The Roto Commando Fantasy Sports Blog

2008-2009 Fantasy Basketball Rotoworld Experts draft results

2008-09-22T21:51:00.003-04:00

I just completed a 12-team standard 8-category roto draft. We start 2 C, 4 F, and 4 G each week. I think I did fairly well, though with a one-minute time limit, I missed out on some of my targeted picks. I need to bigger stars next to their names on my cheat sheet next time!

Round	Team	Player	Pos	Team	Pick Time
R1 P1	Eric Karabell	James, LeBron	F	CLE	2m 18s
R1 P2	Matt Stroup	Paul, Chris	G	NO	10s
R1 P3	Dave Gawron	Bryant, Kobe	G	LAL	20s
R1 P4	Emry Downinghall	Stoudemire, Amare	C	PHO	41s
R1 P5	Sergio Gonzalez	Howard, Dwight	C	ORL	6s
R1 P6	Scott Morrow	Butler, Caron	F	WAS	14s
R1 P7	Ryan Knaus	Marion, Shawn	F	MIA	9s
R1 P8	Geoffrey Stein	Nowitzki, Dirk	F	DAL	15s
R1 P9	Steve Alexander	Garnett, Kevin	F	BOS	17s
R1 P10	David Klyce	Wade, Dwyane	G	MIA	16s
R1 P11	Matt Buser	Brand, Elton	F	PHI	20s
R1 P12	Brian McKitish	Nash, Steve	G	PHO	6s

Kobe was a no-brainer here. Not any huge surprises in this round.

R2 P1	Brian McKitish	Smith, Josh	F	ATL	16s
R2 P2	Matt Buser	Davis, Baron	G	LAC	40s
R2 P3	David Klyce	Williams, Deron	G	UTA	25s
R2 P4	Steve Alexander	Camby, Marcus	C	LAC	9s
R2 P5	Geoffrey Stein	Granger, Danny	F	IND	30s
R2 P6	Ryan Knaus	Jefferson, Al	F	MIN	24s
R2 P7	Scott Morrow	Pierce, Paul	F	BOS	13s
R2 P8	Sergio Gonzalez	Iverson, Allen	G	DEN	29s
R2 P9	Emry Downinghall	Bosh, Chris	F	TOR	59s
R2 P10	Dave Gawron	Boozer, Carlos	F	UTA	1m 9s
R2 P11	Matt Stroup	Gay, Rudy	F	MEM	6s
R2 P12	Eric Karabell	Duncan, Tim	F	SAN	11s

I should've taken Duncn here for the blocks or maybe gay for the all-around talent. I definitely wanted solid points and rebounds here though, and Boozer and Deron are working like Malone and Stockton used to. We'll see if Baron, Camby, Jefferson, and Bosh can make it through the season healthy.

R3 P1	Eric Karabell	Johnson, Joe	G	ATL	7s
R3 P2	Matt Stroup	Iguodala, Andre	G	PHI	41s
R3 P3	Dave Gawron	Gasol, Pau	C	LAL	1m 8s
R3 P4	Emry Downinghall	Ginobili, Manu	G	SAN	29s
R3 P5	Sergio Gonzalez	Anthony, Carmelo	F	DEN	56s
R3 P6	Scott Morrow	Lewis, Rashard	F	ORL	7s
R3 P7	Ryan Knaus	Calderon, Jose	G	TOR	21s
	Comment	Calderon with the 37th pick...even in a no-TO league, that`s pretty sweet.
R3 P8	Geoffrey Stein	Martin, Kevin	G	SAC	7s
R3 P9	Steve Alexander	Billups, Chauncey	G	DET	1m 27s
R3 P10	David Klyce	Ming, Yao	C	HOU	22s
R3 P11	Matt Buser	Artest, Ron	F	SAC	32s
R3 P12	Brian McKitish	Carter, Vince	G	NJ	9s

Manu and Yao are the big injury risks here, and this could be the year Vinsanity totally mails it in. Gasol's C/F eligibility is really nice, though he gives me two Lakers in my first three picks.

R4 P1	Brian McKitish	West, David	F	NO	5s
R4 P2	Matt Buser	Richardson, Jason	G	CHR	34s
R4 P3	David Klyce	Wallace, Gerald	F	CHR	21s
R4 P4	Steve Alexander	Kidd, Jason	G	DAL	17s
R4 P5	Geoffrey Stein	Jamison, Antawn	F	WAS	9s
R4 P6	Ryan Knaus	Howard, Josh	F	DAL	20s
R4 P7	Scott Morrow	Aldridge, LaMarcus	C	POR	1m 25s
R4 P8	Sergio Gonzalez	Roy, Brandon	G	POR	48s
R4 P9	Emry Downinghall	Jefferson, Richard	F	MIL	4m 11s
R4 P10	Dave Gawron	McGrady, Tracy	G	HOU
R4 P11	Matt Stroup	Durant, Kevin	G	SEA	12s
R4 P12	Eric Karabell	Parker, Tony	G	SAN	10s

Yeah. This was one of my mistakes. I should've taken Durant. I was actually hoping for Roy, in the first place. Maybe T-Mac will stay healthy with Artest around and less pressure to do it all himself.

R5 P1	Eric Karabell	Williams, Mo	G	MIL	3s
R5 P2	Matt Stroup	Bynum, Andrew	C	LAL	1m 13s
R5 P3	Dave Gawron	Bogut, Andrew	C	MIL	1m 10s
R5 P4	Emry Downinghall	Biedrins, Andris	C	GS	38s
R5 P5	Sergio Gonzalez	Chandler, Tyson	C	NO	52s
R5 P6	Scott Morrow	Redd, Michael	G	MIL	57s
R5 P7	Ryan Knaus	Kaman, Chris	C	LAC	34s
R5 P8	Geoffrey Stein	Wallace, Rasheed	C	DET	13s
R5 P9	Steve Alexander	Dalembert, Samuel	C	PHI	26s
R5 P10	David Klyce	Turkoglu, Hedo	F	ORL	47s
R5 P11	Matt Buser	Dunleavy, Mike	G	IND	38s
R5 P12	Brian McKitish	Okafor, Emeka	F	CHR	7s

Centers. I wanted Bynum or Bogut, so I'm happy here. Would have accepted Chandler, too.

R6 P1	Brian McKitish	Miller, Andre	G	PHI	6s
R6 P2	Matt Buser	Miller, Mike	F	MIN	36s
R6 P3	David Klyce	Horford, Al	F	ATL	6s
R6 P4	Steve Alexander	Jackson, Stephen	G	GS	19s
R6 P5	Geoffrey Stein	Ford, T.J	G	IND	5s
R6 P6	Ryan Knaus	Harris, Devin	G	NJ	7s
	Comment	Harris with the 81st pick. He`s primed for a huge season.
R6 P7	Scott Morrow	Odom, Lamar	F	LAL	33s
R6 P8	Sergio Gonzalez	O'Neal, Jermaine	F	TOR	45s
R6 P9	Emry Downinghall	Allen, Ray	G	BOS	30s
R6 P10	Dave Gawron	Crawford, Jamal	G	NY	4m 45s
R6 P11	Matt Stroup	Miller, Brad	C	SAC
R6 P12	Eric Karabell	Okur, Mehmet	C	UTA	5s

Miller time. I saw a chance to get some threes and went for it. On second thought, I could have taken Okur and used Gasol at F as my back-up center. Crawford should blow up (in a good way) this year anyway, so I can't complain.

R7 P1	Eric Karabell	Oden, Greg	C	POR	2s
R7 P2	Matt Stroup	Foye, Randy	G	MIN	52s
R7 P3	Dave Gawron	Bibby, Mike	G	SAC	3m 25s
R7 P4	Emry Downinghall	Rondo, Rajon	G	BOS	23s
R7 P5	Sergio Gonzalez	Maggette, Corey	F	GS	1m 4s
R7 P6	Scott Morrow	Udrih, Beno	G	SAC	18s
R7 P7	Ryan Knaus	Kirilenko, Andrei	F	UTA	37s
R7 P8	Geoffrey Stein	Felton, Raymond	G	CHR	13s
R7 P9	Steve Alexander	Salmons, John	F	SAC	20s
R7 P10	David Klyce	Terry, Jason	G	DAL	1m 5s
R7 P11	Matt Buser	Hinrich, Kirk	G	CHI	50s
R7 P12	Brian McKitish	Beasley, Michael	F	MIA	22s

I shoul have taken Foye over Crawford, now that I think of it. I shored up my assists with bibby anyway. I considered Felton, but Bibby has the experience. Felton could improve upon last year, but I didn't want a question mark here.

R8 P1	Brian McKitish	Barbosa, Leandro	G	PHO	23s
R8 P2	Matt Buser	Randolph, Zach	F	NY	47s
R8 P3	David Klyce	Garcia, Francisco	G	SAC	10s
R8 P4	Steve Alexander	Thornton, Al	F	LAC	1m 6s
R8 P5	Geoffrey Stein	Ilgauskas, Zydrunas	C	CLE	5s
R8 P6	Ryan Knaus	Deng, Luol	F	CHI	29s
R8 P7	Scott Morrow	Sessions, Ramon	G	MIL	21s
R8 P8	Sergio Gonzalez	Ellis, Monta	G	GS	13s
R8 P9	Emry Downinghall	Battier, Shane	F	HOU	8s
R8 P10	Dave Gawron	Green, Jeff	F	SEA	1m 23s
R8 P11	Matt Stroup	Villanueva, Charlie	F	MIL	8s
R8 P12	Eric Karabell	Lee, David	F	NY	33s

Speaking of question marks, this round is full of them. I wanted a forward here. Garcia, Thornton, and Deng were my targets. I got stuck with Green. Hopefully he'll be useful to me in his 4-game weeks, at least.

R9 P1	Eric Karabell	Arenas, Gilbert	G	WAS	28s
R9 P2	Matt Stroup	Williams, Marvin	F	ATL	35s
R9 P3	Dave Gawron	Conley Jr., Mike	G	MEM	37s
R9 P4	Emry Downinghall	Smith, J.R	G	DEN	34s
R9 P5	Sergio Gonzalez	Stojakovic, Peja	G	NO	50s
R9 P6	Scott Morrow	Moon, Jamario	F	TOR	50s
R9 P7	Ryan Knaus	Stuckey, Rodney	G	DET	4s
	Comment	The Pistons sixth starter is a great value pick.
R9 P8	Geoffrey Stein	Love, Kevin	F	MIN	6s
R9 P9	Steve Alexander	Harrington, Al	F	GS	34s
R9 P10	David Klyce	Gordon, Ben	G	CHI	23s
R9 P11	Matt Buser	Murphy, Troy	F	IND	7s
R9 P12	Brian McKitish	Hamilton, Richard	G	DET	46s

Conley should be pretty secure in his starting point guard job this season, so I had to take him here. I like Peja for his threes and Rip for his consistency, otherwise.

R10 P1	Brian McKitish	Gooden, Drew	F	CLE	13s
R10 P2	Matt Buser	Hilario, Nene	F	DEN	16s
R10 P3	David Klyce	Martin, Kenyon	F	DEN	19s
R10 P4	Steve Alexander	Barnes, Matt	F	GS	6s
R10 P5	Geoffrey Stein	Williams, Marcus	G	GS	7s
R10 P6	Ryan Knaus	Mayo, O.J.	G	MEM	20s
R10 P7	Scott Morrow	Noah, Joakim	F	CHI	57s
R10 P8	Sergio Gonzalez	Warrick, Hakim	F	MEM	6s
R10 P9	Emry Downinghall	O'Neal, Shaquille	C	PHO	16s
R10 P10	Dave Gawron	Young, Thaddeus	F	PHI	19s
R10 P11	Matt Stroup	Rose, Derrick	G	CHI	48s
R10 P12	Eric Karabell	Davis, Ricky	G	LAC	1m 3s

Martin should start the season well at least without Camby around, but will his body hold up? Marcus Williams was the other point guard I was considering along with Conley. I wanted Warrick but settled for Young. Again, he can certainly help in his 4-game weeks.

R11 P1	Eric Karabell	Scola, Luis	F	HOU	16s
R11 P2	Matt Stroup	Maxiell, Jason	F	DET	7s
R11 P3	Dave Gawron	Prince, Tayshaun	F	DET	16s
R11 P4	Emry Downinghall	Korver, Kyle	F	PHI	1m 7s
R11 P5	Sergio Gonzalez	Fernandez, Rudy	G	POR	7s
R11 P6	Scott Morrow	Nelson, Jameer	G	ORL	3s
R11 P7	Ryan Knaus	Bayless, Jerryd	G	POR	45s
R11 P8	Geoffrey Stein	Diaw, Boris	F	PHO	31s
R11 P9	Steve Alexander	Alston, Rafer	G	HOU	15s
R11 P10	David Klyce	Haywood, Brendan	C	WAS	25s
R11 P11	Matt Buser	Parker, Anthony	G	TOR	56s
R11 P12	Brian McKitish	Pietrus, Mickael	F	ORL	4s

Prince is a steady, boring F I can stick in there every week. Not bad grabbing one of those in Round 11. Fernandez, Nelson, and Alston aren't bad for assist potential at this point.

