The Next Step

A dynasty draft. There are few things in this world that I enjoy more. What’s the difference between a re-draft and dynasty draft? Well, lots of things really. You have more decisions to make first of all. For example, do you want to draft a young team and build for the future, or take veterans and gear up to win now? I usually lean towards the former rather then the latter, but I’ve seen plenty of people be very successful with the veteran strategy. How would a dynasty draft board look from my point of view? Take a look and let me know where I screwed up:

Round 1

1. LaDanian Tomlinson. He’s simply the best running back in the business right now. He just destroyed the scoring record so he really doesn’t have anywhere to go but down. The good side of that? He’s almost a lock to be head and shoulders better than anyone else carrying the rock.

2. Stephen Jackson. Gets better every season by leaps and bounds, and in my mind is the only real threat to come anywhere close to LT in scoring. He’s in a potent offense that can still score from anywhere on the field and he’s young.

3. Larry Johnson. This is the only pick I really don’t like. I just have this feeling that LJ is going to bomb this year. He’s got an offensive line that has lost it’s best players over the last few years, and he set the record for most carries ever last year, the last guy to set the record destroyed his knee the following year and never played again… not a good sign.

4. Joseph Addai. His offense has Harrison and Wayne, how can there be enough touchdowns left for Addai to be worth taking this high? He plays behind Peyton Manning, he could light up the scoreboard any given week, and now he’s going to be the main back.

5. Frank Gore. If he stays healthy, he could repeat last year’s success. He kind of came out of nowhere last year and has had knee problems in the past, but he has the potential to stay on track with last year’s production.

6. Laurence Maroney. I think Maroney has the chance to jump as high as the #3 back in the league this year. Same as with Addai, Maroney plays in an offense that could put up huge numbers at any moment, and he’ll be an integral part of that scoring.

7. Willie Parker. This is where the crap shoot starts. At this point, it really depends on what your league settings are. If you get points per reception, I have to go with Reggie Bush in this slot. Brain Westbrook also makes a strong case for this position. In general though, I feel pretty comfortable with a guy like Fast Willie. He plays for a team that puts an emphasis on running the ball, that’s always good news for your starting RB.

8. Reggie Bush. Like I mentioned, he could easily go in the previous slot, but you have to take him before the first round is over. He was simply jaw-dropping amazing in college and before long, he will do the same in the NFL.

9. Brian Westbrook. He plays for the pass-happy Eagles, but Andy Reid started to realize the value of running last year without McNabb. I think he will continue down that road in an effort to keep McNabb healthy, and Westbrook will get the majority of those carries.

10. Ronnie Brown. Cam Cameron will be calling the shots for Brown now. He was mostly responsible for LT’s success in San Diego and I really think that Brown has the tools to be successful given the right offense. This will be a make or break year for him in my opinion.

11. Rudi Johnson. It’s hard to rate Rudi this low, but really, I’ve never figured out what everyone loves about him. He does put up pretty consistent numbers, and is another product of a high powered offense. With Ocho Cinco taking up so much attention outside, Rudi gets a chance to simply run over everyone in the middle.

12. Willis McGahee. I think Willis has had the tools all along. He was always in a really terrible offense in Buffalo, but in Baltimore, I think he has a chance to put up numbers similar to Jamal Lewis a few years ago. Could be much better than #12 before too long.

13. Peyton Manning. You really can’t let Manning go any lower than here. A lot of guys will go with the second RB here, but Peyton is the best QB in the league, and will be for at least another 5 years. In my mind, that’s more valuable than a second RB.

14. Clinton Portis. Depending on who you talk to, Portis is still the guy in Washington. I think Betts will take alot of carries and value away from Portis, but Portis has the tools to be a top RB and has to be taken in this spot.

15. Travis Henry. At this moment, Henry is the starting RB in Denver, because of that he is valuable. He’s always been solid, and kind of resurrected his career last year. If he can hold down the starting job, he’ll be a top notch guy for awhile.

16. Shaun Alexander. My oh my how the Madden curse can change the outlook of a person’s career. Last year, everyone was saying Alexander was the new greatest RB in the NFL. I was staying a mile away from him in all of my drafts. Now, after an injury riddled season, he’s viewed as being on the decline. I think he still has a chance to be a great back for another few years and is definitely worth a pick in this slot.

17. Drew Brees. There’s the next level of RBs available, or one of the last top QBs on the board. Brees has been right on Peyton’s heels the last couple years, and has loads of young talent to throw to in New Orleans. He could put up huge numbers again this year.

18. Tom Brady. Last year, Brady had a great year and had absolute crap to throw to. Now he’s got 3 guys that are infinitely better than anything he had last year. Brady could explode this year.

19. Steve Smith. The little engine that could. Smith never ceases to amaze me. He simply uses whoever tries to cover him week in and week out. About the only thing that’s even slowed him down the last couple years was injuries. Don’t let him slip to the 3rd round.

20. Reggie Wayne. I’m going to have a lot of people disagree with me here, but from what I saw last year, Wayne became more and more a favorite target of Peyton’s. I think the Denver game was one of the best examples of that. When Indy needed points, Wayne was the one getting them. Marvin Harrison will continue to be the #1 guy in Indy, but Wayne will be taking that mantle in short order.

That will take you through at least the middle of the second round depending on how many teams you have in your league. I have a couple other things to get to so I didn’t want to go on too much about it. A place I love to go for information on dynasty football is http://dynastyleaguefootball.com/ . They’ve got lots of great information and a lot of really talented (and opinionated) people over there. And now for a couple predictions.

Most Improved Player:

DeAngelo Williams. I think this guy will be great, and after spending most of last year being injured, he should really take over the starting job in Carolina.

Best Starting QB that is currently a backup:

David Carr. I give him till week 7 or 8 and he could be starting. With Smith on the outside, he could come up big at the end of the year.

Team to make the biggest splash:

San Francisco 49ers. They greatly improved their defense last year. Their offense is young and really starting to gel. They will make a lot of noise this year.

Super Bowl winner:

I hate to say it. I really wish it wasn’t true, but I don’t know who will be able to beat the New England Patriots this year. They have a great defense and added one of the best 3-4 linebackers in the league and they GREATLY improved their offense. I just can’t see them losing with all that talent and experience.

Good luck in week 1, I can’t wait to tell you about it next week!