On Monday, August 29th at 9:15 pm Central European Time, the Yahoo Friends and Family draft - a 14-team, .75 PPR league, with bonuses for distance scoring, 1-QB, 2-RB, 2-WR, 1-TE, 2-FLX, 1-K and 1 D - took place. I drew the ninth pick.
Here are the results:
| Pianowski | Behrens | Klabacha | Funston | Gehlken | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Antonio Brown | David Johnson | Odell Beckham | Julio Jones | Todd Gurley |
| 2 | D. Moncrief | Eddie Lacy | Jordy Nelson | Jamaal Charles | Amari Cooper |
| 3 | Golden Tate | D. Thomas | Doug Martin | LeSean McCoy | Jeremy Hill |
| 4 | Giovani Bernard | Kelvin Benjamin | Greg Olsen | Larry Fitzgerald | Melvin Gordon |
| 5 | Duke Johnson | Jordan Matthews | Arian Foster | Cam Newton | Stefon Diggs |
| 6 | E. Sanders | Rashad Jennings | Devin Funchess | Delanie Walker | Charles Sims |
| 7 | De Williams | Coby Fleener | Chris Ivory | Spencer Ware | Dwayne Allen |
| 8 | Kamar Aiken | Corey Coleman | Tevin Coleman | Antonio Gates | Philip Rivers |
| 9 | Tom Brady | Chris Hogan | Eli Manning | Phillip Dorsett | Mike Wallace |
| 10 | Matthew Stafford | Kirk Cousins | Anquan Boldin | Justin Forsett | Kenny Stills |
| 11 | Eric Ebron | Derek Carr | Jamison Crowder | Broncos | Jared Cook |
| 12 | S.Gostkowski | Panthers | Cardinals | Kenneth Dixon | Rams |
| 13 | Zach Miller | Braxton Miller | Marcus Mariota | Sammie Coates | C.J. Spiller |
| 14 | Eagles | C.Catanzaro | Chris Johnson | Graham Gano | Tyler Gaffney |
| Hansen | Del Don | Loza | Liss | Evans | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Allen Robinson | Ezekiel Elliott | Lamar Miller | A.J. Green | Le'Veon Bell |
| 2 | T.Y. Hilton | Mark Ingram | Dez Bryant | D. Freeman | Watkins |
| 3 | C.J. Anderson | Doug Baldwin | Randall Cobb | Jordan Reed | Jarvis Landry |
| 4 | Frank Gore | Thomas Rawls | Matt Forte | Langford | D. Murray |
| 5 | DeSean Jackson | Marvin Jones | Russell Wilson | DeVante Parker | A. Rodgers |
| 6 | Blake Bortles | Allen Hurns | Sterling Shepard | Derrick Henry | M. Crabtree |
| 7 | Travis Benjamin | Gary Barnidge | T.J. Yeldon | Vincent Jackson | Abdullah |
| 8 | Jay Ajayi | Roethlisberger | M. Bennett | Kevin White | James White |
| 9 | Shane Vereen | Tajae Sharpe | Mohamed Sanu | De. Washington | Theo Riddick |
| 10 | Julius Thomas | Jerick McKinnon | Darren Sproles | DG Beckham | Jason Witten |
| 11 | Chris Thompson | Seahawks | V. McDonald | Terrance West | Virgil Green |
| 12 | Laquon Treadwell | Tyrod Taylor | Eli Rogers | B. Perriman | Dion Lewis |
| 13 | Vikings | Hauschka | Texans | Alfred Morris | Chiefs |
| 14 | Blair Walsh | Davante Adams | C. Santos | Agholor | Ty. Williams |
| Clay | Erickson | Daugherty | Salfino | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DeAndre Hopkins | Mike Evans | R.Gronkowski | B. Marshall | |
| 2 | Adrian Peterson | Keenan Allen | Alshon Jeffery | Brandin Cooks | |
| 3 | Eric Decker | Latavius Murray | Carlos Hyde | Julian Edelman | |
| 4 | Danny Woodhead | Tyler Lockett | Jeremy Maclin | Michael Floyd | |
| 5 | John Brown | Ryan Mathews | Drew Brees | Travis Kelce | |
| 6 | Andrew Luck | Josh Gordon | Matt Jones | J. Stewart | |
| 7 | Tavon Austin | Willie Snead | Markus Wheaton | L. Blount | |
| 8 | Zach Ertz | Bilal Powell | C. Michael | Isaiah Crowell | |
| 9 | Torrey Smith | Jameis Winston | Tyler Eifert | Carson Palmer | |
| 10 | Will Fuller | AS Jenkins | Michael Thomas | Ri Matthews | |
| 11 | De. Booker | Tyler Boyd | Ryan Tannehill | Ted Ginn | |
| 12 | C.J. Prosise | Javorius Allen | Steve Smith | Pierre Garcon | |
| 13 | Bruce Ellington | Shaun Draughn | Chris Conley | Jalen Richard | |
| 14 | Lance Dunbar | Justin Tucker | Ladarius Green | Kenny Britt |
Round 1: I figured I'd get Allen Robinson like I always do there, but John Hansen snagged him with the sixth overall pick. I thought I might get Ezekiel Elliott instead, but he went seventh. So I settled for A.J. Green. Normally, Green would be a steal in a 2-RB, 3-WR, 1-FLX PPR (NFFC) league, but this is a 2-2-2, and only .75 PPR. Instead, it's merely a solid pick.
