X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Projections
Articles & Tools
Weekly Planner
24x7 News and Alerts

King's Classic Snake Draft Recap - Fantasy Football Round-By-Round Draft Analysis

Travis Etienne Jr. - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Thunder Dan Palyo recaps the 2023 King's Classic Snake Draft that took place at the Fantasy Football Expo in Canton, OH, while providing fantasy football strategies and advice.

Last weekend I had the chance to visit the Fantasy Football Expo in Canton, OH for the first time as part of our RotoBaller contingent. It was an awesome experience getting to meet a lot of the writers and content creators, as well as hundreds of die-hard fantasy football fanatics.

One of the highlights of the weekend was getting to participate in the King's Classic drafts on Saturday. My fellow RotoBaller colleague Dennis Clausen and I are co-managing two teams this year in the George Blanda Division and we set out to draft the best possible team that we could against 13 other members of the fantasy football industry. Dennis is going to be doing a feature on our auction draft team and I'm going to share our traditional snake draft results with you in this piece. To add some much-needed context, this is a full-PRR league that does not have any kickers or defenses and replaces those positions with two additional utility slots for a total of three utility players (RB, WR, TE) but it's not Superflex.

I'll take you through the first round and then take a closer look at our team. I pulled some of our RotoBaller rankings and compared them to where we drafted our players in order to evaluate how well we did as far as getting value out of our picks.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:

 

First Round At-A-Glance

I'm not going to post the entire draft board with 14 teams and 16 rounds and force you to zoom in on every pick. But here are the first fourteen picks off the board and despite this being an expert draft, the results were pretty predictable for the most part. We were drafting seventh, so I thought we may have a chance to snag Travis Kelce but our good friend Scott Engel selected him fifth overall (and then grabbed Patrick Mahomes in the second round for a killer KC stack early).

I was hoping Kupp didn't slide to us because he's the one top pick that I am a bit leery of given the uncertain season ahead for the Rams. We were happy to take Ekeler seventh as he feels pretty safe in a PPR league but Dennis was in my ear about A.J. Brown and sure enough, he went next at eighth overall which was probably the biggest ADP difference here since he's usually around pick 13-14 depending on which site you're looking at for ADP.

Barkley fell all the way to #14 where our friend and fellow RotoBaller Matt Donnelly took him on the turn along with Derrick Henry. When I talked to Matt, he wasn't planning on a double-RB build in the first two rounds but he felt like they were the best available values and he was going to have to get creative with drafting on the turn in such a big league.

It's the year of the wide receiver, especially in full-PPR leagues as only four running backs were taken in the first round. The only one of those backs who isn't a pass-catcher, too, is Nick Chubb who is just really, really good at running the football averaging over five yards per carry for his career.

 

Team RotoBaller: Rounds One Through Five

I am using our RotoBaller consensus rankings in order to attempt to gauge where we may have reached and where we found value in this draft. After getting a running back in round one, we really wanted a receiver in round two, especially after seeing so many of the elite options go off the board. Smith was a guy who came on late last season and ended up providing even more value than A.J. Brown during the second half of the season. I am a big believer in the Eagles offense this year again and so it made a lot of sense to snag Jalen Hurts in round three to create a natural Philly stack. Hurts should be even better this year throwing the football and his rushing yardage and touchdowns could help push him to a QB1 finish in 2023.

Here is where things get interesting. With so many teams going WR-heavy in the early rounds, we felt like we had some serious running back value fall into our laps with Travis Etienne Jr. in round four and Kenneth Walker III in round five. I know that both Tank Bigbsy (JAX) and Zach Charbonnet (SEA) are talented rookies who are going to fight for touches, but both ETN and KW3 had impressive seasons last year and are still set to be the lead backs in what are expected to be good offenses this season. I didn't expect us to draft three running backs in the first five picks, but this is a perfect example of remaining flexible with your build and reacting to what other managers are doing. Hopefully, this strategy pays off for us and the unique 3-flex roster of this league really allows for some less traditional builds. I mean, the Late-Round QB Mr. J.J. Zachariason took receivers with his first five picks!

 

Team RotoBaller: Rounds Six Through Ten

You can see we addressed our wide receiver position right away in rounds six, seven, and eight. Did we reach for Pickens? Probably, but I have become a bit enamored with him this preseason and it's hard not to have at least one player from your favorite team on the roster, right? In all seriousness, though, Pickens is immensely talented and could emerge as Pickett's top target in Pittsburgh for what should be an improved offense.

