I'm the Crazy Guy that Does Fantasy Football Drafts in February

 

We’re only two weeks into our NFL sabbatical and yet our good buddy has already organized 16 fantasy football “Draftmaster” drafts.  For those unfamiliar with the format, it’s basically what the name implies—you just draft a team and that’s it.  The leagues will still do a weekly score for each team (it automatically picks your optimal lineup every week), and there are no waiver pickups.  The way I see it, I get 5 things out of these Draftmasters:

1.)    For the most part you’re drafting against other crazy fantasy football nuts, so most people know what they’re doing.

2.)    You get to keep tabs on all of the players and get a good feel for where they are getting drafted all throughout the offseason.

3.)    You get to practice from all sorts of different draft positions.

4.)    You can feel free to experiment with different draft strategies (TE-TE anyone?).

5.)    Flak from my wife for doing “stupid fantasy football stuff in February.”

The starting lineup requirements are pretty standard: 1 QB, 2 RBs, 3 WRs, TE, 1 Flex (RB/WR/TE), K, D.  These are also live slow drafts, so you just pick as you get time.  Some clowns take days at a time (don’t be that guy).  These drafts also serve as the basis for the ADP data that Pro Football Focus collects.

This was my first one for the year, so here's a look at the first 10 rounds.

 

Round 1

Pick	Ovr	Franchise	Selection
1.01	1	@FantasyInsights	Peterson, Adrian MIN RB
1.02	2	@CHardySports	Spiller, C.J. BUF RB
1.03	3	@wcervi	Foster, Arian HOU RB
1.04	4	@RyFo18	Rice, Ray BAL RB
1.05	5	@Fantasytaz	Lynch, Marshawn SEA RB
1.06	6	@TheBondarBrand	Johnson, Calvin DET WR
1.07	7	@Pbonics3000	Martin, Doug TBB RB
1.08	8	Chris Robinson	Richardson, Trent CLE RB
1.09	9	@Eric_Yeomans	McCoy, LeSean PHI RB
1.10	10	@FFAssassin01	Charles, Jamaal KCC RB
1.11	11	@PacingPete	Green, A.J. CIN WR
1.12	12	@drdynasty80	Bryant, Dez DAL WR

 

Unless you’re playing some wacky format, Adrian Peterson is probably going to be the consensus #1 next year.  I can’t really argue with the order of the next 3 running backs.  I’d probably argue for Foster and Rice ahead of Spiller, but Spiller is dynamic enough that he’ll justify that position provided new Head Coach Doug Marrone gets him 15+ touches a game. 

The two best values in this round are McCoy and Charles.  Both enter new offensive schemes this year with Chip Kelly and Andy Reid, respectively.  While there are some definite uncertainties as to how Chip Kelly will operate his offense, I think it’s safe to say that both of these talented running backs won’t be underused.

 

Round 2

Pick	Ovr	Franchise	Selection
2.01	13	@drdynasty80	Jones, Julio ATL WR
2.02	14	@PacingPete	Forte, Matt CHI RB
2.03	15	@FFAssassin01	Morris, Alfred WAS RB
2.04	16	@Eric_Yeomans	Graham, Jimmy NOS TE
2.05	17	Chris Robinson	Marshall, Brandon CHI WR
2.06	18	@Pbonics3000	Johnson, Chris TEN RB
2.07	19	@TheBondarBrand	Rodgers, Aaron GBP QB
2.08	20	@Fantasytaz	Gronkowski, Rob NEP TE
2.09	21	@RyFo18	Ridley, Stevan NEP RB
2.10	22	@wcervi	Thomas, Demaryius DEN WR
2.11	23	@CHardySports	Murray, DeMarco DAL RB
2.12	24	@FantasyInsights	Johnson, Andre HOU WR

 

Chris Johnson falls to the middle of the 2^nd round after his disappointing 2012 season.  That’s a good spot for him and I agree that Forte and Morris should come off the board first.  The best value in this round is Brandon Marshall.  I think 100+ catches and 1200+ yards are pretty much a given for him in Chicago with Cutler force feeding him the ball.

