Like I said, I'm going to do my best to keep up with the blog but it will be a little bit more streamlined due to time constraints and overall just tiredness lol. No real draft grades here, but I'm just going to give my thoughts on each team's draft. Overall, I'd say I feel like it's going to be a real competitive season. I think we're going to have a lot of legit contenders and it should make up for an interesting season and playoff race. So here we go..just going to start from Dad's team who picked #1 down to Eugene's team.
Dad (Underdawg)- The irony of Dad's new team name..I don't think it's very accurate this season as I don't think he's going to be the Underdog in many matchups (Yahoo predicts a 11-2 record). I said before the draft I thought this was Dad's best chance at a championship and I still believe it. Dad took Saquon Barkley #1 and that go along with his keepers in Devonta Freeman and DeAndre Hopkins are a hell of a trio. You add an elite scoring QB like Cam Newton and this team has the potential to put up MAJOR points. The key is going to be Amari Cooper and Corey Davis. If Cooper bounces back from a abysmal season and plays like the Cooper of two years ago and Corey Davis lives up the hype he's had in the preseason, this team will be damn near unstoppable. Another underrated pick was Jamaal Williams. He's going to be the starter for the Packers to start the season and if he can impress and hold the job, that's a great guy to have as a flex play. Only weakness I really see is bench depth and Dad unnecessarily taking two backup QB's (both not that great) but even that, Dad learned his lesson and didn't take a backup until round 10. I'll give Dad his grade only because I know I've been rough on him in the past. So A+ for you Dad and good luck this season!
Albert (Channel 4 News Team)- Albert said he was going to take whoever was left between Barkley and Beckham so his "consolation prize" was Beckham. Beckham was really the only legit Round 1 graded player outside of Barkley so it's definitely a great guy to pair up with his Stefon Diggs keep. Keep in mind, his other keeper was pretty mediocre (Chris Thompson) so he had to really knock it out of the park with his draft. This crop of running backs is so hard to predict, it's basically just taking a lotto ticket and hoping it works out. Albert's success will be determined on just how good Joe Mixon and Kenyan Drake are. If they work out, then Albert, if not, Albert will sink. I thought he overdrafted Cousins in the 4th but he did back him up with Carson Wentz later. Still there was some prime talent in the 4th that he could've used to kind of provide depth should Mixon and or Drake Falter. Receivers are bland outside of Diggs/Beckham and Njoku/Howard are wild cards to trust as every week tight ends. Overall, should be at the very least a competitive team, with some good championship upside should Mixon/Drake work out.
Leland (No Soup For You)- Every year we wait for Leland's domination and every year something happens to halt it from happening. Again, this year Leland should be considered one of the favorites to win it all. He already had Hunt and David Johnson in tow, then he adds Keenan Allen and Aaron Rodgers making it a very scary foursome. A little bit of on the rest of the receivers though, Goodwin was a stud with Jimmy G late last year, we'll see if he can do that all year, and Robert Woods was a beast when healthy last year (Just ask Dad) but I still don't know if I could trust him on a team where Todd Gurley should be the main offensive weapon, while Woods will also be sharing targets with Brandin Cooks and Cooper Kupp. Nelson Algholor might be solid while Jeffrey is out, but I'm not sure how long term that is. Leland also has a couple of nice young stashes in Mike Williams and D.J. Moore, but not sure if they will be ready to contribute right away or at all. Tight End is a question mark too, as Trey Burton was a favorite in the preseason, but doesn't have much a pedigree and it IS the Bears offense. Overall though the strength of his top 4 guys allows Leland to take these kind of gambles and gambles that pay off are what win fantasy titles. Leland should know, he's a two time champ. He's definitely got a championship team and I'd probably say he's up there with Dad as overall favorite to win it all.
