriented team and is still sharing targets with Hines Ward.
Edwards was really intriguing because he was a top 5 WR two seasons ago, but was really brutal (WR32) last season. He struggled with drops and inconsistency. This season, he’s in his contract year and has a lot to prove. But it doesn’t help that Kellen Winslow is gone or that he has to adjust to the QB battle between Brady Quinn and Derek Anderson.
That left Santana Moss, who has always been productive when healthy. It’s the healthy part that he has trouble with. In his four years in Washington, the 30-year-old has appeared in 60 games, catching 279 passes for 4125 yards and 24 TD. That works out to 4.7-69-0.4, or 14.0 points per game, and that includes a few stretches where he was pretty nicked up.
In the end, I went with Moss. It will be Jim Zorn’s second season running the West Coast Offense, so the Redskins should improve on that side of the ball this season. Jason Campbell isn’t exactly entrenched as the starter, but Moss’s quarterback situation is better than what Edwards has in Cleveland. Braylon could very well outscore Santana this year, but I wanted some solid production out of my WR2 and I think Moss can deliver.
Round 5, Pick 8: Santana Moss, WR
The rest of the round went this way: 57) Jonathan Stewart, 58) Willie Parker, 59) Braylon Edwards, 60) LenDale White
Heading into the 6th, I’d probably be looking at QB, TE or maybe another WR if someone lasts. We’ll see.
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Posted in: Fantasy Football
Tags: 2009 FSWA Industry Insider Draft, Fantasy Football, Fantasy football draft strategy, fantasy football strategy