I like Courtland Sutton this year, especially now that Tim Patrick is out for the season. A lot of people are hyping up rookie Marvin Mims, and I get it, but I would expect Sutton to eat before Mims in this offense and provide more reliable production. Nico Collins burned some people down the stretch last season, but I still think he's the most reliable option for C.J. Stroud of the receivers in Houston.

I have been targeting McKinnon in this part of the draft quite often and it felt good to grab at least one small piece of the Kansas City offense. Yeah, he probably won't score as many touchdowns this season but it feels like he has really cemented his involvement as a pass-catcher and part-time runner after last season's production.

We waited on getting a tight end until we could wait no longer! I don't always recommend that strategy, but once again we were trying to pivot mid-draft and adjust to how the rest of the managers were drafting. As teams started to take a second tight end, we decided our first one would be Kmet, who felt like a nice value here and should be poised for another solid season on an improved Bears offense.

 

Team RotoBaller: Rounds 11 Through 16

If you're playing in a 10-team league or a shallower format, you're probably not going to be rostering many of these players. Our 11th-round pick was 147th overall and despite already having a solid running back room we couldn't pass up the value here on Tyler Allgeier. Bijan Robinson is getting all the hype this preseason - and for good reason. But Allgeier is going to still be involved and let's not forget that Atlanta was one of the most run-heavy offenses in the entire NFL last season. Will they open it up this year? Perhaps a little bit more, but with a young QB they are still going to want to pound the football and not have to ask Desmond Ridder to have to go win them games unless they have to do so.

Our next two picks don't look too great on the value meter, but we are really just gambling on talent here. Irv Smith Jr. is one of the most athletic tight ends in the game, and that's saying something since there are so many great athletes at the position these days. How much he is used on this already-loaded Bengals offense remains to be seen, but there's a path to a solid season if he stays healthy and is able to gain Burrow's trust. If we think that Justin Fields takes another step forward as a passer, then it's certainly possible that Claypool or Darnell Mooney emerge as a decent value late in drafts as Fields can't throw to D.J. Moore or Cole Kmet on every play, right?

It was either Carr or Kenny Pickett as our backup QB and despite my love for Kenny this year, I went with Carr who feels like a better bet for more passing volume. Josh Palmer probably needs an injury to either Mike Williams or Keenan Allen to be relevant and is competing with rookie Quentin Johnson (love him and have him on a lot of teams) for snaps as the third receiver, but we know how injury-prone Allen and Williams are so we felt like he was a good insurance policy to grab late.

I don't expect Boston Scott to do much of anything as the RB4 for the Eagles and I am pretty sure I had left the draft to go to the bathroom when Dennis picked him in the last round. He's the first guy we will drop in Week 1 in order to add someone who starts out hot. I feel pretty good about our team and how we handled what was a challenging draft room. But it stands to be seen how we do this year and so much of that will be determined by players staying healthy and maybe just a little bit (or a lot) of things breaking just the right way (you thought I was going to say "luck"!)

Now get out there and draft as many teams as you want and don't forget to use all of the available resources here at RotoBaller to dominate your drafts! Good luck this season and thanks for reading!



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!

More Fantasy Football Analysis




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Projections
Articles & Tools
Weekly Planner
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Justin Verlander

Plans to Pitch in 2026
Junior Caminero

Day-to-Day With Back Tightness
Will Smith

Won't Return When First Eligible
Tyler Soderstrom

Returns to A's Lineup
Tyler Warren

Sidelined on Wednesday with Toe Injury
Jaylen Waddle

Questionable for Week 3 Against Buffalo
Joe Burrow

Bengals Not Closing the Door on Joe Burrow Returning This Year
CFB

LaNorris Sellers to Play Against Missouri?
Kyle Tucker

Progress has "Plateaued"
Isaac Paredes

has "Outside Chance" to Return This Weekend
CFB

Kaidon Salter Expected To Start for Colorado on Saturday
Willson Contreras

Goes on 10-Day Injured List, Done for Season
Justin Fields

Ruled Out for Week 3 Due to Concussion
Jayden Reed

Out Indefinitely After Foot and Shoulder Surgery
Washington Commanders

Preston Smith Signs With Commanders
Trey Jemison III

Joins Knicks on Two-Way Contract
Kevin McCullar Jr.