Matt (Light's Broken Bots)- Expect the unexpected when it comes to Matt..despite only keeping a QB, Matt zigged instead of zagging and took Gronk with the 4th pick. HUGE risk. Nobody ever questions Gronk's dominance of the TE Position..they just question how much his body can hold up. Matt's been burned by Gronk before so here's hoping for his sake he doesn't get burned again. With that said, I'm a big fan of Matt's receivers. Theilen, Juju, and Josh Gordon have the potential to be the best trio in the league and I'm not exaggerating. Josh Gordon is the biggest wildcard there is. Matt's had shares of Gordon the last 3 or 4 seasons, and he slipped to a solid spot where he took the risk again. Love the risk, and it could pay off in spades and hide Matt's deficiencies at the RB position. I like Burkhead but A)not sure as RB1 and B)that's 3 Patriots Matt's relying on this season. It's not ideal to rely on two from the same team much less 3, but it IS the Patriots, so it's not like it can't work. Matt's other rb's are Alfred Morris and Kerryon Johnson. In a league where patience is hard to have, Kerryon Johnson might end up being solid, but it also might take him a few games to solidify his role. Unfortunately because of Matt's RB depth, he's thrust basically into a flex position off the bat. Alf has the 49ers starting job for now after Jerrick McKinnon blew his ACL out. He's kinda just a guy, not a ton of upside, but should be OK. Matt's bench is also full of average older vets outside of Patrick Mahomes as his backup QB. Another team where injuries/potential will play a big part in where the season goes for Matt. Losing Gronk would be killer, so would something like Josh Gordon getting suspended or leaving the team. This team has a chance to be a playoff team if everything goes right, but also has low floor of being a cellar dweller.
Mike (Trump 2020)- Trolly team name aside, I'm actually impressed with Mike's team considering he had the least to work with as far as keepers go. Getting Devante Adams to slip to him was nice and so was redrafting Mike Evans at a cheaper round 2 price. There was a moment in the preseason where Evans could've been Mike's keeper in the 1st round. Thankfully he didn't go that route and got him anyways. A rare time where redrafting a potential keeper actually worked out. This team will go where Evans/Alex Collins/Lamar Miller take it. Evans won't have Jameis the first few games and he was MASSIVELY disappointing last year, but like Amari Cooper, we've seen how DOMINATE he can be and he's a league changer at his absolute best. The RB's are like most of our RB's..crapshoots..total dart throws. Lamar Miller isn't flashy at all, but he's the only running back in town, and with a fully healthy Deshaun Watson, he played pretty well. Alex Collins is another guy that seems to be the main back in Baltimore. They both carry risk, but it's just something you gotta go with. Not a big fan of Marshawn Lynch, but Mike did pick up Peyton Barber who's the #1 back in Tampa Bay as an insurance policy. The lack of real backup WR's is a little concerning, but he's got plenty of nice RB depth to possibly trade if need be. I definitely think this is a playoff caliber team. I won't go as far as saying championship caliber, but hey all you got to do is make the playoffs and who knows what happens. This team definitely has playoff aspirations.
Ryan (Hoosier Daddy)- So Ryan forfeited his first two picks but for good reason..he got to keep Zeke and Leonard Fournette but he hit a thud with his next two picks in my opinion. 30 is wayyy to early for Allen Robinson in my opinion. There was plenty of better talent (Chris Hogan, Fitzgerald, Marvin Jones, Ertz, Ajayi, just a few names still there). I'm also not a big fan of Demaryius Thomas as I think Emmanuel Sanders is much better suited to Case Keenum's style of play. Ryan did rebound with the Graham/Carson combo in the next two rounds. I believe Carson's going to pretty much keep that starting role this season and that's a nice guy to have as a flex play. The rest though..ugh..not a fan really. Shepard is the defacto #2 receiving option, but Evan Engram is going to get his along with Barkley. Big Ben is Big Ben and nobody on his bench looks like a dependable possible bye week fill in outside of possibly Adrian Peterson. All in All considering who he started with, a little disappointing (I wholeheartedly disagree with Yahoo's A- grade). Zeke and Fournette though should keep Ryan in the Playoff Hunt all season
Drew (I Am Queens Blvd)- Drew also had no #1 or #2 pick keeping Gurley and Dalvin Cook. This could FINALLY be the season Drew breaks out of his 1st round playoff funk as he definitely has the talent on his team to do it. I think Chris Hogan is going to be really good, especially with Edelman out and no really other decent wide receiver on the roster. I love Dion Lewis in Tennessee too, and ask Mark, he helped him win a title last year. Can't go wrong with Drew Brees and then Drew used 3 straight picks on upside WR' thought admittedly that might be the most riskiest part of this team. Having to depend on Will Fuller and Kenny Stills as WR2/3 isn't totally ideal. But with the talent around them and their ability to have high scoring games, Drew could afford to take the risk. Jack Doyle is just another tight end, could be good could be bla. Worst case Drew's fighting for a playoff spot, best case, he's in his first fantasy championship game since 2010. Definitely a darkhorse favorite to win it all this season.
