Category Archives: Football Administration

Inaugural High Stakes League update 7

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By Matt Russell

Updated: November 19th 2021

I don’t have much for stories this week.  More or less just an update.  Let’s take a look at the current playoff seeding:

(1)  Y Town 8-2, 1504pts

(2)  “The Don” Piccolo 8-2, 1303

(3)  XFL Stars 7-3, 1579

(4)  Big Tings 6-4, 1346

(5)  Wendell Takeover Project 5-5, 1393

(6)  Rodge and Dodge 4-6, 1356

(7)  Borderland Bombers 5-5, 1284

(8)  DC Guardians 5-5, 1277

(9)  Philadelphia Freeways 6-4, 1212

(10) Schless is More 3-7, 1184

(11) These Truths to be Self Richard Dent 2-8, 1108

(12) NJ Generals 1-9, 1101

A quick review of one of last week’s games.  Philadelphia Freeways, subject of our last update, continued their ways despite the trade deadline shakeup.  Newly acquired Davante Adams and Amari Cooper each fell about five points short of their season averages and Philly Freeways put up a measly 99 points.  But, the team wins again against a tanking Schless is More who almost accidentally pulled off the upset with 96 points themselves, giving Philly a decent scare.  Despite another win and one of the better records in the league, the team sits at the 9th seed due to their low point total.  Remember, after the first four playoff seeds the final two are decided by total points.   It’s looking more and more likely this team will have to win enough games to make it into the top four spots if they are to be playoff bound and possibly repeat as league champion.  Which is entirely possible.

A match we will be watching in week eleven is a showdown between the top two seeds.  “The Don” Piccolo and Y Town face off to give us a clear number one seed after this week and, with only a few more games remaining in the regular season, no one can afford a loss.  Due to the point total for each team, I think “The Don” is in more of a must-win situation.  Y Town is sitting pretty no matter what with second highest points in the league.  Salivating and watching from that 3rd seed spot, is XFL stars.  They are our total points leader and, if they keep winning, look to move into that #2 spot after this week.  But, who do they face?  Those Philadelphia Freeways.  I know this much, 99 points won’t win against XFL Stars.  XFL Stars is averaging 158 points per week and has never scored less than 110 points in any week.  But the Philly Freeways keep pulling off the wins.  Can they do it again?

Join me next week to find out.  Thanks for joining me for another update.  See you next week.

RSO High Stakes League Storyteller

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RSO Mock Contract Draft

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By Bernard Faller

Updated: March 20th 2021

One of the items I wanted to accomplish this offseason was hosting a mock draft utilizing RSO contracts.  The mock presents a unique type of draft where drafters selected RSO contracts for available players, in effect a full league mock dispersal draft.  This unique style offers difficult choices as each selection must not only take into account the total value of a contract but also the opportunity costs of potentially missing out on another player a GM valued.  Below the reader may find all team mock drafts along with brief analysis of some picks.

The Draft Structure

10 teams selected 15 contracts with assumed starting requirements of 1QB/1 Superflex/2RB/2WR/1TE/2 Flex, PPR scoring, and a $180 milion salary cap.  Average contract data came from RSO auctions in 2020 prior to the start of the season with one year taken away from average contracts in order to examine typical contracts which might be available to RSO GMs.  Naturally, this mock excludes some players whose contracts averaged one year in length last year (examples include James Robinson and Drew Brees).  No rookie contracts were included.   No consideration to extensions or franchise tags was given so that only the contracts themselves were assigned value.

The Top 40

A look at the top forty contracts selected seems like a good spot to start with the average salary in millions shown above.  The first four players form the core of many teams and team salary cap restraints typically do not present much of an obstacle through four contracts.  GMs simply select the best values as they see fit.

Maybe the most notable part of this mock was the lack of wide receivers chosen at the top.  The first wide receiver taken was with the 17th contract and just four wide receivers were chosen through the first 30 picks while even four tight ends were selected in the top-31 picks.  The depth of wide receiver can be seen with quality starters taken throughout the draft (and some not drafted at all).

Six quarterbacks and four running backs composed the first round.  The value of quarterbacks in shallow superflex leagues like this mock remains a mystery to many.  This group of GMs paid a premium in terms of pick value locking up the top group of passers.  I typically don’t like the value of top quarterbacks given the relatively small marginal point spread between passers when compared to other positions.   The value of middle tier QBs tends to be excellent and one may usually assemble a nice batch of low-cost options for weekly matchup plays.  The reader will see application of the strategy below in my team mock.

Interesting Contracts not Drafted

The number of teams and salary cap made drafting every potential relevant player unrealistic.  Drew Lock ($9M/2 yrs), Teddy Bridgewater ($8M/1 yr), Melvin Gordon($17M/1 yr),  Chris Carson($13M/1yr), Zach Ertz($13M/1 yr), Evan Engram($11M/1 yr), Julio Jones($26M/2 yrs), Juju Smith-Schuster ($24M/2 yrs), and Amari Cooper($22M/2 yrs) represent a sample of contracts not drafted in this mock.  Julio and Cooper seem especially egregious misses when looking at rosters afterwards.

Teams 1 and 2

Both of our first two GMs took similar, fairly common team-building approaches for superflex leagues, paying up at quarterback in terms of draft capital and foregoing tight ends until later.

Best Values:  The room generally loved Josh Allen’s contract finding it well worth the first pick at his relatively low cost and Diontae Johnson should provide tremendous value in PPR leagues.  Team 2 locked up Justin Jefferson for 2 years at a significant discount from market price after one of the best rookie seasons ever from a wide receiver.

Questionable Picks:  I don’t think any of team 1’s picks are necessarily troublesome.  I question if the GM would consolidate marginal starters, late round tight ends, etc. into an every-week starter like Julio or add running back depth like Gordon if they had the choice again (similarly for team 2 with players like Brown and Samuel).  Hindsight is always easier when you know how cap allocations turn out.

Hurts’ contract is interesting as simultaneously price cheap and draft pick expensive in this exercise.  He’s definitely underpriced compared to what the contract will go for later this year and his range of outcomes includes a QB1 finish.  On the other hand, he was among the worse quarterbacks in the league during his time as a starter and part of his range of outcomes includes not being the starter for all or a portion of the year.  The team gave up the chance at a premium player for a massive question mark.

Teams 3 and 4

I drafted team 3 so will examine it a little more.  The big difference from other squads is that I did not pick a QB until the 5th round where every other team had their first QB by the 3rd and all but one picked a QB by the 2nd round.  My team also concentrated on locking up the core players on multi-year contracts more than some others.  The pick of Taylor raised some eyebrows but really shouldn’t.  The fantasy RB6 from 2020 and FantasyPros’ consensus dynasty RB4 priced as the RB14 for 2 years seems a nice foundation piece.  I grabbed Kittle in the 3rd as the last of the big three tight ends.  McLaurin, Fuller, and Aiyuk produced top-20 WR per game fantasy years last season.  Taysom Hill is the super arbitrage version of Jalen Hurts picked far later in this mock.

