This mock was compiled on AUG. 14, 2008, and uses a traditional-league format and scoring.
This is my first stab at an auction draft. If you’re unfamiliar with this, an auction league is where each team takes a turn nominating a player. Teams bid on the players until time expires. The salary cap is $200, so you can’t stock up on superstars.
In case you’re wondering, I have no idea who these people are. I just decided to jump into one of ESPN’s mock auction drafts. I’ll list each team and the amount of money spent on each player. Then, I’ll list all the positions.
TEAM WALTERFOOTBALL.COM :
QB Drew Brees 24
RB LaDainian Tomlinson 67
RB Jamal Lewis 24
WR Calvin Johnson 19
WR Marques Colston 24
WR Roddy White 12
TE Antonio Gates 14
D/ST Vikings D/ST 1
K Nick Folk 1
BE Vincent Jackson 3
BE Rashard Mendenhall 5
BE Maurice Morris 1
BE Aaron Rodgers 1
BE Patrick Crayton 2
BE Pierre Thomas 1
BE Tim Hightower 1
Total: 200.0
Remaining: 0.0
ANALYSIS: This was my first time ever doing an auction draft, but I read somewhere it’s best to go after some of the top players early; that way, you won’t overspend on a lesser player when everyone is hectically scrambling to fill their roster.
I’m pretty happy with my team, save for some depth issues. I feel like I have the best starting lineup in the league. I have the No. 1 guy (Tomlinson), two second-rounders (Jamal Lewis and Marques Colston), one third-rounder (Drew Brees), one fourth-rounder (Antonio Gates) and two fifth-rounders (Roddy White and Calvin Johnson).
That said, I’m screwed if either LaDainian Tomlinson or Jamal Lewis gets injured, and Rashard Mendenhall, Maurice Morris, Pierre Thomas and Tim Hightower don’t pan out. That’s a lot of if’s though.
BEST BUY: I was able to get Lewis for $24 when other equally talented running backs like Maurice Jones-Drew ($29), Willis McGahee ($29), Willie Parker ($28) and Ronnie Brown ($25) were going for more.
I’m not high on Antonio Gates this year, but $14 was a steal, especially when you consider that other teams spent more on Kellen Winslow Jr. ($18) and an equal amount on Tony Gonzalez.
NO DEAL: I love Calvin Johnson, and apparently everyone else does as well. $19 was too much for him. Roy Williams went for $11.
I’m also unhappy I purchased Drew Brees for $24 when I could have bought Peyton Manning for three bucks more.
TEAM MURPHY:
QB Carson Palmer 20
RB Ryan Grant 32
RB Larry Johnson 32
WR Chad Johnson 22
WR Larry Fitzgerald 23
WR Steve Smith 18
TE Chris Cooley 5
D/ST Seahawks D/ST 3
K Stephen Gostkowski 3
BE Marvin Harrison 9
BE Julius Jones 10
BE Marc Bulger 4
BE Josh Scobee 1
BE Jeremy Shockey 8
BE Cowboys D/ST 3
BE Deuce McAllister 1
Total: 194.0
Remaining: 6.0
ANALYSIS: I’m not a fan of Larry Johnson as a RB2 for numerous reasons I’ve listed in my 2008 Fantasy Football Busts, but a solid team overall if Kurt Warner starts (for Larry Fitzgerald).
BEST BUY: How did Team Murphy get Marvin Harrison at $9? Harrison is looking great in practice and could finish with top-15 receiving numbers. The only reason I didn’t outbid for Harrison was because I was strapped for cash.
NO DEAL: I mentioned Larry Johnson, and I can’t justify spending $10 on Julius Jones, but the worst purchase Team Murphy made was spending $3 on a backup defense. Actually, he allocated $10 of his cap to his kickers and defenses. That’s pretty terrible.
TEAM WIERCZOREK:
QB Peyton Manning 26
RB Felix Jones 6
RB LenDale White 13
WR Reggie Wayne 30
WR Andre Johnson 25
WR Santonio Holmes 18
TE Jason Witten 17
D/ST Bears D/ST 3
K Mason Crosby 1
BE Santana Moss 7
BE Selvin Young 6
BE Heath Miller 5
BE Jerricho Cotchery 8
BE Justin Fargas 6
BE Matt Schaub 3
BE Ricky Williams 7
Total: 181.0
Remaining: 19.0
ANALYSIS: If Selvin Young doesn’t pan out, Team Wierczorek doesn’t have anything at running back, as both LenDale White and Felix Jones are in RBBCs. Having $19 left over means Team W… (I refuse to spell this guy’s name) didn’t manage the auction well.
