My strategy plan(s) ... opinions please!

[BCGrindrod]

There's still 50 days before our 12 team league drafts (non-keeper/ standard 1QB, 2RB, 3WR, 1TE, 1K, 1DEF scoring system) but after looking through mock drafts, http://www.fftoolbox.com/ and my copy of Fantasy Football Cheatsheets magazine, I can only come to this conclusion;

You draft the best player available in each round regardless of position.

Would it be so insane that I would end up with a team that included an Edgerrin James, Corey Dillon and Lamont Jordan in the first three rounds?

My reasoning is this;

1) You take away stud players at this key position that other teams need to be competetive. Of course, the same would be said about mine with presumably being weak at QB and WR should I follow this course.

2) You can trade players that have significant value for stud players at other positions. Notably, WRs like Horn or Holt. Maybe even land a Manning or Culpepper.

I also have questions about Tiki Barber being in the overall Top 10 of many draft lists. Anybody else disagree with this? I figure he's a fourth rounder at best if you only drafted 1 RB. One fine season does not make a stud out of him.

Priest Holmes in the top 5? I don't know. His age, injury factor and the fact that you must draft Larry Johnson to cover yor butt is too much of a risk. Presently, I'd rather take my chance on an Edgerrin James, Jamal Lewis or even Corey Dillon (presuming that LT is gone and S. Alexander isn't signed).

Have I lost my marbles in thinking this way?

[PSU All Day]

12 team league I think you would be luck get edge and Dillon in the first two rounds. I would think Edge will be gone in the top 8 (top 6 is probably more like it) and Dillon will go in the top half of the second round or bottom of the first even.

If you did get edge and Dillon in the first two rounds I would target a WR in rd 3. Having to start 3 WR's makes this area more of a need and you have two stud RB's in those two.

I would rather go with a Warrick Dunn in round 4/5 as a back up than Jordan in the 3rd.

[benm3218]

Yes and no. I draft with a dedicated, committed plan for the top 4-5 rounds, then do best available regardless of position.

I am in 2 QB league. So, by round 5 I have to have 2 RB's, 1 QB, 1 WR, and then possibly a TE if one of the top 3 is avail. or if not then another RB or WR whichever is better value.

[Redskins Win]

Have I lost my marbles in thinking this way?

Yes and no, best available player is always my train of thought, that being said is Lamont Jordan the best available at #3 maybe as the best RB available but I doubt that too, if you go RB, RB, you should look at the best available WR or even QB or TE only gates or tony G would apply there.

edit: what's the deal with my font?

[Vikes_Fan2823]

This is a very legit strategy. I'm actually considering going RB in 4 out of my first 5 picks this year. WR is so deep its crazy, so I'll probably grab 2 starters late and then get 1 WR in the first 5 rounds. I can also grab quality QB's like Brees and Leftwich at about round 7.

[maddog60]

I also have questions about Tiki Barber being in the overall Top 10 of many draft lists. Anybody else disagree with this? I figure he's a fourth rounder at best if you only drafted 1 RB. One fine season does not make a stud out of him.

I have Tiki still in my top 10. You're right, one good season doesn't make a RB, but Tiki has always had the talent. His major issue was fumbling. His coaches finally corrected that. He was holding the ball wrong, and this past year he held it differently, and the fumbling decreased. Tiki isn't too old yet in redrafts and his situation in NYG only got better this offseason. I don't expect him to challenge for total yardage this year, but 1500 total yards should be a lock.

Priest Holmes in the top 5? I don't know. His age, injury factor and the fact that you must draft Larry Johnson to cover yor butt is too much of a risk. Presently, I'd rather take my chance on an Edgerrin James, Jamal Lewis or even Corey Dillon (presuming that LT is gone and S. Alexander isn't signed).

Holmes is top 2. Yes, he's old. Injury risk? No. You cannot predict major injuries that end seasons. Nagging little injuries that presist are a legit reason to devalue a guy, but one-time injuries are not more likely just because they happen once. The real issue with Holmes is that you're probably going to want to handcuff him to his backup and that's an extra draft pick, but mind you that if he plays all year, he's easily posting 1700+ total yards and 20+ TDs. No one has that kind of ceiling, and its his base.