You can make a case for both, but I would rather have Gronkowski over Graham.  The way I see it, Gronk gives you everything Graham would give you PLUS porn stars, zuba pants, and more upside when it comes to touchdowns.

 

Round 3

Pick	Ovr	Franchise	Selection
3.01	25	@FantasyInsights	Brees, Drew NOS QB
3.02	26	@CHardySports	Harvin, Percy MIN WR
3.03	27	@wcervi	Wilson, David NYG RB
3.04	28	@RyFo18	Jones-Drew, Maurice JAC RB
3.05	29	@Fantasytaz	McFadden, Darren OAK RB
3.06	30	@TheBondarBrand	Mathews, Ryan SDC RB
3.07	31	@Pbonics3000	Decker, Eric DEN WR
3.08	32	Chris Robinson	Cruz, Victor NYG WR
3.09	33	@Eric_Yeomans	Cobb, Randall GBP WR
3.10	34	@FFAssassin01	Hernandez, Aaron NEP TE
3.11	35	@PacingPete	Jackson, Steven STL RB
3.12	36	@drdynasty80	Stewart, Jonathan CAR RB

 

This round is just loaded with huge question marks at running back.  Many people are clamoring for Wilson, but I think it’s foolish to assume Andre Brown won’t have a fairly significant role for the Giants.  Jones-Drew, McFadden, and Mathews all struggled through injuries last year, while the latter two were useless even when they were healthy.  The Stewart pick baffles my mind.  As long as DeAngelo Williams is on the Panthers roster and Cam is running for 10+ touchdowns a year, Stewart shouldn’t even sniff the 3^rd round.

I'm nitpicking here, but Cobb makes more sense to me than Decker, especially with Jennings likely gone and Finley potentially gone. 

My strategy in this draft was to go RB-RB-RB.  That yielded Rice, Ridley, and Jones-Drew.  If I could do it over again, I probably wouldn’t change a thing.  I think MJD was the best value of this round, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s being drafted early in the 2^nd round come August.

 

Round 4

Pick	Ovr	Franchise	Selection
4.01	37	@drdynasty80	Newton, Cam CAR QB
4.02	38	@PacingPete	Stafford, Matthew DET QB
4.03	39	@FFAssassin01	White, Roddy ATL WR
4.04	40	@Eric_Yeomans	Gore, Frank SFO RB
4.05	41	Chris Robinson	Sproles, Darren NOS RB
4.06	42	@Pbonics3000	Crabtree, Michael SFO WR
4.07	43	@TheBondarBrand	Fitzgerald, Larry ARI WR
4.08	44	@Fantasytaz	Jackson, Vincent TBB WR
4.09	45	@RyFo18	Garcon, Pierre WAS WR
4.10	46	@wcervi	Welker, Wes NEP WR
4.11	47	@CHardySports	Nelson, Jordy GBP WR
4.12	48	@FantasyInsights	Bush, Reggie MIA RB

 

With an abundance of quarterbacks left (Brady, Manning, Kaepernick, Ryan, and yes even Russell Wilson), I don’t like the Stafford pick here.  Wes Welker is an absolute steal here if he re-signs with the Patriots, but that is far from a sure thing.  Frank Gore will not go away and continues to be underrated by the fantasy community.  You could make a good case that he should be off the board before McFadden or Mathews.

 

Round 5

Pick	Ovr	Franchise	Selection
5.01	49	@FantasyInsights	Wayne, Reggie IND WR
5.02	50	@CHardySports	Maclin, Jeremy PHI WR
5.03	51	@wcervi	Nicks, Hakeem NYG WR
5.04	52	@RyFo18	Kaepernick, Colin SFO QB
5.05	53	@Fantasytaz	Leshoure, Mikel DET RB
5.06	54	@TheBondarBrand	Colston, Marques NOS WR
5.07	55	@Pbonics3000	Brady, Tom NEP QB
5.08	56	Chris Robinson	Manning, Peyton DEN QB
5.09	57	@Eric_Yeomans	Miller, Lamar MIA RB
5.10	58	@FFAssassin01	Blackmon, Justin JAC WR
5.11	59	@PacingPete	Wallace, Mike PIT WR
5.12	60	@drdynasty80	Bowe, Dwayne KCC WR

