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Maroney kicks off 2008 season
by Geoffrey Stein on May 16 2008
On Thursday, May 8, I was invited to participate in the expert mock draft for Lindy`s Sports Fantasy Football magazine that will be released later this summer.
Starting rosters were as simple as it gets with one QB, TE, K and team defense, two RBs and three WRs. Five bench players were also selected.
Scoring was also simple with four points for a passing TD, six points for all other scores, one point for every 10 rushing and receiving yards, one point for every 20 passing yards and most importantly, no point-per-reception.
Here is the team I drafted out of the No. 8 spot:
Round 1, Pick 8: RB Laurence Maroney, Patriots -- When PPR is taken out of the equation, the backend of the first-round gets more difficult. Maroney killed Fantasy Footballers last season, and added insult to injury by going off in New England`s last three regular season games and three playoff contests, rushing for 586 yards and seven touchdowns. I fully realize the potential negatives of this pick -- return of Sammy Morris and Maroney`s first 10 games of 2007 -- but couldn`t pass on the potential he offers.
Round 2, Pick 5: WR Reggie Wayne, Colts -- This was a tough spot as I didn`t like the crop of available RBs and taking a receiver in the second-round of a non-PPR draft isn`t always the best of moves. Since I took a gamble with my first-rounder, I wanted a sure-thing here, so I grabbed Wayne.
Round 3, Pick 8: RB Earnest Graham, Buccaneers -- I was surprised to get Graham at 32nd overall. He was a beast 2007 with 1,222 total yards and 10 TDs -- numbers put up with limited action in the season`s first five weeks. Entering 2008, he`s the undisputed starter in Tampa Bay with only Warrick Dunn -- who averaged 3.2 yards per carry last season -- mooching carries.
Round 4, Pick 5: QB Carson Palmer, Bengals -- For those who haven`t had a chance to draft this year, a little hint: the QB position gets very thin, very fast. One minute, you`re targeting Ben Roethlisberger, the next you`re welcoming Eli Manning to your starting roster. I wanted to sure things up with Palmer, who will approach 30 TDs with or without Chad Johnson.
Round 5, Pick 8: RB Thomas Jones, Jets -- The Jets really improved up-front this offseason and added veteran FB Tony Richardson -- the holes will be much larger for Jones in 2008. The 29-year-old wasn`t awful last year: he did rush for 1,119 yards.
Round 6, Pick 5: WR Hines Ward, Steelers -- Needing a No. 2 WR, I went with Ward, who has more value in a standard scoring league. He missed time in 2007, so his numbers weren`t as impressive; fully healthy, he`s good for another 900-plus yards and six touchdowns.
Round 7, Pick 8: TE Dallas Clark, Colts -- With Wayne and Clark in the fold, I`m hoping Peyton Manning drops back quite a bit in the red zone. Marvin Harrison`s unknown status from both an injury and legal standpoint means Clark may once again be Manning`s No. 2 target this upcoming season -- I`ll take it.
Round 8, Pick 5: WR Javon Walker, Raiders -- Obviously, Walker is a gamble, but I felt comfortable drafting him for two reasons: 1) It was the eighth-round; and 2) My other WRs, Wayne and Ward, are about as consistent as they come. I don`t need Walker to be anything more than my No. 3 wide out.
Round 9, Pick 8: WR Jabar Gaffney, Patriots -- Wes Welker works best in the slot, meaning Gaffney likely fills the void in the starting lineup left by the departure of Donte` Stallworth. The move to No. 2 wide out means the seventh-year pro will likely improve upon his five TDs of a season ago.
Round 10, Pick 5: RB Cedric Benson, Bears -- Chicago`s offensive line was horrible last season; Benson being bad, on top of that, didn`t help. The Bears don`t appear ready to give up on the 25-year-old back yet -- he could be starting behind an improved front-five. Well worth a 10th-round gamble.
Round 11, Pick 8: WR Isaac Bruce, 49ers -- His past success in Mike Martz` system will make him a prime target to whoever is throwing the passes in San Francisco. Bruce was a 1,000-yard receiver as recently as 2006.
Round 12, Pick 5: WR Ted Ginn Jr. , Dolphins -- Six WRs may be one too many for a 14-man roster, but Ginn`s big-play ability and status as a starter in Miami made him worth a late-round flier.
Round 13, Pick 8: Buffalo Bills Defense/Special Teams -- The addition of DT Marcus Stroud to the front-four will open lanes for DEs Aaron Schobel and Chris Kelsay to get to the quarterback. The linebacking corps and secondary is filled with young, talented players who are poised to take a step up in 2008.
