$100K Champ Draft: 2015

Over the last few years, an increasing number of fantasy owners have rebelled against the traditional style of drafting, neglecting the running back and drafting other positions with early round picks. I employed that strategy with my NFFC Championship winning team in 2014, taking Jordy Nelson, A.J. Green and Gronk with my first 3 picks. That was at pick 12.

This year I had the 4th pick and a very different draft strategy. I wanted an RB first. Those top tier RBs were just too good to let go. Then the plan was to take a wide receiver with my 2nd pick. Then with my 3rd and 4th round picks I would take another RB and WR (not necessarily in that order). But drafts are unpredictable animals. On the fly, I switched my strategy and went with the flow of the draft.

Here’s how it all went down (my picks in bold):

One note: The NFFC uses a third round reversal. So team twelve picks first in both the second and third rounds.

Round 1

I had Charles ranked as my 1st pick overall. In PPR, it just doesn’t get much better. However, if Bell were not suspended 2 games, I’d have ranked these guys differently. Once I got Charles, I immediately added Knile Davis to my queue. And I ended up taking Davis in the 11th round. I might have been able to wait until the 12th, but couldn’t risk it.

After I locked up one RB spot with Charles, the plan was to take a top tier WR.

Round 2

Here’s where I threw my strategy out. Rotoworld’s Draft Guide has Murray ranked as the top RB in all formats, and the top pick overall in both standard and .5 PPR leagues. While that may be a bit high, there was no way I could take Mike Evans, Alshon Jeffery or DeAndre Hopkins (who I like a lot) over Murray.

Round 3

Wide receivers accounted for a whopping 9 out of 12 third round picks. I took Andre Johnson, just a bit before his ADP, because I knew he wouldn’t be around for my next pick. I really like him this year. Luck is (by far) the best quarterback Johnson has ever played with. I’m envisioning Reggie Wayne circa 2012 when he posted 106 receptions for 1,355 yards and 5 TDs.

Round 4

If you weren’t convinced of Landry’s upside before this preseason, you should be now. He’s clearly Tannehill’s favorite target and showed great hands hauling in 11 of his 13 targets. After 4 rounds, and after throwing out my original strategy, I still ended up with 2 WR and 2 RB slots filled. Now I had the flexibility to take any position with my 5th round pick.

Round 5

Tight end is extremely thin this year. After the top 5, it’s a crapshoot. One of those TEs ranked 6-12 will be great, but picking who it will be … that’s a tough one. My goal was to take one of those top 5 guys, so I didn’t have guess on the rest of the pack. Once Jimmy Graham went early in the 4th, I queued up the top-three remaining TEs. By the 8th pick in the 5th round, it was down to Olsen or Bennett. I would have taken Olsen given the chance, but was happy to lock up the last dependable TE left.

Round 6

Looking at the depth at RB after Spiller made this an easy choice. Now I have 3 quality RBs with 3 different bye weeks, allowing me to flex an RB when all three play, and rotate them when one is off. Now the plan was to grab my 3rd WR and build my bench, while holding off on QB until the late rounds. That was yet another plan that didn’t materialize.

Round 7

According to Fantasy Football Calculator, Wilson’s ADP is the 9th pick in the 6th round. At a full round after his ADP, I could not pass up Wilson. Now with the best receiving weapon he’s ever had in Jimmy Graham, Wilson should see an uptick in all stats. I still need that elusive 3rd WR to complete my starting lineup (not including K and DST).

Round 8

I love Wright’s upside. As a WR3 he’s a great gamble. He is developing a great rapport with Mariota and will be the clear #1 in the Titans offense.

My Final Roster:

Bench