English Premier League Fantasy Draft Review

Fantasy Football is great.  Fantasy English Football is sadly lacking.  Can you believe with all the coverage the English Premier League has been getting in the US the last few years that there still isn't and EPL Fantasy Draft based league out there?  All the leagues are lame salary cap leagues.
To remedy this, my friends and I created our own draft league starting with the 2007-08 season.  Things are pretty serious now.  With the uncertainty of transfers, new players, 2 weeks before the transfer window ends, the draft is always the funnest night of the year.
Here is a recap of the 2012-2013 EPL Fantasy Draft.  I will give you the first two round of picks to see how things work, show you my entire draft, and then end with some good picks/ bad picks.

Round One
1.Wayne Rooney - The safe number one pick, will score goals regardless of the addition of Van Persie
2. Sergio Aguero -My pick here, think it was a good one.  Aguero will put in his goals
3. Fernando Torres - The only real top striker on a team with loads of creative midfielders.  Can he find his form?
4. Lucas Podalski - This manager does not take players from Man U, Man City, Liverpool, Tottenham, or Chelsea.  That's the only thing that makes this pick make any sense.
5. Robin Van Persie - People are worried about Rooney and Van Persie fitting in together, but if anyone watched Man United last season, they would see that Rooney plays deep, almost as a center midfielder sometimes.  RVP will lead the line.
6. David Silva - Best midfielder last season, but tailed off a bit toward the end.  With such a strong squad, not sure if he is a top 6 pick
7. Luis Suarez - Horse-faced racist diver, but a good player.
8. Gareth Bale - Good pick here, maybe the best midfield fantasy player in the league
9. Carlos Tevez - A bit risky this high, but it looks like he'll play this season, and if he plays, he scores
10. Oliver Giroud - Hmm, scored a lot for Montpellier, but this is  the EPL.  He won't be a Chamahk, but he also won't be a Van Persie
11. Papa Cisse - Incredible scoring record last season, but I don't see he having that same form
12. Rafael Van der Vaart - Ooh, is he still in the league?

Round 2
13. Juan Mata - Great midfielder player, should get lots of assists, but will he bag enough goals
14. Nani - good fantasy player, but gets in Ferguson's doghouse from time to time
15. Santi Cazorla - New boy from Spain will be needed to provide a create spark for Arsenal
16. Joe Hart - First goalkeeper taken
17. Vincent Kompany - Best defender on the best defensive team in the league
18. Steven Gerrard - Great pick if this was 2004
19. Clint Dempsey - Maybe a bit high, especially with transfer status in the air, great midfielder, though
20.Denis Hazard - Talented midfielder, should be another of Chelsea's creative talents, should  get a lot of assists if his strikers can put in some goals
21. Thomas Vermaelen - Arsenal, lots of injuries, but a great player
22. Mario Balotelli - Great summer for Balotelli, but will be get enough starts with all of City's talented strikers?
23. Nikica Jelavic - Great scoring record of Everton last season.  He should do more of the same with a team that only plays one striker and has a good number of attackind midfielders and defenders
24/25. John Terry/Frank Lampard - Pretty much the same pick here.  Great histories with Chelsea and will somehow continue to put up points despite playing less

Now my full picks
Round 1. Aguero
Round 2. Jelavic
Round 3. Vidic - Injuries could be an issue, but Man U was second in least goals against last season
4. Micah Richards - Clicy was picked right before Richards and I really wanted a Man City defender, so I might have reached a bit
5. Vertonghen - I like this pick, a defender on a strong team, but lacking a strong center defender.  He'll coem in right away and score some goals
6. Oxlade-Chamberlain - Ready for a break out season
7. Cabaye - Looked good for France in Euros, should comtinue to do what he did last season
8. Heitinga - Should be the started for Everton with Jagielka, or maybe even play a defensive midfield position
9. Moses - Strong attacking midfielder, but if he moves to Chelsea, he'll get much less playing time
10. Fellaini - Moved up the field a bit after Gibson came to Everton and put in goals and assists, see more of the same this season
11. Mirallas - Coming to Everton, should be a nice second forward or attacking mid - led the Greek league in goals last season
12. Adam Johnson - Plays strong for England, will now get some playing time at Sunderland, a team in need of some creativity
13. Cameron - USA, USA - Stoke has a strong defensive record, especially at home
14. Schwarzer - Nice value pick here
15. Begovic - good to have options between the posts
16. R. Taylor - eh, kind of a throw away pick here

 Verdict: Strong strikers undoubtedly, a strong defense, but not as strong in years past for me, and a definite unproven midfield.  I will need someone in that midfield to step up to grab a top 2 spot.

Good Picks:
4th Round: Baines - Good value in 4th round.  Everton actually had the 3rd least goals against last season and Baines will continue to put in goals and even more assists
5th Round: Kagawa - Should fit in will at Man U and set up Rooney and Van Persie,  Adebayor - One of the most underrated players in the league.
6th Round: Ben Arfa - attacking young player on the rise, Howard - strong 'keeper, good defensive team, Peinaar - Looked great at the end of last season when he joined Everton, look for more of the same linking up with Baines
8th: Dzeko - He'll put in his goals
9th: Distin - Could start for Everton, Kaboul - should start for Tottenham
10th: S. Taylor - Missed a lot of last season, but should be back strong for Newcastle, Michu - Interesting attacking player new for Swansea, Agger - staying put Liverpool, Fellaini - above

Questionable Picks
4. R. Ferdinand - High for Ferdinand, he's old, slow, and injury prone.  This isn't 2005.
6. Graham - Scored a lot last season, but I don't see the same happening this year
7. Santos - What is he, 3rd choice at Arsenal?
8. Dawson - Injury prone to the max
9. Pennant - Defender, midfielder, what team is he even on?
10. Kolarov - Set to leave City
11. Scholes - doesn't play enough, Kane - who???
13. Barry - Defensive midfielder, Savic - 4th choice at city

Overall, teams look a lot more equal than in years past.  People are finally figuring out how to draft.  I really don't know how to predict the league. Even Serg as a pretty good team  This is definitely the least confident I have felt post draft.  Not even certain to finish in the top half this year.
Dustin looks good with Van Persie and strong midfield, should challenge once again
BJ - reliant on Arsenal and will need to get enough from his Everton and Villa players to challenge for the top
Worth - lots of Liverpool, but does have some decent attacking power with Suarez, Dzeko, Berbatov, Nasri, and Yaya Toure
Raubert - very solid team from 1-11, should challenge for the title
Junkie - If Rooney can get hot, he can challenge for the top 3, if not, I see a midtable team
Jerry- strong in the back with Hart, A. Cole, Luiz, and Zabaleta, but really only has Tevez on the attacking side.  I see a bottom half finish
Carlo - average at best, high scorer will likely be Peter Cech
Mort
Andy - I see Mort and Andy battling it out for last place, but have to predict Andy will go from first to worst.
Bryan - with strikers Grant Holt, Danny Graham, and Moussa Dembele, I see a bottom half finish for Bryan
Serg - Soild team all around, will need midfield production from Ben Arfa, Marin, and N'Zogbia to challenge

English Premier League Fantasy Recap Part II

Check the post below for part I.

