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Subject: RIFC 2015: Draft Recap
Posted by: Guru
- [330592710] Mon, Sep 07, 2015, 17:12
RIFC Managers - You are each invited (although not required) to post your general reflections on the completed draft. Comments may be as detailed or as general as you wish. As a catalyst, free free to comment on any of the following:
1. What was your plan/strategy entering the draft? Were you able to execute as you had planned?
2. What were your favorite picks? Which do you wish you could do over?
3. Looking over all of the teams, which ones do you like the most (other than your own)?
4. What surprised you most about the draft?
5. If you could start over, would you do anything differently?
Non-managers are also welcome to post general comments on the draft, and to raise questions. |
| 1 | Jaydog
ID: 32747318
Tue, Sep 08, 2015, 09:39
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I'll get the ball rolling:
1) My primary strategy was to try and lock up at least two quality WR's and RB's in my first 4-5 picks, waiting on QB as long as I could hold out. I also like to be a bit ahead of the game in drafting IDP's, not jumping on the top 2-3, but trying to fill my starting slots earlier than most, with upper tier consistent players. I executed on this well. I drafted a QB (Brady in the 7th) a little earlier than I had planned, but saw the group thinning, and have a top 4 set of IDP's that should suit me well.
2) It's hard not to love my early picks (Brown and Forsett), but my favorite picks were Brady in the 7th (at the time I didn't like it, but found out a few days later that his suspension was lifted, and then loved it), Dwayne Allen in the 14th (Top 5 TE potential when healthy), Eddie Royal in the 16th (2nd WR option on a pass happy offense, who has good chemistry with Cutler), and Terrance West in the 23rd (handcuff to Sankey, and the trade to TN put him in a high upside position). Only picks I'd like to have back at this point are LaFell in the 18th (learned of his injury shortly after drafting) and Matt Bryant in the 20th (unnecessary to take a kicker that high). I have a few very risky picks, that I may regret, but as of writing this post could be great for me. Jimmy Graham in the 3rd, could give me elite value at TE, but is in a new situation, in a run happy offense. Sean Lee is an injury prone LB, switching positions, but is a LB1 when healthy. If either or both of those guys gets hurt or doesn't adapt to their new situations, the picks could hurt me.
3) Always hard to say coming out of the draft, as most teams look good on paper. At first glance I like the Fugazi (JJ Watt, followed by 3 very good receivers. Also was able to get good RB value late with Blount/Ivory. I think he'll struggle at QB though) and Guru (picked a lot of guys I liked as targets, Cooks, Bennett, Keuchly. He may struggle at RB though with the crowded situation in Dallas possibly hurting Randle and possibly not having enough touches for Gio Bernard)).
4) I've done enough of these now to not be too suprised about anything. I was a little suprised at how early Watt went, although when I thought about it, it makes perfect sense. I was also suprised at how late the "3rd tier" of QB's lasted. To see guys like Brady, Manning, Rivers, etc.. last into the 7-10+ round range was surprising.
5) Only things I'd do over, would be to wait a few more rounds on QB. If I knew I could have had Rivers in round 11 over Brady in round 7 I definitely would have made that switch. Heck, I'd even have taken Carson Palmer as my starting QB in round 21. I waited as long as I could stomach to take Brady in the 7th, but could have waited a bit longer.
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| 2 | Kyle
Leader
ID: 052753312
Tue, Sep 08, 2015, 12:30
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1. What was your plan/strategy entering the draft? Were you able to execute as you had planned?
I generally try to go with best available player in the first 4 rounds of RIFC, but without the ability to choose where I drafted I was stuck in the 3rd slot which is a tough one. Going into the first round I wanted to grab one of Charles, Lacy or Antonio Brown. I stated in my rationale why I was staying away from L. Bell and while I enjoy winning, I also enjoy having players I can root for, sorry AP.
Second round I wanted a WR, went with one who got hurt, third round was going to go RB unless Luck or Rodgers inexplicably fell to me and in the 4th round go with best available. Well Cobb getting hurt threw the 4th round pick into "you need a WR, NOW" territory.
2. What were your favorite picks? Which do you wish you could do over?
I really like Stafford in round 7 and Dansby in 12. I also think that Gostkowski at 8.12 (pick 250) is good value. He's going to be better than the 250th highest scoring player at the end of the season, and I think he's on a tier of his own for kicking.
I'm not sure how I feel about going DL in round 9, I'm thinking LB would have been better suited there. And as my rationale said I should have waited to set my queue after the cut news was finished. Christine Michael in round 23 is great value.
3. Looking over all of the teams, which ones do you like the most (other than your own)?
This is one I don't like answering because I feel like I'll miss out on a powerhouse team. No one seemed to be constantly "just stealing" a player I like. Last year Guru did that to me every round it seemed. That said here's the 4 teams (besides me) who I think should definitely be in the playoffs.
Twilson: That receiving corps is kind of silly and having Gronk just makes it crazy. A QBBC with Cam and Eli should provide QB5 quality scores and the RBs are definitely above average. There's some boom-bust in the IDP, but if Bowman, Johnson and Nacho have bounce back seasons, this could be a top ranked unit.
