Aug. 28, 2016.
This is NOT fantasy football mock draft. This is a REAL 2016 Fantasy Football Draft I took part in with 11 friends. I’ve been in this league along with Kenny Ortiz – from the podcast and the WalterFootball.com YouTube Channel – since 2002, so with access to a spreadsheet this year, I thought I’d share the results, since we’ve been talking about it.
This league goes 18 rounds and starts the usual, save for three receivers instead of a flex. As usual, I’ll have analysis of my picks, as well as the best and worst selections every two rounds.
Just a heads up that we have 2016 Fantasy Football Mock Drafts every Wednesday afternoon or evening. Check out the forum or follow me on Twitter (@walterfootball) to find out when the next mock draft will be.
MY PICKS, ROUNDS 1-2: I’m sorry if the pick images on this are small, but it’s the best I could do. I selected Julio Jones out of the fourth slot, which seemed like a no-brainer to me, especially considering that this is a 3-WR league.
I was utterly shocked Le’Veon Bell dropped to me at 2.09. I thought he’d be taken at the turn, especially in the wake of his reduced suspension. Three games is not a huge deal. I was actually 1-2 in this league last year and went on to win the championship, so that seems like a solid avenue to re-take.
BEST PICKS, ROUNDS 1-2: I was really hoping Keenan Allen would fall to me, so Aju made a great selection right before me. I also think Lamar Miller was a steal at 2.11.
WORST PICKS, ROUNDS 1-2: I can’t get behind drafting a quarterback early in a 3-WR league. Wideouts are going to be way too thin, as you’ll see. In a 3-WR league, if you don’t have at least three good starting receivers, you could be toast. Believe me, I’ve had some horrible years in this league because I simply wasn’t deep at wideout.
MY PICKS, ROUNDS 3-4: T.Y. Hilton was an easy choice for me when Brandon Marshall was snatched off the board. My plan was to attack the receiver position early. I almost considered another wideout at 4.09, but there were four or so I had in the same tier, so I thought I could obtain one of them at 5.04. Jeremy Hill seemed like a viable option, especially considering that my top running back won’t be available until Week 4.
BEST PICKS, ROUNDS 3-4: Marshall and Randall Cobb made a lot of sense to me, and I could lump in Brandin Cooks and Demaryius Thomas as well. This is the right ADP for them in standard leagues, so they obviously have more value in this sort of a format. Elsewhere, Devonta Freeman, Doug Martin and Thomas Rawls provided a lot of value for where they were taken.
WORST PICKS, ROUNDS 3-4: Again, I wouldn’t go with quarterbacks so early, though it’s less offensive in the third or fourth rounds. I also wouldn’t have touched Matt Forte in the fourth frame; I’ve discussed him ad nauseum this summer, and you can check out my Fantasy Football Busts page for more.
MY PICKS, ROUNDS 5-6: Marvin Jones was one of the receivers in that aforementioned tier. It was actually between him and Eric Decker. I like Jones more, as Decker seems more volatile with Ryan Fitzpatrick sucking in the preseason.
And yes, another receiver at 6.09. Again, being super deep at wideout in a 3-WR format pays major dividends.
BEST PICKS, ROUNDS 5-6: Kenny deserves a shout out for Decker, since I was considering him at 5.04. I also love his Melvin Gordon pick in the wake of how great Gordon looked Sunday. Ameer Abdullah also provided a lot of value for Anish.
WORST PICKS, ROUNDS 5-6: I’m going to mention quarterbacks again because Tom Brady went in the fifth round. I think that’s way too early for Brady, as he won’t be around until Week 5. Brady just turned 39, so there’s no guarantee he’ll be as dominant.
Elsewhere, players I’ve mentioned as busts on this site include Latavius Murray and Arian Foster. I wouldn’t be shocked if both lose their starting jobs by October for various reasons.
MY PICKS, ROUNDS 7-8: FIVE RECEIVERS IN SEVEN PICKS!? That was my plan: Attack the receiver position early, address everything else later. Tyler Lockett is actually the final wideout I picked in this entire draft. As you’ll see later, some of the receivers taken in the double-digit rounds are super sketchy. I wanted five strong wideouts I could start on any given week, and I feel like I accomplished that goal.
As for my other choice, I’m not the biggest Matt Jones fan, but in the eighth round? Why the hell not? I’m fine with him starting thrice until Le’Veon Bell returns.
BEST PICKS, ROUNDS 7-8: If Tyler Lockett was off the board, I may have taken Michael Crabtree. Also, Tajae Sharpe in the eighth round! Aju asked me if I thought that was early for Sharpe. According to the ADP, it was, but Sharpe is a stud, and I doubt Aju will regret that selection.
