| Fantasy
Football Draft by Lucky Lester
It's coming up on that time of year.
Oh, yes, let the fantasy drafts begin. I've already
seen oodles of mock drafts by "experts". I
looked at the magazine section in the grocery store
yesterday and found close to 10 different "Fantasy
Football" magazines. Now buyers beware, these are
the same morons who decided Kevan Barlow was worth a
first round pick a year ago, but they're usually worth
a look. I was so sick of the "mock drafts"
that were littering the computer and magazine world
that I gathered up a couple good buddies to do an early
fantasy draft. We bought some pizza, some of us made
some lists, some of us used a magazine, printed out
some draft logs, and spent three hours laughing and
yelling, drinking and pissing, eating and arguing. It
was fantastic. Our draft went a lot like yours will
be, but the nitty-gritty looks like this; 10 Teams,
14 Rounds, Pick Trading was okay, there were no limits
on positions picked, and picking numbers out of a hat
decided draft order. The game day rosters must have;
QB, RB, RB/WR, WR, WR, TE, K, D. We are allowed to have
6 bench spots on our roster. We didn't have a timer,
but that might be a good move. The draft took about
3 hours (6:30 to 9:30). I tried to keep the whole process
documented for this article. I'm going to talk about
the draft round by round, and list the teams at the
end. Always remember, during your fantasy drafts, even
your best friends will bewilder you. Get caught up in
the moment, laugh your ass off, and rip in to your future
opponents at every turn. In other words, make it worth
your while. We all threw down 10 bones on our teams,
the winner gets the gold.
Owners and their Teams with
original pick order:
1. Bryan Weimer - Bay City Bombers
2. Brian Stiles - Punks Ass Comedians
3. Bill Carpenter - Sea Chicken
4. Uncle John - Vidcom Varmits
5. Lucky Lester - Sounds Like Llama
6. Paul Armstrong - Screaming Orgasm Cleanup
Crew
7. AJ Cofrin - The AJ Team
8. Big Puff - Big Puff's Goon Squad
9. Eric Hayden - Ugly Hollywood Hookers
10. Tyson Timmer - Krocidile
Right off the club you can see there are a couple of
illiterates in this group, but don't underestimate them.
If anything, football fans have proven over the years
you need not be literate to know your X's and O's or
better yet, your McNabb's and TO's. As is, a couple
of these guys didn't like where they where, so they
traded spots with each other. Wisconsin's own, AJ Cofrin
didn't like where he sat at the 7 spot, so he traded
for the 2 spot giving Brian Stiles his fourth round
pick and getting Stiles 14th round pick in return. So
now Stiles picks from the 7 spot and AJ always gets
2. AJ loses his 4th rounder and gets another 14th round
selection. I couldn't believe this trade. And later
after all was done, AJ yelled obscenities at Stiles,
ending his rage with the astute truth that Stiles is
a slippery bastard. Let the games begin. Soon after
the first trade I got an offer I couldn't refuse. Timmer
offered me his 1st round pick for my 3rd and 4th picks.
To make the picks even (14 each) he also gave me his
10th pick. My goal was to come away with elite receivers,
which I now thought I could do with 5 and 10. I was
thinking TO and Moss would fall my way. Then I could
pick a good back in round 2. That was all of the pre-draft
trades. This is how the first round finally looked,
picks and all:
1. Bay
City Bombers - Bryan Weimer - Preseason League
Rank - 1
Top to bottom, this is one of the best teams in our
league. Bryan got away with picking a tight end in the
third round by getting great value throughout the rest
of the draft. Kevin Jones and Tomlinson might be as
deadly a running back duo as anyone has. Hines Ward
and Torry Holt, as a pair, are only second to my receivers,
Moss and Harrison. Drew Brees is solid, there's no doubt
in my mind he's more than a one-year wonder. Gates is
the best tight end. Receiver is Bryan's strongest asset
as he has 5 players who could start on any given week.
| 1.
Ladainian Tomlinson |
8.
Mushin Muhammad
|
| 2.
Torry Holt |
9.
Derrick Mason
|
| 3.
Antonio Gates |
10.
Matt Stover
|
| 4.
Kevin Jones |
11.
Steve McNair
|
| 5.
Hines Ward |
12.
Jaguars D
|
| 6.
Drew Brees |
13.
Ben Troupe
|
| 7.
DeShaun Foster |
14.
Brandon Stokley
|
|
|
Top^
2. Punk
Ass Comedians - Brian Stiles - Preseason
League Rank - 2
Even if Shaun Alexander holds out for training camp
or a few games, or the worst happens and he never shows,
Ahman Green and Lamont Jordan should be a good 1-2 punch
at RB. Ronnie Brown could also become a good option.
Chad Johnson is a fantasy stud. He'll have his best
season by far. Andre Johnson has all the tools; it's
up to David Carr to make him a fantasy star. Todd Heap
should have an easier time getting open with other receiving
tools surrounding him, and Carolina's defense will be
solid as always. The only question mark comes at quarterback,
where neither Hasselbeck nor Harrington proved to be
a solid starting option throughout last season. Both
could have great years.
| 1.
