A few weeks back, the most accurate experts from 2014 got together for a great cause and conducted a Charity League Draft. To learn more about who they were drafting for, check out our original post.
Now that we’re right in the middle of the fantasy football draft season, we felt it was best to ask these experts to provide a quick recap of their draft. Instead of going through every pick, we asked them two questions we felt all of you readers would enjoy. But first, to understand the picks, you need to know the league setup.
League Details
- 12 Teams, 24 player rosters
- PPR—Full league scoring rules are at Dataforceff.com
- Best-ball, draft-only, with a starting lineup of 1 QB/2 RB/3 WR/1 TE/1 FLEX/1 K/ 1 DE
- View full draft results here
Q1. Please provide a recap of your most notable selections from the draft.
John Paulsen – 4for4.com
2014 In-Season Accuracy Ranking: #1
Considering I went with a receiver (Demaryius Thomas) in the 1st, I like my RB corps – specifically Frank Gore (2nd), Lamar Miller (3rd), Latavius Murray (5th) and LeGarrette Blount (7th). Since this is a best ball league, once I secured Julian Edelman and Steve Smith as my WR2/WR3, I focused on big play receivers (Michael Floyd, Terrance Williams, Percy Harvin). I feel good about my tight ends (Greg Olsen, Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Mychal Rivera) and my quarterbacks (Eli Manning, Carson Palmer, Nick Foles), and I managed to draft three kickers and three defenses to maximize scoring in those positions. Considering the competition, I’m very happy with my draft.
Sean Koerner – STATS
2014 In-Season Accuracy Ranking: #2
Justin Boone – theScore
2014 In-Season Accuracy Ranking: #3
The draft started before Le’Veon Bell’s suspension was reduced, which might have helped me get him with the third overall pick. I went against my better judgement and took three receivers (A.J. Green, Randall Cobb, Kelvin Benjamin) from Rounds 2-4 because I liked the value (picks were made before Benjamin’s injury). Todd Gurley is a risky pick, but one I had to make in the fifth, considering his upside. Waiting on quarterback is easy to do in best ball, allowing me to grab Matt Stafford and Philip Rivers in the 11th and 12th rounds. With my final pick, I threw a chip on free agent Ahmad Bradshaw, who could be a solid veteran addition for a team once he serves his one-game suspension.
Jake Ciely – RotoExperts
2014 In-Season Accuracy Ranking: #4
Being a best ball format, I’m always much more willing to take the slipping talent of veterans. Marques Colston is one of the Top 2 options for the Saints, especially with Jimmy Graham and Kenny Stills gone. Drew Brees will still throw plenty, and he’ll need Colston. With Victor Cruz, he may never be the same, but in the 10th round, Cruz still has the potential to put up a few WR1 weeks, especially with how dangerous the Giants offense has become.
Sablich Brothers – The New York Times
2014 In-Season Accuracy Ranking: #5
How many games Arian Foster actually does miss and Joseph Randle’s ability to nail down the featured running back role in Dallas, are the biggest concerns with our team. That being said, we are feeling rather optimistic about both given the more recent reports that Foster may be sidelined for only 4-6 weeks, and Darren McFadden’s typical injury issues already turning up in camp.
We strongly considered taking our third running back in the 6th, but with Peyton Manning still on the board, we just couldn’t let him fall too far and into enemy hands. We still managed to land the criminally underrated Danny Woodhead for our RB3, a player just one year removed from a top 13 PPR finish. Health permitting, we think he can easily hang with the likes of Shane Vereen and some of the other backs that went in the 6th and 7th rounds.
Patrick Thorman – Pro Football Focus
2014 In-Season Accuracy Ranking: #6
After going RB-heavy (then Graham) with my first four picks from the 1.12 slot, I was happy with how my WRs turned out. I like the mix of upside and consistency that Landry, Vincent Jackson, Perriman, Torrey Smith, and Beasley will provide. Also was pleased to be able to pair Moncrief and Dorsett, so I can capture the handful of big weeks they’ll post.
Matthew Hill – Fantasy Team Advice
2014 In-Season Accuracy Ranking: #8
Ken Zalis – PressBox
2014 In-Season Accuracy Ranking: #10
So this team must be doomed as I absolutely love how it turned out. Starting in round 1 with Eddie Lacy as the 8th overall pick. I think most will forget he caught 42 balls last year. Getting Rodgers in round 3 is nice as well. In this format, Gates in the 12th should bring great value at a position that is wide open.
