Yes, like almost every male in the civilized world, I do Fantasy Football.
It’s what the cool people do. We pick our teams, we talk about picking our teams, we rationalize why we picked the players we picked and we tell ourselves our team is the best team.
It’s what guys do. And a few females, too, from what I understand.
Andre Johnson was my first-round pick in the "Sports Daily" fantasy draft Wednesday night. I haven't stopped patting myself on the back for the way I went about picking my team.
Although because they have evolved at a faster rate, most women treat Fantasy Football as one of life’s strange male whims. They look at fantasy drafts as an excuse to go shopping, so it’s all good.
Anyway, I’m just back from my 2011 “Sports Daily” fantasy draft and I gotta tell you: I picked a heck of a team. I think I’ve got a chance to win our 10-team league. I really do. Honest.
We showed up at Sidepockets tonight ready to go. I got the No. 8 pick in the draft and immediately set into motion a strategy that would allow me to make a solid pick at that spot, and another one with the No. 13 pick. My wife, Debbie, was along and offered some sound advice, which I of course ignored, along the way. I shouldn’t have ignored her suggestions because this girl knows her football. But how would it look for me to tell the guys that I chose so-and-so because my wife told me to?
I definitely screwed up, though, by not taking Oakland kicker Sebastian Janikowski, which Debbie asked me to do. I instead went with the Saints’ Garrett Hartley in the 14th round of the 16-round draft, which amazingly was over in just one hour and twenty minutes.
By now, I’m sure you’re dying to see my team. OK, I’m ready to divulge it to you. Feel free to make comments on how well you think I did. If you think I did poorly, please don’t feel free to make comments. I’m highly sensitive about this stuff and only want to be applauded. At least until the games start and I sink into seventh or eighth place.
Now for my picks.
Round 1 – Andre Johnson, WR, Houston
Round 2 – Calvin Johnson, WR, Detroit
Round 3 – LeGarrett Blount, RB, Tampa Bay
Round 4 – Peyton Hillis, RB, Cleveland
Round 5 – Matt Schaub, QB, Houston
Round 6 – Beanie Wells, RB, Arizona
Round 7 – Jimmy Graham, TE, New Orleans
Round 8 – Marshawn Lynch, RB, Seattle
Round 9 – A.J. Green, WR, Cincinnati
Round 10 – Mike Tolbert, RB, San Diego
Round 11 – Josh Freeman, QB, Tampa Bay
Round 12 – Antonio Brown, WR, Pittsburgh
Round 13 – Rob Gronkowski, TE, New England
Round 14 – Garrett Hartley, K, New Orleans
Round 15 – Tampa Bay defense
Round 16 – Greg Little, WR, Cleveland
Not bad, huh? I made a mistake by picking Gronkowski in Round 13, but I think I can easily correct that. I meant to go with St. Louis rookie Lance Kendricks with that pick, but let him slip my mind.
My best picks: I loved getting the two game-breaking receivers in rounds 1 and 2. Johnson and Johnson, I call them. Clever, isn’t it? I’m slightly concerned whether Hills and Blount can be as good as they were last season, when both backs were fantasy steals. I had Hillis on my “Sports Daily” team and he was more than a solid contributor. And Blount is a monster who will get a ton of carries for the Bucs.
I really wanted Green Bay tight end Jermichael Finley, who was on my team last season but was hurt in the early going. But he was picked one spot ahead of my pick, so I went with Graham, who figures to be a favorite target of Drew Brees in New Orleans.
I took a chance on three reserve receivers – Green, Brown and Little – but like the upside of those guys. And it was a steal, I think, to get Freeman in the 11th round. He gives me a great alternative should Schaub get injured or perform below expectations in Houston. I think Schaub is primed for a huge season, though, and I hope he completes about 3,000 passes to Johnson.
All in all it was a fun night. There were a few picks I wish I could do over, but I like my team. And I’ll like it until it starts doing poorly, at which time I won’t like it anymore. That’s how us Fantasy Football guys operate.