Great draft and it was good catching up with you guys. Mike Grote finally broke free and won the title last season. Must be all that working out he’s been doing. Reminder these draft grades are my opinion and I’m usually pretty wrong. But enjoy!
- Chase
Gibbs was the pick. Legit chance at being the first player to get 3000 all purpose yards. In years past they’d have David Montgomery keeping Gibbs fresh. This year they are going to unleash him. Everyone should be terrified.
At the Round 2/3 turn Chase went triple RB start with Ashton Jeanty and Javonte Williams. Jeanty dropped after suffering a scary injury at practice a couple weeks ago. It turns out it was an ankle. And Kubiak has been optimistic that Jeanty could be ready by Week 1. There’s been some bubbling rumors of Mike Washington hype leading some to believe it might be more of a timeshare situation. Kubiak is a great offensive mind and the Raiders should do a lot better than the disastrous season under Peter Carroll a year ago. Javonte Williams has finally been able to shake off the brutal knee injury he suffered in Denver and he proved all the haters wrong last year when he rushed for 11 touchdowns and finished as an RB1.
At the 4/5 turn Chase was gifted Tee Higgins and Emeka Egbuka. Higgins has 4 WR2 finishes in the past 5 seasons and almost none of them he played in every game. Meaning his Points Per Game were closer to WR1 status than WR2 status. Play him when he’s healthy and you have a WR1. Positive vibes coming from Bengals this offseason. Egbuka will be the Z for the Bucs. He fell as he’s been working his way back from a sprained toe. Bucs have been hush hush about it so people were speculating that it could be the dreaded turf toe. But he’s moving around and the Bucs are optimistic he’ll be ready to go by Week 1.
At the 6/7 turn Chase took Christian Watson and Justin Herbert. Watson, like Higgins, can’t seem to play a full season. But when active he does well. Last season he had four weeks where he put WR1 (Top 12) numbers. Dontayvion Wicks is an Eagle. Romeo Doubs is a Patriot. Tucker Kraft is coming back from an torn acl. Watson, Reed and Golden will make up the Packers receiving core minus Jacobs in the run game. Herbert gets Mike McDaniels as his OC. McDaniels creativity was limited in Miami by Tuas lack of arm strength and and offensive line that never got there. He won’t have either limitation in Los Angeles.
In Rounds 8 and 9 Chase took Stefon Diggs and Caleb Williams. Diggs is still performing at 32.5 years old. Last year he was a WR2 as the main target earner on the Patriots. If you can look past the fact that he’s a man whore he could be a serviceable WR3. Caleb Williams showed flashes of greatness under Ben Johnson last year and the hype this offseason is through the roof. He was QB#5 last year.
Late round picks Chase got good value in Jonah Coleman and Terrance Ferguson. Juwan Johnson stands to gain the most from the Tyson injury.
Draft Grade: A. Number one pick Gibbs. People sold the hype while Chase was buying the news. Jeanty, Higgins, and Egbuka all fell due to minor injuries giving Chase extreme value. Favorite to win Division 3.
2. T-Bo
Steven took Bijan Robinson, the new Marshall Faulk. Bijan could’ve arguably been the number one pick. The QB situation is worrisome but Tua checks down a lot which helps Bijan with PPR value. Penix is more likely to stretch it down field which would open more running lanes for Bijan. So either starter comes with potential concerns or perks. What we do know is Bijan is going to be the focal point of the Falcons offense with London and Pitts picking up the scraps.
In the 2nd Steven took Brock Bowers. Coined “this years JSN” by some. Bowers is a monster and averages 14.5 per game. The hopes of drafting him this high is that he does even better than that average.
In the 3rd Steven took Nico Collins. Great pick that I hated because I wanted him. This would be the first of two Texans Steven would take one pick before me in this draft. Nico is an alpha and true WR1. He does have some hamstring stuff that could rear its ugly head but with the Texans losing Jayden Higgins for the season Nico’s target share could be massive. Stroud needs to play better but if he does everyone who passed on Nico in the 2nd round could be regretting it.
Steven took Tet McMillan in the 4th. His new team name should be Alphas only. McMillan is a monster for the Panthers. I don’t like Tet which is why I don’t draft him, but I won’t deny he’s a solid WR in the NFL. Have to be wary of a sophomore slump (see BTJ and Ladd last season) and the signing of Darren Waller caps Tets TD potential. Waller is a red zone threat which could prevent Tet from ascending higher than his rookie year WR16 finish.
Round 5 is where Steven took David Montgomery over me. I love Monty this season. Some have hyped up Woody Marks and I do think there’s a flavor of a time share. But Montgomery is a really good running back. He was in Gibbs shadow in Detroit but his talent isn’t lacking. He’s gonna smash with that Texans defense setting him up for success.
