What with tonight being the start of a new season for both the NFL and fantasy football geeks like myself, I decided to look back on a 10-man, 23-player-per-team league I took part in last year.
While drafting is probably the most fun part of a fantasy football league for most participants, it is only one aspect of managing a team for an entire season. A championship-caliber owner doesn’t just have to draft well, but he (or she) must make smart trades, know who to sit and start each week, and decide when it is the right time to drop or add a player. With such deep rosters in the league I am in, called “A Legend is Born,” the draft is something that shouldn’t be taken lightly because you must decide who the top 200 skill position players, 20 kickers and 20 defenses are going to be that year, as well as knowing the average draft position of said players and likely spot where they will be chosen at in this particular draft.
Drafts can go great for a team and result in a bench full of star-studded talent, but smart moves and luck must be in one’s corner to have a successful year as well. Take a look at my initial roster from 2009 and it is clear I was one of the teams who did not have a successful draft day. However, Brett Favre came out of retirement soon after our draft and I picked up the future hall-of-famer off the waiver wire for a glorious 453.08 points in the season. He outscored my second drafted quarterback Jake Delhomme by 302.48 points. Favre single-handedly saved my season and helped secure a third place finish for me. So what I am trying to say is that drafting is not everything in this game, but it certainly is something, and it is something we are going to break down and dissect to the smallest detail like a Cowboys preseason loss.
The following are the 10 teams who participated last year, the place they finished (with the difference between ninth and tenth place not available) and the players they selected with the total points scored in 2009. I have listed the players in order of their selection, so the first player on the team is the guy who was selected in round one, second guy is from round two, and so on and so forth. I also listed the teams in order of their draft pick, so Biscuits selected first in the draft and American Autopickers chose tenth.
Following the list, I will break down some trends that I noticed with certain teams.
Biscuits: 4th place
Adrian Peterson – 333.9
Clinton Portis – 77.1
Steve Slaton – 164.4
Jason Witten – 222
Antonio Gates – 255.7
LenDale White – 36.6
Vincent Jackson – 265.8
Jerricho Cotchery – 183.67
Kevin Walter – 128.7
David Garrard – 344.18
Baltimore Defense – 239
Joe Flacco – 340.62
NY Jets Defense – 281
David Akers – 166
Ryan Longwell – 155
Sammy Morris – 78.9
Ricky Williams – 259.5
Mark Bradley – 79.74
Visanthe Shiancoe – 178.6
Earl Bennett – 157.91
Shaun Hill – 84.22
Joe Nedney – 104
Buffalo Defense – 202
Total – 4,338.54
The Hardliners:
Michael Turner – 171.6
Brandon Jacobs – 153.9
Steve Smith (Car) – 219.4
Terrell Owens – 191.3
Thomas Jones – 270
Braylon Edwards – 140
Chad Ochocinco – 238.9
Carson Palmer – 327.06
Bernard Berrian – 141.67
Dustin Keller – 109.9
Kyle Orton – 369.18
Marc Bulger – 122.96
Jason Campbell – 348.82
Seattle Defense – 126
Fred Jackson – 323.08
Arizona Defense – 212
Nate Burleson – 181.68
Justin Fargas – 95.4
Tony Scheffler – 87.6
Matt Prater – 148
Keenan Burton – 50.3
