Analysis : Dan took
an unusual approach with the #1 pick...really, from
the very beginning. Waiting so long to grab a second
running back could end up hurting him a bit, but I
think waiting a long time for a QB will not given
the fact that he's stacked three QBs on his roster.
Obviously, Dan has put together a team that is deep
at the WR position and along with Peterson, is really
the strength of the team. In reality, Dan just needs
one of his "other" running backs to step
up and produce consistently to be a factor. The WRs
are certain to produce given the top three have a
stable QB throwing them the ball. The choice of Celek
was a bit early for my taste, and Dan didn't back
him up which means Celek staying healthy is also important
to the team's overall success. All in all, this isn't
one of my favorite teams from the standpoint of what
could have been done from the #1 slot. Still, there
are strengths here and I thought Dan made some solid
picks in the middle rounds.
Favorite pick:
Chad Henne. One could argue against a combo of Palmer
and Leinart...but grabbing Henne to give that duo
support was just a stellar move.
Least Favorite pick:
Lendale White (just kidding)...Brent Celek. I thought
there were better pieces to the puzzle available at
that spot.
Analysis : There are several different points of attack
for this team that could make them a really strong
contender during the NHL season. First, the RBs have
some upside as both Charles and Forsett could do quite
a bit better than the modest projections most have
placed upon them so far this offseason. Secondly,
his WRs are still in the younger stages of their careers
and are still capable of taking their game to another
level. Add two savvy veterans at QB along with one
of the best, most consistent tight ends in the game
and you've got a balanced group with the potential
for big things. One note of caution, however: The
Kansas City Chiefs weren't very good last year and
two of this team's first five picks are members of
the Chiefs. That's something of a gamble to put it
mildly. The late round WRs were well-selected.
Favorite pick: Antonio Gates. With Jackson possibly
holding out, Rivers will get the ball to him...a lot.
Really thought he fell too far in this draft and V4E
took advantage.
Least Favorite pick:
Jamaal Charles. I'm sold on him, but are the Chiefs?
And what role does Thomas Jones play? Clearly, Jones
still has some stuff left in his tank as well.
Analysis : What jumps out at me is the 1-2 running
game punch of Rice and Mathews. In a RBBC world, these
two guys have a chance to be old school workhorse
backs in their respective offenses and Remote even
covered his top investment with the selection of McGahee
in round eleven. That two-headed monster is the heart
and soul of this team and although the receiving corps
is just average, it's solid. The only thing holding
this team back is Kolb and Cutler. Remote could not
have chosen two QBs that have more question marks
than these two but neither is in much danger of losing
his job, so they should have some good weeks to go
along with the bad. If one or both excels, the sky
is the limit for this team given the firepower in
the running game. I thought hard about taking Mathews
at 2.02 - I think he's going to be the bellcow for
that offense and I love his chances of breaking into
the top five at the position by year's end. Very few
if any of these players are past their prime. This
is a young, dynamic looking team to me.
Favorite pick: Ryan Mathews for reasons already discussed.
I would be jumping for joy in a real draft if I got
Rice and Mathews in the first two rounds.
Least Favorite pick:
Hard to choose as I thought nearly all of Remote's
picks were solid...but if I had to pick one, Chad
Ochocinco. Palmer is in decline and Chad isn't always
focused on football. Not a guy I'd personally be all
that excited about having.
Analysis : Is it just me or did White steal about every
guy through seven rounds? Count me among the crowd
that believes Chris Johnson should go #1 so that was
a steal. In round three, White got a massive steal
with Ryan Grant at 3.04. Remember, this is NOT a PPR
league and as such, Grant is more valuable than given
credit for in this draft. Add Rivers and Davis and
you have a really dynamic beginning to this draft
for WhiteWonder. Every team in the June Mock is going
to have a glaring weakness - that's just the nature
of a draft like this. I think White's weakness, although
subtle, could end up being at wide receiver. That
being said, what happens to this team if Dez Bryant
has an explosive rookie year? I can tell you what
happens: This team becomes unstoppable. It is an elite
squad from my perspective and barring something unforeseen,
I would imagine the strength at QB-RB-TE is going
to carry this group a long way.
