By Josh Roth
Recently we at PUN Sports did a fantasy football draft. This is my review of my draft with a quick glance of my favorite picks of the draft. Here is the link to the results of the PUN Sports Fantasy Draft:
PUN Sports Draft
Review of First Three Picks
1st Round (2): LeSean McCoy RB, Philadelphia Eagles
I was hoping that Adrian Peterson would drop to me at the two spot, but at two I guess I will take LeSean McCoy. It was a fairly difficult decision because I value Jamaal Charles in the same light as McCoy and really there is no wrong answer one through three, so long as those three are Adrian Peterson, LeSean McCoy and Jamaal Charles.
Now there are some concerns I do have with McCoy, especially when you consider that Darren Sproles has signed with the Eagles to relieve a bit of the load (specifically in the pass game). In PPR leagues that could be crucial when comparing him and Charles. However, the rest could benefit him more not only health wise, but it will potentially allow for bigger plays and more rushing yards. Then the fact that Sproles is a small running back which could set up more goal line runs for McCoy as well. Also I feel I owe it to McCoy to take him here, he did win me a championship last year after all.
2nd Round (11): Drew Brees QB, New Orleans Saints
Could have gone with DeMarco Murray here, but was fearful that Matt would wind up taking Drew Brees with one of the next two picks. I actually value Drew Brees more than Murray, but with the way running backs get picked nowadays, I had to at least consider taking Murray. Injuries were also a contributing factor for not taking Murray and with Peyton Manning being taken by Rachel earlier in the round I felt this was an appropriate time to take him.
However, the big reason to take Brees was the fact that he is clearly one of the top three quarterbacks in the league (if not the best fantasy quarterback). Brees lost Sproles, but gained another weapon in Brandin Cooks and will likely see an increase in production from Kenny Stills. Oh and he has Jimmy Graham to throw to, I guess he is ok. This should all lead to another pretty big season for Drew Brees who could easily dethrone Peyton Manning as the top fantasy quarterback.
3rd Round (14): A.J. Green WR, Cincinnati Bengals
There was no one other than maybe Dez Bryant that was worthy of being drafted at this point. Now ideally would have loved to have taken a running back with this pick, but there wasn’t really anyone worthy of this high of a pick. Some may say Le’Veon Bell, but I felt there was other options later on that wouldn’t have been too far of Bell’s projected production this season.
A.J. Green is a big play wide out that often gets overshadowed by Calvin Johnson (with good reason). Green is a top five wide receiver and possibly in the mix for the second best wide receiver in the game. Obviously Demaryius Thomas, Brandon Marshall and Dez Bryant are right up there with him, but I like A.J. Green a little bit more than all those. Only issue is who is throwing to him. It clearly is way more appealing to have a guy like Peyton Manning throwing to you like Demaryius Thomas has, which makes perfect sense to have taken him over A.J. Green. A.J. Green has improved every season in his three year career which includes his total yards and 100 plus yard games. Again you probably can’t go wrong with any of these wide receivers, but at this spot, it was definitely the time to take one.
Favorite Pick Outside the Top Three Picks
Justin Hunter WR, Tennessee Titans: 13th Round (74)
Here is one of my top sleeper candidates for this year. Hunter is an excellent talent with huge upside. Had a couple big games last year and with Whisenhunt coming in to run the team, the offense should improve and that could mean big things for Hunter. Sure he has Kendall Wright to compete with as the number one target, but he should see the deep passes or the big plays and will be a serious threat in the red zone. For more analysis on Hunter and other sleepers, click here.
Least Favorite Pick Outside the Top Three Picks
Doug Martin RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 4th Round (23)
It was between the Doug Martin and Alfred Morris picks for my least favorite pick, but since Doug Martin was taken earlier I will chose him for least favorite pick. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t necessarily regret the pick, but there are some serious question marks surrounding Martin. I had the chance to take Zac Stacy, which could come back to bite me. Reason I took Martin was due to his 2012 season. He has the ability to catch the ball out of the back field and be a dynamic rusher which equates to a top fantasy running back. Problem is he only played six games and its unsure how many touches he will get. Sure he will get the majority of the touches, but there have been rumblings of him losing targets in the passing game which could affect his value. I am banking on a healthy season and upside as an all-around back, which is why I ultimately selected Doug Martin.
