Remember yesterday

Woke up to the sound of pouring rain
The wind would whisper and I'd think of you
And all the tears you cried, that called my name
And when you needed me I came through.
Skid Row

When I look back at the first round of last years fantasy draft I cringe. Many of the picks definitely did not come through and that stirs up the debate about if it's really necessary to get RB in the first two rounds. I for one have never been a believer in that strategy but I know most fantasy purists swear by it. Let s look back at the top RBs that presumably went in the first round and think about their production.

In my main league last year RBs went in this order:
1- LT
2- SJax
3- Westbrook
4 - LJ
6 - Rudi
7 -Gore
8 - Bush
9 - Parker
10- Maroney

Only one pick in the first round was not a RB and only one RB (Westbrook) exceeded or lived up to preseason expectations. Yes LT still had a good year and Parker was good in yardage only leagues, if people still play in those, but no other back produced at a first round level. Most of you are still going to go out and draft RB in the first two rounds because it is what you are supposed to do. Sort of like wiping your ass after you shit. You don't have to wipe your ass, but you do because you are supposed to. On a side note, please wipe your ass. The guy behind me on the bus yesterday smelled like manure. No exaggeration. Every time he adjusted I would get a dose of noxious gas wafting in my general vicinity. I know the girl next to me thought I smelled like shit and I could not let this slide so I made a point to turn sigh and cover my nose. Yep, that should do it. now everyone knows that I smell like flowers and its the guy behind me that rolled around in a shit blanket. Where was I? Oh yeah, do not feel obligated to follow the social norms of fantasy drafting. Every year countless "experts" write articles about changing your draft strategy and every year people really want to but it's easier to fall back on old habits.

Before you start thinking I am going to draft WR, QB, WR, D, K in the first five rounds, understand that the WR was good but the top level didn't necessary live up to the hype either. The first two WRs that went in my main league were Steve Smith and Marvin Harrison. now we all know that Harrison was all but invisible last year but if you had Smith, you had to hope your league was 3 weeks long and that the playoffs waited until week 16 to get started. In between he was the picture of mediocrity getting outscored by the likes Nate Burleson and Bobby Engram. But what you will see is more consistency because the top WRs drafted tend to have more years of proving it on their record. Andre Johnson is an absolute stud. Huge body, lightning fast and the #1 target on his team. Yet he slipped to rounds 5 and 6 in most drafts. If he was a RB he may go in rd 1 or 2 because everyone would fall in live with his huge upside. But as a WR he fell because he hadn't really proven it yet in the pros. Why do we let ourselves get infatuated with RB upside? Look at me. Peterson only has one year under his belt but I have him going 2nd in a mock draft. Why? Because I live in MN and I saw him live last year and I realized with my own two eyes that this guy is a once in a lifetime type of RB. Much the way Randy Moss was a once in a lifetime WR when the Vikings took him and he burst on the scene as a rookie. Incidentally, Moss and Peterson are two of 3 quality first round picks the Vikings have made since 1998. No, I don't count McKinnie and Culpepper and if you had to watch Vikings games, you wouldn't either.

My point to this endless drivel is to create your own strategy. If you only have 5 1st round quality RBs in your rankings, don't reach for one because you are supposed to. I have never been scared to buck tradition in my drafts and this year especially, seems to be thin with 1st round talent. If you can build your team around Moss or Brady or Manning and search for this years Ernest Graham or Ryan Grant or Justin Fargas, do it. The RB position has more people emerge from nowhere than any other position on a yearly basis but how many times does a WR come off the waiver wire to lead you to a championship? I thought so.

Go Patriots