The WESTern Perspective: Draft Aftermath

Fantasy football – it’s everywhere! Stop in at the corner bar this weekend and it’s not unlikely that you will overhear a few guys discussing their fantasy football roster; a trip to a local restaurant, Buffalo Wild Wings, perhaps, and it is probable that in the back corner you’ll witness a dozen individuals, all adorned in the apparel of their favorite NFL team, in heated discussion, paper draftboard tacked to the wall; even a quick outing to buy a new pair of shoes can take an hour of your time as you and the cashier discuss draft strategies. Fantasy football is inescapable. Gas stations and grocers make room for a plethora of fantasy football magazines, most of which seem to be carbon copies of one another, radio jockeys dole out bits of, often, unresearched information, and website after website pop up out of nowhere, all desperate to make a quick buck off of fantasy football’s many rookie owners.

The reality of it is this, if you’re looking for great information look no further than this site. If you’re confused on who to take after Chris Johnson and Adrian Peterson have been drafted, just click here; if you get stuck debating between Randy Moss and Reggie Wayne, again, we’ve got you covered; and what separates this site from similar one’s is that all of our contributors are active members on the message boards, if you’ve got a question on something they’ve put down, if you’re looking for a bit of keeper advice, if you’re just generally unsure of what to do next, they’re quick to answer. Email any of ESPN’s correspondents, let’s see if they get back to you.

But alas, in this article, I will offer you no draft advice. Read more

Rankings Update

With the preseason games ready to begin rankings have been updated to take into consideration recent news around the NFL. We will continue to update these as the season nears.

Player Rankings for Basic Scoring

Player Rankings for PPR Scoring

The 2010 Sports Outlaw All Value Team – Part 2

Last week we took a look at the QB’s, RB’s and Defenses on the Sports Outlaw All Value Team. This week we finish the team off by telling you all about the WR’s, TE’s and K’s you should be looking at to maximize the value on your fantasy team this year as you make your title run.Keep in mind, their Average Draft Position (ADP) from fantasy football calculator will be listed in ( ) behind each player’s name.

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Wide Receivers

• DeSean Jackson, Philadelphia (2.12) – In just his 2nd season Jackson broke through as a top 5 WR last season. Despite his success and ability to go all the way on any play fantasy owners feel his dependence on the big play will lead him to come back to earth this season. That my friends is great news and music to my ears! I think the opposite is true. Jackson may just be scratching the surface of what he is capable of. He can take it deep at any time and is also growing as a WR overall. I expect him to increase his reception numbers this year to the 75 range and look for his TD’s to remain in the same area. Jackson is an early 2nd value that can be had around the 2nd/3rd turn. If you are picking in the top 3, Jackson is the perfect pair for those taking one of the elite RB’s in the first. Read more

The 2010 Sports Outlaw All Value Team – Part 1

Seems like every year I see fantasy owners spend most of their attention concentrating on the top of their draft boards. The guys who they believe will anchor their team each week and lead them to fantasy glory. Once they are done dissecting the first couple rounds they seem to then shift their focus to sleepers. The end of the draft guys they are just positive will come from no where and shock everyone and in the process make them look like a genius.

Well those two ends of the spectrum are sure fun to talk about and are important parts of your fantasy team. However,what about the other 12-14 players on your team? What about the mid round bargains that end up playing like first round gems? It is these types of players that make the difference between an average team and a championship team. Getting players that outperform their draft positions are each pick is obviously the goal. We all know your not going to hit on every pick, but finding the guys who end outperforming their draft spot is how you win fantasy leagues.

It is those players that we are going to focus on in this article. If you can fill your team with value players who can perform at a higher level than expected you will be well on your way to a title. You will not find any first round players here, in fact, only 1 player who has an ADP in the 2nd round is included. The players you draft in these areas are expected to be very good and for the health of your team they better be. The old saying is dead on, you can not win your fantasy league in the first two rounds……but you sure can lose it in them. So your goal in these rounds is to find the reliable producers who can set the foundation to build your championship on. Once you have your foundation set you need to start building the upside that is needed to win the title. You do this by finding value pick through out the draft.

So who are the players that you should have on your radar as value picks this year? Here is a full 18 player roster that I consider to be the best value plays of 2010. Their Average Draft Position (ADP) from fantasy football calculator will be listed in ( ) behind each player’s name.

2010 Sports Outlaw All Value Team

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Quarterbacks

• Joe Flacco, Baltimore (8.1) – Do you prefer to wait on grabbing your QB until the middle rounds? If you are, one to have on your radar is Joe Flacco. Flacco showed us a flash of what may be to come early last season when he opened the year with 3 – 300 yard passing games in his first 6 games. He performed like a top 10 QB over the first 6 weeks. As the season wore on Flacco slowed and had a brutal middle of the season before showing signs of life again towards the end of the season. So why am I optimistic about Flacco outperforming his draft position and performing as a solid starting fantasy QB this season? Simple, more experience and more weapons. Flacco has lacked a true number one WR during his first two season in the NFL. The Ravens have added veteran Pro Bowl WR Anquan Boldin in the offseason to give him that true number 1 he has been lacking. They also added WR Donte’ Stallworth who is trying to comeback after missing all of 2009 due to suspension. These additions coupled with having one of the better receiving backs in the league in Ray Rice and Flacco will be working with the most talent this offense has had since his arrival. As Flacco continues to mature as an NFL QB I expect him to take advantage of his new weapons and take the next step in his career. Grab Flacco in the mid rounds and you will have yourself a solid starting QB at a bargain price.

• Read more

2010 Sports Outlaw Kicker and Defense Rankings Complete First Edition

We wrap up the launch of the first edition of the 2010 rankings with our Kicker and Defense Rankings. I will continue to update these rankings through out the pre-season. Here is a preview of the Kicker and Defensive rankings.

Kickers

1. Nate Kaeding, San Diego
2. Mason Crosby, Green Bay
3. Stephen Gostkowski, New England
4. Ryan Longwell, Minnesota
5. Garrett Hartley, New Orleans
6. David Akers, Philadelphia
7. Rob Bironas, Tennessee
8. Neil Rackers, Houston
9. Nick Folk, New York Jets
10. Lawrence Tynes, New York Giants

Defenses

1. New York Jets
2. Philadelphia
3. Minnesota
4. Green Bay
5. Baltimore
6. San Francisco
7. Cincinnati
8. San Diego
9. Pittsburgh
10. Houston

For my complete 2010 Kicker and Defense rankings be sure check out our rankings page here:

2010 Sports Outlaw Basic Scoring Rankings

2010 Sports Outlaw PPR Scoring Rankings

2010 Sports Outlaw TE Rankings are out!

We continue to launch the first edition of the 2010 rankings with our Tight End Rankings. I will continue to release the rest of the rankings over the next few days and we will keep them updated through out the pre-season. Here is a preview of the TE rankings for basic scoring and ppr scoring formats.

Basic Scoring:

1. Dallas Clark, Indianapolis
2. Antonio Gates, San Diego
3. Vernon Davis, San Francisco
4. Jason Witten, Dallas
5. Brent Celek, Philadelphia
6. Jermichael Finley, Green Bay
7. Owen Daniels, Houston
8. Kellen Winslow, Tampa Bay
9. Tony Gonzalez, Atlanta
10. Visanthe Shiancoe, Minnesota

PPR Scoring:

1. Dallas Clark, Indianapolis
2. Jason Witten, Dallas
3. Antonio Gates, San Diego
4. Vernon Davis, San Francisco
5. Brent Celek, Philadelphia
6. Jermichael Finley, Green Bay
7. Owen Daniels, Houston
8. Kellen Winslow, Tampa Bay
9. Tony Gonzalez, Atlanta
10. Zach Miller, Oakland

For my complete 2010 TE rankings be sure check out our rankings page here:

2010 Sports Outlaw Basic Scoring Rankings

2010 Sports Outlaw PPR Scoring Rankings

2010 Sports Outlaw WR Rankings are out!

We continue to launch the first edition of the 2010 rankings with our Wide Receiver Rankings. I will continue to release the rest of the rankings over the next couple weeks and we will keep them updated through out the pre-season. Here is a preview of the WR rankings for basic scoring and ppr scoring formats.

Basic Scoring:

1. Andre Johnson, Houston
2. Randy Moss, New England
3. Reggie Wayne, Indianapolis
4. Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona
5. DeSean Jackson, Philadelphia
6. Calvin Johnson, Detroit
7. Roddy White, Atlanta
8. Sidney Rice, Minnesota
9. Greg Jennings, Green Bay
10. Brandon Marshall, Miami

PPR Scoring:

1. Andre Johnson, Houston
2. Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona
3. Reggie Wayne, Indianapolis
4. Randy Moss, New England
5. Calvin Johnson, Detroit
6. Roddy White, Atlanta
7. DeSean Jackson, Philadelphia
8. Brandon Marshall, Miami
9. Sidney Rice, Minnesota
10. Greg Jennings, Green Bay

For my complete 2010 WR rankings be sure check out our rankings page here:

2010 Sports Outlaw Basic Scoring Rankings

2010 Sports Outlaw PPR Scoring Rankings

2010 Sports Outlaw RB Rankings are out!

We continue to launch our first edition of the 2010 rankings with our Running Back Rankings. I will continue to release the rest of the rankings over the next couple weeks and we will keep them updated through out the season. Here is a preview of the RB rankings for basic scoring and ppr scoring formats.

