NFFC Magazine Draft On Tuesday, July 10th

[Riverdog]

It was a fun draft. So early but the drafts are very interesting to me so far with who is falling to the 4th, 5th, and even 6th rounds etc.

Here is our team (Pickpockets Jim Nicola and Todd Ullman)

QB
P. Rivers
A. Luck
RB

L. McCoy
St. Jackson
A. Bradshaw
Mendenhall
C. Benson
Ronnie Brown

WR
W. Welker
R Wayne
Crabtree
A. Boldin
R. Moss
Ocho Cinco
A. Jeffrey
Massaquoi

TE
J. Witten
V. Davis

SF 49ers DEF

Janikowski


Overall we are very happy. I could see a couple places where we could have taken a better WR so that will be key. Making sure we have 3 good WR plays each week. Welker is solid and if R Moss or Ocho has a magical year that would help.

The TE, TE (Witten, V. Davis) pick back to back in round 5 and 6 seems strange but we just thought it was the best value on the board.

We had a little fun and took the top DEF and one of the top K (SF and Janikowski) but that could prove to be a reliable edge against this tough field. It feels like we gambled in this draft. Should be fun to see how it plays out.

[Shrink Attack]

Interesting how Tom and Todd both have Rivers as QB...must be new drafting rules for the NFFC.

How do y'all decide who gets to start him each week?

[Greg Ambrosius]

Interesting how Tom and Todd both have Rivers as QB...must be new drafting rules for the NFFC.

How do y'all decide who gets to start him each week?

good catch. Todd has Matt Ryan.

[Greg Ambrosius]

We will be publishing the complete results in our NFFC co-branded magazine that hits newsstands Aug. 2nd, so let's show the first half of the draft in full here. It was a fun draft that we finished in 1 hour and 40 minutes. Everyone was sharp and ready. Here's the first half results:

Round 1:
1 1 Arian Foster RB Team Kessenich
1 2 Ray Rice RB Team Engel
1 3 LeSean McCoy RB Pickpockets
1 4 Aaron Rodgers QB Team Rundle
1 5 Calvin Johnson WR BigBlueNation
1 6 Tom Brady QB Game Face
1 7 Ryan Mathews RB Team Clum
1 8 Trent Richardson RB Team Hansen
1 9 Chris Johnson RB Team Sousa
1 10 Matthew Stafford QB Johnny Hammersticks
1 11 Darren McFadden RB Team Treffiletti
1 12 Maurice Jones-Drew RB Team Ambrosius

Round 2:
2 1 Drew Brees QB Team Ambrosius
2 2 Matt Forte RB Team Treffiletti
2 3 Jimmy Graham TE Johnny Hammersticks
2 4 Larry Fitzgerald WR Team Sousa
2 5 Cam Newton QB Team Hansen
2 6 Andre Johnson WR Team Clum
2 7 DeMarco Murray RB Game Face
2 8 Rob Gronkowski TE BigBlueNation
2 9 Marshawn Lynch RB Team Rundle
2 10 Wes Welker WR Pickpockets
2 11 A.J. Green WR Team Engel
2 12 Adrian Peterson RB Team Kessenich

Round 3:
3 1 Roddy White WR Team Ambrosius
3 2 Mike Wallace WR Team Treffiletti
3 3 Darren Sproles RB Johnny Hammersticks
3 4 Jamaal Charles RB Team Sousa
3 5 Brandon Marshall WR Team Hansen
3 6 Julio Jones WR Team Clum
3 7 Jordy Nelson WR Game Face
3 8 Greg Jennings WR BigBlueNation
3 9 Dez Bryant WR Team Rundle
3 10 Steven Jackson RB Pickpockets
3 11 Victor Cruz WR Team Engel
3 12 Steve Smith WR Team Kessenich

