Practice Drafts

[splinter9]

Anyone know of a site where I can go, and do a draft right now for free, instead of waiting hte week or so it takes on yahoo?

[JimBob2232]

antsports.com

[splinter9]

horrible site though, because you have to wait like 24 hours per pick - anywhere you know of that is live?

[drnykterstein]

myfantasyleague.com gives out free practice drafts

[R. Rich]

Yeah, I can't stand the 12 hr time limit Antsports gives you per pick, but it is a decent place to get your strategy together. Sometimes, it's just plain crazy what you can get away w/ there. For instance, here's one of my latest drafts from Antsports:

 

 

(Position/Player/Team/Round, Positon Picked/Bye Week)

 

QB Donovan McNabb PHI 2.10 6

QB Ben Roethlisberger PIT 13.01 4

RB LaDainian Tomlinson SDC 1.01 10

RB Chris Brown TEN 5.01 10

RB Fred Taylor JAC 7.01 7

RB Reuben Droughns CLE 12.10 4

WR Marvin Harrison IND 3.01 8

WR Brandon Stokley IND 8.10 8

WR Mark Clayton BAL 9.01 3

WR Braylon Edwards CLE 11.01 4

WR Keary Colbert CAR 15.01 7

WR Antwaan Randle El PIT 16.10 4

TE Jason Witten DAL 4.10 9

TE Marcus Pollard DET 14.10 3

PK Adam Vinatieri NEP 10.10 7

DT Baltimore Ravens BAL 6.10 3

 

 

Man, would I love to be in a league w/ people who let me get away w/ this!

[drnykterstein]

lol, mcnabb, tomlinson and harrison. yep your team would be kicking some serious butt.

[R. Rich]

lol, mcnabb, tomlinson and harrison. yep your team would be kicking some serious butt.

384304[/snapback]

 

Not only those 3 picks, which are just ridiculous, but also to get Vinatieri as my kicker, the Ravens' defense, Witten as my TE, and to be able to get guys like Chris Brown, Reuben Droughns, Marcus Pollard, Antwaan Randle El, Brandon Stokley, and Ben Roethlisberger as backups? Damn!

[ExWNYer]

Yeah, I can't stand the 12 hr time limit Antsports gives you per pick, but it is a decent place to get your strategy together. Sometimes, it's just plain crazy what you can get away w/ there.  For instance, here's one of my latest drafts from Antsports:

(Position/Player/Team/Round, Positon Picked/Bye Week)

 

QB Donovan McNabb PHI 2.10  6 

QB Ben Roethlisberger PIT 13.01  4 

RB LaDainian Tomlinson SDC 1.01  10 

RB Chris Brown TEN 5.01  10 

RB Fred Taylor JAC 7.01  7 

RB Reuben Droughns CLE 12.10  4 

WR Marvin Harrison IND 3.01  8 

WR Brandon Stokley IND 8.10  8 

WR Mark Clayton BAL 9.01  3 

WR Braylon Edwards CLE 11.01  4 

WR Keary Colbert CAR 15.01  7 

WR Antwaan Randle El PIT 16.10  4 

TE Jason Witten DAL 4.10  9 

TE Marcus Pollard DET 14.10  3 

PK Adam Vinatieri NEP 10.10  7 

DT Baltimore Ravens BAL 6.10  3 

 

 

Man, would I love to be in a league w/ people who let me get away w/ this!

384285[/snapback]

 

You're in enough freakin' leagues that you just may get the chance...just not in any that you're in with me.

[JimBob2232]

QB Donovan McNabb PHI 2.10 6

QB Ben Roethlisberger PIT 13.01 4

RB LaDainian Tomlinson SDC 1.01 10

RB Chris Brown TEN 5.01 10

RB Fred Taylor JAC 7.01 7

RB Reuben Droughns CLE 12.10 4

WR Marvin Harrison IND 3.01 8

WR Brandon Stokley IND 8.10 8

WR Mark Clayton BAL 9.01 3

WR Braylon Edwards CLE 11.01 4

WR Keary Colbert CAR 15.01 7

WR Antwaan Randle El PIT 16.10 4

TE Jason Witten DAL 4.10 9

TE Marcus Pollard DET 14.10 3

PK Adam Vinatieri NEP 10.10 7

DT Baltimore Ravens BAL 6.10 3

 

The problem is (and the reason you got all these guys) is that you have no RBs worth anything. LT is awsome. No doubt. but Taylor is skeptical with injuries. Brown will be sharing time (at best) with Travis Henry. Droughns might be okay, but Suggs could take time away. While you were picking McNabb and Harrison, they were shoring up their running game with the Ahman Green, Tiki Barber, Kevin Jones, Rudi Johnson and Julius Jones. Thats usually the way to go. McNabb is good, but he isnt much better than Trent Green in the 4th or 5th round. Harrison can wait, take an andre Johnson or Javon walker later on. Whitten in the 4th round is a bit early.

