Tuesday, April 18, 2006

Todd Lokken's Guide to the NFL Draft

Even though there will be many changes between now and April 29th, Todd Lokken, President of Strategic Fantasy Football has taken a look at the top ten picks in this year’s draft. “Many players coming out of school still have a chance to improve their position through individual workouts, while others could bottom out with poor results at the same workouts,” says Lokken. Therefore, with a month to go, here is a look at the top 10 picks:

1) Houston Texans: Reggie Bush, RB—USC. Lokken’s analysis: “No way Houston trades this pick, and Bush has been the target since the middle of the 2005 college season.”

2) New Orleans Saints: D’Brickashaw Ferguson, OT—Virginia. “The Saints need a tackle, and Ferguson is the best on the board right now,” says Lokken. However, do not be surprised if the Saints trade this pick and try to get Ferguson later in the top 10.

3) Tennessee Titans: Matt Leinart, QB—USC. Lokken says, “If Leinart had come out last year, he would have been the top pick. However, number 3 isn’t too bad, especially with Steve McNair on the downside of his career.”

4) New York Jets: Vince Young, QB—Texas. “Ok, so the Jets traded for Patrick Ramsey. He is not a long term solution,” says Lokken. “Look for the Jets to still take a QB this year, and imagine Vince Young in the big apple!”

5) Green Bay Packers: AJ Hawk, LB—Ohio State. Lokken’s analysis: “The Packers have had a shoddy defense for some time. Those in Packer country know that the Mike Sherman era allowed the Packers to get worse and worse on defense every year, so this pick is a great start to rebuilding the defense.”

6) San Francisco 49ers: Vernon Davis, TE—Maryland. Lokken analysis: “Since they traded top receiver Brandon Lloyd, the 49ers will be working to surround Alex Smith with quality receivers, and Davis fills that role. Look for him to make an impact fantasy wise in his first year,” says Lokken.

7) Oakland Raiders: Haloti Ngata, DT—Oregon. Lokken analysis: “Oakland would clearly love a QB in this spot, but it is doubtful that Young or Leinart will still be available. While Jay Cutler may be a possibility, it is more likely that Oakland try to trade up (possibly with New Orleans) to grab a QB. If not, then Ngata is the guy.”

8) Buffalo Bills: Broderick Bunkley, DT—Florida State. Lokken analysis: “While Buffalo would love to have Ngata, Oakland will grab him before Buffalo. However, if Oakland does trade up, then Buffalo may certainly wind up with Ngata”, says Lokken.

9) Detroit Lions: Michael Huff, DB—Texas. Lokken analysis: “The Lions need defensive help, and Huff brings instant credibility to the NFL. This should not be much of a surprise.”

10) Arizona Cardinals: Jay Cutler, QB—Vanderbilt. Lokken analysis: “While Dennis Green and the Cardinals in general have a history of surprise at the NFL draft, the current rumor suggests the Cardinals will go with a QB here. That rumor should ring true, as Cutler should be available.”

“Free agency is still in full swing, and couple that with draft workouts, the first round, especially the top 5, is in tremendous flux,” says Lokken. “Look for many things to change before April 29th, and expect many surprises even on draft day.”

Strategic Fantasy Football provides fantasy football analysis and strategy for players of fantasy football. For more information, contact Todd Lokken at 847.985.8566.

About The Author
Todd Lokken publishes articles and reports and provides news, views and information about fantasy sports and at http://www.toddlokken.com.

Monday, April 10, 2006

Todd Lokken from Strategic Fantasy Sports identifies the most dropped and picked up free agents for the first week of the MLB season.

Jonathan Papelbon, who went undrafted in most fantasy baseball leagues, is all of a sudden a hot commodity as he assumes the closer job in Boston. The Red Sox started the season assuming Keith Foulke was the closer, but, Foulke has struggled. “Papelbon has really been a lucky break.” says Todd Lokken, President of Strategic Fantasy Sports. Lokken continues, “Papelbon was supposed to be a starter, but with still struggling, the Red Sox have been able to throw Papelbon into the closer role, and he has saved 3 games already.” Lokken says if you need a closer or if you have Foulke on your roster, switch over to Papelbon as soon as possible. “Don’t wait long, or else he will be gone,” advises Lokken.

The next hot commodity is Miguel Batista, pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Although he is listed as a relief pitcher in many publications, Batista started this week against the Colorado Rockies, and impressively struck out 11 batters. “While it is hard to tell what a season will look like based upon one performance, fantasy players may want to think about grabbing Batista, especially if they have a pitcher just taking up a roster spot.” says Lokken. According to the CBS Sportsline, Batista was only drafted by about 20% of all teams in fantasy leagues. Lokken says, “if players take a look now, they will see Batista on probably 50% of all rosters, so grab him while he is still there.”

