Seth Vigdor
We held the first ever PhillyInfluencer.com Fantasy Football League draft on Tuesday night. Our league is a 12-team, PPR league, where we get 1 point per reception and 6 points for passing touchdowns. Our readers/listeners mean everything to us. They are part of this whole Philly Influencer movement. Without them, there’s no us. With that being said, I’m going to do a recap of the draft for you, as I think it’s important for those that have yet to draft, to see some key takeaways from an actual draft. This was a snake draft, where the order of the draft was determined one hour prior to the draft. I’ll cover some of the main points of this draft.
The first round selections are:
1. Le’Veon Bell, Pit RB – Team Robb
2. Jamaal Charles, KC RB – Team Marino
3. Adrian Peterson, Min RB – The Notorious V.I.G
4. Antonio Brown, Pit WR – Straight Cash Homey
5. Eddie Lacy, GB RB – 215 Sean
6. Marshawn Lynch, Sea RB – Victorious Secret
7. Matt Forte, Chi RB – Team DiBona
8. Dez Bryant, Dal WR – Parkin Lot Pimpin’
9. DeMarco Murray, Phi RB – FeelMyBalls, SqueezeMyBalls
10. Julio Jones, Atl WR – Cunning Stunts [Nick Piccone, who’s going to win this damn thing.]
11. Demaryius Thomas, Den WR – Luck her right in the Percy
12. Odell Beckham Jr., NYG WR – Team 34 1/2
Here are a few things that stood out in the first round.
• With the first pick, Team Robb decided that Le’Veon Bell is worth the wait. I agree with that decision 100%. If you take Bell and draft well, there’s no reason that your team can’t weather the storm for the first two weeks when Bell is out with a suspension. He’s a PPR monster and you should expect him to improve upon his great numbers from last year.
• I was surprised, although it was a pleasant one for me, to see Jamaal Charles get taken with the second pick. It’s not that it’s a bad pick, it’s just that it’s the first time in any of my drafts this year, whether it was a mock or an actual draft that Adrian Peterson made it past pick number two. I drafted with pick three, so there was no hesitation on my part to snatch Peterson up. I think Peterson will touch the ball 20+ times a game, while sometimes Andy Reid forgets how to use Charles.
• I thought it was interesting to see the order that the WR’s fell in this first round. I think after Brown and Beckham, the next best WR is Julio Jones. If you read my bold predictions for the year, you’ll know that I think Julio has a career year this season. So I’m a bit surprised that Dez Bryant went ahead of both Julio and Beckham.
Next up is the second round results.
13. Aaron Rodgers, GB QB – Team 34 1/2
14. Jeremy Hill, Cin RB – Luck her right in the Percy
15. C.J. Anderson, Den RB – Cunning Stunts
16. A.J. Green, Cin WR – FeelMyBalls, SqueezeMyBalls
17. Calvin Johnson, Det WR – Parkin Lot Pimpin’
18. LeSean McCoy, Buf RB – Team DiBona
19. Rob Gronkowski, NE TE – Victorious Secret
20. Mark Ingram, NO RB – 215 Sean
21. Lamar Miller, Mia RB – Straight Cash Homey
22. Jimmy Graham, Sea TE – The Notorious V.I.G
23. Andrew Luck, Ind QB – Team Marino
24. Jordan Matthews, Phi WR – Team Robb
Here are a few things that stood out in the second round:
• I thought Aaron Rodgers went way too high here at pick #13. I think Andrew Luck is the best QB going into the season and I’m not sure Rodgers won’t be affected by the loss of Jordy Nelson. Perhaps Team 34 ½ wanted to make sure that he had a superstar QB, and didn’t want to take a chance on what QB’s would be left at his next go around at pick 36. However, I just think that there are too many solid QB’s out there that could’ve been selected later on in the draft and I think this was a wasted opportunity to select a RB here.
• Rob Gronkowski falling to pick 19, especially with the Tom Brady suspension being overturned, was a stunning turn of events. I think team Victorious Secret had one of the steals of the draft with this selection.
• The selection of Jordan Matthews at pick 24 was also surprising to me. That strikes me as a hometown pick. I like Matthews, I just don’t think he can be trusted for second round value in Chip Kelly’s offense that spreads the wealth around.
Notable picks from round 3 to the end:
Pick # 34 – Ameer Abdullah (Det – RB) – That’s high in my opinion, but I love the guy, so sometimes you have to be willing to draft the guys you want higher, to make sure that you land them. [Editor’s note: You damn right.]
