The official Dawgs By Nature CBSSports.com Fantasy Football Commissioner League held its draft Sunday night at 9:00 p.m., and we had a remarkable turn out: all 12 participants were in attendance! Thanks to everyone involved; this is the first time I think I've been in league this size with maximum participation.
Below will be a mini-review of how each team's draft went. The order in which the teams are listed are not based on a ranking, but rather the order of the snake draft.
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sleepy042 - Sleepy's Knightmares: Instead of going with the common move of taking Chris Johnson first overall, sleepy drafted quarterback Drew Brees with the first overall pick. This is a strategy I was against in an earlier post I made this offseason, because I said that it could really limit your team's running back depth. That's exactly what happened, especially after sleepy took receiver Greg Jennings in the second round.
Beyond Jennings, sleepy is a bit thin at the receiver position, but he does have two good tight ends (Jason Witten and Ben Watson). At running back, he'll have to bank on Jahvid Best, Marion Barber, Thomas Jones, Reggie Bush, and Leon Washington to carry the load. Those running backs are either untested or are in two- or three-man competitions, so it's a significant risk.
Browns Players: TE Ben Watson
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Ryan Kelsey - Dayton Doggs: Last year's fantasy sensation Chris Johnson fell right into Kelsey's lap. After that, Ryan went back-to-back with two great picks at the receiver position: Calvin Johnson and Brandon Marshall. Marshall could be hit-or-miss, but I'm expecting him to be targeted often. In the later rounds, Ryan also snagged sleeper Mike Wallace of the Pittsburgh Steelers at the receiver position.
With the good start to the draft that Ryan had, he struck nicely at quarterback later on with Carson Palmer (Round 7) and Donovan McNabb (Round 9). Those are two guys that Ryan can rotate in and out of the lineup each week and manage some good matchups, despite not drafting either quarterback very high. Ryan's remaining running backs have potential; he has Knowshon Moreno from Denver and both of the Giants' backs. Former Brown Kellen Winslow is his tight end.
Browns Players: WR Joshua Cribbs
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notthatnoise - Shaun Rogers' Stomach: The running back order starts getting a little predictable after the Johnson pick, as NTN selected the Vikings' Adrian Peterson. In round two, NTN went ahead and grabbed one of the league's top quarterbacks in Matt Schaub.
He took the two receivers who are the No. 1 guy on their teams with pass-happy quarterbacks throwing to them in the NFC -- Marques Colston and Percy Harvin. I can't complain about either of those picks, although Colston could have hit-or-miss weeks here and there if Brees spreads the ball around to his many other wideouts. NTN snagged one of the best tight ends in Dallas Clark and will feature the 49ers' defense. If I have a complaint, it's that I think he'll have a tough time filling his second RB and his WR/RB/TE flex position on a consistent basis. Sorry, Felix Jones, Willis McGahee, and Brian Robiskie aren't exactly thrilling players to fill two spots with.
Browns Players: WR Brian Robiskie, K Phil Dawson
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Chris Pokorny - Pokorny Unleashed: Wow, this guy was fantastic. With bias probably included in this description, here we go: I kicked off the first round by drafting Maurice Jones-Drew. I'm not really a huge fan of taking Jones-Drew, just because I always worry about the Jaguars' inconsistent offense. However, there's no doubting that the guy produces I guess, so I felt obligated to take him. In the next round I grabbed Tom Brady right away and was overjoyed to get him. The Patriots still lack a dominant run game, and Brady will have Randy Moss, Wes Welker, and others at his disposal again after hopefully rebounding from last year's slightly "down" effort.
I couldn't be happier with my depth at the wide receiver and tight end positions. From rounds three to five, I was able to get Miles Austin, Chad Ochocinco, and Antonio Gates in that order. By my book, I potentially got the best receiver and best tight end, along with a compelling threat on Cincinnati. Beyond the starters, I also drafted T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Steve Breaston. Houshmandzadeh was a disappointment for me last year, but he's the No. 1 guy in Seattle. Breaston gets an opportunity to start with a fire-happy Derek Anderson.
I thought Clinton Portis was a good bargain pick for the sixth round. His injury history is scary, but between him and Michael Bush of the Raiders, I think I can manage. If the Bills go the crazy route and feature Marshawn Lynch over C.J. Spiller too, I have that option.
Remember my comments about drafting two defenses a week or so ago? Well, I wasn't kidding. I came away from the draft with the Ravens (Round 7) and the Steelers (Round 11). I can't wait to utilize them both, based on who faces the weaker opponent. The Steelers fell so low because Browns fans didn't want to draft them apparently. I draft to win. You hear that people? ;)
One other quick note: I was booed for drafting Derek Anderson in the last round. I think it's worth the chance if he ends up having great chemistry with Larry Fitzgerald (i.e. Fitzgerald makes him look good).
Browns Players: N/A
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TheDriveStillHurts: Going with Ray Rice in the first round, this almost looks like the "all-youth, potential breakout" type of team (except for Brett Favre, who is the veteran captain of the ship). Roddy White and Wes Welker are solid picks at the receiver position, and as others noted during the draft, the selection of Matt Forte could turn out huge given Mike Martz' history with utilizing running backs.
Also at running back is Rashard Mendenhall. I don't like him, maybe because he's a Steeler, but he'll definitely get the touches. One concern I look at here is the quarterback situation. The rest of his roster shakes out with the likes of Vernon Davis, Austin Collie, Mohamed Massaquoi, Santana Moss, and Devin Hester. Again -- lots of young talent that could be good if they all come through.