Top Three Favorite Picks From the Other Contributors
Cordarrelle Patterson WR, Minnesota Vikings: Round 8 (45) [Phil Krois]
Desperately was hoping he would come back around to me in this round. Patterson could be due for a monster fantasy year. Quarterback is still an issue for Minnesota, but he has elite athleticism, speed and quickness that will make him a nightmare to cover. His production towards the end of the season was terrific and should continue on to this upcoming season.
Montee Ball RB, Denver Broncos: Round 4 (22) [Jason Krull]
With Knowshon Moreno gone, Ball will get the bulk of the carries at running back. If Ball plays a similar role as Moreno did last year, he could be in line for a monster year. Reason being he will get fantasy owners key receptions out of the backfield and since he plays with Peyton Manning and the terrific passing game that the Broncos possess he should see a lot of open lanes. With open lanes that means a ton of yards potentially in store for Ball. He also will likely be one of the top choices for goal line plays.
Michael Floyd WR, Arizona Cardinals: Round 10 (55) [Joe Cox]
Michael Floyd saw a very nice growth in production in his sophomore season last year. This should only improve. The key issue will be touchdown receptions, but he did amass over 1,000 yards receiving. With Fitzgerald still the focus for most defenses in the league, Floyd should see more targets and be a favorite for Carson Palmer. There is also a buzz in Cardinals camp that he may be the top wide receiver on the team, now that is saying something!
Honorable Mentions: Marques Colston (Rachel Bailin) and Emmanuel Sanders (Matt Forbes)
Who is the Biggest Threat to Win the PUN Sports Fantasy League (Not including myself)
Jason Krull
It really pains me to say this, but Jason Krull may be my stiffest competition. Every team is really good, but the group of running backs, wide receivers and his quarter back is possibly the best in the league. The Charles and Ball combo may be the best running back combo in the league by the end of the year. However, if either of those two suffers an injury it could be bad news for Krull’s chances at a title.
It will be fun to see how this plays out. With only six teams, every team is deep and the waiver wire may be even deeper. Thus the favorite could change weekly (that is if every owner pays attention to their teams). Who do you think will be the king of the PUN Sports Fantasy League? Leave a comment or vote on the poll off to the side.
Recently we at PUN Sports did a fantasy football draft. This is my review of my draft with a quick glance of my favorite picks of the draft. Here is the link to the results of the PUN Sports Fantasy Draft:
PUN Sports Draft
Review of First Three Picks
1st Round (2): LeSean McCoy RB, Philadelphia Eagles
I was hoping that Adrian Peterson would drop to me at the two spot, but at two I guess I will take LeSean McCoy. It was a fairly difficult decision because I value Jamaal Charles in the same light as McCoy and really there is no wrong answer one through three, so long as those three are Adrian Peterson, LeSean McCoy and Jamaal Charles.
Now there are some concerns I do have with McCoy, especially when you consider that Darren Sproles has signed with the Eagles to relieve a bit of the load (specifically in the pass game). In PPR leagues that could be crucial when comparing him and Charles. However, the rest could benefit him more not only health wise, but it will potentially allow for bigger plays and more rushing yards. Then the fact that Sproles is a small running back which could set up more goal line runs for McCoy as well. Also I feel I owe it to McCoy to take him here, he did win me a championship last year after all.
2nd Round (11): Drew Brees QB, New Orleans Saints
Could have gone with DeMarco Murray here, but was fearful that Matt would wind up taking Drew Brees with one of the next two picks. I actually value Drew Brees more than Murray, but with the way running backs get picked nowadays, I had to at least consider taking Murray. Injuries were also a contributing factor for not taking Murray and with Peyton Manning being taken by Rachel earlier in the round I felt this was an appropriate time to take him.
However, the big reason to take Brees was the fact that he is clearly one of the top three quarterbacks in the league (if not the best fantasy quarterback). Brees lost Sproles, but gained another weapon in Brandin Cooks and will likely see an increase in production from Kenny Stills. Oh and he has Jimmy Graham to throw to, I guess he is ok. This should all lead to another pretty big season for Drew Brees who could easily dethrone Peyton Manning as the top fantasy quarterback.
3rd Round (14): A.J. Green WR, Cincinnati Bengals
There was no one other than maybe Dez Bryant that was worthy of being drafted at this point. Now ideally would have loved to have taken a running back with this pick, but there wasn’t really anyone worthy of this high of a pick. Some may say Le’Veon Bell, but I felt there was other options later on that wouldn’t have been too far of Bell’s projected production this season.
