Trendsetters 2014

[RiFF]

Slot #4 Rounds 17-24:

17.11 - Mark Ingram(RB53) - If Saints maintain status quo probably not a good pick. They are cap strapped and with Robinson showing signs they may jettison a RB. If its Sproles or Thomas, Ingram should get a bigger role; if it's Ingram he may find a better fit.

18.04 - Rashard Mendenhall(RB55) - Arians wants to resign him. If he does resign he'll probably have a similar role as '13 in which he finished as RB 29.

19.11 - Mike Williams(WR70) - HIGH risk with the chance of a decent payoff. Coming off an injury with a myriad of off field issues...and a new coaching staff. Who knows....thought the upside made sense at this point.

20.04 - Brandon Pettigrew(TE36) - F/A who may or may not resign in Det. Regardless if he resigns or moves to a TE needy team he should be in the 40-50 reception range and have a few bankable weeks in a TEBC.

21.11 - Brent Celek(TE37) - As with Pettigrew, expectations are not high but should provide a few decent weeks in a TEBC, I wouldn't want to be in a position to have to insert either Celek or Pettigrew into a weekly lineup...but obviously in a DE they only show up in the few weeks they produce.

22,04 - Chris Given(WR82) - He had a decent rookie campaign with Bradford at QB. More was expected in '13 but his trajectory was interrupted with Bradford's injury. May get back on track with Bradford's return. Would expect at minimum a few usable weeks.

23.11 - Marcel Reece(RB80) - Won't get much on the ground but should be in the 40 reception range which will allow him to score decently in weeks he adds a TD. May garner a larger role for a few weeks if injuries hit.

24.04 - Greg Little(WR92) - Clearly didn't fit in the Chud/Turner scheme...with K Shanahan... maybe. It could be he just sucks.

Roster through 24 rounds:

QB: Brady
QB: Wilson

RB: AP
RB: Foster
RB: Rice
RB: Ingram
RB: Mendenhall
RB: Reece

WR: Hilton
WR: Shorts
WR: Bowe
WR: Steve Johnson
WR: Nicks
WR: M Williams
WR: C Givens
WR: G Little

TE: Eifert
TE: Gates
TE: Pettigrew
TE: Celek

D: SF
D: NE

K: Gostkowski
K: Suisham

I'd anticipate filling in at the skill positions with bpa when the draft starts back up after the NFL draft. Wouldn't like this roster in a regular format....but believe it has potential in a 14 team DE.

[Sabretooth]

Here is my team from the 2 spot after 24 rounds.

QB Ryan,Tannehill

RB McCoy,Tate,Jennings,Pierce,Green-ellis,L Murray,C Polk,Leshoure

WR Garcon,Wright,M Jones,S Smith,Hartline,Royal,Cotchery

TE J Thomas,Fleener,A Robinson

K Folk Gano

D Chargers,Falcons

Overall I like this team, it is a little different than what i usually do In Trendsetters but than again I have never won this league so something had to give. I like my potential 100 catch Wrs in Garcon and Wright and my wr group as a whole. I need Tate,jennings and pierce to get starting jobs or at least have big roles. It would be nice for adrien robinson to break out at Te and give me another flex option.I might be a little shaky at K and D hopefully it's not a big deal. This is a very competitive league as always. I can't wait until May!!!

[Glenneration X]

I love the Trendsetters draft. Kicking off right after the final gun of the Super Bowl as the very first draft of the season and when football is still fresh in our minds. Split up into multiple phases with three week breaks in between so each phase leaves you wanting more. Rookie picks made for "slots" in a separate rookie draft which takes place after the NFL draft instead of for the players themselves. All this has made these drafts one of if not the most unique format I participate in each season.

This will be my 5th season as part of Trendsetters. One of my proudest accomplishments in this hobby is winning twice in my first 4 tries at this unique format, in drafts this early in the off-season, against competition this formidable, currently the only multiple winner of this format. This season I try for the title from the 11 spot.

I preferred an early pick and set up my KDS accordingly. Starting with Jamaal Charles, Lesean McCoy, ADP, or Forte would provide a strong edge at RB that would be difficult for others to make up. However, if that wasn't in the cards, I preferred to move to the back 1/3 of the draft where I would be guaranteed one of the elite options at WR that I would hopefully be able to couple with solid RB options in the 2nd and 3rd rounds. The following is how that strategy played out through the first 8 round phase of this year's Trendsetters.

