For the third straight season, I was invited to join the Fantasy Sports Writers Association’s Industry Insiders League. Last season, I made the playoffs and finished fourth out of 60 teams after scoring the most points in my 12-team division during the regular season. In 2008, I also made the postseason and finished second in my division in points scored.
The following is a run through of the first half of the draft. Keep in mind that this is a high-performance PPR league that starts 1 QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, 1 flex, 1 TE, 1 K and 1 DT.
1.10: Randy Moss, WR
I drew the 10th pick — grrr — and knew I was probably going to have to take a WR with at least one of my first two picks in order to keep pace with the owners picking earlier in the first round. It’s a PPR league and we can start up to four WRs, so wideouts are a vital part of the first couple of rounds. One RB/RB combo I was considering was Rashard Mendenhall and Jamaal Charles, but when my pick came up I elected to go with the top WR on my board, Randy Moss. The top four RBs, Andre Johnson and Frank Gore were off the board, and in the two seasons where he’s had Tom Brady as his QB, Moss has finished WR4 (in 2009) and WR1 (in 2007). And it didn’t hurt that his offseason workout ensures that he’ll be in top physical condition heading into the season. Regarding the other available WRs, Larry Fitzgerald’s QB situation worries me a little and Reggie Wayne has to fight for targets with several other capable receivers. Moss will get plenty of looks even with Wes Welker working the underneath stuff and he’s always a top target in the redzone.
2.03: Larry Fitzgerald, WR
Ryan Matthews, Reggie Wayne, Drew Brees and Rashard Mendenhall went on the turn, so it was down to Fitzy, Roddy White and Jamaal Charles for me at 2.03. Todd Haley is playing mind games with Charles in KC, and even though he tore up the league last season, I didn’t feel comfortable taking him here. Besides, I liked the RB talent that has been slipping into the late third and early fourth rounds in mock drafts this summer. So I went with Fitzy, Matt Leinart be damned. With Anquan Boldin in Baltimore, Fitzgerald is bound to get a few more targets, right?
3.10: Ryan Grant, RB
Grant isn’t going to catch many passes, but he was RB9 last season and will get plenty of goal line carries in the Packers’ potent offensive attack. The remaining WRs weren’t too enticing (Welker, Colston and both Steve Smiths were gone), so I was definitely looking RB here. DeAngelo Williams went 3.08 and Pierre Thomas went 3.09, and I would have drafted either before Grant. But with Moss and Fitzy already on the roster, I feel more than comfortable going with Grant as my RB1.