I also have to mention that I’m jealous of Manu’s pick of DeAngelo Williams. I planned to target Williams in this round to pair with Bell.
WORST PICKS, ROUNDS 7-8: A funny moment in this draft occurred when Anish thought he was on the clock and tried to take John Brown. It was Manu’s turn, however, and he selected Brown seconds after hearing Anish. I actually don’t like this pick. Brown is a scary player, as he’s dealt with headaches throughout August. If he sustains another concussion, he could be out for an entire month.
I also don’t like the Carson Palmer and Derek Carr picks. Palmer has endured a terrible preseason, while Carr seems like someone who could be obtained four rounds later.
MY PICKS, ROUNDS 9-10: Ideally, I’d take DeAndre Washington in the 10th round, but considering that some of my Fantasy Football Sleepers were flying off the board – Devin Funchess, Tajae Sharpe – I thought I’d just be safe and take Washington in the ninth frame.
Oh, and I got my starting quarterback in the 10th round. I bet Kenny was jealous of that strategy! I was shocked that Blake Bortles slipped that far. I’m not the biggest Bortles fan, but he provides great value at 10.09.
BEST PICKS, ROUNDS 9-10: It seems like the final decent receivers went off the board in these two rounds. This includes Phillip Dorsett, Will Fuller, Kamar Aiken and Willie Snead. If you missed the boat on these guys and still needed a wideout for depth, good luck!
WORST PICKS, ROUNDS 9-10: Taking defenses this early is lazy! Those were the only picks I truly hated in these two rounds, though I can’t say I was a fan of Laquon Treadwell at 9.11. Treadwell has shown no signs that he’s ready to play with the starters.
MY PICKS, ROUNDS 11-12: Back-to-back quarterbacks makes sense, since I took my first one in Round 10. I’m confident that one of Bortles or Jameis Winston will post QB1 numbers for me. Perhaps both will, allowing me to play matchups.
Zach Miller, taken in the 12th round, is my starting tight end. There isn’t much to say about this, as it’s a boring pick, but a necessary one.
BEST PICKS, ROUNDS 11-12: A starting running back in Round 11? How does that happen for Manu in terms of Isaiah Crowell? That’s great value. I also liked the Charles Sims pick, as I was strongly considering him as early as 10.09.
WORST PICKS, ROUNDS 11-12: Remember how I said some sketchy receivers would be chosen later in the draft? How about Torrey Smith, Steve Smith and Anquan Boldin? Yuck! It’s even going to get worse on the waiver wire. Again, if you’re in a 3-WR league, grab players at that position as early as possible!
MY PICKS, ROUNDS 13-18: I’m going to lump the final six picks in together here. I snatched three running backs on my Fantasy Football Sleepers page in Rounds 13-16. I think one of them could end up being a big-time producer for me.
By the way, I went with the Lions defense because of Indianapolis’ offensive line. Detroit’s front is going to dominate the trenches and sack Andrew Luck a bunch of times in Week 1.
BEST PICKS, ROUNDS 13-18: High-upside picks include: Bilal Powell, Jared Cook, Josh Ferguson and Chris Conley.
WORST PICKS, ROUNDS 13-18: Yucky receivers include: Josh Doctson, Ted Ginn, Nelson Agholor, Rishard Matthews and Robert Woods. Also, backup defenses? Seriously, guys?
I’ll be adjusting some of my Fantasy Football Rankings based on these draft results, so check them out. Also, we’ll be doing mock drafts every Wednesday evening, so come join us!
My Fantasy Team:
QB – Blake Bortles, Jaguars 5
RB – Le’Veon Bell, Steelers 8
RB – Jeremy Hill, Bengals 9
WR – Julio Jones, Falcons 11
WR – T.Y. Hilton, Colts 10
WR – Marvin Jones, Lions 10
TE – Zach Miller, Bears 9
K – Chris Boswell, Steelers
DEF – Lions Defense
BN – Emmanuel Sanders, WR, Broncos 11
BN – Tyler Lockett, WR, Seahawks 5
BN – Matt Jones, RB, Redskins 9
BN – DeAndre Washington, RB, Raiders 10
BN – Jameis Winston, QB, Buccaneers 6
BN – Spencer Ware, RB, Chiefs 5
BN – Robert Kelley, RB, Redskins 9
BN – Dwayne Allen, TE, Colts 10
BN – Kenneth Dixon, RB, Ravens
I went into this draft with a goal, and I accomplished it. Whether this means actual success remains to be seen, but I like my team. I have great depth at receiver for a 3-WR league, and once Le’Veon Bell returns, I’ll be strong at running back as well. I don’t appear to be great at quarterback, but I like Winston, and Bortles has shown the ability to post mega stats in the right situations. I’m definitely horrible at tight end, but I’m hoping that someone will become available on the waiver wire.
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