So we’ve gone through picks 1-4 and 5-8 and now we tackle 9-12. I’ve always liked being able to grab two players close to back to back in the first and second rounds and we’ll see how that turns out here. Sadly our ADP is going all bat poo crazy so our guide is a little askew from the last two (yeah, I should have taken a screen shot). Anyway, we are using FFC again. Let’s see what we have.
1st round 9-12 ADP has Moss, Jackson, Wayne, Calvin Johnson while I have a bunch of running backs in that range, Mendy, JC Superstar, Greene, and Mathews, but Steven Jackson falling to this area is a boon. His TD totals kept him from being a top tier RB last season, but I see that number rising. Some people are worried about his back which is why his ADP seems to be slipping a little. He played through the back problems last season and he worked extra hard to strengthen it during the off season. I like him here.
2nd round picks are 13-16, Brees, Austin, Mathews, and Mendy. The upside of Mendy, JC, Greene and Matthews (all still on the board) is easily top 10. I usually go into this draft slot with an idea that I could possibly grab two top tier wide receivers or at least a RB/WR, but even though many ‘perts lament the plight of the second tier running back, I actually feel pretty good about them. Yes, they do have question marks, but running backs inherently have question marks. If we go RB/RB our #1 receiver won’t come until picks 33-36. What to do? What to do? I’m going with Rashard Mendenhall. I believe he is the safest/highest upside back available and I love him as a #2 pick.
The 3rd round gives us picks 33-36, Schaub, Romo, McCoy, and The Steve Smiths. I NEED a wide receiver! And I’m going with Steve Smith, no, Steve Smith, not Steve Smith! The Panthers are a run first and second team, but Smith is the guy and Matt Moore knows where his passing bread and butter is served. Smith was hurt by Delhomme’s bad play last season and can be a top tier receiver again.
The 4th round 37-40 has a bunch of players I am interested in like Best, Wells, Foster, Clark, Forte, Crabtree, Gates, Rivers, Finley, Stewart, Bowe, Addai, Brown, Moreno, VD, Nicks and MSW that all probably won’t get back to me again at 57-60. I have 2 RBs and 1 WR. I want another high upside receiver, but I can pick anyone and fill in a starter slot. Are you kidding me?! Too many choices! If this was PPR I would be looking really hard at Best, but in non-PPR I’m looking hard at Beanie and Arian. My rankings have Beanie ahead of Arian right now, but it is very close. This is where I have 90 seconds to make a choice and I go with my gut, Arian Foster. I may write a post on this, but the draft is going! Onto the next round!
Round 5, picks 57-60, Witten, Garcon, Harvin, and Ward are there. My starting RBs are secured and now I really need a WR. I’m going with the old reliable, Hines Ward. He was the 16th overall fantasy receiver last season and now he doesn’t have Holmes on the other side. I like Wallace a lot, but he is still young and Ward will get his.
Round 6 and picks 61-64 with a whole lotta picks between now and our next turn. But I’m not going to list them all because I know who I have to choose from. Kevin Kolb, Jay Cutler, and Joe Flacco are all in this next round and are all on my QB Christmas list. Even with their poor preseasons I have faith in both Kolb and Cutler. Should I? Sure. This is preseason. Don’t read too much into it. I have taken Cutler in each of my draft position posts and I’m not going to change things now. He looks like a prick and he’s dating a girl from The Hills, what’s not to love? (eye rolling emoticon).
Round 7 and picks 81-84 are Daniels, Favre, Dez Bryant, and Housh. Bryant’s stock is rising since Roy Williams has an injury and Bryant is back to practicing, but I’m not fully on board in the 7th round. Housh in non-ppr is non-good. So we are going to have to take a look further down the ADP scale. I have been targeting Robert Meachem around these parts, but he is limited by a toe injury and it’s giving a lot more looks to Henderson and Moore. I need a WR to fill out my starters, but the upside guys are pretty much gone. What I’m seeing isn’t awe inspiring. I am a big fan of Derick Mason for his stability, but I already have the extra-stable Ward. Bernard Berrian is available, but do I really want him starting? Jacoby Jones and Zach Miller, two of “my guys,” are far enough down that I can wait on them. So I’m going to bite the bullet and go with Bernard Berrian. Favre has some weird magic Vicodin he is slipping himself and his receivers. We’ll see if he can keep scoring some.
