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Subject: RIFC 2021 - Draft rationale collection thread

Posted by: Guru - [330592710] Sat, Aug 28, 2021, 11:48

We'll use the same process for collecting rationales as last year.

You have a choice. You may either post your rationale in the comment area next to the associated pick on the MFL draft page,

- or -

you may post each rationale in this thread. Anything posted here will take precedence over anything posted on MFL.

Regardless, each rationale is due no later than two rounds in arrears. I understand that, especially when queues are used, staying within two rounds will be difficult. However, please try to stay relatively current.

I will set up a master thread for all Rationales that will be organized in the proper draft sequence. So don't worry about the sequence here.

Philly Busters
ID: 311122313
Sat, Aug 28, 2021, 12:07

2.06 Austin Ekeler, RB LAC

Was dazzled by the availability of a stud WR in round 2 last year that caused me to deviate from my planned RB/RB start. Didn't want to make that mistake again but might have if Ekeler had been taken ahead of my pick. As my pick approached, I removed everyone else from my queue so I could consider all options if he was taken. Didn't see much differentiation between the next tier of RBs. Likely would have gone with Hopkins or Waller as the B/U plan. Fortunately, he made it here and I couldn't be happier with my Aaron Jones, Austin Ekeler start to the draft.

mmikulka
ID: 4211332822
Sat, Aug 28, 2021, 19:24

Draft selection order:
With the banzai format I wanted to be towards the back of the draft. I chose 11th because I had 9 players I would have been happy with for my first pick (4 RBs / 3 WRs / 1 TE / 1 QB) and 2 more RBs who were pretty much guaranteed to go.

1.11 Tyreek Hill, WR KC
I was hoping Kelce would be available here, but my backup option was to take a top WR. I would have probably gone with Davante Adams if twilson hadn't taken him. I debated being a contrarian and drafting Ridley here, but I figured he could potentially still be around 7 picks later. Best QB of all time and #1 overall pick in AAA#2 Pat Mahomes was also under consideration.

Hill is very productive on a per-target basis: last year, he turned the 8th most targets per game into the 2nd most fantasy points per game, and he was over 3 points per game better than the 3rd place WR.
-The Chiefs lost their WR2 in the offseason
-They still have a ridiculously good QB
-They still have one of the best offensive minds of all time as their coach
-They still are likely to have a mediocre defense

I am mildly worried about Hill getting hurt due to his size, playing style, and the minor injuries he was suffering from during the preseason, but I think Hill has the potential to match or even exceed last year's results.

2.04 Calvin Ridley, WR ATL
Ridley has such a high floor: he was already targeted 143 times last year, and then the Falcons traded away their other great WR during the offseason. Atlanta is expected to be among the worst defenses in the league and they will need to throw a lot. Ridley is a massive talent, and he has the upside to finish as the #1 overall WR.

In the 7 games where the departed WR played fully, Ridley was on pace for 123 targets / 1,143 yards / 9 TDs

In the 8 games where the departed WR was absent, Ridley was on pace for 178 targets / 1,748 yards / 10 TDs

Mahomes was again considered for this pick, but there are a bunch of other QBs that I think can potentially have similar fantasy production this year. Waller or Kittle were backup options heading into the draft if nobody stood out to me here.

ttucowboy
ID: 317402821
Sat, Aug 28, 2021, 22:41

Draft Order Selection

With the banzai format and only 3 RBs I see as a legit bell-cow 3 Down Tier 1 studs, I decided to go with Pick 14. I had a pipe dream that Kelce had a realistic chance of making it, but my thought process turned out to be way off there. With that said, still prefer to be at the very back if slots 1-3 aren’t available (which they weren’t).

1.14 Stefon Diggs, WR, BUF

I was a bit surprised he was still available here. Gladly scooped as there’s not much not to like here. Diggs exploded onto the scene as a Top Tier WR1 and was nothing short of incredible last year. No reason to believe that was a fluke either. In fact, the chemistry with Allen should only get better. Age 27, in the prime of his career and has the skill set to replicate what was a career year last year.

2.01 Joe Mixon, RB, CIN

Only took me until my second pick to take a risk. Obviously hoping for 2019 Mixon more so than 2020 Mixon. I mentioned bell-cow earlier and he actually has some low key bell-cow appeal here with “currently undrafted” out of the picture. Both the HC and OC in Cinci have been quoted as saying he’ll see more 3rd down snaps. Health is the only real risk here and it’s a legit one. In the end, the talent is also undeniable along with the RB1 upside in what should be a fun offense to watch.

ttucowboy
ID: 317402821
Sun, Aug 29, 2021, 06:35

3.01 George Kittle, TE, SF

As I’ve stated before, going into the draft my plan was Kelce in R1. That plan went up in smoke rather quickly and when it did I decided to pivot to Waller or Kittle in R3. Waller did not make it, but I was happy to see Kittle sitting there at 3.01. This pick does have risk considering the devastating injury he suffered last year, however, the upside as a TE capable of putting up WR1 numbers remains immense. He’s a target beast in Shanahan’s offense as the passing game basically funnels through him. I don’t expect that to change regardless of who is at QB. Age 27, in the prime of his career (I sense a theme developing here) with the skill set to remind folks of why he’s a top tier TE in this league.

ttucowboy
ID: 317402821
Sun, Aug 29, 2021, 07:39

4.01 Amari Cooper, WR, DAL

CeeDee Lamb is getting a ton of buzz this offseason, and deservedly so, but don’t sleep on Amari Cooper (seems like some are based on him still being available here). Maybe the offseason foot surgery played a factor, but I’m absolutely thrilled to get him here. The career was teetering on the brink of collapse for “undrafted player” before the Cowboys made a trade for Cooper with the Raiders. Once he arrived in Dallas, things changed quickly and that chemistry is stronger than ever today. Lamb will draw plenty of attention from opposing defenses, as will Zeke in the running game. Cooper is still the man who offers a nice floor with massive WR1 upside as there is plenty of room for both him and Lamb to eat in the passing game as part of this prolific offense. It also helps that the defense is still terrible which will force the Cowboys to score to stay in games. Good recipe for fantasy goodness. Age 27, in the prime of his career (keeping the theme going) with the skill set to remind people he’s WR1 in Dallas.

Toral
ID: 9541311
Sun, Aug 29, 2021, 07:54

In a Banzai draft, I prefer to pick near the end of the first round. Not on the turn, but 2 or 3 spots before that. There is sometimes an advantage, I apprehend, in being able to see the positional needs of the two or three players picking next.

1.12 Jonathan Taylor, RB, Ind

This year I don't want to go RB/RB as I sometimes do, as there are 9 bye weeks where we will need only one RB. Yes, we will need two for the playoffs, but how likely is it that a back chosen now will be left standing and producing by then? I checked, and of the 16 RBs drafted in the first two rounds last year, only 6 were in the top 16 RBs over weeks 14 to 16.

That said, I don't mind picking 1 RB in the first two rounds. As the draft approached me, I became fixated with the desire to avoid picking Joe Mixon (2.01), as I did last year, It's not that I don't like Mixon, it's his coaching staff. To quote Sean Ryan “If Mixon doesn't clear 4 yards a carry on his first two starts you can count on him disappearing from the game plan.” Besides, his name rhymes with Nixon so he may be bad luck -- why didn't I realize that last year?

Happily both Adams and Hill were taken before I came up, solving my problem. With Taylor, I opt for youth and promise. My only concerns are that there is a 3rd down back who will steal some catches, and a backup who is a formidable runner himself if he can get and stay healthy.

2.3 A. J. Brown, WR, Ten

There is a highly respected football service that currently ranks Brown as the (non-PPR) 9th choice overall in the first round and WR2. I don't know that I buy that, but the addition of a second threat at WR will save him from being double- and triple-teamed.

Philly Busters
ID: 311122313
Sun, Aug 29, 2021, 10:17

3.06 Allen Robinson, WR CHI

One thing that's important in these drafts is to be flexible in adjusting your strategy. After drafting Aaron Jones and Austin Ekeler with my first 2 picks, I decided to only draft players whose first name begin with the letter "A". OK, that strategy might change by round 4 but it's working well so far. Was locked into getting my WR1 here and very happy with Robinson. He has put up consistent numbers despite well below average QB play throughout his career. McLaurin, Woods and Lamb were queued up for this pick as well and happy to get my 2nd choice from this quartet.

Jaydog
ID: 17421315
Sun, Aug 29, 2021, 15:18

Pick 5
Thought there was a dropoff between the top 5 RB's and the next tier, so decided to pick here and guarantee my shot at one. Assume it will be Zeke, but I'd be happy with any of the top 5.

1.05 Ezekiel Elliott, RB, DAL
My assumption was correct, and I ended up with Zeke here. Figured it would be one of Zeke or Kamara with CMC, Cook, and Henry going 1-3. Even in his down 2020, he put up decent numbers, and now gets his QB back. Assuming he stays healthy, there's no safer back in the game, and with Dak returning and the Dallas defense still seemingly below average, he should be involved in several highs scoring games.

2.09 Deandre Hopkins, WR, ARI
I did a double take when I saw Hopkins still on the board this late in the 2nd round. A perennial late first, early second rounder, coming off a typically solid year. I guess the fact that he remains available is more a statement on the quality of other WR's that have taken a leap, more than a downgrade of Hopkins talent, regardless I was very happy to take him here. He doesn't have to the game to game ceiling as some of the other top WR's, as Kyler is going to run in a fair number of TD's, but he's as safe a bet as they come for double digit targets, most of which he catches. Assuming health, I think he has as high of a floor as any WR, and in his second year in a high powered offense, I think there's a ceiling to get back into the top 3-5 WR's in the league.

youngroman
ID: 515013
Sun, Aug 29, 2021, 17:46

1.02 Derrick Henry, RB, TEN
I had the 2nd pick to choose my draft slot. I believe getting a top RB is more important than the pick upgrade in round 3. the top RBs are McCaffrey, Henry, Cook and Kamara. McCaffrey will go at #1. I see Kamara below the other 2 so he should be #4. This means I have some days left to decide between Henry and Cook.

Henry it is. He will go for the rushing record this year. He has no competition in the backfield. He is the best true rusher in the NFL right now. anything less than 2100yds and 16 TD's will be a disappointment for him. I expect 90% of that.

2.13 Chris Carson, RB, SEA
we are quickly approaching the point where no true 3 down back is available. Carson is maybe the last one out there. He is capable of producing RB1 numbers, when healthy. This is the only concern with him.

Shortly thought about WR's but there are too many in the same group still available. I guess lots of them will go until I am up again, so hopefully one of the WR's I like is still there at 3.13

I thought even less about a QB here, although Mahomes is due to get picked with Murray and Allen to follow him soon after. I expect all of them to be gone by 3.13

3.13 Robert Woods, WR, LAR
with 2 running backs on my roster it was a given to pick a WR here. Available TE are not worth this pick and I believe that you don't win the league with a high QB pick. The best QB's in the last few years was always taken in the middle rounds (Mahomes, Jackson, Allen), so if I want this years top QB I need to wait, so I do.

the receivers considered here were Godwin, Woods and Thielen. Godwin was already picked so I decided between Woods and Thielen. There is no special reason why I picked Woods. projections have him slightly ahead also due to Stafford being known for throwing a lot, which should result in lots of targets for Woods.

Jaydog
ID: 17421315
Sun, Aug 29, 2021, 20:07

3.10 Josh Allen, QB, Buf
Hadn't planned on taking a QB this early, but I thought the top QB's would be off the board by now. I felt Mahomes, Allen, and Murray were a clear top 3, and decided that should I have a chance at one of them in the 3rd, I should jump at it. I could make an argument for either Allen or Murray, but decided that because I have Murray in another league, I'd hedge my lineups a bit and go with Allen here. As a die hard Bills fan, it worries me to have my fantasy and real life fortunes decided by Josh Allen. Allen was as good as it gets last year, both throwing and running the ball with effectiveness. The Bills did nothing to address their mediocre run game, and if anything have more receiving options than they did last year, so its reasonable to expect as good, if not better production this season. While I didn't plan on taking a QB this early, I'm very glad I did, as there was a run on QB's after my selection. I'm very happy to have a "set it and forget it option".

Philly Busters
ID: 311122313
Sun, Aug 29, 2021, 21:08

4.06 DJ Moore, WR CAR

Sticking with the plan here. No, not the first name starting with the letter "A" plan, but the RB/RB/WR/WR start plan. Switched back and forth between Julio and DJ several times at the top of my queue with Thielen (an "A" guy!), and Diontae Johnson right behind. I have to confess that I have a soft spot for DJ. Had him in this league last year as my WR2 and he did well in that role and I traded for him mid year in Football 101 and he helped lead my squad to the title from the 5 seed. Let's just say he brings stability to the roster as a carryover from last year.