Michael Pittman was Stevens WR3 taken in Round 6. He should do well in Pittsburgh. Pittman is often overlooked and underrated but with Daniel Jones he was WR18 last season. This season he’s with noodle arm 42 year old Aaron Rodgers. In the zoom call Mike, Katon, Scotty and I were talking about how I hurt my knee playing basketball with 23 year olds. Rodgers is four years older than me lol. I like Pittmans fit in the offense. Might get squeezed by Warrens pass catching and rookie Germie Bernard.
Steven took Jayden Daniels in Round 7, thank God it wasn’t in Round 5. Wouldn’t want to upset his fragile ego. Jayden has his best WR core of his career this year. Terry McLaurin, Stefon Diggs and Chig Okonkwo. The gaping hole for the Commanders is their offensive line due to losing Laremy Tunsil for the season. They signed DJ Humphries to replace Tunsil but he’s not Tunsil. Torn triceps will keep him sidelined most if not all of the season. (4-6 months)
Steven got good value in Brian Thomas Jr. We know what he can do, but Parker Washington’s emergence has ruined his redraft fantasy value. If Washington misses time BTJ could win leagues. I like him in best ball but redraft it might be tough to pick the right weeks to start him. Seems his job is going to be the vertical threat to stretch the defense. They’ve been working on it all offseason. If their defense takes a step back and they need to throw more his big play ability could move him up a bit higher than I’m anticipating. I don’t think his rookie year was a fluke just don’t like the crowded WR room.
Decent picks of Sampson and Likely for depth.
Draft Grade: B. Solid draft, stole several of my targeted players. Concerned with RB depth and Flex.
3. Brad
ADP had Chase or Puka as the pick here but the more mocks I did the more I realized I liked RB-WR-WR much better than WR-RB-WR. Some mocks had me getting JT/Nico or JT/London. Which I liked better than Chase/Javonte. The risk with JT is which version I’m going to get. JT is a beast and was crushing everyone the first 10 weeks of the season last year. During that stretch he averaged 25.9 (0.5 ppr) fantasy points per game. The schedule after the bye week got worse for the Colts, but Daniel Jones also went down in Week 14, which means teams could focus on stuffing the box after that. Post-bye week JT averaged 12.6 fantasy points per game. If JT can recreate the Weeks 1-10 mojo then Brad looks slightly less dumb.
In Round 2 I was debating Nico Collins or Chris Olave. I glanced over at Establish the Runs rankings and saw them have Olave over Nico. This is one of Adam Levitan’s flag plant picks. Olave was WR6 last season. Insert second season of Kellen Moore and Tyler Shough era and addition of Jordan Tyson to pull coverage and boom goes the dynamite.
Round 3 I took Matthew Berry’s Ride or Die this season in Devonta Smith. Establish the Run wasn’t as high on Smith. But Devonta Smith is the Eagles new #1 WR now that AJB is a Patriot. Smith is going to try and do his best JSN impression. Eagles believe in him. In games AJB missed Smith stepped up and put up WR1 numbers. I did an analysis last offseason and in games AJB missed Smith averaged 17.5 ppr points per game. People forget Devonta Smith won the Heisman trophy in 2020, the first WR to win since Desmond Howard in 1991. He’s elite and I might’ve gotten this year’s JSN. I have AJB in dynasty so I know how frustrating it is to watch Jalen Hurts play football, so I’m going to pump the breaks on the JSN comps and just say Smith has a chance of being a WR1.
In Round 4 Brad took Jaylen Waddle. Olave is Levitans guy. Smith is Berrys guy. Waddle is my ride or die this season. If you put a chart of where Waddle excels and where Bo Nix excels and overlap them. You’d be looking at the same chart. This fit is so perfect and juicy it’s dripping with potential. Waddle is a great slot or Z WR. But in Miami with Tyreek Hill Waddle wind up playing a lot of X. Now in Denver he has Courtland Sutton a true X receiver which will allow Payton to move Waddle all over the place. Evan Silva compares him to Brandin Cooks in his prime with Brees and Payton. I think Top 10 WR is in the possibility of outcomes. This pick gives Brad arguably the best WR trio in the league.
In Round 5 Brad got sniped by T Bo who took Monty so Brad had to pivot and take Jadarian Price. Seahawks are a nasty football team who won it all last year. They beat the patriots by playing incredible defense and running the hell out of Kenneth Walker who won Super Bowl MVP. He was fresh because they operated a time share backfield the entire year with Walker playing limited snaps. This year Price got the starter treatment during the preseason. He’s a first round pick. Walker is a Chief. Charbonnet is on IR. The new OC is Brian Fleury. Fleury was the TE and running game coordinator for the 49ers. The same 49ers who allowed Christian McCaffrey to touch the ball 413 times last season. It’ll be a committee unless Price comes in and smashes.
