Keeper League Format With More Strategy

[Doyle8519]

It may be a little early for keeper league talk but I am too anxious to wait. The keeper league is a little different than most others I have been in and heard of. We are allowed to keep 2 players but the format is a bit different. The 2010 draft will begin with the first pick going to the last place team from the previous year and on up the ladder. However, every team will have two draft rounds skipped, based on when their two keepers were drafted the year before (the '09 draft). So lets say I keep Beanie Wells and Matt Schaub (both drafted in the 8th round)...I would get to draft players in rounds 1-7 but would get skipped in the 8th and 9th round. This is where the strategy comes in. For example, one could keep players like Andre Johnson and Drew Brees (1st and 2nd round picks) but then wouldn't get their first pick in the draft until round 3. I'm going to list my players (listing the round they were drafted in '09 next to their name in parentheses) and I would like to get some feedback on some good keepers.

QB: Matt Schaub (8th)
RB: Cedric Benson (7th)
RB: Knowshon Moreno (10th)
RB: Ryan Grant (4th)
RB: Matt Forte (1st)-he is a definite NO
RB: Beanie Wells (8th)
RB: Chris Jennings (undrafted)
WR: Roddy White (3rd)
WR: Wes Welker (5th)
WR: Dwayne Bowe (6th)
TE: Brent Celek (undrafted)
TE: Fred Davis (undrafted)

I am pretty sure I'm keeping Matt Schaub since he has great upside to the draft (being drafted in the 8th round of the '09 draft). But I can't decide who my other keeper should be. I like Beanie Wells (I have been hearing that Whisenhunt is going back to a more balanced offense next year, possibly because Kurt Warner and Anquan Boldin may be gone). I also like Knowshon Moreno and Cedric Benson. I feel like it is necessary that I keep at least one RB. Any advice or picks would be much appreciated. Thanks

[jhurstjunior]

I think I would lean towards Moreno. He has a lot of potential and missing a late round pick will not hurt as much as missing one of the earlier rounds.

Help with mine:

viewtopic.php?f=18&t=465630

[latsprewell20002000]

So if you keep someone that was undrafted you dont miss any pick for that? If thats the case then one could make an arguement for Celek id think. Besides him I think i would go with Schaub and Moreno. Both late round picks, and good ones at that. Schaub you could say hes the third best fantasy QB behind Manning and Brees. Dude puts up points. And Moreno is only going up and its his job there and he shows a lot of promise. Id say you are in good shape if you went that route.

I would keep those two guys before i would keep celek. 8th round picks are pretty late. I know if it was me id be all over Schaub and Moreno. Both are more important positions than TE IMO in standard scoring leagues. A league i play in rewards TE with 2 PPR to boost the importance of the position. It really helped. Hope this helps man, have a good one.

[LSUby50]

My league is exactly like this with the exception that an undrafted player can be kept as an 8th. I can tell you the best strategy by far is to try to keep later round players that will still be in your starting lineup. If you can keep players beyond the 6th round (that are good enough to be every week starters), then you will be drafting backups while other guys are still drafting their starters. that will allow you to make some killer package trades during the season. Alot of guys havent figured it out and they keep good players-Peterson, Manning, etc, but it costs them a 1st round pick. If you can keep a late round guy like benson, then you get Benson AND a 1st round pick. So you have the potential to get Benson + another stud like Fitzgerald instead of Manning and whatever scrub is left in the late rounds.
Here's what i think:
QB: Matt Schaub (8th)-good value, not surea bout keeping a QB with the other choices available.
RB: Cedric Benson (7th)-Yes!
RB: Knowshon Moreno (10th)-good value, but im not sure he's an every week starter
RB: Ryan Grant (4th)- a little early. you coudl draft him in 2nd or 3rd if you want him
RB: Matt Forte (1st)-he is a definite NO-agreed
RB: Beanie Wells (8th)-i like the value and potential, id consider him, pending RB/QB/WR changes in ariz.
RB: Chris Jennings (undrafted)-no
WR: Roddy White (3rd)-no, good player, not good value
WR: Wes Welker (5th)- i like this value. id consider him
WR: Dwayne Bowe (6th)-good value, terrible team
TE: Brent Celek (undrafted)-dont waste your keeper on a TE
TE: Fred Davis (undrafted)-ditto
Id rank them like this for now: Benson, Wells, Welker, Schaub. (depending on your league settings and how the situations change in the offseason) if your league allows trades, thats a great way to stockpile picks or move up a few spots in the draft. Some teams probably have nobody good to keep and it should be worth a mid-round pick to them to get one of these guys.
Edit: You also need to consider where you are drafting, and what positions/players will be available. If you think manning or Brees will be a good value at your pick, then i definitely wouldnt keep Schaub. likewise with keeping 2 RBs if you can get a better stud Rb with your 1st pick. A mock draft will be very helpful. (my league does a serpentine draft, so that might affect your keeper too, there's a big difference between picking in the early 2nd and late 3rd but not much between a late 2nd and early 3rd.)

[Indibuck]

I would keep Benson (7th) and Moreno (10th).

If your league scores a full point per reception, I may consider Welker for a 5th round pick.

An argument could be had for Beanie for an 8th rounder, but I think Moreno gives you better value.

[LSUby50]

i agree that Moreno is great value in the 10th. If you see him as your every week starter, he is your choice along with Benson. But depending on where you pick-but maybe you are drafting in the top 3 with Mojo, AP, and CJohnson back in the pool. In that case id look to keep a different position, maybe Welker or Schaub. Welker is a solid keeper if its PPR.

One strategy that i use is this: wait until just before the draft. Find out player Average Draft Position for all your guys. Then look at your draft board to see where you would be keeping each player. Subtract that # pick from the ADP, and that will give you an idea of how good of value each pick is. Just remember-you want to keep every week starters, not backups or matchup starters.

For instance, lets say you pick 2nd in the 6th round, that would give you the #52 pick to keep Benson. Lets say his average draft position next year is #22. That would give him a value of +30. You can do that for each of your potential keepers and compare the values. I do this for my own and other teams players to determine the best keepers, some i might want to trade for. QBs are usually not that great of keepers because their ADP is lower than other positions. Alot depends on your scoring system though.