R12 P1	Brian McKitish	Gasol, Marc	C	LAL	9s
R12 P2	Matt Buser	Collison, Nick	C	SEA	32s
R12 P3	David Klyce	Kleiza, Linas	G	DEN	55s
R12 P4	Steve Alexander	Gordon, Eric	G	LAC	28s
R12 P5	Geoffrey Stein	Perkins, Kendrick	C	BOS	14s
R12 P6	Ryan Knaus	Gomes, Ryan	F	MIN	32s
R12 P7	Scott Morrow	Williams, Sean	C	NJ	32s
R12 P8	Sergio Gonzalez	Gallinari, Danilo	F	NY	44s
R12 P9	Emry Downinghall	Nocioni, Andres	F	CHI	6s
R12 P10	Dave Gawron	Jianlian, Yi	F	NJ	17s
R12 P11	Matt Stroup	Ridnour, Luke	G	SEA	20s
R12 P12	Eric Karabell	Bargnani, Andrea	F	TOR	1m 25s

I was looking at Collison or Gomes, but I'll settle for Yi here. Ridnour is a decent gamble at this point.

R13 P1	Eric Karabell	Jack, Jarrett	G	POR	1m 20s
R13 P2	Matt Stroup	Chandler, Wilson	F	NY	3s
R13 P3	Dave Gawron	Watson, Earl	G	SEA	49s
R13 P4	Emry Downinghall	West, Delonte	G	SEA	27s
R13 P5	Sergio Gonzalez	Duhon, Chris	G	NY	1m 3s
R13 P6	Scott Morrow	Johnson, Amir	F	DET	1m 25s
R13 P7	Ryan Knaus	Lopez, Brook	C	NJ	15s
R13 P8	Geoffrey Stein	Simmons, Bobby	F	NJ	5s
R13 P9	Steve Alexander	Outlaw, Travis	F	POR	14s
R13 P10	David Klyce	Brewer, Ronnie	G	UTA	11s
R13 P11	Matt Buser	McCants, Rashad	G	MIN	31s
R13 P12	Brian McKitish	Westbrook, Russell	G	SEA	7s

I should have picked Duhon here. Simmons or Outlaw would have been good, too. Dummy.

R14 P1	Brian McKitish	Thomas, Tyrus	F	CHI	3s
R14 P2	Matt Buser	Hawes, Spencer	C	SAC	49s
R14 P3	David Klyce	Wilcox, Chris	F	SEA	5s
R14 P4	Steve Alexander	Bell, Raja	G	PHO	1m 3s
R14 P5	Geoffrey Stein	Williams, Louis	G	PHI	6s
R14 P6	Ryan Knaus	Augustin, D.J.	G	CHR	10s
R14 P7	Scott Morrow	Chalmers, Lionel	G	FA	55s
R14 P8	Sergio Gonzalez	Tinsley, Jamaal	G	IND	10s
R14 P9	Emry Downinghall	Blatche, Andray	C	WAS	17s
R14 P10	Dave Gawron	Curry, Eddy	C	NY	7s
R14 P11	Matt Stroup	Boone, Josh	F	NJ	10s
R14 P12	Eric Karabell	Dampier, Erick	C	DAL	16s

Curry is my emergency center and probably my first player dopped for a free agent. Most of these players will be dropped for free agents.

R15 P1	Eric Karabell	McDyess, Antonio	F	DET	24s
R15 P2	Matt Stroup	Brewer, Corey	F	MIN	1m 17s
R15 P3	Dave Gawron	Marbury, Stephon	G	NY	38s
R15 P4	Emry Downinghall	Haslem, Udonis	F	MIA	23s
R15 P5	Sergio Gonzalez	Azubuike, Kelenna	G	HOU	42s
R15 P6	Scott Morrow	Millsap, Paul	F	UTA	18s
R15 P7	Ryan Knaus	Turiaf, Ronny	F	LAL	37s
R15 P8	Geoffrey Stein	Stevenson, DeShawn	G	WAS	9s
R15 P9	Steve Alexander	Moore, Mikki	F	SAC	7s
R15 P10	David Klyce	Lowry, Kyle	G	MEM	Predrafted
R15 P11	Matt Buser	Posey, James	F	NO	5s
R15 P12	Brian McKitish	Wallace, Ben	C	CLE	AutoSelect

Again, free agent fodder. We'll see if Marbury can latch on with a team and grab a starting point guard job. Miami would be nice.

Initial QB rankings for 2008

2008-05-06T16:54:00.002-04:00

1 Tom Brady NE (Bye: 4)
2 Peyton Manning IND (Bye: 4)
3 Tony Romo DAL (Bye: 10)
4 Drew Brees NO (Bye: 9)
5 Carson Palmer CIN (Bye: 8)

The above quarterbacks are all likely to go in the first four rounds. Drafting a quarterback in the first four rounds is never a good idea in my book. Let them go.

6 Derek Anderson CLE (Bye: 5)
7 Ben Roethlisberger PIT (Bye: 6)

You should be able to get Derek or Ben in Round 5 or 6. That's a decent spot to grab your starting QB.

8 Donovan McNabb PHI (Bye: 7)
9 Matt Hasselbeck SEA (Bye: 4)
10 Jay Cutler DEN (Bye: 8)
11 Marc Bulger STL (Bye: 5)
12 Eli Manning NYG (Bye: 4)
13 David Garrard JAC (Bye: 7)
14 Jake Delhomme CAR (Bye: 9)

If you miss Derek and Ben, you'll want to grab two of the above somewhere between Rounds 7 and 10.

15 Matt Schaub HOU (Bye: 8)
16 Jon Kitna DET (Bye: 4)
17 Jason Campbell WAS (Bye: 10)
18 Aaron Rodgers GB (Bye: 8)

If you need to sneak one of the above into your platoon, that would also be acceptable.

19 Philip Rivers SD (Bye: 9)
20 Jeff Garcia TB (Bye: 10)
21 JaMarcus Russell OAK (Bye: 5)
22 Vince Young TEN (Bye: 6)
23 Kurt Warner ARI (Bye: 7)
24 Matt Leinart ARI (Bye: 7)
25 Trent Edwards BUF (Bye: 6)
26 Tarvaris Jackson MIN (Bye: 8)
27 Rex Grossman CHI (Bye: 8)
28 Brodie Croyle KC (Bye: 6)

Any of the above are decent as your QB3, but you wouldn't want to depend on them as anything more.

29 Matt Ryan ATL (Bye: 7)
30 Alex Smith SF (Bye: 9)
31 Kellen Clemens NYJ (Bye: 5)
32 Chad Pennington NYJ (Bye: 5)
33 Josh McCown MIA (Bye: 4)
34 Kyle Boller BAL (Bye: 10)
35 Shaun Hill SF (Bye: 9)
36 Chris Redman ATL (Bye: 7)
37 Joe Flacco BAL (Bye: 10)
38 Kyle Orton CHI (Bye: 8)
39 Sage Rosenfels HOU (Bye: 8)
40 Billy Volek SD (Bye: 9)

Chances are, the above won't help you this season.

Fantasy Basketball Draft Analysis

2007-10-25T23:23:00.000-04:00

Well, the Ultimate Basketball Challenge expert league held it's fifth annual draft this week. It's full of a great bunch of industry folks. Here's the list:

1. Josh Whitling (ESPN)
2. Sergio Gonzalez (CBS)
3. Daniel Dobish (CBS)
4. Tom Carpenter (RotoTimes)
5. Hector Castro/David Klyce (HoopsKlyce)
6. Matt Buser (Yahoo!)
7. Steve Alexander (Rotoworld/NBC)
8. Dave Gawron (RotoCommando)
9. Tim Trout (Beckett Media)
10. Matt Lawrence (Rotoworld)
11. Jay Gleason (formerly of AuctionPlayers)
12. Keith Wayland/Antonio Delgado (KFBA)

Lineups are C-C-F-F-F-F-G-G-G-G-U-U. 5 man bench. Head2Head schedule.

Scoring:

3PT - Three Pointers Made: .08 points
AST - Assists: .17 points
BK - Blocks: .25 points
FG - Field Goals Made: .25 points
FGA - Field Goals Attempted: -.08 points
FT - Free Throws Made: .25 points
FTA - Free Throws Attempted: -.17 points
PTS - Points: .08 points
ST - Steals: .17 points
TO - Turnovers: -.17 points
TRB - Total Rebounds: .10 points

What it amounts to:

4.0+ FPPG (fantasy points per game): total studs
3.5-3.9 FPPG: stars
3.0-3.4: solid contributors
2.5-2.9: average players
2.0-2.4: end of lineup fillers
1.5-1.9: bench players

After each round, read my analysis...

Round 1
1
Seattle Whitling
Kobe Bryant (G LAL)
2
Miami Gonzalez
LeBron James (F CLE)
3
Cleveland Dobish
Dwight Howard (C ORL)
4
Detroit Carpenter
Kevin Garnett (F BOS)
5
New Jersey Castro
Gilbert Arenas (G WAS)
6
Golden State Buser
Dirk Nowitzki (F DAL)
7
Atlanta Alexander
Tim Duncan (F SA)
8
Boston Gawron
Pau Gasol (C MEM)
9
Dallas Trout
Amare Stoudemire (C PHO)
10
New York Lawrence
Steve Nash (G PHO)
11
Charlotte Gleason
Tracy McGrady (G HOU)
12
Philadelphia Wayland
Dwyane Wade (G MIA)

The scoring system attempts to mirror real life worth. Scoring is a little more important than in roto. Excessive missed shots (poor FG or FT %) and turnovers hurt. #1 was a tough call. Kobe has scored better in this system, but LeBron has the upside. That's too early for Howard. Even improvement over 06-07 won't vault him past Arenas or Dirk in this system, and certainly not past KG. Gasol is great in this system. Center eligibility, great FG%, nice assists and blocks... Wade is amazing when he plays, but do you trust him with that injury?

Round 2
13
Philadelphia Wayland
Yao Ming (C HOU)
14
Charlotte Gleason
Josh Smith (F ATL)
15
New York Lawrence
Chris Bosh (F TOR)
16
Dallas Trout
Shawn Marion (F PHO)
17
Boston Gawron
Carmelo Anthony (F DEN)
18
Atlanta Alexander
Deron Williams (G UTA)
19
Golden State Buser
Vince Carter (G NJ)
20
New Jersey Castro
Rashard Lewis (F ORL)
21
Detroit Carpenter
Paul Pierce (G BOS)
22
Cleveland Dobish
Allen Iverson (G DEN)
23
Miami Gonzalez
Carlos Boozer (F UTA)
24
Seattle Whitling
Chris Paul (G NO)

Yao was a good choice, but you do have to wonder in H2H if that big body of his will be able to make it all the way through the season. I'm too scared of Bosh's injury woes to take him in any draft. Marion's lack of turnovers is such a good trait! I thought it was a bit early for Deron Williams. Again, with the scoring counting a tad more in this league than in roto, players like Vince Carter and Rashard Lewis that can score 22+ per game get the nod. Boozer's hamstring history worries me too much.

Round 3
25
Seattle Whitling
Andre Iguodala (F PHI)
26
Miami Gonzalez
Jason Kidd (G NJ)
27
Cleveland Dobish
Baron Davis (G GS)
28
Detroit Carpenter
Caron Butler (F WAS)
29
New Jersey Castro
Al Jefferson (F MIN)
30
Golden State Buser
Gerald Wallace (F CHA)
31
Atlanta Alexander
Marcus Camby (C DEN)
32
Boston Gawron
Michael Redd (G MIL)
33
Dallas Trout
Ray Allen (G BOS)
34
New York Lawrence
Mehmet Okur (C UTA)
35
Charlotte Gleason
Luol Deng (F CHI)
36
Philadelphia Wayland
Tony Parker (G SA)

Baron Davis is too risky for me. I understand the upside of Al Jefferson, but I need to see him stay healthy for a full season before investing. Wallace throws his body around too much and will always be dinged up. I'm actually cool with Camby. He'll miss games here and there, but he's a good choice at this point in the draft. I went with Redd for his solid scoring, like Anthony in the round before. Okur's foot scares me. Deng is awesome and improving.

