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PGaither84 · 08-17-2010, 04:10 AM

FANTASY DRAFT GUIDE

Part I
Positional Breakdown

I have done the following:

Entered franchise mode and started a 32 team fantasy draft, simulated the entire thing
I searched the rosters position by position finding players who had impressive positional ratings and A or B potential.
Making a list of these talented players, both young and older [though mostly young] was a really good way to thin out the roster. This is the dirty work.
Next, after making these lists, I found where they were drafted. After running multiple drafts, I found that without user interference, they are always drafted the same.
Then, after simulating MANY franchises into and past year 5 and taking lots of notes, I was able to thin out the list even more.
Finally, we have a completed list you will find below.

OFFENSE: The Quarter Back, Running Backs, Receivers, and the Offensive Line.

Spoiler

DEFENSE: Safeties, Corner Backs, Line Backers, D-Ends, D-Tackles

Spoiler

I prefer the 3-4 defense over the 4-3 both in real life and in madden NFL 11. If you would like to know more about the 3-4, click here.

Defensive End: Often made from 4-3 Defensive tackles.

Spoiler

Nose Tackle: The single-most important player in the 3-4.

Spoiler

Outside Linebacker: Line Backers rule.

Spoiler

Middle/Inside Linebacker: That goes double for these guys.

Spoiler

Corner Back: A true shutdown corner is rare, and thus, valuable.

Spoiler

Free Safety: The last line of defense

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Strong Safety: Your 5th Line Backer.

Spoiler

Part II
The Cheat Sheet

A round-by-round break down of the computer's draft tendencies. This is useful to draft alongside the computer.

Spoiler

Part III
The Draft Board

After building a list of players to look for and where they get drafted, the next step is to order them on to a draft board.

Spoiler

JaymeeAwesome · 08-17-2010, 11:23 AM

Great idea man but save your time. Someone in the EA forums has creating an excel/XML document. Do a search...maybe take that info and improve it for OS users. With permission of course

Bballplaya72 · 08-19-2010, 12:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PGaither84


	Right off the bat I want to ask if anyone has made a Madden 11 fantasy draft guide. I don't know if anyone remembers, but I made a semi-popular draft guide for Madden 09 and Madden 10 shortly after they came out. I would find out what positions were favored by the computer and the kinds of remaining players you would find from round to round. This way you could either draft "with" the computer or even try to draft ahead of the computer, knowing approximately what positions they would be targeting next in the draft. User selections only alter the draft a little bit. If there isn't a guide up already, I guess I could create another one for Madden 11. I just don't know if many people play fantasy draft franchises anymore or not.

Great idea, but given how franchise mode has not been touched, it is probably the same, so we could probably use your guide from last year.

PGaither84 · 08-19-2010, 01:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bballplaya72


	Great idea, but given how franchise mode has not been touched, it is probably the same, so we could probably use your guide from last year.

I guess, but I don't know if the fantasy draft logic changed. I'll look up my old guide and see if it still applies.

Bballplaya72 · 08-19-2010, 01:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PGaither84


	I guess, but I don't know if the fantasy raft logic changed. I'll look up my old guide and see if it still applies.

What I'm saying is they have hardly touched anything on franchise mode, so I don't know why they would change anything with the fantasy draft.

PGaither84 · 08-19-2010, 01:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bballplaya72


	What I'm saying is they have hardly touched anything on franchise mode, so I don't know why they would change anything with the fantasy draft.

Agreed. So I dug this up from last year. I am going to save it on my computer so I don't lose it. These guides assume you want to play a sim franchise and are not just trying to take advantage of the computer. If you want to take advantage of the computer, you shouldn't need a guide. One of the big reasons I wrote a guide like this was so you knew "when" to draft key positions. Outside of the elite players [95-99 OVR] who all get taken in the first 2-3 rounds, the computer tends to draft players by position. For example, most QBs will sit on the draft board until round 14 or so where the computer takes about 17 of them at one time. If you didn't know that, you may wait one round too long, or draft one "too early" while other positions are getting swept up.

The "cheat sheet." My recomended picks from Madden 10.

Spoiler

The long breakdown guide.

Spoiler

Finally, if you do use this guide, please post your results. I would love to get your feedback. Also, are you seeing and drastic changes from this list and Madden 11?

PGaither84 · 09-04-2010, 02:33 PM

Well, I finally started messing with Fantasy Draft again and the logic did change. I am working on a brand new guide, so it will take some time.

As an example, in Madden 10, in round 3 the computer slected 23 DEs and then 23 WRs in round 4. Now, in Madden 11, the computer tends to select a mix between WRs and DEs in the 3rd round and a mix of DEs and CBs in the 4th, a mix of WRs and CBs in the 5th and 20 or mroe DEs in the 6th round. Most QBs were not taken unti lthe 14th round in Madden 10, however, in Madden 11 the computer makes a run for them in the 10th round. Linebackers didn't tend to be taken until the 9th round, but now Tackles and LBs are taken in mass in the 7th and 8th rounds. This is all from memory. I don't have my forms in notes of me right now.

