I promised it in last week’s Draft Strategy piece, so here it is: The RotoBowl Draft Recap. Included here is a comparison between my strategy and what actually happened on draft night, a thorough analysis of my roster, and league Power Rankings, which includes analysis of all 12 teams in the league.
Strategy vs. Actual
If you read my Draft Strategy piece last week, you should have a pretty decent idea of who I would be targeting throughout the draft. Let’s see how accurate my predictions turned out:
…it is very likely that I will end up with either Frank Gore or Andre Johnson.
Andre Johnson went 5th overall, which left me with the easy decision of selecting Gore.
I will be hoping and praying that Jamaal Charles falls to me [at my 2nd pick]…my target here will be a running back or an elite wide receiver.
Jamaal Charles was the pick. Roddy White was his biggest competition, but I couldn’t pass up Charles’ upside.
My main focus throughout the early-to-mid rounds will be solidifying my starting running back and wide receiver units, while also adding plenty of depth at the running back position.
This is exactly how it went. I managed to acquire four of the top 18 running backs on my board (Gore, Charles, Ahmad Bradshaw, Chris Wells) and added another with major upside in Donald Brown. Although I waited for quite a while to choose my 3rd wide receiver (Devin Hester), I grabbed my first two early (Marques Colston, Nicks). I added plenty of depth at both positions throughout the second half of the draft.
Because quarterbacks receive only 4 points for a passing touchdown, I will be waiting to select one. Once I fill in most of my running back and wide receiver slots, my target will be Jay Cutler.
I nailed this one right on the head, as I selected Jay Cutler with pick 6 in round 7. Cutler was the ninth quarterback off the board.
Considering how deep tight end is this season, I will not select one in the early rounds unless Dallas Clark or Antonio Gates fall way beyond their ADP.
Dallas Clark tempted me in Round 4, but I went with Hakeem Nicks instead. In round 9, I finally selected Chris Cooley to man the tight end position. Considering I have my 4th through 9th ranked tight ends basically even, this was a big win for me.
It’s unlikely that I’ll bite on a quarterback or tight end before round seven.
Quarterback in the 7th and Tight End in the 9th.
Here are a few names I’ll be targeting on Tuesday:
QB – Jay Cutler, Ben Roethlisberger
RB – Jamaal Charles, Pierre Thomas, Ahmad Bradshaw, Javon Ringer
WR – Wes Welker, Hakeem Nicks, Terrell Owens, Johnny Knox, Devin Hester, Mike Thomas, Brandon Tate
TE – Zach Miller (Oak), Jermaine Gresham
To make it easy, the players I did acquire are in bold.
The Roster
Here is my complete roster. In parentheses is round selected. In brackets is each player’s positional ranking on my Draft Board (starters only).
Starters:
QB – Jay Cutler (7) [7]
RB – Frank Gore (1) [5]
RB – Jamaal Charles (2) [9]
WR – Marques Colston (3) [8]
WR – Hakeem Nicks (4) [15]
WR – Devin Hester (10) [23]
TE – Chris Cooley (9) [6]
K – Dan Carpenter (20) [7]
D/ST – Denver (19) [13]
FLEX – Chris Wells (5) [17]
FLEX – Ahmad Bradshaw (6) [18]
Bench:
QB – Ben Roethlisberger (11)
QB – Vince Young (17)
RB – Donald Brown (8)
RB – Bernard Scott (13)
WR – Mike Thomas (12)
WR – Louis Murphy (14)
WR – Anthony Gonzalez (15)
WR – Deon Butler (18)
TE – Tony Scheffler (16)
Grades:
Quarterbacks: A- : I’m pleased with my quarterback situation. Often, people will look only at who you have rostered at a specific position and grade you based on the names they say. Because value is so important, it’s important to also consider draft position. Cutler, easily could be a top 5 quarterback if the Martz-led offense is efficient, was selected in round 7, allowing me to load up on runningbacks and acquire a pretty good duo at wide receiver. If Cutler falters, I was able to get Roethlisberger in round 11. He is a top 10 option at the position once he returns from suspension. Young adds depth.