Now is the time where I get to praise and rib people for their picks. I'm pretty good at the ribbing part.

Good picks:
Martin Skrtel - 6th Round - A nice pick up here in the 6th. He is one of the most consistent defenders in the league and always gets the start for Liverpool.
Gabbi Agbonlahor - 8th Round - Not a top level striker, but this guy was a probably a 3rd round striker just a couple years ago, should continue to work well with Bent.
Dimitar Berbatov - 7th Round - Last years joint leading scorer in the 7th round. I don't expect another 20 goal season, but good value this late.
Seamus Coleman - 7th - Coleman would be a top class defender if not for his injury, still good value in the 7th round for an Everton that will start slow anyways.
Carlos Tevez - 8th - Similar to Berbatov, but much more uncertainty about his future. Still high reward pick for the 8th round even if he only stays until January
Mark Schwarzer - 10th - Last quality 'keeper on the board. A steal considering Given went in the 7th and Howard in the 4th.
Roman Pavlyuchenko - 10th - Tottenham's best striker right now, strong end to last season, finally in good graces at Spurs.
Stephane Sessegnon - 12th - Strong attacking midfield option at Sunderland
Ramires - 12th - Seems to be settling in the starting XI at Chelsea, especially with Essien injured.
Leon Osman - 13th - Great run at the end of last season, should get lots of starts as Everton are lacking wingers.
Alan Hutton - 13th - Should be the starter at right back for Spurs
Romelu Lukaku - 16th - Not sure how much PT he'll get, but a good shot with your final pick

Not so Clever Picks:
Malouda 1st Round, Kalou 4th Round - Good players, but drafted too high especially on a Chelsea team with loads of attacking options.
Bobby Zamora - 4th - He'll get lots of games, but too high at the 4th round
Scott Sinclair - 5th - This pick got a number of laughs, but no, it wasn't a joke. Maybe he thought it was the 15th round.
Alex - 5th Round - Didn't you learn from taking Alex too high before Junkie? He is not first choice at Chelsea and has been heavily linked to a move to Italy.
Gareth Barry - 9th - Gareth Barry used to be good. Then he moved to Man City.
Phil Neville - 15th - Listed as a midfielder, not a defender. Ouch.
Morten Gamst Pedersen - 8th - A bit high at the 8th round.
Grant Holt - 9th - Obviously early for a Norwich striker. Mort, did you know he is fat? Here are some of his facebook groups - "Grant Holt is a Fat Prick", "Get off the ground you fat cunt! Nan please, that's Grant Holt", "Grant Holt is a diving scum". Despite what it appears, I have nothing against Grant Holt. I hope he does well.


Teams
Carlo - 1. Rooney 2. Vidic 3. Cech
A strong start for Carlo. His first half of the draft was great, but then he started picking a slew of defensive midfielders - Gareth Barry, Lucas, Alex Song, Whitehead - spelling fantasy disaster.
Prediction - Strong foundation and good picks with Coleman and Taarabt in the 7th and 8th, but the second half of the draft will see Carlo languish in the mid table.

Andy - "TheWengerBoysAreComing" - 1. Van Persie 2. Baines 3. Yaya
Took Samba (4th) and Henderson (6th) too early. With defenders from Everton, Wigan, Newcastle, and Fulham, I'm not sure if his defense will be strong enough. Lots will depend on Van Persie's health.
Prediction - Should be a marked improvement from last year, but won't challenge for the top spots.

BJ - "There's something about Gabi's smelly cunt" - 1. Bent 2. Walcott 3. Dempsey
BJ sticks to his morals and does not select players from Chelsea, Man U, Man City, Liverpool, or Tottenham. Despite this hindrance, he finished second in the league last year. He got Dempsey and T. Cahill 3rd and 4th and Gibbs and Koscielny 6th and 7th.
Prediction - Despite his limitations, BJ should again challenge for the league. A lot will depend on Arsenal's defense, and how well Villa and Fulham perform this season.

Serg - 1. Malouda 2. A. Cole 3. Gyan
Serg left after round 10 of the draft. His team got better once he left.
Prediction - Relegation

Rory - "My dad wasn't really elected" - 1. Lampard 2. Chichirito 3. Gervinho
Rory had our first ever proxy drafting for him. He had a pretty detailed list, but I think his absence from the draft will hurt him early on.
Prediction - Overall his team is good, but not flashy - mid table

Junkie - " The fantasy team formerly Jobless for Life, formerly Down for Brown" 1. Drogba 2. Nasri 3. Evra
Good start to the draft for Junkie, then a quick decline - Alex, Chamakh, Riise, Gallas, David Dunn. He has a solid midfield, with the potential for more depending how Nasri settles in.
Prediction: Relegation battle

Jerry - 1. Suarez 2. Bale 3. Reina
Good draft for Jerry, but a lot will depend on who gets playing time. Jerry pick a lot of players who are not guaranteed starters - Lescott, Adam Johnson, Phil Jones, Tevez, K. Toure, Fabio, SWP
Prediction - Should challenge for a European spot, but not the title

Bryan - "Pippa Middleton XI" - 1. Van der Vaart, Kuyt, N'Zogbia
I don't see any of Pippa's first three picks performing as well as last season. Bryan does have a strong but not flashy squad, though, with stalwarts like Kenwyne Jones, Kevin Davies, Shay Given, Jamie Carragher and a couple nice later picks like Osman, Moses, and Enrique
Prediction - I see Bryan putting together a side that will see him achieve his best position ever. But that isn't really saying much.

Dustin - "I hate Eric Ellsworth for ruining our fantasy draft by running his restaurant into the ground and forcing us into Raubert's super sweaty living room Wanderers" (FC) - 1. Silva 2. Terry 3. Gerrard
Dustin is strong at all positions, with the exception of striker. Good value picks with Smalling and Brunt 8 and 9.
Prediction: Dustin is a proven EPL fantasy manager and should challenge for the title

Worth - "It takes a Man to Raise a Man" FC - 1. Carroll 2. A. Young 3. Modric
A very solid start for Worth, getting Dzeko in the 4th and Valencia in the 5th. He has a good squad. Some questions with Zabaleta, Richards, and Anelka and basically threw away his last 2 picks.
Prediction - Worth's best ever finish was 2nd two seasons ago. Can he best that? I don't think so, but he should finish near the top

Mort - 1. Aguero 2. Sniejder 3. Vermaelen
Some questionable picks by Mort as I mentioned earlier, but some nice ones too - Dawson, Adam, and Distin 6th-8th rounds. I see a very inconsistent season for the newcomer.
Prediction - It will be a rough first time out. Look for some good weeks and bad weeks. I see a low midtable finish - but not last place.

Raubert - "Cos's Cavernous Condoms" - 1. Nani 2. Hart 3. Ivanovic
Very strong D for Raubert. his mid is a bit lacking other than Nani. His strikers should be just good enough to allow him to challenge for a finish in the money.
Prediction - Near the top of the table

Tony - "Gia's Afterbirth Sack-lunch" - 1. Torres 2. Arshavin 3. Kompany
Prediction - I'm not as confident as last year. A repeat will be tough, but I should still finish in the top 3. I know fantasy soccer.

There you go kids. Feel to add to the fodder in the comments section below.

