Fantasy News
I played it safe with the two running back picks yesterday, going with LenDale White and Cedric Benson. Neither of those guys should be spectacular in this scoring system because they don’t catch many passes.
With three running backs (including Reggie Bush) on the roster, now I feel I have the flexibility to be more aggressive. And with that in mind, I’m going with Ray Rice with choice 8.01. If I were really gutsy, I would let Rice fall another round. But I don’t want to risk losing him. He’s actually higher on my board than either White or Benson.
The Ravens have moved LeRon McClain to fullback, and I don’t think Willis McGahee can play anymore – I think he’s just a guy. Rice, I think, will be the starting tailback there, and Baltimore can really run the ball. My gut tells me that while a risky pick, Rice will be better than both White and Benson. Remember: this is a PPR league, and that’s huge – he’ll probably catch 50-55 passes, and that’s like him starting with a 90-point lead on those guys. Rice caught 33 passes last year while hardly even playing.
2009 FANEX ANALYSIS DRAFT
1.01 RB Adrian Peterson (Dolfi)
1.02 RB Michael Turner (Cannon)
1.03 RB Maurice Jones-Drew (Pitzer)
1.04 RB LaDainian Tomlinson (Kellogg)
1.05 RB Matt Forte (Davis)
1.06 RB Steven Jackson (Cahill)
1.07 RB Chris Johnson (Holm)
1.08 RB Frank Gore (Hulett)
1.09 RB DeAngelo Williams (O’Leary)
1.10 RB Brian Westbrook (Rito)
1.11 WR Larry Fitzgerald (Cannon)
1.12 RB Steve Slaton (Harmon)
2.01 WR Randy Moss (Harmon)
2.02 WR Steve Smith (Allan)
2.03 WR Andre Johnson (Rito)
2.04 RB Clinton Portis (O’Leary)
2.05 RB Darren McFadden (Hulett)
2.06 WR Calvin Johnson (Holm)
2.07 RB Brandon Jacobs (Cahill)
2.08 RB Marion Barber (Davis)
2.09 QB Tom Brady (Kellogg)
2.10 WR Reggie Wayne (Pitzer)
2.11 WR Wes Welker (Allan)
2.12 RB Ronnie Brown (Dolfi)
3.01 WR Roddy White (Dolfi)
3.02 QB Drew Brees (Cannon)
3.03 RB Ryan Grant (Pitzer)
3.04 WR Terrell Owens (Kellogg)
3.05 QB Peyton Manning (Cahill)
3.06 RB Knowshon Moreno (Cannon)
3.07 WR Greg Jennings (Hulett)
3.08 RB Marshawn Lynch (O’Leary)
3.09 WR Dwayne Bowe (Davis)
3.10 WR Marques Colston (Rito)
3.11 RB Reggie Bush (Allan)
3.12 RB Derrick Ward (Harmon)
4.01 WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh (Harmon)
4.02 WR Anthony Gonzalez (Allan)
4.03 WR Anquan Boldin (Rito)
4.04 TE Antonio Gates (O’Leary)
4.05 WR Brandon Marshall (Hulett)
4.06 RB Kevin Smith (Holm)
4.07 RB Larry Johnson (Cahill)
4.08 WR Braylon Edwards (Davis)
4.09 RB Beanie Wells (Kellogg)
4.10 WR Roy Williams (Pitzer)
4.11 TE Jason Witten (Holm)
4.12 RB Julius Jones (Dolfi)
5.01 QB Aaron Rodgers (Dolfi)
5.02 WR Chad Ochocinco (Allan)
5.03 QB Philip Rivers (Pitzer)
5.04 WR Vincent Jackson (Kellogg)
5.05 WR Santonio Holmes (Davis)
5.06 TE Tony Gonzalez (Cahill)
5.07 RB Pierre Thomas (Holm)
5.08 RB Jonathan Stewart (Hulett)
5.09 QB Jay Cutler (O’Leary)
5.10 QB Kurt Warner (Rito)
5.11 RB LenDale White (Allan)
5.12 QB Tony Romo (Harmon)
6.01 RB Thomas Jones (Harmon)
6.02 RB Cedric Benson (Allan)
6.03 RB Joseph Addai (Rito)
6.04 WR DeSean Jackson (O'Leary)
6.05 QB Matt Ryan (Hulett)
6.06 WR Antonio Bryant (Holm)
6.07 WR Eddie Royal (Cahill)
6.08 QB Matt Schaub (Davis)
6.09 TE Dallas Clark (Kellogg)
6.10 WR Santana Moss (Pitzer)
6.11 WR Jerricho Cotchery (Cannon)
6.12 WR Lee Evans (Dolfi)
7.01 WR Donnie Avery (Dolfi)
7.02 QB Donovan McNabb (Holm)
7.03 RB Jamal Lewis (Pitzer)
7.04 WR Derrick Mason (Kellogg)
7.05 QB Matt Cassel (Davis)
7.06 WR Hines Ward (Cahill)
7.07 WR Bernard Berrian (Holm)
7.08 WR Devery Henderson (Hulett)
7.09 RB Willie Parker (Rito)
7.10 QB Ben Roethlisberger (Allan)
7.11 WR Donald Driver (Harmon)
7.12 WR Torry Holt (Harmon)
8.01 RB Ray Rice (Allan)
This draft can be followed at myfantasyleague.com.
To read the reasoning for each pick by each expert, click here.
Overview of rules: Each team drafts 20 players. Starts QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, TE, K, D and one flex player (RB-WR-TE). 6 points for TDs, 4 for TD passes, 1 for every 20 passing yards, 1 for every 10 run/rec yards, 1 for every reception. No free agent pickups – what you draft is what you get. No starting lineups – lineups tabulated via “best ball” methods. No head-to-head games; highest total points after 17 weeks is the winner.