 

I’m not sure what my thought process was here, but I pulled the trigger on Kaepernick with Manning and Brady still on the board.  It's definitely not like me to take a quarterback in the 5^th round.  Everything I saw from Kaepernick last year though indicates that he has a tremendous upside both throwing and running the football.  

I don’t know that I would have drafted Maclin before any of the other receivers that went in this round. Like Jonathan Stewart, he is always overrated by the fantasy community.

 

Round 6

Pick	Ovr	Franchise	Selection
6.01	61	@drdynasty80	Ballard, Vick IND RB
6.02	62	@PacingPete	Britt, Kenny TEN WR
6.03	63	@FFAssassin01	Green-Ellis, BenJarvus CIN RB
6.04	64	@Eric_Yeomans	Bradshaw, Ahmad FA* RB
6.05	65	Chris Robinson	Witten, Jason DAL TE
6.06	66	@Pbonics3000	Jones, James GBP WR
6.07	67	@TheBondarBrand	Rodgers, Jacquizz ATL RB
6.08	68	@Fantasytaz	Johnson, Stevie BUF WR
6.09	69	@RyFo18	Shorts, Cecil JAC WR
6.10	70	@wcervi	Ryan, Matt ATL QB
6.11	71	@CHardySports	Brown, Antonio PIT WR
6.12	72	@FantasyInsights	Jennings, Greg GBP WR

 

And here are the running backs that nobody wants, but you’re required to draft by this point because you know the workload will be there.  Ballard is the exception here, because everything I saw from him last year makes me think he could probably go a round or two earlier and I wouldn't disagree with it.  I would imagine the Falcons add a RB in free agency or the draft, so Rodgers won’t be drafted anywhere near this early once we edge closer to the season.

As far as Britt, this is boom or bust for him.  He can definitely be a huge bargain here, but there’s also a good chance he doesn’t come close to living up to this pick.  He's like your friend's hot girlfriend that's a bit on the crazy side.  You sort of wish you had her, but at the same time you're glad you don't have to put up with her.

Cecil Shorts has Randall Cobb upside when Chad Henne is the Jaguars’ quarterback.  Blaine Gabbert will probably make me regret this pick.  I really hope that Blaine Gabbert can be as good as Chad Henne next year if the Jaguars go that route.  Is that too much to ask for?

 

Round 7

Pick	Ovr	Franchise	Selection
7.01	73	@FantasyInsights	Jackson, DeSean PHI WR
7.02	74	@CHardySports	Brown, Andre NYG RB
7.03	75	@wcervi	Moreno, Knowshon DEN RB
7.04	76	@RyFo18	Alexander, Danario SDC WR
7.05	77	@Fantasytaz	Wilson, Russell SEA QB
7.06	78	@TheBondarBrand	Brown, Bryce PHI RB
7.07	79	@Pbonics3000	Williams, Ryan ARI RB
7.08	80	Chris Robinson	Smith, Torrey BAL WR
7.09	81	@Eric_Yeomans	Austin, Miles DAL WR
7.10	82	@FFAssassin01	Romo, Tony DAL QB
7.11	83	@PacingPete	McGahee, Willis DEN RB
7.12	84	@drdynasty80	Smith, Steve CAR WR

 

Russell Wilson is an absolute steal here, and has me regretting that I took Kaepernick a full two rounds earlier.  As far as Bryce Brown goes, his fumbling problems will render him on the bench in Chip Kelly’s offense.  I wouldn’t think about drafting him before the 11^th round.

The wide receiver position is incredibly deep, with DJax, Danario, Torrey, Austin, and Steve Smith all making it into the 7^th round.  This is just more incentive to go RB-RB to start the draft.