BEST BUY: Team WhateverHisNameIs spent $26 on Peyton Manning when idiots like me spent almost as much on Drew Brees and Tony Romo. Selvin Young was also an incredible bargain at $6.
NO DEAL: Why do you need a backup tight end when your starter is Jason Witten? Team WhoeverYouSpellIt spent five bucks on Heath Miller, yet he could have obtained Owen Daniels for a Mr. Washington.
TEAM ANONYMOUS:
QB Brett Favre 8
RB Steven Jackson 47
RB Rudi Johnson 15
WR Anquan Boldin 16
WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh 19
WR Plaxico Burress 18
TE Dallas Clark 10
D/ST Bills D/ST 1
K John Kasay 1
BE Jonathan Stewart 15
BE Brandon Marshall 11
BE Matt Forte 8
BE Jay Cutler 3
BE DeAngelo Williams 4
BE Bernard Berrian 3
BE Nate Burleson 2
Total: 181.0
Remaining: 19.0
ANALYSIS: Team Anonymous has pretty good depth, but there are tons of questionable starters on his team. Will Brett Favre be successful in a new offense? Can Rudi Johnson stay healthy? Will Anquan Boldin’s production suffer with Matt Leinart at quarterback? Will Dallas Clark’s numbers fall back down to Earth with Marvin Harrison healthy? Team Anonymous should also be penalized for having $19 left over. What was he saving up for?
BEST BUY: This guy spent $11 on his two quarterbacks, Brett Favre and Jay Cutler. That’s pretty good, especially the $3 Cutler deal. Cutler is arguably a better fantasy prospect than Donovan McNabb, who went for $16.
NO DEAL: Tied for Rudi Johnson and Dallas Clark. They’re just too iffy to spend too much money on. Johnson may not hold up, while there were better tight ends who went for much less than Clark did.
TEAM HARNS:
QB Donovan McNabb 16
RB Joseph Addai 51
RB Willie Parker 28
WR Randy Moss 37
WR Greg Jennings 13
WR Dwayne Bowe 11
TE Tony Gonzalez 14
D/ST Giants D/ST 1
K Matt Stover 1
BE Darren McFadden 20
BE Anthony Gonzalez 2
BE Ahmad Bradshaw 2
BE Eli Manning 1
BE Jake Delhomme 1
BE Jason Campbell 1
BE Sammy Morris 1
Total: 200.0
Remaining: 0.0
ANALYSIS: Team Harns has two first-rounders in Joseph Addai and Randy Moss, but he has major depth issues. I have the same problem, but going position-by-position, I own him everywhere except WR1.
BEST BUY: Anthony Gonzalez and Ahmad Bradshaw were both steals for $2 each.
NO DEAL: Willie Parker for $28? What’s up with all of these people overvaluing Willie Parker? He barely scored any touchdowns last year, and now he has to share carries with Rashard Mendenhall. Also, Tony Gonzalez for $14 was a bit ridiculous, considering Antonio Gates also went for $14.
TEAM LUTZE:
QB Tony Romo 25
RB Brian Westbrook 51
RB Marshawn Lynch 36
WR Donald Driver 9
WR Muhsin Muhammad 1
WR D.J. Hackett 1
TE Tony Scheffler 1
D/ST Bengals D/ST 1
K Jason Hanson 1
BE Laurence Maroney 23
BE Edgerrin James 22
BE Ronnie Brown 25
BE Ladell Betts 1
BE Trent Green 1
BE Kerry Collins 1
BE Kyle Brady 1
Total: 200.0
Remaining: 0.0
ANALYSIS: Seriously, what’s with all the running backs? Brian Westbrook and Marshawn Lynch were good purchases, but Laurence Maroney AND Edgerrin James AND Ronnie Brown? We don’t start five running backs! Besides, those three latter runners are all overrated in my opinion. Maroney is very injury-prone; James may surrender his short-yardage carries to Tim Hightower; while Brown is coming off a torn ACL. Team Lutze should have avoided two of those three backs and spent some money on his sorry receiving corps.
