It’s All About the Math

This is what I’ve known about “Fantasy Football” for a while now. It’s all about the math. If you want to win, it’s not about drafting players from your favorite pro team, or favorite college team. It’s about which players put up the most consistent numbers.

I won our league last year, on the back of Michael Vick. (Although, my team was so good that I would have won almost every game without him…)

We had our draft Sunday afternoon, and what follows is my team, along with the player’s pre-season fantasy ranking, calculated by NFL.com.

As you can see, it’s a pretty deep team.

Aaron Rodgers QB – GB Preseason: #3
DeAngelo Williams RB – CAR Preseason: #8
Rashard Mendenhall RB – PIT Preseason: #9
Anquan Boldin WR – BAL Preseason: #5
Devery Henderson WR – NO Preseason: #21
Larry Fitzgerald WR – ARI Preseason:#8
Lance Kendricks TE – STL Preseason: #7
Phil Dawson K – CLE Preseason: #1
Green Bay Packers DEF Preseason: #1

There you have it. What I like about the team is few players from the same team…always a draft goal of mine (spread the risk around). Also, lots of players that might not be at the very top of their position, but collectively are near the top of all categories. (What I look for is consistency…) The lowest ranking player I have is Henderson, 21st at wide receiver…which is still not bad.

So, here’s the breakdown for me:
Quarterback: Top five.
Running Backs: Both top ten.
Wide Receivers: Two top ten.
Tight End: Top ten.
Kicker: Number one.
Defense: Number one.

See, I like the way this all fits together. You want a team that is deep, not just reliant on a few stud players. But, I also have a few stud players. Don’t underestimate defense and kicking either. You get a good fantasy kicker and defense, that those will be consistent points each week.

And wide receivers. Very important. The good ones can have unbelievable breakout games that really rack up the points. If Henderson can get his act together, this will be a great trio. (And if he doesn’t, I’ve got Devone Bess on the bench, ready to take his place..)

It seems to me the biggest gamble I am taking is at tight end, with the relatively untested Kendricks. But the theory is that this could be Sam Bradford’s breakout year, and if so, he’s gonna be looking at Kendricks quite a bit. It’s a gamble, and could turn out badly…or could turn out awesome.

The rest is, theoretically, solid.

Now, we just see how they play, week in and week out.

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Eric Folkerth is a minister, musician, author and blogger. He is Senior Pastor of Kessler Park UMC United Methodist Church in Dallas, Texas. Previously, he was pastor at Northaven UMC in Dallas for seventeen years. Eric loves to write on topics of spirituality, social justice, music/art and politics. The entries on this blog reflect that diversity of interests. His passion for social justice goes beyond mere words. Eric was arrested at the White House, defending immigrants and “The Dreamers;” and he’s officiated at same sex weddings. Eric was the 2017 recipient of the prestigeous Kuchling Humanitarian Award from Dallas’ Black Tie Dinner. (Human Rights Campaign) Eric has led or co-led hundreds of persons on mission trips to build houses and bring medical care around the globe, to places such as Mexico, Haiti, Russia, Guatemala, and Nepal. He is proud of have shephereded Highland Park UMC's construction of ten Habitat for Humanity homes, (and one Community Center) and helped forge an alliance with Habitat that led to the construction of 100 homes in Dallas, housing thousands of people. His wife, Justice Dennise Garcia, has 20 years experience as a state district judge and appelate justice in North Texas. First elected in 2004, she was the first Latina ever elected to a Dallas County state district bench, and she she left that position whe was the longest currently serving district judge. In 2020 Dennise Garcia was a elected as a Justice of the 5th District Court of Appeals for Texas. She is currently running to be Chief of the 5th District Court of Appeals in the 2024 cycle. They have the world’s best daughter, Maria, who is a practicing professional counselor in Dallas. Find links to Eric’s music-related websites, at the top of this site’s navigation menu.

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