BustedKnuckles
Footballguy
http://www.rotoworld.com/content/features/...p;article=30434
If Memorial Day is the unofficial start to summer, then the first Mock Draft writeup is the unofficial start to draft season at Rotoworld. Sure, we're two months from training camp and three months from the biggest draft weekends. But the trends you see below are around to stay. Now is a good time for the certifiable fantasy nut to get a feel for 2008.
This draft was taken place a few weeks ago, for print in the first Krause Publications magazine. We participate in a slew of these magazine mocks, and will continue to highlight some in the coming months. This one used points-per-reception (PPR) scoring, and awarded six points for passing touchdowns – a system that devalues running backs. Do not underestimate how much this system changes strategy, especially with quarterbacks. Evan Silva represented Rotoworld.
Round One
1.01. John Culligan: Steven Jackson
1.02. Adam Caplan: LaDainian Tomlinson (RB SD)
1.03. Brandon Funston: Adrian Peterson (RB MIN)
1.04. Dave Richard: Brian Westbrook (RB PHI)
1.05. Dave Hunter: Tom Brady (QB NE)
1.06. Peter Shoenke: Joseph Addai (RB IND)
1.07. Greg Ambrosius: Ryan Grant (RB GB)
1.08. Evan Silva, Rotoworld: Randy Moss (WR NE)
1.09. Michael Fabiano: Larry Johnson (RB KC)
1.10. Tom Kessenich: Frank Gore (RB SF)
1.11 Unknown: Peyton Manning (QB IND)
1.12 John Hansen: Marion Barber (RB DAL)
Trends, Etc: A google search unearths that Culligan once was the co-winner of the World Championship of Fantasy Football. Winning that event takes original thinking and he definitely shows guts by taking Jackson over LT2. Tomlinson's career carries are getting up there, but this won't happen in most drafts. Jackson vs. Peterson vs. Westbrook will be a bigger debate usually. In a PPR league like this, Peterson's value takes a hit.
Deciding how high to rank Tom Brady is one of the toughest calls this season. This league uses six points per passing touchdown, so he's worth it this high. We'd put him and Manning lower if you get four per passing TD.
Round Two
2.01. Andre Johnson (WR HOU)
2.02. Clinton Portis (RB WAS)
2.03. Terrell Owens (WR DAL)
2.04. Marshawn Lynch (RB BUF)
2.05. Rotoworld: Reggie Wayne (WR IND)
2.06. Reggie Bush (RB NO)
2.07. Laurence Maroney (RB NE)
2.08. Willis McGahee (RB BAL)
2.09. Larry Fitzgerald (WR ARI)
2.10. Maurice Jones-Drew (RB JAC)
2.11. Tony Romo (QB DAL)
2.12. Marques Colston (WR NO)
Trends, Etc: In a PPR league, I'm surprised more receivers weren't taken in the second round. I found it interesting to see Andre Johnson go off the board second at the position. This was before his recent surgery, but it actually matches up with Rotoworld's early rankings. Looks like I wasn't being as bold as I thought.
For all his faults, Bush is a different asset in this format though so there is an argument for him going ahead of a top wideout. Maroney, on the other hand, had the same amount of catches as David Tyree last season: 4. 4!! In other news, Tom Brady threw 578 passes last year.
*** For analysis of the second half of this draft throughout the week, head over to Pancake Blocks.
Round Three
3.01. Steve Smith (WR CAR)
3.02. Braylon Edwards (WR CLE)
3.03. T.J. Houshmandzadeh (WR CIN)
3.04. Wes Welker (WR NE)
3.05. Torry Holt (WR STL)
3.06. Darren McFadden (RB OAK)
3.07. Brandon Marshall (WR DEN)
3.08. Rotoworld: Ronnie Brown (RB MIA)
3.09. Chad Johnson (WR CIN)
3.10. Earnest Graham (RB TB)
3.11. Plaxico Burress (WR NYG)
3.12. Drew Brees (QB NO)
Trends, Etc: A lot of the receivers I expected to go in round two fall here, including Marshall, Smith, Johnson and Edwards. I'll be sick of saying this by August, but I'm not overly worried about Ocho Cinco's potential holdout. He'll show up when it's time to get paid. … It's strange to say, but Holt belongs below the first tier of wideouts now.