Shaun Alexander |
7.
Jerry Porter
|
| 2.
Ahman Green |
8.
Chris Chambers
|
| 3.
Chad Johnson |
9.
Carolina D
|
| 4.
Andre Johnson |
10.
Ronnie Brown
|
| 4.
Lamont Jordan |
11.
Joey Harrington
|
| 5.
Todd Heap |
12.
Troy Williamson
|
| 6.
Matt Hasselbeck |
13.
Josh Brown
|
|
|
Top^
3.
Sea Chicken - Bill Carpenter - Preseason League
Rank - 3
It's a shame we only start one quarterback. But it's
reality. Picking McNabb in round 2 almost certainly
will backfire on good old Bill. If Warrick Dunn and
Brian Westbrook have identical seasons to last year's
numbers, they'll be a decent couple of starters. There
is no backup RB on this team, sorry Mr. Smith. Shockey
drops touchdowns, while both he and Burress will have
to manage through Eli's learning curve. Bill will have
his work cut out for him with Fantasy Free Agents. Joe
Jurevicius? Antoine Smith? If the latter has more than
200 yards all season I'll do a naked Sea Chicken dance
in the middle of Lambeau Field.
| 1.
Peyton Manning |
8.
Steelers D
|
| 2.
Donovan McNabb |
9.
Mike Vanderjagt
|
| 3.
Warrick Dunn |
10.
Antoine Smith
|
| 4.
Brian Westbrook |
11.
Jeremy Stevens
|
| 5.
Jeremy Shockey |
12.
Joe Jurevicius
|
| 6.
Plexico Burress |
13.
John Kasey
|
| 7.
Isacc Bruce |
14.
Bears D
|
|
|
Top^
4.
Vidcom Varmits - Uncle John - Preseason League
Rank - 4
Priest Holmes, a healthy Holmes, is the best player
in fantasy football. If he's healthy start to finish,
it wouldn't surprise me to see my old uncle steal the
super bowl. As is, his teams pretty damn good. Willis
McGahee is ranked very high by the professionals, and
Fred Taylor's health has improved recently. The Jags
front office claim he'll be in camp. Javon Walker is
one of the best young receivers in the game, and if
Clayton doesn't have some sophomore follies, he'll join
Walker on that list. I think Darrel Jackson will end
up starting more often than not. Quarterback is the
only breaking point of this team, as Marc Bulger gets
one more chance to throw the ball up for grabs in St.
Louis. Look for David Carr to get plenty of chances
on this team.
| 1.
Priest Holmes |
8.
Randy McMichael
|
| 2.
Willis McGahee |
9.
Larry Fitzgerald
|
| 3.
Javon Walker |
10.
David Carr
|
| 4.
Michael Clayton |
11.
Atlanta D
|
| 5.
Darrel Jackson |
12.
Eric Johnson
|
| 6.
Fred Taylor |
13.
Jason Elam
|
| 7.
Marc Bulger |
14.
Charles Rogers
|
|
|
Top^
5.
Sounds Like Llama - Lucky Lester - Preseason
League Rank - 5
Of course I want to rank myself higher, but with the
trade going the way it did, and my uncertainty at the
number two running back spot, 5 is as high as I can
go. With room to improve no doubt. I have the best receiving
corps in the league, both my top two and the group as
a whole. I think Carson Palmer will be great, and Kurt
Warner will, at the very least, have ample opportunity
to use a plethora of touchdown producing weapons in
Arizona. The Eagles are a top three defense, and both
Bell and Bennett have the skill-set to produce good
numbers. I've predicted Palmer to be a top 5-fantasy
quarterback, so I'm happy to have him on my team. L.J.
Smith is underrated, he'll produce. Eddie Kennison becomes
the only number one receiving option the Chiefs possess.
Hopefully, that's a good thing. Hopefully I never have
to play him.
| 1.
Randy Moss |
9.
Eagles Defense
|
| 1.
Marvin Harrison |
10.
Larry Johnson
|
| 2.
Corey Dillon |
10.
Matt Stover
|
| 5.
Tatum Bell |
11.
Kurt Warner
|
| 6.
Steve Smith |
12.
L.J. Smith
|
| 7.
Michael Bennett |
13.
Eddie Kennison
|
| 8.
Carson Palmer |
14.
Jeff Reed
|
|
|
Top^
6.
Screaming Orgasm Cleanup Crew - Paul Armstrong
- Preseason League Rank - 6
Culpepper is the second best fantasy quarterback. Davis
is a fantasy stud when he's not injured, and Stephen
Jackson just took Marshal Faulk's spot in Ramland, so
obviously Mike Martz believes he can get the job done.