Team 4 landed Herbert to start on a cheap deal allowing a very balanced roster highlighted by a tremendous receiving group.

Best Values:  Robby Anderson was a fantasy star early last season.  Carolina actively tried to upgrade QB this offseason and Curtis Samuel may be gone in free agency.  Mark Andrews is a nice grab that late in the mock.  There’s some volatility with Lamar Jackson and a low volume passing offense but he is one of the few tight ends with significant workloads.

Questionable Picks:  Team 3 has no questionable picks.  I will not allow it.  The concern for team 4 is going out of the mock with Winston as the only other quarterback after Herbert.  The contract is nice but he is not a starting quarterback at this point with only a few potential landing spots left.

Teams 5 and 6

Both GMs paid handsomely for a couple of elite players plus took a wait and see approach to tight end.

Best Values:  Second-year running backs Akers and Dobbins will be popular players especially with these discount contracts.  I also like the Smith/Goedert combo at tight end for cheap.

Questionable Picks:  It was a very nice mock for team 5 with no real issues, maybe a little consolidation to upgrade the RB2 spot could be argued.  The stars and scrubs approach took a toll at the end for team 6 who failed to grab a viable tight end due to cap constraints.  Grabbing Knox with Goedert (who went one pick after) on the board at just a little higher salary had to be a gut punch.

Teams 7 and 8

Both teams utilized a diverse drafting strategy grabbing one of every position by round 5 and taking their 2nd QB by round 7.  Team 8 really went for players on the cheap after the first couple of picks providing a lot of cap flexibility later on when most other teams were trying to save dollars.

Best Values:  Diggs’ contract sits at the WR20 price, enough said.  The $4M contract of Gibson is almost guaranteed to provide outstanding value if just for a year.

Questionable Picks:  Despite a jump in real life play, Mayfield was just the QB26 in per game fantasy scoring last season.  I see no reason to jump on the 11th highest quarterback contract this early in the mock.  Team 8 used most of the big cap surplus to get Sutton, Godwin, and Kupp later on in the draft.  All are fine players but this seems like a bit of a let-down considering the other high salary players available.

Teams 9 and 10

Team 9 took a very flat salary structure across most of the picks avoiding expensive picks early where team 10 paid up for his early picks.

Best Values:  I will simply quote Team 9’s GM. “Swift one of my top 5 RBs going forward. Easy decision here. Was surprised he was still available.”  Metcalf is one of the top fantasy wide receivers for many with lots of room to provide value on this contract.

Questionable Picks:  Using more than $30M combined on Tua, Jones, and Goff seems like overkill for marginal superflex quarterbacks and a glaring chance to upgrade other positions.  Paying Fournette $17M presents quite a risk for a running back limited in the passing game without a team.

Bio:  Bernard Faller has degrees in engineering and economics.  He currently lives in Las Vegas and enjoys athletics, poker, and fantasy football in his free time.  Send your questions and comments (both good and bad) on Twitter @BernardFaller1.

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RSO Inaugural High Stakes League Playoff Update

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By Stephen Wendell

Updated: December 20th 2020

Hello RSO GMs! Many of you probably remember the emails from this summer in search for some hardcore GMs ready to put up serious cash to reserve their place in the first ever High Stakes League on our platform. Well, it took all summer, but we finally got to twelve GMs/Owners, and the league was born. From all over the US, the twelve GMs have been battling hard all season long, culminating in six playoff berths last week. The seeds were as follows:

#1 Seed – Schless is More – led by RSO vets and brothers Jude and John Schlesselman and representing the great state of Oklahoma, Schless is More has been balanced since the beginning of the season, led by three of his key signings on auction day. Russell Wilson (4 yrs $151.5mm) is QB #3, Dalvin Cook (3 yrs $100.5mm) is RB #2 and Darren Waller (2 yrs @ $23.5mm) is TE #2, and the trio has led Schless to a 10-3 record and a league high 1935 points.

#2 Seed – Philadelphia Freeways – led by Jared Smith a mystery GM and representing the city of brotherly love, Philadelphia, Jared and the Freeways got off to a hot start to the year, winning his first six games of the year. He finished the regular season at 10-3 with the #2 seed, led by free agent signings Travis Kelce (2 yrs @ $50mm and TE #1) and Stefon Diggs (1 yr @ $14mm!! for WR #3 as of this week). Unlike Schless who made only a few trades during the year that did not materially impact his team (other than having Matt Stafford starting in the Open Flex this week), Jared made a few key trades during the season that have helped him get to where he is. In Week 6, he dealt his 2022 1st Round and Joe Burrow to get Aaron Jones, a top 5 RB that had a monster game last night for the Freeways, helping him (along with Diggs) to have a 50.50 to 49.86 lead over #3 seed The “Don” headed into play this afternoon. He made another deal with the same team, Rodge and Dodge, in Week 10 right before the trade deadline, and he picked up his other starting RB, David Montgomery, and Brandin Cooks/Antonio Brown, in exchange for Dexter Williams, Tyler Higbee, OBJ and his 2021 1st and 2022 2nd. Jared is going all in to win this year, and he is now two weeks away from achieving that dream.

#3 Seed – The “Don” Piccolo – from St. Louis, Missouri, Ryan Bennett is what some would call a “fantasy nut”, as he has 50+ teams he manages each year. We are proud to have him in the inaugural High Stakes League, and he has had a great season, going 8-5 and winning a three-way tiebreaker for the #3 seed by virtue of his 1815 points scored. The “Don” has been led by his two QBs he signed in the auction, Kyler Murray (4 yrs @ $190.5mm QB#1) and Justin Herbert (2 yrs @ $14.5mm QB #10), as well as consistent play (and QB-WR stacking benefits) from DeAndre Hopkins (3 yrs @ $98.5mm WR#6). After defeating the #6 seed NJ Generals last week, he trails the Freeways by a couple points heading into action this afternoon, as he looks to keep the dream alive with a big upset win this week and a championship berth.

#4 Seed – Borderland Bombers – the Borderland Bombers are our #4 seed and are led by Steven Schuster from El Paso, Texas (aka football country). Schuster led his squad to a 8-5 record and 1796 points. After starting a pedestrian 5-5, the Bombers caught fire over the last three weeks of the season, winning all three contests, and then knocked off #5 seed Y-Town in the first round of the playoffs, riding great games from two of his multi-year guys, Lamar Jackson (4 yrs @ $225mm) and Calvin Ridley (4 yrs @ $68.5mm). On RSO, it is not always about the Draft or the Auction or even trades, but about the in-season acquisitions that are made. In week 1 (after the auction but before the NFL season commenced), Borderland signed undrafted free agents James Robinson to a 1yr $2.5mm deal (he is now RB #4) and Mike Davis to a 1yr $1mm deal (he is now RB #8). The Bombers are looking to keep the hot streak alive and pull off the huge upset over Schless is More this weekend.