Washington Defense - 153
Olindo Mare – 119
Total – 4,300.75
Convicts: 1st place
Maurice Jones-Drew – 350.57
Chris Johnson – 452.9
Reggie Wayne – 307.4
Philip Rivers – 430.66
T.J. Houshmandzadeh – 196.1
Dallas Clark – 286.7
Santana Moss – 187.47
DeSean Jackson – 319.8
Lance Moore – 41.3
Eli Manning – 376.84
Minnesota Defense – 212
Devin Hester – 177.46
New England Defense – 202
Chester Taylor – 128.7
Mason Crosby – 145
Tim Hightower – 211.6
Vernon Davis – 261.5
Hakeem Nicks – 169.87
Laurence Maroney – 167.2
Neil Rackers – 101
Fred Taylor – 55.6
Chase Coffman – 0
Juaquin Iglesias – 0
Total – 4,781.67
Slumdog Millionaire: 2nd place
Matt Forte – 226
Frank Gore – 306.6
Marion Barber – 182.3
Brandon Marshall – 294.9
Eddie Royal – 162.36
Anthony Gonzalez – 0
Matt Schaub – 500.5
Knowshon Moreno – 190
Percy Harvin – 300.57
Matt Hasselbeck – 281.56
Derrick Mason – 228
LeSean McCoy – 158.5
Daunte Culpepper – In UFL (no score available)
Ray Rice – 343.1
Jamal Lewis – Not in league (no score available)
Kevin Curtis – Not in league (no score available)
Chris Henry – Died during season (no score available)
Garrett Hartley – 38
Robbie Gould – 131
Jacksonville Defense – 63
Houston Defense – 169
Brandon Pettigrew – 76.6
Matthew Stafford – 213.98
Total – 3,865.97 (missing four scores)
Shockers: 7th place
Drew Brees – 496.92
Calvin Johnson – 211.7
Roddy White – 287.5
Wes Welker – 345.91
Tony Gonzalez – 205.7
Derrick Ward – 93.9
Matt Ryan – 299.04
Willie Parker – 55.3
Rashard Mendenhall – 221.43
Jeremy Shockey – 125.9
Chad Pennington – 32.72
Miami Defense – 145
Deion Branch – 99.9
Tampa Bay Defense – 137
Nick Folk – 105
Earnest Graham – 34.03
Heath Miller – 193.9
Josh Brown – 107.94
Atlanta Defense – 171
Correll Buckhalter – 139.46
Kerry Collins – 114
Oakland Defense – 108
Jamaal Charles – 330.37
Total – 4,061.62
Catfish Stunter: 5th place
Larry Fitzgerald – 297.2
Randy Moss – 314.4
Anquan Boldin – 222.6
Aaron Rodgers – 494.96
Darren McFadden – 81.2
Darren Sproles – 304.88
Jay Cutler – 373.94
Leon Washington – 88.93
Greg Olsen – 169.2
Pittsburgh Defense – 199
Jerious Norwood – 69.4
Donald Brown – 75.4
Ahmad Bradshaw – 167.17
Ted Ginn Jr. – 209.46
Green Bay Defense – 252
Jeremy Maclin – 171.78
Mark Sanchez – 204.36
Josh Morgan – 153.27
Johnnie Lee Higgins – 57.2
Kevin Faulk – 130.27
Lawrence Tynes – 144
Shayne Graham – 111
Sage Rosenfels – 0
Total – 4,291.62
Hundred Dollar Baby:
Andre Johnson – 354.9
Kurt Warner – 372.62
Dwayne Bowe – 132.9
Tony Romo – 449.32
Reggie Bush – 172.16
Larry Johnson – 82.1
Felix Jones – 161.59
Chris Cooley – 74.2
Matt Cassel – 260.36
Laveranues Coles – 126.33
Dallas Defense – 227
Steve Breaston – 163.47
Michael Crabtree – 120.5
Cedric Benson – 211.2
Le’Ron McClain – 66.25
Brady Quinn – 136.16
Indianapolis Defense – 176
Steve Smith (NYG) – 280
Matt Bryant – 38
Isaac Bruce – 46.6
Davone Bess – 175.82
Adam Vinatieri – 39
Darrius Heyward-Bey – 39
Total – 3,905.48
Chinese Cats: 8th place
DeAngelo Williams – 223.9
Steven Jackson – 265.8
Pierre Thomas – 198.77
Kevin Smith – 189.2
Antonio Bryant – 126
Donovan McNabb – 351.72
Hines Ward – 264.7
Donnie Avery – 136.17
Torry Holt – 124.2
John Carlson – 150.4
Tennessee Defense – 150
Trent Edwards – 99.36
San Diego Defense – 183
Kris Brown – 113
John Kasay – 116
Shonn Greene – 63
Chris Chambers – 154
Miles Austin – 321.26
Nate Washington – 141.4
Kevin Boss – 130.3
Rian Lindell – 132
Tyler Thigpen – 5.62