English Premiership Fantasy Draft Review 2011

Time for another English Premier League fantasy draft. As you EPL fans know, there are no good fantasy English leagues out there. They are all salary cap based as opposed draft based which we like here in America. Also, they have stupid scoring systems where you get points for starts, substitutions, shots and a different number of points for goals depending on what position you play. It doesn't take an expert to know that in soccer, all goals count for the same number of points.
To rectify this situation, my friends and I created our own draft league. We keep it simple - points for goals, assists, team of the week, negative points for own goals, goals against, and red cards. Each team drafts 16 players and starts a 4-4-2 every week with a captain having their points doubled. The draft totally changes strategy. Only one team gets Wayne Rooney, Frank Lampard and the like. There are a finite number of strong defenders and scoring midfielders. Do you go with offense or defense first? You also have all the transfer uncertainty before the season. Big decisions.

Let's take a look at this years EPL Fantasy Draft.

Round 1
1. Wayne Rooney - Striker - Manchester United - This was the right pick. I took Rooney first last year. He is the most reliable, most consistent player. He may not lead the league in goals, but he will get his points. There is no such certainty with any other player.
2. Robin Van Persie - Striker - Arsenal - Van Persie tore it up at the end of last season. He is a top striker, but can he stay healthy?
3. Fernando Torres - Striker - Chelsea - A bit of a risk here. Torres has not had a good year. He has shown the pedigree in the EPL and seemingly should turn things around at Chelsea.
4. Darren Bent - Striker - Aston Villa - This pick might be a bit of a surprise this soon, but if you look at the stats over the past few years, Bent is a top 3 Premier League striker. Also, due to moral reasons, the manager picking here does not take players from Chelsea, Tottenham, Liverpool, Man United, or Man City.
5. Florent Malouda - Midfielder - Chelsea - The first midfielder taken. I would not have expected Malouda to be the first taken. Malouda does get his points, but really tailed off during the second half of last season. I question this pick.
6. Frank Lampard - M - Chelsea - Lampard has been one of the best fantasy players over the course of the league. He didn't do as well last year. There is a lot of clamoring about him getting old, but if you look at the games he played, he put up high points.
7. Didiger Drogba - S - Chelsea - Drogba is another player who used to be a certain top 3 pick, but has a few question marks due to injuries and age.
8. Luiz Suarez - S - Liverpool - Interesting choice between Carroll and Suarez. Either could have a break out year or a disappointing year.
9. Rafael Van der Vaart - M - Tottenham - Van der Vaart was a revelation last year, full of goals and assists. He fell off a bit at the end of the year. Can he repeat?
10. David Silva - M - Man City - I like this pick. Silva came on strong last season and is the play maker on a talented city side. He'll have loads of assists and a few goals to match.
11. Andy Carroll - S - Liverpool - See pick #8
12. Sergio Aguero - S - Man City - New players to the EPL are always a risk, but I like this pick. Plug in Aguero for Tevez do you have 20 goals again? We shall see.
13. Nani - M - Man U - Nani I think was the second leading midfield scorer last season. He gets assists and goals. His benching by Sir Alex in the Champions League final does raise some questions.

Round 2
14. Joe Hart - Goalkeeper - Man City - With no Van der Sar and the lack of a true number 1 at Arsenal, 'keepers are at a premium. I think this is a bit early, but you can't really question it.
15. Wesley Sneijder - M - Inter - Wow. Earliest pick for a non-premier league player ever. Lots of rumors, but a HUGE risk this early in the draft. Wow.
16. Ashley Young - M - Man U - A perennial early round pick with Aston Villa. Now at Man U. That raises his value in my book. Nice pick.
17. John Terry - Defender - Chelsea - Terry is the only player to make the fantasy league team of the year all 4 years of the league. First defender taken and rightfully so.
18. Dirk Kuyt - M - Liverpool - Always under rated at midfielder. Kuyt will play as an attacking midfielder every game. Good pick.
19. Gareth Bale - M - Tottenham - Bale is a good player, but maybe not a top 20 fantasy player. He needs some consistency to become that. Maybe this will be another break-out season, with the stats to match the hype.
20. Samir Nasri - M - Arsenal - Time will tell on this one. If he stays and Fabregas goes, great value at 20, but if he goes to City, where does he fit in?
21. Chicirito - S - Man U - A bit early at 21. I'm not sure if he can match his success of the previous year.
22. Ashley Cole - D - Chelsea - Good pick - a certain starting defender for a top team and he gets forward.
23. Theo Walcott - M - Arsenal - With Walcott you can count on a few great games, frequent poor crosses, loads of speed, and a couple injuries each year.
24. Andrei Arshavin - M - Arsenal - See 23 but with less speed and less injuries
25. Leighton Baines - D - Everton - Baines gets forward, takes great free kicks, will get loads of assists and a few goals. But how many clean sheets can he get with Everton?
26. Nemanja Vidic - D - Man United - A rock in the Man U defense. He is a sure starter and throws in some set piece headers as well. Strong pick as the final one of the second round.

Ok, I'm only giving you the first two rounds. I can't have this blog be too epic. Now I'll take a look at my picks, followed by selected good and bad picks and a brief rating of each team.

My picks:
Round 1: Torres
Round 2: Arshavin
Round 3: Vincent Kompany - D - Man City - Like I mentioned earlier, there are only a handful of defenders you can pencil in every week for the Big 5 (Man City joins as well). I would put this list as Cech, Ivanovic, Cole, Terry, Luiz, De Gea, Evra, Vidic, Reina, Skrtel, Johnson, Hart, and Kompany. This is a short list. These players should be at a premium. Last year, Man City and Chelsea were tied with the lowest goals against. And Kompany is the only sure starter on D for Man City. That's why I took him so early.
4. David Luiz - D - Chelsea - Very happy to get Luiz here. He was number 16 0n my big board and I got him with pick 50. Nice.
5. Mario Balotelli - S - Man City - Head case. High Risk, hopefully high reward.
6. Brad Friedel - GK - Tottenham - Maybe a bit early, but I needed a goalie, and it was him or Given.
7. Mikel Arteta - M - Everton - Good value at round 7 barring any more injury issues.
8. Rafael - D - Man U - If Rafael gets the majority of starts at right back, I'm feeling very good about my team.
9. Marouane Fellaini - M - Everton - Ready for a bounce-back year. Good value in round 9.
10. David "Junior" Hoilett - M - Blackburn - This was my sleeper pick. I probably took him a round or two early, but I did not want to lose him. He is listed as a mid and should start a lot of games as a striker. Break-out year baby.
11. Louis Saha - S - Everton - Getting a starting striker for a top 7 team in the 11th round is great. Injury issues, though.
12. Ryan Shawcross - D - Stoke
13. Youssouf Mulumbu - M - West Bromwich Albion- Good back-up midfielder, another break-out candidate.
14. Ryan Giggs - M - Man U - The old man still has it. But how do you know when he will start?
15. John O'Shea - D - Sunderland
16. Steven Taylor - D - Newcastle - If you can't get a top defender, differentiation in the back is key. This way, goals against are usually balanced out by clean sheets.