 

Round 8

Pick	Ovr	Franchise	Selection
8.01	85	@drdynasty80	Jackson, Fred BUF RB
8.02	86	@PacingPete	Wright, Kendall TEN WR
8.03	87	@FFAssassin01	Hilton, T.Y. IND WR
8.04	88	@Eric_Yeomans	Luck, Andrew IND QB
8.05	89	Chris Robinson	Seahawks, Seattle SEA Def
8.06	90	@Pbonics3000	Williams, Mike TBB WR
8.07	91	@TheBondarBrand	Davis, Vernon SFO TE
8.08	92	@Fantasytaz	Griffin III, Robert WAS QB
8.09	93	@RyFo18	Moore, Denarius OAK WR
8.10	94	@wcervi	Tate, Ben HOU RB
8.11	95	@CHardySports	Harris, DuJuan GBP RB
8.12	96	@FantasyInsights	Richardson, Daryl STL RB

 

Fred Jackson will still be used quite a bit in Buffalo, so that is my favorite pick of this round.  I’m not sure what to make of DuJuan Harris though.  My gut feeling is that he follows James Starks’ career path and is soon rendered useless within fantasy football circles.

If Robert Griffin III is in fact ready for week 1, @FantasyTaz wins the draft based on this pick alone.

 

Round 9

Pick	Ovr	Franchise	Selection
9.01	97	@FantasyInsights	Ingram, Mark NOS RB
9.02	98	@CHardySports	Rudolph, Kyle MIN TE
9.03	99	@wcervi	Miller, Heath PIT TE
9.04	100	@RyFo18	Pitta, Dennis BAL TE
9.05	101	@Fantasytaz	Gordon, Josh CLE WR
9.06	102	@TheBondarBrand	Givens, Chris STL WR
9.07	103	@Pbonics3000	Olsen, Greg CAR TE
9.08	104	Chris Robinson	Amendola, Danny STL WR
9.09	105	@Eric_Yeomans	Rice, Sidney SEA WR
9.1	106	@FFAssassin01	Lloyd, Brandon NEP WR
9.11	107	@PacingPete	Williams, DeAngelo CAR RB
9.12	108	@drdynasty80	Gresham, Jermaine CIN TE

 

Here we see more great value WR picks in Gordon, Amendola, and Sidney Rice.  If I could do it all over again, I don’t know that I would have taken a tight end in this round.  Pitta is decent, but extremely inconsistent.   I think the pseudo-run on tight ends right before my pick scared me into taking one. 

Josh Gordon is probably my favorite pick of this round.  I have a feeling he's going to do big things in Norv Turner's offense that relies heavily on the deep ball.

 

Round 10

Pick	Ovr	Franchise	Selection
10.01	109	@drdynasty80	Pierce, Bernard BAL RB
10.02	110	@PacingPete	Pettigrew, Brandon DET TE
10.03	111	@FFAssassin01	Hillman, Ronnie DEN RB
10.04	112	@Eric_Yeomans	Moore, Lance NOS WR
10.05	113	Chris Robinson	Gates, Antonio SDC TE
10.06	114	@Pbonics3000	Tate, Golden SEA WR
10.07	115	@TheBondarBrand	James, LaMichael SFO RB
10.08	116	@Fantasytaz	Gonzalez, Tony ATL TE
10.09	117	@RyFo18	Vereen, Shane NEP RB
10.1	118	@wcervi	Jeffery, Alshon CHI WR
10.11	119	@CHardySports	Manning, Eli NYG QB
10.12	120	@FantasyInsights	Pead, Isaiah STL RB

 

If Tony Gonzalez chooses not to retire, there is absolutely no way that he’s going to be here in the 10^th round.  This round we start to get into the homerun picks.  Pierce, Hillman, James, Vereen, and Pead are all very talented backs, but need an injury to be useful on a week-to-week basis.

 

Feel free to follow along with the next 6 rounds of this draft here.  If you’re interested in getting into one of the Draftmasters, hit up on Twitter.