Round 4:
4 1 Dwayne Bowe WR Team Kessenich
4 2 Fred Jackson RB Team Engel
4 3 Ahmad Bradshaw RB Pickpockets
4 4 Jeremy Maclin WR Team Rundle
4 5 Tony Romo QB BigBlueNation
4 6 Demaryius Thomas WR Game Face
4 7 Hakeem Nicks WR Team Clum
4 8 Doug Martin RB Team Hansen
4 9 Percy Harvin WR Team Sousa
4 10 Miles Austin WR Johnny Hammersticks
4 11 Vincent Jackson WR Team Treffiletti
4 12 Marques Colston WR Team Ambrosius

Round 5:
5 1 Kenny Britt WR Team Ambrosius
5 2 Antonio Gates TE Team Treffiletti
5 3 Brandon Lloyd WR Johnny Hammersticks
5 4 Michael Vick QB Team Sousa
5 5 Antonio Brown WR Team Hansen
5 6 Michael Turner RB Team Clum
5 7 Aaron Hernandez TE Game Face
5 8 Frank Gore RB BigBlueNation
5 9 Stevie Johnson WR Team Rundle
5 10 Jason Witten TE Pickpockets
5 11 Eric Decker WR Team Engel
5 12 Philip Rivers QB Team Kessenich

Round 6:
6 1 Jermichael Finley TE Team Kessenich
6 2 Eli Manning QB Team Engel
6 3 Vernon Davis TE Pickpockets
6 4 Jonathan Stewart RB Team Rundle
6 5 Reggie Bush RB BigBlueNation
6 6 Isaac Redman RB Game Face
6 7 Shonn Greene RB Team Clum
6 8 C.J. Spiller RB Team Hansen
6 9 DeSean Jackson WR Team Sousa
6 10 Roy Helu RB Johnny Hammersticks
6 11 Robert Meachem WR Team Treffiletti
6 12 BenJarvus Green-Ellis RB Team Ambrosius

Round 7:
7 1 Tony Gonzalez TE Team Ambrosius
7 2 Mark Ingram RB Team Treffiletti
7 3 Torrey Smith WR Johnny Hammersticks
7 4 Jahvid Best RB Team Sousa
7 5 Denarius Moore WR Team Hansen
7 6 Pierre Garcon WR Team Clum
7 7 Lance Moore WR Game Face
7 8 Beanie Wells RB BigBlueNation
7 9 Stevan Ridley RB Team Rundle
7 10 Matt Ryan QB Pickpockets
7 11 Ben Tate RB Team Engel
7 12 Greg Little WR Team Kessenich

Round 8:
8 1 Peyton Hillis RB Team Kessenich
8 2 Fred Davis TE Team Engel
8 3 Reggie Wayne WR Pickpockets
8 4 Brandon Pettigrew TE Team Rundle
8 5 Willis McGahee RB BigBlueNation
8 6 Malcom Floyd WR Game Face
8 7 Peyton Manning QB Team Clum
8 8 DeAngelo Williams RB Team Hansen
8 9 Mike Williams WR Team Sousa
8 10 Pierre Thomas RB Johnny Hammersticks
8 11 Matt Schaub QB Team Treffiletti
8 12 Santonio Holmes WR Team Ambrosius

Round 9:
9 1 James Starks RB Team Ambrosius
9 2 Justin Blackmon WR Team Treffiletti
9 3 Ben Roethlisberger QB Johnny Hammersticks
9 4 Donald Brown RB Team Sousa
9 5 Jermaine Gresham TE Team Hansen
9 6 Jay Cutler QB Team Clum
9 7 Ronnie Hillman RB Game Face
9 8 Robert Griffin III QB BigBlueNation
9 9 Brent Celek TE Team Rundle
9 10 Michael Crabtree WR Pickpockets
9 11 Michael Bush RB Team Engel
9 12 Austin Collie WR Team Kessenich

Round 10:
10 1 Toby Gerhart RB Team Kessenich
10 2 Titus Young WR Team Engel
10 3 Anquan Boldin WR Pickpockets
10 4 David Wilson RB Team Rundle
10 5 Jacob Tamme TE BigBlueNation
10 6 Owen Daniels TE Game Face
10 7 Jared Cook TE Team Clum
10 8 Ryan Williams RB Team Hansen
10 9 Sidney Rice WR Team Sousa
10 10 Darrius Heyward-Bey WR Johnny Hammersticks
10 11 Daniel Thomas RB Team Treffiletti
10 12 Mikel LeShoure RB Team Ambrosius

Thoughts?

