To the football gurus

[hendrix]

I'm in a 12-teams fantasy league in Yahoo and yesterday was the draft. I got to pick 10th in a serpentine system.

QB J. Delhomme
WR C. Johnson
WR J. Horn
WR L. Evans
RB E. James
RB D. McAllister
TE C. Cooley
BN K. Collins
BN W. Dunn
BN Ro. Smith
BN L. Johnson
BN C. Rogers

K N. Kaeding
BN M. Bryant (picked last due to concerns with Kaeding

DEF Buffalo


I got a pretty good team, but my questions / concerns to the experts in USA are:

1) I'm starting Delhomme (plays the Saints) instead of Collins (at NE), but the thing is my rival for the first week has Moss and thought of "cancelling" with Collins, is that correct or shouldnt even bother?

2) I have 2 Saints players (just followed some cheat sheets in those cases) but how well will they keep to expectations now?

3) Should I worry of my kickers situation (picked them last, only availables that liked)

4) Rod Smith starter?

5) One of the other owners said is willing to trade Priest Holmes for a top 10 WR... Im not giving up Chad Johnson, and i'm ok at RBs, but since i already have L. Johnson (his backup), Holmes probable injuries shouldnt worry me that much.

[msufan420]

1. Lessee....Delhomey against a weak as Saints' D or tail vs. a tough NE defense. Easy, start Delhomey...Kerry Collins puts up way too many INT's a year, couple that with a strong opponent in the Patriots...I would stay away from Kerry untill you have a more favorable matchup.

2. Duece is a gauranteed 1000+ yds with about 8-10 TD's...and Horn will also get you 1000 yds and close to double digits in TD's...You'd be a fool not to start them every week, save for their bye week...Dunn has to share carries and is too inconsistant to be considered anything more than a spot start.

3. Who cares about kickers...unless you have Vanderjagt, Janickowski, or Vinatierri...they're all a dime a dozen.

4. You could possibly start Rod Smith over Lee Evans because of the JP Lossman factor...although I'd probably wait for a week or two to judge how Smith and Evans are performing. Ashley Lelie is quickly turning into the number one pass catcher in Denver, and Smith isn't getting any younger. In fact, I feel that Charles Rogers has more potential as a solid contributer to your team than Smith. Rogers has looked really sharp in preseason, couple that with him putting on weight/surgically repaired collarbone and Roy Williams to draw attention away and Rogers should have a fantastic season.

5. I'd think long and hard about the Holmes deal for C. Johnson (whether you want to give him up or not)....anytime you can nab a top 5 back you do it. Remember even while he only played 8 games, he still rushed for almost 900 yards and had 14 TD's...That's equal to more than half of the NFL's WR's. When Holmes is healthy, he rivals LT as the most dangerous back in the league and a fantasy MVP. Plus, if you have L. Johnson...you are even set up for more success. I'd do Holmes for C. Johnson in a heartbeat. You have Joe Horn who is a solid #1 with 3 other receivers as great options as well. Take note: The key to winning in fantasy football is having a great group of running backs.

[scott]

Great RBs given your draft position.

Keading is a good kicker - don't worry about that.

I'd go with Delhomme as well.

[IceColdBrewski]

Damn. I'd take Priest for Johnson anyday. You can always trade one of your stud RB's for a couple of solid WR's. That's just me though.

[hendrix]

Ok, thanks for the answers. I have to think about it... I already have McAllister, isnt that close enough (to Holmes) to risk a trade??
By the way, in our league WRs get 1 point per 15 yards and passing/receiving/rushing TDs all get 6 pts.

[kris]

I'm in a 12-teams fantasy league in Yahoo and yesterday was the draft. I got to pick 10th in a serpentine system.

QB J. Delhomme
WR C. Johnson
WR J. Horn
WR L. Evans
RB E. James
RB D. McAllister
TE C. Cooley
BN K. Collins
BN W. Dunn
BN Ro. Smith
BN L. Johnson
BN C. Rogers

K N. Kaeding
BN M. Bryant (picked last due to concerns with Kaeding

DEF Buffalo


I got a pretty good team, but my questions / concerns to the experts in USA are:

1) I'm starting Delhomme (plays the Saints) instead of Collins (at NE), but the thing is my rival for the first week has Moss and thought of "cancelling" with Collins, is that correct or shouldnt even bother?

2) I have 2 Saints players (just followed some cheat sheets in those cases) but how well will they keep to expectations now?

3) Should I worry of my kickers situation (picked them last, only availables that liked)

4) Rod Smith starter?

5) One of the other owners said is willing to trade Priest Holmes for a top 10 WR... Im not giving up Chad Johnson, and i'm ok at RBs, but since i already have L. Johnson (his backup), Holmes probable injuries shouldnt worry me that much.

First off, I think you have a top 4 team without looking at the rest of your league, so good job on drafting.

1) You wouldn't be a sharp owner if you didn't consider the cancel out factor. I would start Delhomme. Besides playing a tough defense, the Raiders probably need to iron out their offense before they reach their potential. I'd slate Delhomme for at least 2 touchdowns, maybe 3.

2) I think the Saints will play inspired football once they get their mindset straight. Joe Horn and Duece should be solid fantasy players again this year. They looked shaky in the preseason, but give them 2 games and I bet they start rolling.

3) Picking kickers last isn't a bad strategy. You can usually find a decent one in the scrap heaps of the waiver wire. I don't know too much about your kickers except I remember Kaeding chokes. You should be fine.

4) Rod Smith can still start on a 3 wr lineup. Look for him to get 6 tds this year.

5) I'm not sure what exactly you are trying to say in number 5, but I would keep your team as is. Holmes and Johnson would be a lethal combination, but I'd rather just have Johnson when Holmes goes down. You're team is a top contender right now. If you are interested in a trade, unless it is to good to refuse, see how your current team plays out before looking into it. You should be happy with your results.

Good luck.

[slayermin]

Is Cooley your only TE? You probably want to pick up another tight end, if one is available.

[hendrix]

Yes, Cooley is my only TE. When the "good ones" were gone i decided to just leave to the last rounds and when some other were drafting a second TE, I have to hurry and pick Cooley.
Just so you all know, the majority of the players (owners) are novices on fantasy football and only 4 including me have "some" experience (I played only once before but studied a lot a couple of days for the draft).
For example, 2 WRs (TO and Moss), 2 QBs (Manning and Culpepper) and 1 TE (Gonzo) were drafted in the first round. Thats why I could easily apply a good strategy even though I picked 10th. I picked my starting RBs 10th and 15th.
Same thing with kickers, some picked up too high, i decided to wait till last rounds. Luckily I was on the idea on picking Buffalo and could do it in the 10th round.

[hendrix]

5) I'm not sure what exactly you are trying to say in number 5, but I would keep your team as is. Holmes and Johnson would be a lethal combination, but I'd rather just have Johnson when Holmes goes down. You're team is a top contender right now. If you are interested in a trade, unless it is to good to refuse, see how your current team plays out before looking into it. You should be happy with your results.

The guy is probably afraid of Holmes health. I personally dont need him, thats the thing.

[hendrix]

Argghhhhh!!!!
After reading stats and articles and such.... I decided to start Charles Rogers over Lee Evans and Rod Smith... It's a bit of a gamble, but went for the talent.

[coz]

Holmes >>>>> Duece - that simple

[hendrix]

Holmes >>>>> Duece - that simple

I'm not so sure right now.
But f*cking Delhomme played like crap... I should have started Collins!!! FVCK!