—Ian Allan
- Comments [17]
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Posted by JODY SMITH | May. 21 at 02:40 PM
He's already better than Tatum Bell.... Put him on the cover!!!
Posted by IAN ALLAN | May. 21 at 03:35 PM
I'm making a note that Jody Smith is a naysayer. We will re-visit the topic of Mr. Rice in September. I don't remember the name of the reader, but there was a guy last year who was livid that I would use picks in the 5th and 6th rounds on Matt Forte and Kevin Smith.
Posted by JODY SMITH | May. 21 at 03:47 PM
I'm not negative at all on Rice. I drafted him last year and kept him on my keeper roster all year. If McClain stays at fullback, you're talking about a potential 3 down player on a Cam Cameron team that already knows how to block. Who wouldn't want that?
Posted by Eugene Hitt | May. 21 at 04:07 PM
That guy was me and what can I say, You were Right! I wasn't livid, I just wasn't sold this early on them. Kevin Smith didn't impress me but Forte was a stud. With that being said, when your done patting yourself on the back I have a Question.... I noticed that you have Big Ben as your #1 QB. Did you take him as best available or do you see 2007 numbers in your crystal ball?
Posted by IAN ALLAN | May. 21 at 04:13 PM
Roethlisberger was about the No. 9 quarterback on my board. Doesn't put up a bunch of yards, but I could see him getting up to around 25 TDs. He'll run for a couple of TDs. Passing yardage should be average at best. Durability is a concern; he's huge and tough but hangs onto the ball and takes a lot of sacks. I'll need to add another quarterback who can play, probably with my next pick. It's a no-moves league, so what you draft is what you're stuck with for the season.
Posted by Miguel Tames | May. 21 at 04:45 PM
You'd think after winning this thing 2 years in a row people would cut you some slack and give you the benefit of the doubt. I don't see anything wrong with that pick. You gotta take some chances to win these things and the 8th round is a good spot. I will admit to being slightly worried about Mr. Ochocinco though. I'm sure you're gonna take some more WR's before this is done, so you should be fine.
Posted by IAN ALLAN | May. 21 at 04:48 PM
Ochocinco's value has gone down since that pick, no doubt. Would like to have that one back. But I'm stuck with him now -- we'll see how it goes.
Posted by Eugene Hitt | May. 21 at 07:56 PM
I like the Ben Pick myself, just wanted your angle. Sorry to upset your #1 fan... Speaking of angle, what's with Lendale? He seems like the antithesis of a PPR RB. Are you looking for a Chris Johnson injury, or him to re-invent himself? I like the Ochocinco pick. I think he'll rebound, this is his last chance to get paid.
Posted by IAN ALLAN | May. 21 at 08:20 PM
For LenDale, he's in a contract year and looking to get paid. I think he might run for 1,100 yards and 12 TDs. Schedule is easier in terms of run defenses. You are correct in noticing that he doesn't catch passes, which is a major no-no in PPR leagues. But this is a no-moves league, and with White sharing time, I see him as a pretty safe bet to play 16 games.
Posted by Eugene Hitt | May. 21 at 08:30 PM
Chris Johnson is one of my three keepers and I lose a 5th round pick for him. I'm considering taking lendale as early as the 4th round as my #3 RB! Butt 1,1100 and 12? That seems gratuitous for a career malcantent behind a budding star. The Ben pick intrigues me because I was leaning away from him as my 3rd keeper(8th round) in favor of Welker(9th round). What are your projections for Welker this year? By the way, "Rito"s team is looking pretty strong if he can handcuff wille and westbrook.
Posted by IAN ALLAN | May. 21 at 08:34 PM
Rito's doing a nice job. The last two years, he's opened with three running backs and I've pummeled him. This year he wised up and gone with more wide receivers. But I'll bet you that Ray Rice outperforms Willie Parker. Think about the receiving. Parker: maybe 10-15 catches all year. Rice: 45-55. Probably neither guy will carry at the goal line.
Posted by Eugene Hitt | May. 21 at 08:43 PM
The three headed monster in Baltimore scares me. Cam cameron was such a traditional "Bell Cow" RB guy until last year. I like Rice, but I thin Benson was a better pick. He has everything to play for and is in great offense. What's your opinion on Wes Welker though? Matt Ryan to while your at it....( I've got him for a 13th round pick and may have a shot at brady in round 1).
Posted by IAN ALLAN | May. 21 at 08:50 PM
I expect Welker to crank out another 100 catches and 6-7 TDs. I like him. And I like Ryan as well. Heading into the Fanex Draft, I expected to select Ryan in the 8th or 9th round, but he went earlier.
Posted by Eugene Hitt | May. 21 at 08:57 PM
So you though Ben would go higher? I read that he has the easiest Pass defense schedule in th league this year. Who do you think will be a better pick this year, Ronnie Brown or Ladanian Tomlinson? ( I can't belivde McFadden went before him!)
Posted by IAN ALLAN | May. 21 at 09:17 PM
Heading into drafts, I wouldn't think there would be any way I would select Tomlinson or Brown. Just not even on the radar. But if everybody else was ignoring those guys, I would eventually get around to selecting Tomlinson well before Brown.
Posted by Miguel Tames | May. 21 at 09:26 PM
I was referring to the Ray Rice pick, not Roethlisberger. I'm not Ian's # 1 fan. I just respect the amount of time, thought and energy he puts into his work. Over the years I've asked less questions to him than you've posted on this one thread. I do see the WR field slimming down. Be interesting to see what you do next with 2 9th round picks.
Posted by JODY SMITH | May. 22 at 05:52 PM
Ian, I AM your #1 fan. Do you still send out free copies of your fine publication?