Twitter Fantasy Football

Being part of the first ever Twitter Fantasy Football draft is a lot of fun and quite the honor. I'm really glad I was lucky enough to get in on it before it filled up. And even though it took a looooooooooong time to complete, the anticipation with each pick in each round was well worth the wait. Here's my team and why I took each player.

Round One: RB Adrian Peterson (Minn) Not a tough choice with the first overall pick. AP led the league in rushing last year, but I'm hoping he improves on his touchdown total. It would also help if he gets more involved in the passing game this year. The possible addition of Bret Favre could also boost Peterson's stats because opposing defenses will have to respect the passing game even more.

Round Two: WR Roddy White (Atl) Was hoping Andre Johnson would fall to me here, but he was taken one pick in front of me. (Durn you Cal Spears) So I took who I thought was the best receiver left. If Matt Ryan improves in his sophomore season, White's numbers should increase. He's also a new favorite of mine since he helped me win a championship last year after I drafted him in the seventh round.

Round Three: RB Joseph Addai (Ind) In hindsight, I might have wanted to take another receiver here, but Addai was my next rated RB. Despite the fact that the Colts drafted RB Donald Brown in the first round of the NFL Draft, I'm hoping Addai still gets the bulk of the carries.

Round Four: WR Chad Ochocinco (Cin) I like this pick a lot. I really think the departure of Housh and a healthy Carson Palmer will combine to increase the numbers for "8-5". And if what he's said in recent interviews comes true, he's going to come into the season with a better outlook and attitude. I'm crossing my fingers that he's not just blowing smoke.

Round Five: QB Donovan McNabb (Phil) VERY pleased with my starting QB. McNabb has a lot to prove this year and I think the new faces on offense will invigorate him even more. The additions of rookies WR Jeremy Maclin and RB LeSean McCoy may be enough to boost McNabb's numbers. Was pleased to get my target QB right where I'd hoped he would fall to me. Hoping he can stay healthy for another full season.

Round Six: RB Willie Parker (Pit)Not everyday you can say you got the starting tailback for the Super Bowl Champions in the sixth round. Parker may not score as much as I'd like but he's good for yardage, especially against Ohio teams...

Round Seven: WR Anthony Gonzalez (Ind) This could be a breakout year for Gonzo. Marvin Harrison is gone, so he becomes Peyton Manning's #2 WR. I was pleased to get him this late. The fact that he's a former Buckeye is a bonus! I'm such a homer.

Round Eight: QB Carson Palmer (Cin) As mentioned earlier, I'm hoping for a healthy Carson Palmer this year. But I'm also hoping I won't have to start him this year other than McNabb's bye week. Week 4 when McNabb gets his break, Palmer and the Bengals play the Browns so I should have a good matchup there.

Round Nine: WR Hakeem Nicks (NYG) Decided to go with a rookie (I am famous for having to have at least one rookie on any fantasy squad I've ever drafted) as my fourth WR. And with the Giants WR corp in flux due to the losses of Plaxico and Toomer, Nicks has a good chance to produce in his rookie season. Domenik Hixon and Steve Smith are reportedly entrenched as the starters, but the third receiver job is up for grabs with Nicks in contention with Sinorice Moss and Mario Manningham. A good value in Round 9 I think.

Round Ten: RB Laurence Maroney (NE) Had several RBs marked for this pick, but they all went bye bye in the half a dozen picks before mine, so I decided to take a chance on this former first rounder who struggled with injuries last year and didn't see much action. I don't think Fred Taylor will have the impact that other people predict and Sammy Morris is almost as injury-prone. As my fourth RB, Maroney is very easily waived if it looks like he won't produce.

Round Eleven: TE Zach Miller (Oak) Waited and waited for a TE because the value on them this year is extremely poor. Other than Witten, Gates, or Gonzalez, they all pretty much look the same to me. Miller and Jamarcus Russell have had plenty of time to get a feel for each other so there is potential here.

Round Twelve: DST Green Bay Packers Here's what I remember from last year: my better half seemed to score twenty plus points per week with her Packers defense! Between Will Blackmon returning punts and Charles Woodson and Nick Collins returning interceptions, it seemed like they racked up a huge amount of DST touchdowns. They've added some stud players in the draft and are poised to improve in other categories as well.

Round Thirteen: K Nick Folk (Dal) Darn it, I went and gone done it. I broke down here and grabbed the first kicker off of the board. I figured I was deep enough at QB, RB, and WR to go ahead and grab my last starter here in the 13th. Folk has been a solid scorer his first two years in the league, and I can't see that changing anytime soon.

Round Fourteen: WR Johnny Lee Higgins (Oak) Scored seven touchdowns last year (3 punt return) so even if he IS a Raider, he's still a great value this late in the draft. He's another reason they shouldn't have drafted Darrius Heyward-Bey ... they already had a speedster who could catch the deep ball and make big plays.

Round Fifteen: TE Brandon Pettigrew (Det) Told you I liked my rookies. Okay, so he's a rookie TE for the worst team in the league ..... I think he could put up numbers similar to Dustin Keller or John Carlson last year if given the chance.

Round Sixteen: QB Brady Quinn (Clev) Mr. Irrelevant! Last pick of the draft and I decided to take a third QB. Quinn could be a sleeper if Braylon Edwards quits putting so much pressure on himself and if rookie WR Brian Robiske is a fast learner.


Forecasted Starting Lineup

QB Donovan McNabb
RB Adrian Peterson
RB Joseph Addai
WR Roddy White
WR Chad Ochocinco
WR Anthony Gonzalez
TE Zach Miller
K Nick Folk
DST Packers





Favorite Pick: Ochocinco. I really believe he will bounce back and put up better numbers.

Second Guess Pick: Addai. Should I have taken Greg Jennings, Anquan Boldin, or Marques Colston instead and found a #2 RB in the fourth round?

Overview: I think I did well enough. My quarterbacks all have injury histories, but I'm optimistic that at least TWO can stay healthy this season. I've got solid RBs in Peterson, Addai, and Parker but they all need to get their touchdown totals up. If Donald Brown cuts into Addai's time too much I may have to use Parker as my #2 down the stretch.

My WRs aren't spectacular as such. White will hopefully improve on his TDs and Ochocinco will need to have a comeback year. Gonzalez hopefully will get a bigger share of the Colts offense this year. I'm not expecting a whole lot of points out of my tight ends, but one of them could surprise. And as far as my kicker and defense/special teams ... well, those are always a crap shoot .... even more than the skill positions.

For a twelve team league, I think I did a good job of drafting good depth at QB, RB, and WR. But I've got several players who had bad years last year and need to make comebacks: Addai, Ochocinco, Palmer, and Maroney.

The whole draft process was a lot of fun, even if it did take a couple of weeks to complete. I want to thank Mike Pera for organizing the whole thing and Mark Gram for coming up with the idea. Thanks to rest of my fellow drafters as well for your commentary and chatter on Twitter. I look forward to talking more with all of you throughout. Let's have a fun fantasy season!