2010 NFL Fantasy Football Draft: 2 Player Keeper League

As is the 4th of July ritual up here in my fine hometown, our first fantasy football draft took place, and I must say, I made out like a bandit. Then again, I always think that. Since I began taking part in my Uncle’s big time fantasy league (about 11 years ago), I’ve seen 6 championships. Needless to say, I’m dominating the league. Papa Weimer will claim luck as my killer asset, but 6 out of 11 means I’ve won more ships than the rest of the league combined, and at some point, that’s not luck.

The league represented here is a 2-player keeper league. It’s a total points league that rewards a nice payment for each week you come away victorious. So if you’re the high-point man in Week 6, you win $50. Week 12, same deal. And each and every other week as well. You also get paid out handsomely for 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and even 4th place. It’s a lot of fun and gives you something else to consider; trading draft picks for top round talent, keeper value, positional importance (It’s a 1 QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE, 1 K, 1 D League), and a unique points format (bonuses at 100/200 rush and receiving yards, 250/500 passing yards, length of touchdowns, and abnormal scoring methods like a QB catching a TD – TE’s get bonuses at 50 yard increments which ups their value).

So there it is, you look for big plays, you look for guys that get bonuses, and you try to predict the future – just like any other fantasy format. After the draft, well, that’s where value really gets interesting and you go for the gold. Last season was my worst finish in my 11 years of involvement, and I still took home 4th place. Below the keepers for each team are listed, plus the first 8 rounds of the re-draft. I’ll be writing follow up articles for the draft, analyzing different owners, their selections, and the rest of the draft. Feel free to chime in!

Pre-Draft Keepers

Josey Whales	Beanie Wells	Steve Smith
I'm All Win	Steven Jackson	Rashard Mendenhall
Jonny Chimpo	Joseph Addai	Brandon Marshall
Deck Buckets	Adrian Peterson	Reggie Wayne
Captain Carl	Mauric Jones-Drew	Calvin Johnson
Papa's Gochu	Larry Fitzgerald	Matt Forte
Napoleon	Felix Jones	Michael Crabtree
Forest Dump	DeAngelo Williams	Antonio Gates
Lucky Lester	Frank Gore	Michael Turner
Four Scores	Cedric Benson	Chris Johnson
Seaguls	Peyton Manning	Jonathan Stewart
Sandy Panties	Drew Brees	Ray Rice

The order of record last year, from worst to first, is how the draft takes place – in a snake format. Josey Whales had the worst team while it was Sandy Panties taking home the top prize. As you can see, my team is the 4th squad up from the bottom – as I finished 4th overall. I like my keepers, Gore and Turner, as I left Tom Brady, Ryan Grant, and Greg Jennings for the re-draft. With two keepers and 12 teams, I like keeping 2 running backs if I have that chance. And with Turner and Gore, I felt pretty set up at the position. Chris Johnson and Ced Benson is a nice tandem, as is Adrian Peterson and Reggie Wayne. Felix Jones and Crabtree looks like the worst set of keepers to me.

Round 1 Re-Draft

Josey Whales	Andre Johnson
I'm All Win	Tom Brady
Jonny Chimpo	Randy Moss
Deck Buckets	Jamaal Charles
Captain Carl	Shonn Greene
Papa's Gochu	Ryan Grant
Napoleon	Sidney Rice
Forest Dump	Austin Miles
Lucky Lester	DeSean Jackson
Four Scores	Roddy White
Seaguls	Greg Jennings
Sandy Panties	Pierre Thomas

Andre Johnson went first, and that’s who I would have taken at that spot. In a format that demands 3 receivers, Johnson and Moss make sense getting taken in the Top 3. I like Tom Brady to rebound this year, but #2 overall seems high for him, even in a redraft with the Top 20 players off the board. I was deciding between DeSean Jackson (whose big plays are great in this format) Colston, and Roddy White with my 1st pick. I think Jackson has the most upside of the three.

