Industry Expert Draft Review

I have been on the lookout for some industry expert leagues to get into this season to represent FFChamps.com and FFLegend.com. I've found a couple of pretty good ones, and recently I took part in my first industry experts league draft of the year. I am competing in this particular league against 11 other fantasy football outlets, including pros from USA Today, CBS Sportsline, Pro Football Weekly, FFIndepth.com (the organizer of the league) and many others.

This league uses the same rules as the World Championship of Fantasy Football, most notably it's a point-per-reception (PPR) league. Our lineup consists of one quarterback, two running backs, three wide receivers, one tight end, one kicker, one team defense, and a flex position player (WR, TE, or RB).

I had the fifth overall pick, so after Maurice Jones-Drew went No. 1 (mistake!), Adrian Peterson went second, and Matt Forte went third, I was sitting on either Larry Fitzgerald Jr. or Andre Johnson with my pick. Remember, in PPR leagues like this, the popular strategy of taking a running back in the first round does not always apply. Well, as fate would have it, Fitz went No. 4 to PFW so I grabbed Johnson. (Yes, Beavis, that's what I said).

I employed the "do the opposite" strategy and ended up with a team I like a lot, including Johnson, Greg Jennings, and Peyton Manning with my first three picks, and three 1,000-yard rushers (Ryan Grant, Derrick Ward, and Thomas Jones) in my backfield.

For those of you unfamiliar with the "opposite" draft strategy, I invite you to check out the Fantasy Football University class on Fantasy Football Terminology at FFChamps.com. It's free to non-subscribers, like all of the FFU classes.

Here's how my team turned out, ordered by round:

1. Andre Johnson, WR, Texans
2. Greg Jennings, WR, Packers
3. Peyton Manning, QB, Colts
4. Ryan Grant, RB, Packers
5. Derrick Ward, RB, Buccaneers
6. Thomas Jones, RB, Jets
7. Bernard Berrian, WR, Vikings
8. John Carlson, TE, Seahawks
9. Percy Harvin, WR, Vikings
10. Eli Manning, QB, Giants
11. Minnesota Vikings Defense
12. Justin Gage, WR, Titans
13. Earnest Graham, RB, Buccaneers
14. Kevin Boss, TE, Giants
15. James Davis, RB, Browns
16. Jason Elam, K, Falcons
17. Rashad Jennings, RB, Jaguars
18. Ryan Longwell, K, Vikings

According to the FFChamps C3 cheat sheet for PPR leagues, I have the No. 2 quarterback, No. 2 and No. 6 wide receivers, No. 2 kicker, No. 2 team defense, and the No. 6 tight end. Waiting on running backs hurt my depth there, but I still wound up with three top-20 backs. I like my sleepers (Justin Gage and Kevin Boss) and I like Eli Manning's matchup (vs. Saints) on Peyton's bye week. Moreover, my two rookie running backs could surprise and I handcuffed Graham to Ward. I also don't have any bye week issues.

Here is my Week 1 Lineup:
QB - Peyton Manning
RB - Derrick Ward
RB - Ryan Grant
WR - Andre Johnson
WR - Greg Jennings
WR - Bernard Berrian
Flex - Thomas Jones
TE - John Carlson
K - Jason Elam
D - Vikings

All in all, I would say the draft was a success. Let me know what you think of my team.

The Case for Fitz

This past Sunday, Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald caught 10 passes for 151 yards against the Seahawks, but he failed to reach the end zone for the third time in his last four games. In spite of his recent scoring drought, Fitzgerald remains on pace to score 10 touchdowns this season and a solid case could be made that he warrants designation as the No. 1 wide receiver in fantasy football. I know his teammate, Anquan Boldin, has caught more touchdown passes this season, and I realize that the Texans Andre Johnson has him by 16 yards.  But I don't think many people realize the rarified air Fitz is on pace to reach if he continues at his current clip.

Specifically, Fitzgerald is on pace for 107 receptions, 1,502 yards, and 10 touchdowns. It would mark the third time in his six-year career that he has reached 100 receptions, 1,400 yards, and 10 touchdowns. 

That got me to wondering how rare it is for a receiver to reach that trio of milestones.  So I started doing some digging and I found that Marvin Harrison has done it four times, Jerry Rice did it three times, and Randy Moss has only done it once.  It took Harrison until he was 30 to reach those levels three times. It took Rice, arguably the best to ever play the game, until he was 33 to do it. Fitzgerald is 25. I can't find anyone else who turned the 100/1,400/10 trick three times before their 26th birthday. If you can, let me know.

Whether you play in a touchdown-only league, performance league, or PPR league, and especially if you play in a keeper league, I can't think of a wide receiver I would rather have on my fantasy team.  I know Boldin is hotter right now and Roddy White has been every bit as good as Fitz this season, but no one can compare to Larry's combination of skill, youth, stats, and consistency.  He will definitely be the No. 1 wide receiver in my rankings heading into next season.