Fantasy News
I was in an unusual draft last night. I selected a team in the “FootballGuys Players Championship”. This is one of the higher-stakes leagues, where the grand champion wins $50,000.
But it’s got some funky rules. Tight ends get an extra half point per reception, and there are two flex players. (That is, you start two running backs, two wide receivers and a tight end, but you also start two other players at that position). You can see the complete rules at the official website.
In my opinion, that makes those positions almost interchangeable. You can just lump the running backs, receivers and tight ends together.
And when you do it that way, those tight ends look awfully appealing. When a tight end catches 80 passes, it converts to him catching 120 passes had he been a wide receiver. And by my math – with the ability to start three of those guys – it makes them solid gold real estate at the draft.
Look at the stats from last year …
Points
320.6 TE Dallas Clark
313.9 WR Andre Johnson
291.5 TE Vernon Davis
289.4 WR Randy Moss
286.4 WR Reggie Wayne
284.2 WR Larry Fitzgerald
282.2 TE Antonio Gates
281.8 WR Wes Welker
279.0 WR Miles Austin
273.0 WR Brandon Marshall
271.0 WR Steve Smith
266.3 WR Roddy White
262.2 WR Sidney Rice
259.1 TE Brent Celek
256.0 TE Jason Witten
251.7 WR DeSean Jackson
247.7 WR Hines Ward
247.2 TE Tony Gonzalez
238.7 WR Vincent Jackson
233.9 TE Kellen Winslow
That’s seven of the top 20 pass catchers who are tight ends.
So I loaded up on them in the draft. I figure I’ll use three each week. I selected Jermichael Finley in the 3rd round, Brent Celek in the 4th (I was torn between him and Tony Gonzalez – I let age be the tiebreaker) and Zach Miller in the 6th.
I have become the fantasy equivalent of Rich Kotite (the former Jets coach who once famously selected Kyle Brady with the 9th pick of the draft, just three years after New York had used an early first-rounder on Johnny Mitchell).
I do have a disclaimer to add (and it’s embarrassing to admit). I didn’t read the rules carefully enough in the afternoon. When I was putting together my board in the afternoon, it was my belief that running backs weren’t getting points for receptions.
This had a big impact on my overall board. No running back, according to my numbers, was worth a top-7 choice. And we got into the seventh round before I finally went back and double-checked the rules – when everyone else was selecting third and fourth running backs.
Thank the lord I didn’t have a top-5 pick, which would caused me to error with my picks. As it turned out, I was picking 8th, so the first four rounds weren’t affected – I still would have taken Brandon Marshall, Roddy White, McMichael and Celek.
In hindsight, I would have gone running back in the fifth round, where I took Tom Brady, and maybe a back in the sixth round as well (I think Miller would have made it to the seventh).
But even with the error, I like the team. Weak at running back, of course, where I’ve selected all of the Washington guys and about a half-dozen other lesser guys, but those are just the sixth and seventh spots of the RB-WR-TE positions.
—Ian Allan
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Posted by ZACH LEAVITT | Aug. 04 at 10:31 AM
Two things- 1. Hopefully the Jermichael/McMichael mix-up didn't happen during the draft - McMichael in the third round might go down as a reach. 2. Our league has a similar setup - 2 RB 2 WR 2 flex. Is there a way on the custom auction input sheet to combine the RB and WR positions so they are all lumped? Thanks.
Posted by Eugene Hitt | Aug. 05 at 04:36 AM
McMichael who?
Posted by ZACH LEAVITT | Aug. 05 at 09:28 AM
McMichael, Randy.