Running Backs: A : I’m not without questionmarks at the position, but who is? Considering I have 4 of my top 18 at the position (which means both flex spots are taken care of), I’m very happy. Frank Gore could easily be the top running back this season if he manages to stay on the field for 16 games. Jamaal Charles, Ahmad Bradshaw, and Beanie Wells are the best backs on their team, but do not have as much of a stranglehold on their team’s carries as Gore does. Regardless, they all have tremendous upside. Donald Brown in round 8 and Bernard Scott in round 13 were upside picks. Both are sophomores who are very talented and in position to see an increase in reps.
Wide Receivers: B : At first glance, this unit doesn’t look too impressive, but, again, it must be viewed in context. Despite waiting on the position, I still managed to grab perennial stud Marques Colston and up-and-coming superstar Hakeem Nicks. I’m very pleased with that WR1-2 situation. From there, I was able to wait until round 10 to grab Devin Hester, who I am very high on. After that, I simply added plenty of depth to make up for any potential shortcomings. I will be disappointed if, at least, one of Thomas, Murphy, Gonzalez, and Butler don’t have a breakout campaign.
Tight Ends: B : The only way I’d give myself an A/A+ here is if I managed to get Antonio Gates or Dallas Clark in round 5. My plan was to wait and still get one of my top nine tight ends. That planned worked. I snagged Chris Cooley in round 9 and selected his backup, Tony Scheffler (my #13 ranked TE) in round 16.
Overall: A- : It might seem a bit egotistical to give myself an A-, but I wouldn’t do it if I wasn’t happy with my effort. I achieved almost all of my goals and was lucky enough to get a majority of my guys where I wanted them. Plus, if you’re not happy with your team after a draft, you probably need to re-evaluate your draft strategy.
League Power Rankings
1. PFF_MikeClay – See extensive analysis above
2. Hous Bin Pharteen – You were able to acquire the Favre-E Manning QB duo late, which is very solid. Moreno-Greene are your only RB starters, but F Taylor/F Jackson/Hightower offer some nice depth. R Moss and Calvin give you 2 studs at WR and Garcon is a great WR3 option. Berrian/Burleson/Cotchery lead your WR depth. Keller is not a TE1, but he is for you. Shockey is a shaky backup.
3. Styktrain – I like the Flacco-Stafford duo at QB. Both have a lot of upside. Rice is a stud and Spiller could be the top rookie RB. It appears they’ll be your only starters at RB, but you’re rich with handcuffs: Maroney/LJohnson/J Davis/Jennings/Huggins/Dixon. Roddy and DeSean are great WR1-2 options. Floyd is an excellent WR3. Tampa’s Mike Williams and McCluster offer a ton of upside. Nelson/Robiskie is okay. Finley is probably the 3rd best TE, but you have no backup. Overall, love your strategy.
4. Kielbasa Killers – Brady/Kolb make for a very nice QB duo. Chris Johnson is the top pick and you smartly grabbed Ringer before I did. Stewart/R Williams are backups, but their upside is insanely high. Snelling/Slaton/BWest are intriguing. You’ll start 4 WRs, which is okay considering they are pretty good: Jennings/Sims-Walker/S Moss/Meachem. L Moore/Bess have some decent upside and Moore handcuffs Meachem. You chose Daniels at TE, which is fine once he returns to 100% healthy. K Boss is a mediocre TE2.
5. Two Wise Men – Rivers-Garrard makes for a decent QB duo. Peterson is a stud at RB and Addai/Barber aren’t bad RB2-3 options. Smart move grabbing Choice and Gerhart. L Washington has an opportunity in Seattle. Lots to like at WR with Steve Smith (car), Fitzgerald, and Welker. Rice was a guy I wish I took earlier than he went. Massaquoi is solid and Edelman is a nice cuff to Welker. Heath/Zach Miller duo at TE is solid. Fred Davis is a headscratcher.
