Stat Geek FF league

Inspired by Yahoo’s inclusion of new defensive stats, I am doing something I’ve always wanted to: a hard-core stat geek league using a full 11 defensive players. 12, actually; you get a nickel back.

Also, the player scores at RB and QB are driven by efficiency, not just totals. Two yards a carry, or 300 yards and 4 INTs, do not a winner make.

Finally, the game scores are intended to look like real NFL scores. 26-22, not 105.46-88.92.
It’s very different, and not for everybody, but I’m hoping I can find 11-13 interested parties. I’m open to suggestions on other settings, but the three things above are pretty much the raison d’etre of the league.
Yahoo League ID#: 75716
League Name: A boy named Suh
Password: 123456

God help me, I would be interested in this.

I’m down. I’ve got 5 leagues already, so there’s a *chance *I might decide the workload is just too great, but probably I’m in for good, and if I do decide to bail I’ll be sure to leave plenty of time to find a replacement. Either way, I expect I’ll have plenty of suggestions about about the settings; I ran an efficiency-based league for a couple seasons several years ago (which, checking now, I see you were a part of, furt).

Wow, preparing for this draft is going to be intense … but, once it’s done, I’ll be *beyond *prepared for every other draft I have.

It’s okay, you don’t have to stay in the closet. We are a welcoming and supportive community.

It actually shouldn’t be too hard.

The offense is the same as most leagues (though the emphasis on efficiency adds a twist), and on defense, you mostly just need to make sure you’re getting guys who are full-time players. Trying to figure out which starting CB will get 4 INTs and which one will get 8 is likely a fool’s errand, and I for one won’t even try. After the first two or three, I’ll just start picking guys that I like.

I need to know more about the specifics of your league: scoring system, roster positions, size, draft date, etc before I can say whether I’d be interested.

I was thinking of running a defense-only league … your entire team compromises of your 11 man defense - but I’m not sure I’m interested in one that mixes up both offense and defense.

It would also make more sense to have the league be 11 defensive positions rather than 12 - I mean, you’re so close to fielding a real defense, why not just do that? Maybe make one position a DL/LB flex spot so that you could simulate either 3-4 or 4-3.

If you join up you can get a look at the settings and, more importantly, what the scoring would have looked like last year. (And then you can leave the league if you want after that; plenty of room at the moment).

I joined. It’s definitely going to require a reorientation. A running back who goes 20 carries for 100 yards and a touchdown gets only 3 points total for it, near as I can tell (4 pts for yardage, -2 points for carries, 1 point for the TD). I’ll have to figure out how it all scales.

But this is awesome; thanks for doing it. Roughly when are you targeting the draft?

Bumpitage. C’mon out, geeks. You know you want in.

5 players committed so far – hope to get at least 8.

Draft is currently scheduled for Sun Sep 4 6:00pm EDT

Current rosters are
1 QB
1 RB
2 WR
1 TE
1 RB/WR/TE
1 K
2 DE
1 DT
3 LB
5 DB
1 DL/LB/DB

The scoring is way too complicated to break it all down here. Some examples:

Rush attempts: -0.1
Rush yd: 1/22
Rush TD: 1
Fumbles -1

Thus, as noted: 20 carries for 100 yards and a touchdown gets 3 points total (Your whole team should get somewhere around 25).

Peyton Hillis and Darren McFadden had similar yardage numbers last year, and Hillis had more TDs. Hillis also had twice as many fumbles, and needed 50 more carries to get the yards. Under this system, McFadden did better.

Defensive players will generally get 1-2 points a game. A pick-six, or a sack-strip-recover, on the other hand, could score 3-4 points on one play, and swing the whole game. I think that’s realistic.

You can run a 4-3 or a 3-4. Or a 3-3-5. The structure is such that you’re going to have to configure a realistic lineup, but with flexibility. In the real world, nickelbacks are starters – AFAIK there is no team in the NFL for which the 5th DB plays less snaps than the 3rd/4th LB.

One more bump. Seven players signed up so far.

Dammit, this league needs to happen. I wish we were going to get to at least 10 teams. With eight, there’s too much talent to go around - kind of increases the luck factor a bit. But oh, well.

I’m thinking of posting a shout-out on Football Outsiders. Anyone object?

…and the draft is done.

That was insane. 28 Rounds in 45 minutes. I genuinely have no idea whether I have the best team in the league or the worst.