Signs New Two-Way Deal With Knicks
Matt Ryan

Returns to Knicks on Exhibit 10 Contract
New York Knicks

Alex Len Signs Exhibit 9 Deal With Knicks
Nickeil Alexander-Walker

Expected to Take on Larger Offensive Role With Hawks
Thomas Sorber

Undergoes Surgery
Dominic Canzone

Has Five-Hit, Three-Homer Game Tuesday
Cal Raleigh

Sets Single-Season Home Run Record for a Switch-Hitter
Jayden Reed

Undergoes Clavicle and Foot Surgeries, Out for Foreseeable Future
Bo Bichette

to Miss Rest of Regular Season
Zach Neto

Placed on 10-Day Injured List With Hand Injury
Yordan Alvarez

Out on Tuesday, Dealing With "Significant" Ankle Sprain
Aaron Jones Sr.

Vikings Place Aaron Jones Sr. on Injured Reserve With Hamstring Injury
CFB

Diego Pavia Refutes Report of Seeking Seventh Collegiate Season
Christian Kirk

Expected to Return in Week 3
CFB

Diego Pavia Seeking Another Year of Eligibility
Tarik Skubal

on Track to Start Thursday
CFB

Kevorian Barnes Questionable Against SMU
Bo Bichette

has Short-Term Knee Injury, Could Return for Postseason
Tosan Evbuomwan

Joins Knicks
NBA

Kai Jones Links Up With EuroLeague Team
Bismack Biyombo

Returns to Spurs
Bones Hyland

Rejoins Timberwolves
Kobe Bufkin

Moves to Brooklyn
Trey Yesavage

Sets Franchise Strikeout Record On Monday
Yordan Alvarez

To Receive MRI For Sprained Left Ankle On Tuesday
Willson Contreras

Exits Early Monday With Right-Biceps Tightness
Yordan Alvarez

Exits With Ankle Sprain
Brock Bowers

Officially Active on Monday Night
Jauan Jennings

Day-to-Day With Ankle Injury
Logan O'Hoppe

Activated Off Seven-Day Injured List
CBJ

Denton Mateychuk Dealing With Groin Issue
Bo Horvat

Fine for Training Camp
Kirby Dach

on Track to Be Ready for Opening Night
Jose Altuve

Returns Against Rangers
J.J. McCarthy

Expected to Miss 2-4 Weeks With High-Ankle Sprain
J.J. McCarthy

Likely Out for Week 3 With High-Ankle Sprain
Jean Silva

Gets Finished For The First Time In His Career
Aaron Jones Sr.

Unlikely to Play in Week 3 Due to Hamstring Injury
Diego Lopes

Returns To The Win Column
Jayden Daniels

' Week 3 Status in Doubt
Rob Font

Outclassed In The Noche UFC 3 Co-Main Event
David Martinez

Wins His Second UFC Fight
Jared Gordon

Suffers Brutal TKO Loss At Noche UFC 3
Rafa Garcia

Wins Back-To-Back Fights
Brian Thomas Jr.

Dealing with Wrist Injury
Dustin Stoltzfus

Drops A Decision At Noche UFC 3
Kelvin Gastelum

Gets Back In The Win Column
Diego Ferreira

Suffers Second-Round TKO
Alexander Hernandez

Extends His Win Streak With A Brutal TKO
Quang Le

Suffers First-Round Knockout
Santiago Luna

Shines In His UFC Debut
Christopher Bell

Earns his First Bristol Cup Series Victory
Alex Bowman

Falls Short of Advancing Through Cup Series Playoffs
Chase Briscoe

Collects his Third Top-10 Finish at Bristol
Ryan Blaney

Strong Top-Five Bristol Performance Advances him to the Playoffs
Corey Heim

Earns his First Career Cup Series Top-10 Finish at Bristol
Giannis Antetokounmpo

Leads Greece to Bronze Medal
Alperen Sengün

Alperen Sengun Drops 28 Points in EuroBasket Finals
CFB

Indiana's Lee Beebe Jr. Out for Season with Knee Injury
Dennis Schröder

Dennis Schroder Named EuroBasket MVP
Bryce Eldridge

Giants to Promote Bryce Eldridge
Jaren Jackson Jr.

