With the second Roto FC draft now in the books, The Boot Room looks back to review the goings-on.
You can see the full draft order here, and a list of the teams drafted here.
Trends
The first goalkeeper rush was similar to the one on Sunday – seven GKs were taken in the first 26 picks. After that it was more measured however, with only one keeper taken every 20 picks or so for the next twelve or fourteen rounds.
There was real pressure on forwards again, with 24 snagged in the first seven rounds, at an average of almost 3.5 a round. Last season there were just 16 forwards in the top 70 fantasy producers, so some managers may be left regretting such heavy early investment.
Defenders were left on the board late, with the likes of Liverpool trio Degen, Agger and Aurelio all taken as far down the draft as round 18.
3 Steals
A trio of players who should offer great value for their draft placing:
Gael Clichy – pick 23. With two straight seasons of over 80 net tackles, this is an absolute steal.
Elano – pick 57. The Brazilian almost made the top 30 last season and, still only 27, has a year of Premier League experience under his belt. I think this is great value.
Denilson – pick 153. Despite a position battle with Abou Diaby in pre-season, and rumoured Arsenal interest in Sporting's Miguel Veloso and Liverpool's Xabi Alonso, it's looking more and more to me as though Denilson has won Arsenal's holding midfield job. He certainly has the talent and influence over games to make this count, and I think should have at least the top-100 year Matthieu Flamini had last season, perhaps with a few more goals as an added bonus.
3 Gambles
Finally, three picks which could offer a great return... or a great frustration:
Frank Lampard – pick 8. Lampard Jr was a fantasy kingpin in his mid 20s, but he is now 30, and while there's no doubt players can still have fine years well into their thirties, I'd be surprised if Lampard can recapture first round value. Injuries played a part in a weak 2007/08, and now he has the further competition of Deco.
Didier Drogba – pick 12. I wrote on Monday that Drogba at pick 23 scared me a bit. Drogba at 12 gives me absolute palpitations. On the other hand, if he can imitate one of his two career seasons of 20-goal form, he's a fine asset.
Jose Reina – pick 13. Reina has never been a high save percentage keeper, though a solid defence has helped him win the 'golden gloves' award (for leading the league in clean sheets) three years running. That makes him more valuable in points-based fantasy leagues than he is here. If he can get the save rate up, however, the potential for a 20 clean sheet season is there.
By Sandy King
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