NFL Players Have Fantasy Football Draft

Among the most tired arguments against fantasy football are that people playing it need to "get a girlfriend" or "get a life." First of all, as an avid fantasy football player, I'd like to point out that my wife probably wouldn't appreciate it if I got a girlfriend. Secondly, when seven well-known NFL players play, how can you really question if it's "cool" while comparing it to Dungeons and Dragons? Just get over yourself and try it before knocking it. It's fun.

Mini-rant aside, NFLplayers.com held an 8-team draft last week, pitting Leon Washington, Roy Williams (Cowboys WR), Ronnie Brown, Robbie Gould, Matt Forte, Cato June and DeAngelo Williams against one lucky fan. Let's see how they did.

I'll list each player's probable starting lineup (QB, RB, RB, WR, WR, TE, Flex, D/ST, K) and then bench players, followed by a grade and short comment.

Washington
Starting Lineup: Kurt Warner, Michael Turner, Ryan Grant, Andre Johnson, Greg Jennings, Tony Gonzalez, Derrick Ward, Jets, Stephen Gostkowski
Bench: Donovan McNabb, himself, Laveranues Coles, Jake Delhomme

Grade: B+

Comment: Love this thing everywhere but at RB2. Grant's very weak in this spot for an 8-team league. Maybe Washington's planning on taking the league by storm and didn't worry about filling his RB2 slot earlier? Warner, Turner, Johnson, Jennings and Gonzalez will pack the stat sheet every week, though. Good team.

R. Williams
Starting Lineup: Tony Romo, Adrian Peterson, Ronnie Brown, Calvin Johnson, himself, Kellen Winslow, Darren McFadden, Steelers, Neil Rackers
Bench: Ben Roethlisberger, Eli Manning, Michael Crabtree, Knowshon Moreno

Grade: B-

Comment: Most interesting team. He took himself and last season's teammate as the starting receivers. He took two rookies late, and got a possible steal based upon upside in McFadden. Considering where he drafted him, though, he paid too much for the trio of quarterbacks, who carry more name recognition than fantasy value.

Brown
Starting Lineup: Phillip Rivers, Matt Forte, LenDale White, Anquan Boldin, Terrell Owens, Owen Daniels, Santonio Holmes, Ravens, Ryan Longwell
Bench: Chad Pennington, Jonathan Stewart, Jeremy Shockey, Reggie Bush

Grade: C-

Comment: First of all, I'd start Bush over White and Holmes, but Brown drafted Bush in the last round. Surprising that the entire group avoided him like the plague. Maybe they know something we don't? Overall, running back is pretty weak behind Forte and the receivers are a pretty risky group considering how shallow the league is.

Gould
Starting Lineup: Aaron Rodgers, Maurice Jones-Drew, Brandon Jacobs, Reggie Wayne, Steve Smith, Chris Cooley, DeSean Jackson, Bears, John Kasay
Bench: David Garrard, Kyle Orton, Cedric Benson, Devin Hester

Grade: C

Comment: What's he doing taking the Packers' quarterback? C'mon Robbie! Otherwise, Gould's draft shows he's a loyal guy. Not only did he take the Bears defense and Hester, but also two former teammates (Benson and Orton, in case you've been living under a rock for the past five years). As for the actual analysis, though, this is a bad team. It would be a good team in a 12-team league, but in an 8-man draft, the flex spot and bench are pretty sub-par.

Forte
Starting Lineup: Matt Schaub, Chris Johnson, Steve Slaton, Larry Fitzgerald, Chad Ochocinco, Greg Olsen, Pierre Thomas, Giants, Robbie Gould
Bench: Jay Cutler, Eddie Royal, Vincent Jackson, Darren Sproles

Grade: A

Comment: Now that's more like it for my Bears. What incredible value with Ochocinco, Thomas and Jackson. There is no weakness on this squad. Finally, he picked Gould during a kicker run immediately before Gould would have had the chance to draft himself. Solid move.

June
Starting Lineup: Tom Brady, Brian Westbrook, Marion Barber, Randy Moss, T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Zach Miller, Thomas Jones, Chargers, Nate Kaeding
Bench: Matt Ryan, Marques Colston, Joseph Addai, Braylon Edwards

Grade: A

Comment: Any injury concerns from Brady are mitigated by Ryan being the backup. Very strong receiving corps and I believe he'll end up playing Colston every week. The Chargers defense was great late value, too, with the return of Shawne Merriman.

Dave Stasinski (the fan)
Starting Lineup: Drew Brees, LaDanian Tomlinson, Steven Jackson, Roddy White, Dwayne Bowe, Antonio Gates, Clinton Portis, Vikings, Mason Crosby
Bench: Carson Palmer, Larry Johnson, Marshawn Lynch, Anthony Gonzalez

Grade: A+

Comment: He's definitely more experienced in fantasy than the players. With an overload of stud running backs, he'd be able to trade for any deficiencies during the season. Of course, right now there don't appear to be any.

D. Williams
Starting Lineup: Peyton Manning, himself, Frank Gore, Wes Welker, Brandon Marshall, Jason Witten, Kevin Smith, Redskins, Rob Bironas
Bench: Trent Edwards, Matt Cassel, Santana Moss, Dallas Clark

Grade: D

Comment: Didn't get much depth and the Redskins are a better real defense than fantasy. Not sure why it was necessary to pick two tight ends in the top six rounds, and that's precisely why his depth is bad in other spots.