No two fantasy football owners are alike. Philosophies vary when fantasy owners get together for a live draft.
Some owners only draft a quarterback late, while others sternly swear by tabbing a star running back with their first pick always, no matter what the circumstances. Some believe it's a coup to a snag a star tight end with a late first-round pick, while many simply believe in drafting the best player available over necessity. All those beliefs—and more—combine and come to a head to make for an exciting live draft.
And I'm no different. Having played fantasy football for over 15 years now, I have certainly built my fair share of rigid beliefs when drafting. I brought a bunch of those ideologies to my draft Tuesday night, Sept. 8, just two days before the kick off to the 2015 season.
Here's my live round-by-round thought process behind my picks in a fantasy football draft and why I selected the players I did at the time.
First Round, Sixth Overall Pick—Antonio Brown, Wide Receiver
With the sixth overall pick, I went into my draft telling myself, "If Adrian Peterson, Le'Veon Bell, Marshawn Lynch, Eddie Lacy, or Jamaal Charles is still available when the sixth pick rolls around ... I'm taking a stud running back as my first overall selection." Of course, those were the exact players drafted with the first five picks, forcing me to adapt. Being that the NFL has by and large turned into a pass-happy league, I went out and grabbed who I think will be the best wide receiver in the entire NFL this season in Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown. He was the first wideout taken in my league.
Second Round, 19th Overall—Dez Bryant, WR
After I selected Brown, I watched stars such as tight end Rob Gronkowski, quarterbacks Andrew Luck and Aaron Rodgers and running back DeMarco Murray all get snatched by my fellow owners. By the time my next pick—19th overall—came around, I was already thinking "draft the best player available" instead of filling a necessity, which was a running back. My belief is you don't ever want to get too cute when it comes to drafting your starting rushers late because you'll wind up with backs that just don't produce. Once I was on the clock, though, and wide receiver phenom Odell Beckham Jr. was taken with the pick before, Dez Bryant pretty much fell in my lap ... and I wasn't going to let the opportunity of drafting him go by. Back-to-back star wide receivers with my first two picks.
Third Round, 30th Overall—Mark Ingram, Running Back
With my wide receiver corps solidified, I clearly went into the third round wanting to take the best running back still available and by the time I was on the clock with the 30th overall pick, I had some decent backfield options still up for grabs. Truth be told, if Jimmy Graham hadn't been selected two picks ago, I would have been tempted to call his name because a tight end putting up star wideout numbers is almost as good as cheating.
But since he was, it was a clear-cut choice that I was going with a running back. I gave Washington Redksins running back Alfred Morris serious consideration, thinking that the Redskins won't have much going for them on the offensive end this season and at least he'll pile on the yards. But with a minute left on the clock, I began leaning toward New Orleans Saints rusher Mark Ingram.
For starters, I think the presence of center Max Unger on the Saints offensive line will help Ingram. That and my concern of Saints running back C.J. Spiller cutting into Ingram's carries and overall workload sort of died down with Spiller nursing an early injury this season. So, Ingram it is. Don't let me down, Mark ... or have me kicking myself for not taking Morris nor San Francisco 49ers rusher Carlos Hyde, for that matter.
Fourth Round, 43rd Overall—Julian Edelman, WR
Expect the unexpected when drafting. The unexpected for me came in the fourth round, when I was aggressively looking for the best back available in a bare-bones backfield of options. As embarrassing as it is to admit ... I completely lost track of time. Fortunately, the top player in my draft queue happened to be New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman, who automatically became my fourth-round and the 43rd overall selection when time ran out. Hey, with Tom Brady back, I'll take Edelman. At this moment, I think I have the best wide receivers in my league.
Fifth Round, 54th Overall—Joique Bell, RB
As I mentioned earlier, the more rounds that go by where you don't have your starting running backs solidified ... it's going to cost you. So, no matter what, I was taking a starting running back with my fifth-round pick. While many reports seem to think that Tampa Bay's Doug Martin is poised to have a solid season, I question his durability, and was more comfortable taking Detroit Lions rusher Joique Bell.