Cleveland Defense – 137
Total – 3,776.8
Moby D: 3rd place
Brian Westbrook – 82.5
LaDainian Tomlinson – 176.4
Greg Jennings – 222.3
Ryan Grant – 243
Joseph Addai – 248.78
Roy Williams – 140.6
Santonio Holmes – 245.8
Lee Evans – 147.2
Kellen Winslow – 202.1
Ben Roethlisberger – 426.82
Philadelphia Defense – 241
Jake Delhomme – 150.6
Carolina Defense – 222
Rob Bironas – 155
Jason Elam – Retired (no score available)
Willis McGahee – 166.9
Muhsin Muhammad – Retired (no score available)
T.J. Duckett – Released after season (no score available)
Brian Robiskie – 17.6
Brent Celek – 230.1
Pat White – 7.1
Jeff Reed – 143
Cincinnati Defense – 206
Total – 3,674.8 (missing three scores)
America’s Autopickers: 6th place
Tom Brady – 476.82
Peyton Manning – 500.2
Marques Colston – 238.4
Ronnie Brown – 145.48
Marshawn Lynch – 100.9
Jonathan Stewart – 232.33
Beanie Wells – 146.6
Owen Daniels – 124.9
Zach Miller (Oak) – 170.55
NY Giants Defense – 122
Chicago Defense – 137
Donald Driver – 221.4
Domenik Hixon – 179.83
Stephen Gostkowski – 152
Nate Kaeding – 167
Julius Jones – 151.5
Michael Jenkins – 119.5
Mark Clayton – 98.3
Anthony Fasano – 72.9
Sidney Rice – 285.2
JaMarcus Russell – 60.88
Phil Dawson – 82.9
San Francisco Defense – 273
Total – 4,259.59
The lowest total scored by drafted players was my own team, Moby D, at 3,674.8 points. However, I am lacking three players’ scores, so if you discount that then the lowest team with a full roster of scores would be Chinese Cats, who finished eighth with 3,776.8 points. Surely my three unknown scores would have equated to more than 102 points so that I didn’t finish with the worst draft. Right?
The highest scoring drafted team was first place Convicts at 4,781.67. A solid draft and keeping 14 of those original 23 players helped Convicts secure the championship in 2009, especially when those 14 players included Chris Johnson, Maurice Jones-Drew, Philip Rivers, Eli Manning, Reggie Wayne, DeSean Jackson, and Dallas Clark, and the average seasonal score of the Fabulous 14 was 268.84 points. It didn’t even hurt that his final two picks of the draft combined for a total of 0 points.
Something that has no pattern whatsoever but is fun to know, the two teams to keep the most players from their draft throughout the entire season were Shockers and The Hardliners with 16 of its original players, finishing seventh and either ninth or last.
Second place Slumdog Millionaire kept the least amount of its original drafted team, ending the season with only seven of his original players. You might think the pattern of keeping more of your original drafted players leads to a losing record, but Convicts kept his Fabulous 14 and won the league, so there goes that theory.
But Matt, what do all of these players and their point totals look like in context of the actual draft that took place a year ago? Well reader, I’m glad you asked, because below is the draft order round by round with all the teams, the players who were taken and their points. I will do a brief summary of the round giving my take of who got the most valuable pick and who got fleeced.
Keep in mind that just because you selected the player with the most points in a specific round doesn’t necessarily mean you had the best pick. This doesn’t take into account the players who were selected too early for where they could have gone had you waited a round or two (or three in some cases).