Round 2 Re-Draft

Sandy Panties	Steve Smith (NYG)
Seaguls	Marion Barber
Four Scores	Matt Schaub
Lucky Lester	Marques Colston
Forest Dump	Ryan Matthews
Napoleon	Aaron Rodgers
Papa's Gochu	Dallas Clark
Captain Carl	Brett Favre
Deck Buckets	LeSean McCoy
Jonny Chimpo	Tony Romo
I'm All Win	Chad Ochocinco
Josey Whales	Brandon Jacobs

I think Steve Smith was drafted a little high, but he is a very consistent piece of production coming off a great year for the Giants. He might be undervalued in a lot of drafts, but he wasn’t in this one. Barber was a bit of a reach as well, in my opinion, just hard to pick a starting running back for your fantasy team that is a #2 running back for his own team. Schaub was also a reach, but he throws for a lot of yardage and has big play threats in the passing game, making him a solid QB – though I think there were a few better options, and it was too early for Matt. I loved getting Colston, giving me a great 1-2 punch at WR. I considered Anquan Boldin, but WRs changing teams always worries me. Nothing about this round of the draft excited me, honestly, as 4 QBs were chosen, all too early. Brett Favre was obviously the biggest reach, but Captain Carl was born in Wisconsin and relocated to Minnesota 3 months before Brett was traded away from Green Bay. Since Brett became a Viking, Carl made sure he was owned by himself. Dang people and drafting fantasy with their hearts!

Round 3 Re-Draft

Josey Whales	Philip Rivers
I'm All Win	Anquan Boldin
Jonny Chimpo	Ronnie Brown
Deck Buckets	Jason Witten
Captain Carl	Vernon Davis
Papa's Gochu	Mike Sims-Walker
Napoleon	Ahmad Bradshaw
Forest Dump	Hines Ward
Lucky Lester	JerMichael Finley
Four Scores	Dwayne Bowe
Seaguls	Braylon Edwards
Sandy Panties	Jeremy Maclin

Philip Rivers is probably more of a sure thing than anybody picked in the 2nd round, but he was overlooked early. Josey made a good pick considering how many points top-flight QBs score in our fantasy format. Ronnie Brown was an interesting pick as one has to wonder when he’ll be 100% healthy after yet another knee problem. Witten and Davis made it back to back TEs early, but remember, TE’s get their bonus at 50 yards receiving, so it’s nice to have a good one. Dallas Clark basically led me to a money spot last year. I think Braylon Edwards was another reach, and maybe my pick of Finley was a bit of a reach as well. I was deciding between him and C.J. Spiller, and I just decided it was too important to grab a top-flight TE, and I rank Finley right behind Dallas Clark. Maclin was an interesting pick, but one which I foresee as a good one in my crystal ball.

Round 4 Re-Draft

Sandy Panties	Tony Gonzalez
Seaguls	Donald Driver
Four Scores	Brent Celek
Lucky Lester	C.J. Spiller
Forest Dump	Santana Moss
Napoleon	Jerome Harrison
Papa's Gochu	Percy Harvin
Captain Carl	Dez Bryant
Deck Buckets	TJ Houshmandzadeh
Jonny Chimpo	Pierre Garcon
I'm All Win	Hakeem Nicks
Josey Whales	Reggie Bush

As I figured, the top tight ends came off the board right after I picked, and I ended up getting C.J. Spiller anyway – so I don’t feel too bad about my reach for Finley. Gonzo and Celek were both solid picks. Santana Moss was a huge reach, in my opinion, but if he can get with McNabb in D.C. – he might just have an explosive season well worth his draft slot. I loved my uncle’s pick of Percy Harvin, as he got the deal of this round. Maybe I should have gone his direction instead of Spiller, but C.J.’s explosive upside was too enticing for me to pass up. Nicks could be great in Year 2, and Housh might be impressive in the Hawks’ new offensive scheme.

Round 5 Re-Draft

Josey Whales	Wes Welker
I'm All Win	Owen Daniels
Jonny Chimpo	Jahvid Best
Deck Buckets	Joe Flacco
Captain Carl	Knowshon Moreno
Papa's Gochu	Donovan McNabb
Napoleon	Antonio Bryant
Forest Dump	Thomas Jones
Lucky Lester	Mike Wallace
Four Scores	Ben Tate
Seaguls	Justin Forsett
Sandy Panties	Lee Evans

Depending on Welker’s health, he was a great get this late. But “depending” is always an interesting things. I reached for Mike Wallace, but I think he will become the most productive receiving threat in Pittsburgh, and his elite speed and production as a part-time rookie last year made me feel confident about my reach. Thomas Jones was a pretty good late round pick, coming off his best year ever. Knowshon Moreno might be a good one as well, he’s just a 2nd year guy after all. I don’t like the Antonio Bryant pick here. I thought there were a handful of better receiving options, and he’s only had one good year as a pro. And Cincinnati did not look like a team I would want to own a #2 receiver for last year.