#5 Seed – Y-Town – led by Daniel Johnson from Youngstown, OH, Y-Town also had an 8-5 year, but received the #5 seed by scoring 10 fewer points (1786) than the Bombers. Led by Alvin Kamara (4yrs @ $138.5mm RB#1) and Josh Allen (QB #4), who he acquired in a 12 player trade in Week 8 that also included a 2022 draft pick, Y-Town had a great first season in the league, but the Bombers proved too much for them, as Schuster’s squad bested Johnson’s team in the regular season finale in Week 13 (138.60-113.68) and then again last week (163.88-133.84). With no 1st or 2nd round picks left in 2021, Y-Town will look to his long-term core of Josh Allen, Alvin Kamara and Josh Jacobs to lead his squad to success in the years to come.

#6 Seed – NJ Generals – the last of our playoff teams is led by Greg Salter out of Trenton, NJ. The Generals had some tough matchup luck this season, going only 5-8, but they made it to the playoffs via their 1770 total points scored (the #5 and #6 seeds are decided based on total points). Led by the WR duo of Tyreek Hill (3 yrs @ $103mm WR #1) and Tyler Lockett (2 yrs @ $23mm WR #10), the Generals kept their poise after starting the year 1-5, which included a couple of tough beats, and just kept tallying points each and every week, resulting in a #6 seed and chance to play The “Don” in the first round of the playoffs. While Miles Sanders and Tyreek Hill had phenomenal weeks, Salter’s squad could not overcome the goose eggs laid by Noah Fant (0 points) and James Conner (1.80 points). In the end, The “Don” was too tough, besting the Generals 136.58-115.92. Salter will undoubtedly have his team ready for 2021!

Wildcard Playoff Results & Semi-Final Matchup Analysis

#3 The Don Piccolo (8-5) vs #2 Philadelphia Freeways (10-3)
As of this posting, exactly 1 point separates The “Don” Piccolo (85.26) and the Philadelphia Freeways (84.26 points). The Freeways got a huge game from Aaron Jones and Stefon Diggs yesterday, while The “Don” had a huge game from Justin Herbert on Thursday night. The Freeways have Travis Kelce and Wayne Gallman yet to play while The “Don” has Nick Chubb, DeAndre Hopkins and Kyler Murray yet to go. Edge is probably to The “Don” at this moment, but as expected at the start of the week, this one should be fun to watch to the wire. Good luck to both of you.
Projected Score The “Don” 169 – The Freeways 167 
#4 Borderland Bombers (8-5) vs #1 Schless is More (10-3) 
The clear #1 in the league all year, Schless is More is now on the ropes. They have a 89.04-71.24 league as of this writing, but all of their players are on the field at the moment (save Darren Waller whose 30 points on Thursday will be much needed by the time the final whistle blows). The Bombers have five guys playing at the moment with Kareem Hunt and Jared Cook to go later today. Still a ton of football left to play, but the Schless needs to build a bigger lead if he wants to survive an upset from the Bombers and make his way into the championship matchup.
Projected Score Borderland Bombers 150 – Schless is More 160 

Stay tuned next week for coverage of the championship game. Our winner will not only take home a bunch of dough and massive bragging rights, but our friends at TrophySmack are making a custom trophy for the winner, which will be amazing eye candy in one of those new home offices everyone is designing at the moment.

To all of you in fantasy playoff matchups this week, best of luck in making it one step closer to fantasy immortality!

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Week 4 Street FA Report

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By Nick Andrews

Updated: October 1st 2020

Each week we will recommend a group of players that are owned in less than 75% of RSO leagues that should be rostered. Depending on roster and league sizes not all of these players may be available. For that, we will offer one (1) player that is owned in <25% of leagues as our Sleeper add.

Add of the Week

Brian Hill, RB – ATL (Owned 31%)

Week 3: 9 Car/58 yards, 1 TD, 1 Rec/22 yards

Pro-active fantasy handcuffing philosophy suggests to only roster running backs who are the immediate backups to a team’s primary ball carrier. By this definition, Brian Hill has to be owned in more than 1/3rd of leagues with how this season has been in terms of injuries. Todd Gurley has seen an average of 54 percent of the Falcons offensive snaps through the first three (3) weeks but only had five (5) more touches than Hill in week 3. Gurley is also ranked 4th on Rotounderworld’s Injury Probability Index which means there is always a strong possibility that Gurley misses time either for rest or injury. Hill would immediately step into a role similar to Mike Davis of Carolina last week where everyone would be looking to add a potential starter from free agency. You can get ahead of the curve now and add him for much cheaper than what he could cost down the road.

Suggested Bid: $1,000,000

 RB Add

Rex Burkhead, RB – NE (Owned 28%)

Week 3: 6 Car/49 yards, 2 TDs, 7 Rec/49 yards, 1 TD

I did not want to include Rex Burkhead this week as it would not be a shock if he never saw more than five (5) points in a game from this point on. In the two-week absence of James White however, he has been the “primary” running back for New England and also put up a monster stat line against the Raiders last week. The Patriots have always used Sony Michel as their traditional runner and White as the pass-catcher but it often leads to obvious play calling for the defense to react to. With Burkhead, the ability to run or pass gives a quarterback like Cam Newton who thrives off play-action passes more opportunities to make plays. Burkhead will not have another 30+ point game but his value may be more than most think with this new Patriots offense. Of the three running backs, he might be the most valuable at this point.

Suggested Bid: $2,000,000

 WR Adds

Cole Beasley, WR – BUF (Owned 45%)

Week 3: 6 Rec/100 yards

Surprisingly, Cole Beasley is not owned in half the leagues as of week 4. He has averaged 12.5 PPR points and is currently the WR29 overall. He also ranks T-25th in targets, T-16th in receptions, and T-18th in yards. This just begs the question if he is not being started in leagues why has he not been rostered at least? One thought is because he has yet to find the endzone and therefore is out of sight for those who are only scoreboard watching. The other is that most people have not come around to Buffalo being considered a multi-receiver fantasy team yet. If people are starting to be all-in on Josh Allen and his development as a viable passing quarterback then it should stand to reason that Beasley (and other options outside of Stefon Diggs) should be fantasy viable too. Add him this week and be happy if you ever need him in a spot start.