 

BUT...your team looks good. You just need to find one solid RB. See if Lebrandon Toefield is available. He is my sleeper this year.

[OnTheRocks]

Antsports isn't so bad if you log in and sign up for a SMD practice draft.

SMD = Serious Mock Draft. The timer is set at 8 hours however is turned off overnight. There are some minor requirements to get logged into the SMD but they are still free and typically move a little faster than the other Mock Drafts.

[R. Rich]

The problem is (and the reason you got all these guys) is that you have no RBs worth anything.  LT is awsome.  No doubt.  but Taylor is skeptical with injuries.  Brown will be sharing time (at best) with Travis Henry.  Droughns might be okay, but Suggs could take time away.  While you were picking McNabb and Harrison, they were shoring up their running game with the Ahman Green, Tiki Barber, Kevin Jones, Rudi Johnson and Julius Jones.  Thats usually the way to go.  McNabb is good, but he isnt much better than Trent Green in the 4th or 5th round.  Harrison can wait, take an andre Johnson or Javon walker later on.  Whitten in the 4th round is a bit early.

 

BUT...your team looks good.  You just need to find one solid RB.  See if Lebrandon Toefield is available.  He is my sleeper this year.

385576[/snapback]

 

 

That's what I always love about fantasy drafts: people who go RB crazy. Last year, in one of my Yahoo! league, it allowed me to draft Randy Moss in the first (as I had the 7th pick and most of the top RBs were taken) and then take Manning in the 2nd round. I decided to go after top point scorers instead of just drafting RBs for the sake of drafting RBs. So what happened? I ended up getting some RBs late that weren't the best stat guys: Emmitt Smith, who contributed about 900 yards and 9 TDs for me, and some other broken down guy, Curtis Martin, who led the league in rushing. I also picked up Nick Goings during the season. By doing so, my team finished in 1st place.

 

This was draft a mock draft; not one to stock a team. If it were, I'd love my chances w/ a team that has this many top scorers on it.

[JimBob2232]

That's what I always love about fantasy drafts: people who go RB crazy. Last year, in one of my Yahoo! league, it allowed me to draft Randy Moss in the first (as I had the 7th pick and most of the top RBs were taken) and then take Manning in the 2nd round. I decided to go after top point scorers instead of just drafting RBs for the sake of drafting RBs. So what happened? I ended up getting some RBs late that weren't the best stat guys: Emmitt Smith, who contributed about 900 yards and 9 TDs for me, and some other broken down guy, Curtis Martin, who led the league in rushing. I also picked up Nick Goings during the season. By doing so, my team finished in 1st place.

 

This was draft a mock draft; not one to stock a team. If it were, I'd love my chances w/ a team that has this many top scorers on it.

 

The problem is...yes randy moss is good...and he is a top scorer...seventh overall...maybe you take him. But he is not that much better than (lets say..) lee evans, who you can get in the 5th round. Point is that in a typical league there are 10-12 teams, each starting 2 RBs a week. That is 20-24 RBs right there. That leaves only 8 available starting RBs as backups. Then you get into teams like Cleveland, Tennessee, Jacksonville, Tampa and others whose RB situation is up in the air. The reason there is a run on RBs is that there are only 20-25 RBs that are suitable as starters. If you dont get your 2nd RB early, you are stuck with a travis henry or Lee Suggs, or if you are really lucky, you can grab the guy who takes over when someone gets hurt. If you dont, you get virtually no production out of your #2 RB slot. You can always pick up a WR or QB who will put up SOME numbers, but its near impossible to find a RB who will.

 

If you are in a league where you can get a curtis martin in the late rounds...You better win that league! That is insane. he shold be a round 2 pick. Round 3 at the VERY latest.

[R. Rich]

The problem is...yes randy moss is good...and he is a top scorer...seventh overall...maybe you take him.  But he is not that much better than (lets say..) lee evans, who you can get in the 5th round.  Point is that in a typical league there are 10-12 teams, each starting 2 RBs a week.  That is 20-24 RBs right there.  That leaves only 8 available starting RBs as backups.  Then you get into teams like Cleveland, Tennessee, Jacksonville, Tampa and others whose RB situation is up in the air.  The reason there is a run on RBs is that there are only 20-25 RBs that are suitable as starters.  If you dont get your 2nd RB early, you are stuck with  a travis henry or Lee Suggs, or if you are really lucky, you can grab the guy who takes over when someone gets hurt.  If you dont, you get virtually no production out of your #2 RB slot.  You can always pick up a WR or QB who will put up SOME numbers, but its near impossible to find a RB who will. 