In Round 6 Brad took Marshawn Lloyd. This pick could be great or horrific but RBs were flying off the board and Daddy needed Depth. Jacobs will probably be suspended 6 weeks. There’s a chance it goes higher to 8-10 if the video gets released and the public outcry gets too loud to ignore. NFL is an entertainment product and can’t have bad PR. In addition to Jacobs legal situation you have Lloyds injury history. Lloyd has been constantly injured as a pro. So much so that he went to a specialist to find out what was going on. Assuming they were able to correct certain things (like Christian Watson) he should be able to play more than a couple snaps. Another factor in this pick was Jacobs not being as efficient last year as he had been in years past. He averaged less than 4 yards per carry and had the least amount of receiving yards he’s had since 2020. If Lloyd starts the season off strong and the video drops. Do the Packers keep Jacobs? Lot of what ifs in this pick.
In round 7 Brad took Kyle Pitts. Pitts finished as TE2 last season. His best season ever. Insert Tua the check down king who made Jonnu Smith look like a God a couple years back. Whether it’s check down Tua or no legs Penix I’m bullish on Pitts in the NFC South shootouts.
Brad finished up roster with Bo Nix, JK Dobbins, rookie KC Concepcion who is an absolute demon.
Draft Grade: B-. A lot of narrative building and drafting outside of ADP. It’s great when people fall to you but every pick Brad seemed to chase his imagined reality rather than the public’s current view of relative value. JT with that trio of WRs is pretty sick though. Not my worst draft.
4. Trey
T-Money was probably expecting me to take Chase hence my comment about me taking someone unexpected doesn’t count as an emergency. Jamarr has a goal of getting 23 touchdowns this season. Vibes in Cincy are great right now. Burrow is bullish. Why not? Was a bit concerned when Chase landed awkwardly in practice. It was later deemed as a hyperextended knee and that he’s fine. Sometimes these things can linger so hopefully it truly is a nothing burger and he’s able to hit the ground running, pun intended.
In the 2nd Trey took Josh Allen which was a bit of a surprise for me. His fantasy QB finishes over the past 6 seasons? 1, 1, 2, 1, 2, 1. Pretty ridiculous. Perhaps Trey was eying the fantasy playoff schedule of Bills vs Chicago and Bills at Denver and thinking they’ll be epic shootouts. Maybe he didn’t like any of the WRs like I did. I thought this was a great year to wait on QBs. But hard to argue with the results.
In the 3rd Trey took Kyren Williams. Man gets no respect. He has PPR finishes of RB7, RB7 and RB9 the past three seasons. Now the bearish case is Blake Corum has looked great and could carve out more of a role for himself. And last year they used Davante Adams as the bona fide goal line back as no one could stop his slants from the 1-2 yard line.
In the 4th Trey went with Bhaysul Tuten. Last year was weird. Etienne was the main guy and Tuten would come in as the power back/goal line back. When his skill set is more explosive and fast runner. I like this set up better this year with C-Rodriguez being the bruiser and Tuten getting the early down work. There’s no reason to not hope for a similar finish to Etienne last season. One concern is he had some fumbling issues in college. If those rear their ugly head I could see Coen rolling with C-Rod and Allen as a thunder and lightning combo. Tuten has the juice and break away speed that Coen loves.
In the 5th Trey went Rhamondre Stevenson. Pats starter and Hendo is out with an injury right now. Stevenson is better than people think and I found that out the hard way last year.
In Round 6 Trey started to pick all the guys I wanted. The first snipe was Luther Burden. Burden could be a 2nd round fantasy pick next year. Bears are going to be electric. Rome has had some health concerns. Burden’s rookie year was very promising. Now DJ Moore is a Bill. He shouldn’t have lasted this long and I wanted him badly with the next pick.
In Round 7 Trey took Tucker Kraft. Every fantasy analyst has Kraft over Pitts. This is a situation where I was drinking Bourbon and didn’t realize ESPN’s rankings are dog shit. Had I clicked the TE button I could’ve seen Kraft there and taken him over Pitts. You are welcome Trey.
Round 8 Trey took Chris Godwin. Godwin will be the slot, but he’s older and has needed a couple years to recover from the gruesome ankle injury. Egbuka is the Z and rookie Ted Hurst is the X leaving the slot to be Godwins jam. Does he still have it? If he still has it can he keep it?
Round 9 Trey took Jordan Mason who is a good RB depth piece. If Vikings start rolling again he could be a steal. But no passing downs those go to Aaron Jones or rookie Demond Claiborne.
Decent depth prices in QJ and Woody Marks. He ruined my night taking Jordan Tyson one pick before me in the 12th.
Draft Grade: B. The WR-QB start in this league is extremely risky. He needs to hit on Tuten. WR depth is phenomenal hence why RB in first or second round was kind of a must have. There’s a ton of WR talent.