Suggested Bid: $2,000,000

 

Randall Cobb, WR – HOU (Owned 43%)

Week 3: 4 Rec/95 yards, 1 TD

Randall Cobb was invisible on opening night against the Chiefs but in the last two games he has put up similar production to the previously mentioned Cole Beasley. He is still clearly the 2B receiver along with Brandin Cooks behind Will Fuller but the Texans have played the sixth most 3WR sets this season (72%) and the targets have been spread around fairly evenly. Will Fuller is the only Texans receiver with a double-digit target game thus far back in week 1. The schedule has also been brutal to the Texans to start the season which may have something to do with their offense looking below-average thus far. As the schedule eases up there may be more opportunities for Cobb to be used as a fantasy option in deeper leagues.

Suggested Bid: $500,000

 TE Add

Jimmy Graham, TE – CHI (Owned 38%)

Week 3: 6 Rec/60 yards, 2 TDs

The switch has finally happened at quarterback for Chicago with Nick Foles taking over in the fourth quarter and stealing another game for the Bears. Having to come back from a large deficit was likely a big reason the offense was so pass-heavy with Foles in the game but it looked more efficient than when Mitch Trubisky was under center. Two benefactors of this efficiency were Allen Robinson and Jimmy Graham. Graham specifically was able to take advantage by having his first two (2) touchdown game since week 10 of 2017. His usage was always there as he was on the field more than any receiver other than Allen Robinson and has been the second most targeted receiver in two of the Bears’ first three games. He currently sits as the TE7 in PPR and would be a solid addition for teams that are working through Dallas Goedert or George Kittle injuries.

 Sleeper Add (<25%)

Travis Homer, RB – SEA (Owned 10%)

Week 3: 2 Car/19 yards

The absence of Chris Carson should only be for a week or two so the suggestion of Travis Homer is a rather short-term one. However, Homer split his usage with Carlos Hyde behind and in replace of Carson in week 3 so Hyde may not be as much of a bell-cow as others are suggesting. Their roles in this offense are also more defined in that Hyde acts primarily as an early-down carrier while Homer is the third down and passing situation option. With Carlos Hyde’s ownership being over 2/3rd in RSO leagues and how much the Seahawks are letting Russell Wilson pass the ball making for more opportunities to catch the ball out of the backfield, Homer would be the ideal sleeper add for owners rotating their starting running backs or flex position.

Suggested Bid: $500,000

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Early 2019 RSO Contracts: TEs

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By Bernard Faller

Updated: August 26th 2019

My annual look at early RSO auction values finishes with the tight end group.  The series was designed to give the reader help in planning for upcoming auctions by looking at actual RSO auctions already finished.  The data comes from a variety of different types of leagues with varying scoring rules and starting requirements which can drastically alter player values so be cautious in expecting values to match your particular league.  The number of auctions for any particular player may also be limited this early in the RSO season.  The information does provide a useful starting point for examining how RSO owners value players at a certain position relative to one another and the length of contract they are willing to invest.

Average RSO Tight End Contracts

Tiers of One at the Top

The fantasy football realm tended to treat the top-3 tight ends (Kelce, Kittle, and Ertz) as a tier of their own early in the offseason.   There were very real reasons for this grouping.  Each earned at least 136 targets with two of the trio receiving at least 150.  Each caught at least 86 passes with two racking up 103 or more.  Each accumulated 1,163 yards with two breaking the 1,300 yard barrier.  In other words, 2018 was a historic season at the top of the tight end group.  Each tight should continue as a main piece of their respective offenses, while maybe not at the historic paces of 2018.  Each faces additional long or short –term concerns going forward.

RSO GMs made very clear price distinctions between the three, however.  Kelce heads the group at over $5 million more than the next tight end.  The Kansas City star should be locked in for another great year.  The only concerns center on the longer-term.  He is already 29 (The age Rob Gronkowski just retired at) and turns 30 in just a few months.  Kelce also dealt with injury issues recently including multiple concussions and “cleanup” procedures on his shoulder and knee.  Kittle faces much more target competition at both wide receiver and running back in 2019.  He also goes from a tight end friendly environment primarily with backup quarterbacks whom were among the league’s lowest depth of average target to a quarterback that targets deeper receivers more consistently.  Ertz is another high-end tight end facing new offensive options vying for receptions.   The addition of DeSean Jackson in Philadelphia brings a legitimate 3rd wide receiver option to Philadelphia and second tight end Dallas Goedert looks like a bigger piece of the offense in year two.

Hunter Henry also separated himself from the next tier in cost, receiving a sizeable premium in RSO auction prices.  He posted strong PFF grades his first two seasons in limited usage.   We still do not know how well  Henry integrates into the Chargers offensive game plan as a full time player and how far back he is after missing 2018 due to injury.

 

The Class of 2017

Three former 1st round picks from the 2017 draft class highlight the next tier of tight ends.  We start with Howard and Engram who saw huge 2nd year jumps in 2018.  Both finished as top-6 PFF-graded tight ends last year.  Howard is on a Tampa Bay offense many project as one of the top yardage-gainers for 2019.  Engram has been a top-5 fantasy tight end without Odell Beckham in the lineup during his first two years.  Each has dealt with injury issues the first two seasons of their careers.  Howard remains the likely third option in Tampa Bay.  Engram probably garners something near a co-number one type target share in New York but with some combination of Eli Manning and rookie Daniel Jones at the quarterback for the near future.  David Njoku is taking a little more time along the development curve.  That makes sense given he was only 20 years old when drafted.  The athletic specimen for Cleveland is attached to what many consider one of the top young quarterbacks in the league.  The question is whether Njoku can become a large enough part of the offense to justify his price.

We should keep an eye on a couple of veterans in this pricing tier.  Jared Cook set career highs in most categories last season at the age of 31.  He transfers to New Orleans adding a much needed target for Drew Brees on a team without much in the way of reliable receiving options outside of Michael Thomas and Alvin Kamara.  Eric Ebron* also had a career season after signing with Indianapolis last year.  He scored 13 touchdowns after never scoring more than 5 in his career previously.  His role likely diminishes in 2019, along with the number of his touchdowns, after the additions of Devin Funchess and Parris Campbell to go along with the return of Jack Doyle.

*Andrew Luck’s retirement was just announced.  This news significantly downgrades the upside of Ebron for 2019.

 

Others to Watch

The Pittsburg Steelers traded Antonio Brown this offseason and that opens up a bunch of opportunity for Vance McDonald on a high-volume passing team without much in reliable receiving options outside of Juju Smith-Schuster.  Chris Herndon showed good chemistry with Sam Darnold and played well as a rookie, something rare.  He likely comes at a discount with a four-game suspension to start the season.  Greg Olsen, Jack Doyle, Delanie Walker, and Jordan Reed represent extremely cheap older veterans who, while not league winners, could potentially prop up your fantasy team on a weekly basis.  The talk of Raiders camp, outside of the Antonio Brown’s behavior, has been Darren Waller.  Linebackers and defensive backs consistently struggled covering the uber-athletic former wide receiver this offseason.