Philly Busters
ID: 311122313
Sun, Aug 29, 2021, 21:14

5.09 Darrell Henderson, RB, LAR

Debated what to do with this pick. Decided it was too early for QB, there are SO many good WRs, the top tier TEs were gone, and I haven't medicated myself properly to begin taking IDPs. So RB depth won out by process of elimination. Like Henderson's upside in what should be a potent offense. Not too worried about a recently added RB or a minor thumb injury. Likely only makes the lineup on bye weeks or if one of the top guys miss time. But you can never have enough RB depth.

Toral
ID: 9541311
Mon, Aug 30, 2021, 08:21

3.03 Clyde Edwards-Helaire, RB, K.C.

I can't claim that my thinking was rushed waiting for this pick. 4 bloody hours waiting in the enervating heat under the 6th? 7Th? -- I've forgotten -- day of a heat emergency with the A/C out and nobody anxious to come out and fix it on a weekend. Further, I couldn't just queue up 2 picks and forget it. I had to wait: if YWK timed out, I wanted to pick immediately and make hay while the sun shines; if he showed up late on his clock and picked I wanted to do some thorough, comprehensive, intensive research (aka stalling to ensure that I didn't have to pick again today).

Edwards-Helaire was my thoroughly enervated pick. James Robinson, who went next, was my second choice. A disappointment as a rookie, I hope that his coach will get more out of him as a shifty runner and decent pass catcher playing with the best QB in the league and no obvious threat to his role. Don't @ me about the dangling modifier like Twitter's H. W. Fowler Usage (recommended follow) would; I already know that it's not me who was a disappointment as a rookie; Hell, I won the first 3 FF leagues I ever played, including 2 Political Football League titles and 3 of their first 4 (the second two of which were conveniently forgotten when they drew up their official list.)

ttucowboy
ID: 317402821
Mon, Aug 30, 2021, 08:31

5.14 Javonte Williams, RB, DEN

Williams was my target here so I was glad to see him make it to me. Najee Harris is the undisputed Rookie RB1, and for good reason, but I believe Williams will surprise people. Some may be concerned about “undrafted player.” I’m not one of those. Denver traded up in Round 2 of the real NFL draft to take Williams. Teams usually don’t invest that type of draft capital in an RB to have said RB split work with an aging RB. Williams is a dynamic RB who hits like a truck and has the pass blocking along with receiving chops out of the backfield to profile as a potential 3-down RB. I anticipate him getting all of the snaps he can handle and deliver on...and I expect him to deliver.

ttucowboy
ID: 317402821
Mon, Aug 30, 2021, 08:49

6.01 Roquan Smith, LB, CHI

Nothing stood out on offense here so it’s time for defense! With Leonard and White off the board, I knew it was now or never to take a top tier LB. Enter Roquan Smith. He’s battled injuries early on his career, but was healthy last year and the results speak for themselves. Still only 24, he’s an every-down LB in the middle who will see plenty of tackle opportunities. The tackle opportunities provide a safe floor for the position and his knack for making big plays on defense provide a sky high ceiling (he tied for the most impact impact plays on defense last year). Thrilled to add him as my foundation piece on defense!

Da Bomb
Donor
ID: 487112814
Mon, Aug 30, 2021, 11:21

1.04 Alvin Kamara, RB, NO

Picks 4, 6, and 8 were available and I selected 4 with the plan of taking whichever top RB lasted, and I feel their production can minimize the 3RR effect. Some concern with a new QB for Kamara, but he should maintain heavy usage in the passing game to keep his weekly floor high to go with the potential to put up some huge weeks.

2.11 Darren Waller, TE, LV

Happy to secure one of the very few top TE options. Kittle's injury last year was the tiebreaker between him and Waller for me.

3.11 Chris Godwin, WR, TB

I feel there is a sizable dropoff after around the top 35 WR and I'd like to get a couple from that range. It's a judgement call to differentiate between Godwin and the several WR who were drafted right after him. Godwin was the WR13 in PPG even in a down and injury riddled year, and the season before he was nearly WR1.

4.11 Dionate Johnson, WR, PIT

Even while being benched for drops on occasion last season, Johnson still commanded 144 targets and has stepped into the top receiver role on his team. He's caught all of his targets during the preseason and there is reason to expect he takes another step forward this year.

youngroman
ID: 515013
Mon, Aug 30, 2021, 15:05

4.13 Adam Thielen, WR, MIN
I planned from the start to go RB-RB-WR-WR.

The 2 WR's that are left for this pick are Thielen and Julio Jones. I thought if it could be possible to get both of them, but I guess IAC would have picked the other one no matter which one I would have picked. In the end I decided to get Thielen because he did not change teams this summer and did not miss 7 games last year due to injury.

5.02 Kyle Pitts, TE, ATL
with 2 RB's on my roster and not wanting to pick a QB this early I have 3 options:
1) LB: Leonard
2) WR: Julio Jones
3) TE: Pitts

Jones was picked at 4.14

I thought hard about Leonard. He went at a similar pick last year, but I don't know where IDP's will go this year and thought that I would be fine with any of the top 10 at that position which should still be out there at 6.13 and/or 7.02

valuable TE's are tough to find on waivers during the season. I decided that I want one of the better TE's this year so that I don't need to search there in case my usual gamble does not live up to his projections.

Pitts was the #4 pick in the most recent NFL draft. There are huge expectations. Julio Jones is gone in Atlanta, so there should be lots of targets available for him. some experts even dream of a 1000yd season. I guess this is a bit too much to ask for, but 800yds with 6 TD's would be nice.

twilson
ID: 0722912
Mon, Aug 30, 2021, 16:58

0.10 Draft Slot #10
Still available when I make my selection are slots 4, 6, 8, 9, and 10. I don’t have a clear sense of how the draft will play out beyond the first 4 picks. I generally prefer to go later in the Banzai format, especially within sight of the turn. However, I also have interest in opening my draft with a reliably strong RB, which becomes more questionable the later one picks. My friend mmikulka had chosen #11; I expect there will be some overlap between us in roster build strategy, which’ll be less than ideal.

I decided to favor general comfort level and value rather than make another likely futile attempt at predicting the draft board and picked slot #10. I regretted this choice when I realized my other two leagues have me at #11 and #12, limiting my cross-league diversity.

1.10 Davante Adams, WR, GB
Aaron Jones at #9 was the last of the RBs I felt comfortable with as a 1st-round anchor. Unfortunately, my Plan B was Travis Kelce. That left me with a choice between the WR#1 and Jonathan Taylor. The Colt has an injured QB on his second franchise and a banged up offensive line, but there’s a real chance everyone will be healthy by Week 2 or so. He’s very talented, especially when behind the full-strength Indianapolis offensive line. We all saw Taylor’s ceiling in the latter weeks of 2020, but he likely remains limited to 1st- and 2nd-down work.

I see the top tier of WR this year as generally similar to 2020. Davante Adams and Tyreek Hill cemented their places at the top and were joined by Stefon Diggs in his new digs. Tier 1B is extremely deep and promising as well; I have my favorites, but I can’t justify them over these three.

I already own Adams and Diggs in another league where Hill was already off the board. I like Adams better than Diggs due to lengthier track record and QB. Hill and Adams is closer, but I’d rather have a target monster than a big play machine all other things being equal. I don’t really mind owning Adams twice.

Adams vs Taylor is tougher because I strongly expect to go WR in Round 2. I don’t feel a need to force RB, but I also don’t want to put myself in a position where I can’t take advantage of a value at WR later on. That’s why Kelce was my non-RB preference.

In the end, I chose the player without the question marks. Adams is elite by any measure and will be a pleasure to own for the second year in a row.

2.05 Justin Jefferson, WR, MIN
As expected, I am not interested in any of the RBs still available. I figured there was an outside shot at Mixon, but I wasn’t holding my breath. I prefer this tier of WR to the remaining top TEs. I liked both Ridley and AJ Brown who went with the two prior picks, but I consider Justin Jefferson and DeAndre Hopkins to be similar options. Though part of the consensus tier, I’m not as high on DK Metcalf. I think the Seattle passing game will remain an equal share between him and Lockett (which makes Lockett a value, as always).

Hopkins has been elite for a long time and has now done it on multiple teams. He has a promising sophomore QB throwing to him and good surrounding talent to prevent the defense from devoting all their attention to him. He’s still in his athletic prime.

Justin Jefferson put up one of the best rookie seasons ever last year. His offense and surroundings are mostly unchanged. It’s unreasonable to project growth after a season like that, but I do think his targets will be closer to 160 than 125, as he was on that pace in the second half. Factoring in an efficiency drop, I will be happy with a similar fantasy outcome, though an overall WR#1 season cannot be ruled out.

I probably should’ve gone with Hopkins given the higher floor, but every once and a while you have to take the shiny new thing, right? Jefferson is the pick.

3.05 David Montgomery, RB, CHI
Another pick where I could concentrate on a single position. With Waller and Kittle gone, it’s time for my RB1. As the pick approached, I was looking at David Montgomery, Josh Jacobs, and James Robinson. Robinson was taken by mmikulka, so that left me with two.

Montgomery rewarded those who bet on his volume last year with increased efficiency and a #6 overall RB season (directly followed by Robinson and Jacobs, for what it’s worth). Not only did his ypc increase, but an injury to his backfield mate opened up additional opportunities in the passing game. He now has a new QB (or two) that may unlock further teamwide improvements, but it’s reasonable to expect 2020 to be the high-water mark for Montgomery’s raw volume.

Josh Jacobs was my first-round pick last year at 1.11, and I feel like he earned back that value. He would be long gone had the Raiders not signed [undrafted] to a considerable 2-year contract, threatening Jacobs’ status as the unquestioned lead back. I think the signing caps his upside by eliminating passing down work, but I still expect Jacobs to get 250+ carries as the early-down back. That’d be more than enough to justify a 3rd-round selection.

I like both players. My gut is telling me Jacobs, but consensus suggests Montgomery is the right choice. It’s probably fair that Jacobs has more of a workload question mark than Montgomery, so I will side with consensus here.

4.05 Lamar Jackson, QB, BAL
For a moment, it looked like I might experience a Rotoguru miracle and have a RB drop a full round back to me, but IAC put an end to that dream.

I’m definitely not going WR3 here, especially with Cooper and Lockett off the board. I could go TE, but I hate forcing that position rather than letting a value fall to me. The same is true for QB. Mike Davis is my top RB, but I’m not 100% certain that the Falcons won’t bring in veteran competition once roster cuts begin around the league. If they don’t, he should solidly outproduce 4th-round value.

While I am loath to take an early QB, Lamar Jackson is the most likely path to a multi-ppg advantage left on the board. Just 2 years ago, he was 6 ppg better than anyone else, and 3 ppg above last year’s top QB. Though a disappointment compared to expectation, Jackson’s 2020 was still that of a solid QB1. He’s still rushing, still healthy (other than his COVID stupidity), and still quite young. Can’t say I love his receiving corps, but there are multiple paths back toward the heights of 2019.

Despite my criticism above, Mark Andrews is my top TE. He’s a top-4 TE two years running, and as noted, I have some optimism about increased passing volume in Baltimore. I do have some interest in Kyle Pitts despite the rookie TE pit because I view him as Atlanta’s WR2 more than TE1, but I’d rather pay for proven performance than potential when reasonable.

I do always like to have as many elite talents as possible on my roster, so I’m going to go with Lamar. I’ll figure something out at RB2; I almost always do. Though the byes do start later this year than they have in a while...

twilson
ID: 0722912
Mon, Aug 30, 2021, 17:24

5.10 Darius Leonard, LB, IND
As this pick approached, I was crossing my fingers for either TE or LB to make it back around. Andrews and Pitts went, unfortunately, the IDP pool remains untouched. First time in a while that I’ve had access to the crème de la crème of IDPs in the top league at good value! That’s exciting, but not 100% my pick. I also have to consider the remaining TE, TJ Hockenson.

Hockenson is the last of the “safe” TE tier, but he falls in between Andrews and Pitts in risk. It’s fair to assume continued growth for 3rd-year TEs, but making him the pick here bakes in a moderate increase to match value. His role is safe and target volume should be there for the taking, but Detroit is likely to be among the worst teams in the league, limiting TD opportunity.

I still need a second RB, but I don’t see enough separation to avoid the short turn when three of the four teams already have two. The WR pool is deep and mildly appealing, so now’s not the time.

As for IDP, Darius Leonard has been the #1 LB on a per game basis since he joined the NFL three years ago. His only blemish is a tendency to miss a game or three every year. The Colts obviously agree since they just gave him a record 5-year contract extension. I don’t think there’s anything more I have to say about him.