It was pretty awesome. It’s interesting how when the setup is novel like this one, you figure out almost immediately that some people obviously have the same approach as you, and some people are drafting guys you never even considered. You take for granted how much the standardized average draft positions in normal leagues take all the work out of it.

I’m going to put together some recaps later tonight. 8 teams makes that a pleasure compared to some of the SDMB monstrosities I’ve drafted in.

… wherein I play the part of the condescending pedant.
Part 1. – If you look at the ways in which our scoring system differs from a standard league, the single biggest area of change is at the QB position. The percentage dropoff from an elite QB to a middling one is huge, and if you really get stuck at the position, you could be putting up numbers close to 0 (though that’s unlikely to happen in an 8-team league). I (just barely) managed to get a top flight QB in Brees.

Part 2. – It’s entirely possible to start 1 RB and 4 WRs, so you need both talent and depth at the latter position. I’m missing a Calvin/Andre Johnson type super-stud, but all told I like my WR corps better than anyone else’s. I’ve got six who can play.

Part 3. – Despite emphasizing QB and WR, I managed to get an above average RB tandem of Charles and Turner, with superb depth (Felix Jones, Beanie, Shonn Greene).

Part 4. – People got distracted by the IDPs. They’re not unimportant, but because their point totals are so much lower (and also because we’re going to be worse at picking the best ones), the game will mostly be won or lost by the offense: (some) depth there is more important than filling out your defense. While other people were grabbing CBs, I was getting (for instance) Marques Colston and Shonn Greene in the 12th and 13th Rounds. (Greene, I should note, was ranked 22nd overall by Yahoo).

Part 5. – Within the picking of defensive players, people got distracted by DBs. It’s not that their scoring is significantly less than the other IDPs, it’s that there’s so much variance at the position. Very few of them are putting up consistent fantasy numbers, therefore it’s a crap-shoot to a very large degree, therefore you may as well deal with them last.

Part 6. – People generally messed up the drafting of LBs. It’s the highest-scoring and most important IDP, so it’s important to get it right. But most people seemed to go with the big name guys who collect a ton of tackles, when, for the most part, the highest scoring LBs are instead 3-4 pass-rushers who collect a lot of sacks. I got 4 guys who rush the passer (including Mario Williams, a DE/LB who will give me some much needed flexibility).

Part 7. – My kicker is superb Stephen Gos … ok, I guess I’m done.
Anyway, this fantasy football God-King would like to put out a call for an upgrade at TE. Specifically, I’d like to acquire Gates, Witten, Finley, or Clark; in return, I’d give you Kellen Winslow plus some other stuff to make it worth your while. Figure out what you’d need and send me an offer.

Draft results:

Round 1

  1. Arian Foster (Hou - RB) Testudo’s Twelve
  2. Michael Vick (Phi - QB) Amy Trask Inc.
  3. Aaron Rodgers (GB - QB) Chitwood
  4. Ray Rice (Bal - RB) Fightin’ Quakers
  5. Philip Rivers (SD - QB) Foster’s Hammy
  6. Adrian Peterson (Min - RB) SEXY GARGOYLES
  7. Jamaal Charles (KC - RB) Varlos’ Zzzzzzz
  8. Andre Johnson (Hou - WR) Soul Crushers

Round 2

  1. LeSean McCoy (Phi - RB) Soul Crushers
  2. Drew Brees (NO - QB) Varlos’ Zzzzzzz
  3. Chris Johnson (Ten - RB) SEXY GARGOYLES
  4. Roddy White (Atl - WR) Foster’s Hammy
  5. Tom Brady (NE - QB) Fightin’ Qua…
  6. Calvin Johnson (Det - WR) Chitwood
  7. Larry Fitzgerald (Ari - WR) Amy Trask Inc.
  8. Rashard Mendenhall (Pit - RB) Testudo’s Tw…

Round 3

  1. Vincent Jackson (SD - WR) Testudo’s Tw…
  2. Hakeem Nicks (NYG - WR) Amy Trask Inc.
  3. Darren McFadden (Oak - RB) Chitwood
  4. Maurice Jones-Drew (Jac - RB) Fightin’ Qua…
  5. Antonio Gates (SD - TE) Foster’s Hammy
  6. Miles Austin (Dal - WR) SEXY GARGOYLES
  7. Mike Wallace (Pit - WR) Varlos’ Zzzzzzz
  8. Peyton Manning (Ind - QB) Soul Crushers

Round 4

  1. Matt Ryan (Atl - QB) Soul Crushers
  2. Michael Turner (Atl - RB) Varlos’ Zzzzzzz
  3. Tony Romo (Dal - QB) SEXY GARGOYLES
  4. Percy Harvin (Min - WR) Foster’s Hammy
  5. Greg Jennings (GB - WR) Fightin’ Qua…
  6. DeSean Jackson (Phi - WR) Chitwood
  7. Ndamukong Suh (Det - DT) Amy Trask Inc.
  8. Reggie Wayne (Ind - WR) Testudo’s Tw…

Round 5

  1. Mike Williams (TB - WR) Testudo’s Tw…
  2. Peyton Hillis (Cle - RB) Amy Trask Inc.
  3. Frank Gore (SF - RB) Chitwood
  4. Jacoby Ford (Oak - WR) Fightin’ Qua…
  5. Steven Jackson (StL - RB) Foster’s Hammy
  6. Brandon Marshall (Mia - WR) SEXY GARGOYLES
  7. Brandon Lloyd (Den - WR) Varlos’ Zzzzzzz
  8. Jimmy Graham (NO - TE) Soul Crushers

Round 6

  1. Jared Allen (Min - DE) Soul Crushers
  2. Dwayne Bowe (KC - WR) Varlos’ Zzzzzzz
  3. Jermichael Finley (GB - TE) SEXY GARGOYLES
  4. Matt Forte (Chi - RB) Foster’s Hammy
  5. Ben Roethlisberger (Pit - QB) Fightin’ Qua…
  6. Dez Bryant (Dal - WR) Chitwood
  7. Jason Witten (Dal - TE) Amy Trask Inc.
  8. Matt Schaub (Hou - QB) Testudo’s Tw…

Round 7

  1. Vernon Davis (SF - TE) Testudo’s Tw…
  2. Justin Tuck (NYG - DE) Amy Trask Inc.
  3. James Harrison (Pit - LB) Chitwood
  4. Stevie Johnson (Buf - WR) Fightin’ Qua…
  5. Julius Peppers (Chi - DE) Foster’s Hammy
  6. Dallas Clark (Ind - TE) SEXY GARGOYLES
  7. Felix Jones (Dal - RB) Varlos’ Zzzzzzz
  8. DeMarcus Ware (Dal - LB) Soul Crushers

Round 8

  1. Mark Ingram (NO - RB) Soul Crushers
  2. Clay Matthews (GB - LB) Varlos’ Zzzzzzz
  3. Anquan Boldin (Bal - WR) SEXY GARGOYLES
  4. Dwight Freeney (Ind - DE) Foster’s Hammy
  5. Joshua Cribbs (Cle - WR) Fightin’ Qua…
  6. Osi Umenyiora (NYG - DE) Chitwood
  7. Ed Reed (Bal - S) Amy Trask Inc.
  8. Brian Orakpo (Was - LB) Testudo’s Tw…

Round 9

  1. LaRon Landry (Was - S) Testudo’s Tw…
  2. Troy Polamalu (Pit - S) Amy Trask Inc.
  3. Haloti Ngata (Bal - DT) Chitwood
  4. Jared Cook (Ten - TE) Fightin’ Qua…
  5. Santonio Holmes (NYJ - WR) Foster’s Hammy
  6. LeGarrette Blount (TB - RB) SEXY GARGOYLES
  7. Kenny Britt (Ten - WR) Varlos’ Zzzzzzz
  8. Wes Welker (NE - WR) Soul Crushers

Round 10

  1. Terrell Suggs (Bal - LB) Soul Crushers
  2. Kellen Winslow (TB - TE) Varlos’ Zzzzzzz
  3. Mario Manningham (NYG - WR) SEXY GARGOYLES
  4. Champ Bailey (Den - CB) Foster’s Hammy
  5. Patrick Willis (SF - LB) Fightin’ Qua…
  6. DeAngelo Williams (Car - RB) Chitwood
  7. Jerod Mayo (NE - LB) Amy Trask Inc.
  8. DeAngelo Hall (Was - CB) Testudo’s Tw…