Round 4
37
Philadelphia Wayland
Joe Johnson (G ATL)
38
Charlotte Gleason
Andrew Bogut (C MIL)
39
New York Lawrence
Chauncey Billups (G DET)
40
Dallas Trout
Zach Randolph (F NY)
41
Boston Gawron
Emeka Okafor (C CHA)
42
Atlanta Alexander
LaMarcus Aldridge (F POR)
43
Golden State Buser
Antawn Jamison (F WAS)
44
New Jersey Castro
Jermaine O'Neal (F IND)
45
Detroit Carpenter
Kevin Durant (F SEA)
46
Cleveland Dobish
Shaquille O'Neal (C MIA)
47
Miami Gonzalez
Kirk Hinrich (G CHI)
48
Seattle Whitling
Ben Gordon (G CHI)

Centers are very valuable, since we start two, but that's too early for Bogut. Just right for Okafor, though. Maybe that's a bit early for Aldridge, but I do like him better than the totally unknown of how Durant can withstand a full season, plus the injury history of the O'Neals.

Round 5
49
Seattle Whitling
Brandon Roy (G POR)
50
Miami Gonzalez
Raymond Felton (G CHA)
51
Cleveland Dobish
Kevin Martin (G SAC)
52
Detroit Carpenter
Jason Richardson (G CHA)
53
New Jersey Castro
Ricky Davis (G MIN)
54
Golden State Buser
Ron Artest (F SAC)
55
Atlanta Alexander
Corey Maggette (F LAC)
56
Boston Gawron
Josh Howard (F DAL)
57
Dallas Trout
David West (F NO)
58
New York Lawrence
Lamar Odom (F LAL)
59
Charlotte Gleason
Rudy Gay (G MEM)
60
Philadelphia Wayland
Danny Granger (F IND)

Roy's injury worries me. I love Howard's upside. Odom's injuries worry me. I love Gay and Granger's upside.

Round 6
61
Philadelphia Wayland
Leandro Barbosa (G PHO)
62
Charlotte Gleason
Mo Williams (G MIL)
63
New York Lawrence
T.J. Ford (G TOR)
64
Dallas Trout
Jason Terry (G DAL)
65
Boston Gawron
Richard Hamilton (G DET)
66
Atlanta Alexander
Andrei Kirilenko (F UTA)
67
Golden State Buser
Mike Miller (F MEM)
68
New Jersey Castro
Andre Miller (G PHI)
69
Detroit Carpenter
Tyson Chandler (C NO)
70
Cleveland Dobish
Richard Jefferson (F NJ)
71
Miami Gonzalez
Mike Bibby (G SAC)
72
Seattle Whitling
Marvin Williams (F ATL)

Barbosa and Mo are underrated -- good picks. I think that's early for Terry, given what Coach Johnson has said about his backcourt this preseason. Rip was a "safe" pick for me. I like Richard Jefferson there, and Marvin has nice upside.

Round 7
73
Seattle Whitling
Brad Miller (C SAC)
74
Miami Gonzalez
Jamal Crawford (G NY)
75
Cleveland Dobish
Al Harrington (F GS)
76
Detroit Carpenter
Stephen Jackson (G GS)
77
New Jersey Castro
Manu Ginobili (G SA)
78
Golden State Buser
Rasheed Wallace (F DET)
79
Atlanta Alexander
Mike Dunleavy (G IND)
80
Boston Gawron
Monta Ellis (G GS)
81
Dallas Trout
Tayshaun Prince (F DET)
82
New York Lawrence
Nenad Krstic (C NJ)
83
Charlotte Gleason
Stephon Marbury (G NY)
84
Philadelphia Wayland
Andris Biedrins (C GS)

I wanted Manu or Wallace here but couldn't pass on Monta when my pick came up. Krstic's knee worries me. He'll probably be somewhat limited for a while. Marbury will earn his value, but he's declining.

Round 8
85
Philadelphia Wayland
Al Horford (F ATL)
86
Charlotte Gleason
Andrea Bargnani (F TOR)
87
New York Lawrence
Andres Nocioni (F CHI)
88
Dallas Trout
Samuel Dalembert (C PHI)
89
Boston Gawron
Randy Foye (G MIN)
90
Atlanta Alexander
Chris Kaman (C LAC)
91
Golden State Buser
Peja Stojakovic (G NO)
92
New Jersey Castro
Chris Wilcox (F SEA)
93
Detroit Carpenter
Nene (F DEN)
94
Cleveland Dobish
Eddy Curry (C NY)
95
Miami Gonzalez
Jamaal Tinsley (G IND)
96
Seattle Whitling
Hedo Turkoglu (F ORL)

Horford, Bargnani, and Foye are all nice upside picks here. The injury histories of Dalembert and Nene scare me.

Round 9
97
Seattle Whitling
Jameer Nelson (G ORL)
98
Miami Gonzalez
Ben Wallace (C CHI)
99
Cleveland Dobish
Tim Thomas (F LAC)
100
Detroit Carpenter
Andrew Bynum (C LAL)
101
New Jersey Castro
David Lee (F NY)
102
Golden State Buser
Zydrunas Ilgauskas (C CLE)
103
Atlanta Alexander
Corey Brewer (F MIN)
104
Boston Gawron
Luke Walton (F LAL)
105
Dallas Trout
Tyrus Thomas (F CHI)
106
New York Lawrence
Luke Ridnour (G SEA)
107
Charlotte Gleason
Boris Diaw (F PHO)
108
Philadelphia Wayland
Drew Gooden (F CLE)

We'll have to see how Nelson does in the slow, half-court offense. Wallace is declining. That's early for Bynum, but he's a center. Lee is so solid. Ilgauskas could score more this season. Walton was a "safe" pick for me at this point. Ridnour is inconsistent with the Watson timeshare. Diaw and Gooden should both improve upon their 06-07 seasons.

Round 10
109
Philadelphia Wayland
Luis Scola (F HOU)
110
Charlotte Gleason
Darko Milicic (F MEM)
111
New York Lawrence
Charlie Bell (G MIL)
112
Dallas Trout
Steve Francis (G HOU)
113
Boston Gawron
Raja Bell (G PHO)
114
Atlanta Alexander
Rajon Rondo (G BOS)
115
Golden State Buser
Troy Murphy (C IND)
116
New Jersey Castro
Al Thornton (F LAC)
117
Detroit Carpenter
Jarrett Jack (G POR)
118
Cleveland Dobish
Ruben Patterson (F LAC)
119
Miami Gonzalez
Zaza Pachulia (C ATL)
120
Seattle Whitling
Anthony Parker (G TOR)

Scola should have a good year. I still don't trust Darko. Bell was yet another "safe" pick for me. Rondo needs to shoot and score better for this scoring system. Jack's in a timeshare. Patterson has to battle Al Thornton and Tim Thomas for minutes. Zaza is toast.

Round 11
121
Seattle Whitling
Delonte West (G SEA)
122
Miami Gonzalez
Jeff Green (F SEA)
123
Cleveland Dobish
Larry Hughes (G CLE)
124
Detroit Carpenter
Channing Frye (F POR)
125
New Jersey Castro
Josh Childress (G ATL)
126
Golden State Buser
Walter Herrmann (F CHA)
127
Atlanta Alexander
Acie Law (G ATL)
128
Boston Gawron
Shane Battier (F HOU)
129
Dallas Trout
Devin Harris (G DAL)
130
New York Lawrence
Wally Szczerbiak (F SEA)
131
Charlotte Gleason
Charlie Villanueva (F MIL)
132
Philadelphia Wayland
Kyle Korver (F PHI)

The Sonics are sort of hard to peg right now, so be careful when drafting them. I wouldn't touch Hughes at ths point in his career. I like those Hawks, Childress and Law. Even with Morrison out, Herrmann is a big unknown. Again, I went "safe" with Battier. Villanueva is in too much of a minutes battle.

Round 12
133
Philadelphia Wayland
Juan Carlos Navarro (G MEM)
134
Charlotte Gleason
Elton Brand (F LAC)
135
New York Lawrence
Matt Barnes (F GS)
136
Dallas Trout
Kenyon Martin (F DEN)
137
Boston Gawron
Udonis Haslem (F MIA)
138
Atlanta Alexander
Nick Collison (C SEA)
139
Golden State Buser
Quentin Richardson (F NY)
140
New Jersey Castro
Paul Millsap (F UTA)
141
Detroit Carpenter
Jason Maxiell (F DET)
142
Cleveland Dobish
Ryan Gomes (F MIN)
143
Miami Gonzalez
Mark Blount (C MIN)
144
Seattle Whitling
Chris Webber (C DET)

That's about right for Brand. I consider Kenyon a waste at this point. I should have taken Collison to have a decent third center. Haslem will be solid for me, though. You can't trust Q-Rich, with his injury history. Millsap and Maxiell are nice, but they might not get enough minutes. Blount could actually do well when Shaq goes down. Where O where is Webber these days?

Round 13
145
Seattle Whitling
Hakim Warrick (F MEM)
146
Miami Gonzalez
Sam Cassell (G LAC)
147
Cleveland Dobish
Grant Hill (G PHO)
148
Detroit Carpenter
Cuttino Mobley (G LAC)
149
New Jersey Castro
Craig Smith (F MIN)
150
Golden State Buser
Morris Peterson (G NO)
151
Atlanta Alexander
Jerry Stackhouse (F DAL)
152
Boston Gawron
Mike Conley (G MEM)
153
Dallas Trout
Kwame Brown (C LAL)
154
New York Lawrence
Mickael Pietrus (F GS)
155
Charlotte Gleason
Ike Diogu (F IND)
156
Philadelphia Wayland
Jose Calderon (G TOR)

Cassell and Hill -- old and injured -- not a good combo. I took enough "safe" picks earlier that I could gamble on Conley here. There's just not much left at thi point of the draft.

Round 14
157
Philadelphia Wayland
Andray Blatche (F WAS)
158
Charlotte Gleason
Gerald Green (G MIN)
159
New York Lawrence
Mike James (G HOU)
160
Dallas Trout
Joakim Noah (F CHI)
161
Boston Gawron
Chucky Atkins (G DEN)
162
Atlanta Alexander
Rafer Alston (G HOU)
163
Golden State Buser
Ronnie Brewer (G UTA)
164
New Jersey Castro
Travis Outlaw (F POR)
165
Detroit Carpenter
Matt Carroll (G CHA)
166
Cleveland Dobish
Rashad McCants (G MIN)
167
Miami Gonzalez
Jorge Garbajosa (F TOR)
168
Seattle Whitling
Bobby Simmons (F MIL)

Atkins actually has a chance of being ecent in that Denver offense. I thought about Alston, but it's SO crowded in that Houston Backcourt. Brewer has had a great preseason and won that Utah shooting guard job. I like the Garbajosa pick, too.

Round 15
169
Seattle Whitling
Desmond Mason (F MIL)
170
Miami Gonzalez
Jianlian Yi (F MIL)
171
Cleveland Dobish
Dorell Wright (F MIA)
172
Detroit Carpenter
Martell Webster (G POR)
173
New Jersey Castro
Louis Williams (G PHI)
174
Golden State Buser
Jason Kapono (F TOR)
175
Atlanta Alexander
Stromile Swift (C MEM)
176
Boston Gawron
Brevin Knight (G LAC)
177
Dallas Trout
Marcus Williams (G NJ)
178
New York Lawrence
Jamaal Magloire (C NJ)
179
Charlotte Gleason
Rodney Stuckey (G DET)
180
Philadelphia Wayland
Jason Williams (G MIA)

I'm not happy about that Milwaukee forward logjam, so I would avoid those players. Dorell Wright lost his value with Ricky Davis in town. Knight's assists are nice in this league, but Magloire probably would have been better for me as my third center. Jason Williams is nice here if he can stay healthy and hold off Smush Parker.

Round 16
181
Philadelphia Wayland
Kelenna Azubuike (F GS)
182
Charlotte Gleason
DeShawn Stevenson (G WAS)
183
New York Lawrence
Anderson Varejao (C CLE)
184
Dallas Trout
Chris Duhon (G CHI)
185
Boston Gawron
Kendrick Perkins (C BOS)
186
Atlanta Alexander
Earl Watson (G SEA)
187
Golden State Buser
Willie Green (G PHI)
188
New Jersey Castro
Brendan Haywood (C WAS)
189
Detroit Carpenter
J.R. Smith (G DEN)
190
Cleveland Dobish
Daniel Gibson (G CLE)
191
Miami Gonzalez
Brandan Wright (F GS)
192
Seattle Whitling
Trevor Ariza (F ORL)

There's just nothin left here. Well, Stevenson actually isn't too bad at this point. I desperately wanted a third center at this point. I let Haywood go, figuring Blatche would just play the Etan Thomas role this year, limiting Big Brendan to basically what he did last year, which isn't much. Perkins was just about the only alternative. I figure he can get some junk points and boards off of misses and dump-offs from the Big Three.