1.11 - AJ Green - I wanted an elite WR option here and outside of Calvin and Demaryious, I had my choice of several. It came down to AJ Green and Josh Gordon. Though I feel Gordon has a "slightly" higher ceiling, I also think he has a significantly lower floor, 2013 Justin Blackmon low. I went with an elite option that I won't have to sweat out every news report out of Cleveland.

2.4 - Doug Martin - Brandon Marshall was available. It was very, very difficult to pass on him here. Looking back on the draft now, I kind of which I hadn't. And I wouldn't have passed on Marshall if Doug Martin wasn't there. It definitely wasn't the safe pick. However, a year ago I believe Martin was the first pick in the Trendsetters draft and I'd be surprised if there was one draft that he didn't go top-3. True, he is coming off an injury plagued and very ineffective season. However, the Bucs did manage to get their running game going after Martin went down with lesser talents in Mike James and Bobby Rainey. Maybe Martin doesn't get back to his 2012 form, but if he just produces along the lines of what James & Rainey showed was possible, he'd be a solid choice here.

3.4 - Aaron Rodgers - I was all set to take Reggie Bush here. I wanted him here. I thought he was a perfect pick for how I wanted to build my team. Alas, it was not to be. Just as I was ready to type in the Detroit multi-purpose back's name, Jeff Clampitt stole him right out from my greedy hands with the pick just before mine. There were no other backs I had to have here. I did give some thought to Randall Cobb, but considering the NFBC's 6 points per passing TD format, I decided to grab his teammate and the last of the elite top tier QB options still on the board. I hoped a QB run would follow.

4.11 - Ryan Mathews - Of course no QB's went since my Rodgers pick. Still I had what I felt was a potential top option at QB, RB, & WR rostered after 3 picks, so I wasn't too disappointed. Ryan Mathews was an easy pick for me here. Always a premium talent but an enigma as well, he did show what he was capable of the 2nd half of last season when SD finally made him the centerpoint of their offense. Of course, his late season ankle injury did remind us of why he's such a risky pick. However, as my 2nd back in the late 4th round, I was happy to grab him here. I gave about a second's thought to Alfred Morris only because I was surprised to see him still on the board. However, 9 catches in an entire season? I guess with this caliber of fellow drafters, that explains why he was still there. I decided I didn't want him yet either.

5.4 - Vernon Davis - I'm starting to worry about WR a bit. I have AJ Green, but nothing else through 4 rounds. Still, WR is by far the deepest position once you get past the top tier. I give thought to receivers like Edelman, Wayne, Blackmon, Patterson, Wallace, etc. etc. However, it's the etc. etc. that makes me push 2nd receiver one more round. There's still plenty of usable options remaining, especially in a DC format. I decide instead to grab a player who arguably could be the second best option at TE and at minimum leaves my roster with at least one top option at each of the four primary positions.

6.11 - Marques Colston - Still plenty of usable receiver options, though getting shallower by the round, I feel 2nd receiver is absolutely mandated here. Colston or Boldin. I chose Colston as his 2nd half reminded me of how much Brees looks to and depends on him. I think that continues at least one more season, while Crabtree's availability right from the beginning of next season might minimize Boldin somewhat. The three year difference in age also played a factor in this choice.

7.4 - Rookie #2 - There are several veteran players I consider here, but am more than a little surprised only one rookie pick's been taken to this point. Considering rookies like Gio Bernard, Eddie Lacy, and pre-injury Leveon Bell were going well before this round last season, this could be a huge value pick at this point. Either I get Sammy Watkins or the rookie RB who falls into the best position, dependent upon what Wayne does with the first rookie pick.

8.11 - Deandre Hopkins - Many of the receivers that were still on the board that caused me to wait on the position have flown off the board in the last round or two. I decide I need to take a 3rd receiver here. There's a few I consider, but I decide to go with the one who I believe may have the highest upside, which is what I need at the position having waited. I'm hoping Hopkins' pedigree and the recent trend of 2nd year receivers breaking out turns this pick into gold.