Bio:  Bernard Faller has degrees in engineering and economics.  He currently lives in Las Vegas and enjoys athletics, poker, and fantasy football in his free time.  Send your questions and comments (both good and bad) on Twitter @BernardFaller1.

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The All About Reality Podcast League Rookie Draft Results

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By Matt Goodwin

Updated: May 17th 2019

Hey Folks, Matt Goodwin here coming out of writing retirement to compile this article summarizing our All About Reality first rookie draft in our second season of the league.

Here GMs will divulge their strategy and picks in our 2 round, 16 team, 32 pick rookie draft which started almost a week after the draft on May 1st and concluded on May 2nd. Please note that our world-class Chief Technology Officer Kyle English has developed a slick new slow rookie draft interface which enables trades during the draft and removes the pesky 3 day no trading window prior to league rookie drafts. A big collective shout-out from the rooftops to Kyle for that enhancement.

First item of note was that there were a whopping seven draft day trades as noted in the table below. For context for all Reality Sports Online GM’s who want intel for their upcoming rookie drafts, here were the exact trades that went down with my podcast co-host Luke Patrick O’Connell making several trades including trading 1.02 and 1.03 to stock up on what many believe is a super-talented and deep 2020 class (our own Bob Cowper included as he’s already starting scouting the 2020 potential rookie class.  Feel free to reach out on Twitter with thoughts on who won trades, if picks went down as expected, etc.

Trade # Headline Team Names Traded Received Player Contracts Pick Made
1 Luke Trades Down 1.02 for Players/Picks Pontifex Minimus (Luke) 2019 Pick 1.02 Hunter Henry
2019 Pick 1.07
2020 Mistress of Mayhem Jenna (1st)		 Hunter Henry 2 yrs, $7.21MM N’Keal Harry, WR
1 Luke Trades Down 1.02 for Players/Picks Mistress of Mayhem (Jenna) 2019 Pick 1.02 Josh Jacobs, RB
2 Luke Trades Down 1.03, Hunter Henry for 2019/2020 Picks Pontifex Minimus (Luke) 2019 Pick 1.03
Hunter Henry		 2019 Pick 1.08
2020 Pickyouoff24 (1st)
2 Luke Trades Down 1.03 for 2019/2020 Picks Pickyouoff24 (Stacy) 2019 Pick 1.03
Hunter Henry		 Hunter Henry 2 yrs, $7.21MM Dwayne Haskins, QB
3 Ryan N Trades Up to get his guy Miles Sanders The Teal Curtain (Curtis) 2019 Pick 1.05 2019 Pick 1.09
2019 Pick 2.06
3 Ryan N Trades Up to get Miles Sanders Karl Hungus and the Nihilists (Ryan N) 2019 Pick 1.09
2019 Pick 2.06		 2019 Pick 1.05 Miles Sanders, RB
4 Bubble Boy Gets a QB (Drew Lock), Luke gets his first RB Pontifex Minimus (Luke) 2019 Pick 1.08 Derrick Henry
2020 McAfee’s Canal Swimmers (1st)		 Derrick Henry 2 yrs, $26.78MM
4 Bubble Boy Gets a QB (Drew Lock), Luke gets his first RB Bubble Boy and The Moops (Pat) Derrick Henry
2020 McAfee’s Canal Swimmers (1st)		 2019 Pick 1.08 Drew Lock, QB
5 Ashley Gets Her Coveted Darnold/Robby Anderson stack, Jenna Gets 1.16 House Stark (Ashley) 2019 Pick 1.16 Robby Anderson
2019 Pick 2.07		 Robby Anderson 1 year, $7.14MM
5 Ashley Gets Her Coveted Darnold/Robby Anderson stack, Jenna Gets 1.16 Mistress of Mayhem (Jenna) Robby Anderson
2019 Pick 2.07		 2019 Pick 1.16 Irv Smith Jr., TE
6 Bobby Trades 2020 1st with Devonte to pick Hockenson RSO PodFather (Devonte) 2019 Pick 1.13
2019 Pick 2.13		 2020 RSOooo Super Chargers (1st)
2019 Pick 2.09
6 Bobby Trades 2020 1st with Devonte to pick Hockenson The New Hampshire Waterboys (Bobby) 2020 RSOooo Super Chargers (1st)
2019 Pick 2.09		 2019 Pick 1.13
2019 Pick 2.13		 T.J. Hockenson, TE
7 Ryan N Trades Up in 2nd The Teal Curtain (Curtis) 2019 Pick 2.05 2019 Pick 2.08
2021 Karl Hungus (2nd)
7 Ryan N Trades Up in 2nd Karl Hungus and the Nihilists (Ryan N) 2019 Pick 2.08
2021 Karl Hungus (2nd)		 2019 Pick 2.05 Andy Isabella, WR

Following, here are picks 1-16 of each of our two rounds in the All About Reality Podcast league rookie draft with context and commentary from the GMs who made these moves.

Round 1 Teams Picks POS Round 2 Teams Picks POS
1.01 Teal Curtain (Curtis) Kyler Murray QB 2.01 Teal Curtain(Curtis) Kelvin Harmon WR
1.02 Mistress of Mayhem (Jenna) Josh Jacobs RB 2.02 Bubble Boy and The Moops (Pat) Noah Fant TE
1.03 Pickyouoff24 (Stacy) Dwayne Haskins QB 2.03 Lucha Vikings (Ryan S) Deebo Samuel WR
1.04 Brian Brennan’s Stadium Shakers (Goody) David Montgomery RB 2.04 Barkley Owner (Ashley) Darrell Henderson RB
1.05 Karl Hungus (Ryan N.) Miles Sanders RB 2.05 Karl Hungus(Ryan N) Andy Isabella WR
1.06 Waterboys (Bobby) Daniel Jones QB 2.06 Teal Curtain (Curtis) Josh Oliver TE
1.07 Pontifex Minimus (Luke) N’Keal Harry WR 2.07 House Stark (Ashley) – from Mistress of Mayhem (Jenna) Devin Singletary RB
1.08 Bubble Boy & The Moops (Pat) Drew Lock QB 2.08 Teal Curtain (Curtis ) Will Grier QB
1.09 Teal curtain (Curtis ) Parris Campbell WR 2.09 RSO PodFather (Devonte) JJ Arcega-Whiteside WR
1.1 The Fantasy Affliction (Tim) D.K. Metcalf WR 2.1 Brian Brennan’s Stadium Shakers (Goody) Jace Sternberger TE
1.11 Mistress of Mayhem (Jenna) A.J. Brown WR 2.11 House Stark (Ashley) Ryan Finley QB
1.12 The New Hampshire Waterboys(Bobby) Hakeem Butler WR 2.12 RSO PodFather (Devonte) Damien Harris RB
1.13 The New Hampshire Waterboys(Bobby) TJ Hockenson TE 2.13 The New Hampshire Waterboys (Bobby) Justice Hill RB
1.14 House Stark (Ashley) Mecole Hardman WR 2.14 RSOooo Super Chargers (Marcus) Alexander Mattison RB
1.15 Bubble Boy (Pat) Marquise Brown WR 2.15 Mistress of Mayhem (Jenna) Preston Williams WR
1.16 Mistress of Mayhem (Jenna) Irv Smith Jr. TE 2.16 Waterboys(Bobby) Riley Ridley WR

