I’ve selected another team, in the Fanex league (competing against 11 other industry analysts). So another chance to look at how a draft unfolded and what I maybe should have done differently.
This is a PPR format, with three starting wide receivers and a flex (RB-WR-TE). So you want some guys who’ll catch some balls. Typically you’ll be starting four wide receivers most weeks. This is a play-it-out league, with starting lineups, roster moves and trades.
If you want to see how the draft unfolded, it’s on the MyFantasyLeague.com site.
Here’s my group …
| IAN'S FANEX TEAM | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Pick | Pos | Team | Player |
| 9.08 | QB | LAC | Philip Rivers |
| 11.04 | QB | WAS | Alex Smith |
| 12.09 | QB | TB | Jameis Winston |
| 1.08 | RB | KC | Kareem Hunt |
| 5.04 | RB | HOU | Lamar Miller |
| 10.09 | RB | NE | James White |
| 13.04 | RB | LAC | Austin Ekeler |
| 14.09 | RB | PIT | James Conner |
| 19.04 | RB | KC | Damien Williams |
| 6.09 | TE | MIN | Kyle Rudolph |
| 16.09 | TE | BAL | Hayden Hurst |
| 2.09 | WR | OAK | Amari Cooper |
| 3.04 | WR | IND | T.Y. Hilton |
| 4.09 | WR | DET | Golden Tate |
| 7.04 | WR | PHI | Nelson Agholor |
| 8.09 | WR | CAR | Devin Funchess |
| 9.04 | WR | SEA | Tyler Lockett |
| 15.04 | WR | IND | Ryan Grant |
| 18.09 | D | TEN | Tennessee |
| 17.04 | PK | PIT | Chris Boswell |
FIRST-ROUND TRADE: I had the 4th pick. I wasn’t crazy about that spot, so I sent out a handful of modest trade proposals, moving down to 1.08 while picking up an extra choice in the 9th round. That’s not much of a haul, but it’s not nothing. I was able to select a starting quarterback with that choice. At 1.04, I didn’t want LeVeon Bell; I didn’t want to take on the holdout drama, and I don’t like his history of injuries. I would have instead chosen Alvin Kamara with that pick (PPR scoring, remember). I ended up with Kareem Hunt down at 1.08, and I think he’s pretty similar to those guys.
HITTING FOR SINGLES: The pick I regret the most was James White at 10.09. He’s fine. I think he’ll catch 60-70 passes, making him a decent depth running back in this PPR format. He was the 26th running back on my board (and now maybe a little higher after that nice game on Thursday night). But he’s not going to be a standout. When I made that pick (which occurred before the first preseason games were played) I was thinking about instead going with Chris Carson. At that time, I had made the switch from Rashad Penny to Carson, but I didn’t believe many others had. So I thought I could get Carson later. But Carson was chosen 5 picks later. He’s not as reliable or safe as White, but there’s a lot more upside.
DEPTH AT QUARTERBACK: I selected Philip Rivers (9.08) and Alex Smith (11.04), and I really like that tandem. I think they’ll both be top-10 quarterbacks, and I like the price tag. Deshaun Watson, Tom Brady and Russell Wilson were all picked between 47th and 63rd, and I like these selections a lot more. But there were still additional quarterbacks to be had, so I added Jameis Winston at 12.09. Prior to his suspension, Winston was my No. 3 overall quarterback. He averaged 317 passing yards in his 10 healthy games last year, with 19 TDs. It made me sick to have him sitting out there, waiting to be selected as a second quarterback by one of the other teams. So I brought him in, and we’ll see how it plays out. I love my situation at quarterback, but it cost me the opportunity to draft another handcuff running back. Another quarterback, I thought, went way too late: Andy Dalton at 14.12.
PASS CATCHERS: With the format of this league, you’re typically starting four wide receivers most weeks, so you’ve got to draft some. I went with Amari Cooper and T.Y. Hilton in the second and third rounds. JuJu Smith-Schuster almost made it to me in the fourth, but no. So Golden Tate instead. In my second three, I really like Nelson Agholor (7.04); I’ve had him higher than Alshon Jeffery all along, and he went 18 picks later in this draft. With receivers being so important, I also added Tyler Lockett and Devin Funchess in the first nine rounds – I chose 6 wide receivers before my first quarterback. My intention was to just stick with those six, but Ryan Grant was still there in the 15th round, and he’s definitely starting for a Colts team that apparently will have a viable Andrew Luck, so I added him as a depth guy.
TIGHT ENDS: Kyle Rudolph is my starter, and I backed him up with Hayden Hurst. I have been falling in love with Hurst over the last few weeks. He’s definitely starting for Baltimore, and they complete a lot of cheap balls underneath to tight ends (PPR scoring). Hurst became a late-round guy for me, and then when he started for the team in the second preseason game I figured that wasn’t quite aggressive enough. I would be pissed off if I lost Hurst because I tried to play games with him in the late rounds. So I moved him up to 16.09, choosing him before my defense, kicker and Damien Williams.
HANDCUFF RUNNING BACKS: I’ve got Kareem Hunt (1.08) and Lamar Miller (5.04) as my starting running backs. I’ve got James White (10.09) as my 16-game warm body backup. And I’ve got three high-upside handcuffs: Austin Ekeler, James Conner and Damien Williams. If either Melvin Gordon, LeVeon Bell or Hunt gets hurt, I’ll have the fill-in guy there, ready to excel. Had I played things differently (with Jameis Winston and Ryan Grant) I could have had two more of these types of backs. John Kelly (Rams) and Rod Smith (Cowboys) weren’t even chosen. I believe Kelly will be the No. 2 in Los Angeles. Smith should hold off Bo Scarbrough for the job in Dallas, but that needs to be firmed up. Those are nice players, and hard to believe they weren’t even chosen.
—Ian Allan