My draft went weird...how'd I do?

12 team non ppr...QB TD's worth 6 points.

So, I'm in a league where we keep one guy from our team as our first round pick.  My frozen player is Aaron Rodgers (all the great running backs are saved), and I won the Super Bowl last year so I had the number one pick.  It's weird having Rodgers as the number one pick, but here's how it played out...curious as to who thinks I'm an idiot, and who thinks I did it right.

Took Rodgers number one over all, but then there was a massive run on running backs.  When it came to me in the second round  I had the 24th and 25th picks, and the best running backs left were Andre Ellington, LeVeon Bell, and Arian Foster.

I passed on those guys and went 2 elite WR's in Brandon Marshall and AJ Green.

Here's how my team looked at the end.

QB-Aaron Rodgers
RB-Toby Gerhart, Ryan Mathews
WR-AJ Green, Brandon Marshall
TE-Jordan Reed
Flex-Joique Bell
K-Janikowski
DEF-Patriots

Bench:  Michael Floyd, Kendall Wright, Lamar Miller, Bernard Pierce, Benny Cunningham

All thoughts welcome

I like your team

I'm curious as to how you won last year with Rodgers as your best player. If I recall correctly he was hurt during playoff weeks. Who else could you have potentially kept, and were you forced to keep one?

This is a great question that I think could spin off into a different topic, but why not...that's what the forum is for. 

I did have Lacy on my team who was my only other option to save, but Manning and Brees were saved as well, and I wanted to guarantee that I got Rodgers.  I didn't want to mention I had the option to save Lacy because I know that would be the discussion and I was more interested to get fantasy players opinions on drafting QB and 2 WR's early.  I'm always interested to see what the trends are.  But here goes...

Here's my theory on winning fantasy football.

1. You have to be elite in the draft
2.  Then you have to be elite in free agency. 
3.  Just figure out how to get to the playoffs.

I pride myself in making some of the best free agency moves year in and year out, as well as getting the best results out of my mid-round picks.  So when I draft, I actually take that into consideration that I will be one of the top 2 guys drafting mid to late round, and in free agency.  So I try to make sure I can get guys that give me an advantage at 3 positions besides running backs early in the draft.  Running backs can be a carousel throughout the year, so I don't tend to draft many elite RB's because I think I can be better at picking up rb's in the middle round, and in free agency throughout the year than most, and I can get good enough production from my middle rounds and FA pickups to make up the difference.

I also have won this league 2 years in a row taking Rodgers in round 1.

Last year when Rodgers got hurt, I picked up McCown and he was an elite guy.  Reggie Bush was on my team and was good early, and I had Lacy, but then I was able to add late season guys and play the matchups with Bobby Rainey and Joique Bell.  I also picked up Julius Thomas after week 1. 

I certainly didn't dominate last year, but won my division by 1 game, and as we all know in Fantasy you just have to get to the playoffs and see what happens from there. 

So basically, I draft elite QB early with either 2 elite WR's or 1 elite WR and an elite TE.  Then I have faith that I can get a couple of mid-round RB's or a free agent to pop.  It's risky, and you have to be on top of your game to be able to see the top free agents before everyone else, but I've been fairly successful.

To take the team above as an example, I feel that I have an advantage at QB and both WR's.  I'm hoping Gerhart, Mathews and Joique exceed expectations, and I got a couple of guys on my bench that if they get the starting role, could be elite guys.  My goal is to keep working all year to pick up free agent rb's who may end up being elite or helpful guys late in the year, so those three bench rb spots will probably be rotating all year hoping to find that lightning in a bottle guy that comes out of nowhere.  If Rodgers and my wr's are elite, and I get that free agent or late round rb to be a top 15 guy, I like my chances to get to the playoffs and three-peat.

Sorry for the long response, and I hope I don't play in any leagues with you now that I just told everyone how I draft in all my leagues. 

I don't think keeping Rodgers in the first round is necessarily a MISTAKE, but I definitely would recommend to everyone in the world ever to take Eddie Lacy in that spot.  Running backs get thin and it almost seems to go from Tier 1 to tier 3 running backs this year a lot more so than Quarterbacks.

Interesting, seems a little results-oriented. Then again I've waited on QBs since before it was cool, and I'm really high on Lacy this year.

That said, I like your sleeper RBs and your team will pop if you strike gold on just one late round RB.

Got Toby too not thrilled about it.