| The Faulk Factor - July 2002 written by Kirk Bouyelas (co-Founder of drfootball.com) ARTICLE REPRODUCED FOR FREE AT WWW.DRAFTGUIDE.COM |
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For the last several years, Marshall Faulk has dominated the fantasy football landscape. His only real competition to date, Edgerrin James, will have a very difficult time coming close to Faulk’s numbers in 2002. Marshall Faulk is by far, the best of the best. Rams RB Marshall Faulk "Clearly the #1 Pick in Fantasy Football" Every fantasy owner drools over the prospect of drafting Faulk. Who wouldn’t? He is undoubtedly, the most dangerous weapon you could have on your team. As a matter of fact, many owners believe that with Faulk on their roster, they can go straight to the League Championship. NOT ! Did we just lose you? It’s really quite simple. The success or failure of your draft does not hinge on whether you pick Marshall Faulk, or anyone
else in the first round. Sure, it would be great to have him on your squad. However, the ultimate success of your draft is based on who you draft after the first round. You simply cannot win your league
championship with just one player. A wise fantasy owner knows that success comes from the picks made after the first round. Spend your time researching your 2nd through 9th round picks instead. Who’s your starting quarterback going to be? Which round will you target him? Can you wait to grab a stud receiver? When will you need to pick a tight end? Should you go with a #2 back or a #2 receiver? These are the “make or break” questions, that will ultimately determine your success. Let’s pretend it’s “Draft Night” and you have the first pick in your draft. Sweet right? You draft Faulk and feel invincible. It’s now the third round of the draft and a news report flickers on the television. Your draft buddies quiet down and you focus on the news report …Rams RB Marshall Faulk just tore his ACL and is out for the year… It’s over right? Buying into the theory that Faulk will win your league by himself, you’re now sunk. You start having chest pains and clutching at
your heart. Your buddies are laughing so loud, they don’t hear your screams for help…
Injuries happen all the time. There’s nothing you can do to stop them. Even if Faulk was out for the year, that wouldn’t break your team. Remember those 2nd
through 9th round picks? Now how valuable are those picks? If you think of it in this sense, you’ll understand our point. Don’t get hung up on the first pick. Look beyond the Faulk’s of the draft and you’ll
realize true fantasy success. Still not convinced? Well, when were these guys drafted in your league last year?
We’ll bet you that some of these guys were not even considered by many fantasy owners last year. Yet, if you filled out your roster with these players, you probably made the playoffs. Again, look beyond the first round and target the mid–late round “gems”. That’s where Championships can be found.
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