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Mock Draft Monday Notes: 5/14

10-Team Standard Flex

§  Wide Receiver Pool is Crazy Deep: I know that this was only a 10-team league, but there are great values to be had at the
wide receiver position, so do not feel bad if you do not snag Calvin Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald, or Wes Welker early.  For example, Malcom Floyd and
Robert Meachem were drafted in the 10^th and 11^th round respectively and will be competing to be Philip Rivers' #1 receiver in San
Diego's traditionally high-powered offense.  Sure, they won't put up the same numbers as Megatron, but the difference in fantasy points will not be
enough to discredit the value of getting a player like Meachem or Floyd approximately 100 picks later than one of the top wide receivers.  Speaking fo
Floyds, Michael Floyd in Arizona is my sleeper this year.  The major knock on him coming out of Notre Dame was his route-running ability, but now he
gets to learn from Larry Fitzgerald.  Problem solved.

§  …So is the Tight End Pool: Yes, Gronkowski and Graham separated themselves last year from other tight ends and had
solid #2/low-end #1 wide receiver value, but there are viable substitutes if you do not get one of the top two TEs in the early rounds.  Aaron
Hernandez is a good value four or five rounds later.  Plus, do not sleep on Coby Fleener's value in Indy, (known as TE Placeholder in this draft)
especially in PPR formats.  Tight ends and running backs are rookie QBs best friends and Fleener and Andrew Luck already had a strong chemistry at
Stanford before arriving at Indy together.

§  Don't Reach to Get a QB Early: Would I have taken Drew Brees with the 10^th overall pick?  Probably. 
However, Macchi got him first at #9.  That left me staring at Cam Newton and Matthew Stafford's names as the next highest rated quarterbacks.  As
tempting as it was to take Killer Cam, I chose to test the QB depth and was hoping for Philip Rivers in the sixth round, but had to settle for
Roethlisberger when Kneel Before Zod! (great team name) took Rivers five picks before me.  Plus, I was able to nab Jay Cutler two rounds later to fill
out what is a solid, but not spectacular QB tandem. 

§  Trent Richardson is the Most Volatile Draft Pick: Richardson went #14 overall to Luke Hoover who obviously believes in the
rookie RB in Cleveland.  Will he have the opportunity to be a top-10 running back this season?  Yes.  However, he has an absolutely brutal
schedule (good defenses in their divison plus games against the NFC East and vastly improved AFC West) and supporting cast.  This is what NFL.com says
about the Browns 2012 schedule: "[The Browns] likely will be underdogs in every game they play against much more talented teams except for these two: an
away tilt at Indianapolis in October, where Andrew Luck might have his sea legs under him; and a home game against the Redskins in mid-December." 
Robert Griffin III may also have his sea legs under him in mid-December, as well.  Overall, Richardson is the ultimate boom-or-bust pick.

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