(Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
Round 3
1. Team Schottey: Wes Welker (WR-NE) Let's not forget this is a PPR league. Welker has more receptions in the past two years than any other receiver. On top of that, Welker will benefit from having Brady back. Welker fell off the map with only three TD in '08 but, I expect that to inflate to 68 touchdowns in '09.
2. Team Stashin: Ryan Grant (RB-GB) Only four touchdowns? Really? I just don't buy that as being the norm for him, especially after having scored eight the year before in limited duty. I'm looking for him to really breakout this season and solidify me at running back.
3. Team Lorge: Greg Jennings (WR-GB) I was looking for a healthy player with good scoring potential. There is a small gap in the running back value with this pick so Jennings is the fit. He hasn't reached his potential yet and now that Jennings and Aaron Rodgers have some on-field chemistry I expect more deep touchdowns.
4. Team Lester: Ronnie Brown (RB-MIA) I debated between Smith and Brown in round two, so I was happy to see him come back to me. He was the best running back in the league not named LT before he went down with a knee injury on a freak play, making a tackle on an interception. He was solid last year despite the limited recovery time. Another year removed and he should get his explosiveness back.
5. Team Bedinger: Aaron Rodgers (QB-GB) Now that I have already selected a premiere running back and receiver in DeAngelo Williams and Calvin Johnson, I will now take my quarterback. With the fifth pick in the third round, Team Bedinger selects Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers is a dual threat at quarterback who is really on the rise and with the group of players around him in Green Bay, I think he will have a huge season.
6. Team Waddell: Roddy White (WR-ATL) With the backfield occupied by Matt Forte and Clinton Portis, it's time Team Waddell focuses on guys that catch and make big plays. With the sixth selection in the third round, Team Waddell selects Roddy White. White finally "arrived" last season finishing the season ahead of big name receivers like Randy Moss, Reggie Wayne, and Brandon Marshall. White ended 2008 with 88 catches, 1,382 yards, and seven touchdowns. The addition of Tony Gonzalez, and the return of Michael Turner, will force defenses to account for a playmaker at every level of the field, providing White with plenty of one-on-one opportunities to make big plays. And this league is all about making big plays. As Matt Ryan continues his development, White's numbers should only increase along with quickly gaining status as an elite receiver in the NFL. Look for White to finish in the top seven of fantasy receivers, and if all goes well, he may just crack the top five, and likely won't relinquish that spot for many years to come.
7. Team Winslow: Joseph Addai (RB-IND) I wanted to draft a receiver here, specifically Jennings or White, but the run on wideouts has forced me to fill my FLEX position and take a third running back. Addai struggled last year, but the Colts couldn't run their patented "stretch" play, while Manning recovered from knee surgery. I expect Addai to rebound this year behind a healthier quarterback and a more experienced offensive line.
8. Team Williams: Tim Hightower (RB-ARI) While he struggled late in the season, Tim Hightower should be a good part of a dangerous tandem with Wells.
9. Team Anderson: Phillip Rivers (QB-SD) Rivers is coming off a 34 touchdown and 4,000 yard performance last year. He continues to improve each year and has several good targets and a solid ground game to support him.
10. Team Nash: Terrell Owens (WR-BUF) Say what you will about the guy and his antics, Owens has produced big numbers everywhere he has landed. Last season, with the Cowboys, he managed over a 1,000 yards receiving and 10 touchdowns—not bad for a guy who didn't feel he was targeted enough by his quarterback. He takes a bit of a step down from Romo in Trent Edwards, but T.O.'s still a physically gifted athlete at 36. He will have a legitimate No. 3 in Lee Evans to limit the possibility of a double-team, you have to feel pretty confident that his trend of double-digit touchdowns and 1,000 yards receiving is a good risk to take. A wide receiver over a running back suits me just fine. Committees are the trend in the NFL and there are plenty of good possibilities still left at running back.
11. Team Harkey: Marques Colston (WR-NO) Colston tore his thumb ligaments during the first week of the '08 season causing him to miss five games (and act as a decoy for a 6th). Despite the missed time, Colston still put up 760 yards and five touchdowns over the remaining 10 games. This translates to 1,216 yards and eight touchdowns over the course of a full season, which is slightly under his career average. In recent history, the Saints' best defense has been a high powered offense and 2009 should be no different. Drew Brees will be throwing early and often as the Saints look to outscore opponents on a weekly basis. If Colston can stay healthy, he will see plenty of targets as the Saints WR1 and has top end potential to be a top five fantasy wideout.