Progressing in Recovery
Jonathan Kuminga

Receives New Offer From Warriors
Kenneth Walker III

Bounces Back with Big Week 2 Performance
Bijan Robinson

Rushes for 143 Yards in Week 2
Justin Fields

Currently in Concussion Protocol
Cincinnati Bengals

Bengals Calling Around to Available Free-Agent Quarterbacks
Joe Burrow

to Undergo Surgery, Out at Least Three Months
Emil Heineman

Aiming to Take the "Next Step" This Season
Braeden Cootes

Good to Go for Camp
Ivan Fedotov

Blue Jackets Acquire Ivan Fedotov From Flyers
Quentin Grimes

Still Not Close to a New Contract Agreement
Joel Embiid

"Looking Slender, Spry and in Positive Spirits"
Ty Gibbs

Has Arguably his Best Career Drive, but Only Finishes 10th
Chase Elliott

Despite Crashing Out at Bristol, Chase Elliott Advances to Round of 12
Austin Dillon

Misses Round of 12 After Extremely Mediocre Bristol Run
Shane Van Gisbergen

Shane van Gisbergen Fails to Advance to Round of 12
Josh Berry

Finishes Last in All Three Round of 16 Races to Fail to Advance
CFB

Ryan Williams Explodes In Return To Field
CFB

Drew Allar Plays Mediocre Game In Blowout Win
CFB

LaNorris Sellers Exits Game In Blowout Loss
CFB

DJ Lagway Tosses Five Interceptions In Loss
CFB

Garrett Nussmeier Plays Game Manager in Saturday's Win
CFB

CJ Carr Remains Poised In Narrow Loss
CFB

John Mateer Leads Oklahoma In Rout
CFB

Arch Manning Struggles Against UTEP
CFB

Jeremiah Smith Impresses In Win
CFB

Sam Leavitt Shines As Arizona State Rebounds From Week 2 Loss
Ivan Demidov

Turning Heads in Rookie Camp
NHL

Calvin de Haan Signs With Swedish Team
Samuel Girard

Skates With Non-Contact Jersey
Mackenzie Blackwood

Dealing With Injury Ahead of Training Camp
Spencer Knight

Signs Three-Year Extension With Blackhawks
Chris Buescher

May have Another Solid Run at Bristol
Corey Perry

Out 6-8 Weeks Following Surgery
Kyle Busch

Should DFS Managers Roster Kyle Busch at Bristol?
Ricky Stenhouse Jr

Is Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Too Risky to Consider Rostering at Bristol?
Michael McDowell

Could be A Solid Value Option For Bristol DFS Lineups
Chase Elliott

Probably Won't Factor in for Bristol Win
NASCAR

Bubba Wallace Not as Strong at Bristol as Other Short Tracks
Alex Bowman

Needs to Win to Make Round of 12
Ross Chastain

has Never Led at Bristol but Has Been Pretty Consistent
Austin Dillon

Richmond Speed Unlikely to Carry Over to Bristol
Josh Berry

Might Run Well at Bristol, but Almost Certainly Won't Win to Advance
Justin Haley

Bristol One of Justin Haley's Few Recent Bright Spots
CFB

Austin Simmons Listed As Game-Time Decision Against Arkansas
CFB

Nico Iamaleava Struggles In Fourth Straight Loss
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen

Dealing With a "Tweak"
BUF

Alexandar Georgiev Joins Sabres on One-Year Deal
Corey Perry

Injured During Pre-Camp Skate
CFB

Antonio Williams Out Against Georgia Tech
CFB

CJ Bailey Flashes Again in Win Over Wake Forest
CFB

Jaxson Moi a Game-Time Decision for Tennessee on Saturday
Jean Silva

A Favorite At Noche UFC 3
Diego Lopes

Set For Noche UFC 3 Main Event
Rob Font

Looks For His Third Consecutive Win
David Martinez

Set For Noche UFC 3 Co-Main Event
Rafa Garcia

An Underdog At Noche UFC 3
Jared Gordon

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Dustin Stoltzfus

Looks To Return To The Win Column
Kelvin Gastelum

In Dire Need Of Victory
Diego Ferreira

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Malcolm Brogdon

Heading to Knicks on One-Year Deal
Landry Shamet

Staying with the Knicks

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP