For our RSO readers, we wanted to give an open look into our Writer’s League Rookie Draft. Since we did our draft through an email chain we started by declaring our franchised players for the upcoming season. A list of who was tagged and for how much is listed below followed by the pick-by-pick selections and comments from each owner.
Stephen Wendell – Jimmy Graham ($10,331,667)
I tagged Jimmy Graham because I am obviously so confident in the draft pick I just made (Engram)
Luke Patrick – Travis Kelce ($10,331,667)
I tagged Travis Kelce because I assume any guy with a reality show is a good investment for football purposes.
Matt Goodwin – Melvin Gordon ($20,323,333)
I tagged Melvin Gordon because, well he dominated last year and has less competition this year. The $20.3m price tag seemed about right compared to what I thought he’d get on the open market.
Kyle English – Matt Ryan ($19,242,667)
I tagged Matt Ryan because he has Julio and should come out and torch everyone after last year’s super bowl embarrassment.
Nick Andrews – Drew Brees ($24,311,719)
I tagged Drew Brees for several reasons:
- a) Many of the other QBs were being tagged leaving Brees to be the target of the auction if I let him go
- b) Being in a win now mode allowed me to justify overpaying from the usually conservative salaries I give QBs and;
- c) There was enough interest in Brees through trade talks that if I am unsuccessful in my quest for a repeat championship he should bring back a couple of decent assets during this season.
Matt Papson – Eli Manning ($19,242,667)
I decided to tag Eli for $19.2MM despite the hefty price tag and my significant dollar commitments to other quarterbacks for a couple of reasons. One, it’s a superflex league where quarterbacks are the highest scoring position and where I feel the ownership (in general) is severely undervaluing quarterbacks. Two, I believe Eli is poised to have perhaps the finest statistical year of his career, but I’m not confident about his long-term prospects. Finally, even though I’ve got a bunch of money tied up in Andrew Luck & Carson Palmer, I’m not 100% confident Palmer will return to form, even though I still feel good about the odds.
Jaron Foster – Jameis Winston ($19,242,667)
Given the superflex format and lack of quality quarterbacks that will be available in the auction, the franchise tag price seemed reasonable to keep a young QB who is ready to take the next step with some new toys to play with.
Bob Cowper – None
I tagged nobody because, well, my team just wasn’t very good.
Dave Sanders – None
Bernard Faller – None
2017 RSO Writer’s League Draft Results
Below is a transcription of each pick and comments that the owner made during their selection. Included also are the trades that occurred during the draft.
1.01 – Corey Davis
Luke Patrick: I opted for Corey Davis, but it was a hard call for me with Fournette and McCaffrey beckoning at a position of need. With a bloated A-Rob (Allen Robinson) contract and an invaluable 4-year control on a potential stud WR proved too much for me to resist, I opted for the potential HR.
1.02 – Leonard Fournette
Bob Cowper: Even though Jacksonville isn’t great, I think he will be dominant enough to be a valuable fantasy player from the start (albeit less so than Zeke). I think Fournette’s pass catching ability is underrated so as long as he can be an average pass blocker he has a shot at staying on the field for 3 downs.
1.03 – Christian McCaffrey
Jaron Foster: Between draft stock and lack of competition, this is a fairly easy choice for me. He should have a high PPR floor even if he doesn’t turn into a 3-down back and a high ceiling if he does.
1.04 – Joe Mixon
Matt Papson: I entered the Rookie draft with selections 4 and 6. My plan, which was feasible until a few weeks before the draft, was to land two of the four elite running backs — Fournette, McCaffrey, Mixon, and Cook. When the draft fell Davis, Fournette, McCaffrey, I was faced with a difficult decision. I preferred Mixon to Cook, though not by much, and I thought there was a chance if I took Cook, perhaps Mixon would still be around at 6. I was not confident the opposite would be true.
1.05 – Dalvin Cook
Nick Andrews: I traded up before the draft started sending the 1.10 and a 2018 1st knowing that I wanted to get one of the top 5 rookies. Once all the other players were selected through the first four this was an easy choice to make. Cook was considered the 1.01 up until the combine and depending on your expectations from Latavius Murray this could be his backfield from week 1. He has the skills to be a 3-down back and should help to take some pressure off of Sam Bradford.
1.06 – Mike Williams
Papson: As it turned out it didn’t matter. I took Mixon, Cook went 5th, and I was essentially forced to take Mike Williams by default. Williams is the #1 WR on my board but was not planning to take unless I had to because of existing depth at the position. Best available reigns supreme.