Summary - Eight picks down, 3 weeks until I get to make another one. I believe this team to have a solid mix of players who will bring pretty reliable production and those who could provide nice upside. Yet, there's still a long way to go and the picks who will win this for someone have yet to be made. A late round Arian Foster won me my first title (sorry again Wayne), late rounders Alfred Morris & RGIII my 2nd. We'll see what relative unknowns win it for somebody this season. I already can't wait 'til the next phase.

And with the end of the 24th round, we break until May after the NFL draft, where those who took rookie placeholders will fill out the current gaps in their rosters with these rookie picks. Then all of us will complete the last 6 rounds of this year's Trendsetters draft.

The following is how the draft went for me from rounds 9 through 24.

9.4 - Stevan Ridley - If (and when) Blount goes elsewhere, Ridley returns to his solo role as the between the tackles and short yardage hammer. He's a very effective runner and goal line back and I think comes at a decent price at player 116 off the board and a RB3 (possibly RB4 dependent upon what I do with rookie pick #2). If only he could hold onto the ball and stay out of Belichek's doghouse.

10.11 - EJ Manuel - Starting QB's with the definitive role on their team were growing extremely scarce. It was time to take my number 2.

11.4 - Rookie #5 - I was planning to take another rookie here from the moment I grabbed Ridley and Manuel at the last turn. I thought the rookie picks were becoming real values and big upside plays when compared to the veteran players still left on the board. Of course, Wayne grabbed rookies with both his picks on the turn before the draft got back to me. Noone else did though. I decided the rookie #5 was still the best upside play for this team while also allowing me to go BPA with my first rookie choice instead of having to go for a position of need as I'd have this pick to fall back on.

12.11 - Bengals D

13.4 - Mason Crosby

14.11 - Alex Henery

15.4 - Ravens D - If you didn't notice, we were in that ugly part of the draft where everyone was taking their K's and D's. I don't like to push too much or wait too long in Trendsetters once they start flying off the board. This crew is infamous for making you pay for rolling the dice by waiting on these boring but required positions.

16.11 - Golden Tate - I believe Tate to be a solid WR 4/5 in this format. Seattle might open things up a bit in Russell Wilson's 3rd year and Harvin's presence should loosen things up on the outside some. At minimum, I think Tate's a given for a few solid weeks of contribution in this format.

17-4 - Rookie #7 - Outside of Wayne and myself, the other Trendsetters drafters seem to by shying away from the rookie picks this year. I'm not really sure why. In previous years, these picks went much, much earlier and did return decent value.

18.11 - Travis Kelce - Murmers out of KC that he will be a much more active part of the offense next year. An upside play at TE2 with talent and opportunity.

19.4 - D'arick Rogers - Boom or bust pick. He may already be the most versatile and physically gifted receiver on the Colts. We'll see if he gets the opportunity and can keep his nose clean. If he does/can, I believe he can be a difference maker.

20.11 - Titans D - Why not? It was late in the draft and to find a 3rd defense this late in a DC format isn't bad value. It might throw a few extra points to this team's overall total through the course of the year.

21.4 - Rookie #9 - I still think the rookie picks are lasting way too long.

22.11 - Stephen Hill - Hopefully he puts it together this year and stays on the field. He does have talent and not much competition for snaps. (And is on the greatest team in football, the J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets!!!)

23.4 - Rookie #11 - I know, I know, it's redundant. However, last year in early DC drafts, the 11th rookie off boards were players like Zac Stacy, Keenan Allen, and Andre Ellington. With that history, what in the veteran player pool looks better?

24.11 - Joseph Randle - I needed depth at RB and the RB pool was depleted. When scrounging around for flyers, why not grab a backup with two injury prone backs ahead of him on the depth chart.


So as we wait for the NFL draft, my roster is the following:

QB - Aaron Rodgers, EJ Manuel

RB - Doug Martin, Ryan Mathews, Stevan Ridley, Joseph Randle

WR - AJ Green, Marques Colston, DeAndre Hopkins, Golden Tate, D'arick Rogers, Stephen Hill

TE - Vernon Davis, Travis Kelce

K - Mason Crosby, Alex Henery

D - Bengals, Ravens, Titans

.....And of course, the five (5) rookie picks.

