Fanball's Rick Hawes Will Be Here To Chat At 2 p.m. EST

[Rick Hawes]

Originally posted by KJ Duke:
Bucs skill players get no respect (ok, maybe Winslow). Ironically, they seem like the Pittsburgh Pirates of football. Could any RB or WR emerge as a solid #2 at their position, or do early drafters have guys properly pegged. I think the main problem with the Buccaneers is they are a rebuilding franchise with youth at key positions.

I do like Josh Freeman and feel he can develop into a franchise-type quarterback. As a matter of fact, running back Derrick Ward had this to say about Freeman recently:

"The kid is light years ahead of any quarterback I've seen going into his second year," said Derrick Ward. "I was telling him the other day that I got drafted with Eli Manning and was there when Eli was going from his first year to his second year, and he is light years ahead of Eli. Eli has won a Super Bowl and been to the Pro Bowl. [Freeman] is doing great. I don't want to get his head too big, but he is very grounded for a franchise quarterback."

I think Cadillac Williams or Derrick Ward could emerge as a No.3 running back this year, if one of them gets hurt and the other can stay healthy. Caddy is already dealing with a sprained ankle, and we don't need to rehash his past history with durability. Also, this appears to be a situation where the back with the hot hand will get most of the touches from week to week, making it one I'm personally avoiding unless it turns into a situation of extreme value.

Of the receiver corps, I really like rookie Mike Williams if he can just keep his head on straight and play football. Early indications out of Bucs' camp is that he's outplaying Arrelious Benn, and could be in line to be the No. 1 receiver in Tampa Bay this year. At 6-foot-1 and 220 pounds, Williams combines excellent size with 4.5 speed and good athleticism. He also displayed a nose for the end zone in college with 20 touchdowns in 29 career games.

[ August 04, 2010, 03:00 PM: Message edited by: Rick Hawes ]

[Rick Hawes]

Originally posted by Greg Ambrosius:
Awesome Rick. Thanks for joining us today. If anyone has any other questions, they can post here and Rick will be around from time to time to answer those questions. Thanks for the time man and stay well. Remember, you are now as old as me!! Thanks for having me Greg, and remember "Old Guys Rule."

[ August 04, 2010, 02:59 PM: Message edited by: Rick Hawes ]

[Money]

Great questions, equally GREAT answers. Thanks for doing this Rick.

Greg, Lets have Rick back again as we get closer.

Thanks.

[Rick Hawes]

Originally posted by FAST MONEY:
Great questions, equally GREAT answers. Thanks for doing this Rick.

Greg, Lets have Rick back again as we get closer.

Thanks. Thank you for the kind words FAST MONEY. Much appreciated!

[Greg Ambrosius]

Originally posted by FAST MONEY:
Great questions, equally GREAT answers. Thanks for doing this Rick.

Greg, Lets have Rick back again as we get closer.

Thanks. Remember Rick, today's 50 is the New 40!!

We will do that Joe. Rick is very, very thorough as you can see. I'm surprised folks didn't ask more questions. I'm sure if you folks post some overnite he will find the time to answer them. Rick likes football-mad folks like we've assembled here!! Feel free to post more questions for him and I promise we'll have Rick on again.

[Rick Hawes]

I TOTALLY agree on 50 being the new 40.

Also, I will definitely provide my opinions on any other questions added to this thread (as time permits).

[ August 04, 2010, 05:06 PM: Message edited by: Rick Hawes ]

[Money]

Originally posted by Greg Ambrosius:
quote:Originally posted by FAST MONEY:
Great questions, equally GREAT answers. Thanks for doing this Rick.

Greg, Lets have Rick back again as we get closer.

Thanks. Remember Rick, today's 50 is the New 40!!

We will do that Joe. Rick is very, very thorough as you can see. I'm surprised folks didn't ask more questions. I'm sure if you folks post some overnite he will find the time to answer them. Rick likes football-mad folks like we've assembled here!! Feel free to post more questions for him and I promise we'll have Rick on again. [/QUOTE]Great, I had to leave after sending my first question earlier. I'd love to ask another. By the way Happy Birthday !!

