2017 NSBL Fantasy Football Draft Results

Commendable effort to put this data table together, Joe. This should be quite a fun year with a lot of MEAT in this league.


JIm

Is it just me or did everyone forget about Jordan Howard, RB for Chicago Bears? I don't see him anywhere on the list.

My drafting reasoning:

1. Le'Veon Bell - Just duh. I was hoping for Johnson, but I am fine with Bell. Those were obviously the best two players to take.

2. Lamar Miller - I am not a big fan of him, but I wanted someone who I didn't think would split time a lot. There are now rumblings that D'onta Foreman may steal some carries, but he isn't an every down back like Miller can be. Miller isn't exciting, but should be consistent. I wanted Chrissy Mac here but Rich took him the pick before I picked. We are using PPR so a RB who can catch like Chrissy Mac is valuable.

3. Aaron Rodgers - Since I couldn't go Chrissy Mac and then Miller on the flip side, I decided to take the first QB off the board. As Rich, Sean, and myself have been fond of saying throughout the years since our time together in fantasy leagues, "You want to start the run on a position, not follow it." I started the run on QBs and I got arguably the best one. Gonna be hard to root for him against my team Week 1 though. Guess I'll be hoping for a 45-42 Seahawk victory. I also looked at Dalvin Cook and Joe Mixon, but I am not 100% sold they are full-time backs yet, and frankly I wasn't that thrilled with the idea of rooting for either of them.

4. Jordan Reed - Jimmy of course took Gronk too early, just like last year, so that meant I had to go a little earlier on a TE than I wanted to. I was torn between Reed and Graham though. Being a Seattle fan, I wanted Graham. But also being a Seattle fan, I've seen how players in that offense can disappear for a week or two. Just like players do with the Patriots. So I went with Reed. Higher injury risk, but I think more of the Washington offense is focused on him. I just knew I had to get a decent backup later.

5. Larry Fitzgerald - PPR League, and from what Coach Arians has said recently, Fitz is the only receiver who looks NFL caliber at all times for that team. He is gonna get his, and Palmer is going to look for him. Surprised he was still there in the 5th. I guess there are age concerns?

6. Willie Snead - I expect the Saints offense to start running a bit more this year, but Snead is the #2 target in New Orleans passing game now with Cooks gone. Unfortunately, I didn't realize he was facing a possible suspension, and I am going to miss him for the first three weeks of the season. Oh well, I think I'll be fine.

7. Paul Perkins - He's being hyped as a possible breakout RB this year as long as Darkwa doesn't steal too many goal line carries. I figured he'll make a good #3 RB for me. The Giants run almost exclusively out of 11 Personnel, so that means defenses are usually in the nickel. Hopefully that helps keep less people in the box to defend him.

8. Chris Hogan - This will be Hogan's second year in the system with Brady/Belichik and with the loss of Edelman, I can see his production going up to like 80+ catches this season, many being deeper balls. I think he'll be a good start when the Patriots are facing teams that play lots of man-to-man defense and have inferior #2 CBs.

9. Darren McFadden - Despite the number of Cowboys I have on my team, I actually am a lifelong hater. I also think Zeke is a byproduct one of the best two offensive lines in football. And I think McFadden can probably put up 700-800 yards when he starts for the six games that Zeke is suspended. I was planning on those being in the first 7 weeks of the season, that way I could drop his ass like a phone and pick up my backup defense for Week 8. But this delay in Zeke's suspension messed up that plan.

10. Arizona D/ST - Houston was the #1 defense on my board. Seattle and Arizona were #2 and 3. Unfortunately Ginger Matt started the run on defenses before I expected it to start so I missed Houston and Seattle. I know Denver was ranked 1st on many Big Boards, but have you seen the offenses they have to face? San Diego x2. Oakland x2. Kansas City. New England. Cincinnati. Miami. Jersey Giants. Those are some high powered offenses. When your defense loses points by giving up yards/points, that's not a good schedule. Oh, and they also lost one of the best two Defensive Coordinators in NFL history. Denver was a clear Stay Away for me. So I was looking at Arizona. They play Frisco x2. Rams x2. Home v. Seattle (the 2nd game isn't until Week 17). They play the crappy AFC South offenses like Jacksonville, Houston, Indianapolis, and we'll see which Tennessee team shows up. They get Dallas likely without Zeke. Philly with Carson InterWentzion. So yeah... that's why Arizona was one of my favorite defenses this year. Good defense that is healthy again. Second place schedule. AFC West division. NFC East Division (but they don't play Eli until Week 16 when it's cold and it's in Arizona).

11. Jonathan Stewart - I loved Chrissy Mac coming into this draft, but Stewart is still the starter. I think they may run a lot of 2 RB formations with Mac motioning out to the slot or releasing for screens and outlet passes. I don't see him getting more than 10-12 carries a game. Stewart should get the rest if he stays healthy. I think he still gets 18+ a game and the slightly reduced workload keeps him fresher and healthier. Thrilled to get him this late in the draft.

12. Dan Bailey - In a league where we are penalizing for missed XP and missed FG of less than 40 yards, it seemed like a good idea to get the most accurate kicker in NFL History. Unfortunately Jimmy took him before I could, so I grabbed Bailey who is #2 on that list. Tucker really was my #1 target though, but I am happy with Bailey.

13. Jason Witten - As I mentioned before, with a fragile starter at TE, I wanted a solid backup. Witten is getting old, but he is still a worthy own in fantasy. Since 2004 he has yet to miss a single game and has had 89 or more targets in every season since then. Consistency counts.

14. Tyler Lockett - I needed one Seahawk on my team. With the trade of Kearse, Lockett becomes the clear #2 WR for the Seahawks. Some may say that Richardson is competing for that title as well, but those people are idiots. Lockett has been their #2 target since last year. If he can stay healthy he should get over 60 catches, maybe 800 yards, and a half-dozen TDs. he just has to finish getting healthy after breaking his leg last year. I'll be sitting him until I am sure he's a full go.

15. Joe Flacco - Aaron Rodgers has a Bye in Week 8. In Week 8 Flacco plays the Dolphins. Maybe not the most favorable defensive matchup, but it is a Thursday night game and they can be sloppier, and I think it might be closely contested so Flacco may be slinging the ball the whole game. I wanted Dalton here (he faces the Colts) or Wentz (he faces the Niners) but both went before I was ready to take my backup. I also considered Bradford since he faces the Browns, but that's a London game, and I don't like the idea of starting my backup QB in a game in another country halfway around the world. Strange things happen in those games.

16. Kendall Wright - I know people are saying that Kevin White is the #1 in Chicago, but those people are also idiots. Wright is the best WR on that team now that Cam Meredith is out for the year. And in case you didn't know, the Offensive Coordinator for the Bears used to be OC for the Titans in 2012 and 2013 when Wright played there. In those two seasons together, Wright had 158 catches and over 1600 yards. Wright knows his scheme and the OC trusts Wright. Even during the preseason, Wright is their target on 3rd down. And I think the Bears are going to be playing from behind quite a bit, so I wouldn't be surprised if Wright had 90 catches, 1200 yards and 8 touchdowns if he stays healthy all year. I'll take that from the second to last pick in the draft.