Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Minnesota's Finest XI Draft Grades

When you talk Fantasy Football in Minnesota, it isn't hard to find the premier league every fantasy expert wants to be a part of. That league is Minnesota's Finest, now in year 11. Sure everyone thinks they play with the best, but I know this is the best, I have yet to win, or make it to the finals for offer. Minnesota's Finest is the league that has the ever so clever Annie Nakagaki is Hot, who pulled off a trade for TO for the average James Stewart. It is the home of the mind shattering LT for Wadge Boggs and a side of rice pilaf trade.





That being said, it is time for the draft grades for year the 2011 draft since the past matters no more.





TBD: With the first pick TBD wasted no time taking AP, and followed that up with a great pick in Steven Jackson who should build on his great young career as Sam Bradford and co. continue to improve. Gregg Jennings is a top 5 fantasy reciever, giving him the best top 3 of any teams in the league. After that though he started to slip a bit. Peyton Manning should be great about 6 weeks after returning from injury, but that leaves him with Jay Cutler or a rusty Manning to start the season, which could mean a slow start that could be tough to overcome if AP and Jackson start slow. TBD has solid backs to fill out his roster and good enough WR in Colston, Ward and Evans to keep him competitve all year long if he can avoid injuries to his stars. Defense wins championships though, and a young, vulnerable Lions D could be the downfall of his team if Suh and the line are not able to get enough sacks and force enough fumbles.





Grade: B+


Pro: Great RB's and solid depth at WR


Con: QB situation could be shaky and D could jeopardize him if the secondary fails.





Prestige World Wide: I like the pick of Arian Foster because if healthy, he can score a lot of points. The Texans have a high powered offense and teams have to respect the passing game, leaving Foster with 7 in the box often. Drew Brees is a top QB and with an improved running game could really have a big year. With Nicks, Johnson, Holmes and Floyd, PWW has one of the best, if not the best, WR unit. I don't have a lot of faith in the other RB's,but his recievers make up for that. The D's aren't superb either, but between NO and St. Louis there should be plenty of bad teams to match up against





Grade:B-


Pro: Great WR unit, Great QB's


Cons: RB's young, no QB to throw to Cooley in Washington





Don Wuerkel V.2: I like how DW didn't reach for a WR or QB with his second and third picks and instead took the best player available. The WR situation isn't great with Don relying on a young Dez Bryant and an aging Anquan Boldin, however BOldin should improve in his second year with Baltimore and Brynat and Collie both should take a step forward. Pettigrew should be great if Stafford can stay healthy, and Hernandez has TOm Brady. With Pitsburg and Denver, who has Dummerville back and added Von Miller, D is the strength of DW, if not his RB's. QB could be huge if you believe some fantasy experts with Ryan having another weapon to thorw to and another year under his belt.





Grade: B-


Pros: Great starters across the board


Cons: No proven depth, if history repeats itself, Rice will get hurt and a lot of guys will underperform. DW is like Texans, high expectations and low results every year.





MMBP: Looking to make the playoffs for the first time, MMPB went hot after RB's from the start, drafting a very solid core to carry his team. Charles, Blount and Forte all should get a good number of carries and all play for teams that have good passing games, freeing up space to run. WR could be a downfall for him though as Welker has had injury problems, Burress hasn't played in years and Williams could be a one year wonder. Freeman and Flacco both are good young QB's, but both were better QB's than their fantasy points showed, meaning they might not show their worth.





Grade:C+


Pros: I love the RB situation


Cons: WR could be a tough spot if an injury occurs or Burress doesn't fit in. No playoff appearances, so history shows it could be tough.





MM: Turner has carried the ball more in the last 3 years than anyone, and it will catch up to him soon. Hillis might be a one year wonder. Benson is going to jail. LT is a backup. That being said, all four are capable of having years, if healthy and D's don't focus on them solely. Bowe was a steal where MM got him, and Crabtee is too talented to not take a big step forward, and Santana Moss and Brandon Lloyd will be go to guys. I like Shaub a lot too. However Minnesota's D is aging and Mercedes Lewis, being the only TE, has a lot of work to do by himself.





Grade: C+


Pros: A lot of talent at WR and RB


Cons: Can all the RB's stay healthy and repeat big years? Can the TE and D score enough points?





Team Choke and Stroke:





Pros: Phillip Rivers could easily be the top QB, Chris johnson, Ryan Matthews and Bennie Wells are all great, when in the game


Cons: All three RB's are injury prone or not on a roster. Mike Wallace has had one big year, Julio Jones is a rookie and Sims Walker plays for a run first team that might be grooming a new QB half way through the year. Can Spiller and Co. step in if the starters are not playing???





Grade: C+