Favorite pick: He kind of fell into it, obviously,
but Chris Johnson at #5. I thought Grant, Rivers,
and Davis were also terrific as was noted above.
Least Favorite pick:
Donnie Avery. I think there were better options there,
but maybe that's just me.
Analysis : A solid, but average draft by June Mock
standards really took a turn for the better in the
middle rounds for KSB. Taking two wide receivers at
the top left the running game a bit suspect but in
rounds 6-9, KSB not only solidified that position
by grabbing both of Giants' backs, but also took two
WRs I'm fairly high on in Wallace and Bryant. Nobody
else in this draft did more damage (in a positive
way) during the middle rounds than KSB. My only concern
would be the injury risk for this team. Schaub, Benson,
Jacobs, Bryant, Heap... I like all these guys, but
each brings a somewhat checkered past to the table
in terms of being hurt for stretches of time. If KSB's
bunch remains healthy, this will probably be one of
the better teams, Also, the Benson-Best combo is one
of the league's weakest at RB, but the No-Hassle strategy
of backing that up with Jacobs-Bradshaw was solid
to say the least. While I wouldn't necessarily love
this team in a non best-ball format, I do like it
a lot given the way the No-Hassle league is scored.
Favorite pick: Jacobs/Bradshaw. That's covering your
butt and then some. If neither gets hurt, you'll do
fine. If one gets hurt, you'll still do fine. Win-win
picks.
Least Favorite pick:
I liked all these picks, really. I think Todd Heap
is pretty worthless at this point in terms of fantasy
value, but he's your backup tight end for goodness
sakes, so no real complaints.
Analysis : A typical Clash draft here. Flash, upside,
excitement. Clash rarely picks a guy who's not on
the upside of his career as a starter and this group
is no different. The receiving corps is long on talent
with Marshall, Nicks, Britt, and Edwards in the fold.
I thought maybe Marshall was picked a bit early given
the fact he's one screw-up away from a significant
suspension, but you can't aruge his potential. The
Joseph Addai pick was out-of-character because it
was totally "un-sexy", but I liked it nevertheless.
This group of high octane guys needed a consistent
plodder like Addai to balance things out. This team
is deep at RB as Clash was the only owner in the draft
that chose to pick five at that position. That means,
however, that his only tight end is the very oft-injured
Jeremy Shockey. I wouldn't be "shocked"
to see Clash get zero from that position more weeks
than not, which puts a lot of pressure on the other
guys to score big. A nice mix of high risk/reward
guys like Marshall and Nicks and steady guys like
Romo and Addai here. Should be a competitive team.
Favorite pick: Hakeem Nicks and Kenny Britt; two
guys that really showed something last year...certainly,
if both take the next step in their development in
year two, these were great selections.
Least Favorite pick:
Braylon Edwards. Kind of a poor man's Brandon Marshall.
Loads of talent...but a mystery between the ears.
As noted above, I thought Marshall was early, too.
A backup TE would have been a better pick than Hasselbeck,
also.
Analysis : Kind of a hit-and-miss team from my perspective
as there are some things that I like and some I don't.
First, what I liked. In the past, people in this draft
have shyed away from drafting a marquee QB early because
they seemed married to a strategy of never taking
a QB in the first few rounds. J bucked that trend
here and I think Rodgers really gives this team stability
at the top of the lineup. I also liked the spot at
which he was able to nab Dallas Clark. Finally, I
think Michael Turner is in for a huge year, so I’m
more excited about that pick than J appeared to be.