Summary - I do like the upside and talent on my team, but with so many picks dedicated to rookies yet to be rostered, the roster is obviously a little shallow. Those rookies will be the key to this team. If I'm able to find some combination of this year's Eddie Lacy, Gio Bernard, Leovan Bell, Zac Stacy, Andre Ellington, Keenan Allen, and Jordan Reed, this team could win it the league. If the picks turn out like Christine Michael or Quinton Patton.....well let's just say there's always next year.

[BigBlueNation]

My team thru Rd. 24

QB...MStafford, RG III (Stafford needs to be a top 5 QB. I'll take RGIII as a BYE week fill-in)

RB...MLynch, AEllington, MLattimore, CMichael, MJames, BCunningham, RBurkhead (Lots of youth and hopes and dreams)

WR...AJeffrey, RCobb, TWilliams, JHunter, MGoodwin, JKerley, TJGraham (I love the upside of TWill and Hunter)

TE...JReed, ZErtz, JFauria, LWilson (all sophomoric)

PK...PDawson, BWalsh

D/ST...NOSaints, PSteelers

My thoughts... I have lots of 2nd year guys, lots of youth...could be a very mediocre team...

Look forward to starting up again. I have a couple ROOKS I'm looking at and hope slide to me for my next pick.

[BillyWaz]

Here is my team through 24 rounds....

QB- Tony Romo, Ben Roethlisberger

RB- Chris Johnson, Trent Richardson, Frank Gore, LeGarrette Blount, Lance Dunbar, Brandon Bolden

WR- DeMaryius Thomas, Brandon Marshall, Julian Edelman, Kenny Stills, LaVon Brazill, Ted Ginn, Donnie Avery

TE- Delanie Walker, Jared Cook, Brandon Bostick

K- Adam Vinatieri, Randy Bullock

D- Dallas, Detroit, Washington

ROOKIE #8

My WR's are obviously a strength. If Edelman stays in New England, I should have a strong hold on that position.

Where Chris Johnson goes, how Trent Richardson responds this year, and who is carrying the rock in New England once Ridley starts fumbling will be key for me. Frank Gore still has 3-4 games where he can hit 15-20 IMO.

QB's are OK, TE's are OK, but like Bostick's potential. The 3 defenses are average, but all together in a DC should be better than average.

ROOKIE #8 will be spent on the best available player to help my team.

[David U Kennedy]

Here is my team through 24 rounds....

QB- Tony Romo, Ben Roethlisberger

RB- Chris Johnson, Trent Richardson, Frank Gore, LeGarrette Blount, Lance Dunbar, Brandon Bolden

WR- DeMaryius Thomas, Brandon Marshall, Julian Edelman, Kenny Stills, LaVon Brazill, Ted Ginn, Donnie Avery

TE- Delanie Walker, Jared Cook, Brandon Bostick

K- Adam Vinatieri, Randy Bullock

D- Dallas, Detroit, Washington

ROOKIE #8

My WR's are obviously a strength. If Edelman stays in New England, I should have a strong hold on that position.

Where Chris Johnson goes, how Trent Richardson responds this year, and who is carrying the rock in New England once Ridley starts fumbling will be key for me. Frank Gore still has 3-4 games where he can hit 15-20 IMO.

QB's are OK, TE's are OK, but like Bostick's potential. The 3 defenses are average, but all together in a DC should be better than average.

ROOKIE #8 will be spent on the best available player to help my team.

Those Rbs look less then stellar . TE is a problem too. I do like the WRs. Middle of the pack most likely. But it is early. I think Stills might be your best pick.

[BillyWaz]

Here is my team through 24 rounds....

QB- Tony Romo, Ben Roethlisberger

RB- Chris Johnson, Trent Richardson, Frank Gore, LeGarrette Blount, Lance Dunbar, Brandon Bolden

WR- DeMaryius Thomas, Brandon Marshall, Julian Edelman, Kenny Stills, LaVon Brazill, Ted Ginn, Donnie Avery

TE- Delanie Walker, Jared Cook, Brandon Bostick

K- Adam Vinatieri, Randy Bullock

D- Dallas, Detroit, Washington

ROOKIE #8

My WR's are obviously a strength. If Edelman stays in New England, I should have a strong hold on that position.

Where Chris Johnson goes, how Trent Richardson responds this year, and who is carrying the rock in New England once Ridley starts fumbling will be key for me. Frank Gore still has 3-4 games where he can hit 15-20 IMO.

