2008-2009 Fantasy Basketball Rotoworld Experts draft results

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

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

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

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

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

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