On the flip side, injuries are seriously hurting former fantasy stars, and team owners are making fantasy adjustments accordingly. The most prominent star falling is Dodger ace Eric Gagne, who has just undergone elbow surgery. Lokken says, “Gagne is supposed to be out for just 6 to 8 weeks, but the guess here is that he is done for the season.” Lokken continues, “it’s not worth him taking up a roster spot, and you should find another player quickly.” Danys Baez, who moves into the closer role in Los Angeles, should be the first player looked at.

Finally this week, Lokken gives us another falling star: Cleveland’s CC Sabathia. Sabathia, Cleveland’s 300-pound starting pitcher, went on the disabled list after throwing just 2 1/3 innings in Cleveland’s opener against the Chicago White Sox. While Sabathia says it is nothing to worry about, Lokken points out “Sabathia had the same problem last year, and it caused him to miss 6 weeks.” Having a starting pitcher out 6 weeks is deadly in baseball, so Lokken advises Sabathia owners to adjust their rosters accordingly. Grab another starter, possibly Sergio Mitre of the Marlins, if you need additional support. “If you can handle Sabathia going down for an extended period, then hold him, as this ailment will not keep him out the entire season,” says Lokken.

Strategic Fantasy Sports provides fantasy football analysis and strategy for players of fantasy football. For more information, contact Todd Lokken at 847.985.8566, or visit www.toddlokken.com.

This article may be reprinted in full so long as the resource box and the live links are included intact. All rights reserved. Copyright 2006 Strategic Fantasy Sports.

Tuesday, April 04, 2006

NFL Draft

Todd Lokken from Strategic Fantasy Football forecasts the 2006 NFL Draft.

Free agency and athlete workouts have changed much of the draft projections, and don’t be surprised if the New Orleans Saints trade the #2 pick in the draft.

Free agency has changed much of the NFL draft projections. Additionally, the scouting combine changed the fortunes of many prospects, dropping some and moving up others on draft boards.

Even though there will be many changes between now and April 29th, Todd Lokken, President of Strategic Fantasy Football has taken a look at the top ten picks in this year’s draft. “Many players coming out of school still have a chance to improve their position through individual workouts, while others could bottom out with poor results at the same workouts”, says Lokken. Therefore, with a month to go, here is a look at the top 10 picks:

1) Houston Texans: Reggie Bush, RB—USC. No way Houston trades this pick, and Bush has been the target since the middle of the 2005 college season.

2) New Orleans Saints: D’Brickashaw Ferguson, OT—Virginia. “The Saints need a tackle, and Ferguson is the best on the board right now”, says Lokken. However, do not be surprised if the Saints trade this pick and try to get Ferguson later in the top 10.


3) Tennessee Titans: Matt Leinart, QB—USC. Lokken says, “If Leinart had come out last year, he would have been the top pick”. However, number 3 isn’t too bad, especially with Steve McNair on the downside of his career.

4) New York Jets: Vince Young, QB—Texas. “Ok, so the Jets traded for Patrick Ramsey. He is not a long term solution.”, says Lokken. Look for the Jets to still take a QB this year, and imagine Vince Young in the big apple!


5) Green Bay Packers: AJ Hawk, LB—Ohio State. The Packers have had some shoddy defense for some time. Those in Packer country know that the Mike Sherman era allowed the Packers to get worse and worse on defense every year, so this pick is a great start to rebuilding the defense.

6) San Francisco 49ers: Vernon Davis, TE—Maryland. Since they traded top receiver Brandon Lloyd, the 49ers will be working to surround Alex Smith with quality receivers, and Davis fills that role. “Look for him to make an impact fantasy wise in his first year”, says Lokken.


7) Oakland Raiders: Haloti Ngata, DT—Oregon. Oakland would clearly love a QB in this spot, but it is doubtful that Young or Leinart will still be available. While Jay Cutler may be a possibility, it is more likely that Oakland try to trade up (possibly with New Orleans) to grab a QB.

8) Buffalo Bills: Broderick Bunkley, DT—Florida State. While Buffalo would love to have Ngata, Oakland will grab him before Buffalo. “However, if Oakland does move up, then Buffalo may certainly wind up with Ngata”, says Lokken.


9) Detroit Lions: Michael Huff, DB—Texas. The Lions need defensive help, and Huff brings instant credibility to the NFL. This should not be much of a surprise.

10) Arizona Cardinals: Jay Cutler, QB—Vanderbilt. While Dennis Green and the Cardinals in general have a history of surprise at the NFL draft, the current rumor suggests the Cardinals will go with a QB here. That rumor should ring true, as Cutler should be available.

“Free agency is still in full swing, and couple that with draft workouts, the first round, especially the top 5, is in tremendous flux”, says Lokken. “Look for many things to change before April 29th, and expect many surprises even on draft day.”

Strategic Fantasy Football provides fantasy football analysis and strategy for players of fantasy football. For more information, contact Todd Lokken at 847.985.8566.

About The Author

Todd Lokken publishes articles and reports and provides news, views and information about fantasy sports and at http://www.toddlokken.com.

This article may be reprinted in full so long as the resource box and the live links are included intact. All rights reserved. Copyright 2006 Strategic Fantasy Football.