The other IDP under consideration is Devin White. After a so-so rookie year, White more than lived up to his lofty draft position in 2020. He had 15 TFL in the always aggressive Buccaneers scheme and is still only 23 years old.

Sticking with my preference for maximizing elite talent, I’m going LB, and I’m going Leonard because I like owning him.

mmikulka
ID: 4211332822
Mon, Aug 30, 2021, 19:08

3.04 James Robinson, RB JAX
In the RIFC leagues, I often prefer to start a pair of RBs in the consensus RB 25-35 range so that I can draft elite WRs/TEs/QBs in the first 3-4 rounds. The RB committee options feel a little sketchier than normal to me this year, so I figured that I should go RB here unless a top-3 TE was available. If Kittle stuck around a few picks longer, I would have gladly drafted him and taken the risk of having lousy RBs.

I was hoping that either Edwards-Helaire or Robinson would slip to me. I would have probably preferred Edwards-Helaire: his lack of goal line carries is troubling, but within the Chiefs offense, speedy and elusive players like CEH have plenty of paths to solid TD totals. People are bitter after he underperformed expectations last year, but those were sky-high expectations. I can't think of any post-hype sleeper that has had this high of a floor.

James Robinson was a great RB to have last year. I'm mildly concerned that the Jaguars could add a free agent RB who eats into his touches, but for now his path is clear, and Robinson has shown that he can handle a full workload and excel with it (over 100 yards per game + 10 total TDs last season). He's a fairly strong receiving back, which should keep him involved when the Jaguars are playing from behind in the 2nd half of every game.

4.04 D'Andre Swift, RB DET
This might be the first time I haven't seriously considered drafting Tyler Lockett in an RIFC league (I still like his value this year).

Last year, Swift missed 3 games and averaged less than 50% of the snaps in the rest... and still managed to finish as RB 22 by total points and RB 23 by points per game.

Swift got more playing time toward the end of the 2020 season, and during his final 6 games he was on pace for 1381 yards and 13 TDs (for a 16 game season).

I don't know what Swift's workload will be like this year, but it will be better, and even a 60/40 split should produce solid RB2 numbers. If Swift can get 70% of the carries, I think he has top-10 upside. I can see Swift potentially working his way into that type of role: it's not like the rest of the Lions' offense is swarming with talent.

Philly Busters
ID: 311122313
Mon, Aug 30, 2021, 20:24

6.06 Tom Brady, QB TBB

Another plan gone astray. Really would prefer to wait on QB until around round 9 (where I got Rodgers last year). But too many QBs were gone and this guy, this TB12 guy, seems to be pretty good. He had a bit of a slow start last year but who wouldn't. First new team and coach in a generation. No off season program. Limited preseason and interactions with his new teammates. And he played with a meniscus tear all year. But, did he ever finish the season strong. Will he slow down? Probably someday. Not this year. He's healthier, knows the team and scheme better, has the whole gang back including a ridiculous assortment of weapons, plays for a coach who loves to throw downfield, has a mediocre at best stable of RBs to hand off to and last but not least, he STILL has that big chip on his shoulder about where he was drafted. Oh yeah, he's won 7 Super Bowls. Some of the other QBs still on the board are good. But not TB12 good. I'll just have to do an exemplary job of building the rest of my team. Piece of cake. If health cooperates, I'm good at QB.

Jaydog
ID: 17421315
Mon, Aug 30, 2021, 22:01

4.10 Kareem Hunt, RB, CLE
The unplanned drafting of Josh Allen in round 3 threw my initial plan into a tailspin. I originally wanted to get two bell cow running backs, but in the 4th round the options had mostly dried up. The running back options available (Henderson, Edmonds, Williams, Sermon etc...) were all in fairly unpredictable time shares, so I decided to go with Kareem Hunt. While clearly in a time share (and likely the short end of a time share), Hunt's role in Cleveland is pretty solid. With a healthy Chubb, Hunt should be good for 8-10 carries a game, and a few catches, and is usually involved in the red zone. If Chubb were to have any injuries, Hunt vaults into RB1 territory. The other backs on the board, especially the rookies probably had a bit more upside, but Hunt felt like the safer option. I had Chubb on two teams last year, and grew incredibly frustrated at how often Chubb would run the bakk 70 yards into the red zone only to see Hunt vulture the TD, so I hope to benefits from those this year.

Jaydog
ID: 17421315
Mon, Aug 30, 2021, 22:05

5.05 Brandon Aiyuk, WR, SFO
I was very close to taking Julio with my last pick, but between him and Hunt I felt Julio had a better chance of making it back to me. He didn't and that left me looking for the best WR on the board. Hopkins provides be what I hope will be a very safe floor as my WR1, so figured I'd go with a bit more upside for my WR2, and grabbed Aiyuk. Aiyuk was great last year, scoring double digit points in 8 out of 12 weeks that he suited up, including six in a row from weeks 7-15. Some of that was likely due to Kittle, and other WR injuries on the 49ers, but that was also with some pretty suspect QB play. While the competition for targets in SF should be a lot stronger this season, his QB play (whether Garoppolo or the rookie) should be a lot better, hopefully mitigating that risk. There were about 4-5 other WR's I would have been happy with here, and I was close to taking Robbie Anderson, but hoped he would make it back to me in round 6 (he didn't).

ttucowboy
ID: 317402821
Mon, Aug 30, 2021, 22:45

7.14 Chase Young, DE, WFT

When Aaron Donald and Joey Bosa came off the board, I started to get nervous that Young may not make it. Needless to say, I gladly scooped when he did. Last year’s DROY (and it wasn’t really even close), I expect an even better sophomore campaign. When you look at how dominant he was, it’s hard to believe he played through injuries. He’s an absolute unblockable beast and has played a pivotal part in transforming the Washington defense into one of the few formidable defenses in the league. Watch out Myles Garrett, Young will be coming for that top spot this year.

ttucowboy
ID: 317402821
Mon, Aug 30, 2021, 23:06

8.01 Brandin Cooks, WR, HOU

This was the first pick I’ve had where I didn’t have a clear direction on what I wanted to do or who I wanted to take. Ultimately, decided to secure my WR3. Cooks is the man in Houston and should command a high target share. There are plenty of questions at QB, but whoever it is should know how to complete a pass. Given that Houston may not lead a game this year, there will be plenty of receiving opportunities even in garbage time as they try to pass their way back into games. Garbage time stats count just the same in fantasy. There are also rumors he may be traded, but the teams rumored are all teams that need WR so I don’t anticipate a material impact regardless. Since 2015, he’s had 5 seasons of 1000+ receiving yards. Extending that number to 6 this year, with some TDs sprinkled in, would be mission accomplished for my WR3.

Jaydog
ID: 17421315
Tue, Aug 31, 2021, 10:26

6.10 Bobby Wagner, LB, SEA
One of my strategies going into every draft is to make sure I get one of the upper tier LB's. As the highest scoring IDP's, I like having at least one set it and forget it option that I can plug in and feel comfortable that I'm getting 8+ points. It feels like Wagner has been around forever, but has been as consistent as they come for years. He doesn't get as many solo tackles as some other options, but gets a ton of assists, which helps to buoy up his floor. I'd have preferred any of the top 5 LB options, but failing that, was happy to grab Wagner here, as four more LB's went off the board before my next pick.

mmikulka
ID: 4211332822
Tue, Aug 31, 2021, 14:57

5.11 Devin White, LB TB
I was happy that one of the top 2 LBs reached me here. I slightly preferred Darius Leonard for the longer track record of success, but Devin White is a clear 1b to Leonard's 1a.

I had White on my team last year and it was glorious: he finished 1st in total points and points per game, and he had 5 monster games of 17+ points (including weeks 15 and 16). I don't expect a full repeat of his 2020 season, but it's not out of the question.

6.04 Jamal Adams, S SEA
I briefly debated taking Budda Baker, but Adams has finished 1st among DBs in points per game each of the past two seasons (with Budda 2nd in both seasons) and he was great in 2018 too.

It might be asking a lot for Adams to replicate last year's 9.5 sacks, but I think he should at least come close: Seattle seemed to have him blitzing a whole lot.

Philly Busters
ID: 311122313
Tue, Aug 31, 2021, 15:50

7.09 Aaron Donald, DL LAR

Most managers in this league seem to target stud LBs as their first foray into IDPs. I always go for a top tier DL. Had Garrett queued up first and Donald right behind him. Donald might be the best and most disruptive interior DL ever. He makes splash plays almost every week and often multiple. He has the potential to put up a big number any given week. Gotta love that from a DL. Also another "A" name. That's A for Anchor.

Philly Busters
ID: 311122313
Tue, Aug 31, 2021, 16:03

8.06 Laviska Shenault, WR JAC

My last 2 picks have been Tom Brady and Aaron Donald. No pressure on this pick to follow those 2, right? Decided to go with a bit of a lottery ticket here to potentially slot into my Flex. We'll see how the rest of the roster pans out. If Shenault gets the touches, he'll be a steal at this draft slot. Last year he caught some passes, ran the ball some and showed flashes of his big play potential. I'm counting on Urban Meyer and Darrell Bevel to recognize that they need to manufacture touches for him in any way they can. In the last preseason game, I watched him carry 3 Cowboys for 10 yards to the end zone. Of course, it was just the Cowboys and, if their starters can't tackle, there's no reason to expect their backups to. Had to get that dig in. Anyway, what put this pick over the top for me is that I just like to say the name "Laviska". I hope to be saying it a lot this year.

Philly Busters
ID: 311122313
Tue, Aug 31, 2021, 16:14

9.09 Demario Davis, LB NOS

Time to get off the trail and back on the main road. Got to have decent production from the LB slots even if I don't get top tier talent. Davis is a tackling machine and the leader of a stout Saints run defense. I don't expect huge weeks but he can be a 9 - 12 point producer just about EVERY week and that works just fine for me. Had Queen queued up behind him and actually traded places a couple of times leading up to the pick. Ultimately, the expected consistency from Davis won out.

ttucowboy
ID: 317402821
Tue, Aug 31, 2021, 20:14

9.14 Zaven Collins, LB, ARI

First time I’ve been sniped all draft and it’s courtesy of Toral. I probably reached a bit here, but sometimes you have to throw ADP out the window when you’re picking on the turn. Arizona has already said Collins will be the man in the middle and quarterback of the defense. With his size, speed and agility, I expect him to be a 3-down force immediately. Somewhat sneaky pick for this year’s DROY.

ttucowboy
ID: 317402821
Tue, Aug 31, 2021, 20:19

10.01 Jamaal Williams, RB, DET

Before Swift even popped up with an injury, I had Williams as a guy I wanted to target. He’s not a super exciting pick, but he should provide nice depth at RB for me. Given Swift’s uncertainty heading into Week 1, along with his general problem of being able to stay healthy in college and early on in his NFL career, I believe Jamaal could end up as great value here. He was already billed as being part of the 1-2 punch for Detroit and factoring his versatility, I expect his punch to pack some value here.

mmikulka
ID: 4211332822
Tue, Aug 31, 2021, 20:19

7.11 Ryan Tannehill, QB TEN
After missing out on my first few QB targets (Rayne Dakota Prescott, Lamar Jackson, Aaron Rodgers), I assumed that I'd be waiting quite a while before drafting a QB.

In 2019, Tannehill put up 22.2 points per game as a starter: 2nd place only to Lamar Jackson. I think that most people (me included) assumed that he would regress heavily toward who was with the Dolphins. Maybe Adam Gase is just bad at coaching, because Tannehill finished the 2020 season 7th in total fantasy points: ahead of Brady, Herbert, and Jackson. On a per-game basis, he fell slightly behind Herbert and Jackson, but his 21.4 points per game put him in the same tier as them (and Russell Wilson).

In addition to WR#4 AJ Brown, the Titans added WR#22 Julio Jones, and yet opposing defenses will still primarily be focused on stopping Derrick Henry. I expect a finish in the QB5-8 range.

8.04 Michael Thomas, WR NO
I was debating two sensible but boring options and I decided to take a risky but exciting option instead.

Obviously we all know how amazing Michael Thomas's first 4 seasons were. During last year's catastrophic season, Thomas was still on pace for over 1,100 yards during weeks 9-14 even though he was only on the field for about 70% of the offensive snaps.

Obviously there are a lot of things that scare people away from him: the move from Brees to the less accurate (undrafted QB), the rift with the team, and of course the surgery. As long as he is healthy when he returns, I have no concerns about the rest of it.

mmikulka
ID: 4211332822
Tue, Aug 31, 2021, 21:25

9.11 Patrick Queen, LB BAL
Yasss Queen Yaasssss!!!

I already drafted a top LB, but Queen was a killer value here, so I went with my heart and made a gambit. During his rookie season, Queen only played 80% of the snaps and was absolutely terrible, and yet he still finished as LB#20. The tackle opportunities are clearly there (in spades!), and Queen will again be the most versatile and valuable chess piece for the Ravens’ defense.

Last year, Queen led the league in missed tackles, but during the preseason he has been dynamite, focused like a laser beam on improving that weakness. This year, he will not let you go. He will not let you go. He will not let you go-o-o-o-o-o-o-o. Queen will find the RB and drag him yasss. He will drag him to filth. Queen is expected to be heavily involved in the pass rush, and he will have opposing QBs under pressure as yet another one bites the dust. Ball carriers beware: at a sizable 230 pounds, he will he will rock you. It looks like Queen will be a 3-down player this year, and if so, I will be having a good time. Having a good time, and though this is not real life (just fantasy), perhaps at the end of the season I will be able to turn to my team and say “we are the champions, my friends”.

youngroman
ID: 515013
Wed, Sep 01, 2021, 04:44

6.13 Joe Schobert, LB, PIT
since almost all already have a QB and there are too many left I would be comfortable with, I can pass.
Don't want to pick my 3rd WR that early. Too many equal options out there. I am happy with almost any of them.
Did not want to pick a backup RB this early, although there are some intriguing options.

So I better stay ahead of the pack and pick 2 LB's this turn. my queue to go into these 2 picks is Schobert, Kendricks, Warner.

Schobert was recently traded to the Steelers and is already calling their defensive plays, which means that he will be on the field for almost all snaps. lots of snaps means lots of scoring opportunities.

7.02 Eric Kendricks, LB, MIN
with IAC taking 2 WR's I got the #2 from my list for 6.13.
Kendricks is ranked in the top 10 LB in almost all expert rankings that I could find. I made him the 9th LB picked, which pretty much matches what the experts think. Kendricks is in the same environment as the last few years so I expect that he scores similarly.

8.13 Jeremy Chinn, DB, CAR
with IAC having Mahomes it is very unlikely that he picks a QB, so I can wait until 9.02

IDP's are slowly coming off the board. Only 2 DB's are gone until now, but I expect some more to get drafted until I am up again. Most likely all the top DB's will be gone until then, so I better take one now instead of picking a 3rd WR or RB.

what to not like about Chinn. He is basically a DB with LB-like production. The only difference to Jamal Adams (picked at 6.04) is the amount of big plays.

Jaydog
ID: 17421315
Wed, Sep 01, 2021, 07:54

7.05 Myles Garrett
I normally like to wait another round or two before delving into DL, but having mistimed the run on linebackers, I wanted to make sure I got one of the elite pass rushers. I was pretty sure that if I had waited another round on DL, the top tier wouldn't make it back to me. Garrett, Donald, and Young were my top 3. I ruled out Donald because of his knack for getting double teamed and game planned out of big games. I had him on my roster last year, and while he was still the DL5 on a weekly avg basis, he had several disappointing weeks, and finished relatively poorly down the stretch. Since RIFC doesn't award points for double and triple teams, I passed on him. Chase Young I think has the upside to be the DL1 this year, but fearful of a sophomore slump, I decided to go with Garrett. Most experts had Garrett as the DL1 to confirm my choice, and as a pure edge rusher on a defense with several other pass rushers, I expect there to be plenty of tackle and sack opportunities to keep him busy. Looks like I timed this pick properly, as 5 other DL went off the board before my next pick.

Jaydog
ID: 17421315
Wed, Sep 01, 2021, 07:58

8.10 Tyler Higbee, TE, LAR
Higbee was a predraft target of mine if I missed out on the tip tier of TE's, and with Guru TE-less and with two picks before my 9th rounder, I figured I better go and get him here. Higbee has been a productive TE in the past, and with Stafford hopefully able to provide improved QB play, and less competition for TE targets on the Rams, I think there's a chance that Higbee can be a productive starter for me. I had Higbee targeted even before the Rams backfield suffered its injuries, which could even lead to an extra red zone target or two. Tonyan was the other guy I would have targeted here, but fearful of some TD regression, Higbee seemed like a safer choice.

Philly Busters
ID: 311122313
Wed, Sep 01, 2021, 13:49

10.06 Jonnu Smith, TE NEP

Waited on TE since, after the first few, the position is essentially a crapshoot for who has the best shot at some TD upside. But, when the Patriots made their move at QB to someone who won't pile up short yardage rushing TDs, this guy suddenly vaulted ahead of all the other available options in my personal rankings. He has an uncommon combination of size, speed and athleticism and the move to NE means he's finally on a team that likes to use their TEs. He was grossly underutilized in Tenn and I'm counting on the Patriots to correct that mistake since their WR corps is among the league's worst.

ttucowboy
ID: 317402821
Wed, Sep 01, 2021, 16:31

11.14 Jarvis Landry, WR, CLE

Another pick that is boring, yet should be a beneficial piece to my bench. Landry is a boring pick yet he always seems to outperform where he is drafted. With him and Odell head and shoulders above the rest of the CLE WR crew, I expect that to continue. He’s developed a solid rapport with his QB and should benefit from the play-action as opposing defenses must respect the running game. With that said If I end up needing him for anything more than bye week fill-ins, something has gone wrong.

Da Bomb
Donor
ID: 487112814
Wed, Sep 01, 2021, 16:39

5.04 Odell Beckham, WR, CLE

I still need a RB2, though only 2 other teams are in the same boat and hopefully not more than a couple others would pick their RB3 before my next turn, so I turned my attention to my WR3 as I thought there was a better chance for an upcoming run which could wipe out this next tier. I don't love this pick and would have taken any of the 3 other WR which went before the turn but nevertheless, when he is on the field, Beckham will produce as the Browns are lacking in receiving options that spark joy.

6.11 Trey Sermon, RB, SF

We are nearing the very end of RBs that one may feel comfortable starting so it's RB2 time. Sermon is ticketed for a sizable role in one of the league's best run schemes, and ideally his production only increases as the season goes on.

7.04 Budda Baker, DB, ARI

Second in safety PPG two years running, Baker's production rivals those of the top LBs, though in a shallower position pool.

8.11 Raheem Mostert, RB, SF

It wasn't my intention to draft the 2 RBs atop the SF depth chart, but the chips fell where it made sense. Mostert and his career 5.6 YPC may be used more to begin the season while Sermon gets worked in, or while Mostert remains healthy.

9.04 Devonta Smith, WR, PHI

My 4th WR, but that is almost like a starter when factoring in bye weeks and the inevitable missed games. Coming off one of the most impressive WR years in college football history, Smith goes to a situation where he is likely the immediate #1 WR option on the Eagles.

10.11 Sony Michel, RB, LAR

I am bringing up the rear in selecting IDPs, but I am seeing the offensive talent dwindling with players I could more rely on, and I have found starting IDP value more readily obtainable later in the draft or on the waiver wire, comparatively speaking. Michel may be a high usage RB2 for the Rams, or there is a world where he is gifted the majority of carries including short yardage with goal line work.

ttucowboy
ID: 317402821
Wed, Sep 01, 2021, 16:41

12.01 Trevor Lawrence, QB, JAX

QB? What’s that!?! Oh yeah, I need at least one. Nothing stood out here so I begrudgingly went QB. I punt QB every year. Reason being is that in today’s game (schemes / overall pace / penalties called), it’s geared towards the offense (specifically passing). I’ve found that I can usually find a QB I’m happy to go the fantasy gridiron with later in the draft and I’m certainly happy to do that with this year’s #1 overall pick. He’s the highest touted NFL-ready QB since Andrew Luck and I don’t think he will disappoint. Jags defense still needs a ton of work as well so Lawrence will have to make plays to keep up. Should be a good recipe for fantasy purposes. There was some older boring options, but I decided back to back boring picks was enough.

Jaydog
ID: 17421315
Wed, Sep 01, 2021, 17:12

9.05 Michael Pittman Jr, WR, IND
Pittman was a player I had targeted pre-draft, and I stuck with the plan and grabbed here. Pittman's talent flashed last year, with a QB who couldn't really take advantage of his skillset. Bring in Wentz, and I'm hoping that Pittman can take a significant leap. With the injuries to the other WR's in Indy, he's a clear cut top target on his team. I think Pittman has the ceiling to greatly out perform his draft position, possibly even overtaking Aiyuk as my WR2. There were likely some safer options at WR on the board, but I didn't think any of them offered the upside of Pittman.

Jaydog
ID: 17421315
Wed, Sep 01, 2021, 17:15

10.10 Jayon Brown, LB, TN
I waited a bit longer on both my LB1 and LB2 than I usually like to in this draft, but was happy to get Brown here. He's been a productive IDP in this league for a few years now, and was performing well prior to his injury that cost him half of last season. Brown should be a three down LB on TN, without a ton of competition for tackles. TN was one of the easiest teams to run on last season, and didn't do much to improve it. Three down LB's on teams with bad defenses usually lead to a lot of tackle opportunities, which hopefully produces very consistent LB2 production.

Twolves
ID: 306542219
Wed, Sep 01, 2021, 19:57

3.07 Myles gaskin
Wanted 2nd running back but did not like my choices much. Took him over Davis from Atlanta which I may regretafter reading more. Making choices on the fly while driving to Philly.
4.07. Dak Prescott WB. Last of my top 5 qbs so needed to take him. With weapons he has if healthy could have great year.
5. 08. Jamar Chase we. Wanted 2nd wr and as top draft pick should get to shine if Burrow has good 2nd year.

6.07. Ronald Jones rb Hopefully have good year and should be good Rb2 when needed.
7.08. Myles Jack lb. The top lbs have been taken, so needed to get a good one with some upside.
8.07. Noah fant TE. Hoping if Qb better he will have great year and be a top 5 TE.
9.08. DJ Chark WR. Hoping he is healthy and gets a lot of targets/yards. Devonta Smith and Pittman whom I liked got taken ahead of him.
10.07.Jamin Davis LB wanted 2 nd LB and he was named starter so took flyer on rookie although may regret not taking a vet with more predictable stats.

ttucowboy
ID: 317402821
Wed, Sep 01, 2021, 23:39

13.14 Jonathan Abram, DB, LVR

Time to go DB and I’ll admit, this pick is more about me liking the player than anything else. It could easily blow up in my face, but sometimes you have to go with your gut. Abram has elite tackling upside with his aggressiveness and after missing out on the top tier of DBs, I wanted to go after the upside. That same aggressiveness led to poor technique at times and he was actually graded as one of the worst cover safeties in the league (not ideal). That said, it seems like Gus Bradley, the new DC, wants to put him closer to the line of scrimmage as a box safety which will definitely play to his strengths. Keeping his job and racking up tackles is the goal here.

ttucowboy
ID: 317402821
Wed, Sep 01, 2021, 23:46

14.01 Kenneth Murray, LB, LAC

I was a bit torn on what to do here. When in doubt, secure another player you really like. Murray’s rookie season was a mixed bag, but he came on strong to end the year. This is also another situation with a new DC who plans to turn Murray loose and play to his strengths of getting after the QB. I expect him to maintain a 3 down role and build on how he finished last year.

Philly Busters
ID: 311122313
Thu, Sep 02, 2021, 08:01

11.09 Isaiah Simmons, LB ARI

Decided this would be the spot to take my LB2. As a rookie last year he saw a steady increase in snaps played as the season progressed and I look at him as having the potential to develop into a high impact player in the Cardinals defense.

12.06 Michael Carter, RB NYJ

Building RB depth with my RB4 with this pick. The Jets seem to be headed to a committee approach to RBs to start the season but thought it worth the gamble here that Carter will pull ahead and lead this backfield by the time I need him in my lineup. They invested a high draft pick and I don't expect him to ride the pine. Hopefully, the new coaching regime proves more capable than the last at making sensible decisions.

youngroman
ID: 515013
Thu, Sep 02, 2021, 10:00

9.02 Jalen Hurts, QB, PHI
thought hard about taking a QB here. If I don't take one here, most likely 2 to 4 will go until I am up again. Looking at the best available players (Hurts, Burrow, Lawrence, Cousins, #T#, #M#) I don't know if I would be very confident to go into the season with #T# or #M# as my #1.

the top QB of the last few seasons and their draft position in RIFC:
2020 Allen 11.02
2019 Jackson 8.07
2018 Mahomes 9.05
2017 Wilson 5.12
2016 Rodgers 3.09
2015 Newton 8.02
2014 Rodgers 1.11

based on that you either get Rodgers early or wait until about this pick to get this years top QB.

Hurts can be elite, if you take his output as a starter down the road last year: good yards on the ground and in the air, but with less accuracy.
he did not get many snaps in pre-season so it is unknown how far he progressed. reports from training sound promising. unfortunately Philly traded for #M2# in addition to signing #F#, so they have multiple capable QB's to fill-in should Hurts not live up to the expectations. Hurts was not yet named the week 1 starter, so I hope this pick does not hurt my team in 2 weeks.

note: he was announced the starter shortly after my pick.

10.13 Leonard Fournette, RB, TBB
with IAC already having a WR on his bench he is less likely to pick a 2nd bench WR this turn. I want to take a WR, so I will do this at 11.02

what options do I have here:
1) QB: Burrow, Lawrence, Cousins - Hurts was finally named the starter a few hours ago, so I thought that I can wait at least 2 rounds to pick up a backup for Hurts
2) LB/DB - I don't see DB's worth to get picked here and I see too many LB's I am comfortable with, doubt that all of them go as quick as they went the last 3 rounds.
3) RB: Fournette - depending on which depth chart you look he is either the starter or not. he showed in last years Superbowl run that he can still play at an elite level. He looked good in pre-season. The questions surrounding him are named Jones, #B# and the GOAT. how much will they even run if you have the GOAT at QB? Who is best suited for the passing game (likely #B#)? who is protecting the GOAT the best (likely Fournette)? based on all ADP lists out there Fournette should have been long gone. I am taking him as 36th RB. In a perfect world I only need to play him in week 13 when Derrick Henry is on bye.

other RB's considered: Singletary/Moss, #J#/#L#. probably an even worse timeshare than Fournette/Jones.

11.02 Tyler Boyd, WR, CIN
last time I checked Boyd was still projected to get the most yards and TD's of the Bengals receiving corp. Chase and Higgins might come close though. The Bengals will pass a lot this year so all 3 should be relevant. Hopefully Boyd is most relevant out of this group.

just checked and saw that my starters don't share a bye week among them (6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14), which means that I only need to sub in 1 player every week. This is something I always try, but rarely succeed in.

12.13 John Johnson III, DB, CLE
initially thought on picking a backup at RB/WR here but none of the available options stood out enough and I still need to fill some holes on defense.

Thought about a 3rd LB, but looking at the undrafted players that should be in there on all downs I see that there are still a lot out there. I then looked at the DB position and identified John Johnson as someone who should get lots of tackles, which is the best indicator for a stable production. I don't want to rely on DB's that score 4 pts each week with the exception of the 2 weeks where they have a big play. I better get the player that consistently scores 7 pts.

13.02 Devin Singletary, RB, BUF
I simply couldn't pass on a #1 RB (according to the depth chart) in the 13th round. He may be the 3rd best rusher on his team (behind Moss and Allen), but it seems he will still be involved a lot in the offense. This is at least the observation of training camp and pre-season. This situation can change any minute, but as long as it does not change I have to be happy with this pick.

thought about a backup QB here, but since Hurts was named the starter I can wait at least 1 additional round and see if a value-pick is still there.

mmikulka
ID: 4211332822
Thu, Sep 02, 2021, 14:17

10.04 Jabrill Peppers, S NYG
I considered going DE here (Nick Bosa/Brian Burns) but decided that I preferred Peppers.

Peppers finished as DB4 last year and DB5 in 2019, receiving a bit of a boost from return yards each season (18.7 points in 2020, 5.82 points in 2019). The Giants have some other return options, but I expect Peppers will continue to return a few punts. Even if he doesn't, he should still be a reliable starter for me. If Peppers gets all of the punt return duties, he could easily finish the year as the top overall DB.

mmikulka
ID: 4211332822
Thu, Sep 02, 2021, 14:45

11.11 Brian Burns, DE CAR
I had been loosely considering Burns since the 7th round. He was very effective in 2019 but played only 43% of the snaps. Last year he moved up to 71% and finished as DL#9. By the end of the year, Burns was reliably playing 80-90% of the snaps: he is expected to be on the field full time this year, so I see room for continued improvement.

12.04 Marquez Callaway, WR NO
I considered JJ Watt here, but his glory days seem permanently gone and Arizona is talking about him playing only 2/3 of the snaps. I also considered taking Dallas Goedert, but the trade/release rumors around the Eagles' other TE didn't seem to be coming to fruition. I ended up taking Callaway to pair with Michael Thomas. I was kind of surprised that Callaway lasted this long in RIFC: usually at least one of you is all in whenever there's a preseason star with a guaranteed role.

At least 1 of (him + Michael Thomas) should always be startable, and they each have high upside. Not much else to say about this pick.

mmikulka
ID: 4211332822
Thu, Sep 02, 2021, 17:30

13.11 Ty'Son Williams, RB BAL
I refuse to believe that there will ever be a fantasy football juggernaut named Gus.

Last year the Ravens divided up their carries quite evenly: Gus Edwards actually finished the season with 1 more touch than Dobbins, and (undrafted) ran a bunch as well. Ty'Son Williams has been impressive in the preseason and I can see him potentially outproducing Edwards, particularly because Williams is a better blocking and receiving back. With the Ravens rushing for over 3,000 yards each of the past 2 years, there should be enough for Williams to at least function as a bye week / injury fill-in.

14.04 Carlos Hyde, RB JAX
I have several needs to address: I could take Khalil Mack as my DE2, Gronk or Jared Cook at TE, or I could take Hyde to handcuff James Robinson.

Mack ended up going the pick before me, and Gronk went the pick after me. I chose Hyde to give my thin RB position a bit more security. Hopefully Robinson will stay healthy and get all of the carries again and Hyde will just sit on my bench all year.

ttucowboy
ID: 317402821
Thu, Sep 02, 2021, 21:05

15.14 DeMarcus Lawrence, DE, DAL

D-Law is still an elite talent and the unquestioned leader of the Cowboys defense. The unit, as a whole, is terrible but I’m hopeful the some of the draft capital invested yields positive results. Dan Quinn as DC should also put Lawrence in a better position for success. Thinking solid DL2 with DL1 upside here.

ttucowboy
ID: 317402821
Thu, Sep 02, 2021, 21:14

16.01 Kenneth Gainwell, RB, PHI

Excited about this pick! Philadelphia stole him in the real life draft. The only reason why he lasted that long is because he opted out. People forget he started AHEAD of Antonio Gibson at Memphis. Memphis has also been a solid RB factory here lately (Darrell Henderson, Tony Pollard, and Antonio Gibson).

Fast forward to now and Gainwell has been turning heads in camp, while Sanders has struggled, and some reporters close to Philly expect him to have a “significant role” right off the bat. He’s an elite receiving threat out of the backfield and can even lineup out wide. Given how bad Philly WRs are overall, I expect him to get a material amount of targets. He’s also fully capable of running between the tackles. I think he’ll be a hot waiver add early on in smaller size leagues.

Jaydog
ID: 5283438
Fri, Sep 03, 2021, 09:34

11.05 Tony Pollard, RB, DAL
For better or worse, if you draft Zeke Elliott, you must make sure that you draft Tony Pollard as his handcuff. Hopefully Pollard never see's my lineup, but if Zeke goes down, I'll at least have Pollard to give me back some of my production lost. Might have been able to wait another round or two, but didn't want to risk it.

12.10 Mike Williams, WR, LAC
With Aiyuk's week 1 status in question I didn't want to wait any longer on a 4th WR. While Williams has been a perennial disappointment, there's no questioning his talent. His skillset "should fit well with Herbert, and while its probably too late to expect the upside that he once promised, I'll take the gamble that he returns at least WR3/4 production with a small chance he finally puts it all together and takes a jump.

13.05 Vonn Bell, S, CIN
I waited a bit longer than I wanted to draft my first DB, but couldn't jump in until now. Bell was the DB13 last season, and put up the consistent tackle numbers I like from my IDP's. He doesn't offer the big play potential as some of the earlier picked guys, but should give me as safe a floor as I can ask for from a DB. His second year in the Cincy system will hopefully lead to a slight uptick in stats. Without a lot of talent around him on a bad defense, there should be plenty of tackle opportunities for Bell. Had by eye on both JJ Watt and John Johnson, but both were grabbed just before my pick.

14.10 Quinnen Williams, DT, NYJ
Williams was the 3rd overall pick in 2019 and saw his production take a good leap last season. He more than doubled both his sack and tackle output. Hoping for another leap forward, which would put Williams on the cusp of DL1 status.

15.05 Rashaad Penny, RB, Sea
Looking to round out my bench. Penny is a pretty clear #2 and has the oft injured Chris Carson ahead of him on the depth chart. Penny has never lived up to his potential, however he's never really had the chance due to injury. IF Carson is to go down again, he could become immediately relevant.

Philly Busters
ID: 311122313
Fri, Sep 03, 2021, 12:33

13.09 Taylor Rapp, S LAR

Needed to snag my DB1 with this pick and I took a bit of a flyer on this guy. Apparently, it's not a sure thing that he'll be the starter but this info from a reliable source has me intrigued enough to take a shot: "Rapp had a solid rookie season and was to set build on that in year two, but his snap counts were unexpectedly limited to begin the season and then he suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 10. With John Johnson gone in free agency, Rapp is the frontrunner to take over the strong safety position and his per snap production last year (most FPP among all safeties that played 35 or more snaps per game) has me excited about his production potential in 2021. We just need to make sure he secures the starting position". We'll see what happens, but I tend to play musical chairs with my IDP slots and won't hesitate to cut bait if he's not productive.

14.06 Jacobi Meyers, WR NEP

Similar to my earlier blurb on Jonnu Smith, Meyers, as the likely WR1 in NE, gets a significant bump from the change from a running QB to a passing QB. Seemed a bargain at this point in the draft for my WR4.

15.09 Cameron Heyward, DL PIT

"Son of Ironhead" just seems to get better with age. He's my DL2 and the Steelers defense should be stout as always and he sets the tone up front. Tackles, sacks and general disruption. Have always liked him from his days at Ohio State and like to roster guys I actually root for. Especially if they are this good!

16.06 Baker Mayfield, QB CLE

Meh, a backup QB. TB12 is a set and forget every week unless he gets hurt. At least if I need to put Baker in the lineup I know he'll be on TV here. Hopefully it's just the bye week. Baker is improving and has great weapons. Best available at this point IMO.

17.09 Harrison Smith, S MIN

Evens for offense, odds for defense. Let's see, 17 is odd so time for my DB2. I think Smith's most productive fantasy seasons could be behind him but the Vikes just signed him to a new deal and someone on that team has to make plays. Why not him?

Da Bomb
Donor
ID: 487112814
Fri, Sep 03, 2021, 21:10

11.04 Will Fuller, WR, MIA

Fuller was 6th in WR PPG last season though it ended early with a suspension. He goes to a new team with a more crowded WR corps and less accomplished QB, but should remain productive in his field stretching role when he is back and can remain on the field.

12.11 Joe Burrow, QB, CIN

Last one to draft a QB! Backups QBs are bound to start going soon so it is time. Since I am selecting the 14th QB, I am looking for upside and I don't think it would be much of a surprise if Burrow found himself in the top 8 or so by season's end. I like that Cincinnati was not afraid to let him sling it as he averaged over 40 pass attempts per game, added 3 rushing scores, and the Bengals added 5th overall pick and former LSU teammate Ja'Marr Chase to give the team a potent top 3 WR.

13.04 Montez Sweat, DE, WAS

A former 1st round pick with elite measurables, Sweat actually outpointed (barely) his teammate on the other side of the line last year. His full potential may yet to be seen as he enters year 3.

14.11 Khari Willis, DB, IND

Willis finished 11th in DB PPG last season (minimum 2 games played) while also dealing with some nagging injuries causing him to miss a full complement of snaps. If he's able to play more snaps, more fantasy points should hopefully come.

15.04 Trey Lance, QB, SF

As I was the last to take my QB1, I want to be one of the first to take my QB2 and hope I can strike gold in either Burrow or Lance. I wanted one of Lance or Justin Fields at this point. Fields may be named the starter sooner as the other QB on the Bears' roster is likely worse than the one on the 49ers', and Fields ran more in the preseason than Lance, but Lance has the better team personnel and was the higher draft pick. They have identical offensive rookie of the year odds.

16.11 Jermaine Carter, LB, CAR

While virtually no #1 RBs or WRs remain, there are starting middle or inside linebackers that do. Carter was recently named the starting middle linebacker. He is probably not Luke Kuechly but the opportunity is there for good production.

17.04 Jadeveon Clowney, DE, CLE

After bouncing around 3 teams over the past 3 years, Clowney is starting the season healthy after participating in his first training camp in some time. Ideally more production opportunities are in store for the former first overall pick as double teams will be fewer for him playing on the same line as another first overall pick.

ttucowboy
ID: 317402821
Fri, Sep 03, 2021, 21:53

17.14 Jordyn Brooks, LB, SEA

Full disclosure — I graduated from Texas Tech so this is a bit of a homer pick. With that said, Brooks finds himself with a great opportunity this year as K.J. Wright is now gone. Brooks shined at the end of last year when given an opportunity and I expect him to build on that this year. He has the speed, agility and tackling ability with 3 down potential. I’ve also read different publications predicting a breakout year for him. No argument here.

ttucowboy
ID: 317402821
Fri, Sep 03, 2021, 21:58

18.01 Jordan Fuller, S, LAR

It’s rare to see a player go from 6th Round Pick to Captain in the span of 1 year, but that’s what we have here with Jordan Fuller. He follows in the footsteps of guys like Eric Weddle and John Johnson III who excelled as DB1’s in the same role. I’m excited to see him build off of an impressive rookie year.

Philly Busters
ID: 311122313
Fri, Sep 03, 2021, 22:01

18.06 Cory Littleton, LB LVR

This pick is slated to be my LB3/D-Flex. Not sure if anyone will play defense for the Raiders this year, but someone has to be on the field. Littleton seems to be in line for a significant snap count and should produce steady tackle numbers, especially when opposing teams are running late with a lead. I'm not liking their chances of finishing above 4th in the AFC West but I should get production from Littleton. If not, I'll have no problem dumping him for a hot FA.

19.09 Trey Hendrickson, DE CIN

He's my DL3 and will only make my lineup for bye weeks or if one of the starters (Donald, Heyward) miss time. Unless, of course, he shows the pass rush chops he flashed with the Saints. He was a passing down pass rush specialist who put up decent sack counts with limited snaps. He should get more run with a Bengals defense lacking in talent in the front 7. Hubbard and Hendrickson could turn out to be a good pass rush tandem for Cincy.

twilson
ID: 0722912
Sat, Sep 04, 2021, 00:56

6.05 Damien Harris, RB, NE
Hockenson off the board on the turn, along with a number of linebackers, the Denver RB rookie, and Jamal Adams. That means I’m done with TE for the time being. Time for some roster depth buildout.
There are still more than enough WR hanging around that I see no reason not to wait and let others thin the herd for me. The same is true for LB and DL, especially now that I have my LB1 anchor. That leaves RB2 and DB as my two possible directions.
San Francisco projects to have one of the best teamwide rushing attacks, so both Trey Sermon and Raheem Mostert are of interest. The trick is figuring out how/if the carries will be split between the two of them, both in the early weeks and at the end of the season. I already own Sermon in both of my other drafts, and I doubled up with Mostert in one of those (best ball format). Not sure I want to expand my exposure even further, but I’m not completely opposed.

Though I’ve historically shied away from investing substantial draft capital in the Patriots running game, the recent trade of Sony Michel appears to lock in Damien Harris as the primary ball-carrier. There’s no chance at bell-cow status given Belichick’s offensive proclivities, but this role has often delivered RB2 value in the past.

Budda Baker is the other name in the 2-man elite DB tier. He has consistently performed at or above 9 ppg for three and a half years, and Arizona continues to lack an entrenched LB that would limit his opportunities. If I’m avoiding the bargain bin at DB, now is likely my last opportunity.

Because byes begin later this year than they have in a while, I feel some pressure to have a RB2 that I trust to get carries. I don’t mind starting 1RB/4WR and waiting for an injury to provide a second RB starter via FAAB, but I can’t rely on that for weeks 1-5, and the season could be slipping away by that point if I take Sermon and SF gives Mostert the bulk of the work, or vice versa. As a result, I think I have to go with Harris. DB is too much of a luxury when I am filling a perceived need.

7.10 Joey Bosa, DL, LAC
Sermon and Baker taken on the long turn. My team build is such that I can go in almost any direction; unfortunately, I don’t see meaningful value anywhere. WR is back on the table for the first time since the second round, but there still isn’t urgency to fill WR3. TE makes sense build-wise, but I still believe there will be a better value point later on. LB2 is still too much of a luxury pick without an obvious standout. RB3 is a luxury position as well, but I can certainly see myself starting Mostert over Damien Harris fairly often. It’s always nice to have a top DL, but is there any player out there who really separates from the pack after a down season at the position?

Let’s focus on DL for a moment. There are only a few guys who have a history of breaking 8 ppg, chief among them Joey Bosa and Danielle Hunter. Hunter is supposedly healthy after his neck injury last year, but I’m always concerned about anything spinal in a football player. Joey Bosa dealt with his own litany of injuries last year, but he still managed 8.5 ppg when he did play. A fully healthy alternative is Chase Young, who put together a respectable rookie season. There’s good reason to believe in a performance leap in year 2, but a pick in the 7th round requires it.

I’ve ruled out Hunter because of the neck. I’m tempted by Young, as I do believe in the talent and situation, but Joey Bosa also offers performance upside from a higher base. That leaves Bosa and Mostert. I should probably take Mostert given the upside, but I do always like to lock in a strong DL1. Joey Bosa it is.

8.05 Antonio Brown, WR, TB
Little mini-run of DL continuing after my Joey Bosa pick with some WR sprinkled in, so my options here are largely the same as at 7.10. I still like Mostert as RB3. Time to also dive into WR and maybe TE as a comparison.

My favorite WRs on the board are Michael Gallup, Laviska Shenault, and Antonio Brown. Gallup was a consideration for me last year at 6.04. He obviously had a down year with the absence of Dak Prescott and emergence of CeeDee Lamb, but I still like the talent, and I remain confident Prescott can support three fantasy-relevant WRs. My opinion of him isn’t that different than it was last year.

Shenault played well as a rookie and has had a good camp. The Etienne injury should ensure that he gets regular work in the running game as well, which I feel is sometimes an underrated quality. There is a lack of clarity about which of the three Jacksonville WRs will get the largest target share. I don’t count myself any different on that front, but all three should be very involved.

Until his self-inflicted fall from grace two years ago, Antonio Brown was the surest thing in fantasy football. 5 straight seasons in the top 2 at his position. Maybe more in this format given the punt returns! I’m not going to check that right now. He showed well at the tail end of 2020, earning a healthy target share despite the surrounding talent, and everything I’ve heard out of camp suggests that should be his floor. The sky’s the limit for his ceiling. I don’t own him yet this year, and I’d like to.

I think I’m going to chance TE again. The guys I like best are not at the top of the ADP queue. Shenault loses out to Gallup and Brown. There’s a good chance Gallup will make it around the long turn, so Brown is the preference now at WR. Both Brown and Mostert would be really nice additions to my offensive depth, but I do at least own Mostert in best ball. It has to be Brown if I want that ownership share in 2021.

twilson
ID: 0722912
Sat, Sep 04, 2021, 01:48

9.10 Alex Singleton, LB, PHI
Shenault and Mostert are finally off the board, along with Higbee and Tonyan at TE. I really thought I would own Higbee at least once this year, but it wasn’t meant to be. Gallup still around, but do I really want to go WR4 this early in the draft?

I’m not interested in the RBs after Mostert, so looks like I’ll be using my most typical RB build. I’m going to wait some more at TE with Higbee gone. If I go offense with this pick, it will be Gallup. As for IDP, the talent is dropping off more quickly at LB than DL right now. After sifting through a lot of names, my top options are Deion Jones, Alex Singleton, and Patrick Queen.

Jones is a consistent 9 ppg performer, and he’s popped elite half-seasons a couple times. He’s been around for a while, but Jones is still just 26. There is more competition for tackles in Atlanta these days than in the past, but I see no signs of a meaningful decline.

Alex Singleton has traveled a very different path than most to NFL success. Exemplary CFL results earned him a shot in Philadelphia, and when the starters fell like dominoes 1.5 seasons in, he turned in a half season of 11.5 ppg results. After offseason departures and a strong preseason, his starting role looks quite secure. I thought he’d be more of a sleeper this year, but I’ve seen him occasionally going much earlier than I expected (and not just to Eagle fan Judy). If he’s clearly my preference here, I might have to just take the plunge now.

Patrick Queen could be a good reason to wait on Singleton. The 1st round pick put up 8.5 ppg in his rookie season with only about an 80% snap share, along with generally positive reviews of his work. Though it’s not guaranteed, and this weird preseason has made projecting playing time even harder than usual, there’s a real chance the Ravens will make him an every-down player. If so, and if he maintains his pace of production, Queen can push or even exceed 10 ppg.

I don’t think I’m going to be taking my LB3 for a while, so I’m going to throw ADP a little bit out the window. Singleton could maybe make it back around to the 11/12 turn, but I like my chances enough of finding a good cheap LB3 that it would be a luxury pick there. I still like all three LBs a lot even after the deep dive, but I find the upside cases for Singleton and Queen more compelling than Jones. And while I have a lot of confidence that Queen will step up to the next tier, I’d rather bet on the guy that already did it for half a season, despite the limited sample.

10.05 Nick Bosa, DL, SF
Once I had decided on Singleton as my LB, I really should’ve held him back for the 10th round. Since I didn’t, I missed out on Gallup. I also would’ve considered Melvin Gordon had he made it around the turn. With them off the board, I was at a bit of a loss about what direction to go. Deion Jones at LB3 re-entered the conversation, but I still don’t want to go that way if I can help it. WR4 is too much of a luxury to take someone I don’t consider a major value. The RBs and TEs are uninspiring, and DL isn’t much better.

Thus, this pick becomes more about roster build. And for me, roster build usually means DL. I don’t enjoy playing in the FA pool for linemen, especially compared to the other IDPs positions. The talent pool is so much shallower.

It’s not really worth going into much detail about my work for this pick. I looked at a lot of names and rejected most of them. Ultimately, I was able to sell myself enough on Nick Bosa to pull the trigger. The talent is obvious, and the playing time will be there. I don’t like guys just coming back from major knee surgery, but he has at least had nearly a year of recovery. A slow start is fairly likely, but hopefully he at least rounds into shape as the season rolls along. Plus, it'll be fun to say I own a bookend of brothers. I should also note that I was pleased to see he got over himself and is now vaccinated.

twilson
ID: 0722912
Sat, Sep 04, 2021, 02:40

11.10 AJ Dillon, RB, GB
I remain unenthused about the player pool, so it’s time to fill a hole or address a weakness. I’m set at DL and QB, and I’m strong at WR and LB. I don’t have a TE yet, and my pair of RBs are not the most exciting. No DBs, but now’s not the time.

No Buffalo RB has been taken yet. I, like most, have had a hard time choosing between the two this year. A few weeks ago, I preferred Zac Moss, but of late I’ve been leaning toward Singletary. The most likely outcome is a balanced timeshare. At minimum, both will have value as good bye week filler, and if one gets hurt, the other will have RB2 value.

I could also sacrifice some present value for higher injury upside. Pollard was recently taken, but AJ Dillon and Alexander Mattison remain as clear handcuffs to strong RB1s. I usually like to wait and let others thin the herd before I swoop in and grab the cheapest high upside handcuffs, but this top tier do have a little extra value as desperation bye week filler that the dregs do not.

I ended up going TE at 12.05 and none were taken on the short turn, so I’ll discuss my TE thoughts there. I like Dillon better than Mattison because I think he’s a better running back. I bet on Dillon’s talent last year at 13.10 and lost, but he showed enough at the end of the year that I’m willing to call his number again. I went back and forth a bunch between Singletary and Dillon, but I realized that I don’t want to ever start Singletary if I can help it. I do want to start Dillon, though the chances of my doing so are somewhat limited. Thus, I’ll go with the ceiling and trust my ability to find another useful back in free agency if need be.

12.05 Dallas Goedert, TE, PHI
I looked a bit at WRs here, but nobody stood out enough to prevent me from finally filling my TE slot. 12 teams beat me to it, so the pickings are fairly slim. I’m left with three players that stand out from the rest – Dallas Goedert, Rob Gronkowski, and Jared Cook. Goedert is a guy I had absolutely no expectation of ever considering this year. His ADP is much higher than I think it should be given the continued presence of [undrafted]. For whatever reason, he fell here to a spot where he’s being reasonably valued. Goedert performed at a mid- to low-TE1 rate last year when healthy. The Eagles had no problem using 12 personnel on the significant majority of their plays last year, and their lack of proven WR talent suggests that this will continue despite a new coaching staff in place. I’d be paying for a repeat of 2020 with the obvious injury/trade upside as the cherry on top.

I could also bet that the Brady/Gronkowski connection continues to blossom in year two of the Buccaneers experience. There’s good reason to think that Tampa can soar to new heights with a greater comfort level across the board, and Gronk could very well be the beneficiary. Thanks to the NFL grind, he’s not the player he once was, but elite tight ends often age well.

Jared Cook is another seasoned veteran who has refused to fade into obscurity. 2020 was not a banner year for him thanks to the physical decline of Drew Brees, but he now finds himself in Los Angeles with the hottest young QB that west of Kansas City. Camp chatter has not been universally positive due to the rise of a young challenger, but I still expect Cook to carry a starter’s load.

When drafting a singleton position so late in the game, I think upside needs to take on outsized significance. Of these three, Goedert has the highest ceiling.

mmikulka
ID: 4211332822
Sat, Sep 04, 2021, 03:11

15.11 Juwan Johnson, TE NO
I went in with the goal of taking a top 3 TE. I thought Kelce might slip to 1.11 given how RB-heavy RIFC generally is. Nope. I thought Kittle might fall to 3.04. Nope. At that point, my plan was to be as patient as possible unless Mark Andrews fell far enough. The eventual result is that the first TE I am drafting is some guy who I had never heard of until about a week ago.

A former WR (still WR eligible in some formats), Johnson clearly has receiving ability. He has been getting rave reviews in the preseason and is supposedly becoming a favorite of Jameis. He might not start the season as the Saints TE1, but it seems like he will run the most routes regardless.

His floor is nonexistent, but he has upside and my choices are thin, so I'll throw a dart and see what his role turns out to be.

16.04 Justin Fields, QB CHI
Tannehill has a late bye week, which gives me the luxury of taking Fields. If he isn't starting by week 13, the Bears will be playing home games somewhere else because their fans will have burned down Soldier Field.

In my opinion, there is a lot of late-round upside at QB this year: I considered Jameis and Wentz, but I've drafted them elsewhere and decided to go with somebody new. Trey Lance also intrigues me and I think he has even higher fantasy upside than Fields, but I think its feasible that he won't play all year (he was drafted by this point anyway).

mmikulka
ID: 4211332822
Sat, Sep 04, 2021, 03:47

17.11 Hunter Henry, TE NE
Considering that my only TE at this point has 4 career receptions, I should probably take at least 1 more. I am glad that Hunter Henry was still around (probably due to his injury). Jonnu Smith is the more popular Patriot TE at the moment, and I can see why, but Henry has been a better receiver thus far, averaging 581 yards across 4 seasons (whereas Jonnu has yet to reach 500 yards in any of his 4 seasons).

I expect that Henry will have a stable floor ("disappointing but almost-tolerable fantasy starter"), as well as a mild modicum of upside that could allow him to finish in the TE 6-10 range.

18.04 Shaq Thompson, LB CAR
I left a queue of LBs here, with Shaq Thompson followed by Cory Littleton and Logan Wilson. I didn't have a strong opinion about the order of those three LBs, so I defaulted to the consensus and ended up with Shaq Thompson.

Shaq had a disappointing 2020 season, and I am chalking it up to 3 main issues:
1) An abnormally high percentage of assists (64 solo / 52 assists)
2) 0 sacks
3) Jeremy Chinn

Chinn will be playing more of a traditional safety role this year, and I expect regression to the mean to help with the other two issues. I'm counting on a bounceback toward the 8.9 points per game he had in 2019.

Philly Busters
ID: 311122313
Sat, Sep 04, 2021, 13:42

20.06 Rashaan Evans, LB TEN

Defense depth for LB/Flex bye week replacement. Or waiver wire fodder if a FA jumps out early. He was hyped when he first came into the league but has never delivered on that initial potential. Maybe this is the year? The Titans front 7 is looking weak and someone has to make plays. Why not Evans?

21.09 Austin Hooper, TE CLE

Oh joy, drafting a backup TE! Doesn't get much better than that. A lot of options without much to differentiate but Hooper will be on TV here every week and he's my son's favorite player. As good a set of reasons as any at this point. Also, this sets my 2 TEs with bye weeks 13 and 14. Plenty of time to scope out hot prospects(like Tonyan last year) to replace one of them or they are both well rested for the fantasy playoffs. Win-win!

22.06 Sterling Shepard, WR NYG

More depth with my WR5. Shepard seems to be about the only pass catcher on this team entering the season healthy. A reliable possession receiver, hoping he becomes a favorite target during their frequent come-from-behind rally attempts. Don't expect this O-line to pave the way for a productive run game so they should throw a lot. Quick slants could become their bread and butter since the QB won't likely have time to throw much else.

youngroman
ID: 515013
Sat, Sep 04, 2021, 16:54

14.13 Kirk Cousins, QB, MIN
I was the 12th one to get a QB. Although Hurts is safe for now, you don't know how he develops. In case something happens with him I need to have a plan B, which is to have a 2nd QB that can fill in with not much downgrade. Kirk Cousins is just that. He is proven, he is reliable, he has a good RB, he has 2 good WR's to throw to. he was by far the best QB remaining and I better take him now than settle for a gamble.

15.02 Gabriel Davis, WR, BUF
with LB and DB filled I continue selecting offense backups. I don't have a WR backup yet. available options are not really great or were great at some point but face an unknown future or are not known if they can be as good as last season.

Davis falls into the last category. He scored 7 TD last year in limited targets, but was the #1 option for the deep pass. I don't know if he can keep this up but the QB and the game plans will be similar. The real question is how many targets he will see with #S# and Beasley around. hopefully enough to fill in when needed.

16.13 AJ Green, WR, ARI
he was great a few years ago. He made the change to a new team this summer, so maybe he shows flashes of his past self. In training he looked like that. He has a QB that is capable of throwing the ball, he seems to be the #2 WR for that team, so why not pick Green with the 223rd pick overall? you take gambles at this point and if they don't pan out after 2 or 3 weeks you throw the players back and replace them with the surprise stars or bye-week fill-ins.

17.02 Gerald Everett, TE, SEA
my 1-man queue for this round was Evan Engram. Of course he went the pick before. With an unproven TE as TE1 I better take some insurance in case the hype around Pitts is not justified. Everett changed teams and now has Russell Wilson throwing to him. Wilson showed in the past that he regularly throws to his TE's. This year he has a different kind of TE that is almost a WR and could go downfield a lot. lets see how this plays out.

18.13 Dre Greenlaw, LB, SF
he is one of the last remaining LB's that is projected to play nearly every down. This is usually the only stat that matters for a LB, especially this late in the draft.
#2 in my queue was Okereke who was picked at 18.12.

19.02 Trey Flowers, DL, DET
we need to start 2 DL's. there are 6 picks left and I still need to fill both slots + kicker, so I thought that I take a DL here, a DL and RB/WR/TE's in rounds 20 to 23 and a kicker in round 24.

The DL's available are all scoring similar: 3.5 to 4 pts. I tried to take one that is projected to score more than that the first few weeks of the season. I have no idea if this will be the case, but I need one reason why I picked Flowers.

20.13 Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR, DET
with all the receivers gone in Detroit, someone needs to catch the passes of Goff. It is either him or Tyrell Williams. With Swift down they may be forced to throw more than intended.

Additional notes / trivia:
He is 1 of 2 players in the NFL that I know I could talk to in German, the other being Jakob Johnson of the Patriots.
There are currently 2 Austrians (my home country) on practice squads: TE Bernhard Seikovits / ARI and RB Sandro Platzgummer / NYG. They would be the first Austrians to see NFL regular season action since kicker Ray Wersching in 1987 who is a 2-time Superbowl winner with the 49ers. Wersching still holds the record for the last successfully converted fair catch kick, which happened in 1976. it is probably the rarest successful play in football.

21.02 Shelby Harris, DL, DEN
we need 2 DL's. DL's are very dependent on the opponent, especially if it is not a top 5 DL. Harris is projected to score the most of the remaining DL's in the early part of the season.

ttucowboy
ID: 317402821
Sat, Sep 04, 2021, 21:08

21.14 Zach Ertz, TE, PHI

Hurts to Ertz should be a thing this year given that Hurts is terrible at passing overall but at least targets his TEs. This is hopefully nothing more than a depth piece. I think Ertz has enough left in the tank to be a bye week filler.

22.01 Zach Wilson, QB, NYJ

Back to back Zachs! Romo mentioned him in the same sentence with Mahomes. Good enough for me. Next!

In all seriousness, there is a lot to like here. I have to remind myself he’s on the Jets, but new regime so there’s new hope. Lawrence will be my starter going into the year, but I’d welcome Wilson making it a difficult decision as the season unfolds. Having two rookie QBs isn’t optimal for a redraft but I’m excited to see how both do.

23.14 Jermar Jefferson, RB, DET

He was one of the best RBs in college football last year and may have a Week 1 role. Rare to find that for an RB this late. As mentioned before, Swift is far from a sure thing to stay healthy all year. Late round flier just in case he pops Week 1.

24.01 Sammy Watkins, WR, BALT

Slight hedge on Bateman just in case he has a setback in his recovery. Watkins has had an impressive camp and still has juice in his legs. As mentioned before, I think Baltimore is going to have to rely a bit more on the passing game with Dobbins going down. With Bateman out, Watkins the number 1.

mmikulka
ID: 4211332822
Sat, Sep 04, 2021, 21:14

19.11 Pat Freiermuth, TE PIT
Another preseason-buzzy TE dart. Rookie TEs always disappoint, but in the 19th round I'll give him a try.

20.04 Tyrell Williams, WR DET
I'd been considering the Tyrell and Amon-Ra pairing for a while and decided it was time to choose one.

I value Tyrell's likely target share: Detroit's receiving corps is a wasteland, and they will probably have to throw a lot this year. He has massive opportunity and a previous 1,000 yard season, but he is also coming off 3 years of "meh" and doesn't seem likely to put up a monster season even with a ton of targets.

Amon-Ra is a rookie and therefore we don't know his ceiling. It's easy to have dreams of him being this year's Justin Jefferson with such limited competition. He even has a shot at adding some return yards. If I had read anything at all positive about him this training camp or preseason, I may have gone with him, but he seems to have been generally underwhelming and will need to earn his way to becoming the WR1.

I went with the perceived opportunity over the perceived upside. If Tyrell stays healthy, he should be fantasy relevant all season, and that's a good value in the 20th round.

mmikulka
ID: 4211332822
Sat, Sep 04, 2021, 21:33

21.11 Randy Gregory, DE DAL
I am not very confident that he will be good, but at this point I viewed the DL options as either Gregory or a pile of undifferentiated mush. The NFL finally stopped suspending players for marijuana use, so at least there's that.

22.04 Tony Jones, RB NO
More preseason buzz. The specific line that led me to draft him over Chuba Hubbard came from Sean Payton: "If you’re asking me today, my No. 2 RB is Tony Jones."

If Tony Jones is in fact the Saints RB#2, he will likely be a useful backup for me even without an injury. The Saints' RB2 has averaged 959 yards over the past 5 years, and Jones looks more explosive than Latavius Murray, Mark Ingram, and Tim Hightower.

Latavius Murray has been looking shaky in preseason (and there were rumors that he was in danger of being cut), so I think there is a good chance Jones has an immediate role.

Jaydog
ID: 5283438
Sat, Sep 04, 2021, 21:49

16.10 Jameis Winston, QB, NO
Having "splurged" on Josh Allen early in the draft, I hope to not need a backup QB other than Allen's bye week. I had planned on waiting a few more rounds to scoop someone off the scrap heap, but seeing the options dry up I decided to take Winston here. Winston has a juicy matchup against Seattle on Allen's bye week, and if he can "click" with the Saints offense, he could offer some upside as trade bait. I didn't grab a backup QB last year, and had it not been for a panic'ed trade, would have had to take a goose egg at the position as several teams were hoarding quarterbacks, so I decided to grab someone this year.

17.05: Logan Wilson, LB, Cin
Every down linebackers on bad defenses tend to be a formula that I target for IDP's, and Wilson definitely fits the bill. Should be plenty of tackle opportunities for him, and as a former safety, should play in all situations. Having drafted Bell as by DB1, hoping that Wilson and Bell can soak up most of Cincy's tackle opportunities. Wilson was someone that I had targeted as a late round LB option, so happy to get him here.

18.10: Logan Ryan, CB, NYG
I had considered drafting a DB2 for several rounds now, but kept hoping that my targeted players would last one more round. The plan backfired as four players that I was targeting didn't make the one extra round I needed them to last (Byard, Jenkins, H. Smith, and T. Walker). With two DB's left that I would have been happy with, I decided to grab Logan Ryan here. Adrian Amos was the other player I was considering. I had Ryan on all of my IDP teams last year, and was happy with his production. Even when playing CB, he has always been a tackle machine, and he now seems to play all over the defensive backfield. I'm a bit concerned about his tackle opportunities remaining high given some added competition in the Giants defensive backfield, but given that the Giants just signed him to a long term contract should mean he's going to be a focal piece of the defense.