5. Jen
Ms Leglue began by reaching on James Cook. And I don’t hate it. Puka might get suspended for a week for biting a woman. CMC is 31 and coming off a 400+ touch season. Cook was RB6 last year. I probably would’ve gone CMC or Puca but the argument can be made for Cook.
In the 2nd Jen snagged George Pickens. Pickens is interesting. He’s on the franchise tag this season. Dallas probably can’t afford both Lamb and Pickens on monster deals. But Pickens outscored Lamb last season. He was WR5. Again this is a pick that is higher than ADP so technically Jen reached for him. But if he repeats last season it’s an awesome pick.
3rd Round Jen took Travis Etienne. His volume should be epic because the saints backup running backs have been dropping like flies this offseason. Kamara hurt, Kendre always hurt, Estime missed some time, Devin Neal was hurt then released, they traded for Zamir White then released him to practice squad. Early season outlook is solid.
Fourth round Jen took Tyler Warren. Warren should be the focal point of the Colts passing attack. They have Pierce as the vertical threat and two other middle of the field specialists in Keenan Allen and Josh Downs. Kind of a lot of mouths to feed in a run first attack. But Daniel Jones is healthy and Warren should be a Top 5 TE this season.
In Round 5 Jen took Kenny Gainwell. I love Gainwell. Hated him last year because I had Jaylen Warren in my dynasty league. Warren would grind it out and get them moving then Gainwell would break off a 25 yard touchdown score and take 10 points.
In Round 6 she took Dak Prescott. Securing the Dak-Pickens stack. Dak is consistently a Top 10 fantasy QB… in odd years (6, 3, 8, 2). But for whatever reason in even years he gets hurt or they have disastrous seasons (31, 18, 32, 14). Let’s hope he can break this weird trend/curse and do well this season because the Cowboys are fun when the offense is humming.
Round 7 brought Wandale Robinson. I LoVE Wandale this season. Brian Daboll will ensure Wandale is peppered with targets. Realistic projections of 100+ catches. Which in PPR is not nothing. Less likely to score touchdowns but throw him in the flex and let him get you 12-15 points most weeks to raise your floor.
In Round 8 Jen took RJ Harvey. The way I see the Broncos RBs are this: Payton trust Dobbins the most. He’ll be the first and second down back. Harvey should maintain his role from last year to start the year (Harvey finished RB20 last year). Jonah Coleman will get better and better and take work away from one or both of them. Of course injuries will impact how this shakes out.
Jen got good value with Rachaad White and Josh Downs in later rounds.
Draft Grade: C+. Starting lineup is solid. Her team could surprise some if they stay healthy and she manages the flex spot and season well. Only knock from a B to C+ is mid round draft strategy. Usually the middle rounds you can catch people falling from their ADP and gain value. Jen was reaching a round early on most of her picks which limited those potential discounts.
6. Scotty
CMC. RB #1 overall. They’ve been cautious with him all offseason but he refuses to leave the field. 400+ touches last season and he loves every minute of it. Glutton for punishment. It was between CMC and JT for me and I liked JT’s schedule and he’s a bit younger, but CMC could very well be the better pick of the two.
In Round 2 Scotty took AJ Brown. AJB is still an elite WR in the NFL. Eagles are going to feel his absence. The Patriots are going to feel his presence. According to some analysts AJ Brown can lead the NFL in receiving touchdowns this season. I’m bullish as well, but maybe not this bullish. Diggs was WR17 as the #1 receiver for the Pats last year. AJ Brown is better than Diggs.
In Round 3 Scotty goes Jeremiyah Love. The talented Notre Dame rookie taken 3rd overall in the NFL draft by the Cardinals. Cardinals are an interesting team to me. You have Brissett who balled out back half of last year. Talented receivers in Marvin Harrison Jr, Michael Wilson, and Trey McBride. They sign Tyler Algeier then draft Jeremiyah Love. Now they released Trey Benson and James Connor is on IR, so it’ll be the Algeier/Love show to start. Love is a special talent. Cardinals have the hardest schedule according to Warren Sharp. So they won’t be running late in games, they’ll throw a ton. But they could be playing for one of these amazing rookie QBs coming out next year. I think Love is a better 2027 pick than a 2026 pick. Algeier will make you pull your hair out. But not a bad pick in the middle of the 3rd round.
Round 4 Scotty goes Garrett Wilson. Wilson only played in 7 games last year, but the year before that he was WR10. Geno Smith should be an upgrade at QB if he plays like he did in Seattle and not how he played with the Raiders. If not they’ll probably give Cade Klubnik a look at some point in the season to see what they got before preparing to draft a 2027 rookie QB.
