Corey
EK McLaurin
LK Singletary
I would’ve kept Waddle and Njoku instead. Better talents, better offenses. McLaurin and Singletary are better bets only in that they don’t have much competition for their roles. McLaurin will lead the Commanders in targets. Singletary will lead the Giants in touches. There is enough value there that I can’t argue too hard against those picks.
1.01 CMC
There was no other option.
2.03 Mahomes
2.12 Pacheco
A bet to absorb all of the Chiefs’ TDs is a great bet.
3.01 Pittman
Understable if underwhelming first pick of the keeper rounds.
4.12 Parsons
Surprised to see him go over Watt, but it’s probably that time. Though I’m worried about the Cowboys completely shitting the bed this season.
5.01 Bowers
Man, just one year removed from Sam LaPorta going in the 15th round. It appears to be a reach, but if you can get the top-rated rookie at his position, a first-rounder who teams were trying desperately to trade up for, a guy who went a round and a half before the next guy at his position, I say take that swing.
6.12 JSN
Perfect place in the draft to chase upside, perfect profile for a potential breakout season.
7.01 Hutch
Lions added two starting DL in free agency in order to draw bodies away from him.
8.12 Butker
Fine. Whatever.
9.01 Mooney
Mystery box. Really good small-school prospect, had a 1,000-yard year with Trubisky in Chicago, disappeared with Fields at QB, was recruited by Kirk Cousins to Atlanta. I would consider him a steal, but without an injury ahead of him, he is stuck in fourth place on this offense.
10.12 Zeke
Starting RB for an NFL franchise, the literal last starter drafted (not counting Chuba Hubbard, who will start for exactly four weeks).
11.01 Kmet
Good player. Crowded offense. Biggest body (even counting Keenan’s deep-dish dad bod) in the offense, likely to score TDs if you end up needing to start him. I would probably still cut him first if I needed to make room.
12.12 Trevon Diggs
Nothing to lose drafting IDP this late. Hard to imagine Diggs returning to his 2022 fantasy glory with Dan Quinn gone.
13.01 Bucky Irving
I wanted this one so, so bad. In hindsight, I should have offered Corey an 11th or something for this pick the day Sean made his rule. I still think Irving steals the Bucs’ starting job this year. Granted, it will take a couple months.
14.12 Goff
Fine. Whatever.
15.01 Jakobi Meyers
The final rounds are a good time to go after seemingly high-floor guys. Veterans cemented into starting roles, guys who have proven to be reliable for at least a few years in a few different situations.
16.12 Jordyn Brooks
Really doesn’t matter if it’s a good pick or not. If he scores five points or less, you cut him.
QB Mahomes
RB CMC
WR McLaurin
WR Pittman
TE Bowers
FX Pacheco
FX Singletary or JSN
K Butker
DL Hutch
LB Parsons
DB Diggs
DX Brooks
Not strong at WR. Not strong at that second flex but probably strong enough if Singletary holds the starting job or if JSN does indeed break out. Very strong at QB, RB, and DL/LB. I try not to start two IDPs from the same defense, but the Parsons/Diggs combo intrigues me. If Dallas is scoring points like they have been in recent years, then they play more known passing downs and these two would tend to be the prime beneficiaries. Again, I think Dallas is going to suck, but the games are going to be rigged for them to at least make the playoffs, so it’s probably going to be fine for anyone who drafted Cowboys.
Max
EK Kamara
LK LaPorta
1.02 STA
2.11 Lamar
3.02 Josh Jacobs
4.11 Amari Cooper
5.01 Aaron Jones
So far all of Max’s WRs and RBs are essentially 30 years old, meaning if they bend down to pick something up off the ground, there is at least a 30% chance they are not able to stand up straight again for the rest of their lives. God help him. But he has Lamar, granted he blew the chance to keep him next year. Which reminds me of possibly the most regrettable decision of the draft: letting people undo picks. Probably not gonna let that slide in the future. But also, whatever.
6.11 Zaire Franklin
Short lister for top-scoring IDP.
7.02 Christian Kirk
8.11 Jameson Williams
9.02 Goedert
10.11 Lockett
This is exactly how you spend your mid-rounders. Starting receivers on solid offenses. They’re not sexy or particularly likely to lead your team to victory, but they give you confidence if you need backup for injuries and bye weeks.
11.02 Lawrence
The back-door stack with Kirk will come in clutch a few weeks, and if the Jags finally let Lawrence run, he has a chance to crack the top 5 this season.
12.11 Alex Singleton
13.02 Julian Love
14.11 Jaelan Phillips
15.02 McPherson
More solid structure here. Fill your bench with starters and spend your late picks scooping up undervalued IDPs and Ks.
16.11 Kimani Vidal
If he gets involved Week 1, maybe you have a legitimate sleeper. If he doesn’t plays at all, you drop him with no remorse.
Though I view Max’s team as lacking overall upside, there is enough depth here to keep him in playoff contention. If he finally gets in the game re: trading draft picks, we’re looking at a dark horse candidate to storm the playoffs and take home his first championship.
QB Lamar
RB Jacobs
WR STA
WR Cooper
TE LaPorta
FX Kamara
FX Jones
K McPherson
DL Phillips
LB Zaire
DB Love
DX Singleton
Coleman
EK Ken Walker
LK Rashee Rice
There wasn’t much competition for these keeper spots. As the preseason wore on, the Patriots’ offense became pretty much the toughest sell in the league, and all the reports on Rice have been that his legal case won’t be resolved in time for him to receive a suspension this season.
1.03 Jefferson
My favorite candidate to eclipse 200 targets this season. I feel the need to emphasize that in this style of offense, it straight-up does not matter how good the QB is. Kevin O’Connell’s scheme generates open throws. Darnold can miss his spot and still wind up hitting an open receiver with room for YAC. Oh, also: he’s the best receiver in the league.