Beyond this, the picks were less than desirable from
one man's perspective. Up first, Vincent Jackson appears
headed for a long term holdout and Ben Tate is a one-dimensional
RB - didn't like those picks. Then, J took three players
in a row on horrible teams (Jackson, Hardesty, Evans)
which is something I tend to avoid if at all possible.
So, how does this team stack up as a whole? I think
the depth at RB behind Turner is suspect and the wide
receiving corps is soft behind Jackson, who may not
even start the season. That places a heavy burden
on Rodgers, Turner, and Clark who do provide a solid
foundation. The supporting cast aren't the players
I would have sought out to do the job, but J may know
some things that I don't.
Favorite pick: Rodgers. He's a superstar from a fantasy
standpoint and JScott did the right thing not passing
him up in the name of another position.
Least Favorite pick:
The Bills and Browns are a mess. JScott dipped into
that well four times in this draft...was surprised
by that.
Analysis : This team was built on the foundation of
two young, talented running backs and a stud QB, much
like what I ended up doing with my draft. Then, ICE
decided to go old. Steve Smith, Donald Driver, and
Derrick Mason form an experienced WR corps, but they
don't offer a great deal of upside. If all three end
up repeating their success of the past couple of years,
things will be fine, but I think ICE would have been
better served to add an upside pick to the group.
Perhaps the last round addition of Golden Tate will
serve to fill that role. The TE depth on this team
is superb and that will be a No-Hassle strength to
be sure. The RB depth on the team is old as well (Clinton
Portis, Thomas Jones), but no one can fault ICE for
taking Jones as his value at the draft position warrented
the pick. However, I'm not certain either of those
two will have enough big weeks to be an asset for
best ball fantasy football. Then again, if Mendenhall
and Moreno stay healthy and reach their potential,
th backup RB contributions may irrelevant. This team
is not going to be at the bottom of the standings
but, does this team have the upside to win a title?
I would say probably not initially but much like JScott,
the first four rounds were awfully good and could
make up for other areas of concern.
Favorite pick: It was late in the draft, but Thomas
Jones in the 11th was just a gift. If Charles were
to get hurt this year, Jones still has a good year
or two left in him, I think.
Least Favorite pick:
Portis. Despite their age, Driver and Mason still
look capable of making solid week-in, week-out contributions.
Portis? I'm not so sure. Thought he was picked too
early.
Analysis : Six rounds – 3 RBs, 3 WRs. Sounds
like a typical June Mock type of team and RLLD has
certainly blended together good depth on at those
two positions. Solid vets including Jackson, Boldin,
and Wayne along with rising young players like McCoy
and Garcon should prove to be beneficial. Grabbing
six wide receivers has left the team with absolutely
no depth at QB for six weeks and no depth at TE behind
a guy coming off a major injury. That could be a problem
over the course of a 17-week season. Ray may get away
with it however, and ride the wealth of talent that
exists on the team in other places. With the mix at
RB and WR, no other team in the league is likely to
outscore him at those two positions especially in
a best ball format. McCoy and Brown are a nice blend
to have teaming with the steady weekly production
of Jackson. And when the Colts passing game is clicking,
Ray will take advantage with big points from Wayne
and Garcon. For the most part, I do like the way this
team is put together and it could be a top three team
if everything goes right. From a No-Hassle perspective,
though, I do think a second tight end always makes
sense and I might have gone there instead of grabbing
a sixth WR.
Favorite pick: I don't think Ray "stole"
many guys...just put together a pretty solid team
with guys going about where they should have. I do
think Wayne is a great value at 2.04 in a league that
starts three WRs, so good job there.
Least Favorite pick:
Again, nothing drastic. Garcon, Daniels and Edelman
seemed a bit early, but if Ray likes all three guys,
more power to him.