There we go, a strong team. A championship team? I am not as confident as last season, but I feel pretty good looking after looking at other teams. Things that will tell the tale are Rafael's starts and if Torres or Balotelli can find consistent form.
Stay tuned for more to come!

The Tantalizing Frustration of the Summer Football Season

As a football (soccer) fan, the summer always holds a certain level of promise, but usually provides a much higher level of frustration. The European football off season is a unique experience. It is fueled by rumors and gossip pages and the board media. At times, it is almost as exciting as the real sport. In today's day and age, with blogs and twitter and a desire for instant information, it is probably too much. Pretty much every player out there is linked with someone else at some point in the summer. Lots of times the endless rumors of players and clubs are referred to as "transfer sagas". That is pretty apt as these things sometimes go on for months and months with endless speculation and nothing really happening.
Things are even worse being an Everton fan. You hear these rumors of players you know you are not going to get. You hear rumors linking your team to players you don't want. You most often hear rumors of your players leaving for bigger clubs. Yet you still check everyday to see who you are linked with. It's addicting. So far this summer Everton have sold 2 average players and bought no one. That is pretty normal actually.

Let's take a look at Everton's 2011 summer transfer rumors:
Mirislav Klose: The most unrealistic of the bunch, but fun to pretend
Demba Ba: Strong striker, also free - went with the higher wages offered by Newcastle
Sergio Canales (loan): Would've been interesting, but never realistic
As you can see by the three above, Everton have no money. All these players were free and we still cannot afford them. We must sell to buy, but can what we buy from our sales be better than what we have? Always the question of transfers I guess.

Jay Bothroyd: I'm not interested in him. He's not interested in us
Charles N'Zogbia: This would be a great signing, but I don't see us getting him for less than 8 million pounds
Shane Long: The Ginger has never impressed me. I don't think he's Premiership quality. No way I would pay more than 4 for him
Shaun Wright-Philips: This would be nice and make sense for player and club, but I see his wages being too high
Craig Bellamy: A quality striker, but I don't see him as an Everton man.
Nedam Onuoha: Of this list, Onuoha is the one I would most want - young, athletic, powerful, room to grow under Moyes.
Wes Brown - No thanks. We already got Phil Neville. Going to Sunderland now, though.
Danny Welbeck: I'd take him on loan or sale.

Yeah, nothing too exciting. We just don't have the money.
Out rumors:
I've heard rumors for most of our big guns - Baines, Rodwell, Fellaini, Jagielka. I would sell Rodwell and Fellaini. They just don't add anything that exceptional to the team. I would also love to see Bilyletdinov go. He just does not fit into the Everton system.

No money, our best players leaving, but don't fret Everton fans. Moyes actually does his best work with the mid-level transfers. That is what our team is based on pretty much.
Tim Cahill: £1.5 million
Mikel Arteta: £2 million
Tim Howard: £3 million
Phil Jagielka: £4m
Leighton Baines: £6 million
Jolean Lescott: £4m
Sylvain Distin: £5 million

From the data, we have to trust in Moyes' mid-level buys. He'll find a way to do something.
Unfortunately, every summer is the same. We say we will get players early, but wait until the last days of August. This contributes to our continual poor starts each season. Man.

Either way, I will continue to check the rumor mill each day. It is summer football season after all.

English Premier League Fantasy Wrap-Up

For the forth straight year, my friends and I ran a EPL English Premier League Fantasy Draft-based League. A fantasy draft in an EPL fantasy league is hard to come by, so my friends and I just do the league on our own. It provides for good fun. See the draft review here. Actually, I'm the one running the league, I do all the stats and collect weekly line-ups. This provides me with a huge advantage as I see every play who scores, every player who has a clean sheet, and every player that gets an assist. This come up big in the early parts of the season and in the middle part of the season when players get benched or injured.
Bottom line, I won the league again. Let's take a look at the league.

Defense wins championships. I put together an amazing defense, drafting Edwin Van der Sar, Joe Hart, Ashley Cole, Rio Ferdinand, Phil Jagielka, Silvain Distin, and Robert Huth. Bomb.
I would like to dedicate my championship to my midfield midseason pick-ups. I drafted Theo Walcott, and then a whole lot of nothing - Niko Kranjcar, Stephen Ireland, Shaun Wright-Philips, Steven N'Zonzi, and Mesut Ozil. Wow, pretty horrible. Throughout the course of the season, I picked up Ramires, Stuart Holden, Jordan Henderson, and lastly Thomas Hitzlesperger. Yes! Those midfielders along with my defense won me the championship.

TEAM OF THE YEAR
GK: Joe Hart 38 points (Jerry/Tony)
D: John Terry 62 points (Serg)
D: Ashley Cole 61 points (Tony)
D: Branislav Ivanovic 55 points (Carlo)
D: Vidic 51 points (Junkie)
M: Rafael van der Vaart 119 points (Raubert)
M: Ashley Young 74 points (Serg)
M: Nani 64 points (Dustin/Jerry)
M: Arshavin 58 points (Rory)
S: Carlos Tevez 166 points (Jerry/Dustin) PLAYER OF THE YEAR
S: Didier Drogba 127 points (Dustin/Jerry)
Manager: Carlo Ancelotti 15 points (Bryan)

Bench: Cech (Bryan), Zabaleta (Serg), Baines (Jerry/Worth), Fabregas (BJ), Kuyt (Dustin), Rooney (Tony), Robin Van Persie (Carlo/BJ)

Team-by-Team

BJ - Again, not picking players from Man U, Liverpool, Tottenham, Chelsea, and now Man City, yet somehow still challenging for the top spot until the last week, an impressive managerial display. Van Persie's hot streak helped him move up the table, along with Charles N'Zogbia and Asamoah Gyan pick-ups. Led the league in transfers - having everyone from Joey Barton to Landon Donovan to Steed Malbranque at one point.

Dustin - Last year's champ ended up third. Did his mid-season trade of Carlos Tevez for Didier Drogba cost him the league? I don't think so, but it would've put him much closer. Strong attacking lineup with Bent and Kuyt as well, but lack of a true scoring defender hurt him.

Raubert - Raubert, the league's inaugural winner 2008, came on very strong in the middle and end of the season, winning the Cup Competition. His early pick-ups of Peter Odemwingie and Rafael Van der Vaart turned out to be the best ones of the year.


Jerry - Started strong with Drogba killing at the start of the season and then picked up Tevez to keep momentum going. In the end, reliance on Man City players and failure to change his lineup sent him down the standings.

Rory - Rory was another early leader, in first place until about March. His team went the way of his players Berbatov and Kevin Nolan - great starts, but no points after January pretty much.

Serg - Shows if you stick with the same lineup every week, you will get players with a lot of points - Terry, Zabaleta, Ashley Young - but that will not get you enough points to challenge for the title, especially when you count Victor Obinna, Eidur Gudjohsen, and Yuri Zhirkov among those starters.

Bryan - Lack of a premier striker hurt Bryan. Strong midfield with Osman, Cahill, Bale, and Lee, but nothing great up-top.

Worth - Torres, lots of Liverpool defenders, lots of transfers, and too many Birmingham defenders makes for a poor season to go with poor career endeavors for our favorite former restaurant owner.

