In an auction-heavy draft season for me, Tuesday evening marked my first snake draft that wasn't of the slow draft, best ball variety (though I have two more on the way). I drew the eighth pick in a 12-team, PPR format, hosted on the newly redesigned Fantrax.com. I admittedly didn't have much experience with the site, but was impressed with the functionality of the drafting software and overall layout. They host both free and paid contests with one of the most customizable setups on the market.
There are two more RotoWire Drafts on Fantrax: one scheduled for this Thursday, Sept. 1 at 10:00 PM CDT, and another for Tuesday, Sept. 6 at 8:00 PM CDT. It's $50 to join, and the top three spots cash, with the winner receiving $360. As an added bonus, if you finish above your league's RotoWire expert in the standings, you will win three free months of RotoWire access. Just click on this link to sign up.
On to the draft. The first round was pretty chalk: Antonio Brown, Julio Jones and Odell Beckham went 1, 2, 3. This is to be expected in a PPR format that starts 3 wide receivers and a flex. Gurley came off the board next, and although you can make a case for David Johnson in a PPR league, I have no problem with that pick. I had a slight hope that I would be able to get a share of DeAndre Hopkins in this draft, but he went No. 5 overall, followed by A.J. Green and David Johnson. With both Johnson and Hopkins off the board, it was my call at No. 8. For me, this was a true toss-up between Rob Gronkowski and Allen Robinson, though thoughts of Ezekiel Elliot were lingering in my head. With a 0:45 second time limit, I was forced to think quickly, and ultimately selected my first Gronk share, knowing that passing on an elite WR/RB might come back to haunt me. Robinson ended up going right after me at No. 9, followed by Adrian Peterson, Le'Veon Bell and Ezekiel Elliot to close out the first round.
The rest of my squad played out as follows:
Coming back in the second round, I had been targeting Eddie Lacy, but just like in the mock draft I did immediately beforehand, Lacy went right before me at No. 16. That left me to decide between Mike Evans, Brandin Cooks and Alshon Jeffrey, and I ultimately went with Evans, a player that I own more of than anyone else in 2016. It's a perfect storm for Evans to become a a top-5 fantasy player, let alone top-5 receiver this year. Vincent Jackson is fading, but there are still talents such as Doug Martin, Charles Sims and Austin Seferian-Jenkins that warrant attention from opposing defenses. Tampa Bay's defense was actually top-10 in yards allowed last season, but finished at No. 26 overall in points allowed. The offense will still have to put up numbers, and if Jameis Winston continues progressing, Evans will be prime for success. A 5/115/1 performance in his last preseason effort only further cemented that status for me.
My next picks were LeSean McCoy, Golden Tate, Tyler Lockett and Josh Gordon. I had to stack up receivers after foregoing one in the first round, and was pleased to to get Gordon at No. 65 overall. Despite his past trouble and current four-game suspension, Gordon's ADP has crept into the top 80, and I knew I wouldn't get him if I passed on him here. The more I see him get back into football shape, the more I believe I'll have an elite wide receiver for the season's last 13 weeks.
My biggest perceived weakness is my RB2, which is why I loaded up on the position when it came to drafting reserves. I have both Rashad Jennings and Shane Vereen, with the hope I get at least one regular running back in the New York offense. Out of Isaiah Crowell, Bilal Powell and Chris Thompson, there should be a serviceable option on hand during bye weeks.
Best Values: Even though the quarterback position is generally regarded as deep, I thought Cam Newton at No. 52 overall, followed directly by Aaron Rodgers, were each an incredible value. Speaking of QB value, Tyrod Taylor fell all the way to No. 165 overall (14.9), a steal for a dual threat QB who has both Sammy Watkins and LeSean McCoy to work with. In terms of running backs, C.J Anderson slipped all the way to No. 40 in this draft. I know folks are down on him this season, but if he's able to hold off Devontae Booker, Anderson could return second-round value at a fourth-round price. For receivers, even though I passed on him to take Josh Gordon, I thought Michael Floyd at 6.8 was an excellent pickup. That's well below the RotoWire Draft Software rank of 38, as well as his ADP of roughly 60 -- not bad for a 26-year-old in a high-power offense, who happens to be in a contract year.
Biggest Reaches: Tom Brady at No. 59 was inexplicable, especially when Andrew Luck was still on the board. Still baffled by that one. In the same range, DeSean Jackson went at No. 58 overall, 22 spots ahead of his RotoWire ranking, and 36 spots ahead of his ADP. Not that I'm down on Jackson's production this year -- he still has a few good years in him -- but I thought the price was a little high. Finally, I wasn't a big fan of Jonathan Stewart at 6.12 (No. 72 overall). He was taken slightly ahead of his ADP, but our RotoWire rankings have him roughly 30 spots lower due to the possibility of a limited workload, especially early on. Cam Newton vulturing goal line carries won't do him any favors either.
Waiver Wire: According to the RotoWire projections, here are the best players currently available in this league:
- Tyrell Williams, WR, SD
- Terrence West, RB, BAL
- Brandon LaFell, WR, CIN
- Shaun Draughn, RB, SF
- Robert Woods, WR, BUF
- Jacob Tamme, TE, ATL
- Rob Kelley, RB, WAS (wish I would have saved a late pick for him)
- Marqise Lee, WR, JAX (somehow, Rashad Greene was taken before him)
- Kenny Britt, WR, LA
- Cole Beasley, WR, DAL
Lastly, for some good fun, the RotoWire Draft Software will calculate the points of your projected starting lineup throughout the season, using it to generate projected standings. I checked in at No. 5 overall, while a squad anchored by ODB, Cooks, Landry, Olsen and Gio Bernard took the cake. Here are the results:
