This 14-team draft went down this morning. It has some quirky rules (.75 PPR, small distance-scoring bonuses), and starting lineups are 1-QB, 2-RB, 2-WR, 2-FLEX (RB/WR/TE), 1-TE, 1-K, 1 D. I drafted 12th, which is a good place to be if you want to win, but a dull one if you want to avoid a robotic choice-less exercise. Here's how it turned out:
1.12 A.J. Green - I actually like Julio Jones ever-so-slightly more this year, but I have Jones everywhere, so I went Green for diversity.
2.3 Brandon Marshall - I could have gone Jordy Nelson, but Marshall has been such a rock, both production and health-wise. Two obvious, easy picks.
3.12 Le'Veon Bell - I wanted to do something different by taking the third QB off the board in Aaron Rodgers, but Brad Evans took him one pick before me. So I went with Bell who slipped probably because people are overly worried about LeGarrette Blount. Again, zero real choice there once Rodgers was gone.
4.3 C.J. Spiller - Another mindless call as you only need to start two WR, so RBs are more scarce in this league, and Spiller was easily my top one left.
5.12 Marques Colston - A fairly easy call given it's a deeper league, and he's the No. 1 WR on the team with the highest passing yardage O/U in the league most years.
6.3 Trent Richardson - Maybe this was a choice, and not necessarily a great one. But Richardson was taken No. 3 overall for a reason. RotoWire's Brett Niemand makes a case for him here.
7.12 Dennis Pitta - The heavily-targeted TEs were flying off the board, so I got one. Boring, but necessary.
8.3 Sammy Watkins - My first interesting pick. I thought about Nick Foles or RGIII, but everyone was playing chicken on quarterbacks, so I figured I'd gamble on another trip to the top of the draft and back.
9.12 Darren Sproles - I hate Sproles, but this is nearly PPR, and he could be useable in his new environment. People still weren't drafting QBs, so I held off.
10.3 Nick Foles - I thought about letting the QBs go for another round, and it turns out I should have. I was 50/50 between Foles and RGIII, but I have RGIII in more places, so I went Foles.
11.12 Seattle D - Unbelievably RGIII was still around, and I nearly took him just to punish everyone else, but with a four-man bench you really can't hold onto two QBs for very long once the byes and injuries hit. Still, this was ridiculous, and I vowed to take him on the way back if he were there.
12.3 Dwayne Allen - RGIII was finally gone, so I went with who I thought was the best player available as you can use your TE in either of your two flex spots.
13.12 Johnny Manziel - I'll almost certainly have to drop him before long, but why not? He could be this year's version of rookie RGIII.
14.3 Ka'Deem Carey - Instead of a kicker, I took a backup RB. If Matt Forte goes down in camp, it's a great pick. If he doesn't, I drop him for my kicker before Week 1.
Here's how the team breaks down by position:
QB: Nick Foles
RB: Le'Veon Bell/C.J. Spiller
WR: A.J. Green/Brandon Marshall
FLEX: Trent Richardson/Marques Colston
TE: Dennis Pitta
D: Seahawks
BENCH: Sammy Watkins/Darren Sproles/Dwayne Allen/Johnny Manziel/Ka'Deem Carey
This was a by-the-book draft, and I think it's a strong 14-team-league squad even if it's fairly boring, and it took very little skill.