Dawgmatica – Pyromaniac
2014 In-Season Accuracy Ranking: #12
Overall our draft strategy going in was going to be wait, wait, wait at QB and tight end, but with Luck falling to the third round in a league with little punishment for interceptions and an extra boost for passing yards (1 per 20 yards), getting Luck in the third round was a steal for us especially with our top 13 running backs off the board as well as our top 10 wide receivers. We then loaded up with upside wide receivers who have the ability to score touchdowns in this best ball format. After AP, our running back corps is full of ifs, but we took chances on guys who are just one step away from being dominant scorers.
Jeff Brubach – The Fake Football
2014 In-Season Accuracy Ranking: #13
I felt like the middle rounds of this draft were very successful for my team. Picking up Doug Martin to build depth (8.04), snagging a sliding Julius Thomas (10.04), and then grabbing one of my favorite draft targets in Tyler Eifert (11.09) helped round out my team nicely. Also, drafting Matt Ryan as the QB7 at 9.09 felt like a good deal with 33 picks flying off the board after Ben Roethlisberger was taken as the QB6 at 06.11.
Q2. Who was your biggest steal/value pick of the draft and why?
John Paulsen – 4for4.com
LeGarrette Blount has averaged low-end RB1 numbers (PPR) in his last 15 games with New England, but he’s a headache to start on a week-to-week basis thanks to the Patriot games they play in Foxborough. This makes him an ideal pick in best ball, and I was very surprised that he was still on the board in the 7th round.
Sean Koerner – STATS
Really liking my Markus Wheaton selection at the end of Round 15 and as the 69th WR taken. It really sounds like he is going to have a huge roll this year in one of the league’s best passing attacks. The icing on the cake is that even Big Ben is calling for Wheaton to have a huge season.
Justin Boone – theScore
After passing on Chris Ivory in the 7th round, I was overjoyed to see him reach me in the 8th. Stevan Ridley and Zac Stacy are both coming back from injuries, and Bilal Powell is only a threat on receiving downs. Ivory will lead the Jets’ backfield in an offense that has some potential if they can get even average quarterback play.
Jake Ciely – RotoExperts
Michael Crabtree is looking like a robbery at this point. He was already a late-round target of mine, as he’s still young, still very talented and now he’s not in the passing game wasteland of the 49ers. Add to that, reports are that Crabtree looks the best he has in years, and people are moving him up boards quite a bit. Amari Cooper is only going to help keep defenders honest with Crabtree, and honestly, Cooper could easily draw more attention, allowing Crabtree to post WR3 numbers this year at a WR6 cost!
Sablich Brothers – The New York Times
Some might say we reached a bit on Travis Kelce in the 4th, but we are even more bullish on him in a PPR setting, and landing a perceived top 5 tight end was a priority of ours considering how thin the position is this year. The boring but steady likes of Anquan Boldin (7:10), Reggie Bush (10:3), and Eddie Royal (13:10) represent terrific PPR value given the rounds we drafted them in, and offer tremendous depth to what we think is a very competitive Best Ball team.
Patrick Thorman – Pro Football Focus
Grabbing Bradford late in the draft could pay off big, filling the gaps from Newton’s up and down performances. Eagles QBs would have combined for QB2 and QB11 finishes in two years under Chip Kelly.
Matthew Hill – Fantasy Team Advice
I was excited to get Roy Helu at 10.11. I expect Helu to be targeted heavily as the clear passing-down back in an offense that is expected to be frequently playing from behind. Don’t be surprised to see Helu, who has average 4.8 yards per-carry the past two seasons, earn more early-down work than expected, adding to his value.
Ken Zalis – PressBox
Let’s start at the end with Ray Rice. What if the Cowboys or Patriots sign him? In the 24th round… why not. I love getting Stedman Bailey in a PPR format as he is very under the radar. Same goes for Allen Hurns who will start for Jacksonville and James Hardy who should take over for the departed Harry Douglas in Atlanta.
Dawgmatica – Pyromaniac
Getting Kevin White in the ninth and Rueben Randle in the 11th we though were both huge values. White’s injury has tempered our expectations some, but we expect him and Randle to have big games this season and pay off in this best ball format.
Jeff Brubach – The Fake Football
Drafting Tyler Lockett late (20.04) was a nice value, as I think the rookie will make an impact in Seattle this season and is a great addition in a best ball league. Lockett’s ability to get open and rip off huge chunks of yardage when Russell Wilson breaks the pocket and buys additional time should help him chip in more than a few useful weeks in this format.
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Thank you to all the experts who drafted for charity and contributed their thoughts. Be sure to follow to give them a follow on Twitter.