Round 17
193
Seattle Whitling
Francisco Garcia (F SAC)
194
Miami Gonzalez
Earl Boykins (G MIL)
195
Cleveland Dobish
Theo Ratliff (C MIN)
196
Detroit Carpenter
Hilton Armstrong (F NO)
197
New Jersey Castro
Robert Swift (C SEA)
198
Golden State Buser
Antonio McDyess (F DET)
199
Atlanta Alexander
Kenny Thomas (F SAC)
200
Boston Gawron
Derek Fisher (G LAL)
201
Dallas Trout
Shareef Abdur-Rahim (F SAC)
202
New York Lawrence
Nate Robinson (G NY)
203
Charlotte Gleason
Marco Belinelli (G GS)
204
Philadelphia Wayland
Amir Johnson (F DET)

Fisher was just about the last player that was pretty much guaranteed 30 minutes per game. He'll be my first cut when I pick up a free agent.

My SportsIllustrated.com Experts League team

2007-08-29T14:23:00.000-04:00

The fifth annual SI.com Experts League drafted on Aug. 21 with 12 owners fighting it out for the title. I, Dave Gawron, represent SportsBuff.com in this league. Here are links to the actual draft -- pick by pick & team by team.

I had the twelfth pick out of twelve teams. Looking at the 2007 scene, it was wise for me to walk away with two running backs after the first two picks...

1. Cedric Benson, RB, CHI
2. Lawrence Maroney, RB, NE

I really wanted Willie Parker or Rudi Johnson here. Benson and Maroney are in great team situations, but neither is proven. I'll cross my fingers. I let Travis Henry go because if Jay Cutler struggles, his production could suffer. Maurice-Jones Drew still has Fred Taylor to contend with and also a shaky quarterback situation. I don't trust Brandon Jacobs with Reuben Droughns around.

3. Andre Johnson, WR, HOU
4. Antonio Gates, TE, SD

Gates is a beast at his position. I was totally happy to get him here. Johnson was one of the last of what I consider the "safe stud" WRs available. I picked him over T.J. Houshmanzadeh and Lee Evans, but any of those would do. Concerning Javon Walker, I'm not sold on Jay Cutler yet. I wanted a top WR, so I let rookie RB Adrian Peterson and veteran Jamal Lewis go here.

5. Marion Barber, RB, DAL
6. Jerious Norwood, RB, ATL

They're time-share RBs, but so are the other RBs available here. The new coaching situation in Dallas clouds the RB situation, but Barber should at least be a worthwhile FLEX and RB bye fill in. Norwood should take over for Dunn at some point and should do well with no Vick around to steal rushing yards from the RBs.

7. Mark Clayton, WR, BAL
8. Tony Romo, QB, DAL

I wanted Vince Young here, but Romo will do as a lead QB. I wanted a relatively safe WR, and Clayton fits the bill. Santonio Holmes was another reasonable option, but I like the #1 WR on the Ravens over the #2 on the Steelers.

9. Drew Bennett, WR, STL
10. Brandon Jones, WR, TEN

The WR pool was really thinning out, so I grabbed two of the best left. I just missed out on Devery Henderson, who I really like this year.

11. Jake Delhomme, QB, CAR
12. Mushin Muhammad, WR, CHI

Neither pick is inspiring, bu QBs were thinning out and I wanted a good platoon partner for Romo. I also like having a vet WR around for my WR5, and Mush is still #1 on the Bears, so he was a good choice.

13. Dolphins, D/ST, MIA
14. Matt Schaub, QB, HOU

I love getting the Dolphins defense down here. They should be one of the elite defenses, and I like the rookie Ginn returning kicks. Schaub is a terrific fantasy QB3. He'll fill in fine in case of injury.

15. Michael Pittman, RB, TB
16. Stephen Gostkowski, K, NE
17. Panthers, D/ST, CAR
18. Eagles, D/ST, PHI

There was really nobody left at this point. I love getting Gostkowski as my kicker. I figured I should get another RB. Pittman should get enough touches to score some points each week, with Alstott down for the count. Tampa Bay has a phenominally easy schedule against really weak run defenses. CAR and PHI will likely be my first drops when free agency begins, but taking them allowed me to keep them away from other teams.

Fantasy Football draft tips and advice

2007-08-27T10:14:00.000-04:00

It's that time of year... fantasy football draft time. I have some advice to pass along, so here it goes...

RUNNINGBACKS (RB)

Your first round pick needs to be a runningback, regardless of draft slot. If you draft in slots 1-5, your second pick may be a wide receiver if the runningbacks are looking weak. Otherwise, consider a second runningback in Round 2. If you play with a FLEX, consider a third in rounds 3 and 4 if there's a decent one available. Otherwise, wait until about rounds 7 or 8 to nab somebody like Marion Barber or Jerius Norwood.

Other RB notes: beware the fragility of Maroney - take Parker or Rudi first... don't underestimate Westbrook and Reggie Bush in PPR leagues... avoid clouded situations like Jones/Bell in DET and White/Brown in TEN...

TIGHT ENDS (TE)

If you can grab Gates in rounds 3 or 4, do it. He's so much better than the rest. I don't like Winslow's fragility or Gonzalez' advanced age. Vernon Davis is good to grab in Round 7 for his upside. Cooley is good there, too.

WIDE RECEIVERS (WR)

In non-PPR leagues, WRs should be low priority. In PPR, see if you can grab a stud or two in rounds 3 or 4. If you wait, look into Calvin Johnson and Santonio Holmes. Later, think Drew Bennett for good value in that STL offense.

QUARTERBACKS (QB)

Yes, the top 5 quarterbacks outscore the rest, but with QBs, platooning is a viable option. In one league I waited, and I ended up with Romo, Delhomme, and Schaub (who I LOVE late). I'll pick the best one to start each week and their overall production as a unit shouldn't be that far behind the top 5.

DEFENSES/SPECIAL TEAMS (D/ST)

This is not a position to worry about. You can definitely wait and still get good ones. Plus a unit or two will surprise during the season, so keep a close eye on D/ST free agents in your league in weeks 1 and 2. I've noticed good defenses like DEN, CAR, and DAL going late.

KICKERS

A dime a dozen. You can absolutely get good ones late. I like Gostkowski a lot this year.

CBS Sportsline Fantasy Baseball "FLEX" Experts League

2007-03-21T15:12:00.000-04:00

This will be my third year participating in the CBS Sportsline Fantasy Baseball "FLEX" Experts League. It's a super shallow mixed head to head points league that devalues steals and saves while boosting the value of power hitters (extra base hits, run production, good BB/K) and durable staff aces (W, IP, K).

Here's the link to the article on CBS Sportsline, which will be kept up to date throughout the draft:

http://www.sportsline.com/mlb/fantasy/story/10072176

Be sure to check the message board all the way at the bottom, where the participants discuss their picks.

Here's what we've done thus far:

Round 1
1	Sporting News	Albert Pujols (1B STL)
2	FantasyLandtheBook.com	Johan Santana (SP MIN)
3	ESPN	Travis Hafner (DH CLE)
4	Mock Draft Central	Chase Utley (2B PHI)
5	Creative Sports	Jose B. Reyes (SS NYM)
6	HEATER Magazine	David Ortiz (DH BOS)
7	Fantasy Auctioneer	Alex Rodriguez (3B NYY)
8	Elias Sports	Carlos Beltran (OF NYM)
9	RotoWorld	Ryan Howard (1B PHI)
10	CBS SportsLine	Miguel M. Cabrera (3B FLA)
11	HeadtoHead.com	Alfonso Soriano (OF CHC)
12	RotoPass	Mark Teixeira (1B TEX)
Round 2
13	RotoPass	Chris Carpenter (SP STL)
14	HeadtoHead.com	David Wright (3B NYM)
15	CBS SportsLine	Lance Berkman (1B HOU)
16	RotoWorld	Derek Jeter (SS NYY)
17	Elias Sports	Garrett Atkins (3B COL)
18	Fantasy Auctioneer	Vladimir Guerrero (OF ANA)
19	HEATER Magazine	Aramis Ramirez (3B CHC)
20	Creative Sports	Grady Sizemore (OF CLE)
21	Mock Draft Central	Jimmy Rollins (SS PHI)
22	ESPN	Carlos N. Lee (OF HOU)
23	FantasyLandtheBook.com	Manny Ramirez (OF BOS)
24	Sporting News	Matt Holliday (OF COL)
Round 3
25	Sporting News	Vernon Wells (OF TOR)
26	FantasyLandtheBook.com	Derrek Lee (1B CHC)
27	ESPN	Bobby Abreu (OF NYY)
28	Mock Draft Central	Brandon Webb (SP ARI)
29	Creative Sports	Jake Peavy (SP SD)
30	HEATER Magazine	Carl Crawford (OF TB)
31	Fantasy Auctioneer	Miguel Tejada (SS BAL)
32	Elias Sports	Hanley Ramirez (SS FLA)
33	RotoWorld	Roy Oswalt (SP HOU)
34	CBS SportsLine	Andruw Jones (OF ATL)
35	HeadtoHead.com	Michael Young (SS TEX)
36	RotoPass	Joe Mauer (C MIN)
Round 4
37	RotoPass	Rafael Furcal (SS LA)
38	HeadtoHead.com	Justin Morneau (1B MIN)
39	CBS SportsLine	Jason Bay (OF PIT)
40	RotoWorld	Hideki Matsui (OF NYY)
41	Elias Sports	Victor J. Martinez (C CLE)
42	Fantasy Auctioneer	Ichiro Suzuki (OF SEA)
43	HEATER Magazine
44	Creative Sports
45	Mock Draft Central
46	ESPN
47	FantasyLandtheBook.com
48	Sporting News

Pro Fantasy Sports Fantasy Basketball Experts Draft

2006-10-23T12:00:00.000-04:00

ProFantasySports.com recently conducted an expert mock draft with various experts from fantasyland’s basketball division. The mock draft features 14 teams (we go deep for you) and is based on a head-to-head style format using Yahoo as the league host. The starting lineup is PG, SG, G, SF, PF, F, C, C with four bench spots. Everyone’s commentary on their picks is provided below, except for Chris Mannix who chose to shroud his thinking in secrecy. It will forever remain a mystery why he chose to make LeBron James the first overall selection …

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Chris Cates – 2nd pick
TalentedMrRoto.com

SF/PF Kevin Garnett – No explanation needed here. With the second pick I was just taking who wasn’t taken first between LeBron and KG.

PG Mike Bibby – A point guard who gets tons of assists, hits threes and gets steals –imagine that. Best PG available and I wasn’t waiting until my next back-to-back.

PG/SG Kirk Hinrich – Another point guard who fits the above mold, but this one is also SG-eligible, meaning I don’t have to draft a starter at shooting guard. Sign me up.

PG Rafer Alston – Notice a trend? I’m a big Alston fan, and he gives great production in the three categories I’ve been talking about: assists, threes, steals.

G/F Eddie Jones – The only pick I regret making. There was superior talent on the board but I drafted Jones (I like him, just not this early) to build on my threes and steals. I only planned on taking one SG/SF as a starter, and this was it.

PF Drew Gooden – Great shooting percentage, good boards and decent points. I think he’s more consistent this year and improves on last year’s numbers.

C Nazr Mohammed – I really expect Nazr to flourish in Detroit this season. He’s starting, he’ll get good minutes, and well, I needed a center.

F/C Kwame Brown – I like the upside and you guessed it, I needed another center.

SF/PF Danny Granger – Upside, thy name is Danny Granger. I think Granger is great value in the ninth round of a 14-team league. He showed flashes of brilliance last year and he contributes across the board. If he gets the 30 minutes a game he deserves, this pick is gold.

PG Smush Parker – Best PG available and I wanted one on the bench. He’ll help a lot in steals and threes when he’s in my lineup.

SG J.R. Smith – Very underrated going in to this year. He’s got the talent, all he needs is the minutes – and he’ll get them this year. Very high ceiling.

SF/PF Hakim Warrick – No Pau Gasol means much more Hakim Warrick, and that alone warrants this pick.
Best pick – Granger. I love Danny Granger. He’ll get his minutes and he’ll be starting before too long. He will contribute across the board and if he gets the minutes, this becomes an absolute steal.

Worst pick – Jones. There were better options and Jones shouldn’t have been taken this early. Yeah he helps me in threes and steals, but I probably could have gotten him a lot later.

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Matt Satten – 3rd pick
Senior Basketball Editor, ProFantasySports.com

SF/PF Shawn Marion – With LeBron and KG off the board, this was a no-brainer. Marion always gets his without plays being called for him, has position versatility and has no injury history. It doesn’t get any better than the Suns’ offense either.