12. Team Crowe: Matt Cassel (QB-KC) This may be a little early, but one of the problems with drafting last is that you go two full rounds between picks, so you end up reaching a little to get the guys you want. Cassel was pretty good with the Patriots last season and he got progressively better as the season went on. Tyler Thigpen, a guy who's barely an NFL quarterback, managed to throw for 18 touchdowns in only 11 starts in the Chiefs' offense last season. The sky's the limit for Cassel, who may not have the weapons he had in New England, but now has a year of experience.
Third Round Notes
Nathan Waddell: Hate 3.1 Welker—The guy has value even in non PPR leagues, but it's late fourth round value. 3.8 Hightower—He's still in a timeshare, but now with a talent back. He'll fight for playing time, and might get some GL carries. But with so many more talented options available, why now? He would have been available in the seventh round. 3.12 Cassel —Sorry man, but this is my most "hated" pick. With so many truly elite quarterback options available, why spend the third rounder on a guy that is available in round nine, or at worst round seven? New team, no offensive line, shoddy running game, and only one wide receiver who only holds on to the ball some of the time. It just doesn't add up to a guy that is, on this fantasy team at least, expected to be the sixth best fantasy quarterback as indicated by the pick. Just seems like a very steep price to pay in value.
John Crowe: Of the quarterbacks still available, let me hit them one at at time: Warner: Hate old quarterbacks, McNabb: Too inconsistent game to game, Romo: My candidate for biggest bust (check his numbers without TO), Ryan: Sophomore slump, Schaub: The french call him "Fraageelay", Cutler: No offensive line, Palmer: Bengals, Roethlesberger: He's just been hit too many times, and the effects of a long last season could hurt him this year. Of the quarterbacks left, he's the only one I considered. So, I liked Cassel. I don't like him in the third round, but here we are. That said, his forced rumble ranking take into account his early season struggles (he had a little rust to shake off, having not played since high school). When he shook off the rust, he was one of the three best fantasy quarterbacks in the NFL. Look at his November/December splits: 2331 yards, 62 percent completion percentage, 14 touchdowns, five interceptions (only one in December), two rushing touchdowns, 190 rushing yards. To me, those numbers are worth a fourth round gamble. So, yes, a reach. But not a completely insane one. Only a slightly insane one.
Michael Schottey: Um...Cutler no O-line? Are we forgetting Orlando Pace and Kevin Shaffer not to mention first round pick Chris Williams coming back from last year's injury.
Sayre Bedinger: Cutler has no O-line. Orlando Pace and Kevin Shaffer were cut from the Rams and Browns respectively for a reason. Chris Williams may be coming back from an injury, but he is unproven.
Michael Schottey: Both were cap casualties. Saving each of their teams over seven million. Orlando Pace, in his prime was one of the top three tackles in the history of the game. When healthy, he is still among the best. Chris Williams should end up starting on the right side making Shaffer one of the top swing tackles in the league. Not to mention Olin Kreutz is a top center and Frank Omiyale is a great young prospect
Kyle Winslow: The Matt Cassell pick appears to be the biggest gamble so far, but he does have a big wide receiver in Bowe to throw to, and he single-handed won my fantasy league for me last year, so I see the appeal.
John Harkey: The Hightower selection at 3.08 is by far the worst value of the draft. Hightower barely cracks the top 100 in most fantasy rankings and his ADP is in the 100-plus range. Furthermore, he's not even the best running back on his team! The Cards drafted Wells in the first round for a reason and you better believe he will be the No. 1 running back in Arizona. Hightower could've been drafted three maybe, four rounds later without much worry. To select Hightower at No. 32 overall is a complete waste of a pick. You better hope that Beanie blows out his knee again for Hightower to have any chance at being something more than a touchdown vulture at best.
Jonathan Williams: Hightower is a reach. However, Beanie Wells was only an okay running back and he was not even the best one in college last year. So he was picked high, if you call the second last pick in round one high, but it was in a very weak year for running backs. I think it takes time for rookies to take over from veterans, and while I think Hightower ran down at the end of the season I thought he had a respectable season.
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