Fantasy update: RF365 draft first round results

By Hugo Guzman  |   Wednesday, August 23, 2006  |  Comments( 3 )

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It's late August, and we are smack dab in the middle of fantasy football draft hysteria, so I am going to take this opportunity to go over each individual pick in the Realfootball365.com writers' league. There were a few mild surprises here and there, but the for the most part, all the typical blue-chip players were selected:

Round One
- The first overall pick belonged to senior NFL writer Connor Byrne. He chose to go with the flavor of the month, running back Larry Johnson. No real surprise here, although LaDainian Tomlinson may have been the safer pick. Tomlinson has been elite for years, while Johnson has less than a full season of starting duties under his belt. That being said, the former Penn State standout definitely has more upside thanks to the seemingly omnipotent offensive line he runs behind. It's also worth noting that Byrne has already hinted at the fact that Johnson could be on the trading block.

- Mike Medina, head of programming and development, went with a somewhat unconventional pick, selecting Peyton Manning with the second overall choice. He was quick to point out Manning is, more or less, a guaranteed 300-point player, and that his upside is as good as any running back out there.

- Eric Krupka, another senior NFL writer whose main focus is the Minnesota Vikings, went with a more conventional pick, selecting reigning league MVP Shaun Alexander. If the Seahawks ball carrier can approach last year's numbers, especially in terms of total touchdowns, Krupka will look like a genius. However, if Alexander drops back down to his pre-2005 numbers, Krupka will likely lament this decision for a long time.

- It must be nice to have L.T. still on the board at pick No. 4, and that's exactly what happened to our Raiders columnist, Anthony Carroll. Must be nice...

- Josh Kirk, the only ringer of sorts that was invited into this league (due to family ties, although his football knowledge is RF365-worthy), went with another proven commodity, selecting Tiki Barber with the fifth pick overall. Taking the league's most versatile running back is a veteran-like move for this fantasy football rookie.

- J.R. Hopwood, former RF365 contributor and owner/operator of Collegesportssource.com, selected Edgerrin James. In most years, this would be a very conventional pick, but since Edge is on a new team with a somewhat unproven offensive line, the selection is a bit riskier than usual. Then again, few players have been more consistent and versatile then James over the last decade or so.

- Senior writer Darrell Laurant had arguably the biggest stretch of the first round, selecting Tom Brady with the seventh overall pick. Although Brady did lose one of his favorite targets, wide receiver David Givens, he hasn't seemed to miss a beat thus far in the offseason, utilizing his athletic tight ends and continuing to be as methodical as ever. That being said, I'm not sure the Hall of Famer will be able to put up the kind of points befitting of a No. 7 pick. But I've been wrong before...

- Jason Kirk, who is one of the founding members of RF365, selected Clinton Portis with the eight overall pick. This one is simple; if Portis suffers no lasting ill effects from his partially dislocated shoulder, this will be the steal of the first round. If he does, Kirk will end up paying dearly. These are the kinds of selections that can make or break a fantasy football season.

- With the ninth selection, I decided to go with Steven Jackson. Not a very fancy pick, but Jackson's versatility, as well as the offensive systems he plays in, should pay solid dividends. He appears to be a very durable back, but then again, this will only be his second season as the full-time starter. I'm obviously counting on a breakout season from the former Oregon State standout.

- My brother Alex, another founding member of the site, called me seconds after I made my selection. He wanted to tell me how my pick made his decision all the more easier. For, you see, he was torn between Jackson and Ronnie Brown. He obviously went with Brown, and will now have the dual pleasure of cheering Brown on as a fantasy back and cheering him on as the starting running back for his hometown football team, the Dolphins. (That could have been me...but I'm happy with my pick).

- Senior writer Os Davis picked up Matt Hasselbeck with the 11th overall selection. Another somewhat unorthodox selection, since many fantasy insiders recommend taking a running back with the first two picks, but Hasselbeck could actually outproduce Brady and Manning since he will play many more NFC opponents (most consider the NFC to be the weaker conference). If that happens, Os will be sitting pretty. If not, oh well, there's always next year.

- The 12th and final selection was made by Cowboys columnist Andy Targovnik. He went with reigning rookie of the year Carnell Williams. Cadillac was an extremely solid choice at No. 12, especially when you consider who he selected with the first pick of the second round.

But that, as they say, is another story...

Notes-All of the running backs selected in the first round are considered to be every-down backs. They are also all very effective as pass catchers, with the only exception being Shaun Alexander (15 receptions for 78 yards and a touchdown last season).

-Carson Palmer's injury concerns were the likely reason that he was not selected in the first round. On a personal note, I would never select a quarterback in the first round, with the only exception being Peyton Manning, and even that would be a stretch.

-Despite all the big-name talent, no wide receivers were selected in the first round. Smart move on everyone's part.

Get more fantasy football insights at Realfootball365.com
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About Hugo Guzman

Trying to bring an objective approach to NFL analysis.
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