eliasond wrote:Here's a bit of an argument against the "do your research" camp. In the NFFC 12-team DC ADP list I just printed out on Aug 27, here's a few kickers on the list:
#2 Prater
#14 Graham
#16 Henery
#18 Feely
#21 Succop
Does this mean the majority of us are idiots? Granted Succop just got signed. But these are not among the last 10-11 starting kickers usually taken, which I would consider the true risky picks. Most of these guys have had solid years recently. Heck, Feely went 30-36 last year with 3 from 50+. That's a pretty good year, and something people who did their research would know. NFL teams bring in multiple kickers every year to compete, sometimes the new guys wins out, most often not. And evidently everyone who drafted Prater didn't do their research. So how about the random owner that drafted Prater as his/her #1, then one of those next 3 as their #2, then a back-end guy as their #3. Are they stupid or is it a bit of bad luck?
I'm starting to lean more and more toward supporting the "team kicker" concept for the DC format. Would those be any less fun or less competitive if we did that?
I'd also like to see Greg or Tom weigh in on this topic, since ultimately they are the dungeon masters.
Daren.
As I said earlier the only surprise, for me, with kickers was Prater's suspension. I was aware of his prior occurance but due to his clean slate for the past few years and the fact he's now 30 years old, I chose to ignore it. I drafted him in a ton of leagues and wished I had gotten him in the other ones. But those situations along with injuries are part of the game. I'm sure I played a part in his #2 ranking as I tried to start with either him or Gostkowki.
All the other kickers you mentioned were in competitions that should have been known by most drafters. Some maybe weren't aware of these competitions, some may have chosen to ignore the warning signs and some may have viewed the ompetition risk as acceptable.
As I also said earlier I had Graham ranked as the 5th highest kicker based on his opportunity in the N.O. offense. Because of his competition I dropped him into the mid 20's, but in a couple cases, based on my team construction, I drafted him higher. But again I was fully aware of the risk.
As I also said earlier, I'd view having a team QB about as plausible as having a team kicker. Again I understand the appeal of this to some, but again, I'd view it as merely simplifying the draft process. In local leagues or other leagues outside the high stakes environment that might make sense....I may be wrong, but I don't believe most players in this format would find that appealing.