QB's are OK, TE's are OK, but like Bostick's potential. The 3 defenses are average, but all together in a DC should be better than average.

ROOKIE #8 will be spent on the best available player to help my team.

Those Rbs look less then stellar . TE is a problem too. I do like the WRs. Middle of the pack most likely. But it is early. I think Stills might be your best pick.

[/quote]I agree the RB's don't look all that great, David. Where Chris Johnson ends up will be key, and can Trent rebound? I don't think Gore is done, and if Blount resigns, I think I will get decent value from the NE RB situation because I don't trust Ridley and if Vereen carries 5x a game, he will be hurt.

TE's will be average.

With Edelman resigning, my top 3 WR's should be scoring machines and Kenny Stills is the kicker. With 2 solid QB's in Romo and Ben, I would say I am in the top 5 as of right now. But like you said....it is early. [/quote]

[BigBlueNation]

We finished this week. Here's my final roster:

QB...MStafford, RGIII, KCousins

RB...MLynch, AEllington, MLattimore, CMichael, MJames, BCunningham, RBurkhead

WR...AJeffrey, RCobb, TWilliams, JHunter, MGoodwin, JKerley, TJGraham, OBeckham, DAdams, DMoncrief, TJJones

TE...JReed, ZErtz, JFauria, LWillson, TNiklas

PK...PDawson, BWalsh

D/ST...NewOrleans, Pittsburgh

I think my QB combo is very adequate. A healthy JReed and the addition of DJax can only help RGIII. I need Lynch and Ellington to perform like RB1 and RB2 especially since all my other RB's, except Michael, are on teams that drafted promising RBs. I like Jeffrey and Cobb a lot, TWill should get his chances, JHunter has big play potential. As for the Rookies, first year WR's don't usually excel, but OBeckham and DAdams could see the field. Watch out for TJJones in Detroit, he's a good route runner that doesn't mind going over the middle and there third WR slot is there for the taking. My TE's, JReed and ZErtz have plenty of upside, JFauria's chances were squelched with the signing of EEbron. Niklas was a good blocking TE with catch ability in college. We'll see how it turns out, you never know when you start a draft in February, go through the free agent period and the NFL draft, but I feel okay with this team as long as the injury bug doesn't get me. HA,HA,HA

[Glenneration X]

I love the Trendsetters draft. Kicking off right after the final gun of the Super Bowl as the very first draft of the season and when football is still fresh in our minds. Split up into multiple phases with three week breaks in between so each phase leaves you wanting more. Rookie picks made for "slots" in a separate rookie draft which takes place after the NFL draft instead of for the players themselves. All this has made these drafts one of if not the most unique format I participate in each season.

This will be my 5th season as part of Trendsetters. One of my proudest accomplishments in this hobby is winning twice in my first 4 tries at this unique format, in drafts this early in the off-season, against competition this formidable, currently the only multiple winner of this format. This season I try for the title from the 11 spot.

I preferred an early pick and set up my KDS accordingly. Starting with Jamaal Charles, Lesean McCoy, ADP, or Forte would provide a strong edge at RB that would be difficult for others to make up. However, if that wasn't in the cards, I preferred to move to the back 1/3 of the draft where I would be guaranteed one of the elite options at WR that I would hopefully be able to couple with solid RB options in the 2nd and 3rd rounds. The following is how that strategy played out through the first 8 round phase of this year's Trendsetters.

1.11 - AJ Green - I wanted an elite WR option here and outside of Calvin and Demaryious, I had my choice of several. It came down to AJ Green and Josh Gordon. Though I feel Gordon has a "slightly" higher ceiling, I also think he has a significantly lower floor, 2013 Justin Blackmon low. I went with an elite option that I won't have to sweat out every news report out of Cleveland.

2.4 - Doug Martin - Brandon Marshall was available. It was very, very difficult to pass on him here. Looking back on the draft now, I kind of which I hadn't. And I wouldn't have passed on Marshall if Doug Martin wasn't there. It definitely wasn't the safe pick. However, a year ago I believe Martin was the first pick in the Trendsetters draft and I'd be surprised if there was one draft that he didn't go top-3. True, he is coming off an injury plagued and very ineffective season. However, the Bucs did manage to get their running game going after Martin went down with lesser talents in Mike James and Bobby Rainey. Maybe Martin doesn't get back to his 2012 form, but if he just produces along the lines of what James & Rainey showed was possible, he'd be a solid choice here.