Pick #37 – Andre Ellington (ARI – RB) – Ugh!! There was no need to draft a guy this high whose legs are so unreliable. Awful pick here. There were better plays to make at this pick.
Pick #40 – Tom Brady (NE – QB) – Once a cheater, always a cheater. Who cares? Brady is going to play with a chip on his shoulder and I wouldn’t expect the early season slump that we usually see from him.
Pick #65 – Sam Bradford (PHI –QB) – His ADP has been on the rise over the last couple of weeks. Bradford is a true boom or bust guy. If he’s healthy, watch out.
Pick #72 – DeSean Jackson (WAS – WR) – I’m surprised to see him fall this far, but it looks like the uncertainty of the QB play in Washington scared a bunch of guys away from him.
Pick #75 – Drew Brees (NO – QB) – I went against my own advice and selected Brees. I don’t think he’s going to have a great year with Jimmy Graham no longer on the team, but I couldn’t resist him when he fell to me in the seventh round.
Pick #92 – Joseph Randle (DAL – RB) – This could turn out to be the steal of the draft. If you drafted a week or so ago, you probably would’ve seen Randle go somewhere in the fourth or fifth round. For some reason, he was avoided like the plague in this draft. It could be a RBBC in Dallas, but Randle if he stays healthy should be able to do some damage behind the huge O-line in Dallas.
Pick #128 – Owen Daniels (DEN – TE) – This could be another steal in the draft. Daniels, now a member of the Broncos, takes over as the main TE in Denver. Everyone knows how much Peyton Manning loves to throw to his tight ends. With Julius Thomas out in Jacksonville now, the path is clear for Daniels to put up some solid numbers, should he stay healthy.
Pick #163 – Alfred Blue (HOU – RB) – I know that the RB situation is a bit messy in Houston, but Arian Foster will miss at least the first four weeks of the season. Much like Joseph Randle at pick 92, you could do a whole lot worse than Blue at pick 163.
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Let’s take a look at my grades for all teams in the league. While I won’t give the team’s whole roster, I’ll highlight some of picks that the teams made I love, some I hate, and I’ll provide some feedback on their teams.
Victorious Secret – Grade A+
Love: Rob Gronkowski, Emmanuel Sanders, DeAndre Hopkins, DeVante Adams & Eagles D/ST
Hate: Richard Rodgers
Comments: There’s not much I didn’t like here. Victorious Secret made sure to spread the love around his whole team. He has superstars that will see immediate action and he stacked his bench with players like Chris Johnson, Duke Johnson, Charles Johnson and Philip Rivers. He has at least 5-6 starters that are capable of putting up 15-20 points weekly.
Team DiBona – Grade A-
Love: Matt Forte, Julian Edelman, Justin Forsett, Travis Kelce & Anquan Boldin
Hate: Cam Newton, Marcus Mariota, LeSean McCoy
Comments: Much like Victorious Secret, Team DiBona made sure that he had solid players across the board and has a strong bench as insurance. The one thing that may bite him in his rear is the QB situation. However, at first glance at the league landscape, it appears that Team DiBona will be one of the final teams standing, especially if LeSean McCoy is anything like the Shady of old.
Luck her right in the Percy – Grade B
Love: Jeremy Hill, DeMaryius Thomas, Amari Cooper, Ben Roethlisberger, Allen Robinson
Hate: Melvin Gordon, Carson Palmer
Comments: To keep this somewhat PG, we’ll refer to this team as Luck her right. This team is overall pretty solid. If Hill, Thomas, Cooper & Roethlisberger can contribute consistently, this team could have a solid season. He has a few solid bench players with C.J. Spiller, Eric Decker and Marques Colston. He’s in pretty good shape going forward.
Parkin Lot Pimpin’ – Grade B
Love: Sam Bradford, Arian Foster, Dez Bryant, Calvin Johnson, Mike Evans, Owen Daniels
Hate: Brian Quick
Comments: If this team can survive without good RB’s until Arian Foster comes back, this could be a monster of a team down the stretch. He took a chance on Sam Bradford, but purchased some insurance with Ryan Tannehill, so I think this team may be a Championship contender. Ryan Mathews may turn out to be another solid player that can be used in the flex spot if need be. He should see his share of touches in Chip’s Wonderland. He can only add value to Parkin Lot Pimpin’s team.