Round 5 Scotty took TreVeyon Henderson. Henderson has a ton of talent, but he can’t shake Rhamondre. I view him as more of a handcuff then a startable RB at this point. Meaning Jaylen Warren was the better pick. Love and Hendo are more back half RBs then first half RBs.
In Round 6 Scotty took Joe Burrow. Fine with this pick, there was a little run on QBs and Burrow is awesome.
In Round 7 there was a little tight end run and you took Sam LaPorta. Going with the flow here. I’m fading LaPorta. The back injury and recurring injuries have scared me. He’s great when healthy, but Gibbs, Amon-Ra and Jameson are the top three playmakers on the offense. He’s number four. I liked Fannin more than LaPorta, but that’s just me.
In Round 8 you got good value in Alec Pierce. Liked the Mike Washington pick in Round 9. Travis Hunter is probably more of a waiver wire player in redraft leagues. Jacksonville has Jacobi Meyers, Parker Washington, and Brian Thomas Jr. They also have a rookie named Josh Cameron that’s been really impressing them. They have an embarrassment of riches at WR. So I have a little Hunter exposure in Best Ball leagues, but I won’t draft him in redraft. I view him as an emergency handcuff IF BTJ gets injured. If Meyers or Washington get injured I think Cameron gets more work. You took Hunter over Josh Downs, Quentin Johnston, KC Concepcion and that is pretty egregious in my opinion. But love the player and the talent, just hate the situation.
Draft Grade: C. Deeply concerned that this team is built as a back half team with injury concerned super stars (Burrow, CMC). Love, Hendo, and Pierce are all banged up to start the year and LaPorta has been injury riddled a lot. Tough spot to draft from in this league, but some mid round selections brought the grade down for me.
- Joe
Puka! Puka was WR#1 last season and it’s like no one even cares. Puka gets banged up a little bit because he goes all out. Just ask the woman he bit this offseason. He might get suspended due to the bite/antisemitic concerns. He also spent a portion of the offseason in a rehab facility. But when he’s on the field with Stafford, there isn’t anyone better.
Joe was incredibly fortunate to have Kenneth Walker fall to him in the 2nd round. He shouldn’t have gotten past Pick 12 in this draft. Chiefs signed him for one reason and one reason only. To pound the rock with him as much as humanly possible. What if he holds up? What if he doesn’t get hurt? He literally could finish as the RB#1 on the season and you got him at 18th overall. People are idiots.
In Round 3 Joe got Trey McBride. Historically McBride wasn’t scoring many touchdowns. Then last season he finally had some progression in that regard and scored 11 touchdowns and finished as TE#1. This season he’s certainly due for some TD regression, but the Cardinals will be in a lot of close games with their schedule and they’ll be throwing late. Now if they start losing too many games they may throw in Beck just to see what they have before heading in the loaded 2027 draft class. So mid 3rd round is a great spot for McBride.
In Round 4 you took my target in D’Andre Swift. Slight scare at practice last week, but it was reported to being a cramp. He is a solid RB2. Monangai is banged up and considered week to week. Swift is the man. Solid, solid RB2 every season. Bullish on the Bears this season.
Round 5 you took DJ Moore. DJ Moore has had some great seasons, 5 WR2 finishes and that glorious 2023 season, his first in Chicago where he finished as WR6. Moore is 29 and Allen will be the best QB he’s ever played with. Everyone hyping up AJ Brown and nobody is hyping up DJ Moore. I don’t think he is going to be a Top 10 WR, but WR2 is definitely possible. I liked Davante Adams and Jameson Williams more, but totally get it. Bills are fun.
Round 6 you got great value in Mike Evans. He gets Brock Purdy and he can do some amazing things looking at the rest of the WRs on the roster. He just needs to stay healthy. Plagued last season he wind up snapping his 1000 yard streak.
7th Round you took Blake Corum. Love it. Rams might be blowing people out of the water this season so who will they use to grind out the clock in the 2nd half? Corum. He could be a flex with Top 10 upside if Kyren Williams gets injured.
Round 8 I didn’t care for DK Metcalf pick he’s a blocker and a distraction X receiver. You probably will never use him.
Round 9 you took a shot on Matthew Golden, speedster for Packers. I like Reed, Watson and Kraft more, so his target share will be low unless some of those guys miss time. Better chance to shine now Wicks is an Eagle and Doubs is a Patriot though.
Good picks of Mark Andrews and Kyler Murray late.