19.05: Adrian Amos, DB, GB
This pick was a mistake. I thought I had set up a two player DB queue for round 18, but mistakenly set up a general queue, and Amos was automatically selected for me. As a 3rd DB, he gives me some options if one of my top two options pan out, and I do think he offers enough tackle upside to possibly displace one of my LB's in the starting lineup. GB has a terrible linebacking corps, so there should be a lot of tackle opportunities for Amos. I didn't really want to spend the pick on a 3rd DB, but he will hopefully offer me some depth and I do like the player a lot, so shouldn't be a damaging mistake. You'd think after 15+ years in this league I'd be able to figure out the queue system...

20.10: Cole Beasley, WR, BUF
I had been considering Beasley since the 12th round, and almost took him over Williams. Beasley was the 33rd ranked WR last year, and even though this is a non-ppr format, his 967 yards receiving, and handful of touchdowns provided some decently consistent value. There's been little to indicate that the Buffalo running game should improve at all, so thinking that the team should be as pass heavy as last year, if not more so. Beasley's well reported anti-vax stance is a bit concerning should he miss any time for COVID protocol related issues, but to take Beasley as the WR66, with no reason he should be any worse than last years WR33, with the chance to be even better, was too enticing to pass up.

21.05: Krys Barnes, LB, GB
Every down linebackers, on bad defenses... a formula I'm exploiting again with this pick. While the GB defense isn't that bad, their linebacking corps is very weak. Barnes isn't considered a good LB, but he's reported to be the defensive play caller, so should be on the field for every down, providing him ample tackle opportunities. I now have a safety/linebacker combo on both Cincy and GB, hope the forumla works.

22.10: Wayne Gallman, RB, ATL
Didn't really go into this pick with any specific strategy, but when combing through the available players, Gallman stuck out as someone that has the potential to be a big contributor. He was without a team when the draft started, but was since signed by ATL to be the primary backup to Mike Davis. Davis has never carried the load as a full time starter, and when filling in for CMC, he did get dinged up a bit. While Davis is a clear starter to begin the season, there's a decent chance of under performance and/or an injury vaulting Gallman into a starting role. He had a few decent weeks filling in for the Giants last year, so theres reason think he could do the same in ATL.

23.05: Rodrigo Blankenship, K, IND
Planned on waiting until round 24 to grab my kicker, but saw three options that I preferred, and since I was picking in the back half of round 24 decided to make sure I got one of them. Hot Rod did well in Indy last year, and in general I prefer kickers that kick in dome's. If Wentz can provide Indy with good QB play, I think the offense should be in good shape, and playing in a division with Houston, Jacksonville, and Tennessee they should put up a lot of points.

24.10: Adam Trautman, TE, NO
While I'm happy with Higbee as my TE1, he's by no means a sure thing, so decided I should grab a TE that has some upside to be a contributor should Higbee flame out. Trautman was a hot name in the offseason as a TE that could take a leap this year, but a preseason injury tempered the buzz. I've read that the injury shouldn't keep him out for that long, and with Jameis Winston as his starting QB, the TE should be involved in the offense. I'll roll with Higbee for a few weeks and hope he pans out, but if not hopefully Trautman has turned into something when I've run out of patience.

mmikulka
ID: 4211332822
Sat, Sep 04, 2021, 21:51

23.11 Alex Anzalone, LB DET
It looks like Anzalone will be a 3-down LB and call plays. There weren't many of those left, and he seemed like he had the most certainty in his role, at least for now.

24.04 Jordan Akins, TE HOU
My (possible record?) 4th TE. I don't have any clear K favorites, so I will just add one after I put Michael Thomas on IR.

I waited the longest to draft TE and DL, which tend to be the lowest-scoring positions on offense and defense. For DL, there are 60+ starters each week, with many options available on the waiver wire. Statistically speaking, some of those will become useful every year. For TE, there is a much smaller number of players who could conceivably have a role, so I might as well take a another shot at one.

Houston is thoroughly devoid of receiving options and will likely be playing from behind all year. I absolutely love Brandin Cooks for that reason, but there will also be plenty of targets that have to go somewhere else. Maybe enough of them will go to Jordan Akins.

youngroman
ID: 515013
Sun, Sep 05, 2021, 04:27

22.13 James White, RB, NE
somehow White always gets his touches and targets in the Patriots offense. If anyone in front of him on the depth chart misses some time, White will step up and fill the void. He may not be the most sexy pick, but he is able to get in some points every week.

23.02 Leonard Floyd, LB, LAR
with the demotion of Micah Kiser to the practice squad, Floyd is the #1 LB for the Rams. He should play all downs and rack up lots of tackles.

24.13 Nordin Quinn, PK, NE
we need a kicker. They are a special species because they don't control their own usage rate. They are dependent on their offense. And even worse: they are dependent on their offense failing in field goal territory to score lots of points. how do you predict that in advance for a whole season? impossible. The only thing you can do is to draft a kicker that was reliable in the past. But a lot of teams drop their kickers after 1 bad week with 2 misses and pick up the next best one from waivers, no matter if it is a veteran or not.

so why not pick a rookie with no track record in the NFL that just beat out some proven veterans in training camp to be the kicker for the Patriots?

twolves
ID: 5185257
Sun, Sep 05, 2021, 09:04

11.08 LANDON Collins S
needed s/cb and if healthy usually consistent production in past years. Safeties had started coming off board and needed to start filling outr defense.

12.07 JASON PIERRE-PAUL DE
Filling out defense and he was very productive last year and appears to be still in good situation to put decent stats up.

13.08 Matt Ryan QB
Like to get second QB before too many go off. With possible injury concern about Dak need reliable backup. Ryan has generally been injury free in past.

14.07 Russell gage WR
Needed another receiver and Atlanta still will pass a lot although some concern new offense will be more heavily run oriented which makes this choice risky.

15.08 Jared Cook TE
Needed backup tight end with injury considerations with Fant. He has had consistent production in past and end of my TE1 ideas.

16.07 Christian Kirksey LB
Needed LB and probably waited too long as many I desired are gone. He is on new team which may need to play a lot of defense and it appears he is starting.

17.08 Romeo Okwara DE
Rounding our DE/DT and he had breakout year last year and hopefully can build on it rather than regress.

18.07 Daniel Sorenson S
Filling out defense with second S/CB. Good Kansas city defense and usually get good tackle numbers.

19.08 Scott Boston RB
I hope none of my first 3RBs gets injured as waited a bit too long to get another RB. Good backup for Sanders and has been productive as backup role when called upon.

20.07 Kwity Paye DE
Needed another DE/DT and took flyer on rookie who should be starting and improve as season goes along.

21.08 Nick kwiatkoski LB
Another flyer as this stage as wanted another linebacker and had no one left on list I liked. At this stage trying for upside so I hope he takes a big leap forward this year as apparent starter.

22.07 J. Crowder WR
If healthy he should be Jets No.1 receiver although not sure the Jets will be very good.

23.08 Daniel Carlson PK
Needed PK and have Daniel Carlson who has been very accurate and makes long distance ones despite being a flop with the Vikings. I have had him in past years.

24.07 Devontae Booker RB
Took backup for S. Barkley in case injury more significant.

Philly Busters
ID: 311122313
Sun, Sep 05, 2021, 11:57

23.09 Royce Freeman, RB CAR

Picked up my RB5 and took a chance on a player the Panthers picked up after 53-man cutdowns to (hopefully) back-up McCaffery and take the lead role if he misses any time. He won't "replace" McCaffery but he's capable of duplicating what Mike Davis produced last year if given the touches. Worth a shot in round 23.

24.06 Matt Prater, PK ARI

Not much to say about a kicker. But I will anyway. I like to get a PK from a team with a good offense and the Cardinals fit that bill. I also like to get one with a late bye week so I can snag a kicker coming off his bye week early on and then forget about the position the rest of the way. As it should be.

Da Bomb
Donor
ID: 487112814
Sun, Sep 05, 2021, 15:22

18.11 Elijah Moore, WR, NYJ

Taking a flyer on the 34th overall pick who's impressed in camp and would likely start in the slot Week 1 if Jamison Crowder remains out.

19.04 Troy Reeder, LB, LAR

Today in cherry picking stats, after Micah Kiser went down to injury last year, Rider was a top 10 LB the last 6 weeks of the season. Kiser was recently waived and Reeder's role looks secure.

20.11 Terrace Marshall, WR, CAR

Why not take another flyer on another rookie 2nd round WR? The Panthers cut David Moore after Marshall's strong play this preseason and is now locked into starting in 3 WR sets.

21.04 Donovan Wilson, DB, DAL

After moving into the starting lineup last season in Week 4, Wilson was a top 12 DB in PPG.

22.11 Chuba Hubbard, RB, Car

Backup RBs are going and I wanted to get in on the fun. While teams will often employ a RBBC if the starter goes down, Carolina used Mike Davis as the bell cow last season when CMC was hurt. After waiving Rodney Smith and Reggie Bonnafon, the signing of Royce Freeman may complicate what would happen if there was an injury to the starter, but the rookie does remain #2 on the depth chart and offers more upside.

23.04 Daniel Jones, QB, NYG

My backup QB Trey Lance is not currently starting, so choosing to roster a 3rd QB for the time being in case Burrow gets hurt. I find Jones to have more upside than the alternatives.

24.11 Jeff Wilson, RB, SF

An IR flyer. As I am rostering Sermon and Mostert, will see what the landscape of the backfield looks like if Wilson is ready to come back after 6 weeks.

twilson
ID: 0722912
Mon, Sep 06, 2021, 14:37

13.10 Marvin Jones, WR, JAC
Had he dropped another half round, Devin Singletary would’ve been the pick here for RB depth. Jaylen Waddle was also my preferred WR because he has a WR1 ceiling if the Dolphins incumbent return specialist gets hurt.

Having now filled all my starting slots other than DB1/2, LB3, and K, this becomes a depth-building pick. I don’t think any of the available RBs offer enough flex value to justify RB4 at this point. I can dip my toe into the WR pool for the pseudo-starting WR4, or I can grab my LB flex. Both positions should see consistent attrition from now through the end of the draft. A cursory look at the top LBs reveals no standouts, so WR is the appropriate direction to go.

Marvin Jones is a longtime favorite. In the past five seasons, he’s been at worst WR#46 by ppg, with two years as a WR2 and one as a WR1. I’d be drafting him here as WR#51. Jones is on a new team with an uncertain role, but I expect Jacksonville to use a lot of 3WR sets. He’s also gotten a lot of positive press in preseason, which never hurts.

DeVante Parker is another underrated performer in recent years. After a slow start to his NFL career, he improved his skills and became a quality talent. 2019 was obviously the high point with a WR1 finish. I don’t expect that level of outcome, but it’s certainly within the range of possibilities. I have some concern that the additions of Waddle and Fuller will reduce his role.

With fewer question marks and a stronger track record, Marvin Jones is the pick.

14.05 Rob Gronkowski, TE, NE
Two rounds after my pick of Goedert, not a single additional TE has left the board. I know that TE demand drops of massively after everybody has one, but that’s a bit more extreme than I anticipated. Though TE2 is usually a luxury pick, it would be more of a tandem starter for me. I still like both Gronkowski and Cook, so I could wait and hope that one of the two will make it back around to me.

I still don’t see a LB3 worth taking. I could go DB1, but only if I’m comfortable waiting on TE2. Another TE from this tier will add more value to my team than a fifth WR. I think TE2 is the right choice here, and I trust Gronkowski’s NFL role a little more than Cook.

ttucowboy
ID: 082377
Tue, Sep 07, 2021, 08:26

Looks like my Bateman and Butker posts have vanished so I’ll post them again.

19.14 Harrison Butker, K, KC

When I saw Koo go off the board, it reminded me we draft kickers here (oops). Butker kicks for a high powered offense which should provide a reasonable floor (whatever that is for a kicker).

20.01 Rashod Bateman, WR, BALT

Baltimore has become a fantasy wasteland for WRs, but if anyone can buck that trend it’ll be Bateman. He’s currently hurt but should be healthy by the time bye weeks begin. His ability to be a possession WR, who can also take it to house anytime he touches the ball, should be a great weapon for Lamar. With Dobbins going down, I also expect Baltimore to have to rely a bit more on the passing game (not convinced Edwards and Williams can bring what Dobbins brought to the table). I drafted Watkins later on as a bit of an insurance policy here.

Forum: footPage 5620Subject: RIFC 2021 - Draft rationale collection thread

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Subject: RIFC 2021 - Draft rationale collection thread