Keepers Are In....

We're getting closer and closer to the most anticipated day of the season...the Draft. We are 3 days away, as the season gets closer and closer to beginning. One of the biggest deadlines in the offseason is of course, keepers. The deadline passed on Tuesday and it's time to see who's officially being kept and who'll be thrown back in the draft pool. Me, Dad, Kenny, Ryan, Leland, and Mark decided to start from scratch not keep anyone. That means Jeremy Hill, C.J. Anderson, Jimmy Graham, and LeSean McCoy are some of the notable names from our teams that'll be back in the player pool. Let's see who everyone else ended up keeping.

Matt (Dr. Light's Robots)

Keepers: Jamaal Charles, Odell Beckham

Notable Releases: Jordy Nelson (torn ACL, out for season)

Analysis: Jordy Nelson's season ending ACL injury made this a no brainer for Matt. He's going with the two main cogs of his championship roster from last year. Both guys were projected to be 1st round picks, so Matt gets outstanding value here and it's an excellent start in Matt's quest to defend his title.

Mayra (Bigger Balls)

Keepers: Antonio Brown, Le'Veon Bell

Notable Releases: Dez Bryant, Matt Forte, Andrew Luck

Analysis: Probably the toughest decision to make out of all the teams, as Mayra had to disassemble her Dream Team from of year ago and pick two out of the possible 5 guys all probable 1st round picks. I was a little shocked that Mayra, with no 3rd round pick, decided to go Bell (with a 2 game suspension) over Dez, but it does make sense. Had Mayra kept both receivers, she wouldn't pick until round 4 and by that time, the running backs become really sketchy. That Luck and Forte probably weren't even considered in the discussion shows just how talented her team last year was. She might not be able to replicate that team, but if she can survive the first two weeks of the season, Antonio Brown and Le'Veon Bell will definitely make her a contender to get back to the finals and finish the job.

Eugene (Rocket Man)

Keepers: Julio Jones, Aaron Rodgers

Notable Releases: DeMarco Murray, Calvin Johnson, Randall Cobb

Analysis: Eugene, who will basically need to have a perfect draft to contend, decided if he's going to down, he'll at least put up a decent fight, as he kept a top 2 QB and an elite WR in Julio Jones. Obviously being a 5 point per TD Pass league makes Aaron Rodgers more enticing and the sky's the limit with Julio Jones. I'm sure concerns about Calvin's decline, Murray's workload, and Cobb's questionable health entering the season, played a small part in the decision. Murray, Cobb, and Calvin are all a lock to find new homes fast as they are all in that late 1st-2nd round range, but all in all, this is a great start for Eugene, who's going to need Jones and Rodgers to perform at an elite level in order to compete this season.

Albert (Channel 4 News Team)

Keepers: A.J. Green

Notable Releases: Alshon Jeffrey, Arian Foster (injured), Peyton Manning

Analysis: Albert was the only playoff team to just keep 1 player instead of 2, and that's mainly because of the injury to Arian Foster. Had Foster not gotten hurt, I'm pretty sure Albert would've kept him along with Green. Health concerns probably made Albert hesitant about keeping Alshon Jeffrey, and a worry about a possible decline in Peyton Manning's play made him expendable as well. Keeping Green is pretty safe, as he's one of the better WR's out there. We'll see what Albert plans to do in round 2 to rebuild his roster and of course it's interesting to note he has no 3rd round pick thanks the Alshon Jeffrey trade he made last season.

Alex (Winter Is Over)

Keepers: Eddie Lacy, Drew Brees

Notable Releases: Marshawn Lynch, Rob Gronkowski

Analysis: Alex, like Mayra, had a difficult choice to make as his team was pretty loaded. Alex decided to keep the younger Lacy over Marshawn Lynch, to pair up with his hometown QB, Drew Brees. With Brees and Rodgers off the board, there goes two of the top 5 QB's for the rest of us. Alex's concern with Lynch was the heavy workload Lynch has year after year. I understand that completely as I've been thinking THIS is the year Marshawn finally slows down, only for him to keep producing elite numbers. I always fear the one year I finally give him a shot, he'll regress big time. The Brady decision didn't become official until yesterday so keeping Gronk with Brady suspended 4 games didn't seem logical at the time of keeper selection. Maybe with knowing the Brady news, Alex would've kept him, but regardless he solidified himself with a top 5 RB and top QB, so it's definitely nothing to be too upset about.

Drew (Sons Of The Harpy)

Keepers: Adrian Peterson, Demaryius Thomas

Notable Releases: Justin Forsett

Analysis: This has been rock solid since Peterson's reinstatement. There was never any doubt Drew was keeping what is going to be a potent combo. Drew won't have a 3rd round pick, but keeping two elite players like AD and Demaryius can definitely help him overcome that obstacle. Justin Forsett was never in the mix, but he's notable only because he might be late 2nd round/early 3rd round draft prospect.

Next stop....THE DRAFT ON MONDAY!!!!