Hall of Fantasy League Draft Review: New York Bodega Cats

August 17, 2021

Scott Engel provides a comprehensive draft review from the inaugural Hall of Fantasy League draft. The HOFL is the first-ever national and professional fantasy football league, and you can stake the team managed by RotoBaller, the New York Bodega Cats.

In the first-ever NFL Draft in 1936, the New York Giants selected Art “Pappy” Lewis, a tackle from Ohio University at No. 9 overall. In the 1961 American Football League Draft, the New York Titans, later to become the Jets, made their first selection in franchise history, taking Minnesota defensive linemen/guard Tom Brown.

In 2021, in the maiden season of the Hall of Fantasy League, the  New York Bodega Cats selected quarterback Kyler Murray of the Arizona Cardinals at No. 4 overall in the inaugural league draft. The HOFL is the first-ever national and professional fantasy football league, with teams based in 10 major U.S. markets. The New York Bodega Cats are managed by RotoBaller’s Real Talk Raph and Scott Engel. The team captain is former New York Giants running back Rashad Jennings.

Here's more about the New York Bodega Cats and our first HOFL draft in a 10-team, 20-round Superflex/two RB/WR/TE flex league.

The HOFL and the New York Bodega Cats

The Hall of Fantasy League is a unique brand of fantasy football gaming that incorporates an e-sports style experience in which fans can become a part of the teams that are drafted and will compete throughout the season. You can become a “stakeholder” in one of the 10 HOFL franchises and you can earn cash based on the payouts awarded to the teams at the end of the season. You are investing in the potential results of the teams, and if you are a New York Bodega Cats stakeholder, you will be backing the expected results from the team piloted by myself and Real Talk Raph.

You will be able to communicate with us throughout the season and become a true part of the first-ever professional fantasy football franchise that represents New York. The Bodega Cats are dedicated to bringing championship football back to Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, the Bronx, and Staten Island. You can become part of the team here.

Watch the full 2021 HOFL Draft here. 

The Bodega Cats Draft Review

Inside the War Room with Scott and Raph

If you choose to get involved with the Bodega Cats, this is the team we drafted and how it came together, with some insights and takeaways for your own drafts and how Fantasy co-management can work well between two people. The starting lineup requirements were 1 QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE, 2 RB/WR/TE FLEX, 1 SUPERFLEX, 1 TE, 1 K and 1 DST. The HOFL is a half-PPR league with four points for a TD pass. We were drafting from the No. 4 overall spot. This is a high-stakes format for us and the stakeholders of the Bodega Cats.

Round One: Kyler Murray - Prior to the draft, we agreed that our initial approach was to take two QBs and two RBs in the first four rounds. That was a loose, but not rigid plan, but in a superflex league we were going to target one of the top QBs right away because we were in position to get one of the very best. In a Superflex format, there is a similar perceived drop-off at QB after the first 13 or so players are off the board, much like at RB. We were speculating that if there was a heavy run on QBs early, some RBs would get bumped back to the third and fourth rounds and we would still get two very good starters.

So we queued up our top-four QBs and simply readied to take the best one when our turn came up. When two running backs went off the board we jumped on the opportunity to make Murray the first-ever player drafted by the Bodega Cats. I have Josh Allen and Murray ranked second and third, respectively, at QB, but Raph slightly preferred Murray and the two are almost tied for me, so we went with Murray very enthusiastically. We had Patrick Mahomes, Murray, Allen, and Aaron Rodgers queued up and we did not expect Mahomes to fall to third so the pick turned out ideally.

Round Two: Justin Herbert - Seven more QBs went off the board after we took Murray and just four RBs were taken, so we were all in on our fifth and sixth rated QBs if available, which was Rodgers and Justin Herbert. When Rodgers was taken by Boston right ahead of us, the Herbert pick was an easy one. We were very happy to land two of our top six QBs to start out.

Round Three: Jonathan Taylor - QBs were going twice as fast off the board as RBs through our first two picks, so we knew if we took another QB in the second round, we would have a good crack at a Top 10 RB in the third round. We had Taylor, Mixon and Barkley queued up and took the first player at the top of our queue when our pick came up. We knew we could not wait any longer for our RB1.