Round 11

  1. London Fletcher (Was - LB) Testudo’s Tw…
  2. Tamba Hali (KC - LB) Amy Trask Inc.
  3. Eric Berry (KC - S) Chitwood
  4. Charles Woodson (GB - CB) Fightin’ Qua…
  5. Billy Cundiff (Bal - K) Foster’s Hammy
  6. Santana Moss (Was - WR) SEXY GARGOYLES
  7. Mario Williams (Hou - LB,DE) Varlos’ Zzzzzzz
  8. Malcolm Jenkins (NO - CB) Soul Crushers

Round 12

  1. Roman Harper (NO - S) Soul Crushers
  2. Marques Colston (NO - WR) Varlos’ Zzzzzzz
  3. Ahmad Bradshaw (NYG - RB) SEXY GARGOYLES
  4. Chris Long (StL - DE) Foster’s Hammy
  5. Darnell Dockett (Ari - DT) Fightin’ Qua…
  6. Owen Daniels (Hou - TE) Chitwood
  7. BenJarvus Green-Ellis (NE - RB) Amy Trask Inc.
  8. Domonique Foxworth (Bal - CB) Testudo’s Tw…

Round 13

  1. Graham Gano (Was - K) Testudo’s Tw…
  2. Donte Whitner (SF - S) Amy Trask Inc.
  3. Kerry Rhodes (Ari - S) Chitwood
  4. LaMarr Woodley (Pit - LB) Fightin’ Qua…
  5. Kevin Williams (Min - DT) Foster’s Hammy
  6. Stephen Tulloch (Det - LB) SEXY GARGOYLES
  7. Shonn Greene (NYJ - RB) Varlos’ Zzzzzzz
  8. Patrick Peterson (Ari - CB) Soul Crushers

Round 14

  1. Jeremy Maclin (Phi - WR) Soul Crushers
  2. Cameron Wake (Mia - LB) Varlos’ Zzzzzzz
  3. Paul Posluszny (Jac - LB) SEXY GARGOYLES
  4. Jon Beason (Car - LB) Foster’s Hammy
  5. Trent Cole (Phi - DE) Fightin’ Qua…
  6. Robert Mathis (Ind - DE) Chitwood
  7. Charles Johnson (Car - DE) Amy Trask Inc.
  8. Shawne Merriman (Buf - LB) Testudo’s Tw…

Round 15

  1. Kevin Barnes (Was - CB) Testudo’s Tw…
  2. Julio Jones (Atl - WR) Amy Trask Inc.
  3. Chad Ochocinco (NE - WR) Chitwood
  4. Asante Samuel (Phi - CB) Fightin’ Qua…
  5. Shaun Phillips (SD - LB) Foster’s Hammy
  6. Devin McCourty (NE - CB) SEXY GARGOYLES
  7. John Abraham (Atl - DE) Varlos’ Zzzzzzz
  8. Mason Crosby (GB - K) Soul Crushers

Round 16

  1. Cassius Vaughn (Den - CB) Soul Crushers
  2. Kevin Kolb (Ari - QB) Varlos’ Zzzzzzz
  3. T.J. Ward (Cle - S) SEXY GARGOYLES
  4. Charles Tillman (Chi - CB) Foster’s Hammy
  5. Brian Urlacher (Chi - LB) Fightin’ Qua…
  6. Danny Amendola (StL - WR) Chitwood
  7. Terence Newman (Dal - CB) Amy Trask Inc.
  8. Josh Wilson (Was - CB) Testudo’s Tw…

Round 17

  1. Shaun Smith (Ten - DT) Testudo’s Tw…
  2. Earl Thomas (Sea - S) Amy Trask Inc.
  3. Joe Haden (Cle - CB) Chitwood
  4. Devin Hester (Chi - WR) Fightin’ Qua…
  5. Ryan Mathews (SD - RB) Foster’s Hammy
  6. Yeremiah Bell (Mia - S) SEXY GARGOYLES
  7. Michael Griffin (Ten - S) Varlos’ Zzzzzzz
  8. Mike Vrabel (KC - LB) Soul Crushers

Round 18

  1. Tyjuan Hagler (Ind - LB) Soul Crushers
  2. Michael Huff (Oak - S) Varlos’ Zzzzzzz
  3. Matthew Stafford (Det - QB) SEXY GARGOYLES
  4. Nate Clements (Cin - CB) Foster’s Hammy
  5. Brandon Jacobs (NYG - RB) Fightin’ Qua…
  6. Lawrence Timmons (Pit - LB) Chitwood
  7. Nick Fairley (Det - DT) Amy Trask Inc.
  8. Bryan McCann (Dal - CB) Testudo’s Tw…

