Jamaal Charles or Brandon Marshall?

[MahiMike]

I'm picking late in a 12 man draft. I know I'll have 1 stud WR on my 1st pick. Considering getting another stud WR and getting RBs later. Problem is I have to wait 18 picks after my #2 and that is the sweet spot. I think Jamaal is awesome but Marshall should end up with about same points?

What say you, Planet?

[Mile High Mania]

So much unknown on this one...

PPR? Flex?

I say #1 WR like that over a good RB with a top backup option any day... MIA has better balance.

[MahiMike]

Not a PPR league. Just basic/standard.

[Quesadilla Joe]

I would take Charles just because the Chiefs cannot pass the ball at all and Charles seems to be the only guy who can do anything on your team. I really doubt Marshall gets 100 catches again this year.

[mesmith31]

I would take Charles too, but I do think that Marshall could still thrive this year and get 85 to 100 passes. If he can catch 100 passes last year from Orton, he can do it again this year.

[donkhater]

Two big things factor into this:

If it isn't a PPR league then that drops Charles value a bit. Probably not drastically, but it doesn't elevate him above the other players likely to be there for you with your second pick.

Second, is your league full of KC fans? If you don't have any KC fans in your draft he may very well fall to the 3rd round. I'm in a draft with what I consider pretty knowledgable fantasy football players and when I took Charles with the 27th pick (7th in the 3rd round) a few commented that it was a reach. Ridiculous, of course, but it might give some insight as to what people who likely didn't watch KC play last season think of Charles. After I drafted him I put his numbers over the last 8 games against CJ's and they were all shocked that he did that well. None had a clue even though I think this group is generally pretty well informed.

Personally I think your second pick is a little high for Charles, especially in a non-PPR league, but what I like to do is think about combos that you could have. Which would you rather have? Ryan Mathews and Greg Jennings or Miles Austin and Jamaal Charles?

[Rasputin]

Charles is a double threat, there going to run a bunch of screens & the dude just rocks.

[MahiMike]

It is a KC league. He'll never last till my 3rd pick. I think he's good value in the 2nd. If he had played all season last year he'd be in the 1st round. If I thought I could get him in the 3rd, I'd wait. But I know he'll never last that long. I think it's better to reach and get your player than to take some schmuck the experts think is better, imo.

[Mile High Mania]

There are so many options out there an if it's a KC based league, let another homer take Charles earlier than he should be drafted.

No PPR hurts both players, but it hits Charles a bit harder in my opinion.

I'm guessing you're looking at either of these as your R2 pick right? Neither should be R1...

The presence of Thomas Jones will impact his value, don't get sucked into homer picks with fantasy football - Golden Rule.

[Mile High Mania]

I think Charles (in a non PPR format) is ranked somewhere in the 14-17 range of RBs...

His ADP, by most sites, is early R3... so in a KC league, he'll go in R2.

Let someone else take him, focus on one of 6 other RBs that can be had in R3 or R4 with equal reward.

[Priest31kc]

Im wondering the same thing as I have a draft today, 12 team league, PPR (1 pt per reception), pick 10th & 15th, then my next pick is 34th. Should I take Charles at 15? And yes, its FULL of Chiefs fans.

[Mile High Mania]

Im wondering the same thing as I have a draft today, 12 team league, PPR (1 pt per reception), pick 10th & 15th, then my next pick is 34th. Should I take Charles at 15? And yes, its FULL of Chiefs fans.

I always suggest that fantasy owners create "A PLAN"...

1 - Know your scoring rules - ppr?
2 - Understand how to best leverage the lineup (how many WRs/TEs/Flex) can you start?
3 - Get familiar with ADP and recent mocks to "gauge" where the position runs are happening and plot your strategy
4 - Leave Homer on the couch

Are you hell bent on drafting a top 5 QB? A top 5 TE? If no to either of those, then you already know you can avoid drafting either position in the first 5-6 rounds.

That means you can focus our first 4-5 picks on WR and RB.

Can you start 3 WRs - if so, the PPR factor is huge. You know who the top 8-10 RBs are and they'll be gone by the start of R3.

So, if your league favors big time WRs - you know there are really only 10 of them out there (maybe), so get 2 of them.

You can focus on RBs like Grant, Thomas, Best, Charles (maybe, but not in a KC homer league), Addai, Greene, McCoy, Benson, Brown, Forte, Matthews (maybe) all in R3-4.

A lot of those guys are at minimum equal to Charles... so, don't take someone early just because he's the best player on your team ... especially if there are better options at WR.

Just my $.02 ... let owners reach for players early, stick to your strategy and you'll enjoy fantasy football and watching KC games a lot more.

[OnTheWarpath15]

There's no way in hell I take either that early.

[Mile High Mania]

There's no way in hell I take either that early.

Depending on the WRs available ... Marshall fits mid R2 in a 12 team PPR league.

[Farzin]

In a 10-league team, I was able to snag Charles in the third round. A guy two picks after me said he wanted Charles, so I knew for sure if I wanted him to take him then. Even if he didn't admit it, I would have taken him.

