RADIO
Recently, I took part in a fantasy football league draft that was held by the creators of RotoBaller. The draft consisted of representatives from various industry folks and sites including RotoWire, RotoExperts, Her Fantasy Football, FF Librarian, Sporting News, The New York Post, Pure Stats Fantasy and others.
Once the draft was over, I took a look at each round, and picked out a few picks I did and did not agree with. Keep in mind, I cannot see into the future - so if I disagreed with a pick, it's nothing personal.
One more thing that you should keep in mind - quarterbacks receive six points for a touchdown in this league. Aside from that, there are passing / rushing / receiving yardage bonuses, and the scoring system is PPR. Let's get to it.
The League Of Extraordinary Drafters?
We have a pretty smart and experienced crew here, so it should be a fun season. Here's the full roster of league members:
1) Edward Gorelik, London Silly Nannies - RotoBaller (@edwardgorelik)
2) Joe Gallina, Legion Of Doom - RotoExperts (@joegallina)
3) Jason Bales, Quick! Decker and Hyde - Pure Stats Fantasy (@thedominatordfs)
4) Sara Holladay - FF Librarian (@FFLibrarian)
5) Matt Strachman - Reddit (@HisDudenessOfNY)
6) Chris Mitchell - RotoExperts (@CJMitch73)
7) Uncle Leo - RotoBaller (@Uncle__Leo)
8) Drew Loftis - NY Post (@NYPost_Loftis)
9) Ryan Rufe, Los Pterodactyls - RotoWire (@RyanRufe)
10) Nate Miller - Sporting News (@Miller_RotoDad)
11) Justin Bales - Pure Stats Fantasy (@BalesSJustin)
12) Real Talk Raph, Shut Your Gore Mouth - RotoBaller (@RealTalkRaph)
13) Brandon Marianne Lee, The Resistance - Her Fantasy Football (@BrandonMarianne)
14) Jarad Wilk - NY Post (@NYPost_Roto)
Round 1 - RotoBaller Experts League Draft Results & Analysis
The first round went pretty much as everyone would have expected it to. There was a good mix of running backs and wide receivers, combining for 11 of the 14 picks. The two elite quarterbacks and only elite tight end were also taken. Overall, this was a fairly plain round without any major surprises.
Round 2 - RotoBaller Experts League Draft Results & Analysis
This round also went how many people would anticipate a draft going, but there were a few guys that fell. First, LeSean McCoy looks like a great value pick here, as he was taken right before players like Lamar Miller and Justin Forsett. I was also a bit shocked that Hill fell to the 18th pick, but with a lot of elite talent, it’s somewhat understandable. The most shocking selection of this round was T.Y. Hilton, who was taken before both Calvin Johnson and A.J. Green.
Round 3 - RotoBaller Experts League Draft Results & Analysis
The third round is when guys start “reaching” for their picks. When you’re dealing with an expert draft, you have to attack the players you want because if you wait too long they could be taken well before their general ADP. Wide receivers dominated this round, as they accounted for nine of the 14 picks. One of the more unusual picks was Jarvis Landry, which I made myself. Landry has a consensus ADP of 60, according to Fantasy Pros. I opted to take him 39 because I felt he was the last wide receiver of that tier. Once Landry was drafted, Edelman, Maclin, and Watkins were the next three receivers taken, and I have Landry ranked much higher than that trio.
Round 4 - RotoBaller Experts League Draft Results & Analysis
The fourth round produced a bit of a run on quarterbacks, as Brees, Roethlisberger, and Manning were all selected. My favorite pick of this round was Carlos Hyde, who has great upside. I was surprised to see him fall to the 50th pick. Aside from him, I disagreed with many picks in this round based on my valuation.
Editor’s Note: be sure to check out RotoBaller's matchups and lineups tool. You can sort various NFL player stats to analyze weekly matchups, and decide which players start, sit or add. Build your optimal lineups, every week.