Round 19

  1. Luis Castillo (SD - DE) Testudo’s Tw…
  2. Fred Jackson (Buf - RB) Amy Trask Inc.
  3. Mike Thomas (Jac - WR) Chitwood
  4. Jason Pierre-Paul (NYG - DE) Fightin’ Qua…
  5. Brian Cushing (Hou - LB) Foster’s Hammy
  6. Chad Greenway (Min - LB) SEXY GARGOYLES
  7. Beanie Wells (Ari - RB) Varlos’ Zzzzzzz
  8. Cary Williams (Bal - CB) Soul Crushers

Round 20

  1. Antonio Smith (Hou - DE) Soul Crushers
  2. Adrian Wilson (Ari - S) Varlos’ Zzzzzzz
  3. Tyvon Branch (Oak - S) SEXY GARGOYLES
  4. Antonio Cromartie (NYJ - CB) Foster’s Hammy
  5. Ray Lewis (Bal - LB) Fightin’ Qua…
  6. Bernard Pollard (Bal - S) Chitwood
  7. Josh Freeman (TB - QB) Amy Trask Inc.
  8. C.J. Ah You (StL - DE) Testudo’s Tw…

Round 21

  1. Ryan Grant (GB - RB) Testudo’s Tw…
  2. Elvis Dumervil (Den - LB) Amy Trask Inc.
  3. Neil Rackers (Hou - K) Chitwood
  4. Mathias Kiwanuka (NYG - LB,DE) Fightin’ Qua…
  5. Antoine Cason (SD - CB) Foster’s Hammy
  6. James Anderson (Car - LB) SEXY GARGOYLES
  7. James Hall (StL - DE) Varlos’ Zzzzzzz
  8. Kiante Tripp (Atl - DT,DE) Soul Crushers

Round 22

  1. Mike Tolbert (SD - RB) Soul Crushers
  2. Kamerion Wimbley (Oak - LB) Varlos’ Zzzzzzz
  3. Jason Babin (Phi - DE) SEXY GARGOYLES
  4. Ben Tate (Hou - RB) Foster’s Hammy
  5. Patrick Chung (NE - S) Fightin’ Qua…
  6. Calvin Pace (NYJ - LB) Chitwood
  7. Cullen Jenkins (Phi - DT,DE) Amy Trask Inc.
  8. Jahvid Best (Det - RB) Testudo’s Tw…

Round 23

  1. Austin Collie (Ind - WR) Testudo’s Tw…
  2. Steve Smith (Car - WR) Amy Trask Inc.
  3. Tim Hightower (Was - RB) Chitwood
  4. Eric Weddle (SD - S) Fightin’ Qua…
  5. Brent Grimes (Atl - CB) Foster’s Hammy
  6. Matt Shaughnessy (Oak - DE) SEXY GARGOYLES
  7. Michael Crabtree (SF - WR) Varlos’ Zzzzzzz
  8. Knowshon Moreno (Den - RB) Soul Crushers

Round 24

  1. Sidney Rice (Sea - WR) Soul Crushers
  2. B.J. Raji (GB - DT) Varlos’ Zzzzzzz
  3. Aqib Talib (TB - CB) SEXY GARGOYLES
  4. David Harris (NYJ - LB) Foster’s Hammy
  5. James Laurinaitis (StL - LB) Fightin’ Qua…
  6. Antoine Winfield (Min - CB) Chitwood
  7. D.J. Williams (Den - LB) Amy Trask Inc.
  8. Chris Cooley (Was - TE) Testudo’s Tw…

Round 25

  1. Pierre Garcon (Ind - WR) Testudo’s Tw…
  2. Tramon Williams (GB - CB) Amy Trask Inc.
  3. Tommie Harris (Ind - DT) Chitwood
  4. Antoine Bethea (Ind - S) Fightin’ Qua…
  5. Darrelle Revis (NYJ - CB) Foster’s Hammy
  6. Sione Pouha (NYJ - DT) SEXY GARGOYLES
  7. Stephen Gostkowski (NE - K) Varlos’ Zzzzzzz
  8. Mike Sims-Walker (StL - WR) Soul Crushers