[Greg Ambrosius]

I set my KDS as 1-5 and then 12-6 because I wanted one of the top 5 guys or three of the top 25 picks. I was randomly picked in the second half and nobody else wanted 12, so that was my pick. I wondered after that if I had done my KDS right, but when I saw the first 5 picks go exactly as I wanted I was happy to be down at the bottom of the draft order.

I had planned on taking Trent Richardson and Jimmy Graham, but had a feeling that John Hansen would take Richardson. Sure enough, at pick #8 he took him. I then figured that either Chris Johnson or MJD would fall to me. When MJD, Brees and Graham were available at my picks, I decided to change my direction and go with the RB-QB. I know I'm starting my team with two players in contract squabbles, but hopefully all will work out in that regard and they'll be fine. I had a feeling that a top WR would come back to me at 25 and I took Roddy White once A.J. Green was gone because I still think he's a PPR player who I can trust. I've gotten a few tweets about taking him over Julio Jones, but in this scoring format I just think White will score more than Jones and his big play ability.

I liked my start, but when quarterbacks kept falling later on I wondered if I should have passed on Brees and taken an Eli or Peyton or Rivers later on. It was surprising to see how the second tier QBs fell in this 12-team format. There were 24 picks inbetween QBs after Cam Newton went in the second round and Dave Clum got Peyton in the 7th round after loading up on the other positions. That's pretty good value. Maybe in the 12-team format you can wait on a QB if you miss on the Big Five, and that might be a good way to go. I know that Joe Treffiletti said in the Chat Room that if he knew Matt Ryan was going to last so long he never would have taken Stafford in the first round. I almost agree.

At the 3-4 turn I doubled up with Colston to go with Brees and then went with the home run pick in Kenny Britt. I thought about Michael Turner there, but just felt like if Britt is healthy he could be a big-time player like he was in the first three games last year before his knee injury. We'll see, but at pick 49 I like him. After that I was happy with BJGE and Holmes, but missed on Coby Fleener when I took Michael Floyd instead and I feel a little weak at TE with Tony Gonzalez and Kellen Winslow. I'm not sure my depth is as good as I would have liked as guys were being taken right before me by those damn Treffiletti brothers right and left. Late in the draft, I had six players qued up with six picks to go and every single one of them went. That was crazy.

But all in all this was a fantastic learning experience and we'll play it out to see who wins it all. Getting industry guys like Scott Engel of RotoExperts.com and John Hansen of FantasyGuru.com along with four of our defending NFFC national champions in the draft was fun. It took just 1 hour and 40 minutes and proved what can be done with folks who are ready and aren't afraid to hit the "Draft Player" button!!

It also helps to set your own player default list. Go to Draft Prep and make sure you fill out your list and then everytime you do another online draft you'll have that same list and can tweak it easily. There's nothing better than seeing your list of players in the order you want them right there in the draft room. It sure makes decision time so much easier. I know it did for me.

Okay, here's my team from the 12th spot:

QB - Drew Brees
QB - Joe Flacco

RB - Maurice Jones-Drew
RB - Benjarvus Green-Ellis
RB - James Starks
RB - Mikel Leshoure
RB - Kendall Hunter
RB - Joseph Addai

WR - Roddy White
WR - Marques Colston
WR - Kenny Britt
WR - Santonio Holmes
WR - Michael Floyd
WR - Nate Burleson
WR - Steve Breaston
WR - Josh Morgan

TE - Tony Gonzalez
TE - Kellen Winslow
K - Mason Crosby
D - Chicago

Thoughts?

[Tom Kessenich]

Here's my team. Very happy with it. I'll analyze it more thoroughly tomorrow.

