NFL betting tips and game strategies, click here for our favorite software.
Ever wanted to create your own Fantasy Sports Site? In just minutes you can have your own NFL Fantasy Football Website that will manage both free and PAID games. Click Here to learn more.
This post sponsored by FantasySportsMaker
Get your official NFL Jerseys today, click here
NFL draft and fantasy football analyst Josh Norris of Rotoworld and NBC Sports made a great point in regards to drafting last week:
"Draft players you want to draft." That's a crucial comment to remember as we navigate the fantasy football landscape.
Don't pick a player because analysts are hyping him up or because your draft website ranks that player as the best available before your pick. Take who you believe in and trust your gut over everyone else's.
That was my mindset as I took part in a 12-team standard mock draft conducted on Yahoo. I picked last in the first round and all ensuing odd-numbered rounds and first in even-numbered rounds, so I was making back-to-back picks throughout the evening.
Here's a look at how that draft went alongside a positional cheatsheet featuring the top 10 players at each position below.
Quarterback
1. Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay)
2. Tom Brady (New England)
3. Cam Newton (Carolina)
4. Ben Roethlisberger (Pittsburgh)
5. Drew Brees (New Orleans)
6. Kirk Cousins (Washington)
7. Derek Carr (Oakland)
8. Russell Wilson (Seattle)
9. Marcus Mariota (Tennessee)
10. Jameis Winston (Tampa Bay)
Running Back
1. David Johnson (Arizona)
2. Le'Veon Bell (Pittsburgh)
3. Ezekiel Elliott (Dallas)
4. LeSean McCoy (Buffalo)
5. Jordan Howard (Chicago)
6. Leonard Fournette (Jacksonville)
7. Devonta Freeman (Atlanta)
8. Christian McCaffrey (Carolina)
9. DeMarco Murray (Tennessee)
10. Lamar Miller (Houston)
Wide Receiver
1. Antonio Brown (Pittsburgh)
2. Odell Beckham Jr. (New York Giants)
3. Julio Jones (Atlanta)
4. Mike Evans (Tampa Bay)
5. T.Y. Hilton (Indianapolis)
6. Michael Thomas (New Orleans)
7. Jordy Nelson (Green Bay)
8. DeAndre Hopkins (Houston)
9. Terrelle Pryor (Washington)
10. Alshon Jeffery (Philadelphia)
Tight End
1. Rob Gronkowski (New England)
2. Travis Kelce (Kansas City)
3. Greg Olsen (Carolina)
4. Jordan Reed (Washington)
5. Jimmy Graham (Seattle)
6. Martellus Bennett (Green Bay)
7. Tyler Eifert (Cincinnati)
8. Delanie Walker (Tennessee)
9. Kyle Rudolph (Minnesota)
10. Zach Ertz (Philadelphia)
12-Team Mock Draft (Standard League)
QB: Kirk Cousins (10th round)
RB: Devonta Freeman (first round), Leonard Fournette (second round)
WR: Terrelle Pryor (third round), Alshon Jeffery (fourth round), Emmanuel Sanders (fifth round)
TE: Cameron Brate (12th round)
K: Nick Novak (15th round)
D/ST: Atlanta (14th round)
Bench: RB Paul Perkins (sixth round), RB Samaje Perine (seventh round), WR Stefon Diggs (eighth round), WR Kenny Britt (ninth round), QB Tyrod Taylor (11th round), Jared Cook (13th round)
Summary
Going into the draft, I knew I wasn't going to be able to take an elite running back or wide receiver like David Johnson or Antonio Brown. Of course, those players went in the top five.
Instead, my goal was to load up on running backs early simply because concerns exist about fantasy running back depth this year, mainly due to a few rookie unknowns and time shares.
Devonta Freeman is going to lose some yards and touchdowns to Tevin Coleman in the Atlanta Falcons backfield, but he's on a high-powered Falcons offense that should see plenty of scoring opportunities yet again. It also helps that Freeman is a fantastic pass-catcher out of the backfield, as he hauled in 54 passes last year.
Leonard Fournette should get every opportunity to carry the Jacksonville Jaguars offense. Every year, it seems like Jacksonville is the hot preseason team predicted to make a leap, and every year, it seems like the Jags go 5-11. But this could finally be the year, as the Jaguars defense looks phenomenal. We could see a heavy dose of Fournette as the Jags look to grind out low-scoring wins.
I then focused on picking three starting wide receivers, beginning with two players who could have breakout years: Terrelle Pryor and Alshon Jeffery.
Pryor was fantastic last year for the Cleveland Browns, catching 77 passes for 1,007 yards. That's certainly not an easy feat to do on a 1-15 team, especially one that had a litany of struggles on offense and started three different players at quarterback. Now he gets to work with one of the better signal-callers in the game in Kirk Cousins, so expect Pryor to improve on last year's impressive numbers.
Alshon Jeffery had a disappointing end to his Chicago Bears tenure, but he accrued over 2,500 yards combined in 2013 and 2014. He's capable of a big year, especially with an improved team and quarterback in Philadelphia and Carson Wentz.
After selecting Emmanuel Sanders in the fifth round, I focused on depth at the running back and wide receiver positions next, because (a) I am high on depth at quarterback this year and could afford to wait (b) it's important to have solid options at running back and wide receiver to fill up the position during bye weeks.
It's also possible that these players end up starting for your team in crucial games down the stretch in case of injury or ineffectiveness.
Paul Perkins is the No. 1 option in the New York Giants backfield and could rush for 1,000 yards. Samaje Perine isn't the Washington starter now, but he very well could be when the games matter more in November and December. He's a very talented and strong back who is tough to take down.
Minnesota Vikings wideout Stefon Diggs is a target monster and should accrue a ton of receptions, so he's a great pick in point-per-reception leagues. Finally, I rounded out my bench with Kenny Britt, who is coming off the first 1,000-yard season of his career and will be the No. 1 option for the Cleveland Browns.
I was happy to see a bunch of good options at quarterback sitting there in the 10th and 11th rounds and started with Kirk Cousins, who is in a contract year and has plenty of motivation to perform well in order to land a long-term deal with a team. Buffalo Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor is a good option off the bench because he has the added bonus of making plays on the run (580 rushing yards, six touchdowns in 2016).
I rounded out the team with two tight ends with good upside (the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Cameron Brate, who had eight touchdowns last year, and the Oakland Raiders' Jared Cook, who finds himself on a great offense that should give him plenty of scoring opportunities). Then, I picked the best available defense and kicker.
Overall, I am pleased with the results, but I can't help but feel that my strategy has a large risk-reward vibe to it. But that's the point of fantasy football: You aren't playing to go 7-6 and finish fifth. You're playing to win.
So my teams this year might go 12-2 and win some championships, but I could also see me losing in horrific fashion and being forced to do something in "honor" of finishing last.
I'm comfortable with the process, though, in addition to the players I think will do well this year, and if you feel that way before your drafts, then you're in good shape to start.
Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com
DON'T YOU LOVE THIS PROGRAM
Are You a REAL Dallas Cowboys Fan? Click Here to take the fan test
How To Cash Out *risk Free* Casino / Bookmaker Bonuses. Start earning money today
from Sports betting tips http://ift.tt/2uFCUSC
via IFTTT
Comments
Post a Comment