2.01 Derrick Henry
Why Henry wasn’t a consensus first-rounder is beyond me. He spends an insane amount of money maintaining his body. He should be the favorite to lead the league in carries, first downs and touchdowns. Is it reasonable to worry that Lamar “steals” carries? Yes, but there’s growing sentiment that the Ravens don’t want to use Lamar on designed runs anymore. Designed runs for QBs are inefficient. The real money is in scrambling, which implies plays where Henry wasn’t the target anyway.
2.02 Kyren Williams (via trade)
(cue Notre Dame fight song)
2.06 Hurts
Coleman probably should have been more aggressive if he wanted Mahomes. Hurts has had more upside because of the designed runs, but again, inefficiency. Eagles added Barkley to keep Hurts from taking unnecessary punishment. Caps his upside. And he’s just not the type to throw for a bunch of TDs. Still, it creates more scrambling opportunities, and Barkley’s receiving prowess opens up easier throws, more yards, more TDs. Hurts is as capable of finishing QB1 as anyone.
2.10 Kelce
Old mimbo distracted by superfame. Still, the bromance with Mahomes trumps all that. All you really need from this position is the likelihood to lead in TDs, and we’ve got that.
3.03 (traded for future 2nd)
Coleman may have relaized after the draft that he didn’t quite crush it. So either he is hedging, sustaining long-term viability, OR he is loading up on liquid capital he can use to stack his team at the trade deadline.
4.10 Keon Coleman
It speaks volumes that Coleman (Keon, that is) immediately assumed starting duties in the Bills’ offense. I’m just not sure whether it speaks volumes about Keon’s talent or the Bills lack thereof.
5.03 TJ Watt
5.07 Kyle Hamilton
Luxury picks. Again, notable that Coleman (Collins, that is) lost out on his favorite at a position despite having all the extra picks.
6.09 Zay Flowers
As much as I love the Ravens, even I’ll admit that Zay Flowers is just the second-coming of Tyler Lockett. Will be tough to get much ceiling starting him and Henry together, and Coleman needs Zay to be that sturdy second flex until Keon proves himself. How did Coleman have all these picks and end up with Rashee Rice as his second-best WR?
6.10 Danielle Hunter
The IDP overload gives Coleman the best shot to break the weekly scoring record. Short of that, one or two 20-point IDP performances in a week is enough to put away your opponent, especially when you combine it with the kind of floor/ceiling combos Coleman has all over the lineup.
7.03 Justin Tucker
Gotta.
8.10 Jordan Addison
Dude’s an idiot. But he’s an amazing wide receiver. Underrated even when you factor in the chance he gets suspended once a year. I’m not a huge fan of having him and Jefferson in the same starting lineup, but I am starting to entertain the idea of handcuffing WRs.
9.03 Jake Ferguson
If Kelce goes down, Ferguson won’t save you.
10.10 TJ Edwards
Weak-side linebackers in Cover 2 defenses. D’ya like Derrick Brooks? That’s TJ Edwards in fantasy.
11.03 Latu (via trade)
12.10 AD Mitchell
Coleman originally drafted Romeo Doubs in the 11th and thought that was too many WRs. So naturally he drafted another WR. Mitchell has way more upside than Doubs, granted he has less guaranteed playing time.
14.10 Tyrone Tracy
Backup RB with bad draft capital drafted to a team with a bad o-line. BUT he mostly played WR in college, and Devin Singletary is not anything special. If you can get a starting RB in the 14th round, it doesn’t really matter how bad his team is. The issue is Coleman is overweight and will have to cut Tracy before he has a chance to take over the backfield. I also don’t really believe he’s a threat to Singletary. It’s more probability that the weaker starting RBs tend to lose their jobs to the younger, cheaper, capable players. Especially if the Giants are bad, there’s that “see what we got” mentality in that final month of the season.
16.10 JT Sanders
While Sanders could start for the Panthers and be a valuable piece of Canales’ offense, Coleman is set at TE and this is the easiest guy to cut, which Coleman must do the moment he wants to adjust his starting lineup.
QB Hurts
RB Henry
WR Jefferson
WR Rashee
TE Kelce
FX Kyren
FX Walker
K (goat emoji)
DL Watt
LB Edwards
DB Hamilton
DX Hunter
Shelby
EK Chaad
LK Winfield
If not for the Kyler Murray trade, I was going to keep Winfield or Hamilton just to keep two Bucs. There’s something I like about going offense/defense for the same team. You ostenisbly give yourself a shot at fantasy points every single play of the game.
1.04 Ja’Marr
2.07 Burrow
Burrow’s wrist and Chase’s holdout make this a very precarious stack, but if those end up being overblown, if Burrow is back to normal and Chase gives up asking for money a year early, from a team that ranks dead-last in cash spending, then this is probably the most obvious bet for the best QB-WR stack.
2.09 Waddle
3.04 DJ Moore
Somebody has been following expert advice. Employing the stack and the zero-RB strategy? This is a sharp combination of plays. The speed takes it to the next level in terms of chasing those spike weeks, providing this frankenstorm of high-ceiling weekly play and high-floor win totals.
3.11 Pitts
4.02 Anthony Richardson
4.09 Pickens
If we awared fantasy points based on appearances in the Sportscenter Top 10, Shelby would go undefeated. Maybe that sounds like a knock, but this is a continued effort toward massive boom weeks. Remember that Shelby was on the playoff bubble last season despite coming out of the gate 0-4.
5.04 Oluokun
AND the top overall IDP the last two seasons!
7.04 Najee
Zero RB pays off with a starting RB on a run-first team with a good offensive line and a great defense. While I wouldn’t recommend starting Najee and Pickens together, Shelby won’t need to as long as Rachaad White holds down the Bucs’ starting job. Granted, I don’t think he will, I’m open to the idea that the Bucs keep pounding, let Bucky Irving develop, and the switch doesn’t happen until next year. Regardless, Shelby should be in a good enough position to trade for a star RB later.