Darren McFadden and Earnest Graham are the biggest risks of this round. I'd worry about them both sharing playing time.
Round Four
4.01. Antonio Gates (TE SD)
4.02. Jamal Lewis (RB CLE)
4.03. Anquan Boldin (WR ARI)
4.04. Carson Palmer (QB CIN)
4.05. Rotoworld: Brandon Jacobs (RB NYG)
4.06. Roy Williams (WR DET)
4.07. Hines Ward (WR PIT)
4.08. Willie Parker (RB PIT)
4.09. Derek Anderson (QB CLE)
4.10. Roddy White (WR ATL)
4.11. Michael Turner (RB ATL)
4.12. Thomas Jones (RB NYJ)
Trends, Etc: If Gates' value was hurt by his foot surgery, it wasn't by much. He still went a round in front of the other top tight ends. I'd slot Gates a round back with the other two.
My man Silva did a great job finding running back value with Ronnie Brown and Brandon Jacobs to follow up a nasty Moss/Wayne wideout combo. Jacobs remains an injury-risk, but produces like a RB1 when he plays. … Anderson and Ward are the first two picks of the draft that make me say Goo. … Palmer is a good value here in this format.
Round Five
5.01. Jason Witten (TE DAL)
5.02. Marvin Harrison (WR IND)
5.03. Kellen Winslow (TE CLE)
5.04. Julius Jones (RB SEA)
5.05. Tony Gonzalez (TE KC)
5.06. Greg Jennings (WR GB)
5.07. Ben Roethlisberger (QB PIT)
5.08. Rotoworld: Donovan McNabb (QB PHI)
5.09. Santonio Holmes (WR PIT)
5.10. Matt Hasselbeck (QB SEA)
5.11. Dwayne Bowe (WR KC)
5.12. Calvin Johnson (WR DET)
Trends, Etc: It's tricky drafting in May, but this is about the right spot for Harrison. He's a top-20 receiver if he makes it to Week 1, which still looks likely. … Jennings and Holmes are great young receivers that suffer from the PPR format. … The quarterbacks go about as I'd expect them to in most leagues. I like the later-round QB1s than the values in this round.
There may be a committee in Seattle, but Julius Jones will be leading the way. … Tight ends in this group produced like WR2s last season, so it's appropriate that they go in the same round as some. Brodie Croyle scares me too much to go this high on Gonzo.
Round Six
6.01. Jonathan Stewart (RB CAR)
6.02. LenDale White (RB TEN)
6.03. Edgerrin James (RB ARI)
6.04. Chris Cooley (TE WAS)
6.05. Matt Forte (RB CHI)
6.06. Rudi Johnson (RB CIN)
6.07. Rotoworld – Lee Evans (WR BUF)
6.08. Justin Fargas (RB OAK)
6.09. Kevin Smith (RB FA)
6.10. Laveranues Coles (WR NYJ)
6.11. Travis Henry (RB DEN)
6.12. Marc Bulger (QB STL)
Trends, Etc: You see the sliding value of running backs in 2008 drafts here. White and James are clear-cut starters coming off relatively solid seasons. Stewart and Forte are high ceiling rookies. I think you are going to be able to pick and choose where you take running back talent this year. These players will probably go in round five with different scoring set up.
Rudi and Henry represent the first dip into the "Maybe they have a job, maybe they don't" pool. We'd rather steer clear of swimming there if you draft early.