3.4 - Aaron Rodgers - I was all set to take Reggie Bush here. I wanted him here. I thought he was a perfect pick for how I wanted to build my team. Alas, it was not to be. Just as I was ready to type in the Detroit multi-purpose back's name, Jeff Clampitt stole him right out from my greedy hands with the pick just before mine. There were no other backs I had to have here. I did give some thought to Randall Cobb, but considering the NFBC's 6 points per passing TD format, I decided to grab his teammate and the last of the elite top tier QB options still on the board. I hoped a QB run would follow.

4.11 - Ryan Mathews - Of course no QB's went since my Rodgers pick. Still I had what I felt was a potential top option at QB, RB, & WR rostered after 3 picks, so I wasn't too disappointed. Ryan Mathews was an easy pick for me here. Always a premium talent but an enigma as well, he did show what he was capable of the 2nd half of last season when SD finally made him the centerpoint of their offense. Of course, his late season ankle injury did remind us of why he's such a risky pick. However, as my 2nd back in the late 4th round, I was happy to grab him here. I gave about a second's thought to Alfred Morris only because I was surprised to see him still on the board. However, 9 catches in an entire season? I guess with this caliber of fellow drafters, that explains why he was still there. I decided I didn't want him yet either.

5.4 - Vernon Davis - I'm starting to worry about WR a bit. I have AJ Green, but nothing else through 4 rounds. Still, WR is by far the deepest position once you get past the top tier. I give thought to receivers like Edelman, Wayne, Blackmon, Patterson, Wallace, etc. etc. However, it's the etc. etc. that makes me push 2nd receiver one more round. There's still plenty of usable options remaining, especially in a DC format. I decide instead to grab a player who arguably could be the second best option at TE and at minimum leaves my roster with at least one top option at each of the four primary positions.

6.11 - Marques Colston - Still plenty of usable receiver options, though getting shallower by the round, I feel 2nd receiver is absolutely mandated here. Colston or Boldin. I chose Colston as his 2nd half reminded me of how much Brees looks to and depends on him. I think that continues at least one more season, while Crabtree's availability right from the beginning of next season might minimize Boldin somewhat. The three year difference in age also played a factor in this choice.

7.4 - Rookie #2 - There are several veteran players I consider here, but am more than a little surprised only one rookie pick's been taken to this point. Considering rookies like Gio Bernard, Eddie Lacy, and pre-injury Leveon Bell were going well before this round last season, this could be a huge value pick at this point. Either I get Sammy Watkins or the rookie RB who falls into the best position, dependent upon what Wayne does with the first rookie pick.

8.11 - Deandre Hopkins - Many of the receivers that were still on the board that caused me to wait on the position have flown off the board in the last round or two. I decide I need to take a 3rd receiver here. There's a few I consider, but I decide to go with the one who I believe may have the highest upside, which is what I need at the position having waited. I'm hoping Hopkins' pedigree and the recent trend of 2nd year receivers breaking out turns this pick into gold.

Summary - Eight picks down, 3 weeks until I get to make another one. I believe this team to have a solid mix of players who will bring pretty reliable production and those who could provide nice upside. Yet, there's still a long way to go and the picks who will win this for someone have yet to be made. A late round Arian Foster won me my first title (sorry again Wayne), late rounders Alfred Morris & RGIII my 2nd. We'll see what relative unknowns win it for somebody this season. I already can't wait 'til the next phase.

And with the end of the 24th round, we break until May after the NFL draft, where those who took rookie placeholders will fill out the current gaps in their rosters with these rookie picks. Then all of us will complete the last 6 rounds of this year's Trendsetters draft.

The following is how the draft went for me from rounds 9 through 24.

9.4 - Stevan Ridley - If (and when) Blount goes elsewhere, Ridley returns to his solo role as the between the tackles and short yardage hammer. He's a very effective runner and goal line back and I think comes at a decent price at player 116 off the board and a RB3 (possibly RB4 dependent upon what I do with rookie pick #2). If only he could hold onto the ball and stay out of Belichek's doghouse.

10.11 - EJ Manuel - Starting QB's with the definitive role on their team were growing extremely scarce. It was time to take my number 2.