He put up respectable numbers last season, rushing for 860 yards and seven touchdowns, but many analysts think rookie Ameer Abdullah will cut into his workload. Abdullah was actually selected a few picks prior or I would have strongly considered taking him. Bottom line is—I waited too long to get my second starting running back and Bell was simply the best option.
Sixth Round, 67th Overall—Amari Cooper, WR
You can never have too much of a good thing. Already loaded at wide receiver, I didn't need to stack on and still had other priorities. Yet, through this entire offseason and preseason alike, all I've been hearing about is how special Oakland Raiders rookie Amari Cooper is and that the 6-1, 210-pound wide receiver is truly gifted and NFL-ready to post numbers. While Chicago Bears tight end Martellus Bennett would have been the safer pick, I had to gamble on the rookie. My two-pronged thinking here is if Cooper is as good as people are making him out to be, I can use him, and on the flip side, I don't want any other owner to use him against me.
Seventh Round, 78th Overall—Eli Manning, Quarterback
I'm one of those fantasy owners who believe in drafting a quarterback late. But this particular draft just so happened to tab that second tier of NFL QBs in the mid rounds, so I had to adjust my strategy. Although Tech Times touted Eli Manning as one of the fantasy players who will drive you crazy, I rolled the dice. His 4,410 passing yards were the sixth-highest in the NFL last season and I'm hoping a full year of having Odell Beckham Jr. and a healthy Victor Cruz back will boost his 30 touchdowns. Just keep those interceptions down, Eli. Please!
Eighth Round, 91st Overall—Dwayne Allen, Tight End
Simple—I needed a tight end and was happy to snag Dwayne Allen in the Indianapolis Colts' high-powered offense. He'll definitely be targeted with Andrew Luck being one of the best at spreading the wealth. I'll take the eight touchdowns he posted last year again this season.
Ninth Round, 102nd Overall—Bills, Defense
I can't say I'd be all too comfortable taking a Rex Ryan-coached offensive player ... but sign me up for a Rex Ryan defense anytime. The scary thing is the Buffalo Bills' defense, which was already stout last season, might even be that much meaner this year. I like the value I got for the Bills' D, considering they were a ninth-round, 102nd-overall selection after four defenses (Seattle Seahawks, New York Jets, Houston Texans and Green Bay Packers) were already claimed significantly earlier.
Tenth Round, 115th Overall—Steven Hauschka, Kicker
Kickers started being taken and I didn't want to be left out in the cold. Some owners just don't put enough emphasis on kickers. They should. In a close game that kicker could spell the difference between coming out of a nail-biter with a sigh of relief or stewing in what's left of your Sunday night.
11th Round, 126th Overall—Charles Sims, RB
If Doug Martin doesn't hold up, Charles Sims can sneak right into being an every-down carrier for Tampa Bay. Given Martin's durability issues, that was the main reason I tabbed his backup here. That and C.J. Spiller was taken a few picks before. He would have been good to have as a backup just in case Mark Ingram goes down with an injury.
12th Round, 139th Overall—Jay Cutler, QB
Listen ... somebody had to do it. Yes, he's as maligned as it gets in the NFL, but somebody had to take Jay Cutler as their backup, and in this league, it was me. Eli Manning and Jay Cutler as my quarterbacks ... may the good Lord help me from pulling out all my hair this season. On a sidenote: What does it say for Colin Kaepernick in a league where not one owner claims him as their backup QB? What a fall from grace.
13th Round, 150th Overall—Eddie Royal, WR
At this point, I'm thinking a little trade bait. Clearly all the best players are long gone. If Jay Cutler can get a little magic going with Eddie Royal—the way many think the pair might be able to accomplish—I might be able to put Royal in a package for a trade. I'm stacked at receiver, so why not?
14th Round, 163rd Overall—Darren Sproles, RB
The only marquee name left.
Summary: I'm solid at wideout, tight end, defense, and with my kicker, but I'm going to deal with a bit of inconsistency at quarterback and even a bit of the unknown at running back, depending on how Mark Ingram and Joique Bell perform.
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