Roy Williams is said to have the most talent of any
receiver, save Randy Moss, in the entire league. Crumpler
should have another top 5-fantasy year in the ATL. That
being said, Culpepper is in his first season without
the best wide receiver in the league. Davis has never
stayed healthy start to finish, and Jackson is untested
as a lead back. Roy Williams still has Joey Harrinton
throwing him the ball, and he was a health issue in
his rookie campaign as well. Coles struggled through
injuries and the Snider curse in DC, but he should have
a good comeback year with Pennington tossing him the
rock. Ashley Lelie, Aaron Brooks, and Santana Moss are
perennial underachievers, where Kevan Barlow is a one-time
waste of a pick. New England's D could struggle when
Ty Law finds his new team, and the loss of their leader,
Teddy Bruschi, hurts. Unless Chad Brown can stay healthy?
Lots of ifs, buts, and hopefullys drop this squad to
7.
| 1.
Daunte Culpepper |
8.
New England D
|
| 2.
Domanick Davis |
9.
Adam Vinatieri
|
| 3.
Stephen Jackson |
10.
Aaron Brooks
|
| 4.
Roy Williams |
11.
Kevan Barlow
|
| 5.
Laveranues Coles |
12.
Santana Moss
|
| 6.
Algae Crumpler |
13.
Ricky Williams (yes that Ricky)
|
| 7.
Ashley Lelie |
14.
Lee Suggs
|
|
|
Top^
7.
The AJ Team - AJ Cofrin - Preseason League Rank
- 7
AJ Cofrin reached on many of his picks, but he has the
luxury of having exactly who he wanted on his squad.
There's something to be said about that. AJ made a ridiculous
trade to move up to the 2 slot, even though he could
have taken Jamal Lewis at his original spot (7). He
made up for the loss of his 4th round pick by taking
great players at 5 - 10. Anquan Boldin and Lee Evans
are his starters at receiver, with Bennett in the fold
as well. Jamal Lewis and Tiki Barbar should make a good
group at RB, and Cedric Benson might pan out nicely.
Mike Vick always has the chance to play like Mike Vick.
Overall AJ's team turned out pretty nice.
| 1.
Jamal Lewis |
9.
Cedric Benson
|
| 2.
Tiki Barbar |
10.
Drew Bennett
|
| 3.
Mike Vick |
11.
Byron Leftwich
|
| 5.
Anquan Boldin |
12.
Colts D
|
| 6.
Rudi Johnson |
13.
Jeff Wilkins
|
| 7.
Jason Witten |
14.
Peerless Price
|
| 8.
Lee Evans |
14.
Donte' Stallworth
|
|
|
Top^
8.
Big Puff's Goon Squad - Big Puff - Preseason
League Rank - 8
Puff started out with a great first round pick, and
then fell off the fantasy cliff. Jones is way overrated
in my mind, and Favre hasn't gone in the first 5 rounds
in some time. His top three running backs have 7 games
started amongst them, all belonging to Julius Jones.
Bettis is past his prime, obviously, but still gets
plenty of touches at the goal line. Burleson is a good
pick, but he's unproven. I imagine Jake Plummer will
end the year with better fantasy numbers than either
Favre or Delhomme. The Skins lost their best cover corner,
and their best tackler. In fact with the exception of
a few players, this entire team is unproven. And the
only thing "The Mouth" has proven is that
he doesn't deserve a starting fantasy spot.
| 1.
Terrell Owens |
8.
Sebastian Janikowski
|
| 2.
Julius Jones |
9.
Jake Plummer
|
| 3.
Brett Favre |
10.
Redskins D
|
| 4.
Cadillac Williams |
11.
Mike Williams
|
| 5.
Nate Burleson |
12.
Jerome Bettis
|
| 6.
JJ Arrington |
13.
Jeb Putzier
|
| 7.
Jake Delhomme |
14.
Keyshawn Johnson
|
|
|
Top^
9.
Ugly Hollywood Hookers - Eric Hayden - Preseason
League Rank - 9
Deuce and Portis are two great picks to start a draft.
Kerry Collins was a bigger reach than Brett Favre, but
like Favre, he has the potential to put up big numbers.
Joe Horn and Jimmy Smith will be happy to make it through
the season healthy, and Eric should be as well. Chris
Brown is a tough back to have, because he's spent more
of his career injured than healthy, and the Titans just
traded for Travis Henry, who always seems to get the
job done. Buffalo's defense is a solid pick, but before
the Eagles, Patriots, and Panthers? I don't know if
they're that good. Dallas Clark is a great pick; his
upside without Pollard in the lineup is immeasurable.
Thomas Jones chances grow with every day Benson isn't
in to camp. Faulk is a good flier with the 13th pick,
and the Bucc D manages to be a pretty good start every
single year since the Dungy Days. Still, with so much
age at WR, and questions surrounding both back up running
backs, the Hookers might by trying to sell themselves
on the streets come the halfway mark.
| 1.
Deuce McAllister |
8.
Dallas Clark
|
| 2.
Clinton Portis |
9.
Chad Pennington
|
| 3.
Kerry Collins |
10.
Rod Smith
|
| 4.
Joe Horn |
11.
Thomas Jones
|
| 5.
Jimmy Smith |
12.
TJ Houshmandzadeh
|
| 6.
Chris Brown |
13.
Marshal Faulk
|
| 7.
Buffalo D |
14.
Buccaneer D
|
|
| |