Andy - Questionable managerial moves not starting Charlie Adam and dropping Charles N'Zogbia. He actually drafted a strong team, but when Jermaine Defoe is your best player, things aren't going to be too strong.

Carlo - Yeah, when Chamakh is your best player, it is a sign you aren't really doing too hot, or playing too hard.

Junkie - Worst team in the history of the league. I actually liked the start of his draft with Gerrard, Vidic, and Vermaelen, but injuries and lack of depth killed him. Started John Pantsil, Paul Scholes, and James Milner all year, ouch.

Ah, I'm sorry that just turned into me making fun of everyone else. But that is what you get Dustin for starting Bolton's Paul Robinson.

Worst Players - Pienaar (Rory), Carrick (Carlo), Barera (Carlo), Zhirkov (Serg) - all started for much of the season but did not score a single point.
Kaboul (Junkie) -2, Warnock (Andy) -3, Kyriakos (Worth) -2, Phil Bardsley (Worth) -2, Aurelio (Worth) -4, Roger Johnson (Worth) -6
And worst player of the season - Wayne Bridge (Jerry) -8. Nice.

There you go folks, another great you. If anyone new is interested in joining, or creating their own league, let me know. Historical stats after the jump.

2009-2010
527 Dustin
492 Tony
464 Worth
455 Serg
435 BJ
436 Carlo
406 Raubert
398 Nik
363 Junkie
359 Bryan
270 Jesse


2008-2009
Tony 511
Worth 471
Junkie 469
Serg 446
BJ 437
Bryan 432
Tyler 364
Joe 328
Jesse 308
Raubert 299
Dustin 299

2007-2008
Raubert: 524
Tony : 490
Jesse: 488
Junkie: 459
Dustin: 415
Nik: 409
Loeser: 381
Worth: 367
Joe: 361
James: 348
Serg: 280


Team of the Year
2009/2010
GK: Cech 43 Points (Raubert)
D- John Terry 100 points (Serg)
D - Thomas Vermaelen 60 points (BJ)
D - Ashley Cole 58 points (Serg)
D - Patrice Evra 57 Points (Dustin)
M - Frank Lampard 198 points (Dustin) PLAYER OF THE YEAR
M - Cesc Fabregas 140 points (Tony)
M - Andrei Arshavin 66 points (Bryan)
M - Steven Gerrard 65 points (Carlo)
S - Wayne Rooney 184 points (Raubert)
S - Carlos Tevez 134 points (Carlo)

Bench: Reina 39, Dunne 53, Malouda 54, Torres 129, Drogba 123



2008-09
GK -Reina 61 points (Raubert)
D - Vidic 84 points (Junkie)
D - Bosingwa 75 points (Tony)
D - Alex 63 points (Bryan)
D - Terry 53 points (Serg)
M - Gerrard 168 points (Worth) PLAYER OF THE YEAR
M - Lampard 130 points (Serg)
M - Ronaldo 129 points (Tyler)
M - Ireland 49 points (Bryan)
S - Anelka 104 points (Junkie)
S - Robinho 95 points (Tony)

2007-08
GK- Reina 51 pts (Worth)
D - Rio Ferdinand 129 points (Joe)
D - Jolean Lescott 73 points (Jesse)
D- John Terry 71 pts (Tony)
D - William Gallas 68 pts (Loeser)
M- C. Ronaldo 242 pts (Raubert) PLAYER OF THE YEAR
M - Steven Gerrard 117 pts (Worth)
M - Fabregas 116 pts (Junkie)
M- Frank Lampard 86 pts (James)
S - Torres 185 pts (Jesse)
S - Adeboyor 132 pts (Nik)

EPL Fantasy Draft Review

OK, time for a little fantasy football draft analysis. The fantasy football here would be English football in the English Premier League. It's tough to find a quality EPL fantasy league as all of them are salary cap based, so my friends and I created a league with a traditional American football format. We have 11 teams in the league which is a very good amount. You get points for goals, shutouts, assists, team of the week and negative for goals against and red cards. Each team has 16 players - 11 starters, 5 reserves - so by the end you are dipping into some little known players, but at the same time you don't need Burnley backup defenders or anything like that.
Last year I won the league with a drafted team of ....
Cesc Fabregas
Yakubu
Deco
Bosingwa
Theo Walcott
Andy Johnson
Aaron Lennon
Gary Neville
Ryan Nelson
Scott Carson
Robinho
Tom Huddlestone
Leighton Baines
Ben Haim
Steven Pienaar
El -Hadji Douif

And an ending team of
Fabregas
Bosingwa
Walcott
Johnson
Lennon
Robinho
Pienaar
Baines
James Beattie
Tim Howard
Rafael
Curtis Davies
K. Richardson
Sol Campbell
Jonny Evans
Mikel Silvestre

Yeah, so half of my team at the end of the season were players I originally drafted, and I would say other tops teams would have around the same % of original players. Thus, picking up quality players and I'm pretty sure most of my pickups were drafted this year, some in high rounds, is just as important as the draft.
But anyways, we will look at this years draft and criticise some people.

Here is how the draft went

Round 1
1. Steven Gerrard (Liverpool) - New edition Carlo stole Stevie G from Worth. Smart pick as Gerrard was the Fantasy LeaguePlayer of the Season last year
2. Fernando Torres (Liverpool)- Best forward in the league?
3. Frank Lampard (Chelsea) - Obvious pick, could've went #1, will have triple digit points again this fantasy season
4. Wayne Rooney (Man U) - This would've been my top pick, especially because I don't pick Liverpool players, but I feel Rooney is due for his huge year.
5. Nicolas Anelka (Chelsea) - Last year's leading goal scorer. Will be solid, but maybe not as dynamic as Rooney, Torres, or Robinho
6. Robin Van Persie (Arsenal) - This manager does not take Chelsea, Man U, Tottenham or Liverpool players, so Arsenal's best player is an obvious choice, probably glad he didn't get a higher pick.
7. Adrei Arshavin (Arsenal) - Took the league by storm last season even though it was only for half the year. Great midfielder pick
8. Emmauel Adebayor (Man City) - Great striker, but a bit of a risk because City has a load of quality stikers.
9. Didier Droga (Chelsea) - slipped this far due to injury problems and possible move to Inter Milan, but could end up the leading goal scorer.
10. Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal) - Injuries and possible move to Barca make him slid this far, but everything Arsenal does goes through him.
11. Robinho (Man City) The steal of the draft last year in the 11th round (cuz he was on Real Madrid). Good pick at the end of the first round. Will start every game, albeit as more of a winger than an out-and-out striker.

Round 2
12. Rio Ferdinand (MAN U)- Surprised to see him go so high. I would've thought Terry or Vidic would be the first defender taken.
13. Berbatov (MAN U) - Huge disappointment last year, but I see him settling in at Man U, especially in the absense of Tevez
14. John Terry (Chelsea) - Strong pick at 14, one of a handful of marque defenders in the league.
15. Ashley Young (Aston Villa) - I love Ashley Young, think he will have an even better year than last, a steal at midfielder.

