A strategy for next year

[portisfan24]

yes it is early to talk about next years draft, but this thought just came to me. I know some people end up with a good QB/WR combo on their team. Now this may be somewhat planned, but not to the extent I am thinking of. 3 qbs this year; manning culpepper and mcnabb have just light it up. Is it a coincidence that they have the top 3 wrs on their team? I dont think so. Look even to a lesser extent at qbs who have broken out this year. David Carr has andre johnson. Drew Brees has Gates. Now, how is this relevant? Im thinking of a oplanned draft strategy. Say you had the 10th pick in a 10 team league. You may choose any of the top 3 qb/wr combos, completely ignoring the rb. If this year is any indication o years to come, you would consider this a huge bargain. Now, we all laughed at the guy who took manning in the first round this year. Do you want to be caught sitting on your thumb again?

Basically what Im saying is that top running backs have really lket us down this year. Tomlinson has not put up the numbers we projected. Mcallistar got injured. Portis isnt producing. Meanwhile your tiki barbers, chris browns and michael pittmans are tearing it up. But then again, maybe this year is just an abberation and running backs will ocntinue to dominate for years to come. Either way, if my team next year included manning and harriosn, culpepper and moss or mcnabb and TO, Id be pretty happy.

[The_Commish]

I think the strategy works better in deep leagues -- where talent is spread out.

I usually try to get a QB and #2/#3 fantasy WR hookup every year in my 16-team league. I got Manning and Wayne this year so it's worked out so far. Getting someone lesser like Wayne coming into the year, I can still end up with 2 good RB options.

[gatorman1122]

Either way, if my team next year included manning and harriosn, culpepper and moss or mcnabb and TO, Id be pretty happy.

I'm still gonna stick with my draft 3 rbs 1st strategy, and hopefully try to grab some cheap, underrated QB/WR combos like Griese/Clayton (Who'd have thunk???), Carr/Johnson, Harrington/Williams, etc. Hey, maybe this year of the dominating QBs isn't a fluke...The emphasis on the 5 yard rule sure does help QBs this year.

[jwbseven]

I'm kind of torn on this issue. I have had the EXACT thought run through my head about drafting next year. The only thing is, we have to see if all the dudes in our leagues that have those combos win the whole thing. When those combos are on they absolutely destroy the rest of us. But catch them on a day where McNabb or Culpepper is off and they get whooped. In other words the combos can be lethal but conversely can shut down their whole team. I'm going to see how this plays out because I know that the 2 guys in my league that have Culpepper/Moss and McNabb/Owens are hurting in the running back area.

[deluxe_247]

you have to also consider, if one of your 2 studs gets hurt(example :moss-cpep) it will affect you negatively for both players, not just the one.( c-pep doesnt put up near as good of stats without moss)...i see it as a go big or go home kind of strategy...could pay off big, but could really hurt you...especially in playoffs when it is single elimination. how much did the TO-mcnabb combo generate during the game against the steelers last week?? a game like that in the playoffs would kill your chances....just food for thought

[Arlo]

Agreed with deluxe; it's certainly a viable strategy, but it's definitely an eggs-in-one-basket approach.

In any case, I hate meeting teams like this in the playoffs...

[Sixxgunn]

It's a strategy I'm absolutely going to use next year.While lose/one lose/lose both sounds devastating,it's not nearly as bad as you might think.Figure you can get C.Brown and Tiki later so your backs were covered.Pick up Droughns off the wire(any one draft this guy?no way)and your gold.Now,Moss goes down,C-Pep sucks and your out right?Wrong.How many guys drafted Brees?Or to a lesser extent Leftwich(in larger leagues I'm sure),but you get my point.That's why you draft backups,and work the wire.

[RoxSox]

This year I had the 9th pick out of 10 in my two competitive leagues. Once league I drafted Culpepper and R. Moss, and the other I went with Edgerrin and Culpepper, and landed D. Mason. With Culpepper and Moss, my next pick was Horn, and then I went early with Gonzo, so I didn't take an RB until Staley in the 5th round, followed by C. brown, and Suggs, and then somehow landed R. Wayne. I ended up playing the waiver wire, and landed Pittman, Gates and Brees, and am trying to move Gates and Brees to a team that is struggling to make the playoffs, for Portis or McCalister. I am in first place in both leagues so far, and have scored the most points in each H2H league as well, so it can work both ways. If you do your research and can be quick to pick up a FA, then you can make it work.

[9er Fan]

you have to also consider, if one of your 2 studs gets hurt(example :moss-cpep) it will affect you negatively for both players, not just the one.( c-pep doesnt put up near as good of stats without moss)...i see it as a go big or go home kind of strategy...could pay off big, but could really hurt you...especially in playoffs when it is single elimination. how much did the TO-mcnabb combo generate during the game against the steelers last week?? a game like that in the playoffs would kill your chances....just food for thought

Yes, tell that to the teams that had CPepp and Moss, and probably lost at least 3 of the last 4 games. That is precisely why this is a dangerous strategy... Moss gets hurt, and not only do you lose his production, but CPepp also takes a big hit. Owens/Moss, Manning/Owens etc. are better combos in the long run.

[tman570]

I agree, better to spread out your talent. I have ownes and plummer and it has worked out great for me. My Rbs are Green and westbrook. Keep in mind that this a keep 4 league so I dont think you could build this kind of core in a non keeper leauge.