11.4 - Rookie #5 - I was planning to take another rookie here from the moment I grabbed Ridley and Manuel at the last turn. I thought the rookie picks were becoming real values and big upside plays when compared to the veteran players still left on the board. Of course, Wayne grabbed rookies with both his picks on the turn before the draft got back to me. Noone else did though. I decided the rookie #5 was still the best upside play for this team while also allowing me to go BPA with my first rookie choice instead of having to go for a position of need as I'd have this pick to fall back on.

12.11 - Bengals D

13.4 - Mason Crosby

14.11 - Alex Henery

15.4 - Ravens D - If you didn't notice, we were in that ugly part of the draft where everyone was taking their K's and D's. I don't like to push too much or wait too long in Trendsetters once they start flying off the board. This crew is infamous for making you pay for rolling the dice by waiting on these boring but required positions.

16.11 - Golden Tate - I believe Tate to be a solid WR 4/5 in this format. Seattle might open things up a bit in Russell Wilson's 3rd year and Harvin's presence should loosen things up on the outside some. At minimum, I think Tate's a given for a few solid weeks of contribution in this format.

17-4 - Rookie #7 - Outside of Wayne and myself, the other Trendsetters drafters seem to by shying away from the rookie picks this year. I'm not really sure why. In previous years, these picks went much, much earlier and did return decent value.

18.11 - Travis Kelce - Murmers out of KC that he will be a much more active part of the offense next year. An upside play at TE2 with talent and opportunity.

19.4 - D'arick Rogers - Boom or bust pick. He may already be the most versatile and physically gifted receiver on the Colts. We'll see if he gets the opportunity and can keep his nose clean. If he does/can, I believe he can be a difference maker.

20.11 - Titans D - Why not? It was late in the draft and to find a 3rd defense this late in a DC format isn't bad value. It might throw a few extra points to this team's overall total through the course of the year.

21.4 - Rookie #9 - I still think the rookie picks are lasting way too long.

22.11 - Stephen Hill - Hopefully he puts it together this year and stays on the field. He does have talent and not much competition for snaps. (And is on the greatest team in football, the J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets!!!)

23.4 - Rookie #11 - I know, I know, it's redundant. However, last year in early DC drafts, the 11th rookie off boards were players like Zac Stacy, Keenan Allen, and Andre Ellington. With that history, what in the veteran player pool looks better?

24.11 - Joseph Randle - I needed depth at RB and the RB pool was depleted. When scrounging around for flyers, why not grab a backup with two injury prone backs ahead of him on the depth chart.


So as we wait for the NFL draft, my roster is the following:

QB - Aaron Rodgers, EJ Manuel

RB - Doug Martin, Ryan Mathews, Stevan Ridley, Joseph Randle

WR - AJ Green, Marques Colston, DeAndre Hopkins, Golden Tate, D'arick Rogers, Stephen Hill

TE - Vernon Davis, Travis Kelce

K - Mason Crosby, Alex Henery

D - Bengals, Ravens, Titans

.....And of course, the five (5) rookie picks.

Summary - I do like the upside and talent on my team, but with so many picks dedicated to rookies yet to be rostered, the roster is obviously a little shallow. Those rookies will be the key to this team. If I'm able to find some combination of this year's Eddie Lacy, Gio Bernard, Leovan Bell, Zac Stacy, Andre Ellington, Keenan Allen, and Jordan Reed, this team could win it the league. If the picks turn out like Christine Michael or Quinton Patton.....well let's just say there's always next year.

A couple months have gone by since we last left off with this Trendsetters draft and with it free agency and the NFL draft changing the landscape and the expectations for some of our picks made prior.

I invested quite a few of my first 24 picks on rookie picks to be made during the Trendsetters "rookie phase" that immediately followed the NFL draft. This phase was critical to my team with my owning so many of these picks and my depth was dependent on hitting on a few. I had the 2nd, 5th, 7th, 9th, and 12th out of 13 rookie picks made total. The following is how the rookie phase played out for me (the corresponding regular pick invested during the regular draft is in parenthesis):

2 - Sammy Watkins (corresponding regular draft pick 7.4) - Needing depth everywhere, it was either Watkins or Sankey for me here dependent upon whomever Wayne took with the first rookie pick. Wayne grabbed Sankey, so I followed up with Watkins. I gave some thought to Mike Evans, but went with the better talent rather than situation.