SF/PF Lamar Odom – I wanted another all-around big man with positional versatility and Odom easily fits that bill. Every year he plays in the triangle, the better he’s going to become. 20, 10, 5, 1 and 1 are a distinct possibility from the point forward.

PG/SG Joe Johnson – With head to head leagues, versatility is a key trait in order to match up with your opponents. JJ is still improving, is never injured, and looks good as a PG or SG who shoots threes.

C Shaquille O'Neal – This was the defining pick in my draft. In a 14-team league, the ranks thin pretty quickly and I was looking for an impact player, preferably a top center. Since I want to build on strengths to dominate categories – with an eye to landing Sammy D on the short swing back – I made the bold move to lock up Shaq and FG%, blocks and rebounds (in the weeks he plays), and will select some PGs in my next set of picks.

C Samuel Dalembert – Combined with my top four, I should own blocks, rebounds, FG%, putting me in the enviable position to make deals with my strengths. I pray this is the year the Haitian Sensation leads the L in boards and blocks.

PG Deron Williams – He finished the season on a strong note after a rough beginning. Taken ahead of Paul, Williams has something to prove and has a surprisingly strong offense around him to load up on assists and shoot wide-open threes.

SG Manu Ginobili – I’d be reaching for a PG here, so I fill a starting slot with a guy capable of winning the Finals MVP award. The Spurs offense should be a bit more up-tempo this year and Manu will thrive. Again, health is a concern.

PG Speedy Claxton – He’ll be back for the start of the year and is a great value pick this late. Now that he has his first starting gig all to himself and plenty of athletes to feed on the break, Speedy should finally have his breakout season.

PG Damon Stoudamire – Let me make this clear: Memphis is going to be absolutely terrible until Gasol returns. Mighty Mouse is about the only sure thing and will be relied on heavily to create offense.

PF Stromile Swift – I notice I’m short on PFs and there’s a good chance Swift could qualify at center soon too. With Gasol gone, he has no choice but to produce, right? Right??? Dear God, what have I done?

SG Kevin Martin – It’s time for some sleepers and I’ve been pressing my luck by sitting on Martin for three rounds now. When he starts, and he will start, he’s very effective and efficient in his shooting. Bench players that earn starting roles the following year make for excellent sleeper picks.

C Brendan Haywood – With only two Cs on my roster, I went for the best shot-blocking, starting center. In retrospect, I should have taken an F/C who blocks shots.

Best pick – I’m tempted to say Shaq at 54 overall, because when he plays, it’s like having a top 20 player, but the real answer is Deron Williams. He’s going to make major strides this season as the unquestioned starter from the opening tip, especially with the weapons he has surrounding him.

Worst pick – While I like Speedy, I could have nabbed his teammate SF/PF Marvin Williams and gotten Claxton on the way back five picks later instead of Stoudamire if I wanted. Given that Speedy is already injured, it doesn’t bode well that he’ll make it through the season in one piece.

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James Quintong – 4th pick
Senior Producer, SI.com

SG Kobe Bryant: A slam-dunk pick here with the league’s top scorer who can also provide decent stats in the other categories as well. A safe selection and an easy one at this point.

PG Chauncey Billups – I’m continuing to pile up the points here, but also getting a huge boost in assists from Billups, who seems to be getting better every year.

PF Dwight Howard – With the backcourt pretty much shored up, I was happy to see the ever-improving Howard help anchor the power forward position, although he’ll be even more valuable if he plays some center.

SF Richard Jefferson – He’s not necessarily dominant in any offensive category, and probably won’t with Vince Carter around, but he puts up enough big stats to complement the rest of my team.

G/F Andre Iguodala – I’ve got plenty of scorers already, but could use someone who can help with rebounds and steals, and that’s where Iguodala comes in. Plus, he’s very flexible for my lineup since he’s eligible at a handful of positions.

F/C Darko Milicic – He’s probably a major reach in the sixth round, although with 14 teams, the talent pool can thin out quickly, especially at center. Lots of big men were taken between my picks, leaving me with Darko. With that said, his performance after joining Orlando bodes well for this season. And it’s possible, I can flip him and Howard in and out of the power forward/center positions.

PG/SG Ben Gordon – I guess I’m continuing to pile up big-time scorers, which is what Gordon does, even in limited minutes.

C Jamaal Magloire – Filling out the frontcourt with two centers forces me to reach for players like Magloire, the former All-Star who will be fighting for playing time with Joel Przybilla. When he’s on his game, he can be a solid scorer and rebounder, but the lack of guaranteed playing time makes him a risk.

SF/PF Shareef Abdur-Rahim – Remember when he was a fantasy stud for bad teams? Now he’s on a pretty good Sacramento team and now his numbers have fallen off. He’s battling Kenny Thomas for the starting job, and if he gets it, he’ll be a great late-round pick.

C Primoz Brezec – Again, trying to fill out the two center spots and get a little depth, which is why Brezec has value here. He can be a decent scorer, although I’ll have to rely on Howard and maybe Milicic to beef up the rebounds and blocks. He’s useful enough, though, to be a second center.

G/F Stephen Jackson – The return of Al Harrington limits his numbers, although I was surprised to see him last this long – his recent run-in notwithstanding. I’ll be fine stashing him away on the bench for now.

PG/SG J.J. Redick – All of a sudden, I’m going to have to turn into an Orlando fan with three Magic players on the team. We all know what Redick can do as a scorer from his days at Duke, and he’ll be useful in that role in the pros.

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Dennis Velasco – 5th pick
DroppingDimes.com

PF Dirk Nowitzki – How do you go wrong with picking Nowitzki? He gets a lot of points, boards, triples, and excellent percentages. The only drawback is knowing that he’s a fan of The Hoff, but I can get over that as long as he stays healthy and produces.

SF Rashard Lewis – While Ray Allen is like a heavy downpour raining jumpers and treys from all over the court, Lewis is like a steady rainfall. Another 20-point season isn’t out of the question, so bring the galoshes.

G/F Gerald Wallace – This is my Scarlett Johansson pick – still growing in their respective game, gets props for their performance, and you know that they’re just going to get better. Plus, in fantasy hoops circles, Wallace is a sexy pick… any chance I can draft Johansson? No? Guess that’s the wrong type of fantasy.

PG Raymond Felton – Felton came on strong at the end of the season and should get enough burn even with Brevin Knight still on the roster. The potential for something like 18/8 each night could not be passed over! This is probably my best pick in the whole draft.

G/F Morris Peterson – Laugh all you want, Satten, but you know what they say down in Tennessee and Texas – “He who laughs last… shame on you… if fooled, you can’t get fooled again.” Umm, yeah.

F/C Pau Gasol – This is my cavalry pick. Hopefully, by the time he gets back my team’s scalp isn’t chopped off. This is my worst pick because I will get absolutely nothing for about two or three months.

F/C Channing Frye – Frye is a great talent and has a lot of potential, which should be tapped a little more now that he should be getting more consistent minutes on the floor under Isiah Thomas. Of course, this is assuming Renaldo Balkman doesn’t take away Frye’s job… okay, YES, Frye has nothing to worry about. So, I had to give Balkman some love and put his pic up above because it’ll never happen with the Knicks.

G/F Wally Szczerbiak – Ohmigod!!! Where’s my kewpie doll?!?!?! I just spelled Szczerbiak’s name without looking it up… ohmigod, I just did it again!!! WOO HOO!!! Dang, I’m good! And so is Wally. No, seriously.

C Alonzo Mourning – All the centers I thought would fall into my lap didn’t. So, since I wanted to get a center that would produce at least in the blocks category, I had to go with Zo here. Full disclosure: At this point, I had to leave to do another draft (FIGHT CLUB!!!), but felt fairly strong in my queued up picks.

PG Antonio Daniels – I would much rather have Daniels’ BFF, Tim Duncan, but obviously he went rounds and rounds ago. But, since I needed a backup point guard, I had to go with Daniels and hope with a season under his belt, he’s feeling comfortable with the offense and can drop some dimes to Gilbert Arenas, Antawn Jamison, and Caron Butler.

G/F Marquis Daniels – There are no morals or ethics in fantasy sports, just results. This pick and the pick before me, Stephen Jackson, is proof of that. Daniels may get a chance to play a little more with charges filed against Jackson, who could miss an indefinite amount of games… oh wait, there are no morals or ethics in real sports either!

PG/SG Charlie Bell – This pick was made because I think he has a chance to rush for over 1,000 yards. Especially with that offensive line. However, I don’t like the fact that he fumbles at least nine times a game. What, wrong Bell? Oops, sorry. How about double-digit scoring the last two months of the season? That’s enticing for a bench guy, right? He’s the Midwestern version of Leandro Barbosa.

There you have it, the boys I’ll be going to war with. I’m not totally happy about it, but at least I didn’t pull a Zeke and did something like draft Chris Taft with my fifth overall pick. I’ll keep you all updated on how the thrashing is going in this league as the season goes along.

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Paul Forrester – 6th pick
SI.com Editor

PG Gilbert Arenas – Just about the right spot for one of thge elite multi-categoryproducers in the league. His self-made Olympics snub should make for amonster season.

PG Jason Kidd – Was tempted to go big, but the temptation to pair Kidd's assists,threes and steal with Arenas was too strong to deny.

G/F Josh Smith – Upside, upside, upside. Really counting on those blocks, too,with big men becoming scarcer by the pick at this point.

PF David West – Quietly solid power forward who will rebound and shoot better than 50 percent, which should help offset the misses from Arenas and Kidd.

G/F Josh Howard – Read something that he was going to be a point forward thisseason, which should make the multi-category helper even more valuable. A glue guy.

C Joel Przybilla – Needed someone who might block a few shots. Here's to hopinghe finds the touch that made him a rich man a year ago.

F/C Chris Wilcox – Best guy left on the board -- in my opinion. A beats on theboards and a solid shooter.

SG Raja Bell – Centers are a crapshoot at this point, so why not go with a guywho will help score, hit three and get some steals? And if he wants to takeout Kobe Bryant again, who am i to complain?

C Rasho Nesterovic – Had to fill the last center spot with someone; why notroll the dice on the Raptors' new starter?

PF Kenyon Martin – A risk physically and mentally, but if he's motivated, youhave to like his work in the paint.

C Robert Swift – A prospecting pick, Swift has the goods to be a shot-blockingspecialist and he should get plenty of time in Seattle.

PG Jose Calderon – Hear that, T.J. Ford? That's the sound of vultures circlingover your every step.

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Jed Berger – 7th pick
Dime Magazine

First off, my draft strategy. I want solid players who won't kill me in anycategory. I don't care if I like the player or enjoy watching him play, Ijust care that he puts up the stat categories for which I draft him. I alsolike players who I know what I'm going to get. Of course I like projectingstats and picking sleepers as much as anyone, but there is a time and placefor that and it isn't with my first group of picks.

F/C Tim Duncan – With the 7th pick in the draft, I went with Duncan. And I actually took some heat for it. My decision came down to Wade, Brand, and Duncan. This isn't a keeper league and Duncan qualifies at center. As much as I love Wade, hedoesn't hit threes, and as I mentioned, this isn't a keeper league. If Brand qualified at center I probably would have drafted him, but he was only a PF. I know Duncan's stats have pretty consistently declined, but he's well rested, feels healthy, and is far and away the most balanced center in this game.

G/F Vince Carter – Honestly, he was the best player available. As long as he stays healthy, I get threes, major points, and some boards from the guard position. Vincealso averages over a steal a game. As I said before, I like knowing what I'm going to get and with Vince, as long as he's healthy (and he's been relatively healthy three straight seasons), you're getting great production.

SF Ron Artest – I'm a category guy and we know for a fact that Artest helps at a tough category – steals. Best case, the pre-suspension Ron shows up. That Ron was on his way to the best fantasy year of his life, even shooting it well from the charity stripe. Granted that was only about 7 games, but we all know Artest has that ability. Worst case? Artest gets me 2 steals a game, 18 points, over a three a game, almost a block a game, and the only place where he doesn't help me at all is percentages, where he doesn't shoot poorly enough to hurt me.

PG Jason Terry – If you have the right expectations for J.T., they Terry is a phenomenal fantasy player. He gives you good numbers at a ton of categories. Points, threes, steals, assists, FG%, and FT%. If you're drafting him as your point guard and relying on him for assists, you're screwed. He is part of the solution but he isn't the solution and I'm psyched to get him in the 4th round.

PG Tony Parker – I need assists in a bad way with most of the big assist guys gone. I also need a second center. I'm deciding between Tony Parker and Tyson Chandler. It's a tough call, and I'm not sure I made the right choice. Time will tell. I just don't 100 percent trust Chandler yet. I go with Parker who helps at the assists category, but isn't the final answer. I'm hoping he ups his assist numbers a little bit to 7, gets back to hitting a little more threes (he's dropped from 82 threes, to 62, to 43, to only 11 last year), and he continues scoring at an absurdly high FG%. Last year, Parker averaged an absurd 55% from the field.

