Yesterday I posted my results from the first half of a best-ball draft. To recap, I came out of it with 2 QBs, 5 RBs, 4 WRs and 3 TEs. In a typical league you'd finish with a kicker and a defense and that would be the end. But this goes 28 rounds and there are no transactions all season, so we're only halfway done.
Here's how the second half went. Feel free to criticize or ask questions below.
15.11. Preston Williams
16.2. Jarrett Stidham
At this point of a draft, I think everyone has different wide receiver targets. There's a lot of depth at the position, and some will be chasing rookies, others will be securing average but stable veterans, and some will be drafting guys with more upside with some flaw (new team, or coming off injury). Williams is a guy coming off injury, but midway through last season he, not DeVante Parker, looked like the breakout player in Miami's receiving corps. Some risk coming off an ACL injury, but I was glad to take him as my 5th wideout.
Stidham was the 30th quarterback drafted. The only remaining projected starters were Washington's and Chicago's -- that's it. So although I'm not sure I believe that Stidham will be New England's starter this season, I think there is more upside with him than Washington's, and I feel better about him starting all season than either Chicago quarterback. He'll be my No. 3 and final quarterback. Maybe he'll put together a nice Matt Cassel-Patriots year.
17.11. Kansas City Defense
18.2. Dede Westbrook
19.11. James Washington
Kansas City was the seventh defense taken; they're my No. 3. I know they'll have a good pass rush, I know they'll get some opportunities for takeaways in the latter stages of games where opponents are trailing and need to pass, and I know Mecole Hardman will be a dangerous returner. Easy choice.
Grouping the two wide receivers I took next because they're similar. Should provide a fairly stable floor as one of the top 2 or 3 receivers on their teams -- Westbrook definitely will -- with potential for more. If Gardner Minshew is for real in what should be a busy passing offense (that's Jay Gruden's background), Westbrook will have some nice PPR games. Washington is a little riskier, as the potential No. 2, 3 or 4 (if he slips behind both Diontae Johnson and Chase Claypool; Johnson by the was was drafted 11 rounds earlier). But he could very well be Ben Roethlisberger's No. 2. I will take that in the 19th round every time.
20.2. Chris Thompson
21.11. Dare Ogunbowale
Bears mentioning that at this point we're getting to players who won't even be drafted in typical leagues, even larger ones. So these are waiver type pickups. But I'm pleased with both of these PPR running backs. Thompson signed with Jacksonville, whose offense is being run by his former coach Jay Gruden. At least until he gets hurt, Thompson should play on passing downs and will rack up some decent weeks. Tampa Bay has Ronald Jones and rookie KeShawn Vaughn, but I don't know that either of those guys will be trusted in passing situations in 2020. So there is some potential that Ogunbowale, who I maybe have an unrealistic fondness for based on a nice preseason a year ago, is Tom Brady's version of James White.
22.2. Chase McLaughlin
23.11. Stephen Hauschka
If your biggest regret after a draft is at kicker, I think you're doing pretty well. Then again, in a no-transaction league, it's the kind of thing that can be a pretty big negative. I waited a round too long to take one, I think, because 18 were gone when I drafted my first one. I think McLaughlin will be Indianapolis' kicker this year, but I'm not 100 percent sure. Hauschka is the incumbent in Buffalo, but they drafted Tyler Bass in the sixth round, so it's not certain. If those guys keep their jobs, I think they'll be kickers on potential favorites in the AFC East and South and probable top-15 (or better) kickers. If not, I'll be taking zeroes at that spot every week, and I just threw away my entry fee. A little risky, though in general I'm comfortable one or both of these guys will have jobs in 2020, even if it's not where they currently suit up.
24.2. Seattle Defense
Nothing earth-shattering here. Seattle doesn't have a pass rush and hasn't been a great fantasy defense in recent years, but Pete Carroll does have something of a track record and the schedule looks reasonable as far as opposing offenses, including in the NFC West, at least as far as sack potential. Twenty defenses were off the board and I've got Seattle a little higher than that.
25.11. Josh Oliver
26.2. Jalen Hurd
We're officially into the flier portion of the draft. Oliver was drafted in the third round a year ago by Jacksonville (hmm, I have three pass catchers in the Jaguars' offense, I hope Minshew Mania is a thing) and it's him or Tyler Eifert who will be hogging snaps in their offense; probably both will play. Hurd spent his rookie season on IR but could very easily be the No. 2 in San Francisco's offense this year, used in a variety of ways.
27.11. Gus Edwards
28.2. Benny Snell
I started thinking about both of these players about 8-10 rounds earlier. I don't get why no one was interested in selecting them, especially the guys who drafted Mark Ingram and James Conner. Perplexing. When Conner gets injured, Snell is probably going to be the guy playing on first and second down. If Ingram gets hurt, J.K. Dobbins becomes the more exciting option (which is why he was drafted in round FIVE), but Edwards is a legit runner who's been effective each of the last two seasons and is about as likely if not more so to be the No. 2. Easy picks to finish the draft, although maybe I should have punted one of them and taken a third kicker (but there were no starters left, so hit rate looked low).
That's my team. Taking a quick look at the entire board (I can't share it, sorry) I think I'll be in the mix, but we'll see -- a lot can happen between now and September.