Draft Recap
The draft took place at 9:00pm EST Monday August 28 on NFL Fantasy. I manage the Cobe Life team. With the third pick in the Draft, my Strategy going in was to Target Antonio Brown in the first, and then grab the best RB available in the second. Like every Draft your plans can change in a flash. Obviously my Strategy changed completely.
Round 1
My Pick: with Le’Veon Bell still available it became an automatic selection for me. So much for targeting Antonio Brown in the first.
Biggest surprise: Aaron Rodgers going second overall surprised everyone.
Pick of the Round: it was more luck than wisdom but Le’Veon Bell third overall was a slight steal.
Round 2
My Pick: so my Strategy flipped from the best RB to the best WR. Doug Baldwin was the best WR available in my opinion. An argument could be made for Brandin Cooks, but he is unproven with Brady. His role in the Patriots Offence is questionable as well due to the Edelman injury. I prefer to pick sure things early, and you can be sure that Doug Baldwin will remain as Russell Wilson’s top target.
Biggest surprise: with the final pick in the second Round, Muh Feelins selected Marshawn Lynch. Beast mode’s coming off a one year hiatus, and his final Season with Seattle was far from stellar. Definitely a gamble to take him in the second Round. Will it pay off?
Pick of the Round: with the 17th pick overall, Watch it Burn picked Jordy Nelson. In my opinion Jordy Nelson is a first Round talent. There are concerns about his age. In a redraft league age isn’t that much of a consideration. Nelson’s familiarity with the Green Bay Offence, and Aaron Rodgers is Fantasy gold.
Round 3
My Pick: with my Draft Strategy out the window. I figured why not mix things up a bit, and do something I almost never do. Draft a Top tier Quarterback early. So I pulled the trigger on Tom Brady. I figured with Le’Veon Bell already on my Roster. The Brady/Bell combination would give me a matchup advantage over most of the league in the QB and RB positions. As long as I drafted a decent lead Running Back next.
Biggest surprise: with the 35th pick overall Breton selected Joe Mixon. There is a lot of hype surrounding this year’s RB rookie class. They are Rookies though. Last I checked Jeremy Hill, and Giovanni Bernard are still on the Bengals roster. Mixon will have every opportunity to be the number 1 Running Back, but what does that really mean? How many touches a game will he get? Is Bernard who’s proven himself to be a great pass catching Running Back going to be the go to guy on third downs? What is Hill’s role? Does he still get goal line work? That’s just too many questions for Round 3.
Pick of the Round: with the 32nd pick overall to Watch it Burn. Lamar Miller is a great selection at this point in the Draft. Beginning his second Season as Houston’s lead Running Back. Lamar Miller should have a breakout year. With a new Quarterback leading the way I expect Miller to get a heavy workload.
Round 4
My Pick: after picking Tom Brady in the third Round, I knew my next pick was going to be a Running Back. The two I was considering were Bilal Powell and Kareem Hunt. I chose Bilal Powell because I see him as the New York Jets only offensive weapon. He could potentially be their top Running Back, and top Receiving target.
Biggest surprise: with the 44th pick of the Round, Aegon Targaryen selected Matt Ryan. Sure he is coming off an MVP Season. That Season was unlike any other Season he has ever had, and The Falcons begin this Season with a new Offensive Coordinator. If his numbers regress to his career averages. Matt Ryan is projected as more of a mid to late Round selection. At this point in the Draft he had better have another great Season.
Pick of the Round: with the 38th pick overall, Breton selected Demaryius Thomas. There are concerns about the Quarterback situation in Denver. If it wasn’t for that, Demaryius Thomas would probably get drafted in the second Round. He’s just that good. His second Season with Trevor Siemian at the helm can only help him increase his numbers from last year.
Round 5
My Pick: this was the first pick I made that really had me thinking. Kareem Hunt was still available. Tyreek Hill was a tempting target as well. Instead I went with what I hope will be a repeat of last year’s production with Larry Fitzgerald. Fitz is still the number 1 target in Arizona. Time is running out on the core group of Players to make a final playoff push. The only reason Fitzgerald didn’t retire is because he believes that they can get there. That’s the kind of motivation I want on my team.
Biggest surprise: three Tight Ends went in this Round. It’s unusual to see 6 Tight Ends off the board by the end of Round 5. I didn’t notice it happen, and paid the price later for missing it.
Pick of the Round: with the 58th overall pick, Texas Proud selected Kareem Hunt. I could have picked him twice by then but went with proven performers. Still Kareem Hunt is in a great position to succeed as a result of Spencer Ware’s injury. As long as he performs decently in the first few games of the Season. Kareem Hunt will be the featured Running Back in Kansas City. He actually has a better chance of being the lead Running Back for his team than other Rookies being drafted ahead of him like Dalvin Cook, and Joe Mixon.
Round 6
My Pick: I ended up picking Rob Kelley after the last TE I was targeting went off the Board the pick before mine. Delanie Walker, Tyler Eifert, and Martellus Bennett went in this Round. This is when I realized that there had been a run on Tight Ends. Realizing that only low end Players were left I decided to continue to bolster my Running Back corps.
