_________________________________________________________
IFFL 2009 Final Update
Ended up losing to the Green Bay Dynasty in the playoffs due to Peyton Manning going completely bonkers against the Jaguars. A real disappointing ending to what was one of my best regular seasons ever. The Dynasty went on to destroy the Bruney Broncos in the Championship. Congrats again John.
_________________________________________________________
FEXDA II Expert Dynasty League
I recently finished a 16 team dynasty auction league in which other contributors included guys from some pretty prominent fantasy websites. FantasyFootball.com, FantasyGuru, The Huddle, and others were all involved in a month long auction. It was a lot of fun and very excruciating all at the same time. The total cap amount was $400 in which to draft 42 players. 6 of these players had to be rookies. No more, no less. Here's my team and what I paid for each player:
| QB | Chad Henne | Mia | $31.00 | I like his chances to be a top 15 QB with Brandon Marshall arriving via Denver. |
| QB | Vince Young | Tenn | $12.00 | Should be a solid backup. Might have his best year yet statistically. Possible suspension for assault is irritating. |
| QB | Kerry Collins | Tenn | $1.00 | Grabbed him before VY's incident. Now am glad I did. Protects against a suspension. Good handcuff either way. |
| RB | Ray Rice | Bal | $80.00 | In a PPR league he should be well worth the price tag. |
| RB | Matt Forte | Chi | $42.00 | Had a sophomore slump in 2009. Hoping for a bounce back. |
| RB | Reggie Bush | NO | $17.00 | Not a bad price for a multi-dimensional RB#3. |
| RB | Javon Ringer | Tenn | $4.00 | If CJ holds out or gets injured, I could have a huge bargain. |
| RB | Willis McGahee | Bal | $4.00 | A $4 handcuff for my $80 franchise player. Viable as an emergency start too. |
| RB | Mike Bell | Phil | $2.00 | Could be a sleeper if LeSean McCoy stumbles in Philly.. |
| RB | Leonard Weaver | Phil | $1.00 | Not a sexy pick but was surprisingly productive in the Philly offense last year. |
| WR | Michael Crabtree | SF | $55.00 | Yeah I probably overpaid but I targeted him as THE WR I had to have. |
| WR | Kenny Britt | Tenn | $27.00 | Again, paid a steep price for a 2nd year WR. Should be worth it in the long run. |
| WR | Brandon LaFell* | Car | $7.00 | He has a great chance at winning starting job this year. He and Clausen may hook up for years. |
| WR | Mohamed Massaquoi | Cle | $6.00 | Another 2nd year WR who has a decent chance at being THE guy. |
| WR | Johnny Knox | Chi | $11.00 | Overpaid for him, but love him in a Mike Martz offense. |
| WR | Earl Bennett | Chi | $2.00 | Between him or Knox I should have a strong Chic WR. |
| WR | Brad Smith | NYJ | $1.00 | Purely a depth pick. Won't see enough action behind other Jet WRs to merit a start. Possible trade bait. |
| WR | Deon Butler | Sea | $1.00 | Could be Seattle's slot receiver. If not this year then next. |
| TE | Jermaine Gresham* | Cin | $7.00 | Good price for him I thought. Cincinnati's first real pass catching TE in years. |
| TE | Ben Watson | Cle | $1.00 | Won't be a fantasy stud, but like him as a spot starter if Gresham is slow to develop. |
| TE | Daniel Fells | Stl | $1.00 | Second year TE showed promise as a rookie. Possibly Sam Bradford's go-to guy? |
| PK | Connor Barth | TB | $1.00 | His three 50 yard FG day vs. Miami last year stood out for me. Can't beat the price. |
| PK | Josh Scobee | Jac | $1.00 | Needed another kicker. Got one. End of story here. |
| DE | Will Smith | NO | $5.00 | One of my favorite former Buckeyes. Paid a little too much for him, but I'm pleased. |
| DE | Matt Shaunessy | Oak | $1.00 | Won a starting spot in his rookie year. Improvement in 2010 a good probability. |
| DE | Carlos Dunlap* | Cin | $4.00 | Won't be a starter this year, but could be valuable down the road. |
| DE | Alex Carrington* | Buff | $2.00 | Another developmental rookie that I hope becomes a starter eventually. |
| LB | James Laurinitis | STL | $22.00 | Wanted him badly and overpaid for him, but he will be my IDP anchor for awhile. |