 

If you are in a league where you can get a curtis martin in the late rounds...You better win that league!  That is insane.  he shold be a round 2 pick.  Round 3 at the VERY latest.

389764[/snapback]

 

 

I do like to have stability in my RBs, but, as I said before, I do NOT draft RBs just for the sake of drafting them. If I have the 7th pick in the draft and the top RBs are off the board, I will not take Domanick Davis over Peyton Manning or Moss or Marvin Harrison, as I use my top pick on the best scorer I can get. Now, if I can get a stable RB w/ my 2nd pick and there's no QB or WR that scores as well, I take him. It works for me, just as I'm sure your strategy works for you. I never worry that much about the RBs, as I can usually supplement my RBs well in free agency (as I did last year w/ Goings), since there's always going to be someone who comes out of nowhere to peform well, or someone who fills in and does a good job due to an injury.

 

To each his own.

[JimBob2232]

You really have to be on top of your game to catch a guy like goings. I did the same last year. I had fred taylor and ahman green. Both struggled mightily last year, and even with Goings, I suffered.

 

I agree, you cant really pass up a manning or a moss. But you NEED to take a RB with 2 of your top 3 picks. You really dont have much choice if you want to compete. You can roll the dice and hope you can grab a goings in FA...but by the end of the draft alot of backups even are taken (see Larry Johnson, Lebrandon Toefield, Davenport etc.). So you really have to wait for a Tomilson or McGahee or someone who has been healthy with a little known backup to get hurt to score big with a FA RB. For my money, ill take a manning in the first round, because he IS that much better than the #2 QB (McNabb or Cullpepper)...but if I do, its in the later stages of round 1, and I will turn around and grab a dominick davis, Tiki Barber, Jamal Lewis or Corey Dillion with my 2nd pick and i will have to turn around with my third pick and take a steven jackson, lamont jordan or Curtis Martin. I think you just have to do it. Especially in a league with 10+ teams.

 

Now Randy Moss and Marvin Harrison...Yes they are good recievers. With the right scoring setup, they might be first rounders. But I would rather wait. Take that valuable running back, and then spend my top 3 non-rb pick on a chad johnson or Joe horn. Heck you can even wait and pick up a guy like Roy williams in the 4th or 5th. I am seeing drafts where lee evans and plexico burress go in the 8th round! If Evans picks up where he left off 1200 yards and 12 TDs is not unreasonable. Moss will have better numbers than that...but not a whole lot better. Point is, you can get good value in WR late in the draft. Spend those early picks on RBs unless a guy really falls.

 

EDIT: Actually...I think im going to try something in one of my drafts this year (or at least some mock drafts). I am going to hold off on RB. Im going to grab a manning, TO/Harrison Tony Gonzalez etc. in my first few rounds. Then starting in about round 5 or 6 start taking a bunch of RBs hoping to strike gold. It will be an interesting experiment. I can maybe get Larry Johnson, Davenport, JJ Arrington, Toefield, any one of the Denver RBs. Maybe a travis henry or chris brown... Could be interesting. Might work actually.

[JimBob2232]

EDIT: Actually...I think im going to try something in one of my drafts this year (or at least some mock drafts). I am going to hold off on RB. Im going to grab a manning, TO/Harrison Tony Gonzalez etc. in my first few rounds. Then starting in about round 5 or 6 start taking a bunch of RBs hoping to strike gold. It will be an interesting experiment. I can maybe get Larry Johnson, Davenport, JJ Arrington, Toefield, any one of the Denver RBs. Maybe a travis henry or chris brown... Could be interesting. Might work actually.

 

Well, tried it...let me know what you think...

 

QB Peyton Manning IND 1.10 8

QB Drew Bledsoe DAL 14.03 9

RB Carnell Williams TBB 4.03 7

RB Larry Johnson KCC 5.10 5

RB Travis Henry TEN 6.03 10

RB Labrandon Toefield JAC 10.03 7

RB Stephen Davis CAR 11.10 7

RB Dominic Rhodes IND 12.03 8

WR Marvin Harrison IND 2.03 8

WR Derrick Mason BAL 7.10 3

WR Isaac Bruce STL 8.03 9

WR Eddie Kennison KCC 9.10 5

WR David Givens NEP 15.10 7

TE Antonio Gates SDC 3.10 10

PK Ryan Longwell GBP 16.03 6

DT Washington Redskins WAS 13.10 3

 

I think this is close to genius. The risk is that of the 6 RBs i have, i only get one (or NO) starters. And you know henry, johnson and davis will produce. Lightning in a bottle. I like the rest of the team though.

 

Note: for the purposes of this discussion, forget that i have both harrison and manning...it was a mistake on my part. I could have (and should have) taken Terrell Owens instead.