mindpollution.org

Last week, I posted the results of my first fantasy football draft of the 2008 season. I wasn’t very pleased with the results of that draft, but this time around I’m a bit more satisfied with my roster. Unlike the last league, which includes some writers and artists from around the comics industry, this league is almost entirely populated by ex-Wizard staffers, with the exception of a pair of team owners still on the Wizard payroll. A few of us assembled last night at Bailey’s Smokehouse, a local barbecue joint, to drink beer, draft our 2008 teams and ingest obscene amounts of meat that claimed to be “straight from the smokehouse.” I have no idea what that meant, but my steak sandwich was tasty.

For those savvy to the fantasy football jargon, this league is a 10-team league that favors receptions much like the previous one. However, the league makes extensive use of individual defensive players instead of team defense statistics. Defensive players are divided up into DL and DB categories, with linebackers and defensive linemen grouped under the “DL” banner. Teams must start 6 defensive players each week, 2 DL, 2 DB and 2 all-purpose “D” players. You also need to start 2 RBs and 2 WRs each week.

Here’s how my team turned out:

STARTING ROSTER
QB: Tom Brady, NE
WR: Larry Fitzgerald, Ari
WR: Roy Williams, Det
RB: Marshawn Lynch, Buf
RB: Jamal Lewis, Cle
TE: Chris Cooley, Was
K: Josh Brown, StL

DB/DL: DeMarcus Ware, Dal - DL
DB/DL: Julian Peterson, Sea - DL
DB: Kerry Rhodes, NYJ - DB
DB: Sean Jones, Cle - DB
DL: Trent Cole, Phi - DL
DL: Ernie Sims, Det - DL

BENCH
QB: Jake Delhomme, Car
RB: Ronnie Brown, Mia
RB: Rashard Mendenhall, Pit
RB: Ray Rice, Bal
RB: Jerious Norwood, Atl
WR: Chris Chambers, SD
WR: Nate Burleson, Sea
WR: Robert Meachem, NO

DB: Champ Bailey, Den - DB
DB: Roy Williams, Dal - DB
DL: Lance Briggs, Chi - DL
DL: Channing Crowder, Mia - DL

By the time it got to my pick in the first round, I felt that I had to take Tom Brady as my first pick. All of the top-tier RBs were taken, and I was likely to have the same quality of RBs available in the next two rounds as were available in the first round. I’m definitely happy with my defensive draft, and I think I ended up with a great lineup of players on my bench. I took the advice of one of last week’s commenters, Gary, and selected Robert Meachem late in the draft, too. Channing Crowder was my trademark University of Florida alum, who I’ll drop once the season gets underway.