Fantasy Football picks

So we had our fantasy football draft last night. ESPN gave my picks a B grade...not too shabby. I didn't get everyone I wanted as other members of my league seem to be able to read my mind just as I'm about to hit the Draft Player button. Here is what I ended up with:

• Quarterback - Matt Ryan - There were higher rated QBs available, but I chose Matt. With Julio Jones, Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez and an average of around 28 points per game last season, Ryan is bound to throw for many yards and many touchdowns. With barely any interceptions until late in the season, he makes for a good fantasy pick.
•  Running Backs - Alfred Morris, Chris Johnson, Fred Jackson and Pierre Thomas. Morris is certain to produce, Johnson will likely be consistent, Fred Jackson will be a solid back up and quite frankly, Thomas is likely to ride my bench until I find someone better.
• Wide Receivers - Roddy White, Torrey Smith, Anquan Boldin, Miles Austin and Kendall Wright. I had too pick up White. Jones wasn't available and I like getting the double points from having both the quarterback and the wide receiver when big plays hit. The rest of my guys will produce but won't be stars. And I could easily replace one with another without much change to my final score.
• Tight End - Antonio Gates - While he was closer to my third choice for TE, I think he will be a solid player and produce about 8 points per game.
• Kicker - David Akers - Ok so he wasn't my top choice either and he is one of the oldest kickers in the league. But that means consistency. You don't start out in 1997 and still play in 2013 without skill.
• Head Coach - Redskins coach - I will likely play the head coach game all season and just switch out head coaches depending on who's playing and who is available. But it's a decent start as I expect the Redskins to have a solid, and possibly division winning season this year.

The league I'm in picks defensive players instead of defenses. Since that is so rare, I don't see the need to break down those picks. I do expect that my defense will perform admirably and will likely help me pull out a win or two this season.

All that being said...I'm not holding my breath for landing at the top of my league. I was on a streak last year, was ahead by several wins. I proceeded to go on a seven week losing streak to barely make the playoffs and then promptly lost my game. Or at least I'm pretty sure that is how it went. I have tried to erase the tragedy of last year's fantasy performance from memory.

For the rest of you that will be watching games and adding up the points, I wish you the best of luck. Try your best to maintain your ability to be a fan and not just a slave to the fantasy points. And remember to leave some time for the wife and kids too! You want to make sure they are still around when the season is over. ;)