6. Ryan55 – Ryan/Smith at quarterback scares me, but both have some upside, Ryan for sure. Mathews-Forte is okay at RB1-2, but TJ/LT/Hillis isn’t much depth. RB is a concern. The WR situation is better with Andre Johnson/Driver/Maclin/Gaffney leading the way. James Jones/Hartline/Heyward-Bey have plenty of upside and Branch is a starter. You have a nice Witten-VDavis tight end duo, but you took Witten before D Clark went, which means you could’ve waited.
7. Blueprint for Success – Romo-McNabb is a nice duo at quarterback. Jones-Drew leads the RBs and McCoy-F Jones have a ton of potential. Sproles isn’t a terrible flex, but that’s basically all you have at RB. Scary. B Marshall is a nice WR1, but all you have is average depth after that. L Robinson/Collie/Manningham/Walter is scary and you need to decide between Doucet/Breaston each week. Another guy starting 2 tight ends with D Clark/Winslow. At least those 2 are both TE1 material.
8. StillBallin – Can’t argue with Rodgers at QB. Mendy-DWilliams-Forsett-Cadillac foursome allows you to start 2 RBs in Flex, 2 of which are studs, all of which start. Bell and Buckhalter are injury prone, but decent backups. Nice work. The Wide Receivers are shaky, but your bench could bail you out. Crabtree is good, but WR1? No way. TJ Housh and Mike Williams (SEA) have to start? Scary. You’ll need your late picks of Santonio Holmes and Vincent Jackson to bail you out. Gates is a stud TE and Olsen is a fine backup.
9. Blackshirts 2010 – Peyton is an elite QB and Orton is a fine backup. Runningback situation is very shaky. Grant is your RB1 and he’s the only starting RB on your squad. McFadden/R Bush are scary starting options, but at least there’s upside there. Lynch/J Jones aren’t too intriguing on the bench. Wayne/Boldin is a nice duo at WR and you have some depth to fill in the WR3 slot (Edwards/Royal/Britt/R Williams/Henderson). Gonzalez is fine at tight end. I like Gresham as a TE2, but not as a starter at Flex.
10. Andy Herbert – Not in love with Palmer-Henne at QB. You only have 3 RBs in Turner/Best/Taylor and one isn’t even a starter. I like the starting WRs: Austin/Harvin/Knox and you have plenty of depth there: Evans/Naanee/Amendola/B Tate/Shipley. Celek is a very good TE, but having to also start Shiancoe hurts.
11. JC Leston – Schaub is an elite QB, but you reached a bit and it hurt you. Hasselbeck isn’t a strong QB2. S Jackson/Harrison/Portis will manage at RB. Jacobs/McGahee/Moore/Norwood isn’t overly appealing, but at least you’re 7 deep. I like the H Ward/S Smith (nyg) duo and Ochocinco is a good WR3. Chambers was a great pick late and Bryant/Morgan have upside. Carlson is a borderline TE1 and you have no backup. Ouch.
12. Rosemead Gambinos – Brees is an excellent QB, but you have no backup. I like the talent at RB, but it’s a risky situation: R Brown/Benson/Foster/M Bush with K Smith there, too. No WR jumps off the page, but the excess of WR2s makes up for it: TO/Aromashodu/Bowe/Wallace/Mason . Jacoby has most upside on bench. Ben Watson/Heap duo at tight end hurts.
That is a wrap. Remember to check back throughout the season for updates on my progress. In the meantime, head over to RosterDoc.com and check out their impressive list of contests and fantasy games. If you’d like to compete for $20,000 and a trip to the Superbowl with myself, Stephen A. Smith, and Ray Rice, sign up today for RotoBowl. The deadline to register is Thursday!
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