Biggest surprise: Obviously it was the continued run on Tight Ends.
Pick of the Round: with the 69th pick, Dez Pacitos selected Martellus Bennett. The last of the quality Tight Ends with very little risk. Even though this is actually a bit of a reach. It was a very smart reach to make given the situation.
Round 7
My Pick: Stefon Diggs was just sitting at the Top of the available Players list for far too long. I kept waiting to see who would take him. When he was still there in the 7th Round I just had to take him. I see him finishing the Season in the Top 30 at Wide Receiver.
Biggest surprise: with the 82nd pick, Texas Proud selected the Denver Broncos DST. Somebody has to pick the first DST. In the 7th Round is quite early though. Even if it’s the best Defence in the league, on my favourite Team. No I’m not bitter about it.
Pick of the Round: with the 80th pick, Watch it Burn selected Cam Newton. Only one Season removed from an MVP Season, and additional Offensive Weapons added through the Draft. Cam Newton has a very high ceiling. At this point in the Draft his potential is worth the gamble.
Round 8
My Pick: I continue to select overlooked number 1 Players at their position. Pierre Garcon was a PPR machine in Washington. A team that was blessed with a wealth of targets. In San Francisco his share of the targets will definitely increase. Even on a Team that’s rebuilding, that’s a great situation.
Biggest surprise: that Broncos pick in the previous Round kicked off a panic run on DSTs. The Chiefs, Seahawks, and Vikings were all selected during this Round.
Pick of the Round: with the 93rd pick Dez Pacitos selected Doug Martin. Sure he’s beginning the Season under suspension. When his suspension is over though, Doug Martin is unquestionably the number 1 Running Back in Tampa Bay. A workhorse Running Back in the 8th Round? Yes please! He went one pick before I could draft him.
Round 9
My Pick: another Player at the top of his team’s depth chart at his position. I missed out on Doug Martin. I wasn’t going to miss out on Paul Perkins.
Biggest surprise: with the 101rst pick Aegon Targaryen selected Kenny Britt. Not a lot of Fantasy Players have faith in Kenny Britt. I actually believe that Britt and Coleman make for a decent one two punch in Cleveland. This is definitely a reach for a Player that doesn’t get drafted in a lot of Fantasy drafts.
Pick of the Round: my selection of Paul Perkins with the 99th pick was an absolute steal. I’ve seen him go in the 7th Round in previous drafts.
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Round 10
My Pick: well I couldn’t wait any longer, and finally drafted my Tight End. Hunter Henry has the most upside of the remaining TEs. Sure Antonio Gates is still playing, but Henry is bound to see plenty of targets in the Chargers pass happy Offence.
Biggest surprise: the first pick of this Round was used by Geezer Domination to select Cooper Kupp. There has been a lot of talk about Kupp’s potential breakout. That was before the Rams traded for Sammy Watkins though.
Pick of the Round: with the 114th pick Raider in the North selected DeVante Parker. I honestly believe that the recent addition of Jay Cutler makes Parker better. Cutler loves to throw the deep ball and Parker is a burner.
Round 11
My Pick: I always carry two Quarterbacks on my roster in case of injuries. Getting Andy Dalton this late in the Draft makes me feel like I made a mistake drafting Brady early. I wouldn’t be surprised if Dalton finishes the Season in the Top 6 at his position.
Biggest surprise: Dez Pacitos drafted Thomas Rawls with the 124th pick. I’m surprised Rawls lasted this long. I’m not sure if Lacy is the man in Seattle yet.
Pick of the Round: Thomas Rawls
Round 12
My Pick: Marvin Jones. It’s gamble time. I expect the Lions to be in a lot of high scoring affairs. Jones will get his share.
Biggest surprise: Watch it Burn selected C.J. Prosise. An injury prone potentially third down Back, on a Team with a really good Scrambler at Quarterback who prefers to throw down field.
Pick of the Round: nobody really stands out in this Round.
Round 13
My Pick: Kevin White. He is now the default number 1 Wide Receiver in Chicago. In Round 13 that’s enough for me.
Biggest surprise: nothing really stands out.
Pick of the Round: with the 154th pick, Texas Proud selected Zay Jones. With Sammy Watkins gone. Buffalo is going to need the remaining Wide Receivers to step up.
Round 14
My Pick: Jacksonville Jaguars DST. Some great Players on this Squad.
Biggest surprise: nothing really.
Pick of the Round: with the 164th pick, Aegon Targaryen selected Chris Hogan. Hogan has had success filling in for injured Players before. With Edelman out for the Season. Hogan will get opportunities.
Round 15
My Pick: Brandon McManus. Got to love the thin air in Denver.
Biggest surprise: quite a few Tight Ends were drafted in the final Round.
Pick of the Round: the final pick of the draft went to Geezer Domination, and he selected the L.A. Rams DST. Not bad, not bad at all.
Let me know what surprised you in this Draft. Which Team won the Draft?
