And so it begins. But before it does, I decided last night at 11pm to join a public ESPN league. 12-team PPR draft. I've always believed that to write about fantasy, you have to live it--all the challenges and opportunities that confront us throughout a season.
As many of you know, I didn't do rankings this year. Nothing to share publicly, and nothing to lean on privately. My life--as many of your lives--is beyond hectic these days. And with a pandemic threatening to cut this year short, or randomly wreak havoc on rosters, I wasn't interested in creating a spreadsheet that could become irrelevant overnight.
To draft well, I try to keep my heart rate down. Panic leads to panicky decisions. It's that simple. Admittedly, I had one panicky moment in last night's draft. I often have one. Something doesn't go as planned. Or the two people before me pick the two guys I'm targeting.
But as I do every summer--usually earlier than this--here's a quick rundown of my draft. I'll refer to my team throughout the season; it's important to talk about football from the perspective of someone who's just as invested as you.
Round 1 -- I was placed in the 7th spot, which didn't make me happy. I wanted to be in the top 4, knowing I'd get Michael Thomas at worst. At it turned out, Thomas fell to me at #7. A good start, in that all things being equal, I've landed a near-automatic elite wideout with relatively minimal serious injury risk (though of course, who knows with COVID, but let's not go there yet).
Round 2 -- Coming back down, I was eyeballing Joe Mixon if his migraines caused managers some hesitation. My backup was Davante Adams. When it got to me, only Adams was left. Easy decision: clear #1 with great chemistry with a still-talented QB. I now have two strong-potential top-5 WRs.
Round 3 -- There's almost no good reason to go WR-WR-WR, unless *maybe* you play in a league that starts three (instead of a flex). So I want a bellcow RB, and David Johnson is available. No hesitation.
Round 4 -- Keenan Allen is one of my favorite undervalued WRs, and he's still here at pick #42. Again, no hesitation. I pass up some fairly reliable top-25 RBs. But Allen realistically could be a top-10 WR once again, and that's too good to pass up.
Round 5 -- Dak Prescott was last season's #2 fantasy QB, and his offense got better with the addition of CeeDee Lamb. While I could wait a few rounds to get a weekly starting QB, I'd rather reach now for a guy who could almost singlehandedly win some weeks for me.
Round 6 -- This when I panicked a bit. David Montgomery was falling into my lap. Then the manager right in front of me grabbed him. I hadn't yet settled on a backup plan. Was leaning toward a Mark Ingram / J.K. Dobbins combo, but also didn't want to be stuck with an aging Ingram, who I think will regress as the season goes on. I want someone who will help me win a title, and I simply don't see Ingram doing that. So I reached for D'Andre Swift. Yes, D'Andre Swift. Seems stupid now, especially with the signing of Adrian Peterson. But I rationalized it as taking a talented rookie who should improve as the year goes on. Of course, it would be a short-term waste unless . . .
Round 7 -- . . . I get Kerryon Johnson. And that's what happens about 10 picks later. I've salvaged a large portion of Detroit's backfield (AP probably won't be heavily involved), not unlike what I did a couple years ago with Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams in Green Bay. If one breaks through, it'll be worth the 6th/7th round investment. That said, I'm not thrilled with this pairing heading into Week 1, and need to finish strong.
Round 8 -- Hunter Henry should be a top-6 TE, so I feel lucky to get him here.
Round 9 -- Those who know me well, or even sort of well, probably can anticipate what happens next. I've made the postseason in every fantasy league--often competing in 2-3 a year--since 2012. My approach is always the same: As much elite talent as possible, and then shift immediately to the highest upside players remaining on the board: RB handcuffs. First up is Alexander Mattison, because no one picking between me and my next pick has Zeke Elliott.
Round 10 -- Tony Pollard, for obvious reasons.
Round 11 -- Chase Edmonds. Again, for obvious reasons. My opponents are chasing RB3/4s. I'm loading up on potential elite talent. Even if there's a 20% chance one will pop, collectively I'm giving myself a very good shot at an RB1 by midseason.
Round 12 -- Benny Snell, of course.
Round 13 -- Darrynton Evans, one of my favorite picks of the draft.
Round 14 -- I should carry a fourth wideout for bye weeks and the potential COVID sidelining. Bryan Edwards has been on my watch list for several rounds. As often happens when things fall right, no hesitation.
Round 15 -- All that remains is a DST and kicker. I settle on the Bears.
Round 16 -- My kicker strategy never changes: find a fairly accurate player in a high-powered offense. Tampa Bay should be top-10. Ryan Succop makes sense to start the year.
I welcome your feedback, including if it's painfully insulting. Okay, not painfully insulting. But be blunt. If you liked something, share it. If you hated something, share it. This is one person's approach to drafting. It works well for me. And that doesn't mean it'll work well in 2020.