Browns Players: WR Mohamed Massaquoi
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rufio: I'm not thrilled when I look at this team to be honest, except for a core group of three players (Frank Gore, Ryan Grant, and Donald Driver) who I think will have to carry the team along with the Eagles' LeSean McCoy as the flex guy. I am not digging the thought of quarterbacks Eli Manning or Matt Cassel being mass producers at their position.
After Driver, rufio's receivers include Santonio Holmes, Jeremy Maclin, Derrick Mason, and James Jones. Holmes might be a great pick, but I don't envision the Jets throwing the ball a lot, and then do have three other targets who will want the football. Tight end Zach Miller has great upside, but I always question the ability of a Raiders quarterback to disperse the ball well enough. rufio, I look forward to tearing your team apart.
Browns Players: RB Montario Hardesty
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Buckeye Brad: I'm starting to get tired or writing these reports on each team, because I feel like I'm repeating myself in a way through some of them. Anyway...Brad broke the first-round trend of five straight running backs by drafting receiver Andre Johnson. He might have reached a tiny bit early for Dwayne Bowe depending on who you ask, but I can't blame him: I think Bowe, compared to last year, can break out again. With Mike Sims-Walker also in the mix, Brad has a nice trio of receivers to roll with.
I'm not so convinced with the running back situation. I like Carolina, but I'm not confident in their ability to score often, so DeAngelo Williams' stock is in question to me. Beanie Wells is also a question mark -- it's hard to tell where he stands on the Cardinals and how much Tim Hightower will play near the goal line. Tony Romo isn't a top quarterback fantasy wise, but he's close enough to the top to manage on a fantasy roster. Tony Gonzalez rounds off the roster as his tight end.
Browns Players: N/A
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Roger Dorn: Dorn took the second quarterback of the draft, and the one who might be the best: Aaron Rodgers. With his ability to throw the ball very well and how often he runs, he can rack up fantasy points quickly every week. With Larry Fitzgerald and Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles taken over the next two picks, one thing starts ringing in my mind: this sounds like a draft I usually like to have (at least for the start of it). Dorn also has Jerome Harrison -- with Harrison and Charles, last year's end-of-the-year thrillers at running back, he's hoping one or both of them turn out. The Bills naming C.J. Spiller as the starter would only add to the icing on the cake.
Dorn's depth at receiver isn't too bad either: he has Michael Crabtree, who will play his first full season, and Pierre Garcon of the Colts. Having Matthew Stafford as his backup quarterback is also a bonus, since I expect good things from Detroit's offense this year. Overall, I'm fairly pleased with this team.
Browns Players: RB Jerome Harrison
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Dawg Nuts: One thing came to mind after seeing Dawg Nuts' draft: this guy is nuts. Only kidding. He took a lot of time to make some of his picks, carefully trying to make the correct decisions. For the most part, I think it paid off. In my prior post on top player rankings, I listed Peyton Manning as my top quarterback choice for the sake of consistency, and that's who Dawg Nuts got.
At running back and wide receiver, there is a nice balance of depth, although not elite, players at each position. The running backs include Cedric Benson, Pierre Thomas, and Tim Hightower. The receivers are Anquan Boldin, Steve Smith (Panthers), and Hines Ward. I don't see this as a powerhouse team, but rather one that can consistently compete throughout the season to contend for the playoffs.
Browns Players: QB Jake Delhomme
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rockybrown: He certainly didn't win any fans over with two of his picks -- QB Ben Roethlisberger and WR Braylon Edwards. I think Edwards is worth the late-round pick due to his potential, but then again it's hard to bank on him dropping out of his drop funk without a pass-heavy offense.
rockybrown has good talent at the running back position because his first three draft picks were running backs -- Michael Turner, Steven Jackson, and Ronnie Brown. That's not bad if you ask me, especially since he also got Joseph Addai. rockybrown stashed Vincent Jackson on his bench in case anyone signs him (in the NFL), so his starting receivers are Steve Smith (Giants) and Terrell Owens. That's not a bad combo, but the jury is still out on how Owens will do in Cincy.
Browns Players: N/A
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golanbatrac: I like the receivers (Randy Moss, Reggie Wayne, DeSean Jackson), and he was able to get all three because they were his first three picks. I also like his defense (Jets). I'm not too high on his only quarterback, Matt Ryan, or any of his running backs though.
The Texans' Arian Foster is a breakout candidate, but Houston has always had problems finding the guy at running back. After that, he took a huge cluster of low-level running backs -- Cadillac Williams, LaDainian Tomlinson, Chestor Taylor, Peyton Hillis, and Steve Slaton. This team will live and die by the chance that one of those cluster of running backs sees the starter ahead of him go down or be benched.
Browns Players: FB Peyton Hillis
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Bernie19Kosar - Holmgren's Stache: Finally, we're at the last team! Taking the opposite approach of golan, Bernie went running back heavy early on, which saw his team a bit thin at receiver. He went young at running back, grabbing San Diego's Ryan Mathews and the Jets' Shonn Greene.
The key hear for Bernie's team is the Philip Rivers to Malcolm Floyd potential. I used this strategy last year with Kurt Warner and Larry Fitzgerald on my team, and it worked out well. The receiver depth after Floyd goes to Devin Aromashadu and Hakeem Nicks. Hmmmm. I definitely applaud the pick of Jermichael Finley though; I was really hoping to get him in addition to Gates as my flex receiver. With the Vikings defense on his team, I think Bernie needs to hope one of his many backup running backs becomes a starter during the season, and then trade for a better wide receiver.
Browns Players: N/A
Please feel free to leave any comments you have below about the draft! Sorry if I sounded stupid in my analysis, it was kind of tiresome on the brain doing this. Vote for your favorite team below. I don't know if public access to the league is allowed, but if it is, here are the full rosters.
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