5 - Brandin Cooks (corresponding regular draft pick 11.4) - Wayne had the 3 & 4 picks and grabbed Evans & Benjamin. I went with another WR, as outside of Sankey, there's no "sure" bets for production from the remaining rookie RB's. Cooks is walking into a great situation by being drafted by a great offense that needs to fill the holes left by the departures of Sproles & Moore.

7 - Terrance West (corresponding regular draft pick 17.4) - It was time to address my RB depth. With the 7th rookie pick, I grabbed a RB drafted by a team that will almost surely have a ton of carries to go around and led by the injury prone Ben Tate.

9 - Tre Mason (corresponding regular draft pick 21.4) - Continuing to build RB depth with rookie RB's almost surely to have some role this season.

12 - Davonte Freeman (corresponding regular draft pick 23.4) - May be the best bet of all the rookie backs I've chosen to have a large role this season. At minimum, should jump ahead of Jaquizz. If Jackson starts showing his age a little more, then this could be real big.


Once the rookie phase was completed, we jumped immediately into the final 6 rounds of this years Trendsetters:

25.4 - Austin Seferian-Jenkins - Another rookie for depth, but this time at TE. Rookie TE's don't often contribute much, but he should at least be a factor around the goal line.

26.11 - Chad Henne - The Jags say they want Bortles to sit and learn the entire season. Henne's not great, but has had his moments and a starting QB as my 3rd QB in the 26th round could provide great value.

27.4 - Charles Sims - Yet another rookie. This one serving as another flyer for depth but also as a handcuff for my early Doug Martin choice. Not in love with the player, but perfect fit for my team here.

28.11 - Charles Johnson - All the physical tools, except of course health. There's certainly a need for receivers in Cleveland. If he can get healthy and an opportunity, an upside flyer.

29.4 - Maikon Bonani - Will be in the competition for the Titan's kicking job.

30.11 - Robert Herron - Will be given the opportunity to win the slot receiver role for the Bucs right out of the gate. Why the hell not?


So my final roster:

QB - Aaron Rodgers, EJ Manuel, Chad Henne

RB - Doug Martin, Ryan Mathews, Steven Ridley, Terrance West, Tre Mason, Devonte Freeman, Joseph Randle, Charles Sims

WR - AJ Green, Marques Colston, Sammy Watkins, Deandre Hopkins, Brandin Cooks, Golden Tate, Darick Rogers, Stephen Hill, Charles Johnson, Robert Herron

TE - Vernon Davis, Travis Kelce, Austin Seferian-Jenkins

D - Bengals, Ravens, Titans

K - Mason Crosby, Alex Henery, Maikon Bonani


Always one of the most fun and competitive drafts of the year, I had a blast once again. Looking forward to seeing how this plays out and already looking forward to next year's draft.

[David U Kennedy]

So my final roster:

QB - Aaron Rodgers, EJ Manuel, Chad Henne

RB - Doug Martin, Ryan Mathews, Steven Ridley, Terrance West, Tre Mason, Devonte Freeman, Joseph Randle, Charles Sims

WR - AJ Green, Marques Colston, Sammy Watkins, Deandre Hopkins, Brandin Cooks, Golden Tate, Darick Rogers, Stephen Hill, Charles Johnson, Robert Herron

TE - Vernon Davis, Travis Kelce, Austin Seferian-Jenkins

D - Bengals, Ravens, Titans

K - Mason Crosby, Alex Henery, Maikon Bonani


Always one of the most fun and competitive drafts of the year, I had a blast once again. Looking forward to seeing how this plays out and already looking forward to next year's draft.[/quote]

QBs look adequate and you have some nice RBs with upside. I think you missed at WR. I like Watkins and I am a Bill's fan but he probably will end up with 900 yards and maybe 8 tds. I don't like him as a WR3. Maybe just preference but I don't see Hopkins and Colston as anything special. The rest of those WRs look pretty ugly but Cooks could be alright. Your TE's look average. I was a big Davis supporter last year but with a healthy Crabs and Stevie as a slot WR he becomes just another cog and not a focal point. In summation I would love to have your RB upside but your WR depth maybe a downfall. I think Randle, Rogers, and Hill are wasted pix.