First of all, I'd like to apologize for the problems I've had ranking the top 3-4 RBs after Tomlinson and Peterson. There's a lot of good and bad to all of them. After I considered everything, I ended up selecting Marion Barber #3 overall (non-PPR). There's a chance he may wear down as the primary ball carrier, but he did have 248 touches last season. The Cowboys will monitor his workload and not go overboard, plus he's in such a great position to succeed. The Cowboys line is great, and their passing game is among the elite. Barber is great near the goal line and is also an accomplished contributor in the passing game. They Cowboys will use Felix Jones, but Barber is a special talent. My original stance was avoiding first time RBs, but really only Addai had a huge downgrade in performance in the 2nd half of last season. Lynch and Peterson both suffered minor injuries, but their performance didn't suffer that much, if at all, when they returned.
My first roster and analysis looks like this:
QB: Jay Cutler (7.03), Kurt Warner (14.10)
Thoughts: There's a chance Brandon Marshall will only miss one game, which is good news for Cutler. Beat writers also believe the Broncos will be a pass-first team this season given the uncertainty of the power running game. Cutler has looked amazing this preseason, and he's primed for a third year leap. I loved the fact I was able to get 3 RBs and 3 WRs before having to take my QB. The news about Warner broke an hour before the draft, so I was able to get him really late...don't expect that to happen now. He's a great backup with QB1 upside.
RB: Marion Barber (1.03), Darren McFadden (4.10), Kevin Smith (6.10), DeAngelo Williamss (9.03), Chris Perry (10.10), Andre Hall (12.10)
Thoughts: I might kick myself for not taking Jones-Drew in the third, especially since Holt fell all the way to the 4th, but obviously I had no idea that would happen at the time. I'm without a proven RB2, but I think I made up for it with quantity. McFadden has upside and might start eventually. He'll play plenty. Kevin Smith will start and get the majority of the carries for Detroit, so he's my starter for now. DeAngelo Williams is the starter in name, and given how far he slipped with the manlove for Jonathan Stewart, he was good value this late. Chris Perry is technically the starter for Cincy at the moment. Perry has the most talent of any Cincy RB as he can do everything well, but as usual, health will determine what he's able to produce. Andre Hall will likely start a few games for Denver at some point this year, and he's the favored goal line RB over Selvin Young right now. Some in Denver believe he's the best RB on their roster.
WR: Larry Fitzgerald (2.10), Steve Smith (3.03), Jerricho Cotchery (5.03), Vincent Jackson (8.10), Courtney Taylor (15.03)
Thoughts: Fitzgerald was another result of the Kurt Warner news. I was pissed because Andre Johnson and Marques Colston were picked in succession right before my turn, leaving me without either of my preferred WR1s. As is, Warner likely starting week 1 allowed me to have more confidence in taking Fitzgerald. My other choice was TJ Houshmandzadeh, but I just don't like him as a WR1. We'll see how that pans out. Steve Smith is going to be a monster when he returns...that revamped Carolina running game is going to open things up for him. Jerricho Cotchery is going light it up with Brett Favre as his QB...he's exactly the kind of WR Favre likes. I selected Vincent Jackson to be my WR3 while Smith serves his suspension as I expect a fast start from him with Antonio Gates likely to start a bit slow. I focused on my RBs later on, so I took a flier on Courtney Taylor, arguably Seattle's most talented healthy WR.
TE: Owen Daniels (11.03)
Thoughts: I didn't have to take him til the 11th round, which allowed me to focus on everything else until then. I love the value, and I expect him to be the secondary target to Andre Johnson in a very productive Texans passing offense.
Overall Thoughts: I'm happy with my team. I hope one or two of my RBs behind Barber emerges as an every week option, I hope that Vincent Jackson can do a fine job filling in for Steve Smith the first two weeks, and I hope that Warner is the starter for most of the year so I can get the most out of Fitzgerald.
My second roster and analysis looks like this:
QB: Jay Cutler (8.04), J.T. O'Sullivan (13.09)
Thoughts: Ugh, I waited too long for a backup QB. I did a nice job realizing that picks 10-12 had a starting QB already, so I was able to wait one extra round for Cutler. I simply took the highest upside guy left. Warner went in the 10th, so I missed out on him. Kitna and Campbell went right before me. I'll be keeping a close eye on the waiver wire for a backup.
RB: Marion Barber (1.09), Michael Turner (4.04), Jonathan Stewart (6.04), Ricky Williams (9.09), Felix Jones (10.04), Chris Perry (12.04)
Thoughts: I was absolutely elated to see Barber fall further than normal. This RB group is a bit stronger than my other team. Turner won't catch passes, but he'll be the workhorse for the Falcons offense. If Matt Ryan can turn in a solid rookie year and keep defenses from stacking the box, Turner should post a solid year. Stewart fell farther than I expected, so I jumped on him. I really like his potential, and he proved healthy with a 50 yard TD run last weekend. Ricky Williams looks rejuvenated in Miami and will dominate the backfield for the start of the season. Felix Jones is solid Barber insurance, but I'm kicking myself for not taking Ray Rice instead. I obviously like Chris Perry.
WR: Andre Johnson (2.04), Brandon Marshall (3.09), Lee Evans (5.09), Vincent Jackson (7.09), Courtney Taylor (15.09)
Thoughts: I got my man AJ, but Steve Smith didn't fall, so I got Marshall instead. Marshall was the last of my top 2 tier WRs left, so I snagged him a round early. Cotchery was gone, but Evans should benefit from Edwards consistency, and he was my other preferred WR3 this year. Jackson will serve the same purpose here, but for Marshall instead of Smith. Another swing with Taylor.
TE: Tony Scheffler (10.09)
Thoughts: I took him over Owen Daniels (Scheffler went early in my other league), and I might regret that, but I liked both TEs as breakout candidates. Cutler really likes Scheffler, and he'll benefit early on with Marshall out. We'll see what happens here.
Overall Thoughts: I'm a bit happier with this team due to my better RB situation. I also have a safer WR1 as AJ was a stud with Rosenfels last year too, so if Schaub gets hurt, I can still trust him to post great numbers. This league was with some guys who don't pay as much attention to FF, so I expected to have a stronger team here.
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