With the first ever Roto FC draft now in the books, The Boot Room looks back to see if there are any messages or lessons for people drafting on Tuesday evening.
You can see the full draft order here, and a list of the teams drafted here.
Trends
As Row ZZ found in their mock draft last week, there was an early run on goalkeepers, which went even further than predicted. Eight stoppers were off the board by the 33rd pick, when Lea Rules took Robert Green. Reserve keepers began to be snapped up relatively early too, with Diego Cavalieri and Ben Foster taken in round 7. Tomasz Kuszczak went in the 11th, while Steve Harper, Lukas Fabianski and Carlo Cudicini were picked in round 15.
Quality midfielders were available late in the draft, with picks like Anderson (152nd), and Sean Wright-Phillips (162nd) rewarding managers who concentrated on other positions in the early rounds.
On the other hand, once Benni McCarthy went to Jenkins AFC with pick 134, proven goalscoring options up front were gone, leaving only speculative gambles on youngsters, oldies, the injury-prone and Emile Heskey.
Cheap at the Price
The Boot Room has picked out our five favourite picks. These aren't the five who'll score most goals, or make most tackles, but the ones who we expect to offer most value relative to their draft position.
Niko Kranjcar – pick 34. The Croat ranked in the top 10 last season, and with the addition of Peter Crouch and Jermain Defoe to the Fratton Park front line could maintain that production.
Jamie Carragher – pick 65. Almost the only man immune to 'Rafatation', Carragher appeared in more Premier League games and for more minutes than any other outfield player for Liverpool last season. He's getting on in years, but with no international commitments to compete for his efforts, the skipper is almost bound to provide great return on a seventh round pick.
Darren Bent – pick 89. Bent has scored 12 goals in just 6 pre-season appearances for Spurs, who have often been playing a 4-5-1 formation which seems to suit the striker's game perfectly. With service from Luca Modric, Giovani Dos Santos and David Bentley, and confusion over the future of Dimitar Berbatov, Bent could have both the opportunity and the service to return to top form.
Owen Hargreaves – pick 115. Amazing value to find the United man down here. Hargreaves can tackle, pass and create whilst keeping a fine disciplinary record. If he gets playing time to reflect Manchester United's year-long pursuit and £17million investment, this is an absolute steal.
Alan Hutton – pick 158. The forceful Scot was another one tracked by Manchester United, but in the end Spurs won the battle for his signature in January. He'll make plenty of tackles and look to get forward too. If he can simply repeat his performances after his arrival for a full season he should rise into the top 100 – if he and his colleagues in Spurs' defence can really progress, he could go much higher.
Fingers Crossed
Finally, five picks which could offer a great return... or a great frustration.
Dimitar Berbatov – pick 11. What does the year ahead hold for the moody Bulgar? Best case scenario: he links up with Ronaldo, Rooney and Tevez to form part of a stunning attacking quartet at Old Trafford. Worst case: he sulks on the sidelines at Spurs or gets sold out of the league by a club determined not to let Sir Alex Ferguson get his man. Expensive draft pick to find out...
Manuel Almunia – pick 14. The uncapped Spanish keeper flattered to deceive at times in his debut season as Arsenal's first choice between the posts. If he can keep it together he could provide 16+ clean sheets and a good save average without the age and health risks of Van Der Sar or Cech. If not, he could go the way of Jens Lehmann.
Luis Nani – pick 16. Might Nani become the next Ronaldo? He undoubtedly has skill, and now at 21 is the age at which his Portuguese predecessor began to really shine at Old Trafford. He's reliant on being given playing time by Ferguson, however.
Didier Drogba – pick 23. Can he return to his 2006 best? If he can he's a steal in the third round. If not – well, he was in the mid 200s for fantasy value last year.
Tim Cahill – pick 41. A fully-fit Cahill is a great addition to a team, but a fully-fit Cahill was last seen in 2005.
By Sandy King
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