1.07 – O.J. Howard
Bob: Struggled with this one a bit. I haven’t been shy about my Howard concerns – he’s obviously an athletic freak but he was so underutilized at Alabama and so much of his production came in two games against Clemson. To those who argue that the Alabama offense just doesn’t use the TE, I would counter by saying that it hasn’t relied on a run-first QB like Jalen Hurts either but Saban found a freak athlete he just had to work into the game plan. Why not with Howard? He might have the lowest floor of some of the others in contention at 1.07 but it’s hard to say no to somebody of his size and speed. Having Antonio Brown and Jordy Nelson under contract also factored in, figured I should fill the TE spot rather than taking John Ross or reaching for one of the second-tier RBs.
1.08 – Kareem Hunt
Matt Goodwin: As someone who owned Spencer Ware last season in this league, I’m picking Kareem Hunt because I think he’s very talented and in a situation where he can win the Chiefs starting running back job this season and if he does, that’s fantasy gold. I’m intrigued by the fact that Pro Football Focus ranked him third in its elusiveness rating. Also, the Chiefs traded up to get him, which speaks volumes about what they think of him. Hunt caught six balls in multiple games this season and has a nose for the end zone and big plays. I’m happy to pick what some are calling the “steal of the NFL draft” and who Louis Riddick had effusive praise for, comparing him to Emmitt Smith. As someone who graduated from Miami University, I’d be remiss if I didn’t take the opportunity to pick a future star from the MAC.
1.09 – Alvin Kamara
Jaron: I took Kamara to back up the newly acquired Mark Ingram. It would have been difficult to choose between Hunt and Kamara, given Hunt’s ideal landing spot, so I’m glad the decision was made for me. I expect Kamara will sit behind Ingram and AP for a year, and then will take over when one or both leave the bayou.
1.10 – John Ross
Kyle English: Don’t really need a WR, but that’s far and away where the best value is at this point. Still struggled quite a bit with this one, but ultimately decided on Ross. Quite worried about competition for targets there in Cincy and his injury history, but at the 1.10 I can’t let him fall any further.
*TRADE ALERT*
Bob Trades: Jordy Nelson
Luke Trades: 2.08, 2.06, Giovanni Bernard, Tyler Lockett
*TRADE ALERT*
Papson Trades: 1.06 (Mike Williams)
Luke Trades: 2.01, 2.09, 2018 2nd, Jerrick McKinnon
2.01 – Juju Smith-Schuster
Papson: Flush with 3 2018 1st round picks, and with 7, 8, and 9 (Howard, Hunt, Kamara) falling fairly favorably, I briefly negotiated for the 1.10 before making a deal for 2.01 and 2.09 in exchange for Mike Williams. My intention here was to end up with two of the following three: JuJu Smith-Schuster, Patrick Mahomes, and DeShaun Watson. I took Juju at 2.01, though I pondered both Mahomes and Watson in that slot. Depending on who you ask, JuJu could be ranked as high as 7th and low as 27th, but I wasn’t willing to wait any longer.
2.02 – Chris Godwin
Bob: He was my best player available (#8 on my board) and even though I already took Howard (and have Martin) I’m going for it. As a Michigan and Rutgers fan, it kills me but I loved watching him play this year. Godwin makes spectacular high point catches and should see lesser coverage with all the other weapons. I really wanted Davis at 1.02 but figured Godwin would be my backup at 2.02.
2.03 – Evan Engram
Bernard Faller: My top fantasy TE in the class but is really just a pass catcher. Unlike most TEs, his maturity as a receiver makes him ready to play from day one. The ridiculous combination of size, speed, and athleticism is virtually unmatched by any receiver in this class.
2.04 – David Njoku
Stephen Wendell: Miami must not have had a lot of favorable lines this year because I spent no time watching any Miami football, but I tend to only watch college football where I have some action, but that tends to be most games, so I am not sure how I missed him. That said, even if I had watched him, my opinion of rookies means nothing and Bob Cowper’s means everything to me… the guy is an animal, a Matt Waldman in the making. And he has Njoku ranked 12…his BPA is Zay Jones who I like as well, but not a perfect situation for him in Buffalo and he kind of feels like a guy that may be pretty great (if he becomes great) at the end of his rookie deal when he is likely a FA already in our league. Additionally, someone has to catch some passes for the Browns this year, whether it is Osweiler or Kizer (or Jimmy G??) throwing them, so why not a stud TE to grab a few and pick up a few red zone scores (he grabbed 8 last year). Lastly, a severe position of need for me, especially if Fleener does not play better in NO this season.