Alex (SCLSU MudDogs)- Well..this could be another team I'm really not too much of a fan of. It doesn't help that the Le'Veon Bell situation could drag on. I'm legit not a fan any of Alex's picks..but that's just my personal preference. Doug Baldwin has a nagging knee injury that seems will be a problem every week, LeSean McCoy is getting up there in age and has legal troubles over his head, Brandin Cooks is overrated and how Mark won a title with him as #1 pick is super crazy, Delanie Walker is ok, though I'd probably would've waited for a tight end at that point, Funchess could be good but there's a lot of mouths to feed in that Carolina offense and you still have to wonder how Andrew Luck will hold up in real NFL games. I've been wrong numerous times thoughout the years, but I'm just not really seeing a playoff bound team here.
Me (Rigmas Forever)- Now it's my turn, and I'm usually my harshest critic. Kept Kamara and Michael Thomas and basically have had Jordan Howard on my radar all preseason. Not really because I love him..just because of necessity, knowing how bad the RB's are. Howard was MAD frustrating to own last year due to his total lack of pass catching abilities. Regardless he was still the best back on the board left and felt like I had to take him. Hopefully the Bears coach speak is a reality and Howard is a true workhorse back and they give him a few shots as pass catcher as well. I was decided between him and A.J. Green and I really wanted Green but just couldn't pass up Howard. T.Y. Hilton is a high boom/bust option, but I'm actually ok with that because I have two consistent receivers in Larry Fitzgerald (Felt like he dropped considerably to be considered a steal) and Michael Thomas. I'm a big fan of my receiving group and also have Emmanuel Sanders and Tyler Lockett (two guys I'm high on) on my bench for depth. I think Ajayi too is a hell of flex option. I'm not thrilled with Russell Wilson, but he still has high scoring upside, and he was the last of the "elite" QB's left on the board. My Tight End always seems lacking ,but Kyle Rudolph seems more than serviceable. I feel like I have a great mix of guys that can contribute right away and intriguing stashes (Sony Michel, Nick Chubb, John Ross, and also drafted Darrius Guice and IR'd him as a 14th round pick). I'm actually kind of high on my team and I'd definitely put myself in the mix for possibly championship contendership. I'd be super disappointed if I didn't at the very least make the playoffs but it wouldn't shock me in the least the way my luck varies.
Kenny (Scott's Tots)- If I'm Kenny, I'm a little nervous with this team. It's a very shaky team with great upside but also great bust factor. Keeping McCaffrey was the absolute right choice as there's no way in hell he would've made it past the first round if unkept. You could tell though that Kenny wanted Watson too and he decided to reach and take him in Round 3, which is admittedly an un Kenny like move. Watson definitely has the upside potential to be worth it, but man it comes with a ton of risk. Moves like this, and also gambling on two suspended players (Edelman and Ingram) cost Kenny some depth. He got Ertz at a nice price, but counting on guys like Carlos Hyde, Jordan Wilkins, Jordy Nelson, and Sammy Watkins doesn't exactly scream confidence. Kenny definitely has the talent to keep afloat before Edelman and Ingram come back, but his first 4 guys are going to have to be on point. This is seriously one team where the ceiling is championship and the floor is bottom of the league. Should be very interesting.
Mark (Shock The Monkey)- Sorry Champ..not feeling this team at ALL. Kelce in the first round over A.J. Green was shocking. I honestly think Mark could've ended up with Kelce anyways had he gone Green first..but Golden Tate..ugh..that early? Misfire in my eyes. I'd basically would've rather had everyone after him besides Allen Robinson and up LeSean McCoy. He's good..but not early 2nd round good. Two Part Time running backs in Royce Freeman and Derrick Henry, Robby Anderson has at least some intriguing upside. Alshon's hurt for a few weeks, not a fan a Jimmy G from a fantasy perspective, and guys like Duke Johnson and Randall Cobb just don't move the needle for me. I'm not seeing fantasy playoffs for this team, but hell..maybe I just completely jinxed it now.
Eugene (Rocket Man)- Last but not least..Eugene and he benefitted from A.J. Green slipping. A.J. Green and Julio is an absolutely lethal 1-2 punch. Eugene though went a little bit too WR heavy, taking Jarvis Landry and Marvin Jones after Green. 3 picks..(4 including keeper Julio) 3 WR's. Outside of Gordon, RB's are where Eugene severly lacks solid depth in. Ronald Jones just isn't ready to contribute fantasy wise yet, and Matt Breida might be OK as the catch passing back. Marlon Mack is hurt. He does have a couple of intriguing stashes (Calvin Ridley/Courtland Sutton) but again it's an already crowded receiving group. Matthew Stafford is who he is basically, he's definitely serviceable as a starter. Those RB's might be a downfall and I see this a fringe borderline playoff team that might be fighting for the final playoff spot.
Alright and that'll do it! I'll have my predictions tomorrow night and Thursday night football kicks off Week 1!