16. Gabriel Agbonlahor (Aston Villa) - Not a big fan of this pick. I see Agbonlahor getting similar points to Young, but Young is much more valuable due to his midfielder status.
17. Theo Walcott (Arsenal) - One of my favorites, but might be taken a round or so early.
18.Vidic (Man U) - Strong pick, good steal for last season's top scoring defender
19. Peter Cech (Chelsea) - First goalie taken, will get lots of shut-outs, probably more valuable than Van der Sar to to the latter's injury.
20.Patrice Evra (Man U) One of the Big Four defender you can pencil in to start every game. Wouldn't have been my choice, but I can't hate on it.
21. Dirk Kuyt (LIV) - Scored a lot of points last year, and this year his midfield eligibilty makes him even stronger. Watch out.
22. Pepe Reina (LIV) - Perphaps a little high, not sure if Liverpool is as strong desensively as in past years.

There you go, I won't bore you with every round. I'll just look at my team and some high and low light picks. Interesting note, only 6 teams were represented in the first 22 picks. and the next 3 rounds would only bring in two more teams (Everton and Fulham). Definitely a top-heavy league.

My Picks
1 (10 overall) Cesc Fabregas
2 (13) Berbatov
3 (32) Gael Clicy - Possible a bit high, but I see him as Arsenal's best defender. I really wanted Ashley Cole here, but he was taken the pick before.
4 (35) Jolean Lescott - Everton at the time, now Man City. Will that matter?
5. (54) Gareth Barry - Not sure about this one.
6. (57) John O'Shea - Quality Man Defender, will get lots of starts
7. (76) Robbie Keane - Got some ridicule for this pick, but at the end of the season I will stand by it.
8. (79) Micah Richards - last starting Man City Defender and looking at the other picks in this round - Deco, Giovanni, Shorey, C. Cole, C. Davies, Yobo, Carrick, Dempsey, Crouch, Nasri - I think I won this round. (Is Micah Richards the English version of me?)
9. (98) Michael Ballack - Good pick up for round 9
10. (101) Stuart Downing - Injured, but will boast the team come December
11. (120) Phil Neville - another Everton defender, most people forget about him
12. (123) Andy Johnson - Only player I have had all three years, got him round 2, round 6, now round 12.
13. (142) - Abu Diaby
14. (145) - Lucas Neill
15. (164) Jussi Jaaskalinen
16. (167) David Silva - didn't catch my Robinho this year

I am not as confident in my team this year as last. The league seems to be much more even as people are more used to it. But, i'm sure it will be spread out eventually. I really like my picks 7-9, but am uncertain about 3-6. I'll again need to steal pickups.

Here are some steals I saw in the draft
Ricardo Carvalho - Taken in mid 5th round, when Alex, his backup, was taking with the 1st pick in the 4th round and the other three starting Chelsea defenders were taking in the 2nd and 3rd rounds.
Yakubu - Another 5th round steal, when the last two years he was taken in the second round
Aaron Lennon - Taken mid 7th round. Don't be surprised if this guy is the 5th best midfielder in the league. I should've taken him over Barry.

John Pantsil and Aaron Hughes - Two Fulham defenders, the rest of the starters went in rounds 4, 6 , and 9.
Jonny Evans and Wes Brown - Two Man U defenders taken back to back in the 13th round, both could start regularly
Charles N'Zogbia - nice to get a reliable midfielder in the 15th round

Not So Clever Picks
Rosicky and Eduardo in the 5th round. About two rounds too early for each
Jo - 6th round - 3rd choice striker on a team that plays one striker
Daniel Agger - 7th round - not sure if he will play at all
Danny Murphy - 7th round - a reliable midfielder, but probably could've got him much later
Zhirkov - 7th round - will he play at Chelsea or be another Alexi Smertin/Tiago?
Titus Bramble - 13th round - Hmm, team of the week in the first week, -4 the second week, more like I expected
Daniel Sturridge 14th round - Might as well have picked Tab Ramos



From the looks for peoples teams I see Jesse and Carlo struggling.
I like Dustin's team, but I think his tandem up top of Kevin Davies and Eduardo is too weak.
Despite the high number of Croatians, I really like Nik's team.
Worth should do well again, if only because he puts in much effort. Might be to relient on Liverpool, just like BJ is too relient on Arsenal.
Raubert has a marked improvement on last years team and could challenge if he gets rid of some of his dead weight.
Junkie has a strong squad, but that Alex pick may hurt. Too early to call out the teams to beat. It'll be another fun year!

2009/2010 English Premier League Preview

Exciting time! The English Premier League starts tomorrow, so before I get into my fantasy league review, I thought I would give you a nice little preview of this year's English Premier League. It's always a bit premature to make any predictions before the end of the transfer window at the end of the month, but all give it a try anyways.

A few of the big stories are the massive amounts of money coming in from the UEA to Manchester City, Christiano Ronaldo leaving to Real Madrid, the Rafa/Fergie feud, and the relative weakness of the bottom half of the league.

Here are my picks. Enjoy.

1. Chelsea – This pick may be a bit of a surprise, but I like Chelsea. They have only added a few role players, but that is what they need. You shouldn’t take too much stock in the preseason, but Chelsea has looked pretty good. Drogba seems ready and committed, Anelka looks like a video game player, and Lampard and Terry are always more than solid. I look for Chelsea to continue their Hiddink form under Ancelotti. They will get back Ricardo Carvalho and Joe Cole, both who missed much of last season due to injury.

Player to watch: Ivanovic – This young kid looks pretty solid. He can play in the central or on the wing and may soon take the place of Bosingwa

2. Manchester United – Champions for the past 3 years will now have questions with the loss of Ronaldo and Tevez. Still an amazing team capable of winning the league and the Champion’s League. Look for Rooney to step up and for Berbatov to have a much better season than last. Defense and ‘keeper (once Van der Sar is back) are the best in the league. What also sets Man U apart is its array of young talent. You have Jonny Evans, Rafael, his brother, and a few young strikers who are ready to step in and perform at a high level on any given day. Carrick is a stud in midfield who makes things happen and watching Michael Owen will certainly be interesting.

Player to watch: Vidic – An amazing defender, in the Premier League Top XI if you ask me. This guy defends and scores on set pieces, definitely has over taken Rio Ferdinand as the heart of the Man U defense

3. Liverpool – Lots of hype for Liverpool in the last few years. They were very close last season, but their away woes, especially against lower level teams have really prevented them from taking the top spot. One could argue that they have the best striker (Torres), best midfielder (Gerrard), and best keeper (Reina), but I still do not think they have enough depth to take the title. Their defense, always impressive, is very much based on a strong team aspect, rather than individual brilliance you see from other top teams, but the constant changing of the starting XI, similar to Ranieri a while ago at Chelsea, could cause inconsistency.

Player to watch: Beneyoun – This guy always seems to pop up in the right place at the right time. Constant motor, big game player

4. Manchester City –

I think it is time, for the first time since 2005, for a new team to enter the top 4. No more “big four”. I was skeptical of Man City last year. The sprayed a lot of money all over the place, but not that wisely. This summer was a different story. They obtained proven Premier League players – Tevez, Adebayor, Toure, Barry, Santa Cruz. I think Barry will be the key, holding things down in the middle, distributing to all the strikers and goal scorers. Too many stars? Could be a problem. And I see the defense preventing them from seriously challenging for the title.