*TRADE ALERT*
Luke Trades: Josh Gordon, 2019 1st
Kyle Trades: Blake Bortles, Laquon Treadwell
*TRADE ALERT*
Papson Trades: 2018 1st
Kyle Trades: 2.05
2.05 – Patrick Mahomes
Papson: As the round progressed, I got a little anxious about the fact that Mahomes and Watson might both be gone by 2.09, and I then decided I wanted to find a way to get both. I tried desperately to acquire 2.06 and 2.08 from Rookie Draft aficionado Bob Cowper but quickly realized that would be futile. I instead moved up to 2.05, where I selected Mahomes because in Andy I trust.
2.06 – Mitchell Trubisky
Bob: I wanted Mahomes and should have pulled the trigger to move to 2.05. Guess I did the reverse-Bears. I think the QBs are being undervalued for our superflex league so I still wanted to go for one and took Trubisky. I hope he doesn’t start in the NFL this season because he’s not ready (neither is Mahomes but I think his ceiling is higher). I went for a similar guy last year in Jared Goff and while that may not work out, hoarding young QBs on cheap contracts can only end up hitting sooner or later.
*TRADE ALERT*
Papson Trades: 2.09, Jerrick McKinnon
Goody Trades: 2.07, Sterling Shepard
2.07 – DeShaun Watson
Papson: I made some nifty moves to swap 2.09 & 2.07 so that I could also grab Watson and complete my triumvirate.
2.08 – Zay Jones
Bob: It wasn’t who I was targeting here since I figured he’d be gone. The Bills don’t trust Sammy Watkins so at worst he’s a year away from being the number one and in the meantime should have PPR value.
*TRADE ALERT*
Papson Trades: Kelvin Benjamin
Stephen Trades: 2018 2nd
*TRADE ALERT*
Goody Trades: Jerrick McKinnon
Kyle Trades: Josh Gordon
2.09 – DeShone Kizer
Goody: In short-SuperKizeme! For my squad heading into the rookie draft, my hope was to dump some salary and keep my picks intact as best as possible. After giving away Mark Ingram ($18m this year) before the draft, I thought that effort was done until Matt Papson offered to take one year of Sterling Shepard for $9.9m off my books to swap 2.07 for his 2.09, and I couldn’t pass up the chance to enter our auction with the most cap space in the league. I would have taken DeShaun Watson at 2.07, but am happy I get to take a super-cheap flyer on DeShone Kizer. As a Cleveland Browns fan, I liked the pick and think there is some time for Kizer to grow. The physical tools are there and in this superflex league if Kizer becomes a star that will be incredibly valuable to me. So in the end, guys like Samaje Perine and Cooper Kupp move to the background and Kizer has me dreaming of a QB from my youth with a similar sounding name-Kosar (as in Bernie). #Believeland
*TRADE ALERT*
Papson Trades: Sterling Shepard, Michael Floyd, 2018 1st
Bernard Trades: 2.10
2.10 – Curtis Samuel
Papson: I ditched some players’ salaries and a final 2018 1st to get to 2.10 to select Mr. Irrelevant, Curtis Samuel.
*TRADE ALERT*
Luke Trades: Mike Williams, 2018 1st
Bernard Trades: Tyrod Taylor, 2018 1st
2017 Writer’s League Rookie Draft Results
| 1.01 – Corey Davis – Luke |
2.01 – Juju Smith-Schuster – Papson (thru Luke) |
| 1.02 – Leonard Fournette – Bob |
2.02 – Chris Godwin – Bob |
| 1.03 – Christian McCaffrey – Jaron |
2.03 – Evan Engram – Bernard |
| 1.04 – Joe Mixon – Papson |
2.04 – David Njoku – Stephen |
| 1.05 – Dalvin Cook – Nick |
2.05 – Patrick Mahomes – Papson (thru Kyle) |
| 1.06 – Mike Williams – Bernard (thru Luke, thru Papson) |
2.06 – Mitchell Trubisky – Bob (thru Luke) |
| 1.07 – O.J. Howard – Bob |
2.07 – DeShaun Watson – Papson (thru Goody) |
| 1.08 – Kareem Hunt – Goody |
2.08 – Zay Jones – Bob (thru Luke) |
| 1.09 – Alvin Kamara – Jaron |
2.09 – DeShone Kizer – Goody (thru Papson thru Luke) |
| 1.10 – John Ross – Kyle |
2.10 – Curtis Samuel – Papson (thru Bernard) |
