Category: Fantasy Football (Page 113 of 324)

      Fantasy Football Auction Strategy

      August 27, 2009 /

      Snake drafts are simple, easy to understand and organized.

      Auctions are not.

      They are haphazard and chaotic, and that’s part of what makes them so much fun.

      Want the consensus top fantasy player in the league? He’s yours…if you’re willing to pay. You’re not beholden to a certain draft slot or to the whim of the guy picking in front of you. It’s your team and the decisions you make will completely shape your roster, for good or for bad.

      Auctions come in all shapes and sizes, but for the past couple of seasons I’ve played in one where each team has a $400 salary cap and a roster of 20-22 players. It’s a slow online auction. Every day, each owner is responsible for nominating one player along with an opening bid, which can’t be seen by the other owners in the league. Bidding is open for 24 hours, unless the high bidder changes, in which case the clock is reset. At any particular time there might be 20 or 30 players up for bidding, but the slow format gives owners plenty of time to consider their options.

      I generally budget 85-90% of my total cap for my starters. This way, I have already accounted for some extra funds to acquire some cheap backups in the later part of the auction. This might seem like a lot to spend on your starters, but these are the guys that are playing week in and week out, so it’s smart to put the vast majority of your resources to that end.

      When approaching an auction there are two prevailing strategies to consider when bidding on players:

      Continue reading »

      Fantasy Football

      Industry Insiders Fantasy League: Round 9

      August 27, 2009 /

      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, 5. Santana Moss, 6. Tony Romo, 7. Greg Olsen, 8. Jerricho Cotchery

      When I took Lynch back in the 4th, I knew I was going to have to back him up with Fred Jackson, probably in the 9th. This is the downside to drafting Lynch this year. Unless you have another RB (or WR, if you’re league utilizes a flex) to start in his place for the first three weeks, you may find yourself in a tough spot. No one wants to start out the season 0-3.

      That said, Jackson is one of the league’s better backups and if Lynch were to miss significant time, he could step in and be a quality fantasy starter.

      Round 9, Pick 8: Fred Jackson, RB

      Here’s how the entire round went: 97) Devin Hester, 98) Laveranues Coles, 99) Ahmad Bradshaw, 100) Dustin Keller, 101) Chester Taylor, 102) Michael Crabtree, 103) Willis McGahee, 104) Fred Jackson, 105) Justin Gage, 106) Ted Ginn, 107) Darren Sproles, 108) Laurence Maroney

      I would have liked to nab Ginn here, but I couldn’t risk letting Jackson fall to another owner. Besides, there are still a few up-and-coming WRs that I like in the upcoming rounds.

      Click here to see all of my round-by-round picks.

      Fantasy Football

      Broncos willing to listen to offers for Marshall

      August 27, 2009 /

      According to a report by the Denver Post, the Broncos are willing to listen to offers for receiver Brandon Marshall, as long as those offers include a first and a fourth round draft pick.

      The Broncos would listen for trade offers for Marshall if they included first- and fourth-round draft picks. But the buzz among the league executives contacted this week was that they would want to see if Marshall is healthy after undergoing hip surgery in the offseason.

      And a few of those personnel executives said they would have to explain to the team ownership that Marshall, despite his acquittal on misdemeanor battery charges in Atlanta earlier this month, is still considered one more brush with the law away from a substantial suspension by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.

      In other words, despite their battle of wills, McDaniels and Marshall may need each other, at least for the time being. McDaniels needs a playmaker, the executives said, and Marshall needs to show he is full speed and ready to be a productive player, to get his wish to be traded.

      The article hits the nail on the head; Marshall needs to play ball (literally and figuratively) if he expects to get what he wants. He wants a new contract and/or to be traded, but he can’t have either of those things if he makes a stink in Denver, because the Broncos will be unwilling to give him more money and unable to deal him to another team.

      Marshall’s best course of action would be to get healthy, suit up, shut up and play. That way he shows good faith to the Broncos and proves to other teams that he’s worth the risk. As of now, he hasn’t even taking the time to learn the Broncos’ playbook and continues to speak out about wanting a new contract. Those things aren’t helping him.

