InClement Weather: Fantasy Football Speak [Part I of III]

Most of us, who would write for or read this blog, are fantasy football "players". In fact, many of us have been at it for over a decade now (some even longer). On top of that, many of us have multiple leagues we interact with yearly.

With that in mind, I'm going to serve up a series of 3 posts this upcoming week. Some might be surprised to hear that, as I'm leaving for Las Vegas to get married Monday and enjoy a week-long honeymoon in the City of Sin.

Don't worry, it won't be one of "those" Las Vegas trips.
Credit: ThisRecording.com

Don't worry, I've already written all three posts and will sneak the other two in at later dates, in-between Armin's finishing touches on the SWOTs (is that correct?).

First up, let's look at some basics of the league (commonly known as NOVA Fantasy Football).
Since it's near impossible to find a magazine or reputable website which has mock drafts with 2 starting quarterback parameters, this is a rare treat. So enjoy it!!!

Basics
A) 10-teams.
B) 18-round ladder draft. [Ex: 1 to 10, 10 to 1, 1 to 10, 10 to 1, and so on.]
C) Starters include 2 QBs, 2 RBs, 3 WRs, 1 TE, 1 K, & 1 DEF. 8 reserve sports.

Draft
D) Max of 1 1/2 mins/pick for the first 5 rounds, max of 1 min/pick for rounds 6 through 11, and max of 45 seconds (that's right!) for rounds 12 through 18.
Note: No keepers or holdovers either. Not in this league, at least.

2-Starting QB Rules
E) If a backup becomes a starter and you have 4 starting QBs, you must drop/trade one w/i 24 hours.
F) If you have 3 starters on your roster, you may NOT pick up a 4th starter with the intention of working a trade. Picking up a starting QB when you already have 3 can only be done if you are dropping one of your 3 current starters.
G) This also works for defenses and kickers. Yes, we once had an owner with 3 kickers, potentially tabbing another. Lowball, but savvy.

Draft Lottery Bonuses
H) Separate pick'em and survivor leagues give each winner an extra ping pong ball (which I literally draw 5 minutes before the draft).

Enough talk, let's look at the first three rounds (with a few brief observations):

He might not have gotten the Madden cover, but Peterson was an easy selection for #1 overall.
Credit: DeviantArt.com

Round #1:
1) Adrian Peterson
2) Tom Brady
3) DeAngelo Williams
4) LaDanian Tomlinson
5) Drew Brees
6) Matt Forte
7) Michael Turner
8) Maurice Jones-Drew
9) Peyton Manning
10) Steven Jackson

Comments: A-Pete was a lock for #1 (despite a near-trade between slots #1 and #2), Brady was taken #2 by the same owner (Pay) last year, Williams surprised a few at #3, I've never owned LT so took the risk for the potential reward at #4, Brees at #5 proves the value of QBs in 2-starting QB leagues, Forte seemed perfect for the 6-slot, Turner slid a bit to 7 (more than a few question his reaction to a season of 350+ carries), MJD has been ranked top 3 on a ton of sites (Yahoo! especially), Manning goes to a familiar owner, and Action Jackson is someone I was afraid to even mention.

How many of you had Matt Ryan going in the second round? One of our league members did. Surprised?
Credit: Madden-School.com

Round #2:
1) Matt Ryan
2) Chris Johnson
3) Aaron Rogers
4) Brian Westbrook
5) Phillip Rivers
6) Frank Gore
7) Brandon Jacobs
8) Larry Fitzgerald
9) Randy Moss
10) Kurt Warner

Comments: Ryan at #11 overall was shocking (it was a huge Falcons fan), CJ at #12 was a fallback after Jackson went already, Rogers before Rivers might be due to it being a Packers fan, Westbrook at #14 depends on that ankle, Rivers at #15 was the second-half fantasy MVP last season, Gore quietly went under the radar (again), Jacobs returns to a happy owner (me!), Fitzgerald last longer than expected and is the first wideout taken, Moss follows at #19 to combo with Tom Brady (uh oh), and Kurt Warner is drafted at least 100 spots (or more) earlier this year.

Two Texans went in Round 3. I suppose this mock-cover ruins the surprise on one of them. But can YOU name the other? Can YOU!?!?
Credit: PhotoBucket.com

Round #3:
1) Greg Jennings
2) Marion Barber
3) Steve Slaton
4) Tony Romo
5) Clinton Portis
6) Donovan McNabb
7) Carson Palmer
8) Ronnie Brown
9) Andre Johnson
10) Calvin Johnson

Comments: Jennings is the 3rd overall receiver taken (surprising?), Barber in the 3rd round surprised many, Slaton has incredible upside at #23, Romo was a borderline grab over McNabb, Portis returns to a Redskin owner (Goings), McNabb is one of the last rock solid QBs left, Palmer may be the ultimate "make or break" QB this fantasy season, Ronnie Brown is in a contract year and the Wildcat offense is intriguing to say the least, Andre Johnson at #29 almost seems criminal, and #30 is Calvin Johnson (who is a Lion, but an absolute beast nonetheless).

So there you have it. Feel free to post some comments of your own.

Next post I'll be taking a look at 10 make-or-break middle round selections (one per team) who may have a lot to say with fantasy success or suckitude.
After that, I'll finish up the series with 10 surprising drops for players. This means I'll target 10 guys who I expected to go much earlier than they did. Much much earlier in some cases.

Until then...