Round 26

  1. Tony Gonzalez (Atl - TE) Soul Crushers
  2. Bryant McFadden (Pit - CB) Varlos’ Zzzzzzz
  3. Alex Henery (Phi - K) SEXY GARGOYLES
  4. Captain Munnerlyn (Car - CB) Foster’s Hammy
  5. Quintin Mikell (StL - S) Fightin’ Qua…
  6. Jonathan Vilma (NO - LB) Chitwood
  7. Reggie Bush (Mia - RB) Amy Trask Inc.
  8. Joe Flacco (Bal - QB) Testudo’s Tw…

Round 27

  1. D’Qwell Jackson (Cle - LB) Testudo’s Tw…
  2. Von Miller (Den - LB) Amy Trask Inc.
  3. Eli Manning (NYG - QB) Chitwood
  4. Dawan Landry (Jac - S) Fightin’ Qua…
  5. Cedric Benson (Cin - RB) Foster’s Hammy
  6. Nate Burleson (Det - WR) SEXY GARGOYLES
  7. Nick Collins (GB - S) Varlos’ Zzzzzzz
  8. Nate Kaeding (SD - K) Soul Crushers

Round 28

  1. Dominique Barber (Hou - S) Soul Crushers
  2. James Farrior (Pit - LB) Varlos’ Zzzzzzz
  3. Davone Bess (Mia - WR) SEXY GARGOYLES
  4. Cliff Avril (Det - DE) Foster’s Hammy
  5. Garrett Hartley (NO - K) Fightin’ Qua…
  6. Derrick Johnson (KC - LB) Chitwood
  7. Sebastian Janikowski (Oak - K) Amy Trask Inc.
  8. Matt Bryant (Atl - K) Testudo’s Tw…

A few general observations after poking around to see if my sense of what went on in that whirlwind had anything to do with the reality:

Quarterbacks by round, starting from the beginning, went 3-2-1-2. Only Testudo (6th round) took its first quarterback outside that stretch. Three teams meanwhile didn’t take a running back in the first or second round, with both Amy Trask and Foster’s Hammy waiting until the 5th to take one.

Defensive players by round - 0-0-0-1-0-1-4-5-3-5-6-4-6-7-5-6-6-6-5-7-6-5-3-6-5-4-4-4. Does this mean people got distracted by IDPs? I don’t know. I definitely didn’t know where to slot them in. It seems like once the floodgates opened, they were mixed in pretty evenly the rest of the way overall. Most teams did tend to take a bunch of defensive players in a row, and then switch back to offense. Sexy Gargoyles took no IDP until the 13th, and then nothing but until the 26th, and Testudo went 8 through 20 with only a kicker interrupting the IDP.

Looking at average draft positions from this site, the premium we put on quarterbacks becomes more obvious. The top 5 QBs, RBs, and WRs with ADP, then our draft position in parentheses:

Rodgers 10 (3) Vick 11 (2) Brady 23 (13) Brees 24 (10) Rivers 26 (5)
Peterson 2 (6) Foster 3 (1) Rice 5 (4) Charles 5 (7) Chris Johnson 6 (11)
A. Johnson 9 (8) C. Johnson 12 (14) White 13 (12) Fitzgerald 17 (15) Nicks 19 (18).

We basically drafted, for a while, exactly like a normal league if it had gone batshit on quarterbacks. That’s a really interesting result to me because my individual rankings didn’t prioritize the positions that way at all. What I’m wondering now is, did we end up drafting exactly like a non-“statty” league of 8 teams would have drafted? Because I would expect that a Yahoo default-category 8 team league would do the same thing with quarterbacks, wouldn’t it, because there’s such an obvious first tier/ second tier dropoff?

As for my own draft, evaluated by Varlos’ rubric for reasons that will become clear, but also because he and I did apparently have identical strategies:

Chapter One - “the single biggest area of change is at the QB position.”