Draft Grade: B+. Team has no weakness except QB, but Kyler could be just fine throwing to JJ and Addison and Jennings and Hockenson and Felton. (There are better QBs on waivers right now)
8. Kenny
K-Dub! Knowing this league Kenny wanted to secure his RB1 early so he went with Saquon Barkley. After the ridiculous 2024 season where he finished as RB#1 and did the backwards hurdle he came back down to Earth in 2025. Finishing as an RB2 PPR RB#14. The Eagles offensive line is great, but aged. Hurts is a conservative QB. They added some weapons in Makai Lemon and Dontavyion Wicks to fill the gap left behind in the AJ Brown trade. I worry a little about Barkley. I probably would’ve gone Kenneth Walker or Chase Brown over him, but that’s just me. The hope for you is that they go back to the rushing attack more like 2024 and less like 2025. New OC should help with that.
In Round 2 you took Drake London. London is a Top 10 WR talent in the NFL. For his value I do worry about the QB situation more so than with Bijan or Pitts. If Tua starts it increases Pitts and Bijan’s value. If Penix starts it increases London’s value. With Penix at QB London was balling the f out last season. Basically what I’m saying is in order for this pick to work you need to pray for the knees of Michael Penix Jr to heal. The last thing you want is for them to announce Tua as the starting QB and for him to do enough to keep the job. If that happens London would be more of a WR2/3. Penix or Bust.
In Round 3 you took Cam Skattebo. This is a terrible pick K-Dub. I love Scattebo’s aggressive running. I think Harbaugh wants to run. Obviously that’s why he brought in Greg Roman as his OC. But the signing of Najee Harris really concerns me. Najee is a professional RB. 1000 yard rusher three seasons. It didn’t work out in LA, but he’s back with Greg Roman who was the OC there last year. Scatt is coming off of the gruesome ankle dislocation. Taking him over Hall, Nabers, and the other WR’s that were available was pretty horrific for me. Wrong Giant.
In round 4 you took Zay Flowers. Zay was basically Chris Olave last season. He finished as WR7. Olave went late 2nd and you got Zay in mid Round 4. Tremendous value! He’ll move the sticks for the Ravens this season.
Another great pick in Round 5 when you took Jaylen Warren. Warren had his best season ever last year despite Kenneth Gainwell taking a large chunk of the backfield. They bring in Rico Dowdle another talented back, but I like this better. Gainwell took all the 3rd downs and two minute drills, while Warren was slamming into defenders and getting worn out all game. Now Rico and him are interchangeable. So he can have some of those high value touches. I like Warren to be a RB2 again this season despite the Rico signing.
Round 6 Kenny took Jalen Hurts. Fine with the pick. I preferred Luther Burden, but this was the time to get Hurts. You get the Hurts-Barkley stack so if they get in the five yard line touchdown should be yours.
Round 7 you went Courtland Sutton. Sutton is on my do not draft list. Two things can be true at once. Sutton was WR#13 last year and WR#15 the year before. Sutton will not be that good this season. Camp beat writers have repeatedly been hyping up Pat Bryant. To the point where I think it’s difficult to ignore. Bryant is an X style receiver like Sutton. They also traded a 1st round pick for Jaylen Waddle. Waddle becomes the Z/Y receiver that Payton can move around the formation. This is a year I would have avoided Sutton. Decline at age 31 is to be expected as well. You took him 3 picks before Parker Washington went. This one might haunt you.
In Round 8 Kenny took Travis Kelce. Taylor Swift’s husband finished as TE #3 last season. Mahomes might start slow due to coming off of ACL, but Kelce keeps performing at a high level at age 36.
Good value with Dalton Kincaid in Round 12 and Kaelon Black in Round 16.
Draft Grade: D-. Deeply concerned about this roster. If Eagles offensive line can hold up and Penix starts more games for Atlanta than Tua then there could be something. Scattebo and Sutton picks killed it for me. ESPN gave you a C so focus on that.
9. JD
De’Von Achane (puke emoji). Achane is very talented he’s been consecutive RB#5. Dolphins are not looking good. They added new head coach and a running QB. I don’t think Achane gets the check downs he used to get with the McDaniels/Tua combo. Deeply concerned with Achane this season. To take him over Amon-Ra, JSN, Chase Brown, Kenneth Walker. Absolutely not.
In the 2nd JD took the Cowboys second best receiver CeeDee Lamb. Kidding. Am I? Lamb was the #1 overall WR in 2023, but past couple seasons he’s missed time with a shoulder issue. Last year Pickens was the overall WR#5 while Lamb was the WR#22. Don’t hate the pick, but I don’t love it.
In the 3rd round JD took Rashee Rice. Rice showed promise as a rookie finishing as a WR3. Sophomore and 3rd seasons were mired by suspensions and injuries. Now beat writers are talking about him having a rough training camp after he was released from jail. He is one of those players I would take if he fell way beyond his ADP and I felt like it was a good ROI but not one I would draft at ADP.
In Round 4 you went Colston Loveland. Great pick. Might save your season to be honest because those first three picks were stinkers. Loveland went HAM over the end of the season. DJ Moore is now a Bill. Skies the limit for Loveland in Ben Johnson’s offense.