BEST BUY: Tony Scheffler was a steal at just a buck. Puts the guy who spent $10 on Dallas Clark to shame.
NO DEAL: Twenty-five bucks for a oft-injured running back coming off a torn ACL wasn’t such a good idea. But forget about that – what’s with Lutze’s infatuation with buying old geezers? Trent Green? Kerry Collins? Kyle Brady? What is this, the early-90s Big Ten reunion tour?
TEAM CREAMER:
QB Derek Anderson 20
RB Adrian Peterson 59
RB Reggie Bush 22
WR Braylon Edwards 29
WR Roy Williams 11
WR Laveranues Coles 10
TE Vernon Davis 5
D/ST Chargers D/ST 5
K Nate Kaeding 2
BE Kevin Smith 12
BE Joey Galloway 4
BE Chris Chambers 5
BE Kevin Curtis 5
BE Donte’ Stallworth 4
BE Chester Taylor 5
BE David Garrard 2
Total: 200.0
Remaining: 0.0
ANALYSIS: Team Creamer is going to cream a lot of teams this year. Get it? Creamer… cream? Uch, I apologize for that. At any rate, Creamer assembled a pretty good squad.
BEST BUY: This guy secured a few bargains, none larger than Roy Williams for 11 bucks. Considering I bought Calvin Johnson for $19, Creamer’s WR2 was a steal. Joey Galloway, Chris Chambers, Donte’ Stallworth, Chester Taylor and David Garrard were all secured when no one else had any money to spend. Creamer has the deepest team in the league.
NO DEAL: Why $5 for Vernon Davis? Owen Daniels, considered a superior tight end by many, was available for a buck.
TEAM ESKITE:
QB Tom Brady 33
RB Willis McGahee 29
RB Thomas Jones 23
WR Torry Holt 18
WR Wes Welker 17
WR Lee Evans 12
TE Kellen Winslow 18
D/ST Falcons D/ST 1
K John Carney 1
BE Earnest Graham 19
BE Matt Hasselbeck 14
BE Hines Ward 11
BE Philip Rivers 1
BE Tatum Bell 1
BE Leon Washington 1
BE Mark Brunell 1
Total: 200.0
Remaining: 0.0
ANALYSIS: I like Team Eskite’s squad. Other than defense and kicker (seriously, Falcons and John Carney?) he’s pretty solid everywhere.
BEST BUY: Torry Holt was a pretty good bargain at $18. Once again, I spent $19 on Calvin Johnson, and Holt is obviously much more proven than Johnson.
NO DEAL: Why spend $18 on Kellen Winslow Jr. when Jason Witten ($17) and Antonio Gates ($14) went for less? Also, allocating $14 for Matt Hasselbeck’s services is a bit absurd, given that Deion Branch and Bobby Engram will be out for an extended period of time. And what’s the deal with Mark Brunell?
TEAM POLLARD:
QB Jon Kitna 1
RB Marion Barber 39
RB Ahman Green 1
WR Terrell Owens 30
WR Reggie Williams 1
WR Reggie Brown 1
TE Tony Curtis 1
D/ST Broncos D/ST 1
K Joe Nedney 1
BE Jerious Norwood 2
BE Kenny Watson 2
BE Javon Walker 2
BE Chris Brown 2
BE Sidney Rice 2
BE Chris Johnson 2
BE LaMont Jordan 2
Total: 90.0
Remaining: 110.0
ANALYSIS: Oh boy, where do we start? Team Pollard’s starters include Jon Kitna, Ahman Green, Reggie Williams, Reggie Brown and Tony Curtis. Who the heck is Tony Curtis?
BEST BUY: Team Pollard’s best dollar was spent on Jon Kitna, who looked really sharp against the Giants in the preseason. Hey, I’m trying to find some silver lining here…
NO DEAL: Let’s concentrate on the $110 Team Pollard has left over. That alone qualifies him as the worst team in the league.