I'm new to High Stakes Fantasy Football. I tried my luck at baseball this year and did not do very well with my in season management. What advice would you give to those of us that are entering this space for the first time? That is a general question and an in season management question as well.

Also, In an ideal draft what would you consider your ideal roster make up by position?

Thanks Again.

[Rick Hawes]

Originally posted by FAST MONEY:
quote:Originally posted by Greg Ambrosius:
quote:Originally posted by FAST MONEY:
Great questions, equally GREAT answers. Thanks for doing this Rick.

Greg, Lets have Rick back again as we get closer.

Thanks. Remember Rick, today's 50 is the New 40!!

We will do that Joe. Rick is very, very thorough as you can see. I'm surprised folks didn't ask more questions. I'm sure if you folks post some overnite he will find the time to answer them. Rick likes football-mad folks like we've assembled here!! Feel free to post more questions for him and I promise we'll have Rick on again. [/QUOTE]Great, I had to leave after sending my first question earlier. I'd love to ask another. By the way Happy Birthday !!

I'm new to High Stakes Fantasy Football. I tried my luck at baseball this year and did not do very well with my in season management. What advice would you give to those of us that are entering this space for the first time? That is a general question and an in season management question as well.

Also, In an ideal draft what would you consider your ideal roster make up by position?

Thanks Again. [/QUOTE]1. I would canvas these boards and attempt to locate veterans that have had success in the type of league you plan on joining. I know a lot of fantasy heads don't like to share the secrets to their success, but there's also a large contingent of owners who enjoy helping out less experienced managers. I make this my first piece of advice, as I have never competed in the NFFC and am just getting familiarized with some of the details and rules of the contest.

2. Evaluate the KDS system and the third-round reversal formats. IMO, and this is coming from a novice in this contest, I would either want one of the top-four or five picks this year (stud RBs), or to be in the 12 hole. I like the 12th slot because you are likely going to secure two elite wide receivers at No. 12 and 13 in a PPR format, as well as getting three of the top 25 picks in the draft. If you can hit on these players and they stay healthy as well as making solid value/sleeper selections later in the process -- you should have a good chance for success.

3. Before your draft make sure you are totally organized and prepared to do battle. Have your cheat sheets broken down into tiers, so that you have a point of demarcation for each positional bucket, providing you with a way to monitor drop-offs in talent. Don’t fall in love with a single player, but monitor groups of players that have "like" values. Also, be cognizant of the current ADP of the players at the time of your draft, so you know what the masses are thinking. In the NFFC, you are competing against the best of the best, so you can't totally follow ADP data. Sometimes if you really want a player, and have a gut feeling about them, you have to strike because a lot of guys throw ADP data out the window on certain players that they covet. Bottom line in your draft is to attempt to get value with each of your selections. This isn't always possible, but getting that diamond-in-the-rough guy in the mid-to-late rounds is a quick path to a championship and $$$$$.

4. As for in-season management, you have $1,000 in FAAB money to spend on free agents. This is the only way to improve your roster during the season, as there is no trading allowed. You will need to make some proactive moves on the waiver wire to get players on the cheap. For example, if you hear that a player is dealing with a nagging ankle injury, BUT is still playing and he has a quality backup -- try scamming the backup off the WW for a low price. Also, do your homework on the past history of the players available on the WW. Nothing worse than blowing your wad on a seven-year veteran who has never done anything in his career that happened to have one good week, and then disappears on you for the remainder of the season. If you're going to spend a serious chunk of change on one player off the WW, make sure the guy has displayed some upside potential in the past. Do your homework by looking at the past news bits on the player, and make an informed decision.

5. Once again, my best advice is to revert back to No. 1 on this list, canvas the experienced owners in the NFFC and get their trade secrets. If none of the experienced owners want to help you, I'm sure Tom Kessenich would give you a few helpful pointers.