I was working on Fantasy Draft a lot last night taking notes and I had a draft plan in mind: In the first 6 rounds of the draft, a lot of talented DEs, CBs and WRs are all taken. By the end of the 6th round DEs OVR ratings dip into the low 70's for the remaining players while CBs and WRs drop to the low 80's if I recall correctly. Round 1 and 2 I would recomend selecting an elite CB and WR of your choice. Round 3 I would get an elite DE. In round 4 and 5 I would look for a second DE, WR, or CB. What ever combination you choose, round 6 eats up a lot of remaining DEs and starts to select Tackles and MLBs as it movess into the 7th round where it is almost exclusively Tackles and MLBs. In my opinion, at the end of 7 rounds your team should have 2 WRs, 2 CBs, a DE, Tackle and MLB. I prefer the 3-4 defense and I don't tend to select pass rushing DEs. It's nice to have a Richard Seymore/Haloti Ngata type player, but you don't really need two in the 3-4, while having two top flight CB's/WRs is far more game changing, more so in Madden. My friend is a Jets fan and we use them a lot in OTP and play now [he's new to Madden] and I'll tell you, having Revis & Cromartie back there is nice.

I only have the first 12 rounds recorded so far. I plan on doing a lot more tonight, possibly the rest. After that I plan on doing break downs and recomendations by position. Finally, for the first time I may make a list of "draft steals" to keep an eye out for. A and B potential players that you can snag in later rounds to make up for "lost player" in early rounds. For example, I know that Shonn Greene is a nice 81 OVR HB with B potential, and often turns into an 89 OVR player in franchise mode, but is selected around the 9th round. Jahvi Best, on the other hand, is a 75 OVR with A potential that slips to the 28th round or so, and with some playing time, becomes a 90 or so OVR player.

Todem · 09-04-2010, 07:28 PM

Awesome thread. i always do a fantasy draft squad as well to go along with my Dolphins Chise. It is a ton of fun.

I will wait for your updated guide before I draft. Then I will post my draft with the rounds each player was selected in as well.