Promize: Thanks for taking AP. I think he'll have a solid season and I didn't want a morale conundrum at pick 3. Also should we start calling Johnathon Stewart Trevor Noah? I love Hopkins a lot and am sort of kicking myself on passing on him. The IDP is suspect, but promising. I really like Jamie Collins though.
Twolves: It might be because he's my starter in G24 but I like Bortles as a backup. Wilson is middle of the pack for me but he puts up results that prove me wrong so there's that. I love Forte this year and actually considered putting him as my 3rd person in my round 1 queue (behind Lacy and Charles). And that IDP. Wagner is a stud, Freeman should put up 100 points this season and Church and McDonald as tackling machines.
Guru is actually my 4th favorite team but I want to focus on someone else who had a good draft. (Sorry Guru)
Jaydog: He got Brown in round 1 and I think in terms of value for the pick he won round 1. Then he got my steal last season Forsett in round 2 while getting Jimmy Graham in round 3. This was a really good start. With Brady not being suspended, a couple more good value picks in Tate, Wright and and Parker, you round out a team with Mosley, Cyprien and I think a bounce back year from Sean Lee. The RB posistion is suspect behind Forsett (I actually loathe Martin thanks to F101) but anything can happen.
4. What surprised you most about the draft?
I don't think much surprises me in this draft, everyone seems so prepared and knowledgeable that even players I think might be steals go right where I had them lined up. I guess the fact that the bottom half of the draft filled up before anyone took the 1st slot was a little shocking, but 3RR really hurts those top 3-5 picks.
5. If you could start over, would you do anything differently?
I would go back to middle school Kyle and tell him to use a different handle so in the future I would be able to pick my draft slot? Haha!
Umm besides Rounds 2 and 23 where I definitely would have gone with Hopkins and Michael, I think most of my picks have a solid floor and unless I get a rash or major injuries, I'm going to be set. Or maybe I shouldn't have drafted Kam Chancellor, news is coming out he might sit all season. Ugh.
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| 3 | Guru
ID: 330592710
Tue, Sep 08, 2015, 13:10
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1. My plan entering the draft was to take Watt at the 1.14/2.01 turn. Didn’t happen. So that’s why I landed Luck. Since I expected to have Watt, I knew I’d be chasing either RB or WR for a few rounds, and therefore thought I’d take a QB much later.
2. I like DeMarco Murray at 1.14, although I kind of thought I’d get him. Happy to get two solid LBs in Kuechly(6) and Posluszny(8), although they weren’t necessarily planned – just situational. Gates(14) could work out well as a backup TE, if he plays anything like past years.
I’m not enamored with Randle as my RB2, although it seemed like the thing to do at the time. I’m not feeling particularly strong at either RB or WR, which I guess is the flip side of drafting QB and LB earlier than most.
3. Twilson’s team seems well constructed, and I especially appreciated his extensive rationales.
4. No big surprises. There were a few picks here and there that raised my eyebrows, but I thought the flow was about what I expected. Every team has strengths and weaknesses.
I feel like I’m in the middle of the pack at this point. In-season management will be needed to get this team to the upper tier.
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| 4 | Toral
ID: 1753514
Tue, Sep 08, 2015, 17:49
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Guru:
1. What was your plan/strategy entering the draft? Were you able to execute as you had planned?
I planned the usual top-value for round 1 through 4, with no intention of taking a QB unless Luck or Rodgers (in that order) fell to me in Round 2. I targetted Ryan in Round 5 or Newton in Round 6 as QBs I wanted. I wanted to start picking IDPs early, before WR4s, and to pick one every second round until the top guys were gone and the rest became an indistinguishable mass. I wanted to grab handcuff or prospect or lottery RBs late as often as I could in the late rounds.
In one important respect, I deviated from my plan in picking Ryan in Round 4, for reasons discussed in my rationale. Now if I knew that Newton wouldn't have gone until the 8th round here (way the latest in all the RIFC leagues) I wouldn't have done that. The verdict on my decision depends on the performance of 4 players this year: Matt Ryan, Cam Newton, Jonathan Stewart (whom I would have selected instead of Ryan) and C. J. Spiller.
Last year I did the same thing and deviated, picking Romo one round earlier than I wanted. Worked out all right.
Handcuff/prospect RBs were drafted very efficiently this year and I got nothing much there beyond Lynch's putative handcuff.
The rest of the draft I executed my future, I mean, my plan, OK.
2. What were your favorite picks? Which do you wish you could do over?
Well, I had to be happy getting Marshawn Lynch at pick 8. I liked Jordan Mathews (3.08), Charles Johnson, and Tevin Coleman (9.08, lowest he was picked in all the RIFC leagues).
Looking over all of the teams, which ones do you like the most (other than your own)?
twilson, Guru, Jaydog and Promize
twilson kept making great draft picks, ones I would have made myself, or wished I had thot of, or was planning to make. Newton and Manning for nothing? Come on. I love his lineup of backup receivers. Why he wanted Kyle Rudolph I don't know, but come on, he won last year for a reason. Makes me glad there's a lot of luck in HtH football....