Analysis : Wide receiver overload. Not a strategy that
suits me personally, but it's hard to argue against
the talent amassed by Robb at the position. If Wes
Welker can get on the field by Week One, this team
could put up some huge numbers. Fitzgerald, Johnson,
and Welker is about as good a trio of wideouts as
you can assemble in a league like this. There are
definitely question marks at other positions. For
example: Will Chris Wells' role in the Arizona offense
increase from last season? Can C.J. Spiller make a
fantasy splash on a bad Buffalo team? Is the QB trio
of Flacco, Stafford, and Smith up to par with Dan’s
trio put together from the #1 spot? Yes, I think Wells
will have an increased role...No, I don't think Spiller
will make a huge splash in Buffalo sans on kickoff
returns...and yes, I think this trio of QBs could
work out just fine. Spiller or McFadden represent
the real question marks for me. Wells and Stewart
aren't good enough to carry the load at RB in a best
ball format without getting occasional support from
the #3 and #4 guys. There's simply no evidence as
yet to support that one or both is capable of filling
in the gaps. You have to respect what Robb did here.
He put together a WR corps that no one could match
up with and let the chips fall where they may.
Favorite pick: Houshmandzadeh. This pick kind of
sent my draft into a tailspin (more to come) as I
think he's a perfect choice to fill the #3 WR role.
Least Favorite pick:
Wasn't a big fan of Welker or Spiller that early...not
high on Flacco early either at the time, but you guys
convinced me to take a second look at him and I'm
thinking more favorably about him now.
Analysis : Usually, I walk away from the June Mock
feeling pretty good about my team, but my response
this year is only lukewarm after spending the second
half of the draft second-guessing picks and looking
to fill holes with inadequate pieces. The strength
of this team is RB where I feel the high-end potential
of DeAngelo Williams and Felix Jones will mix well
with the steadiness of Pierre Thomas. Tim Hightower
is nice depth allowing for at least some scoring when
one of the "Big Three" has a bye week. Another
strength of this team from a No-Hassle perspective
is at tight end with Gonzalez and Winslow likely to
complement each other often and keep the position
productive. Finally, it's always nice to know that
Drew Brees's production will be on your side week
in and week out throughout the year. The weakness
of this team is at WR. Crabtree and Harvin headline
the group with exciting potential, but have unproven
consistentcy. I was hoping to land a vet like Houshmandzadeh
at the #3 spot, but instead had to settle for a late
round flier on Devin Hester. Owens could end up being
a great late round pick...or he might not play at
all. Bottom line: This is one of the best teams in
the league easily if you take every position sans
WR. But, it may be the weakest receiving corps in
the league and somebody will have to surprise in order
for this team to be a contender.
Favorite pick: Not a sexy pick, but I was very happy
to get Pierre Thomas where I did. I think he's a late
second round value and I like his chances to be a
top 12 back as the year progresses.
Least Favorite pick:
Was hoping for a better WR #3 than Hester...also would
have preferred a different backup QB than Josh Freeman.
Analysis : A lot of variables for this team with nobody
outside of Brady and Moss having put together more
than one good season in their NFL careers to date.
The potential is certainly there, but will Greene,
Sims-Walker, Harrison, and Meachem follow-up on breakthrough
performances last year? And, will Matt Forte rebound
from a disappointing second season? All we know for
sure is on a week that Brady and Moss are in synch,
NAn is certain to be near the top of the No-Hassle
League standings. Beyond that, not much about this
team can be known until the season starts playing
itself out. I do like the youth and upside of this
team. As good as the Jets are at running the ball,
Greene could end up being a top-five RB and if Brady
and Moss get back to past glories, this team can be
near or at the top of the standings when it's all
said and done. NAn has given himself several paths
to success and that's about all you can ask for in
fantasy football.
Favorite pick: Shonn Greene at 1.12. You have to
look at the big picture and the bottom line is the
Jets can run the ball down people's throats. NAn could
have gone with a blander pick...I think he'll be glad
he didn't.
Least Favorite pick:
Matt Forte. His YPC over the past two seasons concern
me enough that I'm staying away. It would have been
a good idea to get Chester Taylor later in the draft
to protect.