A.J. Green is a big play wide out that often gets overshadowed by Calvin Johnson (with good reason). Green is a top five wide receiver and possibly in the mix for the second best wide receiver in the game. Obviously Demaryius Thomas, Brandon Marshall and Dez Bryant are right up there with him, but I like A.J. Green a little bit more than all those. Only issue is who is throwing to him. It clearly is way more appealing to have a guy like Peyton Manning throwing to you like Demaryius Thomas has, which makes perfect sense to have taken him over A.J. Green. A.J. Green has improved every season in his three year career which includes his total yards and 100 plus yard games. Again you probably can’t go wrong with any of these wide receivers, but at this spot, it was definitely the time to take one.
Favorite Pick Outside the Top Three Picks
Justin Hunter WR, Tennessee Titans: 13th Round (74)
Here is one of my top sleeper candidates for this year. Hunter is an excellent talent with huge upside. Had a couple big games last year and with Whisenhunt coming in to run the team, the offense should improve and that could mean big things for Hunter. Sure he has Kendall Wright to compete with as the number one target, but he should see the deep passes or the big plays and will be a serious threat in the red zone. For more analysis on Hunter and other sleepers, click here.
Least Favorite Pick Outside the Top Three Picks
Doug Martin RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 4th Round (23)
It was between the Doug Martin and Alfred Morris picks for my least favorite pick, but since Doug Martin was taken earlier I will chose him for least favorite pick. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t necessarily regret the pick, but there are some serious question marks surrounding Martin. I had the chance to take Zac Stacy, which could come back to bite me. Reason I took Martin was due to his 2012 season. He has the ability to catch the ball out of the back field and be a dynamic rusher which equates to a top fantasy running back. Problem is he only played six games and its unsure how many touches he will get. Sure he will get the majority of the touches, but there have been rumblings of him losing targets in the passing game which could affect his value. I am banking on a healthy season and upside as an all-around back, which is why I ultimately selected Doug Martin.
Top Three Favorite Picks From the Other Contributors
Cordarrelle Patterson WR, Minnesota Vikings: Round 8 (45) [Phil Krois]
Desperately was hoping he would come back around to me in this round. Patterson could be due for a monster fantasy year. Quarterback is still an issue for Minnesota, but he has elite athleticism, speed and quickness that will make him a nightmare to cover. His production towards the end of the season was terrific and should continue on to this upcoming season.
Montee Ball RB, Denver Broncos: Round 4 (22) [Jason Krull]
With Knowshon Moreno gone, Ball will get the bulk of the carries at running back. If Ball plays a similar role as Moreno did last year, he could be in line for a monster year. Reason being he will get fantasy owners key receptions out of the backfield and since he plays with Peyton Manning and the terrific passing game that the Broncos possess he should see a lot of open lanes. With open lanes that means a ton of yards potentially in store for Ball. He also will likely be one of the top choices for goal line plays.
Michael Floyd WR, Arizona Cardinals: Round 10 (55) [Joe Cox]
Michael Floyd saw a very nice growth in production in his sophomore season last year. This should only improve. The key issue will be touchdown receptions, but he did amass over 1,000 yards receiving. With Fitzgerald still the focus for most defenses in the league, Floyd should see more targets and be a favorite for Carson Palmer. There is also a buzz in Cardinals camp that he may be the top wide receiver on the team, now that is saying something!
Honorable Mentions: Marques Colston (Rachel Bailin) and Emmanuel Sanders (Matt Forbes)
Who is the Biggest Threat to Win the PUN Sports Fantasy League (Not including myself)
Jason Krull
It really pains me to say this, but Jason Krull may be my stiffest competition. Every team is really good, but the group of running backs, wide receivers and his quarter back is possibly the best in the league. The Charles and Ball combo may be the best running back combo in the league by the end of the year. However, if either of those two suffers an injury it could be bad news for Krull’s chances at a title.
It will be fun to see how this plays out. With only six teams, every team is deep and the waiver wire may be even deeper. Thus the favorite could change weekly (that is if every owner pays attention to their teams). Who do you think will be the king of the PUN Sports Fantasy League? Leave a comment or vote on the poll off to the side.