Staff Fantasy Football Draft Recap
Staff writers from FanatsyData and Fantasy Football Calculator got together last week to do a fantasy draft. The league is a 2QB format. Check out the results and read some of the writer’s thoughts on their team.
Pick 10: Tony (@FFTony) – My favorite pick was most definitely D.J. Moore in the 6th round, my team’s WR3. Personally, I have him ranked just outside of a top 12 wide receiver, sitting at WR13. I am a sucker for the wide receivers who are traded to a new team that a large majority of fantasy players aren’t keen on drafting. I was a sucker for Diggs when he was traded to Buffalo, I was a sucker when A.J. Brown was traded to Philadelphia and as a Dolphins fan, I was ALL OVER Tyreek when he landed in Miami. D.J. Moore is due for his best season to date as he will be eating targets from Justin Fields. We often hear that history repeats itself, and I truly believe we will see it yet again when D.J. Moore pops off in Chicago!
Pick: 7 David (@Dheaton47) – For me, the best value in the draft may end up being Darren Waller at the 6.05. This was a painful one for me as i had him lined up at 6.06, but was so cruelly sniped, as is fantasy football! The connection between he and Daniel Jones has been evident and well covered during pre-season, and if he can stay healthy he’s one of the best-receiving tight-ends in the league. He was just behind Travis Kelce back in 2019 & 2020 but struggled with missing games the last 2 seasons. I think a fresh start in New York may be the kickstart he needs for a strong bounce-back campaign. This is especially because the Giants really don’t have a bonafide wr1 that will command 140+ targets, but mostly a collection of wr2/3’s who struggle to stay healthy for a full year.
Pick: 2 Doug (@dougwburrell) – I quickly learned that when drafting against 11 sharp experts, I had to adapt my normal strategy if I wanted to find value. I decided to pivot from conventional wisdom and use a “Hero WR” approach. After taking Justin Jefferson in the first round, I attacked the RB position and had three on my roster by the fifth round. I was nervous after seeing seven QBs go off the board in round one, but I’m happy with Geno Smith as my QB1. He was incredibly efficient and accurate last season and, with the addition of rookie Jaxon Smith-Njigba, he has one of the best-receiving corps in the league. Smith may not finish as the overall QB-6 again this year, but I think he’s a virtual lock as a top ten QB.
Pick: 8 T.J. Besler – Looking at the draft and how it played out there are things tha didn’t work out perfectly. I was hoping Justin Fields would fall to me, but Justin Herbert is not a bad consolation prize. But Josh Jacobs (who it looks like is going to be ready and good to go for week one) was a steal in the fourth, Darren Waller who could demand enough targets to finish as a top 2-3 TE was amazing value in round six, but my favorite pick, which may sound odd, was Kenny Pickett in round 10. This being a super flex league most managers were drafting three, even four QBs. I knew I was not going to do that, instead opting to find value and production at other positions. But as the starting QBs started to dwindle, I knew I was going to need a backup, and Pickett was the perfect option. Pickett has looked every bit the part of a starting QB in this league during the preseason, and with his stable of weapons, he is a potential sleeper who could easily surprise some people, and end up a weekly flex starter. Getting him where I did, makes me all the more excited about the pick, and my team in general.
Pick: 1 Joe Orlofski – My favorite value pick of this draft had to be Javonte Williams. Williams rushed for 903 yards in his rookie season with the Broncos, but unfortunately, his second season was cut short thanks to an ACL/LCL tear in Week 4. Somehow, Williams has had an amazing recovery this offseason and is ramping up for a Week 1 start. He already played a bit in preseason, so we know he should be out there for at least a bit. It may take a few weeks for Williams to truly be 100% and back up to speed, but his playmaking ability and pass-catching make him a steal in the seventh round. If he does what people hoped he’d do in 2022, he should be a great value pick as the lead back in a new Denver offense.
Pick: 3 Jake Hamilton (JakeHamiltonFF) – Going against 11 experts in a 12-team superflex ppr league is no joke. I was constantly battling my choices with each selection, but overall like where I ended up. With that being said, one of my hardest choices came at pick 3.3 when I took Deshaun Watson. I knew that he was in the next tier of QB options and I really wanted to grab Garrett Wilson as my WR1, but knowing I wouldn’t pick again for 19 picks, I decided to get the next best available QB. I went with Watson because he’s now had a full off season of training with the team and more time to get familiar with the offense, I’m hoping he is able to show traces of his formerself. But if he does not, I have Jimmy G as another potential option. Watson was my least favorite pick for my team, just because of the value with RB/WR that was still left on the board. If Davante Adams had fallen to me at pick 3.3, I would have for sure taken him over Deshaun. But, solidifying my QB’s early allowed me to get a lot of high-upside flex guys later in the draft.
Pick: 9 William Spencer (@hype_phinest) – My team didn’t do too bad. It’s definitely tough to draft against the guys in this league but there is always a move to be made during the draft. My first two rounds were a strong start with Christian McCaffrey and Bijan Robinson. Landed Dak Prescott as my QB1 in the third. My favorite pick out of my draft was Brandin Cooks at the 9.09. Cooks has been one of the players I’ve been championing this offseason because of what he can bring to the Cowboys offense. Overall I like my team. Can’t wait to see how it shakes out during the season.