Round 1
Biscuits – Adrian Peterson – 333.9
The Hardliners – Michael Turner – 171.6
Convicts – Maurice Jones-Drew – 350.57
Slumdog Millionaire – Matt Forte – 226
Shockers – Drew Brees – 496.92
Catfish Stunter – Larry Fitzgerald – 297.2
Hundred Dollar Baby – Andre Johnson – 354.9
Chinese Cats – DeAngelo Williams – 223.9
Moby D – Brian Westbrook – 82.5
America’s Autopickers – Tom Brady – 476.82
Most Valuable Pick: Quarterbacks are certainly valuable in this league and taking Drew Brees with the fifth pick of the draft might not have been a bad idea for Shockers considering the point totals among some of the other players in round one.
Biggest Sucker: Without question that would be me. I took a chance on the main back in Philadelphia ignoring the signs of wear-and-tear on the man and I paid dearly for it.
Round 2
America’s Autopickers – Peyton Manning – 500.2
Moby D – LaDainian Tomlinson – 176.4
Chinese Cats – Steven Jackson – 265.8
Hundred Dollar Baby – Kurt Warner – 372.62
Catfish Stunter – Randy Moss – 314.4
Shockers – Calvin Johnson – 211.7
Slumdog Millionaire – Frank Gore – 306.6
Convicts – Chris Johnson – 452.9
The Hardliners – Brandon Jacobs – 153.9
Biscuits – Clinton Portis – 77.1
Most Valuable Pick: I know I just said in the previous round that quarterbacks were valuable in this league and taking Drew Brees was not a poor decision, but taking back-to-back quarterbacks like America’s Autopickers did I do not condone. He could have had his elite tier-one QB in Brady (or Manning since he had back-to-back selections and it wouldn’t have mattered) and then gone for one of the premier wide receivers or running backs that was still available at the time. But Manning certainly was the most valuable pick here.
Biggest Sucker: Biscuits may have had the no-brainer selection with the first pick of Adrian Peterson, but when it came time for him to actually choose for himself he did not produce. Portis, like my Westbrook selection in the previous round, was a gamble on an aging running back (sad when 28 years old is considered on the decline) and it didn’t pay off.
Round 3
Biscuits – Steve Slaton – 164.4
The Hardliners – Steve Smith (Car) – 219.4
Convicts – Reggie Wayne – 307.4
Slumdog Millionaire – Marion Barber – 182.3
Shockers – Roddy White – 287.5
Catfish Stunter – Anquan Boldin – 222.6
Hundred Dollar Baby – Dwayne Bowe – 132.9
Chinese Cats – Pierre Thomas – 198.77
Moby D – Greg Jennings – 222.3
America’s Autopickers – Marques Colston – 238.4
Most Valuable Pick: Convicts landed a great wide receiver who week-in and week-out gave him valuable points.
Biggest Sucker: Biscuits followed up his flop of a second-round pick with another bust. At this point, Biscuits had three running backs, two of which wouldn’t hit 175 for the season.
Round 4
America’s Autopickers – Ronnie Brown – 145.48
Moby D – Ryan Grant – 243
Chinese Cats – Kevin Smith – 189.2
Hundred Dollar Baby – Tony Romo – 449.32
Catfish Stunter – Aaron Rodgers – 494.96
Shockers – Wes Welker – 345.91
Slumdog Millionaire – Brandon Marshall – 294.9
Convicts – Philip Rivers – 430.66
The Hardliners – Terrell Owens – 191.3
Biscuits – Jason Witten – 222
Most Valuable Pick: With the top two quarterbacks and Tom Brady (bouncing back from surgery had many questioning his productivity that year) off the board, it was time for a rush on the next tier of QBs. Catfish Stunter landed the top thrower in round four.
Biggest Sucker: Since injury is something no one can predict, America’s Autopickers selection of Ronnie Brown wasn’t necessarily a “sucker pick,” but he certainly had the worst value in the round.