9.04 Nick Bosa
If you anything about Bosa’ political affiliations, you know why I can’t get behind this pick.
10.09 Tyjae
Another sharp play: ambiguous backfields. While it seems like Pollard was brought in to be the starter, Tyjae offers equal or better juice and costs you less draft capital.
11.04 Pearsall
When you can draft a small receiver who has dislocated his shoulder twice in one summer, you gotta do it.
15.04 Patrick Queen
16.09 Montez Sweat
So. Much. Speed.
Shelby easily has the fastest team. If you’re going to bet on one trait in this game, it should be speed. While elite speed can give you DeSean Jackson creepies, if you build the whole plan out of DeSean Jacksons, odds are not enough can go wrong to wreck it.
Two unfilled roster spots: K and bench.
QB Burrow
RB Chaad
WR Chase
WR Waddle
TE Pitts
FX DJ Moore
FX Pickens
K (empty)
DL N.Bosa
LB Oluokun
DB Winfield
DX Queen/Montez
Spencer
EK Garrett Wilson
LK Tank Dell
Coming into the draft with a top-3 set of keepers gives you the foundation to be an easy top-half team.
1.05 Josh Allen
2.08 Etienne
3.05 Kincaid
Okay so I get that Spencer started with two WRs and could afford to punt the position for the first few rounds. I just don’t think it’s a sound strategy to actually go through with it, especially not for QB and TE in two of your first three picks. But Kincaid is technically the Bills’ top receiver, the most likely to lead the receiving corps in TDs, stacked with Allen. So I can’t argue against the boom-week potential. And I love Etienne’s value in drafts.
3.08 Nabers
4.08 Odunze
You may be jumping the shark when it comes to chasing rookie WRs, but if you’re gonna chase, chase those top-10 overall picks. Nabers seems like an easy bet to hit 150 targets, with like a worst-case scenario of only catching half of those but averaging over 15 yards per catch and leading all rookies in receiving. Odunze is a little more of a pipe dream, mired in a crowded passing attack with a rookie QB. We want the Bears to be great overnight, but when does stuff like this realistically happen. Even if they do what the Texans did last season, it takes half a season for that to get going. And based purely on draft capital, Odunze is technically Spencer’s second flex. So I probably would have been more comfortable taking Pickens or Cooper here, just to lock down another true number-one out of the gate. But like Jim Harbaugh says, “comfortable” is not a word that belongs in football. “It’s a bottom-five football word,” according to Harbaugh.
5.05 Roquan
The chase for elite production continues, and it comes at a decent value as Roquan was the fourth IDP and second LB off the board.
6.08 Javonte
Boom. Odunze problem solved. Javonte gives you second-flex stability while you wait for Rome’s inevitable rise.
7.05 Derwin
Oh, we are cooking now. Derwin had a garbage 2023, but the Chargers are installing a defense that is predicating on putting the best players in position to make plays on the ball.
7.07 Benson
Another rookie with the requisite capital to become a fantasy starter in his first season. James Conner has a chokehold on the Cardinals’ starting job on all four downs, but Conner is nearing the age and usage cliffs, while Benson is a home run hitter. He could just be another Ronald Jones, but remember that RoJo was playing behind a trash line in a scheme that didn’t help the RB position. Benson is playing in a top-5 rushing offense.
8.08 Hines-Allen
Fully broke out last year. Jags brought in a better defensive coordinator this year. Should be a top-5 DL for fantasy and have a couple of 20-point weeks in the process.
9.05 Hollywood
I’m out. He’s disappointed too many times. The Chiefs have no real allegiance to Brown, signed on a one-year deal before the team was able to score Worthy in the draft. Then Brown busted his SC joint halfway through camp and let Worthy steal his job. Hollywood has famously bad hands and projected more as a clearout guy to open up the underneath stuff anyway. But there are worse things you can do than fill your IR spot with a lid-lifter in Mahomes’ offense.
10.08 Ekeler
11.05 JK Dobbins
I get it. You were light on RB and these two have opportunity to carve out meanigful roles in their offenses. If one works out, the combo of picks was worth it.
12.08 Terrel Bernard
So, so underrated as a producer in fantasy. Top 10 in tackles last year. Milano’s out until December. Similar to TJ Edwards, plays that Derrick Brooks role in a Cover 2 defense. Good opportunity to add pass breakups and interceptions in addition to the tackle floor.
13.05 Schultz
He starts in the Texans’ offense. While he might be the fifth option in the receiving game, that doesn’t really matter at a position where you just need a TD to be start-worthy each week. And Spencer doesn’t need him anyway.
14.08 Ray Davis
16.08 Antonio Gibson
More RB stabs on guys who should have roles on money downs. In a way, these two have more upside than Ekeler and Dobbins in that they don’t need to win the starting jobs to have value.
There are no holes in this roster, but the offensive upside is absolutely dead in the water after the Benson pick. And Spencer has to cut someone before Week 1 in order to squeeze a kicker in there. The obvious answer is Gibson, unless you can scam a 2-for-1, which is only realistic if you’re trading starters. Actually, now that I’ve thought about it, the hole in this roster is the proof beyond proof of concept. All the way down, with the exception of Etienne, this starting offense’s ceiling is largely projection. I mean, Allen has done it before, but now we’re talking about basically Carmy going from The French Laundry to The Beef.
QB Allen
RB Etienne
WR GW
WR Tank
TE Kincaid
FX Nabers
FX Javonte
K (empty)
DL Hines-Allen
LB Roquan
DB Derwin
DX Bernard
Brian
EK Drake London
LK Jerome Ford
London is a hot topic this offseason. He’s supposed to lead a Rams-style offense in targets, which ususally leads to top-10 WR output. While I would argue Brian should have traded this keeper slot for a mid-round pick, Ford does project to be a high-volume starter until Chubb comes back. Brian certain has the sturcture in place to start Ford right away.