Round Four: David Montgomery - Six more RBs were drafted after we picked Taylor, and we had J.K. Dobbins, David Montgomery, Chris Carson and Darrell Henderson queued up. Dobbins went early in the round but we were very satisfied as no other RB was taken in the four picks ahead of us. Montgomery finished as RB4 last year and I don’t want to hear about a “soft schedule.” He performed very well in matchups that he was supposed to take advantage of.

Round Five: Chris Carson - Raph did not want Carson as our RB2, but made the point that there are two RB/WR/TE flex spots in this league and wanted to hammer the RB position with such types, which made sense when you consider RBs get guaranteed touches. So after much discussion we decided to wait on the deeper WR position. Carson can play at a RB1 level quite frequently when he is available.

Round Six: Cooper Kupp - We couldn’t wait any longer to draft our first WR1. Kupp is simply a solid pick, and will produce very well working with his best QB yet, Matthew Stafford.

Round Seven: Darrell Henderson - Between Carson and Henderson, I wanted Carson and Raph preferred Henderson,  but he was agreeable to going with Carson as the fifth-rounder. When Henderson was still available as our second flex we just could not pass on him. We both landed the RBs we wanted, and both had been on our shortlists since the fourth round. Henderson is going to be the lead RB on the best version of the Rams offense we have seen in some time and this was a terrific value pick.

Round Eight: JuJu Smith-Schuster: We were discussing either Smith-Schuster or Jerry Jeudy. I preferred Jeudy but Raph viewed Smith-Schuster as the more solid selection. Jeudy is less proven and Raph does not like the Denver QB situation. JJSS may not seem like a “sexy” pick, but he caught 97 passes and scored nine times last year and Ben Roethlisberger will be healthier this year and should perform respectably.

Round Nine: D.J. Chark - We were going to take Jeudy if he was still on the board in Round Eight, but he went to Seattle with the second pick of the round. We always have other players queued up, so we never get “sniped.” Chark could come through with his true breakout season in 2021 working with Trevor Lawrence.

Round 10: Logan Thomas - The last skill position slot in the starting lineup was filled here. Thomas is a definite Top 10 player at TE.

Round 11: Mike Williams - He had been in our queue since Round Nine and there is a lot of upside if he becomes a more consistent as a pass-catcher on higher percentage throws. It’s time for Williams to make the jump to becoming a more complete WR, and he is an upside play who could challenge to crack the starting lineup.

Rounds 12 Through 20

Draft Picks and Observations

We were thrilled to get Robert Tonyan as our TE2 in Round 12, as he could actually vie to start over Thomas. … Leonard Fournette was an RB depth pick in the 13^th. …. Henry Ruggs was an upside and value target of ours in the 14th. .... Sam Darnold returned to New York in the 15th round. Based on his strong supporting cast, I pushed for him as our third QB over Jared Goff. … Zach Ertz could pay off nicely in the 16^th if he gets traded. … Raph believed that Sammy Watkins could be a fine value play in the 17^th, as he still has the talent to exceed expectations. … Marlon Mack was the necessary insurance pick to back up Jonathan Taylor in the 18^th round. .. The 49ers could return to being a top fantasy unit, and draw the Lions in their season opener. … Daniel Carlson is a Top 5 kicker and I have taken him often at the end of drafts.

Recapping the first-ever #HOFL Draft! Who do you think won? What surprised you? Who are you staking? https://t.co/Z7Tkced1lr

— Hall Of Fantasy League (@TheHOFLeague) August 16, 2021

Summary

We talked everything through and came to agreements, as we had many players ranked close to where the other did. We did fully disagree on some players and just left those off of our draft board. Our QBs are superb and we have a very deep RB lineup. While we may not have a superstar WR on the roster, we have some solid ones and good upside plays. One of our TEs will emerge as a prime starter and the depth is excellent there. The Bodega Cats can dominate opponents at QB and RB while hanging tough at WR and TE.

Join our drive to the first-ever HOFL championship now and become part of the team!

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