Okay, here's the thing: I've never played FF before (I do have some basic understanding however) and now I've been invited to join a couple of pals who have a lot of FF experience in their keeper league. And before I make a complete fool of myself in the draft, I thought I'd ask you guys for draft and keeper advice. Whom should I target with my first picks? Who's a steal in later rounds? Who's a complete FF wuss? Whom should I keep an eye on as my keeper? Here's the rules: - 4 keepers - no restrictions on keepers - 16 teams - no divisions - no playoffs; 15 games (week 16 and 17 are ignored) - individual defense players Roster: 1x QB 1x RB 1x WR 1x TE 2x RB/WR/TE 1x K 1x DL 1x LB 1x DB 1x DL/LB/DL 9x Bench 2x IR Scoring: Basic: frictional points: yes negative points: yes Offense passing yards: 1 point / 30 yards rushing yards: 1 point /15 yards receiving yards: 1 point / 15 yards kick return yards: 1 point / 25 yards punt return yards: 1 point / 15 yards touchdown: 4 points 2-pt-conv: 2 points reception: 0.5 points interception: -2 points fumble: -1 point fumble lost: -1 point Kicking: PAT: 1 point FG 0-49: 3 points FG 50+: 4 points PAT missed: -1 point FG 0-29 missed: -3 points FG 30-49 missed: -2 points FG 50+ missed: -1 point Defense: solo tackle: 1 point assisted tackle: 1 point / 3 assists sack: 2 points interception: 3 points fumble forced: 2 points fumble recovered: 1 point touchdown: 4 points safety: 3 points pass defended: 1 point blocked FG: 3 points blocked punt: 2 points blocked PAT: 1 point I'm going to draft in the middle of the pack somewhere between 7 and 12. And that's where my troubles start ... do I pick a running back here with my first choice? Or do I go QB if Manning/Brady are still available?
Just in regards to picking a RB or a QB I would pick one of those QBs since there is no apparent distinction between a passing or rushing TD, unless a stud RB fell to you (unlikely). That is just my opinion however, and I have never done a keeper league.
Since you are counting points per reception, an RB that catches a lot of passes should be your first pick. Also look for starters who are punt and kick returners as well, since you get points for that.
The RBs who get a lot of receptions are usually gone by 7, and especially by 12. I know, I draft there often in traditional leagues.
First and more important rule: DRAFT RB's high. They win it for you. Specially because you have 2 Flex Spots.... Just draft QB's and WR's in the second OR third round (never in both) only if they are a Tom Brady or a Reggie Wayne.
Let me first say that this is a BIZARRE league. Most leagues don't count return yards. The few that do often see return specialists ending up with points comparable to a #1 running back. So, my first piece of advice to you is to start looking around the league for starters who are also return men. Devin Hester and Ted Ginn are guys who should be very high on your list, for example. DeSean Jackson, Maurice Hicks, Jerious Norwood and Josh Cribbs aren't starters, but are still guys you should absolutely take, for their return skills. Most importantly, Maurice Jones-Drew suddenly becomes a viable #1 overall pick with this rule. MJD is a fine kick returner for J-Ville, and was a 2nd round RB on his own merits to begin with. Quite honestly, if he's there with your #1 pick, I'd take him. Second, this strikes me as a very QB friendly league. The 1 point per 30 yards passing seems low, but when compared to the 1 point per 15 yards rushing/receiving, it's fairly generous. (Usually, it's 1 point per 10 yards rush/rec and 1 point per 25 yards pass) So top QBs should go a little higher in this league. I would not feel bad about recommending Manning or Brady in round 1, so long as you hit the RB position hard after that. Third, that's a deep bench. Stock it with running backs and return specialists. Way too many fantasy novices make the mistake of loading up at the WR position, because they look in the mid-late rounds and think "hey, that guy's not bad, and there's no good RBs left". Wrong. As between a decent wide receiver (think Isaac Bruce) and a backup running back with upside (think Leon Washington), you're almost always better off taking the RB. There will usually be decent WRs on the waiver wire, but RB depth is crucial and seldom easily found in-season. If even one "lottery ticket" RB pick pans out, you're on easy street. (Again, if you're picking a WR who's also a good return man, that's different.) 4. Pick the individual defenders and kickers last. These players are basically fungible. The first K picked is not going to be appreciably better than the 12th. The first DE/DT picked is not going to be appreciably better than the 12th. Stock up on the high-upside players that other owners are passing over while they're dutifully filling every starting slot before moving on to picking bench players. 5. Assuming this is the first year of this league, don't go too nuts worrying about keepers. If you want to pick someone like JaMarcus Russell or Matt Ryan late in the draft to hang onto them, fine, but your keepers are usually going to change year to year anyway, with few exceptions. And anyway, your job is to win the 2008 season, not stock up for 2010. For all you know, this league might dissolve after this year. So don't kill yourself looking for great keepers. The guys who are good this year will probably be good next year. 6. Drop 4 teams. I know you can't do this, but 16 team leagues suck big time. A fantasy league should have either 10 or 12 teams. That's it.
Wow. Drafting individual defensive players and a league with rules like this is not the way I'd want to break my FF cherry. Don't think you're being clever by drafting a kicker early. Kicker should always be drafted dead last. Since your offensive players get kick return yards, guys that return kicks and play receiver should be highly coveted. Same with RBs. Sometimes you can even draft guys that don't play WR and are just very good return men. They will consistently get you 10 points. Ted Ginn Jr. should be a sought after receiver in this league! Edited to add, I see Phunwin already mentioned that.