 

Team name: The Teal Curtain (Curtis Burleson)

Team needs: RB,WR,TE,Flex

Team picks: 1.01, Kyler Murray, QB, Arizona Cardinals

1.09, Parris Campbell, WR, Indianapolis Colts

                          2.01, Kelvin Harmon, WR, Washington Redskins
                          2.06, Josh Oliver, TE, Jacksonville Jaguars
                          2.08, Will Grier, QB, Carolina Panthers
With so many holes to feel I wanted to get a player of every skill position and max out my QB’s with the position  being so important in this league. So with no trade partners for the 1.01, Kyler Murray was my no-brainer pick. At 1.09 Parris Campbell was the top wide receiver on my board and again no trade partners to be found to keep me in range of my target players. 2.01 Kelvin Harmon was one of my favorite receivers pre-draft and landed in a great situation/fit. I felt I could not risk losing him after missing on Irv Smith going off the board one pick ahead of me. With my favorite and last target at RB, Darrell Henderson, again going off the board one pick ahead of me, I chose to finish my draft taking the last two players on my shortlist. At 2.06 I took Josh Oliver my 4th and last TE on my board and at 2.08 I took Will Grier, my top QB in the class.

Team Name: Mistress of Mayhem (Jenna Davis)

Team Needs: RB, 2nd QB, depth

Team Picks: 1.02, Josh Jacobs, RB, Oakland Raiders

                           1.11, AJ Brown, WR, Tennessee Titans

                           1.16, Irv Smith Jr., TE, Minnesota Vikings

                           2.15, Preston Williams, WR, Miami Dolphins

I set two separate strategies up heading into the draft (Murray first or Jacobs first).  When Murray went first, it was go time. I knew I had to make a play for Jacobs. I hated trading away my future, but I had to make a play for him given my RB situation, what is left in free agency, and the contracts other RBs had.  There was no way to afford 2 RB’s in free agency even with my cap situation.  My 1.11 pick was the stuff of dreams.  I got way too excited about all the talent that was left on the board, and I made a play for the 1.16 because Ashley had already shown interest in Robby Anderson on my roster.  I went with Irv Smith for the simple reason that his quarterback Kirk Cousins loves TE’s.  Jordan Reed, Vernon Davis, and even Niles Paul were fantasy relevant with him under center.  I should have taken Miles Boykin with the 2.15 pick, but I was driving and thought he went off the board already. I ended up taking Preston Williams.  He would have been in the top prospect conversation if not for off-field issues.  If he can keep himself in check, he could end up being my favorite pick in this draft.

Team Name:  Pickyouoff24 (Stacy Hess)
Team Needs: QB, Flex, RB
Team Pick:  1.03, Dwayne Haskins, QB, Washington

I went into the rookie draft with only 1.08.  I Knew I needed a QB as first priority or I was grabbing Miles Sanders or N’Keal Harry.  Luke had sent out several offers about trading down leading up to the draft.  I was not sure how the draft was going to play out and did not want to make any moves until after the NFL Draft commenced.  During the draft, Luke hit me up again about trading down.  Having already been a part of two separate rookie drafts before our listener league, I had a solid feel that Murray, Haskins, Sanders and Harry would all be gone.  I assumed I would be sitting on Daniel Jones at 8.  I felt the opportunity cost of trading up to 1.03 could not be avoided.  I ended up trading Luke 1.08 + my 20 1st to move up to 1.03.  Having a young QB on a rookie contract is a huge advantage both in reality and Reality Sports Online leagues.  Haskins becomes an immediate starter, assuming he plays majority of games in 2019.  I tend to err on the side that future picks are typically bad because I expect to compete at a high level every year. Hunter Henry at 3.5 was also a very welcoming throw in.

Team Name: Brian Brennan’s Stadium Shakers (Matt Goodwin)
Team Needs: Tight End, Flex Talent, Salary Cap Relief
Team Picks: 1.04, David Montgomery, RB, Chicago Bears
                           2.10, Jace Sternberger, TE, Green Bay Packers
Coming into the rookie draft with most of my starting lineup intact, my philosophy kind of mimicked a Phife Dawg lyric on Midnight Marauders as my goal is to win “not now, but RIGHT now!”. I was hoping to either trade down to land a starting TE and save cap space or that Dwayne Haskins would fall to me at 1.04 so I had a Tom Brady succession plan, as Brady’s large contract expires after this season. My podcast co-host Luke appropriated good trade value with 1.02 and 1.03 ahead of me, so I figured someone would snipe and take a quarterback. While Harry was on the board, I didn’t feel he addressed a large team need and his lack of separation speed makes me fear that he is Josh Doctson 2.0. So, fresh off watching film of Montgomery, I went with traits I usually bank on–elusiveness and pass catching ability, as well as liking the signaling when a team trades up to get their guy. Enter Montgomery, who I think can contribute this season and take the reins next season, which essentially is when I need him to be a fantasy starter for me. After some more obscure TEs went in the second round, I went with Sternberger as a flier as a hopeful future key cog in Aaron Rodgers aerial attack. Lastly, post draft, I traded Keenan Allen and his 3 years remaining around $100 million for T.Y. Hilton and his 2 years, $41 million remaining and a 2021 2nd rounder to get out of my 2019 cap issues and then traded Devonta Freeman on a 1 year, $25 million deal for Jameis Winston on a two year, $34 million deal to complete my Brady succession plan. While I’m now carrying three starting QBs in this Superflex league (Jared Goff is my other), I’m confident I can get solid value for Brady for a QB needy team either now or after a league QB gets injured.
Team Name: Karl Hungus and the Nihilists (Ryan Nicholson)
Team needs: RB, WR depth
Team Picks: 1.05, Miles Sanders, RB, Philadelphia Eagles

