Beginner's Guide to Fantasy Football Section VIII - Post Draft Analysis of Your Squad
|
|
Posted 6/16 by Chris Smith, Exclusive to Footballguys.com
|
"For me, winning isn't something that happens
suddenly on the field when the whistle blows and the crowds roar. Winning
is something that builds physically and mentally every day that you train
and every night that you dream." --
Emmitt Smith
You just spent countless hours devoting yourself to the fantasy draft, poring
over countless notes, articles, statistics and everything else you could read
in order to have the best possible draft. You arrived at the draft confident
and prepared, knowing that you were going to have the preeminent draft possible
this season. The past 4+ hours were spent drafting the players you believe will
carry you to the league championship. You know that the draft went smoothly
and you weren't left scrambling at any point. More than likely, as a Footballguys.com
subscriber, you were ready thanks to our articles, features and tools such as
our very own Draft Dominator and the fantasy draft unfolded beautifully in front
of you, leaving you great value to pick up throughout the process.
After the draft, you have a couple cold ones, talk some trash with your leaguemates
and then have a choice to make:
- Congratulate yourself for having the perfect draft and wait for the season
to begin
or
- Take stock of your roster, analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of each
position
Many fantasy owners do not take the time to reflect on their own rosters and
that is a poor decision. No matter how marvelous your draft was, there will
always be some positions stronger than others and it is important to highlight
both the strengths and weaknesses of your roster to properly etch out your plan
of attack going forward.
After your draft, really take the time to give serious reflection in regards
to your roster. Try to look at the players impartially as there are many different
aspects of your roster to look at after the draft.
- Bye week strength and conflict
- Starting lineup strength
- Back up strength
- Best position(s)
- Worst position(s)
- Possible trade bait
Here is a look at a potential draft for an owner. Must start 1 QB, 2 RB,
3 WR, 1 TE, 1 K, and 1 D.
|
Pick
|
Overall
|
Pos
|
Player |
Team
|
|
1.09
|
9
|
RB
|
Edgerrin James |
Ari
|
|
2.04
|
16
|
WR
|
Chad Johnson |
Cin
|
|
3.09
|
33
|
WR
|
Darrell Jackson |
Sea
|
|
4.04
|
40
|
WR
|
Santana Moss |
Was
|
|
5.09
|
57
|
WR
|
Javon Walker |
Den
|
|
6.04
|
64
|
RB
|
Tatum Bell |
Den
|
|
7.09
|
81
|
QB
|
Michael Vick |
Atl
|
|
8.04
|
88
|
RB
|
Frank Gore |
SF
|
|
9.09
|
105
|
TE
|
Chris Cooley |
Was
|
|
10.04
|
112
|
RB
|
Chris Perry |
Cin
|
|
11.09
|
129
|
QB
|
Drew Bledsoe |
Dal
|
|
12.04
|
136
|
RB
|
Ryan Moats |
Phi
|
|
13.09
|
153
|
WR
|
Eric Moulds |
Hou
|
|
14.04
|
160
|
DT
|
Baltimore Ravens |
Bal
|
|
15.09
|
177
|
PK
|
David Akers |
Phi
|
|
16.04
|
184
|
RB
|
J.J. Arrington |
Ari
|
Take this information and break it down by position.
|
Pos
|
Player |
Team
|
Bye
|
|
QB
|
Michael Vick |
Atl
|
5
|
|
QB
|
Drew Bledsoe |
Dal
|
3
|
|
RB
|
Edgerrin James |
Ari
|
9
|
|
RB
|
Tatum Bell |
Den
|
4
|
|
RB
|
Frank Gore |
SF
|
7
|
|
RB
|
Chris Perry |
Cin
|
5
|
|
RB
|
Ryan Moats |
Phi
|
9
|
|
RB
|
J.J. Arrington |
Ari
|
9
|
|
WR
|
Chad Johnson |
Cin
|
5
|
|
WR
|
Darrell Jackson |
Sea
|
5
|
|
WR
|
Santana Moss |
Was
|
8
|
|
WR
|
Javon Walker |
Den
|
4
|
|
WR
|
Eric Moulds |
Hou
|
5
|
|
TE
|
Chris Cooley |
Was
|
8
|
|
PK
|
David Akers |
Phi
|
9
|
|
DT
|
Baltimore Ravens |
Bal
|
7
|
Do a detailed breakdown of each position.
- Quarterbacks - Grade: 8/10
Michael Vick, Drew Bledsoe
- Great year to wait on quarterback
- Great scoring potential out of this duo
- Bye week coverage strong
- Running Backs - Grade: 6.5/10
Edgerrin James, Tatum Bell, Frank Gore, Chris Perry, Ryan Moats, J.J. Arrington
- James is a good # 1
- Bell, Gore have some good starter potential but ultimately could result
in a hole at RB2
- Perry, Moats and Arrington have some potential if they earn an opportunity
- Bye week coverage is pretty strong although week nine could be an issue
down the road
- Wide Receivers - Grade: 9.5/10
Chad Johnson, Darrell Jackson, Santana Moss, Javon Walker, Eric Moulds
- Almost as good as a team could realistically expect
- Four great potential starting receivers and a quality backup in Moulds
- Bye alert problem. Made a mistake in week five with Jackson, Johnson and
Moulds off
- Tight Ends - Grade: 8/10
Chris Cooley
Cooley is a good fantasy starter (still need a backup)
- Place Kicker - Grade: 8/10
David Akers
Good kicker in a good situation (still need a backup)
- Defenses - Grade 8/10
Baltimore Ravens
A very good defense (still need a backup)
Potential starting lineup
QB Michael Vick
RB Edgerrin James
RB Tatum Bell
WR Chad Johnson
WR Darrell Jackson
WR Santana Moss
TE Chris Cooley
K David Akers
DEF Baltimore Ravens
Thoughts on this roster going forward
- Quarterback position is strong and shouldn't need much attention going forward.
Wouldn't be a bad idea to get another serviceable fantasy quarterback down
the road
- RB2 is a potential problem with Bell and Gore not a guarantee at this point
- WR is a big strength. However there is a bye week problem and it would be
a good idea to float Darrell Jackson in a trade for a good running back
- Tight end, kicker and defense starting strength is good but no depth at
those positions as of yet.
Once you have identified the various weaknesses and strengths of your fantasy
roster, it will be time to take steps to strengthen the roster. You will be
able to use trades and waiver wire pickups to turn around the weaker aspects
of your roster, and you should take the time to target teams that have weakness
in positions that you have significant strength (receiver in the example above).
One of the better aspects of the Draft Dominator is the ability to see the projected
total scoring for each of the franchises in your league. You can compare your
draft to the others in your league using this feature and can target teams with
strong running games, great quarterback play and questionable receiver ability
just by clicking a button. It is a fabulous tool that helps you truly break
down your fantasy draft.
Now you are ready to begin tweaking your roster and to start the season in your
quest for the championship. Track all of the fantasy football news leading up
to and through the entire season using our free Daily
Updates, Footballguys
News Blogger and The
Shark Pool and you will be well on your way to a dominant fantasy season.
|