TEAM CARON:
QB Ben Roethlisberger 21
RB Frank Gore 39
RB Clinton Portis 41
WR Derrick Mason 1
WR James Hardy 1
WR Isaac Bruce 1
TE Todd Heap 3
D/ST Browns D/ST 1
K Jason Elam 1
BE Maurice Jones-Drew 29
BE Brandon Jacobs 22
BE Michael Turner 20
BE Fred Taylor 17
BE Derrick Ward 1
BE Gus Frerotte 1
BE Marcus Pollard 1
Total: 200.0
Remaining: 0.0
ANALYSIS: If you take away the receivers, Team Caron has a pretty solid squad. But like Team Lutze, Caron allocated all of his money to his running backs. The man is like the Tennessee Titans; he simply doesn’t believe in wide receivers.
BEST BUY: Todd Heap for $3 was a solid bargain, as was Derrick Mason for a dollar.
NO DEAL: I can rant and rave about using $17 on your RB6, but Caron’s worst move was spending any money at all on Gus Frerotte. Ironically, Tarvaris Jackson was available.
QUARTERBACKS:
QB Tom Brady 33
QB Peyton Manning 26
QB Tony Romo 25
QB Drew Brees 24
QB Ben Roethlisberger 21
QB Derek Anderson 20
QB Carson Palmer 20
QB Donovan McNabb 16
BE Matt Hasselbeck 14
QB Brett Favre 8
BE Marc Bulger 4
BE Matt Schaub 3
BE Jay Cutler 3
BE David Garrard 2
QB Jon Kitna 1
BE Aaron Rodgers 1
BE Jake Delhomme 1
BE Jason Campbell 1
BE Trent Green 1
BE Kerry Collins 1
BE Philip Rivers 1
BE Mark Brunell 1
ANALYSIS: Peyton Manning was pretty cheap compared to Tony Romo and Drew Brees; he probably should have went for $29 or $30.
Again, Matt Hasselbeck could struggle without his top two receivers. Spending $14 on him as a backup quarterback was ridiculous on Team Eskite’s part.
I can’t believe Marc Bulger went for more than Matt Schaub and Jay Cutler. The Rams are going to struggle to win five games this year, and Bulger will be lucky to avoid the injured list behind an abysmal offensive line. If you read the Titans-Rams analysis on my 2008 Preseason Fantasy Notes page, you know what I’m talking about.
RUNNING BACKS:
RB LaDainian Tomlinson 67
RB Adrian Peterson 59
RB Joseph Addai 51
RB Brian Westbrook 51
RB Steven Jackson 47
RB Clinton Portis 41
RB Frank Gore 39
RB Marion Barber 39
RB Marshawn Lynch 36
RB Ryan Grant 32
RB Larry Johnson 32
RB Maurice Jones-Drew 29
RB Willis McGahee 29
RB Willie Parker 28
RB Ronnie Brown 25
RB Jamal Lewis 24
BE Laurence Maroney 23
RB Thomas Jones 23
RB Reggie Bush 22
BE Edgerrin James 22
BE Brandon Jacobs 22
BE Michael Turner 20
RB Darren McFadden 20
RB Earnest Graham 19
BE Fred Taylor 17
RB Rudi Johnson 15
BE Jonathan Stewart 15
RB LenDale White 13
BE Kevin Smith 12
BE Julius Jones 10
BE Matt Forte 8
BE Ricky Williams 7
RB Felix Jones 6
BE Selvin Young 6
BE Justin Fargas 6
BE Rashard Mendenhall 5
BE Chester Taylor 5
BE DeAngelo Williams 4
BE Ahmad Bradshaw 2
BE Jerious Norwood 2
BE Kenny Watson 2
BE Sidney Rice 2
BE Chris Johnson 2
BE Chris Brown 2
BE LaMont Jordan 2
BE Maurice Morris 1
BE Deuce McAllister 1
BE Pierre Thomas 1
BE Tim Hightower 1
BE Sammy Morris 1
BE Ladell Betts 1
BE Tatum Bell 1
BE Leon Washington 1
RB Ahman Green 1
BE Derrick Ward 1
ANALYSIS: I’m not even going into Larry Johnson and Ronnie Brown again. If you want to read more on why I think these two players are busts, go to my 2008 Fantasy Football Busts page.
$28 for Willie Parker is also an outrage.
When factoring all the hype, I’m surprised Darren McFadden didn’t go for more than $20. I was expecting something in the 23-26 ballpark. Twenty is fair value for him.
Considering that Selvin Young is Denver’s clear-cut starting running back, I can’t believe he was available for $6.
Julius Jones: $10. Maurice Morris: $1. Sense something wrong with that? How does the backup go for $9 more than the starter?