In Round 5 you doubled down on Bears with Rome Odunze. I like Rome, but out of Burden, Loveland and Rome I like Loveland the best, and Burden second best.
In Round 6 you took Drake Maye. Maye was great last season. Fantasy QB#2. Now you add AJ Brown and Romeo Doubs into the mix. He only dropped this far because people assumed he’d have a super bowl hangover. Vrabel should know how to handle it.
Round 7 brought your RB2 finally. Josh Jacobs. Jacobs was arrested in May and booked for several charges including battery, criminal damage to property, disorderly conduct, strangulation and suffocation, and intimidation of a victim. The DA investigation is still open and charges for two misdemeanors have been filed. NFL put him on the Commissioner’s list meaning he cannot practice or play in games until he is removed and any potential suspension is served. Looking at the charges he’s looking at a minimum 6 week suspension. If the video leaks to the public of him pushing the girlfriend down in the garage and her hitting her head it could worsen to an 8 or 10 game suspension. I don’t think he’ll get the Ray Rice treatment and get released by the Packers, but it’s going to be 6-8-10 and that will determine whether this pick was worth it or not (also whether Brad’s reach on Marshawn Lloyd will be worth it or not) Despite all that, the 28 year old RB does have a lot of wear and tear at this stage of his career. He’s great at scoring TDs (28 rushing TDs in the last two seasons), but his efficiency was down last year (-.45 yards per carry difference).
Round 8 good value in Michael Wilson. He balled out last year and the Cardinals should be throwing a lot in a lot of close games this year.
Round 9 you took Jakobi Meyers. Don’t care for this pick. Parker Washington is the WR1, BTJ is super talented and will be the deep threat. Josh Cameron is a rookie getting great reviews in camp. Brenton Strange is entering year 26 season, moment when Tight Ends tend to figure it out. Now bad for a dart throw but meh.
Round 10 you took Bill Croskey-Merritt. Great value in Round 12 taking Tyler Algeier.
Draft Grade: D+. Could’ve started JSN-Kenneth Walker. Could’ve taken Jameson Williams over Rome in Round 5. Could’ve taking Parker Washington in Round 7. I don’t think it’s your year, but Loveland should make it fun.
10. Tommy
Sun God. Amon-Ra St. Brown. He has been the WR#3 three consecutive seasons and the year before that he was WR#7. Tremendous value getting him at pick #10.
In the 2nd Tommy took Chase Brown. Love this pick. For me I would’ve been torn on Kenneth Walker or Brown, but Brown is so freaking good. His role is so good. Bengals have Chase, Higgins and then Brown. Brown serves as their bona fide WR#3. He gets the goal line work. He gets the catches. He’s efficient. Bullish on Brown this season.
In the 3rd Tommy went Malik Nabers. I get the allure. Matthew Berry had a recent conversation posted on X with Stephania Bell who was describing the knee injury. It was ACL and lateral meniscus, which is not common. No NFL WR has had this combo before. So it wasn’t just an ACL repair or a normal ACL surgery. This one is complicated. He’s already had a bit of a setback. I get the allure because we know what Nabers was capable of before the injury. I just think he’ll be a better 2027 pick than a 2026 pick. You’d probably be better this season taking a McConkey or Flowers or even Garrett Wilson. They aren’t as sexy, they aren’t LSU, but the knee injury is scary enough to drop him way down in my rankings.
In Round 4 you took Lamar Jackson. New offensive line. New head coach. New offensive coordinator. Played terrible last season, played hurt last season but still managed to average 17 points per game. Drafting him here means you think he repeats Top 4 seasons, which there are a lot of question marks for me to commit to that prediction. Think you’d be better going WR or RB here especially after the risky Nabers pick.
Round 5 you went Davante Adams. Adams caught 14 touchdowns last season. The last time he didn’t finish as a WR#1 in fantasy? 2019 when he only played in 12 games. He is a hall of famer. This might be the year father time catches up. There could be touchdown regression. But we’ll see.
Round 6 you took Marvin Harrison JR. Is this the year?
Round 7 you took Jonathan Brooks. And you followed it up in Round 8 with Chuba Hubbard. Solid game play. Brooks is getting all the hype this offseason, but missed the first two seasons of his career due to injury. Hubbard was named a team captain. One of them should work out right? Not a bad strategy actually.
Round 9 you took Aaron Jones, pass catching back for Minnesota. He is older now and they drafted Demond Clairborne who has a similar skill set. Mason is the short yardage guy.
Good value in Dallas Goedert in Round 10, Jalen Hurts BFF. Hurts plays super conservative which pissed off AJ Brown. Geodert didn’t mind the checkdowns.
Draft Grade: C+. Loved your first two picks but question marks abound with the rest of the draft.