Round 6 Re-Draft

Sandy Panties	Ricky Williams
Seaguls	Nate Burleson
Four Scores	Robert Meachem
Lucky Lester	Steve Breaston
Forest Dump	Fred Jackson
Napoleon	Darren Sproles
Papa's Gochu	Cadillac Williams
Captain Carl	Santonio Holmes
Deck Buckets	Demaryius Thomas
Jonny Chimpo	Kellen Winslow
I'm All Win	Donald Brown
Josey Whales	Tim Hightower

Ricky Williams was a great back-up back to get late, as he ran as well as anyone late last season. Sandy Panties shows why her teams are consistently in the Top half of our league. I loved getting Steve Breaston this late. I know he’s a risk, but I like taking risks after the first few rounds of the draft. His upside could be great, as he finally steps into a starting gig this year. The best pick of this round was Cadillac Williams. I’m not sure he’s the best back in this ground (I’d give that to Fred Jackson) but he will get the most touches, and he will be coming off a healthy season, and that offense should be better in Tampa. The worst pick has to be Demaryius Thomas. I like the kid in the future, but he’s not even a sure starter, and I’d probably take Eddie Royal and Jabar Gaffney ahead of him this season.

Round 7 Re-Draft

Josey Whales	Terrell Owens
I'm All Win	Johnny Knox
Jonny Chimpo	Kevin Walter
Deck Buckets	Derrick Mason
Captain Carl	Chester Taylor
Papa's Gochu	Willis McGehee
Napoleon	John Carlson
Forest Dump	Kenny Britt
Lucky Lester	Anthony Gonzalez
Four Scores	Visanthe Shiancoe
Seaguls	Zach Miller
Sandy Panties	Darren McFadden

I actually think Josey Whales got a great value pick in TO this late. I know he doesn’t currently have a team, but he’s a difference maker when he plays, and if a solid team with a decent signal caller takes a chance on him (Seattle, Washington, San Diego, New England, Denver?) he will be a brilliant pick this late. Knox has great upside, as do Kenny Britt, and Darren McFadden. I though Shiancoe was a good get this late, the last truly solid TE in a good situation. I loved getting Gonzalez this late. I was very high on him last year, and I still think he can come in and be the #2 in Indianapolis. You might even be able to wait until the end of your drafts to get him. The best pick in this round might be Chester Taylor. But he could be the worst as well. It all depends on touches.

Round 8 Re-Draft

Sandy Panties	Michael Bush
Seaguls	Kevin Smith
Four Scores	Vince Young
Lucky Lester	Vincent Jackson
Forest Dump	Devin Aromashodu
Napoleon	Jabar Gaffney
Papa's Gochu	Eddie Royal
Captain Carl	Jericho Cotchery
Deck Buckets	Marshawn Lynch
Jonny Chimpo	Roy Williams
I'm All Win	Joshua Cribbs
Josey Whales	Dustin Keller

Sandy Panties made sure by grabbing Michael Bush, now he has the likely starter in Oakland regardless. They could be much improved and have always been solid on the ground. Kevin Smith was a nice injury steal, but we’ll see if he ever gets starting back touches again. I loved getting Vincent Jackson this late, as rarely do these things really go deep into the season. Don’t say that to Michael Crabtree owners. And if there’s a contract squabble that could last into mid-season, it’s this one. However, the risk was worth the pick price. Roy Williams, though a bit of a donkey, was another good value grab here. So far, he’s the #2, and reports (yes, “reports”) our of Dallas look good for Roy. We’ll see.

I’ll post the rest of the draft in the near future, with more analysis and some roster lists with my thoughts on strengths, weaknesses, and drafting blunders.