Top options for fantasy football keeper leagues
Perfecting your fantasy football league can take season upon season of trial and error for a commissioner. Implementing rules for the new season can turn out to be genius or disastrous. Whether it’s changing the scoring system, limiting the number of free agent acquisitions or even deciding to do a live draft or online draft can make the fantasy season a grueling task for any commissioner. One league change that most often sticks and is widely used throughout fantasy leagues is what is referred to as a “keeper” league. This type of league rule allows each team owner to bring one or multiple players from their last season’s roster to next year’s squad, but in most cases this does cost you something in next season’s draft.
The most common form of a keeper league allows each owner to hold onto one player, but you forfeit the round in the upcoming fantasy draft for which you drafted the player last year. For example, if you drafted Minnesota Vikings' Adrian Peterson in the second round of last year’s draft, you would lose your second round pick in this year’s draft in order to hang onto him. This could prove to beneficial to many owners if you drafted a player in the later rounds and he has become a powerhouse in the fantasy world, since you’re not losing your top round picks to hang on to the all-star. Using last year’s ADP (average draft position) from standard ESPN fantasy leagues, we can take a look into which players would be the best for an owner to place his keeper tag on.
Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees
These players are grouped together because they will continuously be a first, possibly early second-round pick in all drafts for years to come. If you’re lucky enough to own either of these guys, it is well worth losing one of your top picks to make sure they are on your team.
Peyton Manning
After coming back from multiple neck surgeries, Manning has shown he still is among the elite players at his position. His 2012 ADP was 39.5, which would be the very end of the third round in a standard 10-team league and one half point away from the fourth round. Manning has enough left in the tank to perform at an extremely high level again this year. Bottom line: if you took him in the third round, keep him; if you took him in the fourth round, go put the keeper tag on him now!
Andrew Luck
In his rookie season, Luck posted some big numbers and took his team on to the playoffs. Luck’s ADP last year was 126.8, which slotted the NFL newcomer as a 12th-round pick. He finished the year in the ninth spot in fantasy points among his position. Coming into his second season, he is sure to show us even better fantasy numbers than last year.
Adrian Peterson
Came up nine yards short of beating Eric Dickerson’s single-season rushing record. Peterson will be the most sought-after player in this year’s draft. His ADP from 2012 was 17.4, or a second-round pick. Give up my second-round pick for All Day Peterson? Where do I sign up?
Arian Foster
A consistent top notch athlete who was the first overall player taken in 2012’s ADP, Foster flat out gets it done each and every week throughout the NFL season. You can count on him each and every week of your fantasy season. No asterisks here, he’s a keeper in all leagues.
Alfred Morris
Owners who took Morris last year gambled on Mike Shanahan’s running back lottery. If you bought your ticket with Morris, you won the jackpot. He finished the season as the No. 5 running back in total fantasy points. This guy is well worth the 10th round pick you’ll give up to keep him on your roster.
Doug Martin
Another newcomer to the league whose ADP last year was in the sixth round. He’s slotted at the No. 3 spot in the upcoming draft at his position behind Peterson and Foster. Martin will be a top pick in this season’s draft and continue to post massive numbers (50+ points in Week 9) again this year.
