2008 Fantasy Football Mock Draft
The RotoWire Magazine Mock Draft took place Tuesday, April 29, just two days after the NFL draft. It was a 12-team draft with 16 rounds, standard parameters and standard scoring: (QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE, 1 K, 1 D) and (3/6 TDs, 20/10 yards).
(Thanks to the Mockdraftcentral.com for the use of their excellent draft software.)
Here are the results, followed by comments by each participant:
Team No. 1: Brandon Funston, Yahoo! Sports:
My team weakness is at wide receiver. I was able to grab Steve Smith early, but complementing him with Laveranues Coles, Bobby Engram, Ted Ginn and Devin Hester is serviceable, at best. But looking back through the draft, I wouldn't have changed much. Receiver needs can be addressed in-season, and slighting the position a bit early in the draft allowed me to come away with studs Drew Brees and Antonio Gates, in addition to a backfield of LT, Maurice Jones-Drew and Travis Henry. I was also especially surprised that I was able to land the Minnesota defense in Round 13. That squad treated me right last season and now has added pass-rusher extraordinaire Jared Allen.
Best Value: Quarterbacks Tom Brady (#13), Peyton Manning (#33) and Drew Brees (#48) – especially Manning, that's ridiculous. Team No. 2: Chris Liss, RotoWire.com
I love drafting early in the first round because it allows you to take a star RB and then come back with two stud WRs in rounds 2 and 3. Then you can grab multiple upside backs in the middle rounds to find your RB2. This is my favorite way to draft because you've got three rock-solid players at worst, and you usually can find a serviceable No. 2 back among the bunch. It worked out as planned with Joseph Addai (played it safe there rather than go for upside with Adrian Peterson, and maybe I'd switch that up if I had it to do over again – but it's close enough), Braylon Edwards and Larry Fitzgerald. Normally I wait on QBs, but Carson Palmer in the fourth jumped out among the available options, and I was able to get Reggie Bush and Rudi Johnson in the fifth and sixth. I think Nate Burleson's a good sleeper at WR as well.
Best Value: Frank Gore (#12), Rudi Johnson (#71), Kellen Winslow (#63), Nate Burleson (#119)
Team No. 3: Mike Doria, RotoWire.com
Michael Turner is boom-or-bust, but if he pans out I feel pretty good about my RB situation. I rolled the dice on a couple of QB bounce-back candidates. Vince Young lacks weapons, but where I got him seemed like good value. The extra bench spots help justify so many rookie lottery tickets, but realistically all four are an injury away from being useful. This early I figured it was worth swinging for the fences with them rather than stocking up on mediocre WR/backup TE types, who I'd end up cutting anyway if we play this out.
Best Value: I like Erickson's "Silent Bob" choice: Kevin Smith (#56)
Team No. 4: Brad Evans, Yahoo! Sports
Team Evans owns more weapons than Marvin Harrison. Unquestionably, the strength of my team is at RB. Brian Westbrook and Ronnie Brown, assuming he's near full-strength come September, are a formidable one-two punch. Meanwhile, upstarts Rashard Mendenhall, DeAngelo Williams and Selvin Young provide plenty of depth. The "Big Noise" could use another big-time wideout, but Hackett's slick endzone abilities should prove beneficial, especially with defenses keying on Steve Smith. In hindsight, Steve Slaton in the 10th snapped a few tendons. With a handful of serviceable WRs still available – Sidney Rice, Derrick Mason and Ronald Curry – a No. 4 wideout should have been the primary focus.
Best Value: Assuming he leapfrogs Cedric "Don't spray me, bro" Benson on the Bears depthchart, Behrens' selection of Matt Forte (#57) is a major coup.
Team No. 5: Lenny Pappano, Draft Sharks
Typically in a league that starts two RBs, three WRs and a TE, I try to draft a team balanced at RB, WR and get a top-tier TE. Getting a QB, defense and K are not as important. I was thrilled to get Steven Jackson with the fifth pick, and locked up Jason Witten as my TE in the fifth round. Jerry Porter may be a big surprise in Jacksonville, and I only need him as my third starting WR. I took a gamble by waiting on QBs – David Garrard and Jake Delhomme – but I only need average play out of one of them.
Best Value: Kellen Winslow (#63)
Team No. 6: Kyle Fisher, RotoWire.com
My team is pretty consistent across the board. Not dominant or weak, just solid. The first five picks were essentially no brainers, but at six it's a pretty tough call. I could have gone with Tom Brady, Larry Johnson, Ryan Grant, Frank Gore or a host of other players instead of Marion Barber. I thought, at the time, Barber was the safest and had the most upside. In hindsight, I probably took both Torry Holt and Derek Anderson a little high, but all in all, I am pleased with the draft and don't think I embarrassed myself especially against such an elite and esteemed panel of experts.
Best Value: Kevin Smith (#56), Matt Hasselbeck (#86)
Team No. 7: Erik Siegrist, RotoWire.com
This is the worst season in recent memory to be picking in the middle of a snake draft. After choosing Laurence Maroney over Frank Gore in the first round and nabbing Darren McFadden in the second I figured I was committed to an "upside" draft and deliberately reached a bit on guys like Calvin Johnson and Chris Chambers that I had on my "want" list. That said, I think I managed the draft fairly well and didn't get stuck on the tail end of position runs or anything. My starters are mostly solid, but depth at RB could be a problem.
Best Value: Frank Gore (#12), Chad Johnson (#35), Willie Parker (#37), Jerious Norwood (#96)
Team No. 8: Jeff Erickson, RotoWire.com
I like my depth at running back and wide receiver. I took a wide receiver (Randy Moss) in the first round, which usually isn't my style, but getting Willis McGahee, Ernest Graham and then Kevin Smith in the second, third and fifth rounds, respectively, worked out pretty well. Taking Moss might have forced me to be a little more conservative, though, than I would have liked in the second round – I would have taken Darren McFadden instead of McGahee had I gone with a RB in the first round.
My weakness is at QB, but that's not unusual. I almost always play the "wait on the QB's" game. My backup QB would have been different had we done this draft in August, as Jon Kitna has the same bye week as Peyton Manning. Instead I would have taken whichever Arizona QB had the lead on the starting job.
Best Value: Kevin Smith (#56), D.J. Hackett (#93)
Team No. 9: Andy Behrens, Yahoo! Sports
If you had guaranteed that backs like Ernest Graham, Jamal Lewis and Jonathan Stewart would fall to Round 3, then maybe I'd have taken a receiver in Round 2. My team basically has two WR2s (Santonio Holmes and Joey Galloway) and a WR4 (Anthony Gonzalez) with potential. My quarterback is exceptional (Peyton Manning), and my RB situation is very good, if not spectacular (Larry Johnson, Brandon Jacobs, Matt Forte). Kellen Winslow was taken a pick ahead of me. That began a pattern of TEs narrowly escaping my roster, but I don't mind Owen Daniels.
Best Value: Peyton Manning (#33), Fred Taylor (#66), Julius Jones (#68), Travis Henry (#72), Mike Hart (#158)
Team No. 10: Dalton Del Don, RotoWire.com
The one thing I can say about my team is that I'm upset this was only a "mock" and won't be played out. Normally I go running back for the first two rounds, but Andre Johnson is the No. 2 receiver on my board, so he was too good to pass up there, and grabbing Jonathan Stewart a round later solidified my backfield anyway. Love the Jay Cutler/Matt Schaub QB combo, but am a little worried about my WR depth.
Best Value: Reggie Bush (#50), Matt Forte (#57), Ryan Torain (#111)
Team No. 11: Derek VanRiper, RotoWire.com
I went with the strategy of getting two of my top-10 backs and then taking some calculated risks at receiver in the following two rounds. As it stands now, Chad Johnson's displeasure with the Bengals leaves his 2008 status up in the air, while Marvin Harrison's return from injury and potential discipline stemming from a gun incident are troubling. It's going to be feast-or-famine with my receiving corps, and later selections of Santana Moss and Sidney Rice fit the same bill. My team's strength will be balance throughout if this group stays healthy, but its weakness is potential for age-based decline for many of the key starters.
Best Value: Kevin Smith (#56)
Team No. 12: Michael Beller, RotoWire.com
I think the strength of my team is running back depth. I wanted to team Willie Parker with Rashard Mendenhall, but I'm not surprised Brad Evans sniped me. Still, I expect one of Felix Jones, Cedric Benson, Tatum Bell or Chris Brown to emerge as a legitimate RB3. My team's weakest point is at receiver, where I'm counting on Dwayne Bowe and Javon Walker to be reliable weekly starters. I'm happy with how my team turned out, but if I could've done anything differently, I might have passed on Tom Brady. QBs were going at a pretty discounted rate, and I'd be happier with a top-flight receiver there and taking Carson Palmer or Drew Brees in the fourth, or even Ben Roethlisberger in the sixth.
Best Value: Reggie Bush (#50), Jay Cutler (#82)