F/C Nenad Krstic – This wasn't my strongest pick. Yes, Krstic is on the way up, yes he qualifies at forward and center, and yes he puts some points on the board. My squad is full of scorers though and what I needed was a shot blocker or rebounder at the five spot. Still, Krstic is a quality player and has legit value.

C Eddy Curry – Possibly a make-up pick for my last round pick. With Curry, Duncan, and Krstic I have legit flexibility at the power forward and center positions depending on my needs throughout the season. I still believe in Curry's abilities and think he'll become a better shot blocker and rebounder over time.

G/F Ricky Davis – I was fired up to get Ricky Buckets here. Ricky not only doesn't hurt you anywhere, but he's a huge plus in field goal percentage. I think I have enough to win field goal percentage and points, and give a run in steals and threes. Now I just can't lose any other categories.

PF Antonio McDyess – My steal pick of the draft. Nope, not kidding. Did you watch McDyess towards the end of last season? He was catching oops, blocking shots, and doing most of the things he was doing pre-knee injury but now with a face up jump shot. I know he doesn't have the explosiveness he used to have, but with Wallaceout of town, McDyess will play 25+ minutes a night and I'm expecting big block and board numbers.

PG/SG Delonte West – I'm a Celtics fan, so I figured why not. Delonte had significant value for a lot of last year and I still think he's the point guard on that team. I need a place to find some cheap numbers and West gives me that with threes, assists, and percentages.

PF Kenny Thomas – For a few weeks last season, Kenny Thomas was a guaranteed double-double. The problem is those were the same week that Shareef was sipping through a straw. If Thomas gets burn, he puts up great fantasy numbers for a powerforward.

SF/PF Tim Thomas – Threes at the forward spot are hard to come by, so Tim Thomas does have some value if he's dropping two to three triples a game. The Clippers are crowded though so we'll have to see.

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Steve “Dr. A” Alexander – 8th pick
Rotoworld.com

PG/SG Dwyane Wade – I was very happy to see Wade sitting there at No. 8. The hand injury concerns me slightly, but he usually plays through nagging injuries and even hit a trey in the preseason game I was watching while drafting.

F/C Mehmet Okur – I've been hyping Okur for awhile now so I put my money where my mouth was. I wish he blocked more shots, but with a 14-team league, I thought he would be gone when it was my turn in Round 3.

SF Carmelo Anthony – Anthony was great last year and I watched him in every FIBA WC game this summer. His confidence level is at an all-time high and I am looking for him to have a huge year.

SF/PF Antawn Jamison – I was surprised to see Jamison sitting there this late and for some reason, he's fallen in both industry drafts I've participated in thus far. I don't know why he's slipping, but I feel like with Wade, Okur, Melo and Jamison I've got a solid foundation. And Wade qualifies at PG in this league.

C Tyson Chandler – I kinda panicked and felt like I needed blocks, and I did. Chandler should be good for 10 pts, 10 boards and 2 blocks this year and was the best shot-blocking center left on the board in my opinion.

PG Andre Miller – I felt like I needed a point guard and he was the best available. His lack of threes always has him available late in drafts, but he's a solid fantasy point guard overall.

SF/PF Al Harrington – This was a computer auto-pick after I dumped a coke on my keyboard and missed three picks. Not sure how I did that, but I had Harrington in my queue with a few other players and that's who I got. I could have used another center or PG here, but I'm OK with Baby Al.

PG Brevin Knight – Another auto-pick, but I couldn't be happier with it. He's too good not to play and I needed assists. And yes, I know Raymond Felton is there, but Knight almost has to see 28 mpg.

PG Derek Fisher – Point guard problems solved. Fisher is a great sleeper pick this season and could even start at either guard spot in his new home in Utah.

F/C Theo Ratliff – I needed another center who could block shots. That is the definition of Theo and he appears to be healthy this year. If he starts over Kendrick Perkins in Boston, it's a bonus.

PG Earl Watson – I made it back to the draft for this one. I think he might start at point guard and I really feel like I got some nice PGs and Cs late in this draft. We'll see.

SF/PF Donyell Marshall – He's in fantastic shape and says he'll play more of an inside-outside game this year instead of just lingering around the 3-point line. In my opinion, was easily the best player available at this point and could be the steal of the draft.

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Rodd Polsky – 9th pick
PFS Writer

Pre-Draft Strategy: Heading into a 14-team Expert draft, my biggest concern was my position in the draft. I was much relieved to be drafting later in the first round, primarily due to position scarcity, namely the Center position. After all, with two Center slots, that means 28 total Centers will be chosen, at a minimum. And, because there are no utility positions, I knew there would be other positions available throughout the draft, but big men would dry up rather quickly.

F/C Chris Bosh – With the 9th pick, I quickly feel the pressure to take stat monster Andrei Kirilenko, but I stick to my strategy and take Bosh. I consider Yao Ming, but I’m hoping he somehow slips to 20.

F/C Jermaine O’Neal – Well, Yao goes 4 picks before mine, and Amare Stoudemire gets selected at 19. I felt the best center available was Jermaine O’Neal, and interestingly enough, my pick is followed up immediately by Mehmet Okur! Let the panic begin.

G/F Michael Redd – With a couple of big men locked up, I decided to go for some shooting with my next two picks. Michael Redd is the cornerstone of the Milwaukee offense and offers points, 3PM, and excellent percentages.

SF Peja Stojakovic – I was more than happy to select Peja here – more scoring, good percentages, 3PM, and a handful of rebounds. A nice complement to my big lineup.

G/F Corey Maggette – Ugh. I pulled the trigger too soon on a fringe player like Maggette. I have to hope that he gets 30+ minutes a night.

PG Sam Cassell – I needed a PG, and Cassell represented one of the better ones available. If I’m punting assists, I might as well get a PG that can score and make 3PM.

SF/PF Adam Morrison – I needed a PF, and rather than take a chance on a Marvin Williams or Kwame Brown, I decided to go with Morrison. The ‘stache is just too intriguing to pass up.

SG Larry Hughes – I can certainly understand Hughes dropping this far, but somebody on the Cavs roster has to step up. This is a speculative value pick, and a steal if he plays 70+ games.

G/F Hedo Turkoglu – Turkoglu offers enough potential that I would not mind putting him into the lineup in hopes of getting some points, rebounds, and 3PM. Good value for such a low pick.

SF Grant Hill – Another speculative value pick, and if Grant Hill lasts 60+ games, another steal.

G/F Josh Childress – Josh Childress showed a deft scoring touch last year, and if he can earn his 30 minutes a night, he will turn from fantasy mold into fantasy gold.

SF Jarvis Hayes – Jarvis Hayes has a chance to play 30 minutes a night in an offensive-oriented Washington lineup. With the big three getting most of the defensive attention, the 6-8 swingman has the potential for some nice fantasy numbers.

Best Picks – Bosh and Jermaine O’Neal with my first two picks helped cement my strategy. I wavered on selecting Yao Ming with my first pick, but felt that Bosh simply gets more playing time, allowing for more stats. I do not have to worry about filling my Center slots, and can now focus on guards and forwards.

Worst Pick – Corey Maggette in the fifth round. He is slated as a middle round pick, but I probably could have picked him two rounds later. His potential is very nice, but the Clippers signed Tim Thomas to a nice contract, so the minutes might not be there.

Sleeper Pick – Morrison, Hughes, Hill, and even Jarvis Hayes are all unknown elements. Hayes has the least expectations, so he would be my true sleeper, but I would not be surprised if one of the other three players has an impact fantasy season.

Overall – I’m happy with they way my draft went. In a Head to Head league, punting a category is not as catastrophic when compared to a rotisserie league. Remember, the goal here is to win 5 of 9 categories. I am not even going to bother competing in assists, but I have the versatility and depth to secure at least five categories in any given week.

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Dave Gawron – 10th pick
RotoCommando.com

PF Elton Brand – Got to the draft late, Yahoo picked this one. I was happy with it, though. It's nice getting 2.5 blocks per game in your pocket right off the bat.

F/C Amare Stoudemire – Yahoo picked this one, too. Not happy about it. I don't trust his injury recovery, plus I would have rather taken a top point guard like Kidd here to balance out brand.

PG Jameer Nelson – Stoudemire made me "reach" in the third round for the top remaining point guard for my purposes, providing some steals and threes.

C Chris Kaman – Here's another solid shot blocker that should improve upon his breakout ‘05-‘06 season.

SF Andres Nocioni – Yahoo requires one SF and one SG to be drafted, though I normally don't bother with the positions. Nocioni is the type of player that helps across the board – just the type I want when forced to draft a SF.

PG/SG B. Roy – Roy was the top SG-eligible in my opinion. I generally shy away from rooks, but I think Roy can do something special this year, and he'll give me some point guard type stats from the SG position.

PG Mo Williams – Can't have too many point guards, and Mo is another that provides steals and threes. I don't care if he splits time, I just need those stats, and he'll provide.

PG Jason Williams – Here's another steals and threes point guard that I can stash on my bench until he's healthy.

F/C Nene Hilario – Nene will serve as my third forward. He'll get 30 minutes per game with Camby and Martin around and more when they get hurt.

F/C Kendrick Perkins – Perkins can rotate in when he has four-game weeks, providing good blocks.

G/F Martell Webster – Martell is upside bench fodder. Who knows, maybe Roy will need time to get accustomed to the NBA, and Webster will start out strong.

SG Jamal Crawford – Shooting guard is the one position where I felt I should take a chance on a player that could really nail threes for me. Crawford could do just that.

Best Pick – Maurice and Jason Williams in Rounds 7 and 8 are two solid point guards who should certainly provide a good return on investment with picks No. 103 and 122.

Worst Pick – Well, I wasn't fond of Yahoo giving me Stoudemire in the second. I would have rather come away with Kidd and Villanueva than Amare and Jameer Nelson. Otherwise, I was happy with my picks.

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Mike Lynch – 11th pick
PFS Writer

SF/PF Andrei Kirilenko – Thought about a player like Paul Pierce here, but why grab an inferior LeBron when you can draft Inspector Gadget? AK-47 is a true freak and I'm more than willing to assume the injury risks for a guy who will definitely be a top 4 player if healthy.

G/F Tracy McGrady – The 18th overall pick doesn't seem like a bad place to grab the most talented player in the league. A guy who can shut down Dirk and Kobe and score, dish, and swish effortlessly. With Yao hurting again, T-Mac could explode this season. Last year was an aberration where everything went wrong for him personally and professionally. I better hope he can come back strong. If he does the dividends are obviously enormous.

PG Baron Davis – Wow. I'm developing a pattern – another extreme risk! In a league with 14 teams, I found it necessary to take some gambles. If he lasts through the year, he'll put up first round numbers in Nellie's system. However, that ‘if’ looms larger than Adonal Foyle's contract.

PG Stephon Marbury – I figured that this pick ought to lock up assists. I love Jameer, but I can't believe he goes before Baron and Steph here. Marbury clashed with Larry Brown, but Brown acted like an ass last year. Marbury is the only player in NBA history with career averages of 20 ppg and 8 apg. And Isiah loves him just the way he is. Less of a risk than Baron, but less upside as well since Baron could potentially lead the league in steals and threes.

PF Troy Murphy – I'm banking on him gaining center eligibility, which should happen since Nellie plans on starting Dunleavy at the 4 and Murph at the five. Murphy is a guaranteed 10 rebounds and will hit some threes – a poor man's Dirk in some ways. Except Murph will be the one eligible at the 5 this year. Plus, he's a lefty.

PF Zach Randolph – This pick made me want to violently heave. I’m a sucker for upside and a sucker for lefties, though. A lefty with Zach's upside? Forget about it. Essentially, I couldn’t pass up a guy that gets 20 and 10 in his sleep who also plays on a talentless team. Z-Bo is a huge risk and doesn't get blocks or steals, but I needed more size here and wasn't ready to gamble on a middling center.

G/F Mike Miller – I like this pick a lot more than my previous couple. Somebody is going to have to step up in Memphis and Miller is the best candidate. Eddie Jones is essentially finished as a day-in and day-out offensive threat. I look for Miller, Stoudamire, and Gay to lead the Grizz in scoring early.

PG Shammond Williams – OK, so here is the point in the draft where I got kicked out of the Yahoo Java Applet. Consequently, the remainder of my picks are guys I had placed in my queue as potential 12th round picks. Williams might hit a lot of threes if given playing time. But obviously should probably not be picked in any drafts whatsoever.