Round 5
Biscuits – Antonio Gates – 255.7
The Hardliners – Thomas Jones – 270
Convicts – T.J. Houshmandzadeh – 196.1
Slumdog Millionaire – Eddie Royal – 162.36
Shockers – Tony Gonzalez – 205.7
Catfish Stunter – Darren McFadden – 81.2
Hundred Dollar Baby – Reggie Bush – 172.16
Chinese Cats – Antonio Bryant – 126
Moby D – Joseph Addai – 248.78
America’s Autopickers – Marshawn Lynch – 100.9
Most Valuable Pick: The Hardliners made a good selection with Thomas Jones.
Biggest Sucker: Catfish Stunter cannot say the same about Darren McFadden.
Round 6
America’s Autopickers – Jonathan Stewart – 232.33
Moby D – Roy Williams – 140.6
Chinese Cats – Donovan McNabb – 351.72
Hundred Dollar Baby – Larry Johnson – 82.1
Catfish Stunter – Darren Sproles – 304.88
Shockers – Derrick Ward – 93.9
Slumdog Millionaire – Anthony Gonzalez – 0
Convicts – Dallas Clark – 286.7
The Hardliners – Braylon Edwards – 140
Biscuits – LenDale White – 36.6
Most Valuable Pick: Although Donovan McNabb scored the most points in this particular round, it is probably Catfish Stunter who gets the nod for best pick in Darren Sproles. Although, he maybe could have had him a round later and gotten even better value out of him, but who knows at this point.
Biggest Sucker: The zero points for Anthony Gonzalez was definitely the worst thing in this round, but because he should have been a solid pick in round six I will instead give Hundred Dollar Baby and Biscuits the tie because they should have known what they were getting into with Larry “My Best is Behind Me” Johnson and LenDale “I Get to Build a New Me” White.
Round 7
Biscuits – Vincent Jackson – 265.8
The Hardliners – Chad Ochocinco – 238.9
Convicts – Santana Moss – 187.47
Slumdog Millionaire – Matt Schaub – 500.5
Shockers – Matt Ryan – 299.04
Catfish Stunter – Jay Cutler – 373.94
Hundred Dollar Baby – Felix Jones – 161.59
Chinese Cats – Hines Ward – 264.7
Moby D – Santonio Holmes – 245.8
America’s Autopickers – Beanie Wells – 146.6
Most Valuable Pick: Amazing value out of Matt Schaub at this point in the draft. Bravo Slumdog Millionaire.
Biggest Sucker: Here is the first group of picks that didn’t have a season-ending injury to completely skew the numbers. So America’s Autopickers loses out with Beanie Wells.
Round 8
America’s Autopickers – Owen Daniels – 124.9
Moby D – Lee Evans – 147.2
Chinese Cats – Donnie Avery – 136.17
Hundred Dollar Baby – Chris Cooley – 74.2
Catfish Stunter – Leon Washington – 88.93
Shockers – Willie Parker – 55.3
Slumdog Millionaire – Knowshon Moreno – 190
Convicts – DeSean Jackson – 319.8
The Hardliners – Carson Palmer – 327.06
Biscuits – Jerricho Cotchery – 183.67
Most Valuable Pick: The only two shining picks in this round were DeSean Jackson (a steal) and Carson Palmer (about normal for a quarterback of his caliber). So the applause goes to Convicts.
Biggest Sucker: Shockers and Hundred Dollar Baby both missed in this round.
Round 9
Biscuits – Kevin Walter – 128.7
The Hardliners – Bernard Berrian – 141.67
Convicts – Lance Moore – 41.3
Slumdog Millionaire – Percy Harvin – 300.57
Shockers – Rashard Mendenhall – 221.43
Catfish Stunter – Greg Olsen – 169.2
Hundred Dollar Baby – Matt Cassel – 260.36
Chinese Cats – Torry Holt – 124.2
Moby D – Kellen Winslow – 202.1
America’s Autopickers – Zach Miller (Oak) – 170.55
Most Valuable Pick: Thanks to Brett Favre’s return, Slumdog Millionaire hit the jackpot. Without Favre this round would have sadly gone to Hundred Dollar Baby for Matt Cassel. Certainly a down round.
Biggest Sucker: With so many touchdowns thrown to multiple receivers, it is amazing Convicts didn’t get at least a little love with the New Orleans pass catcher.