1.06 Breece
1.11 JT
Good to see someone still believes in old school football. Young bell-cows are a dying breed. I’d say Breece and Taylor are on a short list with Bijan. You could argue to add a couple more in Kyren and Chaad, but everyone else is either old, limited skillset, or seemingly in a committee.
3.06 DK
4.07 Tee
Big dudes who score TDs. Brian’s TD upside is massive, probably tops in Mortydome.
5.06 Jonathon Brooks
5.11 Jayden Daniels
Delicious high-ceiling, high-floor rookie duo here.
6.07 Jayden Reed
7.06 Zamir White
8.07 McConkey
Brian’s draft strategy has not changed in the last ten years. There was a time when it took him to four championship games in five years. That time has passed. Has the game of fantasy football passed Brian by? Did he peak sophomore year when he won FSU campus-wide fantasy football challenge? Stay tuned.
9.06 Tua
Had to get a Week 1 starter with Daniels facing the Bucs in Week 1. Tua is underrated in fantasy because Miami’s rushing offense seemingly cpas his TD upside. But he’s got a 5-TD game on the resume, he’s got a fat new contract, and the Dolphins improved in all areas on offense. Tua could just be Brian’s starter. This is a problem because you don’t want to be in the position to be picking your starting QB from week to week. You want a clear starter.
10.07 Legette (dropped for Bass)
11.06 Freiermuth
12.07 Curtis Samuel
13.6 Cade Otton (dropped for Branch)
15.06 Nuk (traded for Burns)
16.07 Jameis (dropped for Quay)
Kudos to Curtis Samuel’s parents for smearing blood over the doorway. I don’t know how else he was able to survive this wave of cuts. But I do believe Brian’s group of IDPs is about the same as anyone who actually drafted some.
QB Tua/Daniels
RB Breece
WR London
WR DK
TE Freiermuth
FX JT
FX Just Tee
K Bass
DL Burns
LB Mosley
DB Branch
DX Quay
Oliver
EK Aiyuk
LK Kyren (traded for Olave & Mixon)
Um, so, not how I would have done it. But I also won’t suggest any of us are able to nail down a players’ value before the season starts. I would have kept Pacheco and Nico, which is admittedly a bit “safe.” I would agree with what I assume Oliver’s logic was here, that Aiyuk and Kyren have more upside.
1.07 Bijan
I would have taken Bijan 1.02. I have another draft coming up where I have the first pick, and I’m debating Bijan vs. CMC. It’s a three-WR league, though, so Justin Jefferson is in the mix because I don’t like STA or the Cowboys or Ja’Marr’s holdout threat. All this to say Bijan is as much of a steal as one can get in the middle of the first round.
3.07 Davante Adams
Oliver wanted DK Metcalf, so naturally I’ll try to remember to update the Davante vs. DK stats every week.
4.06 Kittle
It was very strange to me that Kittle was listed as low as he was on our draft board. I get that he had core muscle surgery and lost a bunch of weight and we didn’t “know” he was fine, but like, I definitely expected Shelby to take him over Pitts. But for that matter, I would have expected Shelby to take Andrews over Pitts… and I would have had all of these guys over Kincaid. I’m starting to think I’m just wrong about all of this, though, since TE never goes the way we think it will. So it’s just as likely Kittle is the top TE as he is outside the top five, I guess. I don’t have anything meanignful to say about this pick anymore. I’m sorry.
6.06 Keenan
Woah-oh Fat Keenan, bam-ba-lam, woah-oh fat Keenan, first down scam.
7.11 Caleb
8.06 Justin Herbert
Chef’s kiss to this QB room. Oliver keeps Caleb from reaching the second keeper tier, and he buys the dip on Justin Herbert. This can’t really blow up in his face either because of how many good QBs were gone by even Oliver’s third round pick. No, the real shame is that he didn’t have a second-rounder to make a play for one of the elite guys. Also worth noting he picked Caleb right before Sean picked Purdy. Was playing keepaway with Caleb’s keeper rights worth missing out on the Purdy-Aiyuk stack? The Purdy-Aiyuk-Kittle triple-stack, in fact.
9.07 Brian Robinson
I was majorly bummed about this pick, as I was fully prepared to make Robinson my starting RB just four picks later. I was wishcasting Robinson to have the same role James Conner had in his 18-TD season under Kingsbury.
10.01 Sutton
Just shameful what we’re doing to this slightly older version George Pickens here, a no-doubt number one facing no heat from the depth chart behind him, like I’m sorry, you would rather have Sam Darnold’s second option than Bo Nix’s first? Why? I’m misplacing the anger I have at Oliver sniping guy after guy on my board.
10.05 Hockenson
Again, fill that IR if you can, especially as the draft thins out. Even with the IR slot, it’s going to be hard to hold Hockenson for what’s supposed to about a half-season absence. And the longer you wait to let go, the lower the opportunity cost becomes for the next person to come scoop him up.
10.06 Chase Brown
Might be the starter for the Bengals. They’ve done a good job keeping that under wraps. The issue with Brown, the reason he’s expected to be a complementary back to Zack Moss, is poor decision-making both as a runner and pass-protector. But what makes Brown worth it is that it only takes one open seam and he’s able to house it.
11.07 Josh Palmer
I understand the Ladd McConkey hype, except that I don’t at all. Josh Palmer has proven to be a go-to guy for Justin Herbert, who famously throws the ball so hard it hurts his receivers hands. Ladd McConkey has tiny fucking hands (6th percentile among WRs; Palmer is 68th). Palmer can run-block, make contested catches, and get behind the defense. This was a fucking smash pick I’m again angry about getting sniped on.
13.03 Laube (dropped)
Yeah, fuck it. This was a weird prayer that’s better off recanted.