PG/SG Ronnie Brewer – Brewer is a very talented player, whose shot is iffy, but plays exceptional D. He's good enough to be an immediate factor in Utah, but Sloan prefers to bring rookies along slowly.

SF/PF Rudy Gay – This could actually be a nice pick. Memphis needs players to step up in Gasol's absence. Gay can do it all. He is not an exceptional passer, but he can block shots and score from anywhere on the floor.

PG/SG Dajuan Wagner – Shouldn't be drafted until he asserts a role on this team, but he has been impressive in camp. This guy is unstoppable if he's given permission to have no conscience on the floor.

SF/PF Gerald Green – Arguably the most talented player on the Celtics. Yes, that includes Paul Pierce. Unfortunately, minutes are far from guaranteed for him. Fortunately, he's most likely one Wally Szczerbiak injury away from a larger role.

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Tom Kessenich – 12th pick
Fantasy Sports Magazine

G/F Paul Pierce – Pierce is rock solid, has no durability issues and contributes across the board. He’s an underrated fantasy star who is a good anchor for my team.

PG Allen Iverson – I was hoping to get Yao or Paul here but I have no problems with AI. The FG% is a killer but Iverson can score in bunches and he should be a reliable option for assists and steals as well.

C Marcus Camby – He is a major durability risk but he was playing at an All-Star level when healthy last season. He’s a strong source for defensive production.

F/C Carlos Boozer – Another injury risk but worth the gamble in the fourth round. This is a guy who can put up 15-20 points per game and 10 rebounds a night. If he manages to stay healthy he’ll be a steal.

PF Chris Webber – His game is on the decline but it’s difficult to argue with his fantasy production. He averages 20 and 10 and a handful of assists per game. That’s pretty sweet for a PF.

PG T.J. Ford – A tremendous young talent whose game is on the rise. Away from the inept coaching of Terry Stotts and teamed with Chris Bosh, Ford is going to have a breakout season.

G/F Bobby Simmons – Quietly has become one of the best 3-point shooters in the league. Consistency is an issue but he’ll score around 15 points per game and I expect his rebounds to improve this season.

F/C Zaza Pachulia – Nothing flashy about this guy but he was the best No. 2 center on the board so I’ll take him. The lack of blocks is a concern but he was a decent source for steals last season.

PF Vladimir Radmanovic – A one-trick pony but in fantasy that one trick (3-point shooting) is a source of value. He should see plenty of open jumpers this season while on the court with Kobe.

SG Cuttino Mobley – Solid scorer who can be used during the season in case injury strikes. This isn’t a bad spot for him in an Experts draft.

F/C Dan Gadzuric – I don’t really like this guy as a player because he’s so horrible offensively and not a physical defender. But he’ll start at center for the Bucks while Bogut is out which gives him some value here.

PG Devin Harris – A big-time talent who may be a year or two away from being a major fantasy contributor. But the last pick in the draft is all about upside and Harris has plenty of that.

Best Pick – Webber in the fifth. He’s not a superstar by any means but getting 20-10-4 in the fifth round is outstanding value.

Worst Pick – Gadzuric was the best center on the board in the 11th round but he’s easily the worst player on my team. He simply isn’t very good but it was hard to pass on an early season starter at that spot in the draft.

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John Baker – 13th pick
PFS Writer

C Yao Ming – He scores, he boards, and he blocks shots. It’s nice to get one of the NBA's top two centers down the board at 13. I love his potential if new Reebok fixes his toe problem.

PG Steve Nash – Nash annually averages 10 assists and shoots for a high percentage. He scores when he wants to. Some say Arenas has passed him by – I don't buy it for a minute. Nash is the standard by which they are all measured.

F/C Ben Wallace – I add the league's best rebounder to help Yao in the middle. Though offensively a non-factor, he will continue to be the chairman of the boards in Chicago. I couldn't pass him up as inside guys were my priority.

SF/PF Charlie Villanueva – Perhaps a bit of a reach here, but I fully believe Charlie V. will flourish next to C Andrew Bogut. Versatility at both forward spots was also attractive here. Kid can board and score inside and out.

SG Richard Hamilton – I loved snagging Rip near the 70th spot. Still a very good player, Hamilton has worked hard on his lower body this offseason to keep his jump shot humming. He has a game that's hard to appreciate sometimes.

F/C Andrew Bogut – I love the versatility of the young Australian. The news that the Bucks will use him as a point-center just adds to that excitement. He will fill the points, rebounds and assist columns.

SG Bonzi Wells – A risk-reward pick here. Wells could start or be Houston's sixth man, but when given major minutes, he produces Barkley-type performances, racking up points and boards by the bushel.

SG Freddie Jones – Jones is a physical dynamo who was miscast in a tepid Indiana offense. The Raptors are gearing up to run which fits Jones' MO perfectly. Whether starting or coming off the bench, he'll produce Bonzi-like numbers.

PF Udonis Haslem – The ultimate garbage player, I was thrilled to get this rebounding machine so late. Again, he'll help with rebounds and steals, which is just fine.

PG Sebastian Telfair – A superior talent who is still young, Boston acquired him for a reason. He may not start early on, but he'll get long minutes to help his growth. Telfair is a quality depth pickup this late.

PG Shaun Livingston – Last time I looked, he was a pretty productive player for a playoff-caliber team. I couldn't resist nabbing this young talent, even with two other PGs on the team. He's got too much game to be drafted this late.

SF Darius Miles – One of the Blazers problem children, Miles offers statistical versatility. When he's right, he can put up points, rebounds, steals and assists in a hurry. If he's happy and dialed in, this is a steal in the 12th round.

Analysis: I was trying hard to go for versatility – guys who would probably get two position designations. I really like my three point guards and getting Nash and Yao, arguably the two best players at their positions, in the first two rounds. I think this team, though perhaps lacking some star power, has a nice blend of overall talent and statistic-specific guys. I really got excited to snag Bonzi and Jones back-to-back.

The Reach: Taking Charlie Villanueva two rounds before Andrew Bogut doesn't make a lot of sense to me now. At the time I was thinking "forward" at all costs, but probably could have made a better pick at that spot. I think Villanueva will have a very good year, but choosing him ahead of Bogut, I’m not sure that was prudent.

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Jordan Brenner – 14th pick
ESPN the Magazine

SG Ray Allen – I’m not really down with head-to-head formats, but no matter the style of league, Ray was clearly the best player on the board at this point. He owns all the scoring categories and holds his own elsewhere. No-brainer.

PG Chris Paul – Would’ve been another no-brainer, except for some reason, we can only start three guards, yet we’ve got to play two centers. Figure that one out. So I considered Yao Ming. But then I figured that would have been giving into The Man, whoever The Man may be in this case. So, I took the best PG left. Take that, Man.

C Brad Miller – OK, so The Man wins after all. Or does he? Yeah, I took a center, but look where I got him – 21 picks after Mehmet Okur and somehow later than the esteemed Jameer Nelson. I prefer shot-blockers at center, but Miller’s an all-around fantasy stud, and at a dwindling position that requires two guys, he’s got great value at this point.

PF Rasheed Wallace – The debate got pretty nasty inside my head. Ray Felton? Peja? Richard Jefferson? Then I realized I had two guards, so Felton went bye-bye. I don’t trust Peja’s health, and I’ve got Ray Allen, so I ditched him too. So, needing a forward anyway, it came down to Rasheed vs. Richard Jefferson, with Rasheed winning based on his shot-blocking and increased board potential with Big Ben gone.

F/C Emeka Okafor – Please fall, I kept saying. Please fall. And lo and behold, he did. Keep in mind, we draft two centers in this league. Keep in mind, the likes of Samuel Dalembert and Tyson Chandler have already been taken. Keep in mind, someone even drafted Eddie Jones. And here’s Okafor, averaging a double-double with 1.8 bpg over his two-year career, just sitting there. Yeah, works for me.

SF Caron Butler – I’d spent so much time worrying about Okafor that I wasn’t really prepared for this pick. Not that it mattered. Butler, Andre Miller, Steve Francis and Manu Ginobili were probably the best players on the board at this point. But a ton of guards were left, and I knew I could get a good one later in the draft. Meanwhile, I needed a forward, and Butler is solid in a variety of categories. So, welcome aboard.

PG Steve Francis – Now come on. I know Stevie looked lost in NYC last year, but so did everyone. That doesn’t mean he should be going 98th in anyone’s draft, especially after the likes of Nazr Mohammed. The Knicks might not win with a Francis/Marbury backcourt, but Isiah won’t slow them down like LB did, meaning they’ll both get their numbers. And if Francis, a perennial fantasy stud, even approaches 75 percent of his career numbers, he’s a steal here.

G/F Luol Deng – After drafting based on the past, I looked to the future. And I love what I see out of Luol Deng. He’s only scratched the surface of his talent, and he averaged 16.3 ppg and 8.1 rpg in the second half last year. He’ll average at least a block and a steal per game this year, with solid percentages to boot. He’s either my third starting forward or great trade bait.

PG Jamal Tinsley – This is called hedging. If Francis doesn’t work out, Tinsley’s a cheap source for steals and assists, especially of the Pacers really do run more. If he’s hurt again, who cares? It’s the 125th pick!

SF Mike Dunleavy (127) – If anyone’s going to unlock Dunleavy’s potential, it’s Don Nelson. The guy invented the “point-forward” position, and that role suits Dunleavy’s skills perfectly. In theory, he could be a major source of points, threes and assists. Or, he could be Mike Dunleavy. Considering there’s no risk here, I’m willing to bet on the former.

F/C Ike Diogu – I needed a backup center, and Ike is eligible there. Plus, he’s another guy who potentially could thrive in Nellie’s small-ball system. From a risk-reward perspective, I’m thrilled.

PG Jarrett Jack – Starting point guards always have value, since assists can be so hard to find. Jack’s got plenty of talent, and now he’s got the ball in Portland. If he gives me decent PG numbers, I can package him for an upgrade up front.

Fantasy Baseball Stretch Run

2006-08-07T00:09:00.000-04:00

So I'm in this Mixed Nuts expert league (MixedNutsLeague.com) with 18 teams competing. I've been between first and third all year but am currently in third. Leading in stolen bases (Juan Pierre and Dave Roberts) and saves (Chris Ray, Joe Borowski, and J.J. Putz) has been a huge part of my strategy. However, I now need HRs, Ws, and Ks. I recently studied the standings, sent out emails to all league members needing SBs and SVs, and am in the process of making deals. So far, I got Scott Olsen for Chris Ray. It looks like I'll be getting Andruw Jones and Cory Lidle for Juan Pierre and J.J. Putz. I'll post again soon to let you know how it goes.

Back from my Absence

2006-06-20T10:03:00.000-04:00

by Dave Gawron

I haven't posted here in a while, but it's not because I haven't wanted to. I've been busy. I write a free column every Thursday on TalentedMrRoto.com, previewing the MLB games of the day, so go there and check that out. I'm in four fantasy baseball leagues right now. One is a 5x5 roto team in an 18-team league in which I've been battling for first all year. The other three are h2h, one AL, one NL, and one mixed. I've learned some things which I'll share when I get the chance.

Football will be here before you know it, and you'll need to be prepared, so I'll see if I can get some schedule analysis materials here for you within the next month.

Until then, email me if you need any fantasy sports advice.

Early Scouting Perceptions

2006-04-06T19:57:00.000-04:00

by Seth Trachtman

Keeping with the theme of my previous article, the following is a look at some early scouting player perceptions less than a week into the season. My NCAA Tournament fever has transferred over to baseball...

Frank Thomas looks energized. Granted, his average is not so hot after three games, but who cares? He hit a monster home run in the first game of the season and hit the wall on Wednesday. More importantly, he is making good contact consistently and clearly seeing the ball well. If he stays healthy, we could be in for another 30 home run season. Of course, that is a huge if.

If you missed the Rafael Soriano boat on draft day, hopefully it is not too late to get onboard. He looks the exact same now that he did prior to Tommy John surgery, including a mid-90s fastball and devastating slider. Just a little reminder; Soriano posted an ERA below 2.00 as a setup man prior to the surgery.

Jeremy Bonderman certainly looked terrific during his first start, but it was the Royals. He was still making some mistake pitches, particularly in the first at-bat of the game after leadoff man David DeJesus fouled off some pitches. If the strikeout rate of 2004 returns, Bonderman could be a viable Cy Young candidate down the road. Though, he is still making young pitcher mistakes, and I am still not convinced that he is there yet.

I respect Jim Edmonds’ contribution more than most, but he is clearly declining at the plate. He chased more bad pitches during the first series of the season than I have seen him chase in a long time. That is a very quick judgment, but it looks like the decline from last season will continue. Does that mean you should cut bait? Absolutely not, as he should still be an above average fantasy outfielder.

