Now I've only mentioned fourteen QBs, but there are at least seven more, led by Manning NYG who could have easily been in my second QB tier. that are quality NFL starters. You only need to start one QB, so the chances of a decent one being available for me at picks thirty and thirty one were pretty good.

For the record, for RBs, I've got Johnson TEN, Jones-Drew JAX, Peterson MIN, Rice BAL, and Gore SF in a class by themselves, followed by Turner ATL, Jackson StL, and Williams CAR on the second tier. Now you've got some decent RBs off of this list, Charles KC, Matthews SD, Mendenhall PIT, and Thomas N.O. but that's about it for probable bets.

Arian Foster HOU, selected by Venomous Sheep, is looking like the steal of the draft right now.

Sure enough, at pick ten, my first pick, my top six RBs, right down to Turner ATL, were selected. I took Jackson StL and Williams CAR, the only second tier RBs available IMO.

Now drafting is both proactive, you must prepare lists, and reactive, you must pay attention to how the players drafted affect the available players at the respective tiers. I am aware that other team managers will be preparing and drafting in a similar manner to me. One of my hopes was that my very necessary back to back, at ten and eleven over all, RB selections would create a run on RBs(no pun intended) where the other managers would select at least one risky-ish RB, therefore leaving me a good "best players available" scenario at picks thirty and thirty one. Sure enough, when it came around to me again, I found myself having to decide between Brady N.E.and Romo DAL for QB. I did not think that either of those guys, with all of the Dallas and New England fans around, would be available. Both guys were close in stats, with Brady having the slight edge, but I took Romo. Brady finished last season on a downer. HE fucked up and his team lost. That was a different sensation for Brady. I wasn't sure how he would deal with it. On top of that, there was word around training camp that Brady was seriously pissed off with the way that his contract negotiations were going. Again, another BAD new thing. Tony Homo, on the other hand, had just dumped Jessica Simpson, which shows strength of character, and has a good group of young players around him. To me, he seemed to be on an upswing. I knew that I would get excoriated, and it sure looks like a stupid pick right now, given that Brady has signed and is on fire, but Romo will get his numbers(I hope).

A lot of WRs were gone and, coincidently, the next player available on my combined WR/TE list(a lot of friggin' lists) was Dallas Clark TE IND, the surest thing out there, and the biggest "difference maker at his position" left. Since you have to start a TE every week, and there are only three elite TEs, Gates S.D. and Davis S.F. being the other two, I took Clark and marveled at how fortune was really smiling upon me in this draft.

I'll post mine this weekend if I get time. I just got 30 hours of work dompued on me for a "Monday Morning Build".

*dumped, not dompued

Now, I've got my starting QB, RB, RB, TE, leaving me WR, WR, WR/TE to select, in order to fill out the "skill" positions on my starting roster. I mentioned that there are a trillion WR in NFL football, right? This particular group of team owners were drafting a lot of young players with upside, looking for a steal. It's sound thinking, around pick five or so, to look for that new starter who will light it up. It's the kind of draft strategy that can win pools, and it left me with old guys. Old guys are a different kind of risky. They break more easily, and they take longer to heal. They also slow down. Anyway, I'm spewing a lot of hot air for two picks that were simply reactive in nature, on my part. At picks fifty and fifty one over all, I took the best two WR available, Mike Sims-Walker JAX and Wes Welker N.E.. Welker suffered a torn ACL and MCL in the final regular season game against Houston last season. Nobody thought that he could play at all this season. We're talking, not at all, doctors, telling everybody this.

1. mapleleaf NFL Fantasy Draft Big Big Rule To Follow......

ALWAYS FOLLOW TRAINING CAMP.

Welker showed up healthy for training camp, after working out in the summer with Brady. Everybody was freaked out except, apparently, the NFL fantasy draft player ranking list people. With good reason. His early return was absolutely crazy. There was NO WAY that he could have any explosiveness, or make any hard cuts like he used to. Not this early. Anyway, in a pre-season game against Atlanta in August , Welker looked great. So did Brady, for that matter. Remember too, that Welker led the NFL in receptions last year, despite missing almost three full games. I could not believe that he was still available and I took him.

Sims-Walker JAX was one of the most popular waiver wire pickups in FF last year. He fit the "break-out profile", and his bench warming in training camp was merely a protective measure. He was clearly the number one WR in JAX and, according to me, the safest best pick available.

Now while I prepare many lists, I need to point out that I do not follow them slavishly(Romo picked instead of my higher ranked Brady, as an example). I predict their yearly point totals, and I consider all players within about a ten point range. I use my gut, it's that simple. I'm not going to blame a sheet of paper because I don't like my team.

A word about kickers and defenses. There's not a lot of difference between them, points wise, and good luck picking the best one(s). I leave them until I've got my bench mostly filled. I like seeing all of the good players that are still available for my bench when people waste early picks on kickers and defenses. Not so much kickers these days, but people still go crazy on defenses.

I'll be a bit more brief, but run down my picks as well. I picked first, which was awesome, because I can take Chris Johnson, TEN, who is the clear #1.

When the draft came around to me at the next turn, I was hoping for two elite receivers, since there was no value at RB there. I think Tier 1 of WR is Johnson, Hou; Moss, NE; Fitzgerald, ARI; and Tier 2 is Wayne, IND; White, ATL; Jennings, GB; Jackson, PHI. I like players who have consistency, so I don't like Miles Austin or Colston or Rice. I was thrilled to come away with Fitzgerald and White, two receivers who I can bank on 1,200 yards and 8 TD's a piece.

After that I started targeting Jahvid Best, RB, Det, hoping he would be around at my next pick. I think he's a HUGE steal, and was thrilled when he fell so far. My top 7 QB's are the same as Mapleleaf's, but since they were all gone by then, I also went with Antonio Gates, an top Tier TE, along with Dallas Clark at that pick.

at the next turn I wanted to fill out my skill positions, getting a QB and a WR/TE Flex. I think Eli Manning is the next best QB on the board, a respectable staring option, without the question marks of Favre and Roethlisberger and more reliable than Ryan and Kolb. Dwayne Bowe was clearly the best receiver on the board, although I didn't like the pick, the alternatives were far worse, and the rest of the top 7 TE's were gone (Clark, Gates, Davis, Gonzalez, Witten, Celek, Finley).

The next two turns I drafted just on best player available, and am happy to have gotten Michael Bush and Kellen Winslow on the first turn and Steve Breaston and Marion Barber on the next.

With 4 rounds left, I decided that I needed a Defense, a Kicker, a backup QB, and another WR (I had 4 RB's and 2 TE's, but I wanted a 5th WR). I was happy to pick up the Minnesota Defense on the next turn, and took a flyer on Anthony Gonzalez, WR, IND. I figured that he was a 5th reciever, easily dumped for in season transactions, so a very low risk pick, and if he could re-take the starting job in Indy, he would be a 1,000 yard receiver, so high reward. The rest of the guys seemed to be safe mediocre players with no upside.

On the last turn I took the best Kicker available, Lawrence Tynes, who was 6th on my board, but still in the top tier, and Stafford as a backup QB, who I recently dropped for Donovan McNabb.