2008 NFL Draft Kit: Customizable Cheat Sheets
We continue to roll out the 2008 RotoRob NFL Draft Kit, today getting into the real meat of the kit — cheat sheets!
I can safely say that these cheat sheets are the ultimate draft tool for every single reader, no matter the draft type or scoring system.
This is due, mainly, to the fact that our cheat sheets are completely customizable. If you think our rankings are “idiotic,” no worries, just alter them to your preferences. All the info is there for you to stay on top of any variable that gets thrown your way during the draft. Anyway, here’s a little explanation of the info we have provided.
Ranking – Derek Jones and I compiled a combined ranking list for each position. Some go against the popular opinion and some fall in line with them. For reasoning behind our rankings, you can actually go to Barnes & Noble or Borders and pick up the Fantasy Football Guide 2008 magazine (LT is on the cover holding the American flag over his head). Derek and I wrote the quarterback, running back, kicker, and defense rankings for that publication and I’d like to be modest, but frankly it’s awesome stuff. We’ll be discussing the magazine in greater detail later in the week.
Value – We realize our rankings don’t always align with the fantasy football brain trust at large. That’s okay. We give you an approximation of where players stand in general fantasy circles. This is done by combining many magazine rankings and is a good estimation of a player’s standing.
Tier – The difference between, say, LaDainian Tomlinson (we have at No. 2) and Steven Jackson (No. 3 on our list) is much different than the difference between Jackson and Brian Westbrook (who we have at No. 4). Knowing a player’s worth compared to his peers is important when considering which position to target when. If you take a tier three wide out when five are available but just one tier three back remains on the table, it could very well be a mistake. Just note that our tiers are determined within our personal rankings. When/if you change up the cheat sheets for yourself, be sure to fiddle around with the tiers as well.
ADP (10 Team) & ADP (12 Team) – This is another way to look at a player’s value. Average Draft Position should be a good gauge of when to take a player. This is denoted by (Round.Pick) so ‘2.07’ means ‘second round, seventh pick of the round’ in case you were wondering.
Auction – Approximate auction price assuming cap space and roster restrictions aren’t an issue. This means that, essentially, it’s the price we’d pay for the player if he were the first one nominated during the draft. Because auction rounds are free form, any player can be nominated at any point. When caps start dwindling and some owners fill roster spots, the values of players nominated later can change greatly. Knowing the estimated auction value of players is immensely important when looking for late steals and for avoiding bad buys.
Finally, the spreadsheets include endless space for you to add notes, song lyrics, funny insults you think up, etc. As I said, cheet sheets get no better than this. Now, all we need to do is set up the contract of what percentage of your winnings come to me. Wait, that’s not part of the deal? Crap.
Quarterbacks (.xls)
Running Backs (.xls)
Wide Receivers (.xls)
