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The "All Pro Sports Football Series"

Friday, September 1, 2006 - 12:00 AM
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Fantasy Football: Piecing it together on draft day

By Jerry Faull
Seattle Times staff
I just had my first draft of the season during the early-morning hours of Thursday, so I thought I'd give you fantasy-football freaks out there a look at the team I put together.
To be honest, I must admit I've done numerous free online drafts in the past month or so, but Thursday was the first for a long-standing league that I actually care about.
It's a 12-team, one-keeper league (although owners aren't required to keep anyone) that starts one quarterback, one running back, a flex (running back or receiver), two receivers, a tight end, a defense and a kicker.
There were just five players kept: the Giants' Tiki Barber, Seahawks' Shaun Alexander, Chiefs' Larry Johnson, Chargers' LaDainian Tomlinson and Colts' Peyton Manning.
Here's how it went:
1st round: I had the fourth pick and used it to keep L.J.
2nd: WR Larry Fitzgerald, Cardinals: After watching the top-notch RBs go off the board and with a plan to get WRs in this round and the next anyway, I used the 21st pick on Fitzgerald after Chad Johnson and Terrell Owens went 19 and 20. I could have taken Torry Holt or Steve Smith, but couldn't turn down Fitzgerald's combination of size and youth.
3rd: WR Randy Moss, Raiders: Smith, Marvin Harrison, Holt and Anquan Boldin were gone when the 28th pick came up, so I took Moss to give me a pretty lethal receiving combo. Now I just had to hope there would be a solid RB or QB available for my next pick.
4th: RB Chester Taylor, Vikings: Things went my way when Minnesota's new RB was still undrafted. I had him as my 14th-ranked back, so felt making him the 23rd ball carrier (45th overall) to come off the board was stealing. Those who went before him whom I had ranked lower (in order): Kevin Jones, Warrick Dunn, Frank Gore, Reuben Droughns, Corey Dillon, Julius Jones and DeShaun Foster.
5th: QB Eli Manning, Giants: I wasn't married to the idea of taking a QB with pick 52, but after Tom Brady, Daunte Culpepper and Donovan McNabb were taken after my Taylor selection, Little Brother was the last signal-caller left from my top eight. So I grabbed him, not wanting to have to choose from the leavings with my next pick (69th).
6th: RB DeAngelo Williams, Panthers: Carolina starter Foster is as brittle as they come, so why not go with his rookie backup?
7th: RB Jamal Lewis, Ravens: Slipped so far that I just couldn't turn down the value.
8th: TE Ben Watson, Patriots: A young guy who had a great preseason in a spot I didn't feel was too much of a reach. And it's not too bad having Brady throwing to him, either.
9th: WR Matt Jones, Jaguars: His freakish talent could take the NFL by storm soon.
10th: RB Travis Henry, Titans: I think he's better and tougher than starter Chris Brown, who will surely miss time because of injury.
11th: QB David Carr, Texans: Addition of Eric Moulds should help former No. 1 overall pick improve.
12th: WR Chad Jackson, Patriots: Rookie receivers rarely do anything, so he'll probably just be a place-holder until another receiver busts out.
13th: QB Aaron Brooks, Raiders: I always feel better when I have three QBs, and the ex-Saint was the best one left.
14th: Bengals defense: I like ball-hawking defenses that are supported by explosive offenses. That way opponents are forced to take risks while trying to overcome big deficits.
15th: K Jeff Wilkins, Rams: The best-available approach here. I'll replace him in a second if someone better emerges.
Got questions about fantasy football? Send them to Jerry Faull: jfaull@seattletimes.com, or Jerry Faull, Seattle Times Sports, 1120 John St., Seattle, WA 98109. His look at fantasy football will appear each Friday during the season.
Copyright © 2006 The Seattle Times Company

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