- Mike Grote
How and the hell did you get JSN at 11? Fantasy WR#2 last season averaged over 21 points per game. Not sure what the middle draft location people were thinking here.
In Round 2 you took Derrick Henry. I probably would’ve gone Walker or Brown here, but that’s okay. Henry RB#8 or better the past four years and has 10+ touchdowns every year the past 8 seasons. Last year at age 31 he rushed for 1595 yards and 16 touchdowns. Concern is the Center and best blocking tight ends are all gone. So this could be a disaster. But they call him the King for a reason.
In Round 3 you took Breece Hall. One of those not sexy picks that are solid. No one taking Breece Hall is like “Yes! I got Breece Hall! He’s going to crush it this year!” Everybody who takes Breece Hall is more like “Well shit, I need a RB2 and hes the starter on the Jets. He had a Top 2 finish his sophomore year” But I liked it more than the RB’s that went after him. Sometimes you have to make the unsexy pick in fantasy football. RB2 secured.
In Round 4 you took Quinshon Judkins. Broke his ankle and fibula in Week 16 so its amazing he’s looking ready to go to start the year. I’d be cautious if I was the Browns. They have talented running back in Dylan Sampson that could share time with Judkins until he’s back to fully healthy. I liked several WR’s here more than Judkins, but I understand you wanting to get RB depth in this league.
Round 5 you took Terry McLaurin. Worried about the Commanders offensive line minus Laremy Tunsil. Worried about Stefon Diggs signing. Worried about him being injured all last year.
Round 6 you took George Kittle. Worried about him coming off Achilles last season. Think this year was a good one to wait on Tight End.
Round 7 you got the steal of the draft in Parker Washington. He is the best WR on the Jaguars and the person Trevor Lawrence trusts the most.
Round 8 Carnell Tate pick was whatever. Titans offensive line is poo poo and I like Wandale more due to check downs and floor. But Tate was a Top 5 pick for a reason, so this could surpise folks.
You got Jaxson Dart in Round 9, which was a good value. Stribling in Round 10 was another good WR value.
Draft Grade: B+. Couple of picks I didn’t care for, but couple I absolutely loved that sky rocketed this grade up. JSN at 11?
- Katon
Katon was coming up the rear just like he likes it. Winds up going Omarion Hampton, talented Tar Heel to be the bell cow in Mike McDaniels offense. Giddy up.
At the turn he goes Justin Jefferson. I’m bullish on JJ to regain his form and finish as a WR1 again. He just needs Kyler Murray to be average for it to happen. Murray has had average and above average seasons as an NFL starter. So this could be an amazing pick.
In Round 3 Katon went Ladd McConkey. I like Ladd. Keenan Allen is gone, which should help him. McDaniels has QJ and Ladd to work with. Think Ladd finishes in between his rookie and sophomore year numbers and is a solid WR2.
In Round 4 you took Bucky Irving. I don’t hate Bucky. But I do love Kenny Gainwell. So this pick wasn’t for me. I liked D’Andre Swift more. Bucky has been dealing with weird injuries last season. Showed flashes of greatness as a rookie, but can he find the mojo now that Rachaad White is gone?
Round 5 you got tremendous value in Jameson Williams. Jamo finished as WR#12 last season and it’s like no one even knows that. He has gotten better every season of his career. Thought this was a great pick.
In Round 6 you took Tony Pollard. This pick isn’t sexy, but Pollard is consistently a decent RB2. He’s your steady Eddie getting 10 points in the RB2 spot.
In Round 7 you took Rico Dowdle. Pretty good pick. Dowdle has showed incredible flashes the past couple seasons. Jaylen Warren is very talented as well and they are going to make a hell of a duo for the Steelers this season. I like Warren more but to get Rico at pick 7.12 when Warren went 5.08 is a bigger gap than their production will be.
Round 8 you took Harold Fannin Jr. Awesome tight end. Little concerned about new OC, two new rookie WR’s that are getting hyped up. Deshaun Watson, but if we are betting on Talent, good bet on Fannin.
Good value in Matt Stafford in Round 9 and Jordan Addison in Round 10. Rams/DST is legit.
Draft Grade: B+. If Bucky outperforms his ADP you could make a run at this thing.
Draft Grades in Order of Draft:
- Chase: A
- Steven: B
- Brad: B-
- Trey: B
- Jen: C+
- Scotty: C
- Joe: B+
- Kenny: D-
- JD: D+
- Tommy: C+
- Mike: B+
- Katon: B+
Draft Grades In Order of Grades:
- Chase: A
- Joe: B+
- Mike: B+
- Katon: B+
- Steven: B
- Trey: B
- Brad: B-
- Jen: C+
- Tommy: C+
- Scotty: C
- JD: D+
- Kenny: D-
Thanks,
Commish B-Razzle Dazzle
fantasyfootballbrad 