Round 10
America’s Autpickers – NY Giants Defense – 122
Moby D – Ben Roethlisberger – 426.82
Chinese Cats – John Carlson – 150.4
Hundred Dollar Baby – Laveranues Coles – 126.33
Catfish Stunter – Pittsburgh Defense – 199
Shockers – Jeremy Shockey – 125.9
Slumdog Millionaire – Matt Hasselbeck – 281.56
Convicts – Eli Manning – 376.84
The Hardliners – Dustin Keller – 109.9
Biscuits – David Garrard – 344.18
Most Valuable Pick: There is no question that quarterbacks are valuable in this league when a spare like David Garrard can throw up 344 points and be a viable option each week. But I finally hit pay dirt with Ben “The Accused Rapist” Roethlisberger. Thanks for waiting until this year to get caught buddy.
Biggest Sucker: The Hardliners technically is the pick for this round, but what do you really expect from Dustin Keller. I could argue America’s Autopickers gets the award for taking the first defense off the board and it couldn’t crack 125 (the league average was 185).
Round 11
Biscuits – Baltimore Defense – 239
The Hardliners – Kyle Orton – 369.18
Convicts – Minnesota Defense – 212
Slumdog Millionaire – Derrick Mason – 228
Shockers – Chad Pennington – 32.72
Catfish Stunter – Jerious Norwood – 69.4
Hundred Dollar Baby – Dallas Defense – 227
Chinese Cats – Tennessee Defense – 150
Moby D – Philadelphia Defense – 241
America’s Autopickers – Chicago Defense – 137
Most Valuable Pick: Surprise, it’s another quarterback. The Hardliners gets props for selecting a QB in round 11 that got the same point total as one taken five round earlier.
Biggest Sucker: Shockers and Catfish Stunter get a pass here because America’s Autopickers follows up his crappy defensive selection with another crappy defensive selection.
Round 12
America’s Autopickers – Donald Driver – 221.4
Moby D – Jake Delhomme – 150.6
Chinese Cats – Trent Edwards – 99.36
Hundred Dollar Baby – Steve Breaston – 163.47
Catfish Stunter – Donald Brown – 75.4
Shockers – Miami Defense – 145
Slumdog Millionaire – LeSean McCoy – 158.5
Convicts – Devin Hester – 177.46
The Hardliners – Marc Bulger – 122.96
Biscuits – Joe Flacco – 340.62
Most Valuable Pick: America’s Autopickers redeems himself with the Donald Driver pick, but it is Biscuits that scores best with the Joe Flacco pickup.
Biggest Sucker: I’m giving this one to Chinese Cats for the Trent Edwards selection, because although Donald Brown scored fewer points, he was given much less of an opportunity to shine.
Round 13
Biscuits – NY Jets Defense – 281
The Hardliners – Jason Campbell – 348.82
Convicts – New England Defense – 202
Slumdog Millionaire – Daunte Culpepper – N/A
Shockers – Deion Branch – 99.9
Catfish Stunter – Ahmad Bradshaw – 167.17
Hundred Dollar Baby – Michael Crabtree – 120.5
Chinese Cats – San Diego Defense – 183
Moby D – Carolina Defense – 222
America’s Autopickers – Domenik Hixon – 179.83
Most Valuable Pick: Another solid QB performance found in the thirteenth round. Great selection from The Hardliners.
Biggest Sucker: Without knowing Culpepper’s final numbers, I am going to give this one to Shockers. However, I think Hundred Dollar Baby might deserve it more. That might be surprising considering Deion Branch scored less points than Crabtree and the 49er receiver’s points came in only the second half of the season due to a holdout, but Hundred Dollar Baby gets the honorable mention nod because he let Crabtree sit on his bench all season long and then traded him only days prior to him actually playing. While that is an in-season move that shouldn’t reflect the draft selecting awards, I have to mention it for wasting the roster spot.