Basic Scoring:

1. Adrian Peterson, Minnesota
2. Chris Johnson, Tennessee
3. Maurice Jones-Drew, Jacksonville
4. Ray Rice, Baltimore
5. Michael Turner, Atlanta
6. Frank Gore, San Francisco
7. DeAngelo Williams, Carolina
8. Steven Jackson, St. Louis
9. Shonn Greene, New York Jets
10. Ryan Grant, Green Bay

PPR Scoring:

1. Adrian Peterson, Minnesota
2. Chris Johnson, Tennessee
3. Maurice Jones-Drew, Jacksonville
4. Ray Rice, Baltimore
5. Frank Gore, San Francisco
6. DeAngelo Williams, Carolina
7. Steven Jackson, St. Louis
8. Michael Turner, Atlanta
9. Ryan Grant, Green Bay
10. Shonn Greene, New York Jets

For my complete 2010 RB rankings be sure check out our rankings page here:

2010 Sports Outlaw Basic Scoring Rankings

2010 Sports Outlaw PPR Scoring Rankings

2010 Sports Outlaw QB Rankings are out!

As the fantasy season approaches we are kicking things into high gear at the Sports Outlaw! Over the next several weeks our first release of preseaon player rankings will be released. The first taste of this has now been released. The 2010 QB rankings are now out. Here is how I see the top 10 at this point:

1. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay
2. Drew Brees, New Orleans
3. Peyton Manning, Indianapolis
4. Tony Romo, Dallas
5. Matt Schaub, Houston
6. Tom Brady, New England
7. Philip Rivers, San Diego
8. Brett Favre, Minnesota
9. Jay Cutler, Chicago
10. Joe Flacco, Baltimore

For my complete 2010 QB rankings be sure check out our rankings page here:

http://www.sofantasyfootball.com/rankings/

Be sure to check back over the next several weeks as more rankings for both basic scoring and point per reception (ppr) scoring will be released.

The Over – Under: Guys you’ll draft too high this year

Scott Henkel

There is a time honored saying in poker about suckers. Basically if you can’t figure out who the sucker is at the table within 3 seconds I have bad news for you, friend; you’re the sucker. Suckers in fantasy football just take the spoon fed crap swirling around the fantasy football echo chamber and draft like mindless automatons. Lazy writers take last year’s statistics and dutifully project them forward. You see that is the safe bet. Most players will come somewhat close to last year’s production so they won’t look like meatheads by suggesting you draft this guy #1 overall or that guy as your #1 wide receiver. These are the same meatheads who convinced you to draft Matt Forte in the top three last year so it is time to tune them out. We’re a few months away from most drafts but I can already see the hype machine kicking into overdrive for guys like Jamaal Charles, Miles Austin, Kevin Kolb, and Dallas Clark. So allow me to buck the trend and highlight a few players to avoid overpaying for in this year’s draft.

Chris Johnson- Let’s just get the biggest blasphemy out of the way, shall we? CJ2K will not repeat last year’s statistical output. But he’s consistently mocked in the #1 slot. Why? Because fantasy football owners are petrified when it comes to drafting in the #1 spot. No one wants to get clowned for picking a guy first who ends up like Larry Johnson or Matt Forte. So we draft out of fear of becoming our league goat. Don’t be a spineless twit and draft with your brains AND your testicular fortitude! If you know a guy like Adrian Peterson, Maurice Jones-Drew, Frank Gore, or Ray Rice will outproduce last season’s rushing champ pull the trigger. Don’t get me wrong about CJ. I think he’s a damn fine back and without Lenwhale clouding the backfield he has a great shot to produce. But I have every confidence that history doesn’t have very good things to say about 2k yard backs. Add to that the re-emergence of Vince Young and his new weapon Kenny Britt and I believe the Titans won’t lean on the run nearly as much as last season. So if you do get the dreaded 1 hole this year rejoice and pass on CJ2K. (Later in the draft I’ll also pass on Beanie Wells, Jamaal Charles, anyone in Cleveland, and Steven Jackson) Read more