Good luck tonight if you've got guys playing. If not, enjoy two great offenses going at it.
As many of you know, I didn't do rankings this year. Nothing to share publicly, and nothing to lean on privately. My life--as many of your lives--is beyond hectic these days. And with a pandemic threatening to cut this year short, or randomly wreak havoc on rosters, I wasn't interested in creating a spreadsheet that could become irrelevant overnight.
To draft well, I try to keep my heart rate down. Panic leads to panicky decisions. It's that simple. Admittedly, I had one panicky moment in last night's draft. I often have one. Something doesn't go as planned. Or the two people before me pick the two guys I'm targeting.
But as I do every summer--usually earlier than this--here's a quick rundown of my draft. I'll refer to my team throughout the season; it's important to talk about football from the perspective of someone who's just as invested as you.
Round 1 -- I was placed in the 7th spot, which didn't make me happy. I wanted to be in the top 4, knowing I'd get Michael Thomas at worst. At it turned out, Thomas fell to me at #7. A good start, in that all things being equal, I've landed a near-automatic elite wideout with relatively minimal serious injury risk (though of course, who knows with COVID, but let's not go there yet).
Round 2 -- Coming back down, I was eyeballing Joe Mixon if his migraines caused managers some hesitation. My backup was Davante Adams. When it got to me, only Adams was left. Easy decision: clear #1 with great chemistry with a still-talented QB. I now have two strong-potential top-5 WRs.
Round 3 -- There's almost no good reason to go WR-WR-WR, unless *maybe* you play in a league that starts three (instead of a flex). So I want a bellcow RB, and David Johnson is available. No hesitation.
Round 4 -- Keenan Allen is one of my favorite undervalued WRs, and he's still here at pick #42. Again, no hesitation. I pass up some fairly reliable top-25 RBs. But Allen realistically could be a top-10 WR once again, and that's too good to pass up.
Round 5 -- Dak Prescott was last season's #2 fantasy QB, and his offense got better with the addition of CeeDee Lamb. While I could wait a few rounds to get a weekly starting QB, I'd rather reach now for a guy who could almost singlehandedly win some weeks for me.
Round 6 -- This when I panicked a bit. David Montgomery was falling into my lap. Then the manager right in front of me grabbed him. I hadn't yet settled on a backup plan. Was leaning toward a Mark Ingram / J.K. Dobbins combo, but also didn't want to be stuck with an aging Ingram, who I think will regress as the season goes on. I want someone who will help me win a title, and I simply don't see Ingram doing that. So I reached for D'Andre Swift. Yes, D'Andre Swift. Seems stupid now, especially with the signing of Adrian Peterson. But I rationalized it as taking a talented rookie who should improve as the year goes on. Of course, it would be a short-term waste unless . . .
Round 7 -- . . . I get Kerryon Johnson. And that's what happens about 10 picks later. I've salvaged a large portion of Detroit's backfield (AP probably won't be heavily involved), not unlike what I did a couple years ago with Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams in Green Bay. If one breaks through, it'll be worth the 6th/7th round investment. That said, I'm not thrilled with this pairing heading into Week 1, and need to finish strong.
Round 8 -- Hunter Henry should be a top-6 TE, so I feel lucky to get him here.
Round 9 -- Those who know me well, or even sort of well, probably can anticipate what happens next. I've made the postseason in every fantasy league--often competing in 2-3 a year--since 2012. My approach is always the same: As much elite talent as possible, and then shift immediately to the highest upside players remaining on the board: RB handcuffs. First up is Alexander Mattison, because no one picking between me and my next pick has Zeke Elliott.
Round 10 -- Tony Pollard, for obvious reasons.
Round 11 -- Chase Edmonds. Again, for obvious reasons. My opponents are chasing RB3/4s. I'm loading up on potential elite talent. Even if there's a 20% chance one will pop, collectively I'm giving myself a very good shot at an RB1 by midseason.
Round 12 -- Benny Snell, of course.
Round 13 -- Darrynton Evans, one of my favorite picks of the draft.
Round 14 -- I should carry a fourth wideout for bye weeks and the potential COVID sidelining. Bryan Edwards has been on my watch list for several rounds. As often happens when things fall right, no hesitation.
Round 15 -- All that remains is a DST and kicker. I settle on the Bears.
Round 16 -- My kicker strategy never changes: find a fairly accurate player in a high-powered offense. Tampa Bay should be top-10. Ryan Succop makes sense to start the year.
I welcome your feedback, including if it's painfully insulting. Okay, not painfully insulting. But be blunt. If you liked something, share it. If you hated something, share it. This is one person's approach to drafting. It works well for me. And that doesn't mean it'll work well in 2020.
Good luck tonight if you've got guys playing. If not, enjoy two great offenses going at it.