13.07 Thibodeaux
14.06 Devin White
15.03 Josh Metellus
15.05 Quincy Williams
We’ve got good positional versatility with a DL/LB and an LB/DB. We’ve got the proven tackle-monster in Quincy, the breakout potential of Thibodeaux, the post-hype sleep of White (who will probably go back to racking up sacks), and this thing in Minnesota where they blitz everyone all the time so either Metellus is one of three people left to make a tackle on a completed pass or he’s one of the guys getting near the QB.
16.08 Malachi Corley (dropped)
Yeah, he was just going to take up space. You can get him as a late keeper when you purge your roster ahead of Week 17. Not you meaning Oliver, who has too many championship aspirations (see: already traded a future 2nd) to even imagine having the freedom to purge his roster before the final game.
QB Caleb
RB Bijan
WR Aiyuk
WR Adams
TE Kittle
FX Olave
FX Mixon
K Koo
DL Thibs
LB Quincy
DB Metellus
DX Devin White
Kennedy
EK Nico
LK Stroud
No notes. I love a stack.
1.08 Amon-Ra
2.05 Jahmyr
4.05 Andrews
5.08 Montgomery
Hmm. But do I love a RB-WR stack? A 2RB-WR stack at that. I don’t love that. I don’t love paying up for it either. Granted, Montgomery is good value (as is Andrews, as an aside). But man, you spent a first and second and you capped your upside all but a couple outlier weeks. The nice thing is you’re not beholden to any of these guys. But do you have the stones to move them while they’re hot? That will be the key to capitalizing on this big-brain move.
6.05 Rhamondre
The lack of wow is baked into the price, so this isn’t a reach or even a bad pick. But you effectively passed on Javonte Williams and Najee Harris to get him, and that, I think, is the missed opportunity. And we’re getting ahead of ourselves, but you really could have used a WR here given that you only had two and wouldn’t take another one until basically the end of the draft, and AND the next WR you picked also plays for the Patriots! It’s like the bizarro version of your Lions stack!
7.08 Okereke
8.05 Myles Garrett
9.08 Wagner
Bobby time and an elite DL. Delicious.
11.08 Jaylen Warren
Would’ve gone really well with Najee and the Lions double-dip. Would’ve kept you warm all winter.
12.05 Xavier McKinney
Looks cool, had good stats last year, plays centerfield in an aggressive Cover 1 defense again. Getting paid a lot to do so. Seems like a good bet to repeat his recent success.
13.08 Ja’Lynn Polk
Very solid late keeper pick if you can hold him all year.
14.05 Romeo Doubs (via trade)
Doubs has already been traded twice, and my money is on him getting cut at least twice this season. Doubs is a good player to have because he plays by far the most snaps in Green Bay, but Green Bay too often uses him as a clearout for their guys to get YAC opportunities. But Kennedy’s WR room was so weak before this trade that Doubs might start for him Week 1.
15.08 Bo Nix
16.05 Troy Franklin
An underrated back-door stack. I think the Broncos sandbagged their own beat writers with this one, especially since they cut Tim Patrick, who “started” all preseason, even in practice. I definitely got spooked off of him. I hope Kennedy can figure out how to keep these guys. I think it will take a couple months for it to click into place.
FA Moody
FA Luke McCaffrey
Sure. Fine. Whatever.
...Okay I have to say, something tells me that Luke McCaffrey hired some kind of combine wizard to help him juice his pre-draft athletic mesaurables. Because those numbers suggest he’s more explosive than Christian, yet Luke was stuck playing at Rice? I mean, I get that he started his college career as a backup QB at Nebraska, and the late switch to WR blah blah blah… but Rice? And then the 5th Round of the NFL draft? He can’t possibly be good for fantasy this year, can he?
QB Stroud
RB Gibbs
WR SunGod
WR Nico
TE Andrews
FX Montgomery
FX Rham/Doubs (yikes)
K Moody
DL Garrett
LB Bobby 1
DB McKinney
DX Bobby 2
Evan
EK Swift
LK Love
I refuse to see how Swift is a better keeper than Pickens. I understand the Russell Wilson aspect, the Arthur Smith aspect, the potential Justin Fields aspect. I just think Pickens is that dude. Granted, he’s that dude that doesn’t work hard. But the Steelers have been doing this for the entire Mike Tomlin era. This dude is going to figure out how to score 12 TDs. I don’t see Swift matching that. Jordan Love, no notes. It wasn’t even close with your other options. I would be worried to go all-in on Love based on one year, but if the Packers aren’t concerned, then I’m probably worried over nothing.
1.09 AJB
2.04 MHJ
3.09 DeVonta Smith
4.04 Stef Diggs
5.09 Godwin
I aboslutely adored this start. You believe in Swift. This much is clear. And if you believe in Swift, then you don’t need to spend a high pick on another RB. You need to get the legit WRs while they’re still available, and even if the individual WRs aren’t all my taste or necessarily the best combo (two WRs from one team fails the efficiency test in the weekly sense), you have thrown enough resources at the position to let the cream rise on its own.
6.04 Njoku
Yeah baby. This dude has literally been through the fire and come out stronger.
7.09 Zack Moss
As I said in the Chase Brown blurb, Moss is the starter, and when Joe Burrow is your QB, those boxes stay light. Moss is a great second flex or fill-in for Swift when the time comes (because that time will come).
9.09 Lavonte
Classic.
10.04 Will Anderson
11.09 McDuffie
Yeah this is how you score upside in the middle rounds while other people spend up on similar talent/opportunity.
12.04 Jeudy
Either Njoku or Jeudy will be the Browns’ second option in the passing game, or they will split that into 2a/2b and be worthless. I lean toward the latter, but you got Jeudy cheap enough that it’s a low-risk bet.
13.09 Ernie (auto)
You love you some Ernie anyway. Joining a new team after the preseason is a little shaky, but he joins a team where he will still be number one, and playing inside linebacker is a analgous to playing RB in that many times you just have to hit your hole and you’ll be above-average at worst.