Round Seven
7.01. Fred Taylor (RB JAC)
7.02. Kevin Curtis (WR PHI)
7.03. Chester Taylor (RB MIN)
7.04. Todd Heap (TE BAL)
7.05. Donald Driver (WR GB)
7.06. Dallas Clark (TE IND)
7.07. Chris Chambers (WR SD)
7.08. Rotoworld: Rashard Mendenhall (RB PIT)
7.09. Javon Walker (WR OAK)
7.10. Jerricho Cotchery (WR NYJ)
7.11. Jeremy Shockey (TE NYG)
7.12. DeAngelo Williams (RB CAR)
Trends, Etc: I'd expect guys like Heap and Shockey to last a little longer in non-PPR leagues. In this draft, players like Vernon Davis and Owen Daniels made it to round nine.
We start to see the first likely backups go off the board at running back (Williams, Chester Taylor). That may indicate that round six is a good time to get your RB3 because the drop-off seems severe. I was very surprised to see Javon Walker go this high. Pancake Block readers would agree.
Round Eight
8.01. Felix Jones (RB DAL)
8.02. Bobby Engram (WR SEA)
8.03. Bernard Berrian (WR MIN)
8.04. Cedric Benson (RB CHI)
8.05. Rotoworld: Heath Miller (TE PIT)
8.06. Donald Lee (TE GB)
8.07. Jay Cutler (QB DEN)
8.08. Donte' Stallworth (WR CLE)
8.09. Santana Moss (WR WAS)
8.10. Jerious Norwood (RB ATL)
8.11. Joey Galloway (WR TB)
8.12. Jerry Porter (WR JAC)
Trends, Etc: We get some of our favorite WR3 values (Santana Moss, Jerry Porter). Bobby Engram is an interesting case after a career season, but his role is likely to diminish this year. … With Michael Turner around, I don't see Jerious Norwood as the high ceiling backup that he's drafted as here. … Cutler is one of our favorite values at any position.
*** For analysis of the second half of this draft throughout the week, head over to Pancake Blocks.
If Memorial Day is the unofficial start to summer, then the first Mock Draft writeup is the unofficial start to draft season at Rotoworld. Sure, we're two months from training camp and three months from the biggest draft weekends. But the trends you see below are around to stay. Now is a good time for the certifiable fantasy nut to get a feel for 2008.
This draft was taken place a few weeks ago, for print in the first Krause Publications magazine. We participate in a slew of these magazine mocks, and will continue to highlight some in the coming months. This one used points-per-reception (PPR) scoring, and awarded six points for passing touchdowns – a system that devalues running backs. Do not underestimate how much this system changes strategy, especially with quarterbacks. Evan Silva represented Rotoworld.
Round One
1.01. John Culligan: Steven Jackson
1.02. Adam Caplan: LaDainian Tomlinson (RB SD)
1.03. Brandon Funston: Adrian Peterson (RB MIN)
1.04. Dave Richard: Brian Westbrook (RB PHI)
1.05. Dave Hunter: Tom Brady (QB NE)
1.06. Peter Shoenke: Joseph Addai (RB IND)
1.07. Greg Ambrosius: Ryan Grant (RB GB)
1.08. Evan Silva, Rotoworld: Randy Moss (WR NE)
1.09. Michael Fabiano: Larry Johnson (RB KC)
1.10. Tom Kessenich: Frank Gore (RB SF)
1.11 Unknown: Peyton Manning (QB IND)
1.12 John Hansen: Marion Barber (RB DAL)
Trends, Etc: A google search unearths that Culligan once was the co-winner of the World Championship of Fantasy Football. Winning that event takes original thinking and he definitely shows guts by taking Jackson over LT2. Tomlinson's career carries are getting up there, but this won't happen in most drafts. Jackson vs. Peterson vs. Westbrook will be a bigger debate usually. In a PPR league like this, Peterson's value takes a hit.