FYI - I hear that "GK" is the alpha dog on these boards, maybe he would volunteer to help you out and provide some inside information.

Good luck man!

[ August 04, 2010, 06:58 PM: Message edited by: Rick Hawes ]

[Money]

Originally posted by Rick Hawes:
quote:Originally posted by FAST MONEY:
quote:Originally posted by Greg Ambrosius:
quote:Originally posted by FAST MONEY:
Great questions, equally GREAT answers. Thanks for doing this Rick.

Greg, Lets have Rick back again as we get closer.

Thanks. Remember Rick, today's 50 is the New 40!!

We will do that Joe. Rick is very, very thorough as you can see. I'm surprised folks didn't ask more questions. I'm sure if you folks post some overnite he will find the time to answer them. Rick likes football-mad folks like we've assembled here!! Feel free to post more questions for him and I promise we'll have Rick on again. [/QUOTE]Great, I had to leave after sending my first question earlier. I'd love to ask another. By the way Happy Birthday !!

I'm new to High Stakes Fantasy Football. I tried my luck at baseball this year and did not do very well with my in season management. What advice would you give to those of us that are entering this space for the first time? That is a general question and an in season management question as well.

Also, In an ideal draft what would you consider your ideal roster make up by position?

Thanks Again. [/QUOTE]1. I would canvas these boards and attempt to locate veterans that have had success in the type of league you plan on joining. I know a lot of fantasy heads don't like to share the secrets to their success, but there's also a large contingent of owners who enjoy helping out less experienced managers. I make this my first piece of advice, as I have never competed in the NFFC and am just getting familiarized with some of the details and rules of the contest.

2. Evaluate the KDS system and the third-round reversal formats. IMO, and this is coming from a novice in this contest, I would either want one of the top-four or five picks this year (stud RBs), or to be in the 12 hole. I like the 12th slot because you are likely going to secure two elite wide receivers at No. 12 and 13 in a PPR format, as well as getting three of the top 25 picks in the draft. If you can hit on these players and they stay healthy as well as making solid value/sleeper selections later in the process -- you should have a good chance for success.

3. Before your draft make sure you are totally organized and prepared to do battle. Have your cheat sheets broken down into tiers, so that you have a point of demarcation for each positional bucket, providing you with a way to monitor drop-offs in talent. Don’t fall in love with a single player, but monitor groups of players that have "like" values. Also, be cognizant of the current ADP of the players at the time of your draft, so you know what the masses are thinking. In the NFFC, you are competing against the best of the best, so you can't totally follow ADP data. Sometimes if you really want a player, and have a gut feeling about them, you have to strike because a lot of guys throw ADP data out the window on certain players that they covet. Bottom line in your draft is to attempt to get value with each of your selections. This isn't always possible, but getting that diamond-in-the-rough guy in the mid-to-late rounds is a quick path to a championship and $$$$$.

4. As for in-season management, you have $1,000 in FAAB money to spend on free agents. This is the only way to improve your roster during the season, as there is no trading allowed. You will need to make some proactive moves on the waiver wire to get players on the cheap. For example, if you hear that a player is dealing with a nagging ankle injury, BUT is still playing and he has a quality backup -- try scamming the backup off the WW for a low price. Also, do your homework on the past history of the players available on the WW. Nothing worse than blowing your wad on a seven-year veteran who has never done anything in his career that happened to have one good week, and then disappears on you for the remainder of the season. If you're going to spend a serious chunk of change on one player off the WW, make sure the guy has displayed some upside potential in the past. Do your homework by looking at the past news bits on the player, and make an informed decision.

5. Once again, my best advice is to revert back to No. 1 on this list, canvas the experienced owners in the NFFC and get their trade secrets. If none of the experienced owners want to help you, I'm sure Tom Kessenich would give you a few helpful pointers.

FYI - I hear that "GK" is the alpha dog on these boards, maybe he would volunteer to help you out and provide some inside information.

Good luck man! [/QUOTE]Thank you very much for taking the time to share all of that information. I will put it to good use.