Two starts, two Leo Mazzone fixer uppers that look terrible. It is difficult to draw conclusions with Horacio Ramirez’s start since he did leave hurt, but Jorge Sosa had no such excuse for his terrible start against San Francisco. Both pitchers have long played around the strike zone during their Braves careers and lived to tell about it. Just remember what happened to a similar pitcher, Damian Moss, after he left Mazzone’s watch.

Draft Perceptions

2006-03-28T22:21:00.000-05:00

by Seth Trachtman

The dream of winning the NCAA Tournament Bracket Pool has withered away for most of us, and draft season is well underway. Following two fantasy baseball drafts and many experts’ leagues to use as a benchmark, the undervalued and overvalued picks for 2006 are clear.

Undervalued

Eric Gagne, RP: Fantasy owners are scared off by the elbow injury from 2005. My contention with this is that he is no more or less an injury risk now than he was in 2004 or 2005. Remember, Gagne has had Tommy John surgery in the past, a much more serious elbow injury than the one he had last season. Before this year he was bar-none the top closer option available. The history of elbow problems was the exact reason why I never considered drafting Gagne for such a high price earlier in his career, and the same is the case with Mariano Rivera, Joe Nathan, Brad Lidge and Billy Wagner. Each has a history of arm injuries hardly different than that of Gagne. Though, now that Gagne is undervalued, I am getting the chance to draft him for the first time.

Todd Helton, 1B: Helton is still drafted highly but not high enough. Last season is a worst-case scenario for his potential performance. That worst-case scenario was still a .320-20-79 hitter that hit nearly .370 during the second half of the season. All signs point toward his back being healthy now (that was apparently a major hindrance last season), and he is still only 32-years-old. Last season was the first time in Helton’s career that he failed to play 150 games or reach 90 RBI. He has still hit at least .315 every year of his career, and a healthy back at least means a few more home runs and RBI. I would still take him before one-year performer Derrek Lee.

Greg Maddux, SP: We see this every year; old pitchers being undervalued. In Maddux’s case, he is in a clear decline. That said, he is still above average for all leagues. The K/9 is dropping, but Maddux’s BB/9 remains consistently outstanding. And his K/9 was the second highest that it has been last season since 2002. His streak of 15 wins ended last season. So what? He has still pitched at least 199 innings during each season of his career since 1988, and there is no reason that should change this year.

Overvalued

Bobby Jenks, RP: Jenks apparently showed up to camp overweight, to the chagrin of Ozzie Guillen. You’re surprised because…? His makeup has always come into question as a prospect, so showing up to camp 25 pounds heavier should not be all that surprising. Jenks was certainly impressive following his call-up late last season. Though, remember this is the same player that the Angels organization gave up on. This is the same player that could not get the ball over the plate early in his pro career. As recently as last season he struggled to avoid walks in Double-A. Calling former Blue Jays closer Cliff Politte, your potential role is ready.

Ryan Zimmerman, 3B: Since most people have hardly seen Zimmerman, and he has hardly seen pro ball himself, we chalk this overvalued pick up to the media hype machine. His defense has already been compared to Brooks Robinson, and the bat has taken off in spring training. I believe we will see another case in point of why spring training stats don’t matter here. Zimmerman has hit seven home runs, but he showed very little power in college and could really struggle to get the ball over the fence in RFK Stadium. Honestly, I am not convinced that his mediocre plate discipline is conducive to a .300 average in the majors either. Yet he went for $14 in the NL-only Tout Wars Experts League. He was similarly expensive in my local mixed league auction. Roto rule to live by: never pay big bucks for rookie hitters.

NBA Game Totals down the stretch

2006-03-24T14:20:00.000-05:00

by Matt Lawrence

There will be three fantasy periods left in the fantasy hoops season heading into next Monday's action. Seven teams play 14 times in that period, while the vast majority play 12 or 13. The Lakers play a league minimum 10 times in the final three weeks.

Teams with the most games: Atlanta, Indiana, New Jersey, Washington, Golden State, New Orleans and Phoenix. Note all go 4,4,6 except for the Suns will go 5,3,6

Middle-end players like Josh Childress, Zaza Pachulia, Jeff Foster, Anthony Johnson, Nenad Krstic, Antonio Daniels, Derek Fisher, Mike Dunleavy, Speedy Claxton, Rasual Butler, Leandro Barbosa and Tim Thomas are worthy options with the game heavy schedules.

CBS Sportsline Fantasy Baseball Experts Head-to-Head League Draft, Part 2

2006-03-15T12:47:00.000-05:00

by Dave Gawron

Hi again. I recently completed a CBS Sportsline Fantasy Baseball Experts Head-to-Head League Draft. Go here for all the rules and complete results and such...

http://www.sportsline.com/mlb/fantasy/story/9271751

Here's the rest of the draft (I reviewed my first ten picks a couple of days ago), plus a little strategy at the end...

10.08, Chad Cordero, RP, WAS

Cordero turned into an elite closer last season. He pitches in a pitchers' park for a team with good starting pitching but questionable offensive support, so he should get plenty of opportunities in 2006.

11.05, C.C. Sabathia, SP, CLE

I was considering C.C. along with Dan Haren and Noah Lowry here. I picked Sabathia because he's a bit more established, though he has worked the most innings of the three and is most likely to break down. Still, his track record gave him the nudge.

12.08, Dan Haren, SP, OAK

Hudson, Mulder, Zito, Harden... The A's always seem to have the next solid starting pitcher. To me, Haren is the latest in the line. He was solid in 2005 and could do even better this season.

13.05, Erik Bedard, SP, BAL

Bedard battled injury last year which led to control problems in the second half (after a REALLY nice first half). He's young with room for improvement, he's got a solid lineup behind him, and a great new pitching coach in Leo Mazzone. I believe that Mazzone will help Bedard this year like he did Jorge Sosa in Atlanta last year.

14.08, Derrick Turnbow, RP, MIL

Turnbow shocked the world last year, racking up saves and great supporting stats to go with them. Just because someone has done something only once doesn't mean that they won't be able to do it again. His ERA might get up towards 3.50 this year, but he should be a solid source of saves and points at the RP position in this league.

15.05, Jeff Weaver, SP, LAA

Weaver's ERA was inflated last year due to a few bad starts. He should get a little more support from the Angels offense than the Dodgers, so more wins could be in store.

16.08, Derek Lowe, SP, LAD

The National League agreed with Lowe last year and should do so again in 2006. He just needs to keep his control in check and keep inducing ground balls with that sinker of his.

17.05, Brian Fuentes, RP, COL

Fuentes skills support the fact that Coors has no effect on him, so expect another solid year. In this league, we can only use two relief pitchers, which I already had. However, I saw an opportunity here to grab who I felt was the last reliable closer. I can use him in case of an injury to one of my two starters, but more likely, I'll trade him to fill a need at some point in the season.

18.08, John Thomson, SP, ATL

Thomson is a really nice pick this year. His stats were awful last year, but before his injury problems, he was a sought after pitcher due to his nice skill set. He's definitely a target for me in all leagues this year, due to the fact that he'll blow away his 2005 stats and out-earn his draft position.

19.05, Tim Wakefield, SP, BOS

Wakey is just a safe pick here. He's streaky, so when he looks "on" for a few weeks, I'll use him. When he's cold, I'll sit him.

20.08, Bruce Chen, SP, BAL

Chen came into his own last year. He's my 8th starting pitcher, and we can only use five per week, so I figured I'd take a chance and see if Mazzone can keep him going well.

21.05, Brandon Claussen, SP, CIN

Like Chen, Claussen was really good down the stretch last season. He struggled with gopheritis early, but really controlled it down the stretch. If it looks like he can control it in 2006, I'll use him. If not, I'll cut him and try somebody else.

22.08, Anthony Reyes, SP, STL

Unfortunately, in this league, he'll likely be one of my first cuts, but there's no doubt in my mind that he'll pitch significantly good innings in the Cardinals' starting rotation this season. Ponson? Puh-leeze.

So here's a brief strategy summary for the standard CBS Sportslinf Head-to-Head Fantasy Baseball scoring system. Only 60 starting pitchers are needed weekly in this league (out of 150 in the majors). Fill your starting line-up first. When filling your starting line-up, it's all about total points early on. Run the scoring through your projections, come up with a solid list, and get those points. Try solid, proven (but not aging) players in the early rounds. As you move along, pay attention to the drop in points among positions. For example, when I grabbed Mauer, he was way ahead of remaining catchers (in this system) with just conservative projections. Grab all pitchers for reserver so you can rotate in two-start pitchers. Grab pitchers with potential (Bedard, Claussen) without reaching.

Stay tuned for Seth Trachtman and Matt Lawrence to work their way into our blog over the next few days.

CBS Sportsline Fantasy Baseball Experts Head-to-Head League Draft, Part 1

2006-03-12T23:20:00.000-05:00

by Dave Gawron

Howdy. I recently completed a CBS Sportsline Fantasy Baseball Experts Head-to-Head League Draft. Go here for all the rules and complete results and such...

http://www.sportsline.com/mlb/fantasy/story/9271751

Before I hit the sack today, I wanted to share my first ten picks and some thoughts behind the selections. Soon, I'll let you know how the rest of the draft went and give you advice, should you find yourself in a similar draft. Okay, here we go...

1.05, Mark Teixeira, 1B, TEX

There was really no contest here. He went .301-43-144 last year, is young, in a good lineup in a great ballpark. He should approximate those numbers again in 2006, but even if he falls a bit short, he'll still outscore the other available players like Abreu, Ortiz, and D. Lee in this system.

2.08, Andruw Jones, OF, ATL

I know he won't hit 50 home runs this year, but in this system, the big boppers are the ones that carry teams, so I'll take his consistent 40 HRs and 110 RBIs with potential for more. He's in his prime, so he could out-earn this draft slot.

3.05, Carlos Beltran, OF, NYM

I was debating between Beltran and Sheffield, but Beltran won. Sheff has a higher ceiling, but a lower basement. I think Beltran stays healthier this year, which immediately boosts his numbers. I also believe that having Delgado behind him in the lineup and just on the team in general will also help him out a great deal. He's still in his prime, so though I don't expect him to top 25 HRs or SBs, the potential is still there.

4.08, Rafael Furcal, SS, LA

After nabbing a 1B and 2 OFs, I steered my attention towards the infield. In order for the Dodgers to manufacture runs this year, Furcal will have to get on base and steal bases. He started slowly last year, but finished strong. I believe that he can stay strong all year this year. 28 is an age I like.

5.05, Carlos Delgado, 1B, NYM

Carlos is a masher that proved down the stretch last year that it doesn't matter which park he calls home. He's aging, and the nagging injuries seem to mount by the year, but 33 is by no means over the hill. True, his new home park isn't much better than his old one, but he's in the middle of a fearsome lineup, and he's a lock for at least 30 HRs and 100 RBI with a decent average to boot.

6.08, Jorge Cantu, 2B/3B, TB

I was thinking Ensberg here, but he was snagged a few picks earlier. The fact that Cantu doesn't walk at all hurts, but he's surrounded by good hitters in his lineup, he has mulitple position eligibility, and he's young, so he should at least come close to what he did last year. I'll take .280-25-90 from a second-baseman in Round 6.

7.05, Joe Mauer, C, MIN

After carefully considering my options here, I felt that between what's available now and who the next ranked player is by position, Mauer's gap to the next catchers was greater than the best available 2B/3B/OF and the next best available 2B/3B/OF. I guess I'm saying that I played the "position scarcity" card here. There are certainly other good catchers out there(Varitek, Posada, etc.) but just not as good as Mauer in this scoring system.

8.08, Pat Burrell, OF, PHI

Burrell started strong in 2005, then regressed, then finished strong. He's in a great home park surrounded by great hitters. He finished strong because he increased his walks and cut down on his Ks. If he can continue those trends in 2006, we could see a .300-40-120 year out of him. I'll take .280-30-90 in this draft slot, though.

9.05, Troy Glaus, 3B, TOR

Glaus does have a history of injury and a low batting average, which is why he lasted until Round 9. However, he toughed it through his 2005 injuries for a strong season. The hope here is that he can simply give me a repeat performance, though in that nice Toronto lineup, he could exceed his 2005 numbers and maybe even approach 40 HRs.

10.08, Chad Cordero, RP, WAS

Cordero turned into an elite closer last season. He pitches in a pitchers' park for a team with good starting pitching but questionable offensive support, so he should get plenty of opportunities in 2006.

Opening Day

2006-03-10T14:08:00.000-05:00

by Dave Gawron

Howdy! I'm setting up shop to provide you with the news and analysis you need to win your fantasy sports league. Friends like Seth Trachtman of RotoDraftKit.com and freelance sportswriter Matt Lawrence will drop by, too. Stay tuned for more info!