Deciding how high to rank Tom Brady is one of the toughest calls this season. This league uses six points per passing touchdown, so he's worth it this high. We'd put him and Manning lower if you get four per passing TD.
Round Two
2.01. Andre Johnson (WR HOU)
2.02. Clinton Portis (RB WAS)
2.03. Terrell Owens (WR DAL)
2.04. Marshawn Lynch (RB BUF)
2.05. Rotoworld: Reggie Wayne (WR IND)
2.06. Reggie Bush (RB NO)
2.07. Laurence Maroney (RB NE)
2.08. Willis McGahee (RB BAL)
2.09. Larry Fitzgerald (WR ARI)
2.10. Maurice Jones-Drew (RB JAC)
2.11. Tony Romo (QB DAL)
2.12. Marques Colston (WR NO)
Trends, Etc: In a PPR league, I'm surprised more receivers weren't taken in the second round. I found it interesting to see Andre Johnson go off the board second at the position. This was before his recent surgery, but it actually matches up with Rotoworld's early rankings. Looks like I wasn't being as bold as I thought.
For all his faults, Bush is a different asset in this format though so there is an argument for him going ahead of a top wideout. Maroney, on the other hand, had the same amount of catches as David Tyree last season: 4. 4!! In other news, Tom Brady threw 578 passes last year.
*** For analysis of the second half of this draft throughout the week, head over to Pancake Blocks.
Round Three
3.01. Steve Smith (WR CAR)
3.02. Braylon Edwards (WR CLE)
3.03. T.J. Houshmandzadeh (WR CIN)
3.04. Wes Welker (WR NE)
3.05. Torry Holt (WR STL)
3.06. Darren McFadden (RB OAK)
3.07. Brandon Marshall (WR DEN)
3.08. Rotoworld: Ronnie Brown (RB MIA)
3.09. Chad Johnson (WR CIN)
3.10. Earnest Graham (RB TB)
3.11. Plaxico Burress (WR NYG)
3.12. Drew Brees (QB NO)
Trends, Etc: A lot of the receivers I expected to go in round two fall here, including Marshall, Smith, Johnson and Edwards. I'll be sick of saying this by August, but I'm not overly worried about Ocho Cinco's potential holdout. He'll show up when it's time to get paid. … It's strange to say, but Holt belongs below the first tier of wideouts now.
Darren McFadden and Earnest Graham are the biggest risks of this round. I'd worry about them both sharing playing time.
Round Four
4.01. Antonio Gates (TE SD)
4.02. Jamal Lewis (RB CLE)
4.03. Anquan Boldin (WR ARI)
4.04. Carson Palmer (QB CIN)
4.05. Rotoworld: Brandon Jacobs (RB NYG)
4.06. Roy Williams (WR DET)
4.07. Hines Ward (WR PIT)
4.08. Willie Parker (RB PIT)
4.09. Derek Anderson (QB CLE)
4.10. Roddy White (WR ATL)
4.11. Michael Turner (RB ATL)
4.12. Thomas Jones (RB NYJ)
Trends, Etc: If Gates' value was hurt by his foot surgery, it wasn't by much. He still went a round in front of the other top tight ends. I'd slot Gates a round back with the other two.
My man Silva did a great job finding running back value with Ronnie Brown and Brandon Jacobs to follow up a nasty Moss/Wayne wideout combo. Jacobs remains an injury-risk, but produces like a RB1 when he plays. … Anderson and Ward are the first two picks of the draft that make me say Goo. … Palmer is a good value here in this format.
