If I Was Drafting...Round 5
I officially drafted this team on Sunday afternoon so these teams have been essentially complete for almost a week now even though you are only seeing round by round. I will try my best to push out the rest of the rounds before Sunday but the urgency isn’t quite there yet so I’m not sweating it. If you have a draft before I get to finish or you need any assistance just hit me up on twitter or email me at [email protected] and I will get back to you as best I can to help.
Values will vary as week three of preseason games finish up, but for the most part I think these teams are still all where they should be at this point. Perhaps a few swaps here and there in hindsight now, but truly it’s apples & apples at this point. I will do another in-depth draft analysis of my real drafts for you as we approach Labor Day (one coming this Monday afternoon) and that should fill in any gaps that I don’t cover with this.
ROUND FIVE
1. Drew Brees (ALL STARS BABY) | There is depth at RB that will last until my next duo of picks and Brees is poised for a career year with a bevy of new weapons at his disposal so I am not concerned about taking a top 5 QB instead of another RB. He will be automatic for 20+ points each week and I will take a solid reserve QB later just in case he misses any time. I really don’t think justifying this pick is necessary, accept it, move on.
TEAM ALL STARS BABY (1) WR Odell Beckham Jr. (2) WR Sammy Watkins (3) WR Kelvin Benjamin (4) RB Jeremy Langford (5) QB Drew Brees
2. C.J. Anderson (BOUT IT BOUT IT) | Rounding out my stable of RB’s, Anderson will come in the primary option in an offense that not only leaned on him last season but doesn’t have an identity this season yet, so that should bode well for his usage. Now I have RB1 & 2 options with a solid duo any week, plus an auto flex option if I don’t like any of my other skill players match-ups.
TEAM BOUT IT BOUT IT (1) WR Antonio Brown (2) WR Mike Evans (3) RB Lamar Miller (4) RB Thomas Rawls (5) RB C.J. Anderson
3. DeMarco Murray (CALL YOUR MOM) | It’s natural that he had a down season last year in a new environment and nagged by annoying injuries. He looks fresh and ready to contribute in Tennessee and should see all he can handle from Mariotta looking likely to carry the offense and pairs very well with Gurley as he catches a few passes each game too.
TEAM CALL YOUR MOM (1) RB Todd Gurley (2) WR Amari Cooper (3) QB Aaron Rodgers (4) WR Eric Decker (5) RB DeMarco Murray
4. DeVante Parker (DON’T BLINK) | The hype demands his value be here but I think he could truly wait another round, still, I like him to back up Allen and be a true breakout WR2 candidate. As I mentioned with this team, Hyde and Jennings will make up the bulk of my receptions so I’m not worried about volume so much as explosiveness and Parker has just that.
TEAM DON’T BLINK (1) RB Adrian Peterson (2) RB Carlos Hyde (3) WR Keenan Allen (4) RB Rashad Jennings (5) WR DeVante Parker
5. Chris Ivory (EREYBODY SCORIN) | There is some speculation that Ivory isn’t going to be used at the goal line in Jacksonville, but I bet to differ. I like Ivory to in fact be the red zone option for the Jags and he also couples as a good reception option in case Foster and Maclin don’t eat much any given week. He gives me a nice rounded core of main tailbacks and is a solid investment at this position.
TEAM HOT FOR TOUCHES (1) WR Julio Jones (2) RB Matt Forte (3) RB Arian Foster (4) WR Jeremy Maclin (5) RB Chris Ivory
6. Justin Forsett (FUNKZONE) | He won’t likely be the top man for Baltimore at the end of the season, but he should start the year as their primary back and I will watch how the situation unfolds as weeks go by. Forsett should be good for a few quality games and I hope they decide to let him punch his own tickets in the red zone, but again TBD, I am only looking at his opportunity value here and it goes well with Gordon & Newton as complimentary rush yard contributors.
TEAM FUNKZONE (1) WR Dez Bryant (2) WR Brandin Cooks (3) QB Cam Newton (4) RB Melvin Gordon (5) RB Justin Forsett
7. DeAngelo Williams (GET IT IN) | I told you I was going to get Williams after I took Bell and here it is. Maybe a little early, but not by my ranks, especially when you think about what they did TOGETHER last year when Bell returned. Williams still has a lot left in the tank and even when Bell comes back they should both be worth playing depending on the match-up, and if not, I have no problem trading or even cutting Williams if it comes to that later. Nobody is safe, this is purely an insurance pick and I’m ok with it because of my position in the next round.
TEAM GET IT IN (1) WR A.J. Green (2) WR Allen Robinson (3) RB Le’Veon Bell (4) RB Frank Gore (5) RB DeAngelo Williams
8. Larry Fitzgerald (HOT FOR TOUCHES) | You can argue his age and the age of his QB but I would argue wine and cheese are both better with age so shut it. Fitzy is a wildcard lately, he can either be a WR1 or barely worth a FLEX play, but when he gets hot, Palmer seems to nail him again and again. I expect him to go out with a bang this year and likely retire as the Cardinals go to the NFC Championship game. My receivers are set for a bit and now I can get a little bold in the next few rounds.
TEAM HOT FOR TOUCHES (1) RB Devonta Freeman (2) WR Alshon Jeffrey (3) WR Demaryius Thomas (4) RB Latavius Murray (5) WR Larry Fitzgerald
9. Ryan Mathews (IN THIS BITCH) | Truthfully I’m not really sure how Matthews will fit into the new system in Philadelphia but he played well last year when he got the chance and is a talented tailback in a division that can give up big rushing games. I will check out Sproles later but for now his RB1 status is still locked in and I got him cheap to support Stewart & Charles.
TEAM IN THIS BITCH (1) WR DeAndre Hopkins (2) RB Jamaal Charles (3) WR T.Y. Hilton (4) RB Jonathan Stewart (5) RB Ryan Matthews
10. DeSean Jackson (JOKERS WILD) | This was a tough one, I like a few other receivers for this team in this range, but Jackson is still the top option for Cousins and is a burner down field. The possibility for 50+ yard touch downs is so real and it makes me giddy when I think about him having a quiet comeback sort of year in Washington.
TEAM JOKERS WILD (1) RB Eddie Lacy (2) WR Brandon Marshall (3) RB Ezekiel Elliott (4) RB Doug Martin (5) WR DeSean Jackson
11. Dante Moncrief (KING ME) | I would have liked Jackson here, but I like Moncrief’s upside a lot more than Jacksons at the end of it all. He should get the scraps while Hilton gets the attention from the secondaries, plus he is quietly a sleeper candidate and could outplay Hilton to takeover WR1, but that’s TBD. Still, I like the WR trio I have here and look forward to a QB perhaps next round.
TEAM KING ME (1) RB David Johnson (2) RB Mark Ingram (3) WR Jarvis Landry (4) WR Julian Edelman (5) WR Dante Moncrief
12. Russell Wilson (LAST PICK) | I am happy that he lasted to this position for this team to take him. I could have put him on KING ME, JOKERS WILD, or GET IT IN, but the options I went with for them instead fit better for this round. Additionally, he is going to have a lot more opportunity to run this season and that will translate into big plays for fantasy gold. I will address RB with my first pick next round, but for now I have a core of big time playmakers that makes me salivate at their potential.
TEAM LAST PICK (1) TE Rob Gronkowski (2) RB LeSean McCoy (3) WR Randall Cobb (4) WR Jordy Nelson (5) QB Russell Wilson