Shuffle Up and Draft: Starting over at midseason
With the NFL ostensibly at its halfway point, we felt it was a good time to put the shuffling theme to the test with a midseason draft. I rounded up a group of 12, comprised mostly of Yahoo! readers, and we hammered out a 20-round, 240-pick war of attrition on Tuesday night. The ranks below reflect how the players were selected at each position.
There are a few tweaks to our league rules - it's a no-maintenance league, with no pickups or free agents. Most of the scoring is standard but we threw in a point for every two receptions and we ignored team defenses. We're using total points only (not head-to-head) and best-ball scoring (no lineup setting; your post-facto "best lineup" is what counts). We're counting Week 17 too. For more on the specs of this league and the people in it, head to the bottom of this post; for now, let's get to the good stuff, the results by position. (Also, feel free to look at the full draft A to Z, and the breakdown of the rosters.)
Quarterback
Comments: I'm the guy who selected Manning over Warner, something I would not do in a more traditional format (and in my personal Shuffle Up ranks that come out later today, look for Warner to be higher). In a no-maintenance league, Manning gets the check mark for durability . . . Favre didn't really slip even with his recent slump, and Pennington's his stretch didn't buy any fans, either, surprisingly . . . The Flacco slot looks lofty to me, but I suppose there's something to be said for job security.
Running Back
Comments: Westbrook is a PPR overlord so it's no shock to see him go first . . . Tomlinson's big Week 9 and cushy schedule help calm fears over the condition of his toe . . . I thought Torain might go a little higher in a best-ball format where you don't have to guess along with Shanahan, you can just accept the big numbers when they come. I also thought Hightower might go a spec higher, I'll surely rank him favorably later today . . . Look at the names at the bottom of the running back list. Yep, when you go 240 players deep and ignore the team defense position, it's a deep draft.
Wide Receiver
Steve Smith
Comments: It looks like we have a Fab Four at the top of the position, it's just a matter of what order you prefer them . . . I was hoping to slide Roddy White in the middle of the third round but he didn't get to me. Please, no more "underrated" talk on this guy, the word is out . . . That looks like an expectant price on Colston, but we can't ignore the upside (and the presence of Brees). I wouldn't have paid that much for Houshmandzadeh . . . Can Bryant and Berrian keep it up? I cut the check on the latter, trusting the recent results and the schedule to come . . . Do any of the bottom 20 names jump out at you? Who's your pet WR sleeper for the second half?
Tight End
Ben Watson
Comments: I'll have Witten lower in the Shuffle ranks, he probably won't be 100 percent until 2009 . . . Splinky, I expect you to come on here and defend the Boss pick . . . Shiancoe has turned into a sneak-valuable play as the year has gone along . . . Good values on Fasano and Carlson, valuable support guys in this format.
Kicker
Comments: Our field goal scoring is length of kick/10 (three-point minimum), so longer legs get a boost here . . . Only three of the top 11 PKs are in cold-weather, outdoor cities . . . Miami's recent run puts Carpenter on the map.
The Owners and the Scoring: Here's our banana convention: Duane Davis (Y! commenter flatstick96); Enrique Vasquez (Y! commenter Stilgar); Blake Hansen (Y! commenter Blake H); Eric Sandberg (Y! commenter LeeVanSpleef); Mark Stopa (Rotowire); Kevin C. Payne (Rotowire); Matthew Bills (Y! commenter fluffdaddy9); Mark Salvoo (FOP); Pete Johnson (Y! commenter pj20); Yoshi Katagiri (Y! commenter Y2); Michael Hoffman (Y! commenter Senior Beisbol); and yours truly.
Framework of Scoring: 1/20 passing, 1/10 rushing and receiving, TD pass 4 points, all other TDs 6 points, 1 point per 2 receptions, field goals scored yards/10. Best-ball scoring, filling these weekly spots: 1 QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE, 1 PK, and 2 Flex (RB or WR).
Have at it. We're looking for respectful and intelligent disagreement.