Round 2: I was pretty sure I'd wind up with Freeman here, and I did. I considered Dez Bryant who could be okay with Dak Prescott, but as this is more RB-friendly than the NFFC, I took the back.
Round 3: This is where picking ninth in a 14-team league gets ugly if there's no third-round reversal like they have in the NFFC. I did what I usually do when I'm out of options at WR and RB I think are third-round worthy, I drafted Jordan Reed.
Round 4: Jeremy Langford doesn't seem to have much competition for the job, and the Bears have a favorable schedule in terms of run defenses.
Round 5: Devante Parker's stock has dropped of late due to the emergence of Kenny Stills, but he's still last year's 14th overall pick, who came on down the stretch. Moreover, Stills hurt his back in practice Monday. Seems like a buying opportunity.
Round 6: Derrick Henry is going to split carries at the very least this year, and DeMarco Murray hasn't been known for his durability. This was a home run swing, and it felt good taking it in a league this deep with sharp owners.
Round 7: Vincent Jackson was a mistake. I think he's fine, and I needed some stability at WR after the Parker pick, but I wanted to take Christine Michael, but saw him buried in the Yahoo! default ranks and thought I could wait another round. I was wrong.
Round 8: Kevin White was a make-up pick of sorts. If I wasn't going to get Michael, who I think could take the job and run with it, I'd take another second-year breakout candidate. I realize he's been bad in camp, but the Bears spent the seventh overall pick on him, he's an athletic freak and there's little competition for targets.
Round 9: I wanted to have a share of DeAndre Washington who seems like a Devonta Freeman/Ray Rice type, short, stock and compact and able to catch passes. The Raiders should be better this year, and I don't believe in big, upright-running Latavius Murray.
Round 10: Dorial Green-Beckham caught a TD in the third preseason game, and he could even wind up starting, especially if Jordan Matthews doesn't get healthy. Another Year 2 size/speed freak.
Round 11: At this point, I resigned to punt QB completely. The few remaining I liked were off the board, and with the short benches, there will always be ample choices on the waiver wire. Accordingly, I took Terrance West, who has a chance to start for the Ravens.
Round 12: Another Year 2, size/speed freak receiver, Breshard Perriman might return this week from a knee injury. He's raw, but he ran a 4.24 40 at 6-2, 212.
Round 13: Alfred Morris might have some value even as a backup in this run-heavy offense, but should Ezekiel Elliott get hurt or his domestic violence allegations result in a suspension, Morris could be a top-10 back.
Round 14: Nelson Agholor is another Year 2 WR, who's competing for targets in Philadelphia. Mike Clay joked in the draft room when I drafted Green-Beckham that I'd have to handcuff him with Agholor, and bizarrely, that's what I actually did.
Of course, in 12 days, I'll have to drop three of these players for a QB, kicker and defense, but those positions are fungible enough in this format, I preferred to stash extra players and see what happens.
Roster By-Position:
QB: Nobody
RB: Devonta Freeman/Jeremy Langford/Derrick Henry/DeAndre Washington/Terrance West/Alfred Morris
WR: A.J. Green/DeVante Parker/Vincent Jackson/Kevin White/Dorial Green-Beckham/Breshard Perriman/Nelson Agholor
TE: Jordan Reed
K: Nobody
D: None