Round 8 has picks 85-88 and pretty much the same shituation as last round. Cadillac and Portis are here and I do not want either. I would rather have their craptastic backups in the last round than them here. So I’m going to make sure I get my man Zach Miller. Yes, his ADP goes into round 9, but I’ve seen him go earlier. I think I’ll play it safe.
Round 9 and we are at picks 105-108. It’s time to start looking at backup RBs and there are a few right here, including, Hightower, McFadden, F. Jackson, and Hardesty. In non-PPR these guys aren’t quite as tempting as in PPR so I’m going with the highest risk, highest reward guy in Hardesty. If I felt RBs were a weakness I would go with someone with a better track record, but I feel pretty good with my guys and Hardesty is still an unknown. Jerome Harrison had a shot to really take a hold on the RB spot, but he didn’t and now Hardesty will get his shot at the job. If he wins it, I get good value here.
The 10th Round looks like a good spot to look for a backup QB with picks 109-112. Donovan McNabb and Ben Roethlisberger are both here. I love McNabb’s ability to avoid interceptions and I’m not as down on him as some. Yes, the Indigenous Peoples of Washington DC have pretty poor receivers, but Moss and Cooley aren’t the dregs of society and McNabb has done well with less than good receivers before (albeit in a pass first offense). But Big Ben does look like an elite QB, or at least close to being one. And he will be on a mission to make up for lost ground. In this battle I am a little worried about Big Ben raping and pillaging the Indigenous People, so I’ll grab him before he does any damage.
The 11th round and picks 129-132 have Jacoby Jones, Rice, Gaffney, and McGahee. I think Rice will help you in the playoffs, but with such a small bench I just don’t want to clog up a spot with an injured player. If you have an IR position I’d grab him, but I’m going with Jacoby Jones here.
The 12th round and picks 133-136 are here. Like I’ve said before, at this point in the draft you grab guys you like. You will probably drop these guys for more stable production at some point, but upside is what you want here. And when you think of upside, you think of Larry Johnson! Well, upside doesn’t have to be in the ability of the player, it can be in the probability of opportunity, or as I like to call it for short, POO.
The 13th round and picks 153-156 usher Legedu Naanee onto my team. He has found his way onto my teams often. I really like Malcolm Floyd, but I also haven’t been finding him on my draft radar for some reason. Naanee has a shot at being a decent late round flier.
The 14th round and picks 157-160 will be Kareem Huggins again. Derick Ward is officially a ward of the state, unless I don’t understand the meaning of that phrase. But Ward was cut and Huggins is the backup. I don’t trust Caddy’s engineer.
The 15/16th rounds — Kicker and Defense, You fill in the blanks ___________/____________
1. Steven Jackson
2. Rashard Mendenhall
3. Steve Smith (CAR)
4. Arian Foster
5. Hines Ward
6. Jay Cutler
7. Bernard Berrian
8. Zach Miller
9. Montario Hardesty
10. Ben Roethlisberger
11. Jacoby Jones
12. Larry Johnson
13. Legedu Naanee
14. Kareem Huggins
15. ____________
16. ____________
Well, this is my least favorite team. In retrospect I probably should have grabbed a WR in the 2nd round (Yeah, I know I could go back and delete that part, but I want you to see it as is). I love my two RBs, but my WRs are very weak. I am really amazed at how poor my options were. It seemed like all the players I wanted were in one round! If I learned anything from this, it is to hope some of the guys I like fall in the 7th-9th rounds.