[9er Fan]

2) You can trade players that have significant value for stud players at other positions. Notably, WRs like Horn or Holt. Maybe even land a Manning or Culpepper.

If you end up with a stable of great RBs, this strategy could work. If however going with the 'best player available' gets you a team loaded with stud QBs and WRs, you're dead. It's much easier trading a top-10 RB for a stud QB/WR than the other way around.

Something else to think about; I play in some very competitive leagues in which a total of 5 or so trades are made each season. Pulling off big-name trades is not always as easy as you think it will be.

[Kensat30]

I also have questions about Tiki Barber being in the overall Top 10 of many draft lists. Anybody else disagree with this? I figure he's a fourth rounder at best if you only drafted 1 RB. One fine season does not make a stud out of him.

I have Tiki still in my top 10. You're right, one good season doesn't make a RB, but Tiki has always had the talent. His major issue was fumbling. His coaches finally corrected that. He was holding the ball wrong, and this past year he held it differently, and the fumbling decreased. Tiki isn't too old yet in redrafts and his situation in NYG only got better this offseason. I don't expect him to challenge for total yardage this year, but 1500 total yards should be a lock.

Agreed on the yardage, 1500 for Tiki is a lock and he can challenge for the total yardage title. The real question to me is the redzone and goalline touches. Will Coughlin utilize Tiki as his goalline RB over Jacobs? Coughlin has a history of replacing his stud RB at the goalline and Tiki has a history of being replaced at the goalline. It's a big gamble to assume that Tiki is going to score 10+ at the stripe again this year just because he was effective there last year. I would put him closer to 6-7 TDs up close with Jacobs getting a decent sized chunk (4-5) as well. Barber is still top15, but should be considered a major gamble top10 because of this IMO.

Priest Holmes in the top 5? I don't know. His age, injury factor and the fact that you must draft Larry Johnson to cover yor butt is too much of a risk. Presently, I'd rather take my chance on an Edgerrin James, Jamal Lewis or even Corey Dillon (presuming that LT is gone and S. Alexander isn't signed).

Holmes is top 2. Yes, he's old. Injury risk? No. You cannot predict major injuries that end seasons. Nagging little injuries that presist are a legit reason to devalue a guy, but one-time injuries are not more likely just because they happen once. The real issue with Holmes is that you're probably going to want to handcuff him to his backup and that's an extra draft pick, but mind you that if he plays all year, he's easily posting 1700+ total yards and 20+ TDs. No one has that kind of ceiling, and its his base.[/quote]

I'll 2nd that. I am drafting Priest #1 overall this year if I get the chance because simply put, I don't think you can predict season ending injuries. It's not like Priest's play has tailed off and he doesn't succumb to minor injuries that will keep him out of games.

He was the #1 most valuable player(not just RB) in 2002 and 2003, and for 8 games last year he was again on pace to be the #1 most valuable player. If you can get him at #5 as other RBs like Edge and Jamal Lewis are drafted ahead of him, take Priest without hesitation knowing that you have locked up the only sure-thing #1 player in the draft.

If you're unconfident he stays healthy (tarot reading, horoscope, crystal ball tells you) make sure you draft Larry Johnson as insurance later on. Don't be a coward and take a major risk like Jamal Lewis (one fluke season) or Corey Dillon (huge workload in 2004) ahead of him. None of those guys have a shot of averaging 20+ points per game and single handedly winning your league for you.

[CC]

I always draft best player available, regardless of position.

In one 12 team mock I ended up with 4 RBs (Jamal Lewis, Portis, Fred Taylor before injury talk, and Cadillac) and Tony G after 5 rounds.

[BrutallyHuge]

Being in a league that doesn't trade much, I can't stack RBs.

I'm a little flexible in the first few rounds, but I need 2 RBs after my 3rd pick. The 3rd player will be a WR. My 4th pick will be RB or WR, best available.

Since my league doesn't trade much, having 5 great RBs is a waste. My WRs would suck too hard. I usually take QB around the 8th to 10th round...kicker last round...and defense in one of the last 4 rounds.