Team Robb – Grade B
Love: Le’Veon Bell, Alfred Morris, Golden Tate, Russell Wilson, Jordan Matthews
Hate: Bishop Sankey, Miles Austin
Comments: Here’s another team that needs to survive until his star RB comes back from suspension. He has a solid team and while I wasn’t a fan of where he took Matthews, I still love the guy. I’m not sure why he chose to roster Mile Austin. Austin is probably getting injured as I write this, while he’s turning over while sleeping. Team Robb may play spoiler down the road.
Team 34 ½ – Grade B-
Love: Odell Beckham, Frank Gore, Aaron Rodgers, Martellus Bennett, Teddy Bridgewater, Eddie Royal
Hate: Andre Ellington
Comments: Considering he wasted a pick on Ellington and took Rodgers a bit high for my liking, Team 34 ½ ended up with a pretty solid team. If he gets a couple of breaks along the way, he could be like the Philadelphia Eagles and make it to the semi-finals before going down. Should Julius Thomas come back healthy and play like he did last year, Thomas will be an added weapon that 34 can throw in the flex spot to do some damage.
Straight Cash Homey – Grade C
Love: Antonio Brown, Brandin Cooks, Greg Olsen
Hate: Lamar Miller, Jordan Reed, Roddy White
Comments: This team needs some help IMO if they’d like to go deep into the Playoffs. They only have a couple of solid players, but considering the remaining teams on this list will be similar, I just don’t see how this team makes something happen for themselves. Greg Olsen should contribute big time for Straight Cash. Cam Newton really has no one else to throw the ball to. Homey’s bench is very thin and will cost him in the long run should his team run into the injury bug.
Cunning Stunts – Grade C
Love: Julio Jones, Ameer Abdullah, Steve Smith, Andre Johnson
Hate: Joique Bell, Michael Floyd, Keenan Allen
Comments: Meh! This team has some players to work with, but will need to make a few deals to make a legit run at the Championship. This team will live and die on the back of C.J. Anderson. I’m not sure how the Broncos offense will look with Gary Kubiak as the new head coach, so I think Anderson may fall victim to a coach that tinkers too much with the offense. [Editor’s note: Seth, you bastard.]
Notorious V.I.G. – Grade C
Love: Adrian Peterson, Jimmy Graham, Brandon Marshall, Doug Martin, Randall Cobb
Hate: Drew Brees, Colin Kaepernick, Reggie Bush
Comments: Two big problems for me here. I took two QB’s I hate this year, but I couldn’t resist Brees in round seven. Secondly, my bench is very thin at the RB position. I need to make a trade to make any kind of movement towards the top.
Feel My Balls – Grade C
Love: DeMarco Murray, A.J. Green, Nelson Agholor, Tom Brady, Eli Manning
Hate: Jonathan Stewart, Giovanni Bernard
Comments: Much like the few teams above, Mr. Balls has a few players that he can build around. However, he needs to brainstorm how to get into the right side of the 6 teams that will make the playoffs. This team is loaded with potential sleepers like Tyler Eifert, Allen Hurns and Nelson Agholor. I just don’t like to draft a team of “what if” guys. This team is two above average stars from contending.
215 Sean – Grade C-
Love: Eddie Lacy, Peyton Manning, Jeremy Maclin, John Brown, Dorial Green-Beckham
Hate: Donte Moncrief, Josh Huff, Vernon Davis
Comments: Besides the big dogs, Lacy, Manning and Maclin, I just don’t see where Sean is going to get big points from. There’s not much relief on his bench, so he’s got his work cut out for him. John Brown is on this team, which I love. If he has the breakout season I expect, it could give a much needed boost to 215 Sean.
Team Marino – Grade C-
Love: Andrew Luck, Jamaal Charles, T.Y. Hilton
Hate: Todd Gurley, Jason Witten, Percy Harvin, Andy Dalton
Comments: You can’t win a Fantasy championship with just 3 players. This team has a bunch of mediocre players that I can’t see amounting to much in Fantasy this year. The play of T.J. Yeldon is key to just how bad the team could be. If he can contribute in the Jags offense, it cranks Team Marino’s Fantasy team up a notch. He does have some trade chips at the top of his roster that could maybe help him out should he choose to wheel and deal. But that’s his call to make. Anything is possible in Fantasy.
Draft grades mean absolutely nothing in the end. It’s impossible to predict how a season will play out. Some teams draft poorly, but know how to manage the heck out of their teams. There’s a whole season ahead of us and I wish nothing but the best of luck to the players in this league.
You can stay up to date with everything fantasy football related by following me on Twitter (@ViggieSmalls765) and Instagram. I’ll be available on Twitter for upcoming Twitter Chats and to give out advice to help guide you through your fantasy season.