WIDE RECEIVERS:
WR Randy Moss 37
WR Reggie Wayne 30
WR Terrell Owens 30
WR Braylon Edwards 29
WR Andre Johnson 25
WR Marques Colston 24
WR Larry Fitzgerald 23
WR Chad Johnson 22
WR Calvin Johnson 19
WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh 19
WR Steve Smith 18
WR Santonio Holmes 18
WR Plaxico Burress 18
WR Torry Holt 18
WR Wes Welker 17
WR Anquan Boldin 16
WR Greg Jennings 13
WR Roddy White 12
BE Lee Evans 12
BE Hines Ward 11
BE Brandon Marshall 11
BE Dwayne Bowe 11
WR Roy Williams 11
BE Marvin Harrison 9
WR Donald Driver 9
BE Jerricho Cotchery 8
BE Santana Moss 7
BE Chris Chambers 5
BE Kevin Curtis 5
BE Donte’ Stallworth 4
BE Joey Galloway 4
BE Vincent Jackson 3
BE Bernard Berrian 3
BE Nate Burleson 2
BE Patrick Crayton 2
BE Anthony Gonzalez 2
BE Javon Walker 2
BE Sidney Rice 2
WR D.J. Hackett 1
WR James Hardy 1
BE Muhsin Muhammad 1
WR Reggie Williams 1
WR Reggie Brown 1
WR Isaac Bruce 1
WR Derrick Mason 1
ANALYSIS: Andre Johnson continues to be undervalued. I have him as my No. 2 receiver, yet he was $5 cheaper than both Reggie Wayne and Terrell Owens.
Calvin Johnson for $19? I know I overspent for him, but there was also someone else bidding with me. This guy’s stock has clearly risen, so you may not be able to obtain him in the fifth round of your fantasy drafts any longer.
Interesting that Chad Johnson went for more than T.J. Houshmandzadeh. That’s the way it should be, but Who’s Yo Momma has gone higher than Johnson in almost every real and mock draft I’ve seen.
Roddy White and Roy Williams should have been more expensive. There’s no way Lee Evans, Hines Ward and Brandon Marshall (out for two games) are equally valuable in fantasy football.
Marvin Harrison for $9? Perhaps the biggest steal in this mock auction draft. Harrison has been practicing, and he apparently looks like the Harrison of 1998-2006.
TIGHT ENDS:
TE Kellen Winslow 18
TE Jason Witten 17
TE Antonio Gates 14
TE Tony Gonzalez 14
TE Dallas Clark 10
BE Jeremy Shockey 8
TE Chris Cooley 5
BE Heath Miller 5
TE Vernon Davis 5
TE Todd Heap 3
TE Tony Scheffler 1
BE Kyle Brady 1
TE Tony Curtis 1
BE Marcus Pollard 1
ANALYSIS: I’m still confused as to why Kellen Winslow was $1 more than Jason Witten and $3 more than Antonio Gates.
Dallas Clark is not the fourth-best tight end in a traditional league, especially with Marvin Harrison looking 100 percent.
There’s no reason Vernon Davis should have been $2 more than Todd Heap.
Why wasn’t Owen Daniels purchased over the likes of Kyle Brady, Tony Curtis and Marcus Pollard?
KICKERS:
K Stephen Gostkowski 3
K Nate Kaeding 2
K Mason Crosby 1
K Nick Folk 1
K John Kasay 1
K Matt Stover 1
K Jason Hanson 1
K John Carney 1
K Joe Nedney 1
K Jason Elam 1
BE Josh Scobee 1
ANALYSIS: Why would anyone spend more than a dollar on a kicker, especially a guy who’s not the top kicker?
DEFENSES:
D/ST Chargers D/ST 5
D/ST Seahawks D/ST 3
D/ST Bears D/ST 3
BE Cowboys D/ST 3
D/ST Vikings D/ST 1
D/ST Bills D/ST 1
D/ST Giants D/ST 1
D/ST Bengals D/ST 1
D/ST Falcons D/ST 1
D/ST Broncos D/ST 1
D/ST Browns D/ST 1
ANALYSIS: I have no idea why the Bengals, Falcons and Broncos were drafted. Chalk those up there with Mark Brunell, Gus Frerotte and Tony Curtis.
2008 Fantasy Football – Home Page
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