Here is a picture of a man that I fancied having on my fantasy football team for the 2010 season:
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| Is the jump spike awesome? Is Ed "Too Tall" Jones really too tall? |
Yes, the cat is out of the bag: I like Ahmad Bradshaw. A lot. I am a Giants fan and he is just too damn sexy to handle. (Please watch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftK7sZgG7TE ) He comes into the season healthy and on August 30th, the day of our draft, seemed likely to get a good share of the carries. If you've ever watched him, you know that he runs like freed slave, his running style was used as a model for the infected in 28 Days Later, and the dude has a terrific end zone celebration. Plus, if you've ever watched the Giants, you know that Brandon Jacobs is built from rusty mufflers, Scotch tape, and Q-tips. I had my mind made up to draft him, but I knew I'd have to perform the reach around.
Based on average draft position (ADP), Bradshaw was, at the time of the draft, going in the 80s - mid 80s, to be more specific - but that is a dangerous way to plan a draft. I had the first overall pick in a ten team league and therefore had picks 80 and 81, which would seem to be safe if I trusted the ADP. However, I do not. All it takes to rob me of my target is one person to get stuck, see Bradshaw, and take him a few picks early. What is more, I know my league. This is key. Out of the ten league members, there are two other diehard Giants fans and I know that every year they are hungry for a fantasy slice of their hometown team - Judd (Chris Henry's X-Treme Parkour) and Sabo (Milk Steak and Jelly Beans) - I have italicized their picks below on this section of our draft.
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As you can see, I took Ahmad Bradshaw well above his ADP, something that always draws notice from fellow drafters. Needless to say, if one is to perform a reach around, one must ignore the jeers of others. In this case, I know it is a reach - I did my homework - but is it a poorly used pick?
Let's look closer.
Imagine that the other drafters adhered to the ADP with regards to Bradshaw, and that my main obstacles were the Giants fans. One look at their selections suggests that I made a wise decision. In particular, I'm noting Milk Steak and Jelly Beans taking Hakeem Nicks - Giants favorite - and Jerome Harrison. Although Harrison sure looked good at the end of last season, Bradshaw's eligibility was certainly in jeopardy at this point in the draft. Furthermore, compare Bradshaw to other RBs selected between 61 and 80: Clinton Portis, Marion Barber, Donald Brown, and Ricky Williams. Although I can never say for sure, I am guessing that Bradshaw was not making it back to me and I'm glad to have made an aggressive move to get him.
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| Would I bet on a Giants fan taking Jerome Harrison with Ahmad Bradshaw on the board? Apparently not. |
Will this move pay off? Well, if I knew the answer to that fantasy football would be significantly less enjoyable for all involved. I love his upside and, in a fortuitous turn, reports since the draft are stating that Bradshaw has jumped Brandon Jacobs (who went 56th) on the depth chart. Sure, that is luck, but somebody once claimed that fortune favors the bold and I am going to reiterate that sentiment here. Take who you want, but do more than that - figure who you want and figure out where you are going to have to pick them in order to ensure that they are yours after the draft. I see this pick as a pivotal one in the success of my upcoming Mantasy season, but I know that no matter how it pans out, I will have a guy that I am going to watch every Sunday, and a fun ass football player who loves doing jump spikes. It's hard to win this league and if I'm going to lose, I'm going to do it because I gave Ahmad Bradshaw the reach around, not because I followed the average draft rankings of less passionate owners.
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