08-17-2010, 04:10 AM	#1
PGaither84 MVP OVR: 49 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Lima, Peru Blog Entries: 15	Madden 11 Fantasy Draft guide FANTASY DRAFT GUIDE Part I Positional Breakdown I have done the following: Entered franchise mode and started a 32 team fantasy draft, simulated the entire thing I searched the rosters position by position finding players who had impressive positional ratings and A or B potential. Making a list of these talented players, both young and older [though mostly young] was a really good way to thin out the roster. This is the dirty work. Next, after making these lists, I found where they were drafted. After running multiple drafts, I found that without user interference, they are always drafted the same. Then, after simulating MANY franchises into and past year 5 and taking lots of notes, I was able to thin out the list even more. Finally, we have a completed list you will find below. OFFENSE: The Quarter Back, Running Backs, Receivers, and the Offensive Line. Spoiler Quarter Back: The single most important position in professional football. Spoiler Positional Ratings [THP] Throwing Power [SAC] Short Throw Accuracy [MAC] Medium Throw Accuracy [DAC] Deep Throw Accuracy [RUN] Throw on the Run [PAC] Play Action [AWR] Awareness - Only for computer controlled/coach mode [THA] Throwing Accuracy - Only used when simulating games ROUND 1 Tom Brady/Peyton Manning What can I say about these two that hasn't already been said? Both of these future Hall of fame Quarter Backs play until they are either 40 or even 41 years of age in all of the franchises I have simulated. That is between 6 and 7 years of play for each. ROUND 2 Drew Brees Like Brady and Manning, Drew Brees is one of the NFL's elite passers. However, Brees tends to retire at around age 38, giving him no more longevity than Manning or Brady. Ben Roethlisberger What separates 28 year old "Big Ben" in real life, along with Madden NFL 11, from other Quarter Backs is his ability to throw accurate passes while on the run. With a Throw on the Run [RUN] rating of 97, wild passes should be rare while scrambling. One of the better passers for user control. ROUND 7 Michael Vick 91 Speed, 96 Acceleration, 95 Agility 97 [THP] 84 [SAC] 85 [MAC] 84 [DAC] 97 [RUN] The numbers speak for themselves. ROUND 9 Matt Ryan My favorite young QB in real life. Matty Ice is another amazing QB for your franchise. At 90 OVR and 25 years old, he is not only great now, but will get even better and remain your QB for years to come [of course, baring injury.] ROUND 10 Joe Flacco By the numbers, this 25 year old QB is Aaron Rodgers to Matt Ryan's Philip Rivers. About the same age with about the same skill set, but they both trade a little extra throwing power for accuracy. Flacco's big weakness though is his 78 Deep accuracy. I am sure he is a great QB, but honestly, I am not too impressed with him [sorry Ravens fans] Josh Freeman I will be honest, I don't know very much about this 22 year old Tampa Bay QB. I do know that he is an 86 OVR A potential player with a powerful arm and great mobility. from what I can tell, looking at his 6'6" frame, he is everything the Raiders wanted "J. Russ" to be and wasn't. Sam Bradford Being a 49ers fan, I was able to watch Bradford play against my team twice and would watch him play off and on throughout the season. this kid is the real deal and we are really talking about "Gems" at this point in our draft. You are not going to get any TRUE gems late in the draft at QB. there just aren't any late round A potential players, or low OVR QBs at a young age with great accuracy in this "final" roster update. No question he is a franchise QB. Matthew Stafford Like Bradford, Stafford is the real deal and will likely be a great franchise QB for the Lions in the years to come. Just like with Aaron Rodgers and Joe Flacco, Matthew is the "powerful arm QB" to Sam Bradford's "accurate passer" like Rivers and Ryan. Mark Sanchez Underrated in my opinion, Sanchez has been a very good QB for the Jets in his first two season. In Madden, his 82 Medium Accuracy [MAC] and 79 Deep Accuracy [DAC] don't give me lot of confidence in him in-game. However, with his A potential, this 23 year old Quarter Back often becomes one of the leagues best after a few simulated seasons. If you can manage his lower accuracy ratings until then, he will pay off in the long run for you. ROUND 24 Tim Tebow While he starts off as a low 75 OVR, Tebow will raise to a serviceable 80 OVR after his rookie season, even if he is a back up. However, from there on out he must start if you expect him to progress. If he compiles solid stats, he will quickly reach his maximum potential f being an 89 OVR in about 3 to 4 seasons. A nice project player. Half Back: The men who carry the rock. Spoiler Positional Ratings [TRK] Trucking [ELU] Elusiveness [SFA] Stiff Arm [SPM] Spin Move [JKM] Juke Move [CAR] Carrying [BCV] Ball Carrier Vision - For computer controlled backs ROUND 1 Adrain Peterson The best back in Madden. His speed agility and acceleration are all 97 and 98's. 97 elusiveness and 90 trucking, "All Day" Adrian Peterson's one weakness in real life and in Madden was his carry rating [fumbling problems.] He addressed that this year and held onto the ball really well. With a new carry rating of 81, it should rarely be a problem, less so when you use the Right Bumper [R1 for our PS3 friends.] Maurice Jones-Drew I like to call him "Frank Gore +." While I am a Gore fan, I recognize Jones-Drew's talent. His madden ratings are nearly identical to Gore's and the only difference is that he is slightly better than Frank in almost every one of them, but not by much. being two years younger [25 years old] also improves his stock. ROUND 2 Steven Jackson A little slower [87 speed] but more powerful, Steven Jackson is who I refer to as "the middle brother" of the three Running backs: Gore, Jackson and Jones-Drew. A solid balance between the other two, Jackson is another great feature back who still has some good seasons in front of him. ROUND 3 Frank Gore The HB of my SF49ers. Obviously I am biased, and I have more experience running with him than any other back in Madden. Gore is a work horse. I already know what he can do. If you missed out on Adrian Peterson, any of the last three backs I just talked about are solid replacements. ROUND 4 Michael Turner While I like turner and wish the Chargers had kept him, he is 28, and while that is only 1 year older than Gore and Jackson, I am leaning to saying he is getting too old to want to draft him that highly. in short, his is Steven Jackson, but one year older. Not a bad 3rd round pick though. Darren McFadden Run DMC used to be one