Player to Watch: Tevez – let’s see if he can return to his West Ham dominance.

5. Arsenal – I can’t remember years when multiple top teams – Man U, Arsenal, Villa – seemingly got worse, losing players and not really buying any top notch replacements. Arsenal have lost two of their top players – Toure and Adebayor – and should again be marked by the inconsistency that plagued them last season and saw them barely manage 4^th place. They still have loads of young talented, fun to watch players – Fabregas, Arshavin, Van Persie, Walcott – but I believe they do not have the toughness to maintain their champions league spot.

Player to watch: Arshavin – Eduardo – Croatian Sensation. Only played a few games last year, but if healthy, watch for him to score loads of goals as he does for Croatia.

6. Tottenham – It seems like every year Tottenham spend lots of money and have aspirations to challenge the top four and end up being utterly disappointing. I hate to say it but I think Harry Redknapp is finally shifting the Spurs in the correct directions. 4 solid strikers with the addition of Peter Crouch. A strong midfield with Modric and Lennon playing well. And the defensive woes that plagued them during the first half of last season seemed to be righted as well. Again I am looking at the form of the end of last season, so I see the Spurs taking 6^th

Player to watch: Aaron Lennon – this kid is sick. So much speed down the wing

7. Everton – I hate to say this, as most of my readers know Everton are my team, but Everton have added little this summer except for a bit more audaciousness to their hair. Save maybe Hibbert, the first choice starting 11 is as solid as any. Everton are definitely a TEAM, all playing equally well and equally hard with a tremendous work ethic instilled by manager David Moyes. But lack of depth and injuries from last campaign will see Everton start very slowly, much like last year. Starting without Arteta and Jagielka will hurt. I hope to see a hungry Yak as usually, but missing 10 months is a long time. Lescott will not leave. Baines is stepping it up and hopefully Yak, Jo, and Saha can put some goals in the net.

Player to Watch: Pienaar – Stephen Pienaar was on fire at the end of last year, providing the allusive playmaker the Toffees needed. He continued this great play in the Confederations Cup, so look for another exciting season for Pienaar

Americans: 1

8. Aston Villa – They challenged for the top four for much of last year, but the loss of Barry and Laursen will hurt a lot. Great attacking options – Heskey, Carew, Young, Agbonlahor, Milner – but not a great goal scoring team, seem to falter in the big games. You got to love two American goalies, but defense is a big question mark. I don’t see the same success as last year.

Player to watch: Ashley Young – another great young attacking winger. Will he keep newboy Downing out of the lineup?

Americans: 2

9. Fulham - Fulham definitely over-achieved last year and should enjoy their European football while it lasts. Defense keeps them in most games and often times they only need one goal to take the three points. Solid mid-table team

Player to watch – Mark Schwarzer – one of the best ‘keepers in the world

Americans: 1

10. Sunderland- Look for Steve Bruce to turn Sunderland into a dependable mid-table side. Two nice new additions with Darren Bent, who seems to score everywhere he goes no matter how much playing time or if the coach likes him or not, and U-21 midfielder Lee Cattermole. Nothing special really, flying the flag for the Northwest now, and shouldn’t need to sweat it out on the final day of the season.

Player to watch: Kenwyne Jones – This Trinidadin has strength, pace, and quality in the air and solid dreds.

11. West Ham – I’m not buying all the Zola hype. I see average defense, and average midfield, and an average at best strikeforce. There is a lot of excitement at Upton Park, but I’m not really sure why.

Player to watch: hmm, it will be fun to see how many matches Dean Ashton plays

Americans: 1

12. Bolton - The mediocrity continues. Bolton are solid. They play route 1 football with Kevin Davies up top and have an adequate back line with the addition of Zat Knight, but are really lacking in the midfield. Nothing too exciting, but with the second half of the league so poor, should really not be in the relegation fight.

Player to watch – Matthew Taylor – this guy scores lots of quality goals.

13. Stoke – Defied many by staying up rather easy last season and finishing 12^th. Similar to Everton before Moyes sans Big Dunc – hard work, route 1 football, strong workmen in the midfield and solid D. Beattie and Fuller are quality strikers.

Player to watch – Rory Delap – he makes throw-ins exciting!

14. Birmingham – This team has a enough Premiership rejects – Lee Carsley, Lee Bowyer, Marcus Bent, Kevin Phillips, James McFadden, Stephen Carr, Stuart Parnaby, Franck Queudrue, Liam Ridgewell – to field an entire side. That should be enough to stay up.

Player to watch: Barry Ferguson – watch for profane hand signs from the sideline

15. Blackburn – Wow, pretty unremarkable here. Decent in a few spots with Gamst Pedersen and McCarthy, but lacking flair and play making overall. Can’t even tell you who starts in the midfield. Look for the Rovers to remain in the relegation fight the entire season.

Player to watch: Christopher Samba – he is a massive man at the center of the D, but also gets the occasion start up top when changes are needed

16. Wigan – Each year I expect Wigan to be relegated, but they over perform and are usually not even in the discussion. I expect them to be in the discussion, but I see their defense and ‘keeper to allow them to stay in the Premier League for another season.

Player to Watch: Jason Scotland - 2^nd leading scorer in the Championship last year oh, and Titus Bramble. Will he get more goals or own goals? Tough one.

17. Portsmouth – Many of the experts are picking Pompey to go down. I think they will be very close, selling top striker Peter Crouch and top defender and midfielder Glen Johnson. But that money is going to debts, not to bettering the squad. Goals will be very, very tough to come by. Look for the veteran, albeit slow and old back line of David James, Sol Campbell, and Sylvan Distan to keep them up.

Player to Watch: Piquionne – Goals need to come from somewhere and this could be the source

18. Burnley – I don’t know much about Burnley. They could be like last year’s Stoke or last year’s West Brom. I don’t think they have enough class to stay up

19. Wolves – Wolves start the year at the bottom of the table (last alphabetically). Will they end there? It’s a distinct possibility. They are hoping they will fair better than their previous and only time in the Premiership, 2003-2004, finishing dead last.

Player to watch: Sylvan Ebanks-Blake

20. Hull City –

Only once this decade has the team that finished 17^th the previous year been relegated. Look for Hull to pull a West Brom and be the second. I just don’t see a strong enough side. In fact, the team was rather dreadful the final 5 months. Hopefully Jozy Altidore will get some much need playing time.

Player to Watch: Jozy

Americans: 1

Game on

Fantasy (English) Football

So, last year my friends and I started an English Fantasy Football League. It's tough to find a good fantasy league for the English Premier League, so my friends and decided to make our own. It's pretty easy. Teams are 16 players, 11 starters, 5 bench, playing a 4-4-2 system. You get points for goals, shutouts, assists, team of the week and negative for goals against and red cards.
Sunday we participated in our second live draft. Unfortunately the draft took place in St. Francis, WI and I was traveling through the mountains of Idaho at the time, but I did my best nevertheless.
Below I will assess my draft as well as the league. Hopefully you will find this interesting.