      From a pure trade stand point, the compensation of a first and a fourth for a receiver of Marshall’s talent would be worth it for a team. But factor in his health and his off-field history, and the situation gets a lot more complicated.

      This certainly bears watching, but I don’t think the Broncos are going to get a 1st and a 4th for Marshall, and given his overall attitude this summer, teams will only trade for him if they’re getting a good deal. He’s practicing now, which is a good sign, and that makes him an interesting pick in the 4th or 5th round of fantasy drafts. While all of this drama has been going on, Eddie Royal has been working his tail off, and he may end up as the team’s top receiver. This would make him a great deal in the 5th or 6th.

      Fantasy Football, NFL, Rumors & Gossip

      Industry Insiders Fantasy League: Round 8

      August 26, 2009 /

      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, 5) Santana Moss, 6) Tony Romo, 7) Greg Olsen

      My starting lineup is almost complete. Knowing that I have to start three WR, I was definitely looking to shore up that position as my 8th round pick approached.

      Here’s how the first part of Round 8 went: 85) Owen Daniels, 86) Cedric Benson, 87) Chris Wells, 88) Torry Holt

      I strongly considered drafting Jerricho Cotchery in the previous round, but I was worried about one of the TEs that I liked not falling to me in the 8th. Luckily, Cotchery fell to me here. The only other player I really considered was Donnie Avery, but he’s coming off an injury and I think Cotchery is the better receiver at this point in time. I’m not thrilled about Mark Sanchez being named the starter, because Cotchery and Kellen Clemens have proven to have a pretty nice rapport at times.

      Cotchery was WR23 in 2007 and WR25 in 2008, so he’s not going to set the world on fire, but with Laveranues Coles in Cincinnati, he should see a big increase in targets. He may not convert those opportunities with as much efficiency as in years past, but the extra targets should help his numbers. And with the up-and-coming Dustin Keller roaming the middle and Leon Washington in the flat, defenses will have a tough time focusing on Cotchery.

      I wouldn’t feel great about Cotch as my WR2, but as my WR3 on a team that is RB-heavy and already has a solid QB and TE, I feel great about nabbing him here. He is the #35 WR off the board, so if he plays a full season, he is almost guaranteed to outplay his draft position.

      Just like in baseball, it’s not always about swinging for the fences. Sometimes you just need a single. And this pick is a single.

      Round 8, Pick 5: Jerricho Cotchery, WR

      The rest of Round 8 went like this: 90) Visanthe Shiancoe, 91) Matt Cassel, 92) Steve Breaston, 93) Earnest Graham, 94) Donnie Avery, 95) Jamal Lewis, 96) LeSean McCoy

      Click here to see all of my round-by-round picks.

      Fantasy Football

      Did the Falcons give up too soon on Robinson?

      August 26, 2009 /

      When the Atlanta Falcons selected receiver Laurent Robinson out of Illinois State in the third round of the 2007 draft, they envisioned the 6’2, 194-pound receiver becoming either a solid No. 2, or possibly even a No. 1 if Roddy White (who struggled in his first two years) failed to develop.

      But after caching 37 passes for 437 yards and a touchdown his rookie year, knee and hamstring injuries limited Robinson to just five receptions in six games last season. With the emergence of second-year receiver Harry Douglas, Atlanta GM Thomas Dimitroff traded Robinson to the Rams this past April. In exchange, the Falcons and Rams swapped fifth and sixth round picks in the ’09 draft.

      It’s hard to criticize anything Dimitroff has done in his first two offseasons in Atlanta. After all, he hired a solid head coach in Mike Smith, signed free agent Michael Turner, drafted franchise quarterback Matt Ryan, and traded for future Hall of Fame tight end Tony Gonzalez. It’s no wonder why Dimitroff was named the 2008 NFL Executive of the Year.

      But a couple of years down the road (or possibly much, much sooner), I have a feeling that Dimitroff will look back on the Robinson deal as one of his bigger goof ups. And I don’t say that only because Douglas suffered a season-ending injury in camp this year and Atlanta is in a bit of a bind at slot receiver; I say it because Robinson could emerge as a quality playmaker very soon.

      Continue reading »

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      « Older posts Newer posts »

      © 2026 The Scores Report – The National Sports Blog

      Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