of my late round gems in the default rosters. After his "coming of age season," McFadden is one of the leagues top backs and should be drafted as such. 97 speed and acceleration, his 86 agility hurts, but is still nice. His 96 stiff arm should make the A button [X for the PS3] your best friend while running. Peyton Hillis 24 years old. If you couldn't tell, i really like power backs. At least, if I am going to spend a high draft pick on someone, I want a back that can power his way through the hole on any down. There are enough scat backs in the league [players with 96+ speed and acceleration] that you can draft in later rounds to create a thunder and lightning combo that I have a difficult time justifying drafting someone like Chris Johnson or Jamaal Charles. There are only a few backs with the skills of Frank gore or Steven Jackson. Peyton Hillis is one of them. Ryan Grant is another, but a 27 year old who is only an 88 isn't worth as much to me as the others. Round 5 Legarrette Blount Like Josh Freeman, I don't really know anything about this Buccaneer. I do know that my friends are hyped about him and he has some shocking Madden numbers. An A Potential player with 98 Trucking [TRK] and 98 Stiff Arm [SFA]. ROUND 13 Jahvid Best This 80 OVR A potential Running Back for the Lions was another player who used to be a draft steal, selected down in round 28. No longer a gem, but you won't be over drafting him at 13. In fact, this is about where I would have put him. Round 28 Danny Woodhead While only a B potential, Little Danny Woodhead starts with 96 Elusiveness [ELU] 92 Juke Moves [JKM] and being a Patriots HB, he has some really nice receiving ratings. Shonn Greene Another A Potential power back that will complement any scat back in a thunder and lightning combo you may be building. Round 29 Reggie Bush One of the biggest draft steals you can pick up. His mid 80's receiving abilities along with his 96+ speed, acceleration, and agility make him a huge threat in the slot [just like real life.] Wide Receiver: Speed, size, and moar speed. Spoiler Positional Ratings [CTH] Catching [CIT] Catch in traffic [SPC] Spectacular catch [RLS] Release [RTE] Route Running ROUND 1 Andre Johnson A talented receiver for sure, but I honestly have no attachment to him myself. His 97 Release [RLS] and 95 Route Running [RTE] makes him very hard to cover in Madden. You are likely to fail most attempts at pressing him and you need some of the best corners in the league to cover him. Add in his 94 speed and ability to catch most everything thrown at him, his only real weakness his is age [29 years old.] Oh yeah, and he can run block with the best of them. Roddy White Smaller than Johnson, but almost the same receiver on paper. He exchanges strength and size for 92 elusiveness in the open field [compared to Johnson's 72.] Also one year younger [28.] ROUND 2 Greg Jennings Only 26 years old, Jennings and Aaron Rodgers will hopefully have a long and storied career together in real life. though, seeing how they already won a Super Bowl, I would say they have already left their mark in Green Bay and on the NFL. Lots of speed, great route runner and high a release rating make Jennings a solid pick. Calvin Johnson Jr. Megatron is projected to go at the top of the 3rd round, so I look at him more like a late 2ed round pick myself. In the company of Vernon Davis and Michael Vick as the most explosive players in Madden. 6'5" 236lbs with 95 speed, 94 acceleration, 96 agility and 99 jump, he is rare indeed. oh yeah, he has a whole bunch of high receiving ratings too ROUND 5 Desean Jackson Another uniquely talented receiver, Jackson has elite speed in the NFL. While I prefer power backs in the running game, I fully understand the value of a speedster wide receiver. Anyone who takes Jackson will be very happy with their pick. ROUND 6 Wes Welker Another personal favorite of mine, even at 29 years old, Wes can really help your franchise. With his high Agility, Acceleration, Route Running and Catch in Traffic ratings, Wes can and will tear up the short and medium passing game. i suggest that if you take, Wes, you think about using the Patriots play book and placing him as your #2 WR where EA intended him to be back when NE still had Randy Moss. there are a lot of unique plays in that book that take advantage of the No.2 WR and they automatically place him in the slot in some formations. ROUND 8 Dez Bryant An A Potential rookie receiver with a lot of core abilities. Expected to mature into one of the leagues best, Dez Bryant is a solid pick in the 10th or 11th round for anyone. Round 11 Michael Crabtree Like Dez Bryant, Crabtree is another young NFL ready receiver who can either flourish under a star QB or mature right along with a young franchise QB. he doesn't have any super stand out ratings right now, but his 80 route running and 85 release suggest those skills will become elite soon along with his catch in traffic and base catch ratings. Mike Williams Another player I don't know much about in real life. This 23 year old rookie's Madden ratings are all very similar to Dez Bryant and Michael Crabtree. Each of these three receiver's have minor differences, but are all equally talented. ROUND 27 Demarius Thomas A definite gem in the 27th round, this 75 OVR A potential rookie from the Broncos is a beast in Madden. Brandon Tate This Patriots A potential rookie isn't as fast as Demarius Thomas, but 94 speed isn't bad. His 87 elusivenesses bound to go up, and while he won't likely be an elite receiver in the league, at least not in Madden, he will be a great slot or even number two receiver for your team in a few seasons. Jordan Shipley If anyone looks like they could be the second coming of Wes Welker, Shipley is it. After simulating multiple franchises, he comes VERY close. in fact, his agility and acceleration go up to 99 each just like Welker once was. His route running never got to 99 though, but it did get to around 88 or so. [evil grin] TWO Wes Welkers.... HAHAHAHA![/evil grin] Tight End: A hybrid of Offensive Lineman and Wide Receiver. Spoiler Breakdown TE is my favorite position in football. The TE has the be a jack of all trades. Pass block to help against the blitz Seal the edge in the running game Be a receiving threat in the passing game ROUND 1 Antonio Gates The best TE in football right now and has been a while. In simulated drafts, he will fall from a 99, but time and time again he remains a 90+ TE until he retires around 36-38 years old, which is 6 to 8 years into franchise mode. As one of the rare talents in the league, he is still very much worth taking Vernon Davis In my opinion, the best TE in Madden and could be far and away the best TE in football if he had a good QB, or was on "a good team." He is the most physically dominating TE and the best run blocking TE in Madden and the NFL. He has two weaknesses. 