| LB | Rolando McClain* | Oak | $20.00 | Will be a starting LB for me (and the Raiders) hopefully for many MANY years. |
| LB | Demarcus Ware | Dal | $6.00 | Not a horrible price for a Pro Bowl sack machine LB. |
| LB | A.J. Hawk | GB | $3.00 | Another of my favorite Buckeyes. Not bad as my 4th LB. Needs to step up a bit. |
| LB | Tamba Hali | KC | $1.00 | Converted DE had 8.5 sacks last year. Hoping for more this year. |
| LB | Gerald Hayes | Ariz | $1.00 | Should benefit from the departure of Karlos Dansby. Statistically speaking that is. |
| CB | Vontae Davis | Mia | $2.00 | 2nd year CB has big play potential. Could be a longtime starter for me. |
| CB | Mike Jenkins | Dal | $1.00 | Had a solid sophomore season in 09. Looking for him to improve. |
| CB | Champ Bailey | Den | $1.00 | He's a bit long in the tooth, but the price was right. |
| S | Ed Reed | Bal | $1.00 | Perennial Pro-Bowler still has gas left in the tank despite injuries last year. I hope. |
| S | Michael Griffin | Tenn | $1.00 | Young safety that can make big plays. |
| S | Antrell Rolle | NYG | $1.00 | Should have a decent year for the Giants. |
| S | Taylor Mays* | SF | $8.00 | Has something to prove after being snubbed by Pete Carroll and the Seahawks. |
This was my first ever dynasty AUCTION draft. All other auctions I have ever participated in were one year only drafts. But my philosophy in auction drafts has always been the same: Be aggressive to get who you want, even if it means overpaying. Might sound reckless to some ... ok, maybe it is. But in my mind an auction league is an opportunity to fill a roster with players I like or want ... and their acquisition is totally in my own power. And on this roster I have many players I like and wanted going forward. For me that's what's really important. I'd rather lose with players I hand picked than lose with guys I was forced to settle for. I prefer winning with guys I targeted and got, rather than win with guys I had little faith in but took because they were the best available.
My first priority going into the auction was to nab a top five RB no matter what the cost. And since all the top backs came out fast and furious this was done fairly quickly. Ray Rice for $80.00 (20% of my total cap) was my first player acquired. I was pleased to be able to get him.
This being a dynasty league, one thing I told myself and was able to hold to .. I was NOT going to pay more than $1.00 for any player leaning towards the downside of his career. And to me that means a player with nine years or more in the NFL. I managed to almost avoid drafting these player altogether, but only paid $1.00 each for Kerry Collins, Champ Bailey, and Ed Reed. Abjective reached there.
Then I targeted six other specific players and said I would break the bank if necessary to get them. A goal I missed by one player unfortunately as Beanie Wells went way higher than I wanted to pay without completely destroying my chances at the other five. Those five were Chad Henne, Michael Crabtree, Kenny Britt, James Lauranitis, and Rolando McClain. I felt with these players plus Rice, I would have a solid nucleus to build my team around. I paid some major bucks for them.
Throughout the draft I targeted mainly young players. Guys with only a season or two under their belt. My WRs are probably the best example. I totally bypassed any of the top WRs like Reggie Wayne or Larry Fitzgerald and bid on guys like Crabtree, Britt, and Knox. Hoping that if they don't bloom this year, they'll hit their stride in year three of their careers. Crabtree, Britt, and Massaquoi should all be their team's #1 wideout this year ... and hopefully for many years to come. Out of the seven WRs I drafted I have one rookie, four second year guys, one third year player, and one fifth year WR. Now that's drafting youth!
Did I draft a team that can win it all this year? Well, probably not ...to be honest. But give it another year or two and I could have a very strong contender. And a lot of players I will look forward to watching.