QB-Philip Rivers
QB-Andy Dalton

RB-Arian Foster
RB-Adrian Peterson
RB-Peyton Hillis
RB-Toby Gerhart
RB-Alex Green
RB-Rashad Jennings

WR-Steve Smith
WR-Dwayne Bowe
WR-Greg Little
WR-Austin Collie
WR-Brandon LaFell
WR-Davone Bess
WR-Mohamed Sanu

TE-Jermichael Finley
TE-Kyle Rudolph
D-Giants
D-Jets
K-Dan Bailey

As I posted last night the start of the draft got off in a different way than I envisioned. I was prepared to go with a top WR in the second round, but as I saw Peterson falling I decided I couldn't pass on the potential upside. Yes, there's risk involved as he returns from a major knee injury but we all know how talented Peterson is. If he's just at 75% of his usual self we're talking about a sensational RB2. Teaming him with Foster gives me mammoth upside at RB. I also was confident that there would be good WRs available in the third and fourth rounds due to the terrific depth at that position this season and I was correct. I landed Steve Smith in the third and Bowe in the fourth and was very happy with that combination.

I considered taking a QB instead of Bowe but the way the draft was unfolding I felt there would be a good one at the next turn for me and my hunch paid off again as I was able to land Rivers. I took Finley to give me top-flight options at each of the skill positions, providing a strong foundation for my team. I missed out on some of the WR3s I really wanted (like Garcon, Meachem and Denarius Moore) but Little is one of my sleeper picks for a WR3 in PPR leagues so I was happy to land him. Collie and LaFell are two more sleepers I really like as WR4s this year and I added them for depth. At RB, I was torn between Hillis and Pierre Thomas as my RB3 but went with Hillis and I think I'm solid there. My choice of Peterson meant I had to make sure I landed Gerhart which I did and Alex Green is one of my top late-round sleeper RBs this season so I was very happy to get him.

I got good defenses and my kicker late and did well there too. Overall, I really like this team. I'll continue to hammer away at the point about the WR depth this year because I really think it opens up a lot of possibilities in the first two rounds. Only five WRs were drafted in the first two rounds. Rounds 3-5 is where the action is and there's plenty of talent to be found there. Real fun draft and this is an A-plus group of owners so this league should be very competitive and a lot of fun this year.

[Sandman62]

I completely agree with you Tom on the WR depth this year. Waiting til rounds 3-5 to get WRs leaves some nice options open in rounds 1 and 2. You can go QB/TE, RB/RB, etc. and still have a very solid WR corps.

In our recent DC (almost done now), we went CJ2K, SJax in the first 2 rounds, then were very pleased to get Colston, Austin and Antonio Brown in rounds 3-5. As many have said, if you pass on top-tier QBs and TEs, then you might as well wait awhile for them (we did and got Schaub/Luck and Gresham/Daniels). Later on, we added JBaldwin and LaFell to our WR bench.

I don't ever recall seeing so many potential top-10 WRs available in rounds 3-5 and it really does make for some interesting strategies this year.

[Tom Kessenich]

I don't ever recall seeing so many potential top-10 WRs available in rounds 3-5 and it really does make for some interesting strategies this year.

I agree. By my count there are around 23 WRs who I think can produce low-end WR1 type of production at worst. Granted, some come with more risk than others (like Demaryius Thomas, for example, or Kenny Britt) but there are A LOT of really good WRs on the board this year. When you only see five WRs being drafted in the first two rounds of a PPR league that tells you people see the depth available and aren't hesitant to go in another direction. I would've loved to have gotten White, Jennings or Green as my WR1 in the second but I felt confident the talent would be there for me in the third and it was. I had my pick of a number of good WRs who I really like at the 3/4 turn.

[Tom Kessenich]

By the way, this draft went 1:41 and we didn't have a single rollback or draft issue to fix. This was a terrific draft.

[DonnyG.]

So let me see. One team has randy moss, chad johnson and reggie wayne as it's receivers. Did i miss something here or is this a thread from 2005?