Round Five
5.01. Jason Witten (TE DAL)
5.02. Marvin Harrison (WR IND)
5.03. Kellen Winslow (TE CLE)
5.04. Julius Jones (RB SEA)
5.05. Tony Gonzalez (TE KC)
5.06. Greg Jennings (WR GB)
5.07. Ben Roethlisberger (QB PIT)
5.08. Rotoworld: Donovan McNabb (QB PHI)
5.09. Santonio Holmes (WR PIT)
5.10. Matt Hasselbeck (QB SEA)
5.11. Dwayne Bowe (WR KC)
5.12. Calvin Johnson (WR DET)
Trends, Etc: It's tricky drafting in May, but this is about the right spot for Harrison. He's a top-20 receiver if he makes it to Week 1, which still looks likely. … Jennings and Holmes are great young receivers that suffer from the PPR format. … The quarterbacks go about as I'd expect them to in most leagues. I like the later-round QB1s than the values in this round.
There may be a committee in Seattle, but Julius Jones will be leading the way. … Tight ends in this group produced like WR2s last season, so it's appropriate that they go in the same round as some. Brodie Croyle scares me too much to go this high on Gonzo.
Round Six
6.01. Jonathan Stewart (RB CAR)
6.02. LenDale White (RB TEN)
6.03. Edgerrin James (RB ARI)
6.04. Chris Cooley (TE WAS)
6.05. Matt Forte (RB CHI)
6.06. Rudi Johnson (RB CIN)
6.07. Rotoworld – Lee Evans (WR BUF)
6.08. Justin Fargas (RB OAK)
6.09. Kevin Smith (RB FA)
6.10. Laveranues Coles (WR NYJ)
6.11. Travis Henry (RB DEN)
6.12. Marc Bulger (QB STL)
Trends, Etc: You see the sliding value of running backs in 2008 drafts here. White and James are clear-cut starters coming off relatively solid seasons. Stewart and Forte are high ceiling rookies. I think you are going to be able to pick and choose where you take running back talent this year. These players will probably go in round five with different scoring set up.
Rudi and Henry represent the first dip into the "Maybe they have a job, maybe they don't" pool. We'd rather steer clear of swimming there if you draft early.
Round Seven
7.01. Fred Taylor (RB JAC)
7.02. Kevin Curtis (WR PHI)
7.03. Chester Taylor (RB MIN)
7.04. Todd Heap (TE BAL)
7.05. Donald Driver (WR GB)
7.06. Dallas Clark (TE IND)
7.07. Chris Chambers (WR SD)
7.08. Rotoworld: Rashard Mendenhall (RB PIT)
7.09. Javon Walker (WR OAK)
7.10. Jerricho Cotchery (WR NYJ)
7.11. Jeremy Shockey (TE NYG)
7.12. DeAngelo Williams (RB CAR)
Trends, Etc: I'd expect guys like Heap and Shockey to last a little longer in non-PPR leagues. In this draft, players like Vernon Davis and Owen Daniels made it to round nine.
We start to see the first likely backups go off the board at running back (Williams, Chester Taylor). That may indicate that round six is a good time to get your RB3 because the drop-off seems severe. I was very surprised to see Javon Walker go this high. Pancake Block readers would agree.
Round Eight
8.01. Felix Jones (RB DAL)
8.02. Bobby Engram (WR SEA)
8.03. Bernard Berrian (WR MIN)
8.04. Cedric Benson (RB CHI)
8.05. Rotoworld: Heath Miller (TE PIT)
8.06. Donald Lee (TE GB)
8.07. Jay Cutler (QB DEN)
8.08. Donte' Stallworth (WR CLE)
8.09. Santana Moss (WR WAS)
8.10. Jerious Norwood (RB ATL)
8.11. Joey Galloway (WR TB)
8.12. Jerry Porter (WR JAC)
Trends, Etc: We get some of our favorite WR3 values (Santana Moss, Jerry Porter). Bobby Engram is an interesting case after a career season, but his role is likely to diminish this year. … With Michael Turner around, I don't see Jerious Norwood as the high ceiling backup that he's drafted as here. … Cutler is one of our favorite values at any position.
*** For analysis of the second half of this draft throughout the week, head over to Pancake Blocks.
Terrible move in PPR......I see about a 60 pt difference in total pts........285 to 225 in favor of Bush......