75 route Running and 76 Catch in Traffic. Also, after many simulations, the computer doesn't really target Davis, so he doesn't get good numbers and that tends to drop his OVR. Playing games with user control or Coach Mode though alleviates that problem. ROUND 4 Jermichael Finley Nearly a clone of Gates in terms of Madden, Finley is only 23 years old and 2 years pro. He has lower receiving ratings than gates, but with his A potential, he will become that good quickly. If you don't want to pick gates in the 1st round, Finley is a good call in the 4th. ROUND 10 Zack Miller While I don't recommend drafting Witten or Clark in the first round, I am okay with drafting Miller in the 10th if you don't have a TE yet. Solid receiver and run blocker, he will contribute to your team for many years. ROUND 14 Dustin Keller I guess this is where I start pointing out the gems of the draft for TE. Keller is an A potential player with a lot really nice core abilities. His release and route running alone are high enough to beat most line backers man and zone coverage ratings while his 91 acceleration helps get him into his routes quickly. To think he gets better after that... if I don't normally take Vernon Davis, Keller would be one of the few Tight Ends I would turn to. Rob Gronkowski A classic TE that can be a threat on short yardage plays and in t he red zone, he also becomes one of the better run blocking TEs in the game. Rob is a solid choice and progresses to be one of the top rated TEs in Madden franchise mode. I would rather take his team mate who I am going to talk about next though. Aaron Hernandez As others have said, Hernandez is a physical slot receiver more than he is a TE, and that is why he is such a weapon for the NE Patriots. Solid physical abilities along with route running and receiving ratings, as a 14th round pick you can afford to pass on Gates and Davis with the intention on drafting a TE prospect in this round. ROUND 15 Jermaine Gresham My final gem at TE, this A potential rookie is also built in the Antonio Gates/Shannon Sharpe mold. Starting as a 78 OVR, he isn't likely to dominate for you right out of the gates [see what I did there?] but he will progress nicely into a beast of his own. Offensive Line: The unsung heroes. Spoiler Positional Ratings [RBS] Run Blocking Strength [RBF] Run Blocking footwork [PBS] Pass Blocking Strength [PBF] Pass Blocking Footwork [IBL] Impact Blocking The Run & Pass Block ratings are only used for simulating games and contributing to OVR. Breakdown* I am going to change it up a little bit for the Offensive line. In the NFL there are 32 teams. Each of those teams needs 5 starting offensive linemen. That is 160 starting players. There are just not enough talented linemen to go around. All of the offensive linemen with a High OVR rating are good picks. What I will do is list the gems you can draft in "later rounds." These are players who may start off with lower OVR ratings, but have really nice positional ratings and become some of the league's elite a few years into franchise mode. Offensive Tackle Spoiler Round 13 Joe Staley LT 86 OVR Jason Smith RT 86 OVR Michael Oher LT 85 OVR Eben Britton RT 84 OVR Round 14 Russell Okung LT 83 OVR Trent Williams LT 83 OVR Eugene Monroe LT 81 OVR Round 15 Brian Bulaga RT 80 OVR Jared Veldheer LT 79 OVR Round 23 Anthony Davis RT 75 OVR Offensive Guard Spoiler There really are only three "gems" when it comes to Offensive Guard. In the many franchises I have simulated, most of the good guards were: A.) Already good [90+] B.) Only went up a small amount, say 87 to a 90 or 88 to 91 C.) Were hand crafted rookies by Josh Looman. Round 8 Mike Iupati LG 88 OVR Round 16 Luis Vasquez RG 81 OVR Max Unger RG 79 OVR Center Spoiler Just like with the Guard position, there just aren't really any hidden gems at Center. In fact, in the final roster update I am building this off of, there are only two young A Potential centers, and they are pretty obvious if you watched football closely this year. this is why I suggest you pay close attention and draft O-line "early" and try to snipe these players when possible. Otherwise, you will have to rely on the Hand Crafted rookies to come through for you. Round 13 Alex Mack 88 OVR Maurkice Pouncey 85-96 DEFENSE: Safeties, Corner Backs, Line Backers, D-Ends, D-Tackles Spoiler I prefer the 3-4 defense over the 4-3 both in real life and in madden NFL 11. If you would like to know more about the 3-4, click here. Defensive End: Often made from 4-3 Defensive tackles. Spoiler Positional Ratings [BSH] Block Shedding - To stuff the run [PMV] Power Moves - Pass Rushing Overview I want to start by saying that a 3-4 Defensive End's OVR rating is not a true reflection of their skills. Madden NFL 11 values 4-3 Pass rushing Defensive Ends and the Finesse Moves rating much higher than the Power Moves or Block Shedding ratings. I will use 98 OVR DE Haloti Ngata of the Ravens for my example. Haloti Ngata possesses 67 Finesse Moves. If you raise this rating up a single point [to 68,] his OVR becomes 99. From there, if you reduce this rating to 50 [down 18 total points,] his OVR will come down to a 93 OVR, a reduction total of 6 points to his OVR. this is a 3:1 ratio of Finesse moves to OVR value. Repeating this test with his Power Moves reveals a 5:1 ratio. Once again with his Block Shedding and we see a 15:1 ratio of positional skill to OVR value. What this all means is that just because your run stuffing 3-4 end isn't a 90+ OVR player doesn't mean he isn't good. In fact, in order to get Haloti Ngata up to a high 98 OVR rating, EA had to inflate his Finesse Moves rating until it reached a point they were happy with. This is also why if you take a talented a player such as Lions Rookie DT N. Suh and move him to DE for the 3-4, a position where he would fit in nicely and likely be the second coming of Richard Seymore, his OVR will still drop as he has a poor Finesse Moves rating. The final two ratings I just want to touch on for a moment are Pursuit and Play Recognition. While these are important ratings, because your linemen are playing in the trenches, they really do not need high ratings in these areas. These ratings are really intended for Linebackers and Safeties. I mention them because they also play an important role in determining a player's OVR rating. Now, after all of that, here is my list of candidates for DE for a 3-4 scheme: Round 1 Haloti Ngata - RE 98 OVR Round 3 Cullen Jenkins - RE 90 OVR Justin Smith - RE 90 OVR Luis Castillo - RE 88 OVR Round 4 