Round 1
1. Christiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)- obviously the best player in the league, no question on who to pick. I guess you could compare him to Tomlinson in his best years.
2. Emmanuel Adebayor (Arsenal)- I had him rated as my top striker. The player with this pick loves Arsenal and obviously was going to pick an Arsenal player and this was the best choice.
3. Fernando Torres (Liverpool) - Top quality striker. Pretty risk free pick, will score goals and looked great in Euro 08
4. Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal) - 2nd best midfielder on my board, will produce goals as well as assists with a high scoring team.
5. Carlos Tevez (Manchester United) - Maybe a bit high. I don't see Tevez as a league leader or even challenging for the league lead in goals. Will get a lot of time with Rooney out, but we'll see what kind of rotation they will have with Berbatov coming over to Man. U.
6. Santa Cruz (Blackburn) - I don't like this pick. Santa Cruz had a surprise great year last year, scoring 19 goals and was not even drafted. But, I don't see a repeat this year. He loses one of his main servers in David Bentley and also I see Benny McCarthy having a much better year.
7. Wayne Rooney (Man United) - Due to injuries and red cards, Rooney never really puts up amazing fantasy numbers. He is a top player, don't I don't see him leading the league in goals or anything like that with such a stacked scoring team.
8.Frank Lampard (Chelsea) - Good pick. He could have went as high as #2 in some drafts. Barring injury, will be a high scorer.
9. Dean Ashton (West Ham) - Definitely a homer pick here for West Ham fan Joe. A quality striker, but team and injury history make him a second round pick at best.
10. Dimitri Berbatov (Man U)- Definitely right on at pick # 10. Move to Man U will be interesting
11. Didier Drogba (Chelsea) - Quality pick. Could lead the league in goals.

Round 2
12. Steven Gerrard (Liverpool) One of the most consistent Premier League players of the past 5 years. Will get lots of points.
13. Robbie Keane (Liverpool) Good pick, scores lots of goals no matter where he is or how much he plays. Should fit in nice in Liverpool.
14. Ashley Young (Aston Villa) Great pick. I had him rated as #9 on my board. One of the best young players in England playing for on of the highest scoring teams, and he is listed as a midfielder when he is almost a striker.
15. John Terry (Chelsea) - First defender or goalkeeper taken. Nothing wrong with this pick. Should have lots of clean sheets and a few goals.
16. Vidic (Man U) - It's obvious there are only 4 teams you can count on for consistent shutouts and know they will never give up a large amount of goals (Chelsea, Man U., Arsenal, Liverpool) and each of those teams has only 2 or 3 players you can always pencil in the starting lineup. Vidic is one of those players, defenders are at a premium.
17. Reina (Liverpool) - First goalkeeper taken, maybe a bit early, and interesting to take Reina over Van der Sar or Cech.
18. Stuart Downing (Middlesboro) - Good midfielder, but more of a 4th round pick than a 2nd.
19. Yakubu (Everton) - "Feed the Yak and he will Score" Scouting reports say that Yakubu is fat, but on a team playing one striker, with such a quality midfield, he is bound to score goals.


20. Jermaine Defoe (Portsmouth) - Was the forgotten man at Tottenham, but played brilliantly when transfered to Pompey. Can he keep it up?
21. Michael Owen (Newcastle)- Seems a good pick for late 2nd early third round. Injury history is dense and plays for Newcastle
22. Michael Ballack (Chelsea) - Came on strong in the second half of last season and looked good in Euro '08


I won't go any further into the entire draft. I think the first two rounds give a good sample of how things go. Here are my picks:

1 (4) - Fabregas- I was hoping that I might be able to snag Adebayor at this pick, but that didn't happen. I had to decide between Fabregas, Lampard, and Drogba and went with Fabregas because I believed he was most consistent.
2. (19) Yakubu - I needed a reliable goalscorer and got it in Yakubu. And it doesn't hurt that he plays for my favorite team.
3. (26) Deco-Mid -Chelsea - Transfer from Barca. Transfers from other leagues always have some risk, but I see quality in Deco, especially in the middle with Lampard.
4. (41) Boswinga - Def- Chelsea - Another Portuguese transfer to Chelsea. This one was risky, as Chelsea has a lot of quality defenders, but I see him getting into the starting lineup a majority of the time.
5. (48) Theo Walcott- Mid- Arsenal- I see this guy having a breakout year. He is another midfielder on the boarder of being a striker. Produces whenever he is in the game. I like this pick.
6. (63) Andy Johnson - Striker- Fulham - Maybe a bit early for this pick, but I needed another starting striker. There were many still available, but I see AJ having a year similar to his one back at Crystal Palace
7. (7) Aaron Lennon - Mid - Tottenham - Another strong midfielder. I feel this is a very high quality pick for round 7
8. (85) Gary Neville - Def - Man U - This has the potential of being a very bad pick. I do feel he is better than Wes Brown and will be a starter.
9. (91) Ryan Nelsen - Def - Blackburn - I feel this pick was a big mistake. I could've gotten a Blackburn defender 6 rounds later. Should've taken a Villa defender and taken GK Robinson a few rounds later. This has the potential of ruining my team. Not smart drafting.
10. (107) Scott Carson - GK - West Brom - Another poor pick. I could've gotten Carson or a similar keeper much later.
11. (114) Robinho - OK. so this guy isn't actually in the league, but it rumored to go to Chelsea. Thought I'd take a stab. If he comes, great, if not, I don't feel someone I could've gotten in round 11 would be much better than players I could get in round 12 or 13.
12. (129) Tom Huddlestone - Mid- Tot - I felt at this point, there were much fewer fantasy scoring midfielders around than defenders, so I went with Huddlestone,
13. (136) Leighton Baines - D - Everton
14. (151) Ben Haim - D - Man City - hoping he starts
15. (158) Steven Pienaar- M - Eve
16. (172) El Hadji Douif- S- Sunderland


I'm feeling pretty good about my team with the exception of rounds 9 and 10. If Deco preforms, Boswinga usually starts and Gary Neville starts I will be money. If Robinho comes to Chelsea even better. I also have a few transfers in mind which will make my team even better.


A few other notable picks.
Martin Petrov was a pretty good pick in round 6 as was Darren Bent
Nicky Shorey and Luke Young both good picks as Villa defenders in round 9. I see them and Brad Friedel helping Villa's weak D
Good picks for Junkie in rounds 7 and 8 with Defenders Carragher and Richards, but questionable with Anton Ferdinand in round 5
Good picks for Serg in rounds 9 and 10 with Joe Cole and Benjani (looking much better than last year)
Joe had some good midround picks with Phil Jagielka (7), Anderson (9) who I look to break into the starting line-up over Giggs and Scholes and Croat Corluka (10)
I'm impressed with the overall quality of Dustin's line-up. GK Gomes in round 11 could be a great pick along with defender Kaboul in the final round. If he starts over Campbell, that is a very nice pick.
Worth also looks good getting Friedel and Carvalho in rounds 7 and 8.
For Tyler Samba in round 13 and McCarthy in 11 are steals.
A few interesting (bad) picks - Danny Higgenbottom, Eddie Johnson, Steven Ireland, Liam Lawrence and Freddie Adu.

Overall I like Tyler's team along with Dustin and Worth's. If Arsenal is great, BJ will do great.
I don't see Raubert and Jesse doing as well as last season.
Well, hope I didn't bore you too much with all that.
Big Dunc!