13.11 Charbonnet (auto)
14.04 Ty Chandler
Yeah, these are drop candidates. Charbonnet has a small chance to steal the starting job in Seattle, a good chance to carve out a role as a short-yardage specialist. He profiles more like (new OC Ryan Grubb’s) UW runningback Dillon Johnson, which I think is enough to make a small bet on. Ty Chandler kinda sucks. He’s fast and has some pass-catching prowess, but I’ve seen him miss the hole and slam into the back of a lineman way too many times already.
15.09 Jake Elliott
Classic.
16.04 Baker Mayfield (auto)
Evan might have made this pick anyway. Gotta have some contignecy for Love, and Baker is fun. He runs, he guns, he says cool shit. Hell yeah.
QB Love
RB Swift
WR AJB
WR MHJ
TE Njoku
FX DeVonta
FX Diggs/Godwin
K Elliot
DL W.Anderson
LB Lavonte
DB Ernie
DX McDuffie
Cameron
EK Achane
LK (traded to Sean)
Achane is the fastest RB in the league. Not keeping Jared Goff had to feel pretty freeing, as Cameron sort of resignedly started him for the second half of last year anyway.
1.10 Lamb
The holdout helped Cameron score a value here.
3.10 Kupp
Easily could jump back into the driver’s seat and lead the Rams’ in all receiving categories.
4.03 Worthy
Speed.
5.10 Dak
The stack with Lamb makes the reach for Dak worth it.
6.01 Mostert
Mostert isn’t your traditional starting RB, and the Dolphins don’t need him to be. They use three or four backs per game, and they are elite at getting their track-stars the ball in open space. The issue is you kind of have to start Mostert and Achane, and that’s never optimal no matter how good the rushing attack is.
6.03 Maxx
Leads all DL in snap percentage, lots of opportunity, and he knows how to break into the backfield versus the run or the pass.
7.10 Engram
Led all TEs in targets last year, is clearly Lawrence’s preferred end zone target.
8.03 Pollard
Teeny!
9.10 Warner
10.03 Bolton
11.10 Aubrey
12.03 Jessie Bates
Perfect patience in letting the IDP/Ks fall to value spots.
13.10 Dowdle
At this point, we’re
15.10 Cousins (dropped for Rodgers lol)
16.02 Sauce (dropped for Thielen)
I really think Thielen could just keep going. Another season with 1K yards and 6+ TDs)
16.03 Allgeier
Guess you can try to tempt Oliver with him before you drop him.
FA Brandin Cooks
We have jumped the shark on investing in the Cowboys’ offense.
QB Dak
RB Achane
WR Lamb
WR Kupp
TE Engram
FX Worthy
FX Mostert
K (baby goat emoji)
DL Maxx
LB Warner
DB Bates
DX Bolton
Doak
EK Mike Evans
LK Kyler
For as bad as my original pick allotment was, I feel like I entered the draft with a top-3 keeper group.
6.02 Chubb
Maybe I’m stupid for believing it, but I think Chubb will just do the Adrian Peterson thing re: his ACL tear.
8.02 Brian Thomas
8.04 Diontae
8.09 Shakir
Maybe I’m stupid, but I think each of these guys leads his team in targets, and they’re all attached to good/great QBs.
9.11 Corum
10.02 Jaylen Wright
Maybe a case of rookie fever, maybe a couple guys who get high-efficiency workloads albeit on light volume.
11.11 Chuba Hubbard (via trade)
I needed a starting RB, sue me. Even though Chuba was drafted three rounds after this, I had him valued here, so the loss is purely optical.
12.02 Taysom
Because for whatever reason, the Saints want him to score TDs.
12.09 MarShawn Lloyd (dropped for K.Mack)
I believe this was a spot where I didn’t know it was my pick or was distracted for some other reason and just ended up take the top rookie on the board. Kahlil Mack’s spot on my roster is very much in jepoardy if I get attracted to another shiny offense. I mostly did it because he’s playing the Raiders, and he fucking hates the Raiders. He also seems to have that ageless quality after somehow posting 17 sacks (including a six-sack game!) last season.
13.04 Braelon Allen
Same logic as the Corum/Wright picks. Not really banking on them working out, but I feel like the odds are in my favor that one will work out.
14.02 Cordarrelle (dropped for McMillan)
Before the Chuba trade, I was very much intent on starting Patterson in Week 1 and soaking up those kick return points. Jalen McMillan is a flier and potential handcuff for Evans.
14.03 Cam Bynum
Led all DBs in tackles last year.
14.07 Nuk (via trade)
Maybe I’m stupid, but I’m willing to take on HOF players for basically no cost.
14.09 Al-Shaair
Hillsborough alum, green dot in DeMeco’s swarming defense that makes fantasy gold out of any and every inside LB.
15.11 Dan Carlson
Pendulum leg. Bad not hopeless offense. Dome. Whatever.
FA Logan Wilson
Perennial starter in someone’s lineup every year. Might as well be mine until something better emerges.
FA Isaiah Likely
Big-brain move maybe. I don’t buy Rashod Bateman as a starting WR, which makes Likely the third best option in the Ravens’ passing game. I wouldn’t say I needed a Raven. My Ravens fandom is not what it was when Tom Brady was QB of the Bucs. I’m back to being a full-time Bucs fan who is also a hardcore Lamar fan. Of course that makes this the year the Ravens win the Super Bowl.