Randy Starks - RE 86 OVR Round 5 Kendall Langford - LE 84 OVR Round 6 Dwan Edwards - RE 83 OVR Round 7 Ty Warren - LE 82 OVR Round 8 Igor Olshansky - LE 80 OVR Ndamukong Suh - DT 90 OVR Note: Suh is listed as a DT. However, with his 307lb frame fits 3-4 ends better than Nose Tackle. Even though his OVR rating drops when you move him over, that is because he only has a 50 Finesse Moves rating. Round 20 Mike Devito - RE 78 OVR Round 29 Red Bryant - RE 76 OVR Round 34 Isacc Sopoaga LE 72 OVR Just like how N. Suh can double as a DE in the 3-4, thanks to his size, Sopoaga can double as a NT if you want him to. In fact, after the draft, I often just switch these two player's positions. Round 43 Ron Brace - LE 68 OVR Nose Tackle: The single-most important player in the 3-4. Spoiler Positional Ratings [BSH] Block Shedding - To stuff the run [PMV] Power Moves - Pass Rushing Overview In real life, teams are looking for NTs who weigh 325lbs or more. Some of the best NTs weigh as much as 360lbs. While the NT isn't as important in Madden as it is in real life do to game play mechanics, this position can still have a big impact on the defensive side of the ball. A simple trick to improving your 3-4 play in Madden is to "hot route" your defensive line to "crash" left or right in the same direction your blitz/pass rushers are coming from. Doing this will often cause the NT to attack that side, taking the center and possibly the guard with him [just like it is his responsibility in real life] with the intention of occupying blocks to free up other players. Madden's real weakness is the lack of a true bull rush that can push the center backwards and collapse the pocket, not allowing the QB a place to step up into to make his throws. In real life, this is why the Jets drafted Nick Mangold to deal with Vince Wilfork. While Jeff Saturday is a very talented Center for the Colts, he has historically been push around by the larger and stronger Vince Wilfork which has helped the Patriots defense pressure Peyton Manning. Round 2 Vince Wilfork - 95 OVR Round 3 Shaun Rogers - 93 OVR Round 5 Kris Jenkins - 92 OVR Round 8 Casey Hampton - 91 OVR B.J. Raji - 89 OVR Raji island baby! Round 9 Terrance Knighton - 87 OVR Paul Soliai - 87 OVR Albert Haynesworth - 87 OVR A.K.A. Fat Albert, A.K.A. the 100 million dollar mistake. However, it's Madden 11, and he can't complain about being a 3-4 NT in your franchise. [You know, unlike Madden 07 on last gen Cough I didn't say that did I?] Round 25 Dan Williams - 74 OVR Round 33 Terrence Cody - 72 OVR My favorite late round NT in Madden. His only weaknes is that he is slow. His 3 core abilities are already almost maxed out. 92 Tackle, 89 Power Moves, 97 Block Shedding. Round 34 Linval Joseph - 71 OVR Round 39 Torell Troup - 68 OVR NOTE: I value the defensive line a lot higher against another human player than I do against the computer. A Vince Wilfork or Haloti Ngata can do a lot more damage against a human opponent than they will against the computer AI. Outside Linebacker: Line Backers rule. Spoiler Positional Ratings [POW] Hit Power - Hit Stick [PUR] Pursuit - Chasing down the ball carrier [PRC] Play Recognition - Reading Run/Pass/PA/Draws/Screens/etc Overview Line Backers use a lot of ratings to be honest. Man and Zone coverage, power and finesse moves to rush the passer, block shedding to stuff the run, tackle is obvious as well. However, Line backers are the ones known for making devastating hits more often than other positions. Also, Line Backers take better advantage of the Pursuit and Play Recognition than Defensive Linemen will. Round 1 Jon Beason I don't watch Panthers games, but I know Beason is a force. A top pick for sure. Demarcus Ware Another extraordinary young talent that is worth a top pick. Round 2 Clay Matthews He is everything Kevin Greene wished he was... and more. Lamarr Woodley Oh look, another Linebackers for the Steelers who is good. What a surprise. ROUND 4 Cameron Wake I think there are only 3 players who have ever tackled Big Ben. Apparently Cameron Wake is one of them. Brian Orakpo An underrated beast at OLB. Thomas Davis The Panthers have two very talented Outside Line backers. Take them. Brian Cushing Keith Rivers ROUND 5 Justin Durant ROUND 6 Aaron Curry Round 16 Ernie Sims Manny Lawson Round 23 Thomas Howard Round 46 Dekoda Watson Even though he has only progresses into a 78 OVR in simulated franchise, he has 86 speed, 90 acceleration, 96 tackle, 93 power moves, and 94 pursuit. Not an elite linebacker, but he will tackle almost anything, can pass rush well, has great speed and pursuit to the ball. His weakness is coverage. Blitz with him. Middle/Inside Linebacker: That goes double for these guys. Spoiler Positional Ratings/Overview See Outside Linebackers. The big difference is, there are not as man fast ILBs to choose from as there are fast OLBs. Round 1 Patrick Willis The best player in football [okay, i'm a little biased.] Still... one of the best picks you can make. I still think Donny Moore, or more specifically Kane made him look awful in the 2ed or 3rd roster update. His chest/shoulders/pads look all wrong. He looks like his team mate Takeo Spike in real life, and used to look like him in the game. Round 5 Lawrence Timmons Look, a Steelers Line Backer. I wonder if he is any good? Jerod Mayo Round 28 Deandre Levy A later round gem that may not look like much at first. Round 30 Daryl Washington Another later round gem that progresses into a solid Line backer. Round 47 Tavares Gooden Our final MLB gem. Another fast MLB with solid starting skills who will progress nicely. Corner Back: A true shutdown corner is rare, and thus, valuable. Spoiler Positional Ratings [MCV] Man Coverage [ZCV] Zone coverage [PRS] Press - Bump and run. Overview There are really two types of corners in the NFL; Speedsters and physical corners. The two top CBs in the NFL right now aren't slow, but they are primarily physical corners. This is just the type of player I am looking for and suggest you draft as well. The two ratings I really look for are Man Coverage [MCV] and Press [PRS]. In Madden NFL 11 you still cannot assign individual press against single receivers like you could on last generation. As a result, I find Corner backs who have a low Press rating to be a detriment to my team, limiting how often and what plays I call press coverage with. There are only two Corners in Madden [who are not hand crafted rookies] who are, or become players with 97+ speed and acceleration along with 90+ Man coverage. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie taken in the 6th round and Sam Shields who is taken in the 22ed round. Both are also nice selection, but neither are "physical." If you are looking for one or more fast corners to compliment your squad, either [or both] are good choices. Round 1 Darrelle Revis Nnamdi Asomugha Round 5 Cortland Finnegan A great number one for any team. In real life I have problems with his attitude, but that isn't an issue in Madden. Lots of great core skills and a solid pick. Round 6 Vontae Davis In my opinion, he is the best corner you could draft that isn't named Revis. After progression he becomes better than Nnamdi. He has more speed, and he gains 99 Man/92 Zone coverage with 98 press which are equal to or better than Nnamdi. In fact, with his 89 press, I would argue he could be even better than Revis at one point. Joe Haden He doesn't have an elite press rating ,but his 99Man and zone coverages with 90+ speed with 99 agility and acceleration after progressing make him one of the games best. He also tackles and sheds blocks well. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie Round 22 Mike Jenkins Round 23 Lardarius Webb Round 31 Kyle Wilson Patrick Robinson Round 35 Jarome Murphy Round 42 Chris Cook Free Safety: The last line of defense Spoiler Positional Ratings [ZCV] Zone coverage [PUR] Pursuit Overview I don't dislike Free Safeties. In fact, one of my all-time favorite players, Ronnie Lott, played Free Safety. I am just not impressed with the Free Safeties in Madden. They don't make that much of an impact in the game for me to justify an early draft pick, and there really aren't any "gems" that I have found as late rounders. The following is a list of solid starters you can find in round 17. Round 17 Louis Delmas Malcom Jenkins Tanard Jackson Earl Thomas Nate Allen Jairus Byrd Michael Huff Strong Safety: Your 5th Line Backer. Spoiler I think of strong safety much like free safety. Although I do look for things like pursuit and play recognition, this isn't Madden 10. The Pursuit angles are not broken like t her were in that game. It is unlikely your player will take a bad angle from the safety position. The following list is of Strong Safeties you can take outside of the top 10 picks who become not only some of the best in the league, but also posses 90+ hit power when they do. Round 15 Eric Berry Round 17 Pat Chung Round 20 T.J. Ward Round 30 Taylor Mays Round 32 Michael Mitchel Part II The Cheat Sheet A round-by-round break down of the computer's draft tendencies. This is useful to draft alongside the computer. Spoiler Round 1 Franchise players Round 2 Franchise players Round 3 DE Round 4 HB/OLB Round 5 1st half DE/OLB/HB - 2ed half CB Round 6 WR/CB Round 7 MLB with CB/WR mix in Round 8 Smattering of DE/DT/MLB/OG Round 9 DT/OG Round 10 QB Round 11 WR/CB Round 12 1st half WR/CB - 2ed half OT Round 13 C/OT Round 14 TE/OT Round 15 TE/OT again Round 16 OG/OLB Round 17 FS with minor SS& FB Round 18 SS w/ minor FB Round 19 Kicker with smattering of "everything else" Round 20 More Kickers and "everything else" mixed in Round 21 Punters Round 22 O-Line/D-Line Round 23 OLB/OG/OT Round 24 DT with some QB Round 25 DT/TE Round 26 TE/QB Round 27 WR Round 28 HB/MLB Round 29 SS/DE/HB/MLB Round 30 Offensive/Defensive line Round 31 CB/HB Rounds 32 - 35 What ever you need based on highest OVR rating left. Round 36 G/Need. Round 37 OLB/Need Rounds 38 - 45 Need Round 46 OLB/Need Round 47 TE/Need Rounds 48 & 49 Need/Speed Part III The Draft Board After building a list of players to look for and where they get drafted, the next step is to order them on to a draft board. Spoiler This draft board is subject to change. All I have done so far is place players on the board where they are projected to b drafted. I have yet to make adjustments. Players in blue are rookies who were drafted in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft. Players in green are rookies. [Please let me know if I forget to mark any rookies] Round 1 [QB] Tom Brady, Peyton Manning [HB] Adrain Peterson, Maurice Jones-Drew [WR] Andre Johnson, Roddy White [TE] Antonio Gates, Vernon Davis [DE] Haloti Ngata [OLB] Jon Beason, Demarcus Ware [MLB] Patrick Willis [CB] Darrelle Revis, Nnamdi Asomugha Round 2 [QB] Drew Brees, Ben Roethlisberger [HB] Steven Jackson [WR]Greg Jennings, Calvin Johnson Jr. [NT]Vince Wilfork [OLB] Clay Matthews, Lamarr Woodley Round 3 [HB] Frank Gore [DE] Cullen Jenkins, Justin Smith, Luis Castillo [NT] Shaun Rogers Round 4 [HB] Michael Turner, Darren McFadden, Peyton Hillis [TE] Jermichael Finley [DE] Randy Starks [OLB] Cameron Wake, Brian Orakpo, Thomas Davis, Brian Cushing, Keith Rivers Round 5 [HB] Legarrette Blount [WR] Desean Jackson [DE] Kendall Langford [NT] Kris Jenkins [OLB] Justin Durant [MLB] Lawrence Timmons, Jerod Mayo [CB] Cortland Finnegan Round 6 [WR] Wes Welker [DE] Dwan Edwards [OLB] Aaron Curry [CB] Vontae Davis, Joe Haden, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie Round 7 [QB] Michael Vick [DE] Ty Warren Round 8 [WR] Dez Bryant [OG] Mike Iupati [DE] Igor Olshansky, [DT] Ndamukong Suh [NT] Casey Hampton, B.J. Raji Round 9 [QB] Matt Ryan, [NT] Terrance Knighton, Paul Soliai, Albert Haynesworth Round 10 [QB] Joe Flacco, Josh Freeman, Sam Bradford, Matthew Stafford, Mark Sanchez [TE] Zack Miller Round 11 [WR] Michael Crabtree, Mike Williams Round 12 [No players on my Board are taken here. This is a great opportunity to lock up a Center] Round 13 [HB] Jahvid Best [OT] Joe Staley, Jason Smith, Michael Oher, Eben Britton [C] Alex Mack, Maurkice Pouncey Round 14 [TE] Dustin Keller, Rob Gronkowski, Aaron Hernandez [OT] Russell Okung, Trent Williams, Eugene Monroe Round 15 [TE] Jermaine Gresham [OT] Brian Bulaga, Jared Veldheer [SS] Eric Berry Round 16 [OG] Luis Vasquez, Max Unger [OLB] Ernie Sims, Manny Lawson Round 17 [FS] Louis Delmas, Malcom Jenkins, Tanard Jackson, Earl Thomas, Nate Allen, Jairus Byrd, Michael Huff [SS] Pat Chung Round 18 Round 19 Kicker Round 20 [DE] Mike Devito [SS] T.J. Ward Round 21 Punter Round 22 [CB] Mike Jenkins Round 23 [OT] Anthony Davis [OLB] Thomas Howard [CB] Lardarius Webb Round 24 [QB] Tim Tebow Round 25 [NT] Dan Williams Round 26 Round 27 [WR] Demarius Thomas, Brandon Tate, Jordan Shipley Round 28 [HB] Danny Woodhead, Shonn Greene [MLB] Deandre Levy Round 29 [HB] Reggie Bush [DE] Red Bryant Round 30 [MLB] Daryl Washington [SS] Taylor Mays Round 31 [CB] Kyle Wilson, Patrick Robinson Round 32 [SS] Michael Mitchel Round 33 [NT] Terrence Cody Round 34 [DE/NT] Isacc Sopoaga, Linval Joseph Round 35 [CB] Jarome Murphy Round 36 Round 37 Round 38 Round 39 [NT] Torell Troup Round 40 Round 41 Round 42 [CB] Chris Cook Round 43 [DE] Ron Brace Round 44 Round 45 Round 46 [OLB] Dekoda Watson Round 47 [MLB] Tavares Gooden Round 48 Round 49 __________________ My Madden Blog Last edited by PGaither84; 03-14-2011 at 06:47 AM.