Guru has he has said will need some "mid-season management" but the base is sound. Jaydog I took a long time to pick as a 3rd choicer because he spent high draft choices on 2 of the most likely busts of the whole season: Forsett and Graham. But the rest of the team is so solid that it could do well even if Forsett loses his job by week 6. Dirk *did* pick Jonathan Stewart, so his team could make me look like an idiot.
4. What surprised you most about the draft?
Managers picking unnecessary IDP backups. You might be missing an RB/WR lottery winner.
5. If you could start over, would you do anything differently?
I guess most importantly, I would have more carefully assessed Brady's chances of having his justified suspension overturned. Best sports law experts predicted that, and I should have been on that. That would have encouraged me to wait on a QB.
I would have picked Stewart (great name, too) in round 4 and waited on a QB. I would have waited on Jenkins for a round, not because he wasn't worth drafting where he was, but because I might have got him a round later.
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| 5 | twolves
ID: 37391813
Tue, Sep 08, 2015, 17:51
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I took the 10th pick deciding after last year liked the back end of draft to get early picks in 2,3, and 4th round.
1. I had planned to take 2 RB, possibly 2WR, and QB in first five rounds and then a couple of additional 3rd WR and 3rd RB in 6th and seventh before tackling defensive starters. After that take fill-ins. It started out fine until Guru started what looked it could be a run on LBs.
2. Favorite picks probably B. Wagner and C. Johnson hoping they have big years as have owned them in past. Joc Bell could become my favorite pick if he can hold starting job for the year and be fill in for bye weeks.
3. Teams I like:
Jaydog has good starting lineup and some depth.
Island Bombers has a good starting lineup on offense and LB corp.
Guru has nice starting lineup and alot of receivers.
Kyle Solid if WRs hold up
4. The early run on defensive players. I have usually starting taking DEF in 8th round and usually only 1-3 at most off board by then other than JJ.
5. If redo would probably rethink DEF drafting particularly safeties as missed out on a couple of LB and top safeties have same bye week.
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| 6 | twilson
ID: 37573115
Tue, Sep 15, 2015, 16:09
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1. What was your plan/strategy entering the draft? Were you able to execute as you had planned?
Once I chose slot 13, my pre-draft strategy was to open Watt/WR/RB/RB and then follow the value from there. I also wanted to have two DL1 as the centerpiece of my IDP strategy, and was willing to wait on LB and especially DB. I wasn’t going to hesitate to take an early RB3 if that’s where the value was. I didn’t have an Ahmad Bradshaw up my sleeve this year. Finally, I had no plan at QB, as I think consensus ADP for the position is remarkably accurate.
My opening salvo was ruined before it even began when Fugazi took Watt at 1.12. With that said, Gronk/WR/RB/RB is the next closest thing. It just cost me my hope of having two DL1.
Defensive line was my biggest draft failure, as Ninkovich is a low DL1 and my second slot is likely to be the free agent du jour. I took my RB3 in the 5th round and then took only a pair of late handcuffs to supplement, one of which later got cut by his team. RB depth will be a major waiver wire priority, but that’s nothing special in RIFC.
I successfully waited on QB and DB. Neither will be a strength of my team, but they shouldn’t drag me down either. You have to pick a few weaknesses in this format, and those (along with DL) are mine.
2. What were your favorite picks? Which do you wish you could do over?
During the draft, my favorite picks were probably Abdullah at 5.13, Stevie Johnson at 16.02, and Marvin Jones at 17.13. I think John Brown at 7.13 was a good value.
At the season begins, I’m really excited about Navorro Bowman and my rounds 14-17 picks (Keenan Robinson/Lockett/S. Johnson/M. Jones). I have high hopes that I will get multiple season-long contributors from this group. Gronk at 1.13 is a pick I would be happier with if I could shake the feeling that it should’ve been Watt.
Given the value that was available later at WR, Eric Decker at 9.13 should’ve been something else. Sproles as an RB4 wouldn’t have been a crazy proposition. Similarly, Derrick Johnson at 11.13 should’ve been Duke Johnson. I think my roster would look better with one of those two switches in place.
3. Looking over all of the teams, which ones do you like the most (other than your own)?
In no particular order:
Twolves has a solid mix of talent on both offense and defense, with particular strength at RB.
Promize has some big holes at TE and DL, but a few well-chosen waiver adds could be all that stands between him and a playoff team.
Toral’s is another well-balanced roster.
Jaydog has a nice pair of DL and plenty of talent elsewhere. Even if Jimmy Graham fails like Harvin did last year, he can contend.
4. What surprised you most about the draft?
The runs were longer and more frequent than I expected. Other than that, nothing was too out of the ordinary.
5. If you could start over, would you do anything differently?
Go 12th so that I could take JJ Watt and take Sproles instead of Decker in the 9th. Otherwise, my draft would’ve basically been unchanged. I’m pretty happy with how things turned out. I like my team best; that’s all I can ever ask for as the season begins.
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