My Knowshon Moreno Blog

In many Fantasy Football Drafts football afficianados like to see themselves as the genius who spots talent before anyone else, drafts a rookie a few rounds too early, has a monster year from that player, and is praised by his co-managers as the next Mel Kiper. While rookies can certainly provide much-needed help for your team, the key is in not spending too much on them by drafting them too early. Follow along as we cover Rookies in our Draft Day Do's and Dont's Series.

DO...
...watch as many pre-season games as you can! Seeing how a rookie is used by his team will help you get a better understanding of how valuable he is to his team. If a rookie RB is running the ball on situational downs only, this could be a warning sign. However, if a rookie RB like Knowshon Moreno can catch the ball well, run well on every down, and also convert in short yardage situations, and the Denver Broncos try him frequently in those spots in the pre-season, that is a great signal for you.

DO...
...pay close attention to their seasonal progress! A rookie may not get much attention in week 1 or 2, and then begin to take off week 3. Rookies in football week in and week out are sometimes one injury or opportunity away from making a starting spot. Matt Ryan threw a deep touchdown on his first pass as a pro for Atlanta, and began improving immediately, while Tight End John Carlson for Seattle took a while to get going.

DON'T...
...draft a rookie on Draft Day! I am serious, unless you want to take a flyer on a rookie in the last 2 or 3 rounds of your draft, do not draft a rookie at all. It is just too hit or miss, regardless how well you think you know football. I am sure you saw people pick Darren McFadden in the early rounds last year. Then he had foot problems all year, and scored only 4 times, starting only 5 games. The owners who drafted him in the 5th or 6th round were taking a huge chance while more well-known producers were passed up.

DON'T...
...fall in love with rookies who played for your favorite college team! I am a rabid, frothing at the mouth Georgia Bulldogs fan, and would love nothing more than to see Denver's Knowshon Moreno and Detroit's Matthew Stafford have huge fantasy years. But am I even contemplating picking them? NO! Some buffoon will pick Stafford in the 6th or 7th round and Moreno in the 5th or 6th, and I will take time-tested talent instead.

To summarize, Rookies can produce awesome results for you, but the best bet is to pick them up during the year, as their role is better defined for their team. Skip drafting a rookie at all, and enjoy Fantasy Success in 2009. And if you need any information or stats pre-season and all year long, go to the NFL website or check out The Sporting News Fantasy Football guide. I use these religiously, and used them to research this article series.

Patrick O'Neill, an 18 year Fantasy Football Veteran, endorses only one Fantasy Football League

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