Round 5 - RotoBaller Experts League Draft Results & Analysis
This round started with Ameer Abdullah, which I thought was a bit high for him, especially considering Joique Bell went nearly 20 picks later. This was also the round of “out value.” That is what I call players such as Foster, Gurley, and Blount, whose value fell because they will miss at least one game this season due to an injury or suspension. My favorite pick of this round was T.J. Yeldon, who I am much higher on than most people this season.
Round 6 - RotoBaller Experts League Draft Results & Analysis
As I mentioned before, this was a good value round for Los Pterodactyls, who grabbed Bell nearly 20 selections after Abdullah was drafted. This is also great value for C.J. Spiller, who will likely be a beast in PPR formats this season assuming he can stay healthy. Cody Latimer was taken a bit high, but he was being paired with Peyton Manning, as Quick! Decker and Hyde tried to get as much upside as possible with his selection.
Round 7 - RotoBaller Experts League Draft Results & Analysis
The seventh round was the round of veteran receivers, as Steve Smith, Roddy White, Torrey Smith, Mike Wallace, and Marques Colston were all selected. This round is a reminder that it isn’t always the best decision to take the young guy who has high upside, and sometimes the older vets can be just as good.
Round 8 - RotoBaller Experts League Draft Results & Analysis
The eighth round was filled with high-upside quarterbacks. Bradford, Manning, Romo, Stafford, and Rivers were all good value in this round, but Tannehill is my favorite of the group. He attempted 590 passes last season, and that was with the Dolphins limiting his attempts during the end of the season. Ryan Matthews could also prove to be great value here if something were to happen to DeMarco Murray.
Round 9 - RotoBaller Experts League Draft Results & Analysis
At this point in the draft, guys started to take players based on pure upside. Funchess, who is in a great situation this season, could become a steal this late in the draft. My favorite pick of the round, however, was Matt Jones, who dominated the pre-season and seems to be the darling of the Redskins organization. Legion of Doom, if you happen to read this article, let’s make a trade.
Round 10 - RotoBaller Experts League Draft Results & Analysis
This round was ruled by tight ends, as teams were trying to fill out their rosters. My favorite pick of the round was Austin Seferian-Jenkins, who will benefit a tremendous amount from Jameis Winston playing quarterback for the Buccaneers. I also love Kyle Rudolph, who I think could be one of the best tight ends in the NFL if he can stay healthy (that’s a huge if, though). I was also extremely surprised to see the Texans defense go before the Seahawks--someone loves them some J.J. Watt.
Round 11 - RotoBaller Experts League Draft Results & Analysis
Defenses dominated this round, which makes it hard to pick a winner out of the group. Obviously, I’m going to side with the Seahawks D, but I’m also high on the Bills. The best pick in this round was DeVante Parker, and I don’t even think it was close. He must have fell a bit because of his injury, but he looks healthy and will likely play a huge role in the Dolphins plans this season. Shout out to @HisDudenessOfNY for possibly the best value pick in the entire draft.
Round 12 - RotoBaller Experts League Draft Results & Analysis
This was a pretty good round for how late in the draft it was. Teddy Bridgewater was the clear steal, but I also like Palmer and Perriman quite a bit. Carr, Dorsett, and Stills also have great upside being drafted this late.
Round 13 - RotoBaller Experts League Draft Results & Analysis
I was very pleased with grabbing the Eagles defense this late because of their special teams ability. There isn’t much to comment on in this round, but Cameron Artis-Payne was a nice grab. He’ll be the starter if Stewart goes down, which is more likely than not at some point this season.
Round 14 - RotoBaller Experts League Draft Results & Analysis
I was a bit surprise that Jay Cutler fell this low. I’m not too high on him as a player, but with a gunslinger mentality and six fantasy points per touchdown, Cutler certainly has some upside. The best pick in this round, however, has to be James Jones, who will likely start for the Packers. That role gives him WR3 upside on its own.
Round 15 - RotoBaller Experts League Draft Results & Analysis
The last round was just filling out the rest of the rosters. If I had to pick a top kicker, I would say Justin Tucker. I also love Caleb Sturgis, but that’s more of a man crush than for fantasy purposes.
Overall, this was a successful draft and we had a great time doing it. Feel free to comment with your thoughts on each team!