QB Kyler
RB Chuba
WR M1K3
WR Diontae
TE Taysom
FX BTJ
(If ya gotta ask, you can't afford it)
FX Shakir
K D.Carlson
DL Mack
LB Al-Shaair
DB Bynum
DX Logan
Sean
EK Deebo
LK Puka
LK McBride
Yeah, I’m kind of mad at Cameron for giving Sean this head start. A year ago, this price for a late keeper slot made sense. Sean would only get to use one early keeper slot next year on Puka or McBride and have to let the other loose. Now, Sean can keep both in 2025 by using one early slot and one mid slot. So it’s more of a steal than it originally appeared. And it’s good for this year. For this year alone, the price was fair. The future factor tilts it too much in Sean’s favor. Good job, Sean, I guess.
1.11 Saquon
3.12 James Cook
4.01 James Conner
5.12 Ridley
I’m pretty fucking terrified of this starting lineup, where one of these seven guys (probably Ridley) isn’t even starting yet. But to pour a little cold water, I’m not scared of any of these guys being a top-5 at his position. I’m not afraid of Sean dropping 200 on our heads every week. I’m just afraid of a consistent 150 week-in, week-out that produces a 10-win season and a playoff bye and a reign of terror that we might never recover from.
7.12 Purdy
8.01 Christian Watson
I would have flipped these picks to get Purdy the extra keeper year, but if you’re already counting on Puka and McBride filling those spots, Purdy would be back in the pool anyway. Christian Watson I have no specific feelings for. I don’t think Sean has room for him in the lineup, and I don’t think Watson scores consistent points. Gonna have to factor him into the cash game somehow.
9.12 Gus
Fine. Whatever.
11.12 Shaheed
Similar upside and uselessness to Christian Watson. Cash game upside.
12.01 Rodgers (dropped for Witherspoon)
Witherspoon is a dark horse for top DB this year because there’s nothing he can’t do, and the Seahawks’ new head coach/DC Mike McDonald will move him around to put him in position to make plays on the ball. Look at it like Jalen Ramsey on the Rams a few years back.
12.08 Mike Williams (dropped for Judon)
Judon is a steal here. He’s been weirdly efficient at racking up sacks. He doesn’t do well in pressure rate, but most of his pressures are sacks.
13.12 Ka’imi
Dreamy.
14.01 Marvin Mims (dropped for EJ Speed)
Not at all into Speed, but Sean has a knack for getting elite production out of boring IDPs.
15.12 Thielen (dropped for JOK)
Jeremiah Owusu-Koromoah is lightning quick and excellent in coverage, so much so, similarly to Fred Warner, that teams don’t throw to his area of the field. Unlike Warner, JOK lacks size and doesn’t factor enough into the run game to get you into the upper echelon tackle production.
16.01 QJ (dropped for Stafford)
Love me some Stafford. Sadly, I insist on having an elite QB and not backing him up, adhering to the Tom Moore strategy when he was Peyton Manning’s coach. Moore famously said, in regard to giving Manning’s backup QB zero practice reps, “If Manning goes down, we’re fucked, and we don’t practice fucked.”
FA Marvin Mims
Some guys you just can’t quit. It does seem like the Tim Patrick release thrusts Marvin Mims into the starting lineup, but I’m not sure he’s anything more than another Rashid Shaheed (which apparently Sean is into, so… cool, I guess).
QB Purdy
RB Saquon
WR Puka
WR Deebo
TE McBride
FX Cook
FX Conner
K Ka'imi
DL Judon
LB JOK
DB Witherspoon
DX Speed
This is the part where we pretend to use numbers to devise rankings.
QB
1. Spencer (Allen)
2. Max (Lamar, Lawrence)
3. Corey (Mahomes, Goff)
4. Coleman (Hurts)
5. Shelby (Burrow, AR)
6. Doak (Kyler)
T-7. Sean (Purdy)
T-7. Kennedy (Stroud, Nix)
9. Brian (Daniels, Tua)
10. Evan (Love, Baker)
T-11. Oliver (Caleb, Herbert)
T-11. Cameron (Dak, Rodgers)