[Mile High Mania]

In a 10-league team, I was able to snag Charles in the third round. A guy two picks after me said he wanted Charles, so I knew for sure if I wanted him to take him then. Even if he didn't admit it, I would have taken him.

And that is about his ADP, depending on the scoring and starting requirements... I doubt he lasts past 30 in many leagues.

Although, I'm in a PPR-12 team league with nice flex options and he was selected at R3P8... so he hit the 32 mark.

[Rausch]

Charles should be a late first or early second.

Marshall is like drafting Rickey Williams, Plex Burris, or any other risky pick.

[Mile High Mania]

Charles should be a late first or early second.

Marshall is like drafting Rickey Williams, Plex Burris, or any other risky pick.

Late first or early 2nd? I wouldn't quite tag Marshall as a risk like the other 2 either.

CJ / AP / MJD / Rice / Gore / Turner / D Williams / Grant / Mendenhall

Those RBs are all easy picks prior to Charles in any format, if you ask me. I think Charles is in line with Ryan Matthews, slightly higher than P Thomas and J Stewart...

Don't forget about or discount the presence of Thomas Jones and what he can do in that offense. I think that will hurt JC's value a bit.

In a PPR league, I think I might gamble on a McCoy or a guy like J Best prior to taking Charles. I don't know that I like JC as a RB1 this year.

[donkhater]

Late first or early 2nd? I wouldn't quite tag Marshall as a risk like the other 2 either.

CJ / AP / MJD / Rice / Gore / Turner / D Williams / Grant / Mendenhall

Those RBs are all easy picks prior to Charles in any format, if you ask me. I think Charles is in line with Ryan Matthews, slightly higher than P Thomas and J Stewart...

Don't forget about or discount the presence of Thomas Jones and what he can do in that offense. I think that will hurt JC's value a bit.

In a PPR league, I think I might gamble on a McCoy or a guy like J Best prior to taking Charles. I don't know that I like JC as a RB1 this year.

I'm not sure the RB's you listed are easy picks over Charles. Certainly, the 'experts' all have those players high on their list, but I gotta say I don't agree with them.

In my 10-team PPR league, Charles finished 10 or 11, I forget which. Even assuming his production over the last 8 games last season is cut in half with the addition of McCluster and Jones, he still projects to that spot over the course of the season. IMO, he is very similar to DeAngelo Williams in value although without the history of a 20-TD. Mendenhall is iffy over Charles. Big Ben's absence coupled with that O-line? eh.

[donkhater]

I'm not sure the RB's you listed are easy picks over Charles. Certainly, the 'experts' all have those players high on their list, but I gotta say I don't agree with them.

In my 10-team PPR league, Charles finished 10 or 11, I forget which. Even assuming his production over the last 8 games last season is cut in half with the addition of McCluster and Jones, he still projects to that spot over the course of the season. IMO, he is very similar to DeAngelo Williams in value although without the history of a 20-TD. Mendenhall is iffy over Charles. Big Ben's absence coupled with that O-line? eh.

Don't forget schedules in all of this either. NFC West and AFC West RB's get some pretty bad run defenses this year.

[Mile High Mania]

I'm not sure the RB's you listed are easy picks over Charles. Certainly, the 'experts' all have those players high on their list, but I gotta say I don't agree with them.

In my 10-team PPR league, Charles finished 10 or 11, I forget which. Even assuming his production over the last 8 games last season is cut in half with the addition of McCluster and Jones, he still projects to that spot over the course of the season. IMO, he is very similar to DeAngelo Williams in value although without the history of a 20-TD. Mendenhall is iffy over Charles. Big Ben's absence coupled with that O-line? eh.

I get what you're saying... I use last year and 'expert thoughts' as a guide when I do my own rankings. I look at DEFs they face, the depth at the position... and as you mentioned, with Thomas Jones and McCluster back there to add some variety to the offense...

I might just hedge my bets on visions of a 2009 repeat... I just haven't seen him go prior to some of those other options in the other mocks and real drafts that I've seen.

My other point was - it appears this league is fully of Chiefs' fans... and we're not talking about a Chris Johnson type of guy here, use their fandom against them - let them take him earlier than he should go, you're still going to get similar or better kick ass production at the position a round or two later.

I think you give up a good deal of value at WR (or even another RB) by taking him earlier than he should go.

[Priest31kc]

Just had a 10 team PPR league draft w/ 2 QBs starting....Charles went 20th. The guy who took him got Chris Johnson & Ryan Matthews as well.

I dont know. Im seriously thinking of taking him in my 12 team PPR league at #15.

[Mile High Mania]

Just had a 10 team PPR league draft w/ 2 QBs starting....Charles went 20th. The guy who took him got Chris Johnson & Ryan Matthews as well.

I dont know. Im seriously thinking of taking him in my 12 team PPR league at #15.

I'm not saying it's a horrible move, but it just depends on the lineups you can start and who is there when you pick at R1 and R2...