Round 14, Pick 5: K Adam Vinatieri, Colts -- Without a doubt, the most intriguing storyline of the 2008 season: Can Adam Vinatieri regain the glory of seasons past?
Starting rosters were as simple as it gets with one QB, TE, K and team defense, two RBs and three WRs. Five bench players were also selected.
Scoring was also simple with four points for a passing TD, six points for all other scores, one point for every 10 rushing and receiving yards, one point for every 20 passing yards and most importantly, no point-per-reception.
Here is the team I drafted out of the No. 8 spot:
Round 1, Pick 8: RB Laurence Maroney, Patriots -- When PPR is taken out of the equation, the backend of the first-round gets more difficult. Maroney killed Fantasy Footballers last season, and added insult to injury by going off in New England`s last three regular season games and three playoff contests, rushing for 586 yards and seven touchdowns. I fully realize the potential negatives of this pick -- return of Sammy Morris and Maroney`s first 10 games of 2007 -- but couldn`t pass on the potential he offers.
Round 2, Pick 5: WR Reggie Wayne, Colts -- This was a tough spot as I didn`t like the crop of available RBs and taking a receiver in the second-round of a non-PPR draft isn`t always the best of moves. Since I took a gamble with my first-rounder, I wanted a sure-thing here, so I grabbed Wayne.
Round 3, Pick 8: RB Earnest Graham, Buccaneers -- I was surprised to get Graham at 32nd overall. He was a beast 2007 with 1,222 total yards and 10 TDs -- numbers put up with limited action in the season`s first five weeks. Entering 2008, he`s the undisputed starter in Tampa Bay with only Warrick Dunn -- who averaged 3.2 yards per carry last season -- mooching carries.
Round 4, Pick 5: QB Carson Palmer, Bengals -- For those who haven`t had a chance to draft this year, a little hint: the QB position gets very thin, very fast. One minute, you`re targeting Ben Roethlisberger, the next you`re welcoming Eli Manning to your starting roster. I wanted to sure things up with Palmer, who will approach 30 TDs with or without Chad Johnson.
Round 5, Pick 8: RB Thomas Jones, Jets -- The Jets really improved up-front this offseason and added veteran FB Tony Richardson -- the holes will be much larger for Jones in 2008. The 29-year-old wasn`t awful last year: he did rush for 1,119 yards.
Round 6, Pick 5: WR Hines Ward, Steelers -- Needing a No. 2 WR, I went with Ward, who has more value in a standard scoring league. He missed time in 2007, so his numbers weren`t as impressive; fully healthy, he`s good for another 900-plus yards and six touchdowns.
Round 7, Pick 8: TE Dallas Clark, Colts -- With Wayne and Clark in the fold, I`m hoping Peyton Manning drops back quite a bit in the red zone. Marvin Harrison`s unknown status from both an injury and legal standpoint means Clark may once again be Manning`s No. 2 target this upcoming season -- I`ll take it.
Round 8, Pick 5: WR Javon Walker, Raiders -- Obviously, Walker is a gamble, but I felt comfortable drafting him for two reasons: 1) It was the eighth-round; and 2) My other WRs, Wayne and Ward, are about as consistent as they come. I don`t need Walker to be anything more than my No. 3 wide out.
Round 9, Pick 8: WR Jabar Gaffney, Patriots -- Wes Welker works best in the slot, meaning Gaffney likely fills the void in the starting lineup left by the departure of Donte` Stallworth. The move to No. 2 wide out means the seventh-year pro will likely improve upon his five TDs of a season ago.
Round 10, Pick 5: RB Cedric Benson, Bears -- Chicago`s offensive line was horrible last season; Benson being bad, on top of that, didn`t help. The Bears don`t appear ready to give up on the 25-year-old back yet -- he could be starting behind an improved front-five. Well worth a 10th-round gamble.
Round 11, Pick 8: WR Isaac Bruce, 49ers -- His past success in Mike Martz` system will make him a prime target to whoever is throwing the passes in San Francisco. Bruce was a 1,000-yard receiver as recently as 2006.
Round 12, Pick 5: WR Ted Ginn Jr. , Dolphins -- Six WRs may be one too many for a 14-man roster, but Ginn`s big-play ability and status as a starter in Miami made him worth a late-round flier.
Round 13, Pick 8: Buffalo Bills Defense/Special Teams -- The addition of DT Marcus Stroud to the front-four will open lanes for DEs Aaron Schobel and Chris Kelsay to get to the quarterback. The linebacking corps and secondary is filled with young, talented players who are poised to take a step up in 2008.
Round 14, Pick 5: K Adam Vinatieri, Colts -- Without a doubt, the most intriguing storyline of the 2008 season: Can Adam Vinatieri regain the glory of seasons past?
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