                          2.05, Andy Isabella, WR, Arizona Cardinals

Going into the draft, I evaluated my team as a strong contender this coming season. My core lineup containing quarterbacks Jimmy G and Mitchell Trubisky, Alvin Kamara and Nick Chubb, Amari Cooper, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Chris Godwin and then George Kittle at TE, gave me some urgency to get players that would have the talent, draft capital, and landing spot to be instant contributors. With Miles Sanders available at 1.05 (as the RB1 on my own board) and with there being no viable RBs left after 2 had already gone off the board, I traded from 1.09 to 1.05 by way of including the 2.06.  Depth was not the hallmark of this draft so getting specific players when they fell within trading range was key. I anticipate Sanders gaining an increasing share of the backfield, in a proficient offense, as the season progresses.  Watching the rest of the draft unfold, Andy Isabella continued to slide to the point where I felt there was a massive gap between him and the remainder of the players on the board, so trading up to 2.05 by packaging the 2.9 and 2021 first to get my WR5 made perfect sense. In the end, I was able to acquire two players in my top 10 and feel good about their ability to put up points this season.  I look forward to drafting at pick 16 in 2020!

Team Name: New Hampshire Waterboys (Bobby Hoyt)

Team Needs: Wide Receiver, Tight End, Flex talent, and a QB succession plan.

Team Picks: 1.06, Daniel Jones, QB, New York Giants

                           1.12, Hakeem Butler, WR, Arizona Cardinals

                           1.13, TJ Hockenson, TE, Detroit Lions

                           2.13, Justice Hill, RB, Baltimore Ravens

                           2.16, Riley Ridley, WR, Chicago Bears

Coming off of a 9-win season last year (just missing the playoffs) I began to feel a sense of overwhelming dread coming into this year with a team that was possibly destined for the “middle of the pack purgatory,” that many dynasty players fall into. Therefore, I pre-emptively traded many of my big-name, big-salary players that helped me compete last year for a culmination of some younger talent and a lot of draft picks. Some trades were decent, others I regret entirely – but what’s done is done. On draft day, everyone kind of knew who my target would be at 1.06 as I wore my Giants fandom firmly on my sleeve. This knowledge culminated many trade talks to move up in the draft allowing me to secure Daniel Jones, knowing the other top two QBs would probably go in the first three picks. After some agonizing debate – I decided to stay put and Jones ultimately fell to me at 1.06 (which I had a feeling might happen anyway because everyone but me seemed to be hating the pick for the Giants).  That said, I still took him with great consternation, because fantasy darling Harry was also on the board. However, I also knew Jones wouldn’t last to 1.12. Having Eli Manning on a one-year deal, Jones made sense for me in case Eli got injured or the team was not in contention due to poor team play. It ensured I would have his successor in place. Plus, I love having guys I can root for on my team – so, Haskins was out for me anyway. Suck it Washington. Working the overnight shift proved a bit problematic as I woke in a sleepy haze and perhaps mistakenly picked Butler over Hollywood Brown (who would have a more secure role in the Ravens offense) but, I still believed in the reverence of experts like Evan Silva, Matt Harmon and Matt Waldman, plus I enjoyed watching Butler’s tape – so, you know, no ragrets…not one letter. Devonte (Podfather) was next on the clock and he messaged me as I was about to fall back asleep with an offer to move out of my next 2.09 pick back up to the 1.13. I haggled for a bit and settled for maybe a little too much to climb back into the first round. I had a TE need and one of my favorite players in the draft, TJ Hockenson, had not been picked yet. I loved the kid’s game and I think the landing spot is just fine despite the critics balking. I rested easy until I had to return to work that night. When the next morning broke, I still had 2 second round picks left to go and I went onto make my next two selections at 2.13 and 2.16. I went with Justice Hill first, envisioning the speed demon as having a poor man’s Alvin Kamara type role in the Ravens backfield with Mark Ingram (those other guys on the roster don’t scare or concern me). My Mr. Irrelevant pick, I felt was a massive steal as I grabbed Riley Ridley and exited the draft room guns blazing. Personally, I thought the younger Ridley brother was one of the best route runners in the class (a trait I value very highly) and his competition on the Bears roster is not something I’m afraid of. I think he will be lining up opposite Allen Robinson week one with second year guy Anthony Miller running the slot. I think he’s got potential to make some big plays this year. Really happy with my overall draft haul, and while I don’t anticipate making a huge run this year – I’m hoping next year I will be primed to push for the playoffs and contend with the big boys. Providing I don’t sabotage myself before them, which I am want to do from time to time.