Round 14
America’s Autopickers – Stephen Gostkowski – 152
Moby D – Rob Bironas – 155
Chinese Cats – Kris Brown – 113
Hundred Dollar Baby – Cedric Benson – 211.2
Catfish Stunter – Ted Ginn Jr. – 209.46
Shockers – Tampa Bay Defense – 137
Slumdog Millionaire – Ray Rice – 343.1
Convicts – Chester Taylor – 128.7
The Hardliners – Seattle Defense – 126
Biscuits – David Akers – 166
Most Valuable Pick: For picking up the guy in round 14 who this year is going somewhere between third and fifth overall, this one is most certainly a Slumdog Millionaire vote.
Biggest Sucker: There really isn’t a clear cut loser here. It is mostly defense and kicker selections. Hundred Dollar Baby and Catfish Stunter avoid being in this group with their solid selections.
Round 15
Biscuits – Ryan Longwell – 155
The Hardliners – Fred Jackson – 323.08
Convicts – Mason Crosby – 145
Slumdog Millionaire – Jamal Lewis – N/A
Shockers – Nick Folk – 105
Catfish Stunter – Green Bay Defense – 252
Hundred Dollar Baby – Le’Ron McClain – 66.25
Chinese Cats – John Kasay – 116
Moby D – Jason Elam – N/A
America’s Autopickers – Nate Kaeding – 167
Most Valuable Pick: Way to go Hardliners for picking a running back in the fifteenth round that could have the same value as one in the first or second round.
Biggest Sucker: With no score for Jamal Lewis or Jason Elam, I have to give this one to Hundred Dollar Baby.
Round 16
America’s Autopickers – Julius Jones – 151.5
Moby D – Willis McGahee – 166.9
Chinese Cats – Shonn Greene – 63
Hundred Dollar Baby – Brady Quinn – 136.16
Catfish Stunter – Jeremy Maclin – 171.78
Shockers – Earnest Graham – 34.03
Slumdog Millionaire – Kevin Curtis – N/A
Convicts – Tim Hightower – 211.6
The Hardliners – Arizona Defense – 212
Biscuits – Sammy Morris – 78.9
Most Valuable Pick: Convicts and The Hardliners win this round with their selections that netted more than 200 points each while everyone else was ranging from 30-170.
Biggest Sucker: Shockers and Chinese Cats both whiffed on their running backs in round 16.
Round 17
Biscuits – Ricky Williams – 259.5
The Hardliners – Nate Burleson – 181.68
Convicts – Vernon Davis – 261.5
Slumdog Millionaire – Chris Henry – N/A
Shockers – Heath Miller – 193.9
Catfish Stunter – Mark Sanchez – 204.36
Hundred Dollar Baby – Indianapolis Defense – 176
Chinese Cats – Chris Chambers – 154
Moby D – Muhsin Muhammad – N/A
America’s Autopickers – Michael Jenkins – 119.5
Most Valuable Pick: Biscuits and Convicts tied with their selections. Both got great value in this round.
Biggest Sucker: Since a player dying is not foreseeable, Slumdog Millionaire gets immunity. America’s Autopickers might get the vote for Michael Jenkins, but even without knowing his final score, I think I might deserve it for Muhsin Muhammad.
Round 18
America’s Autopickers – Mark Clayton – 98.3
Moby D – T.J. Duckett – N/A
Chinese Cats – Miles Austin – 321.26
Hundred Dollar Baby – Steve Smith (NYG) – 280
Catfish Stunter – Josh Morgan – 153.27
Shockers – Josh Brown – 107.94
Slumdog Millionaire – Garrett Hartley – 38
Convicts – Hakeem Nicks – 169.87
The Hardliners – Justin Fargas – 95.4
Biscuits – Mark Bradley – 79.74
Most Valuable Pick: Chinese Cats should be thanking Roy Williams for his injury. Otherwise he and every other Cowboy fan out there would not know the true greatness that is Miles Austin.
Biggest Sucker: Even for a kicker 38 points is terrible. Slumdog Millionaire wins (loses?) this round.
