The NFL Network and NFL.com held it's first annual experts fantasy draft this week. It's a 12-team league with a standard scoring system and includes owners Nick Bakay, Michelle Beisner (The Little General), Dave Dameshek (Kool Kats), Rich Eisen (The Bernie Kukars), Michael Fabiano (The Crazy 88's), Marshall Faulk (Kiss My Aztec 28), Alex Flanagan (Frickin Flantastic), Jamie Dukes (Don't mess with Dukes), Jason La Canfora (Sonic Reducers), Warren Sapp (Fighting 99), Lindsay Soto and Rod Woodson. Featuring the brand-new NFL.com fantasy game, you can follow along with all of the trades, transactions, matchups (and a little trash talking) throughout the regular season.
Each owner was required to select a starting lineup of one quarterback, two running backs, three wide receivers, one flex (running back/wide receiver, one tight end, one kicker and one defense. Owners were also required to add six reserves. Here's my pick-by-pick thought proceess in this 12-team, 16-round draft.
Frank Gore, RB, 49ers (No. 5): I almost took Aaron Rodgers but instead decided to stick with my philosophy of taking a running back in the first round. I think Gore is in line to have a solid season in 2010, so he was the obvious choice with Chris Johnson, Adrian Peterson, Maurice Jones-Drew and Ray Rice already taken ahead of me. He'll be my offensive anchor.
Larry Fitzgerald, WR, Cardinals (No. 20): I was a little surprised to see Fitzgerald still on the board - Calvin Johnson was taken two spots ahead of him - so it was a pretty easy choice to call his name. Sure, there are some concerns about the quarterback position in Arizona, but Fitzgerald is still too good to pass on at this point. He should still post 80 catches and 1,000-plus yards.
DeSean Jackson, WR, Eagles (No. 29): I was going to take either Knowshon Moreno or Jackson, but there was more depth at the running back position. The Eagles wideout should be a star in an offense that will continue to throw the football a ton this season. He's a No. 1 fantasy wideout in most leagues, and I get to use him as a No. 2. The pick also drew a noted reaction from Eisen, who coveted Jackson for his own team. Sorry my man!
LeSean McCoy, RB, Eagles (No. 44): I was hoping to land someone like Jahvid Best or Joseph Addai, but both of those backs went just ahead of me. That left me to grab McCoy, who takes over a starting role for coach Andy Reid. He's not as valuable since this is not a PPR league, but I'll still take McCoy as my No. 2 back to pair with Gore.
Chad Ochocinco, WR, Bengals (No. 53): I'm not a huge fan of Ochocinco - I think his numbers are bound to fall with Terrell Owens in the mix - but I'll take him as my No. 3 wideout. Even if he has a less-than-stellar season in a crowded passing game, Ochocinco should still post around 70 catches, 1,000 yards and six to eight touchdowns.
Arian Foster, RB, Texans (No. 68): I was thinking about taking Tony Gonzalez, but I couldn't pass on Foster's upside. He's now the main man in the Texans backfield and has some real sleeper potential in fantasy circles. He'll be my flex starter in most weeks and could even pass McCoy on my team's depth chart if he puts up big numbers. Who knows, he could be the next Domanick Davis (Williams).
Kevin Kolb, QB, Eagles (No. 77): Kolb is one of my favorite sleepers, so I didn't mind taking him here. I am a little heavy on Eagles, but I'm not going to pass on a player for that reason. Kolb, a perfect fit for Reid's offense, should put up around 3,800 yards with 25 total touchdowns in his first season as the top dog.
Ben Roethlisberger, QB, Steelers (No. 92): A strategy that I've used in many drafts is to wait on a quarterback and then take Roethlisberger as my No. 2 option. That's what I did here, as Kolb will be my starter until Big Ben returns from a league-imposed suspension. At that point, I'll play the weekly matchups.
Vincent Jackson, WR, Chargers (No. 101): This could end up being a great pick ... or an absolute disaster. Time will tell. Jackson will miss at least three games due to a league-imposesd suspension, and who knows what will happen after that. But based on his past numbers, I think Jackson was worth the risk. He could become trade bait.
Kellen Winslow, TE, Buccaneers (No. 116): Winslow was without question the best tight end left on the board, and I needed to fill the position. While I don't think he's an elite option by any stretch of the imagination, Winslow did post 77 catches for 884 yards with five touchdowns in 2009. He should post similar numbers once again.
Darren Sproles, RB, Chargers (No. 125): I wanted to add some depth at running back behind Gore, McCoy and Foster, and Sproles was the best player on the board. He has less value in the standard format, but the Kansas State product is still a playmaker for coach Norv Turner to utilize. Chances are I won't use Sproles much, though.
Brian Westbrook, RB, 49ers (No. 140): This was purely a handcuff move. As much as I like Gore, he has had the tendency to deal with nagging injuries from time to time. If Westbrook fails to secure the second spot on the 49ers depth chart, though, I'll be dropping him in favor of Anthony Dixon. Westbrook has little individual value.
Eddie Royal, WR, Broncos (No. 149): I'm getting on the Jabar Gaffney bandwagon as a late-round sleeper, but he was already taken earlier in the draft. As a result, I took his teammate, Royal. It's hard to get a gauge on what he'll do this season, but the Virginia Tech product should see more targets and was worth a look at this point.
Greg Olsen, TE, Bears (No. 164): I wouldn't want Olsen to be my No. 1 fantasy tight end, but I didn't mind drafting him as my backup to Winslow. Reports suggest that he'll be a big part of the Bears' passing game, but no tight end has ever put up good fantasy numbers in a Mike Martz offense. Time will tell, but I won't lean on Olsen.
Bears defense (No. 173): I rarely take a defense outside of one of the final three rounds, and this was the time to take one. The Bears should be much improved this season with the return of LB Brian Urlacher and the addition of DE Julius Peppers. If this unit fails to produce, though, I'll be playing the matchups using the waiver wire.
Matt Prater, K, Broncos (No. 188): There is never - and I mean never - any reason to take a kicker outside of the last round on draft day. Prater was the best option at the position left on my board, so I made him my "Mr. Irrelevant." Much like the Bears defense, I'll give Prater the boot in favor of another kicker if he fails to produce.
Michael Fabiano is an award-winning fantasy football analyst on NFL.com. Have a burning question for Michael on anything fantasy football related? Leave it in our comments section or send it to **AskFabiano@nfl.com**!