Team Name: Pontifex Minimus (Luke Patrick O’Connell)
Team Needs: Running Back, Flex
Team Picks:  1.07, N’Keal Harry, WR, New England Patriots (after many trades)
There are few things that prompt more unadulterated fun than a fantasy football draft, trading in fantasy football, and the esteemed luminary of 90s rap – Coolio.  So, like the aforementioned lyrical master I entered the “All About Reality” Podcast League with a newly minted doctorate, feeling like “an educated fool with money on my mind/Got a 10 in my hand and a gleam in my eye.”  In this case the “money” was 2019 draft picks and the 10 in hand were the 1.02 and 1.03. My partner Goody was prescient enough to know that such assets would change hands a few times and so they did. 1.02 went the way of Mayhem making moves to net a starting RB in Josh Jacobs.   For her efforts I landed the 1.07, a 2020 1stand Hunter Henry.   The 1.03 was also a person of interest with Haskins still on the board for a 16 team superflex league.   So I flipped that and the 1.03 to Pickyouoff24 for the 1.08 and a 2020 1st and he promptly landed Washington’s presumptive starter.   The picks broke right for arguably the top overall dynasty asset to fall to 1.07 so I took the inestimable N’Keal Harry before QB thirst drove another trade up for Drew Lock at 1.08.  Moops offered Derrick Henry and a 2020 1st in what is likely a winnable bet against the “elite” Joe Flacco’s tenure in Denver.  My draft began with a team largely devoid of RBs but set at all the other starting spots and ended with Derrick Henry for $13 million per year for two years.  Harry on a rookie deal at 1.07 and 3 newly minted 2020 1sts.   The new draft features on RSO will make all future drafts painless as we witnessed in the Writer’s League, and much credit goes to our tireless listeners that made fearless offers and kept the action going across 32 picks.  As Coolio would say…a gangsta’s paradise.
Team Name: The Fantasy Affliction (Tim Aylesworth)
Team Needs: Tight End, Wide Receiver
Team Picks:  1.10, DK Metcalf, WR, Seattle Seahawks
Due to some serious salary cap concerns, the off-season saw the Affliction trading away future Hall Of Famer Julio Jones and unable to retain the services of Tight End Eric Ebron.  And with only one draft pick to their name, it was going to be difficult (ie impossible) to fill all the team’s needs.  The expectation was that the top 5 players on my Draft Board would be long gone but pick 1.10, and serious consideration would have to be given to trading down to acquire more picks.  The TFA roster is a contender, with star power at the top, but absolutely zero depth behind it. As the draft began to get through the first round, we began to feel that maybe we might be able to get a top WR after all.  The major run on QBs and RBs meant that our top 2 choices at WR fell all the way to pick 1.09, and we knew we would get one of them at 1.10.  DK Metcalf, The Fantasy Affliction’s #1 rated WR brought Christmas early to Coach Aylesworth and the Afflicted Fans.  It was only one pick, but it was better than we dared hope for. Some people have asked if consideration was given to outstanding TE Noah Fant, but Tight Ends take longer to develop than Wide Receivers and the Affliction believe we are ready to compete now.
Team Name: Lucha Vikings (Ryan Svenson)
Team Needs: Starting WR, More FLEX Depth
Team Picks: 2.03, Deebo Samuel, WR, San Francisco 49ers
Unfortunately, I came into the draft with very little draft capital.  I traded my 1st round pick pre-draft in a deal to acquire Julio Jones.  But with a high 2nd round pick I had hopes that somebody I liked would fall to me.  And thankfully, I was correct.  I had a bevy of options available to me when I was on the clock at 2.03 (19 overall), which can be attributed to the cut-throat nature of a 16-team Superflex league (4 QBs were taken in the first 8 picks) allowing positional players to fall further than they would in a different type of league.  I considered 3 players at the pick, which also made me explore trade-back options.  There were no trades to be made, so I had to make a choice between the 3 guys on my board; Andy Isabella, Deebo Samuel, and JJ Arcega-Whiteside.  Now I know rookie WRs don’t typically make a big impact, but I need SOME impact from mine at the least.  And I like Isabella but feel like he’s got a slightly longer road to success than the other 2 guys.  Ultimately, I just like Deebo better as a prospect over JJ, and I think he has a legitimate chance of carving out a big role in the SF offense in year 1.  It didn’t hurt that Deebo was the #5 WR on my board heading into the draft and I got him as the 9th WR drafted.
Team name: House Stark (Ashley Bowling)
Team needs: WR/RB (Flex)
Team Picks: 1.14 Mecole Hardman, WR, Kansas City Chiefs
                          2.04 Darrell Henderson, RB,  Los Angeles Rams
                          2.07 Devin Singletary, RB, Buffalo Bills

                           2.11 Ryan Finley, QB, Cincinnati Bengals

My goal coming into the rookie draft was finding a player I felt could possibly start for me throughout the year. Based on where my picks were, I felt I had a handful of darts and hoped someone would hit. My first order of business was getting Robby Anderson via trade with Jenna, Mistress of Mayhem. He’s had a special place in my heart the last couple years and I felt like he could start for me on a weekly basis. I moved the 1.16 for Robby and 2.07. I had in my mind if Mecole Hardman was there at 1.14 that’s who I planned on taking. There were a couple other WRs here I was looking at, but the possibility of Hardman being on the field with Mahomes and that KC offense was one I didn’t want to pass up. I had pretty much the same mindset at the 2.04 with Darrell Henderson. I’m not sure any of us know what is going on with Todd Gurley, so just the possibility of Henderson getting carries in the Rams offense was intriguing. I’ve got very little cap space, so I was thrilled getting those two in hopes one of their situations worked in my favor. Now at the 2.07 I was still torn between taking a RB or WR. Being the RB lover that I’ve always been, I had to go with Singletary here and his running behind a couple of old men in Buffalo. I finished my draft off with the 2.11 pick of Ryan Finley. I live in the greater Cincinnati area, and a couple of the radio personalities kind of talked me into this pick here. With this being a superflex league, I felt he was a solid grab, and if things don’t go well for the Bengals and Dalton, maybe he will make some starts.

Team Name: The RSO PodFather (Devonte Cleveland)
Team Needs: Starting RB, WR depth, and picks for depth/upside
Team Picks: 2.09, JJ Arcega-Whiteside, WR, Philadelphia Eagles
                           2.12, Damien Harris, RB, New England Patriots
Before the draft started, The RSO PodFather possessed the 1.13, 2.12, and 2.13. Going into the draft I figured I would be trading the 1.13, to either move up, move back, or move out. As the draft moved forward, I didn’t start actively trade talking until 1.10 when I noticed DK Metcalf dropping. There was an agreed trade that I backed out of last minute that involved all 3 of my picks for the 1.10. Though DK would have been a great addition to my team as I start my 2019 rebuild, I couldn’t get myself to go all in on him. Finally, the 1.13 came and at this point had 5 different way I could have gone… I debated on taking (in this order) Noah Fant, Samuel, Hollywood Brown, or JJAW. I was completely indecisive and felt so overwhelmed, I looked to trade out. Once again, being in a rebuild mindset, and already having (4) 2020 1st, why not make it five and moving up a tad in this years 2nd? 2.09 finally came around the next morning and I SCREAMED!!! The guy I was genuinely considered taking at 1.13 is now here at 2.09!!!! (do not ask me how or why….) One of my major needs is WR, though, Arcega-Whiteside may not get a ton of targets this year, next year I hope he sees a ton of red zone catches. When 2.12 came around, I saw plenty of upside WRs that would be a great pick ups, but I understand RBs are much more valuable, so I took the guy I had pretty high on my board. I know better not to draft Alabama RBs, but I trust New England to do this man right, if not this year, than next. Post draft: I have a couple expiring contracts that (if I’m not a playoff contender) I’ll sell for picks in 2020 to teams that are contenders.
Team Name: RSOooo Super Chargers (Marcus Corbould)
Team Needs: Starting RB, TE, WR depth
Team Picks: 2.14, Alexander Mattison, RB, Minnesota Vikings
I had traded my 2019 and 2020 1st rounders along with Russell Wilson and Leonard Fournette for Aaron Rodgers/OBJ earlier in the offseason. Steep price, but it gave me a then-elite core of OBJ/Tyreek (highest scoring WR in our format) and Rodgers/Rivers. That left me with just the 2.14 for this draft. Once JJAW miraculously fell into the 2nd, I tried to trade up to the 2.03 onwards but no one wanted to trade as far back as the 2.14. It didn’t help that one person ended up holding the majority of the picks at one time or another from 2.03-2.09. Once JJAW went, I was content to just take the player with the highest chance at a return on investment. RB Alexander Mattison was my choice because he has good draft capital and went to a landing spot where the primary backup has had a fair amount of opportunity in Minnesota. He is also being pegged as a better Latavius Murray. It also helped that there are 2 Vikings fans in our league who were both interested in picking him. I expect him to have some flex value in a league this deep and be a bargaining chip in future trade talks.
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