Rodgers that. I know it’s de rigeur to say something like “oh, I had no idea what this draft was going to be like, I didn’t know what to expect” in any league that’s even mildly different from a standard one, but when I saw I had the third pick I was completely blank as to what that meant. I knew I didn’t want the first pick, because I was going to take a quarterback and I didn’t want to wait all that time before I could take somebody else, but I didn’t know how long the quarterbacks would last, whether the first two were going to be Rodgers and Brees, or what. In retrospect I still don’t know what to think - Rivers went 5 but Brees and Brady almost came all the way back around, so did I jump the gun or what? Not sure. But I am extremely happy having one of those 4 in this league; I had a bunch of little rules for myself coming into it and that was the first of them. The prospect of any kind of inconsistency from the position in a league where a 20 point week is pretty good is just fucking not for me.

Chapter Two - “I’m missing a Calvin… Johnson type super-stud”

Sucks for you! I don’t know if I agree with the general point about receivers - like you can start 4, but why does that mean you should? But my rule for WR was to try to get nothing but big play guys, since you only get one point all the way up to 65 yards, and you’re losing points for chipping away in small doses. The way I see it, two catches for 70 yards and a touchdown every few touches is actually really good in this league, and that’s way more fun to cheer for anyway. CJ and D-Jack are pretty ideal as far as that goes, and I’m interested to see how Dez’ role shapes up and if he gets me return yards as well (Amendola too). Ochocinco doesn’t fit the mold but I feel like that was a really good value.

Speaking of having six receivers who can play, incidentally, I’ll just take this opportunity to say that I’m not looking forward to seeing how many points we all leave on our enormous benches every week while waging 20.63 - 20.58 contests with our starters. Let’s just pretend I already posted a sarcastic congratulations on your third-of-a-point victory making reference to some player’s three touchdowns on my bench to each of you to save time.

Chapter 3 - “I managed to get an above average RB tandem”

I have no idea, to be honest. I defaulted to just taking guys who seem good when I see them play, since I couldn’t really make sense of the last few years’ worth of scores at RB. I’m honestly not certain which running backs I would like to have and which ones I wouldn’t; if he fumbles and/or gets too many carries or short passes that go nowhere, a first round pick could definitely end up scoring single digits for the year without even losing his job. McFadden seems like the kind of home run hitter I think I want, maybe, but he didn’t really score like one last year. Re: Gore and Williams, one of these years, I won’t look at some of my favorite players sticking around into the middle rounds, busted up and probably shadows of their former selves, and shout to myself VALUE!, but this is not that year. I guess maybe this is why start 4 receivers.
*
Chapter 4 - “the game will mostly be won or lost by the offense”
Chapter 6, being after 4 - “People generally messed up the drafting of LBs”*

Defense wins championships. That is not true, but given the size of our starting rosters I think it was worth going after the guys we liked, though. How sure are you that we aren’t going to turn out to have been roughly as effective at picking the top 10 defensive linemen, or even DBs, as at picking the WRs from 15-25? Forced fumbles and picks and god forbid defensive touchdowns are very hard to predict, but I feel pretty confident that Ed Reed or whoever is going to do more of that stuff than, you know, Kam Chancellor. Just glancing at both the overall picture of the best players last year plus the projected (mostly bullshit, I’ll allow) scores for this coming week, it seems like roughly half the points come from defense. And our offenses are relatively shallow, so middle round offense also had less room to make an impact. Of course, I scored the great hero Amendola in the middle rounds, so your point is well-proven by now.

As for people screwing up the LBs - one of my pre-draft rules was “get all these dudes,” where these dudes were a bunch of OLBs with a bunch of sacks, but 1. nobody got all of them and 2. speaking of variance, check out sack totals from year to year. If they get 15+ sacks they’ll be head and shoulders above the MLB types, but if they get 10 they’re right in the middle of the pack. Willis scored 23 in 09 and 19 in 15 games last year, and that’s much less volatile. And Derrick Johnson, for instance, was a last-round pick, 150 picks after Suggs & Wake, even though he compares favorably the last two years. Ceiling vs. floor, I guess.

Chapter 7 - “My kicker is superb”

Kickers have the potential to be infuriating in this league. 2010 Rackers (or 2009 Janikowski/Kaeding) outscored Flacco, Welker, every TE not named Witten, Davis or Gates (get one of them or Clark was another of my rules I violated), Hillis, Bradshaw, Mendenhall, and Steven Jackson last year.

All in all I’m pretty happy with my draft. I don’t think I’m going to win the league or anything, but I think I’ll acquit myself pretty well and have some big weeks, which would be fun. And I’m going to Rack Attack somebody one week. This is going to be an awesome league.