This week's topic to generate some discussion on fantasy football involves who you would draft at each possible position assuming every player was available. From seeing the opinions of other people, this might help you gauge who is going to be off the board right away at each position.
To ensure everyone understands the concept, think of it this way:
- If you said, "I want a RB," and every running back was available, who would you take?
- If you said, "I want a QB," and every quarterback was available, who would you take?
- ...and so on, until you have picked someone for QB, RB, WR, TE, K, and then a defense.
I haven't done a lot of research yet, but right now here is what I am thinking:
- Quarterback: Last year's guru might have been Drew Brees, but looking back there were a lot of quarterbacks who ended up being pretty comparable to each other. Quarterbacks can always have an off year in which they are inconsistent though, so I always revert to the reliable Peyton Manning. With that said, the position seems so deep that I would not be very upset if I didn't get Manning, especially with guys like Aaron Rodgers and Matt Schaub up-and-coming.
- Running Back: The Vikings' Adrian Peterson punched it into the end zone a few more times last year, but there's no doubt in my mind that my top running back would be Chris Johnson. The amount of yardage he had compared to other running backs, and the fact that Vince Young might be in line for a good season with the Titans, paves the way for another promising year.
- Wide Receiver: The past two years, I would have put Larry Fitzgerald here. With Kurt Warner and Anquan Boldin gone though, his stock drops a little bit due to the risk (although that makes him a potential sleeper at the same time). With Tom Brady under center in New England, it's hard to go against Randy Moss or Wes Welker as players who will deliver consistently. With that said, I have to go with Miles Austin; he didn't really play much in Dallas' first four games, and then was outstanding the rest of the way.
- Tight End: For the past six seasons, Antonio Gates has been a sure bet to have nearly a 1,000 yards, 8+ touchdown season. That's more than I could hope for from the tight end position.
- Kicker: With the news of Brett Favre likely returning, I'd take a stab at Ryan Longwell, who had a lot of extra points last season and was accurate enough. The kicker position isn't nearly as important as others in fantasy football, but sometimes you end up taking those 8-10 points for granted and one week of a "zero" on the board results in a loss.
- Defense: I love what the New York Jets were able to do defensively. If everything works out with Darrelle Revis, I have to take them first, even ahead of the Baltimore Ravens.
Now it's your turn to weigh in! Don't be shy if you feel you have an awkward pick like Terrell Owens at receiver; this is all about getting a wide array of opinions!
----------
Also, don't forget that if you're interested in a CBSSports.com Fantasy Football Commissioner League and you register through this link, you can receive a huge discount of 50% off for a total of $89.99. If you are running an office pool and want to split the cost between 12 teams, that means it would only be about $7.49 per person. Considering the features and flexibility that CBSSports.com offers in terms of flexibility, it's well worth it for serious fantasy football players.
CBSSports.com is an SB Nation partner and paying sponsor of the SB Nation football communities. This post is one of a series of sponsor endorsed posts related to the CBSSports.com Fantasy Football Commissioner League.