08-17-2010, 11:23 AM	#2
JaymeeAwesome Dynasty Guru OVR: 16 Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Woburn, MA Posts: 4,163 Blog Entries: 3	Re: Madden 11 Fantasy Draft guide Great idea man but save your time. Someone in the EA forums has creating an excel/XML document. Do a search...maybe take that info and improve it for OS users. With permission of course __________________ - Madden 15 Sliders: Realistic Game Stat Sliders for Madden 15 Madden 15 Dynasty: The NFL Reborn...

09-04-2010, 02:33 PM	#7
PGaither84 MVP OVR: 49 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Lima, Peru Blog Entries: 15	Re: Madden 11 Fantasy Draft guide Well, I finally started messing with Fantasy Draft again and the logic did change. I am working on a brand new guide, so it will take some time. As an example, in Madden 10, in round 3 the computer slected 23 DEs and then 23 WRs in round 4. Now, in Madden 11, the computer tends to select a mix between WRs and DEs in the 3rd round and a mix of DEs and CBs in the 4th, a mix of WRs and CBs in the 5th and 20 or mroe DEs in the 6th round. Most QBs were not taken unti lthe 14th round in Madden 10, however, in Madden 11 the computer makes a run for them in the 10th round. Linebackers didn't tend to be taken until the 9th round, but now Tackles and LBs are taken in mass in the 7th and 8th rounds. This is all from memory. I don't have my forms in notes of me right now. I was working on Fantasy Draft a lot last night taking notes and I had a draft plan in mind: In the first 6 rounds of the draft, a lot of talented DEs, CBs and WRs are all taken. By the end of the 6th round DEs OVR ratings dip into the low 70's for the remaining players while CBs and WRs drop to the low 80's if I recall correctly. Round 1 and 2 I would recomend selecting an elite CB and WR of your choice. Round 3 I would get an elite DE. In round 4 and 5 I would look for a second DE, WR, or CB. What ever combination you choose, round 6 eats up a lot of remaining DEs and starts to select Tackles and MLBs as it movess into the 7th round where it is almost exclusively Tackles and MLBs. In my opinion, at the end of 7 rounds your team should have 2 WRs, 2 CBs, a DE, Tackle and MLB. I prefer the 3-4 defense and I don't tend to select pass rushing DEs. It's nice to have a Richard Seymore/Haloti Ngata type player, but you don't really need two in the 3-4, while having two top flight CB's/WRs is far more game changing, more so in Madden. My friend is a Jets fan and we use them a lot in OTP and play now [he's new to Madden] and I'll tell you, having Revis & Cromartie back there is nice. I only have the first 12 rounds recorded so far. I plan on doing a lot more tonight, possibly the rest. After that I plan on doing break downs and recomendations by position. Finally, for the first time I may make a list of "draft steals" to keep an eye out for. A and B potential players that you can snag in later rounds to make up for "lost player" in early rounds. For example, I know that Shonn Greene is a nice 81 OVR HB with B potential, and often turns into an 89 OVR player in franchise mode, but is selected around the 9th round. Jahvi Best, on the other hand, is a 75 OVR with A potential that slips to the 28th round or so, and with some playing time, becomes a 90 or so OVR player. __________________ My Madden Blog Last edited by PGaither84; 09-04-2010 at 02:40 PM.

09-04-2010, 07:28 PM	#8
Todem Banned OVR: 18 Join Date: Jul 2010 Blog Entries: 2	Re: Madden 11 Fantasy Draft guide Awesome thread. i always do a fantasy draft squad as well to go along with my Dolphins Chise. It is a ton of fun. I will wait for your updated guide before I draft. Then I will post my draft with the rounds each player was selected in as well.

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