In August, when we found out there was going to be a football season in 2011, I started posting FFPrep’s Draft Kit. It is a composite of analyst ranks from ESPN, SI, CBS, Yahoo etc. as well as our rankings. Among other statistics, the rankings also take in to account the team the player is on, the depth chart of the position, and the average draft position (ADP).
Among the successes of the Draft Kit were the rankings of Jimmy Graham, Peyton Manning, and Ray Rice. Some of our misses were Chris Johnson, Cam Newton, and A.J. Green. I think I had just been burned too many times on rookies that I decided to drop them in my rankings relative to other analyst ranks. Obviously injuries cannot be accounted for, so our rankings of Jamaal Charles and Andre Johnson were certainly off. The Draft Kit is meant to put you in the best position, in our opinion, for Week 1 of Fantasy Football.
After the draft, your team most likely had the key starters in place for most of the rest of the season (barring injury). That is when you turned to the Weekly Projections and Fantasy Football Tools to see who to start, and who is trending and may be worthy of a pick up. Momentum is one of the biggest factors week to week so riding a player like Denarius Moore or Demaryius Thomas is what would have separated you from the other managers in your league.
The Bye-Weeks always present a problem to managers. I always advocate drafting the best team possible and worry about the bye weeks later. Other people will tell you to take the bye in to account, so go with whatever you like. My reasoning is that, worst case scenario, your team all has a bye on the same week and you take a loss. If that 1 loss keeps you from the playoffs then your team wasn’t that strong to begin with.
I was in two leagues this season, a 10 team league and a 12 team league. The 10 team league, let’s call it party, had probably 3 serious managers and a bunch of rookies. I ended up with an absolutely stacked team and didn’t have to work much to go 12-1 and win the championship. The 12 team league was a different story. Nearly everyone in that league is a contender each season so it is much more competitive. I limped in to the playoffs, ending the season with two straight losses and an 8-5 record. I ended up winning that league as well, thanks to a big performance by Calvin Johnson and an unlikely starter in Kalil Bell.
I am not posting this to brag, but rather to give this website some credibility. I used FFPrep’s Draft Kit, Weekly Rankings, and Fantasy Football Tools and came away with 2 championships. Luck is a major part of fantasy, so all you can do is put out the best team with the best information you have at the time. That is what FFPrep is all about.
In January we will start posting some predictions on the NFL Draft in April. I will also be working on the beginnings of the 2012 Draft Kit. In June and July we will start regularly updating the draft kit in preparation for your August and early September drafts. So check back! We are also working on the Draft Pick Trade Analyzer so that you can account for Keepers in to your trades. Exciting stuff if you are a nerd like me…
Thank you for regularly reading FFPrep. Have a happy New Years and I wish you all the best in 2012.