Round 19
Biscuits – Visanthe Shiancoe – 178.6
The Hardliners – Tony Scheffler – 87.6
Convicts – Laurence Maroney – 167.2
Slumdog Millionaire – Robbie Gould – 131
Shockers – Atlanta Defense – 171
Catfish Stunter – Johnnie Lee Higgins – 57.2
Hundred Dollar Baby – Matt Bryant – 38
Chinese Cats – Nate Washington – 141.4
Moby D – Brian Robiskie – 17.6
America’s Autopickers – Anthony Fasano – 72.9
Most Valuable Pick: Another benefactor of Favre’s un-retirement, Biscuits hit it big with a nineteenth round tight end.
Biggest Sucker: Without a doubt I am the culprit with a 17.6 point selection, but another 30-something total from a kicker gets Hundred Dollar Baby put in a corner (Wait, wrong movie reference).
Round 20
America’s Autopickers – Sidney Rice – 285.2
Moby D – Brent Celek – 230.1
Chinese Cats – Kevin Boss – 130.3
Hundred Dollar Baby – Isaac Bruce – 46.6
Catfish Stunter – Kevin Faulk – 130.27
Shockers – Correll Buckhalter – 139.46
Slumdog Millionaire – Jacksonville Defense – 63
Convicts – Neil Rackers – 101
The Hardliners – Matt Prater – 148
Biscuits – Earl Bennett – 157.91
Most Valuable Pick: For the second round in a row, a Favre clinger-oner has great value late in the draft. Way to autopick America’s Autopickers.
Biggest Sucker: Two poor selections in a row for Hundred Dollar Baby. Maybe you should have just pulled the plug and ended your misery (Aha! I knew I would come around to the right movie).
Round 21
Biscuits – Shaun Hill – 84.22
The Hardliners – Keenan Burton – 50.3
Convicts – Fred Taylor – 55.6
Slumdog Millionaire – Houston Defense – 169
Shockers – Kerry Collins – 114
Catfish Stunter – Lawrence Tynes – 144
Hundred Dollar Baby – Davone Bess – 175.82
Chinese Cats – Rian Lindell – 132
Moby D – Pat White – 7.1
America’s Autopickers – JaMarcus Russell – 60.88
Most Valuable Pick: Hundred Dollar Baby redeems himself with this round’s selection. Way to turn it around.
Biggest Sucker: A whopping 7.1 points is going to get me to the winner’s circle on this one. I happily dropped Pat White once Favre said he was a go.
Round 22
America’s Autopickers – Phil Dawson – 82.9
Moby D – Jeff Reed – 143
Chinese Cats – Tyler Thigpen – 5.62
Hundred Dollar Baby – Adam Vinatieri – 39
Catfish Stunter – Shayne Graham – 111
Shockers – Oakland Defense – 108
Slumdog Millionaire – Brandon Pettigrew – 76.6
Convicts – Chase Coffman – 0
The Hardliners – Washington Defense – 153
Biscuits – Joe Nedney – 104
Most Valuable Pick: Nothing really jumps out as the two best picks were a kicker and defense, but I guess The Hardliners and I deserve the wins.
Biggest Sucker: It is quite amazing that Convicts manhandled this league when he completely missed on his last two selections.
Round 23
Biscuits – Buffalo Defense – 202
The Hardliners – Olindo Mare – 119
Convicts – Juaquin Iglesias – 0
Slumdog Millionaire – Matthew Stafford – 213.98
Shockers – Jamaal Charles – 330.37
Catfish Stunter – Sage Rosenfels – 0
Hundred Dollar Baby – Darrius Heyward-Bey – 39
Chinese Cats – Cleveland Defense – 137
Moby D – Cincinnati Defense – 206
America’s Autopickers – San Francisco Defense – 273
Most Valuable Pick: Pick of the entire draft, Shockers hits a grand slam with Jamaal Charles in round 23.
Biggest Sucker: See same category in round 22. Catfish Stunter gets additional love for laying an egg.