RB
1. Corey (CMC, Pacheco, Motor, Zeke, Bucky)
2. Brian (Breece, JT, Brooks, Ford, Zamir)
3. Coleman (Henry, Kyren, Walker)
4. Sean (Saquon, Cook, Conner, Gus)
5. Oliver (Bijan, Mixon, Robinson Jr, Brown)
6. Max (Kamara, Jacobs, Jones, Mason)
7. Kennedy (Gibbs, Monty, Rhamondre, Warren)
8. Spencer (ETN, Javonte, Benson, Ek, JK, etc.)
9. Shelby (Chaad, Najee, Tyjae)
10. Cameron (Achane, Mostert, Teeny, Dowdle)
11. Evan (Swift, Moss, Charb, Chandler)
12. Doak (Chubb, Corum, Wright, Allen, Chuba)
WR
1. Shelby (Chase, Waddle, DJ, Pickens, Pearsall)
2. Evan (AJB, MHJ, DeVonta, Diggs, Godwin, Jeudy)
3. Brian (London, DK, Tee, Reed, Ladd, Curtis)
4. Oliver (Aiyuk, Olave, Davante, Keenan, Sutton, Palmer)
5. Spencer (GW, Tank, Nabers, Rome, Hollywood)
6. Cameron (Lamb, Kupp, Worthy, Thielen, Cooks)
7. Sean (Puka, Deebo, Ridley, Watson, Shaheed, Mims)
8. Max (STA, Amari, Kirk, Jameson, Lockett)
9. Doak (Evans, Diontae, BTJ, Shakir, Nuk, McMillan)
10. Coleman (JJ, Rashee, Keon, Flowers, Addison, AD)
11. Kennedy (SunGod, Nico, Doubs, Polk, Franklin)
12. Corey (McLaurin, Pittman, JSN, Mooney, Meyers)
TE
1. Coleman (Kelce, Ferg, Sanders)
2. Kennedy (Andrews)
3. Shelby (Pitts)
4. Oliver (Kittle, Hock)
5. Spencer (Kincaid, Schultz)
6. Sean (McBride)
7. Max (LaPorta, Goedert)
8. Corey (Bowers, Kmet)
9. Cameron (Engram)
10. Evan (Njoku)
11. Doak (Taysom, Likely)
12. Brian (Freiermuth)
K
1. Coleman (Tucker)
2. Cameron (Aubrey)
T-3. everyone else
DL
1. Coleman (Watt, Hunter, Latu)
2. Corey (Parsons, Hutch)
3. Kennedy (Garrett)
4. Cameron (Maxx)
5. Spencer (Hines-Allen)
6. Shelby (Bosa, Montez)
7. Brian (Burns)
8. Evan (Will Anderson)
9. Max (Phillips)
10. Sean (Judon)
11. Doak (Mack)
12. Oliver (Thibodeaux)
LB
1. Spencer (Roquan, Bernard)
2. Kennedy (Bobby Time)
3. Shelby (Oluokun, Queen)
4. Cameron (Warner, Bolton)
5. Evan (Lavonte, Ernie)
6. Max (Zaire, Singleton)
7. Coleman (Edwards)
8. Doak (Al-Shaair, Wilson)
9. Oliver (Quincy, Devin White)
10. Corey (Brooks)
11. Brian (Mosley, Quay)
12. Sean (JOK, Speed)
DB
1. Coleman (Hamilton)
2. Shelby (Winfield)
3. Spencer (Derwin)
4. Sean (Witherspoon)
5. Brian (Branch)
6. Cameron (Bates)
7. Doak (Bynum)
8. Kennedy (McKinney)
9. Evan (McDuffie)
10. Oliver (Metellus)
11. Max (Love)
12. Corey (Diggs)
12. Haven’t Learned a Thiiing
(Doak)Yeah, this was a given. I just don’t have the horses. I’m beyond last in RB until Chubb comes back. My best rank is sixth in QB, and other than Kyler and Evans, I don’t have anything solid. Of course, if I’m right about the upside of the three WRs I drafted in the 8th, then I can scratch and claw toward the lower middle class of the league.
11. teeny tiny tony
(Cameron)Lackluster QB and RB, heavy risk behind Lamb at WR, the impending Cowboys implosion… and while the backend of the starting lineup looks solid, it doesn’t have enough ceiling to win you weeks without more going for you on offense. Best case scenario is that Achane and Pollard take over their backfields, and I just don’t see it panning out.
10. Kirkland-brand Meeseeks
(Kennedy)You are relying a lot on surprise seasons from the Texans and Lions to sustain themselves into this season. While that appears likely to work out in a macro sense, I think you beefed your RB and WR builds. You can’t start two RBs in the same backfield, you can’t start Rhamondre behind that line, and you can’t leave a draft with only two legitimate WRs. Not in today’s NFL. Not even Bobby Time can save you now.
9. Melee Schmelee
(Brian)While the RB and WR rooms are imposing, you punted QB, TE, and IDP/K, and your team reflects those decisions. You already dropped your best QB. It’s like you’re content to keep losing. Just kidding. It’s just a competitive year and going soft on half your squad will have its consequences.
8. Hugh Jackman
(Oliver)I don’t even hate your team. It’s just hard to build a winner without a 2nd, 5th, or 7th. You made up ground by trading your future 2nd, but you effectively priced yourself out of the best trade deadline deals in the process. And that QB situation is tenuous. Being a good QB isn’t enough. Everything around the QB has to work, and I don’t think the Bears or Chargers offense work in ways that will get either of these guys above 9th or 10th in QB scoring.
7. Pickle Rick’s Pickleball
(Evan)You can’t make the playoffs every year. I won’t allow it. Just sit this one out for the good of the league. Thank you for understanding. (Note: this means I’m picking five of last year’s six playoff teams to miss the postseason this year.) Also, Jordan Love won’t be able to sustain that TD%, nor will he need to with Jacobs converting short-yardage runs Aaron Jones just couldn’t handle anymore. And your RB room will collapse by Week 6.
6. Chasin a Win
(Corey)It’s sorta disingenuous to rank you this high when you’ve got a giant hole in your second flex spot. But you’ve got a stranglehold on Chiefs TDs, serious firepower at DL, and when Davante Adams gets traded midseason, you’ll have Brock Bowers unleashed. Note: I believe the JSN breakout is coming, possibly coming strong enough to make him the top WR in a high-volume Seahawks passing offense.
5. Blitz and Chitz
(Max)This is as high as I can get you when I’m just not convinced your RBs can hold up for a whole year. I’m also nervous you drafted all of your WRs at their ceiling. You’ve got Lamar, though, and you’ve got those old-ass RBs chugging along for enough games to get you out to a hot start, cool off, and back your way into a low playoff spot.
4. Ghostface killers
(Shelby)The QB position is air-tight. The IDP group is top-2. The RB room is light but this is a four-wide offense where only one of Chaad or Najee need to make stuff happen.
3. Fart
(Coleman)Man, I just don’t think you nailed it enough to grant you top-2 access. Trading away Olave tanked your WR room. Either Rashee Rice or Zay Flowers needs to take a step forward to match what you were getting from Olave. Still, elite QB, elite IDPs, formidable RB trio… bronze is still bronze.
2. ノ(ಠ_ಠノ)
(Spencer)In a game where only one of twelve people can win, you need to chase upside, and Spencer went all-in on upside. I’m a little concerned you spent too frivolously on IDP when you needed one more solid starter. Right now you’re riding into the season with exactly the number of starters you need. One slow start, one injury, one underlying assumption wrong, and you’re back in the pack.
1. You Don’t Pay With Money
(Sean)You can’t fight city hall. Sean’s the king. He has the best team. I would be a fool to bet against him. Saquon Barkley is back, baby. Puka can only grow. Jameses Cook and Conner are easy bets to hold off a couple of rookies. Brock Purdy is the new Tom Brady. Calvin Ridley bet on himself and won. Sean, print that 2024 plackard, champ.
