Buyer Be-Ware: 2016 Yahoo Friends & Family Review
Last week, your favorite Yahooligans and some industry friends took part in the 13th annual Yahoo Friends and Family League. Jokes were told. Sidebets were negotiated. Rosters were stocked. Picks were applauded and mocked.
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Everyone was asked the same three questions on the way out:
Q1: What was your general strategy and how did it work out?
Q2: Give a pick to promote and a pick of regret, from your team
Q3: Not on your team, identify a steal and reach of the draft
Here is your F&F Review. Please anoint your champion in the comments.
MEET THE FAMILY
Brad Evans, Yahoo
Best F&F Finish: Fourth, though five playoff appearances in six years
Strategy: Though it could be construed as a ‘strategy,’ I subscribed to #ZeroStrategy. Forget ZeroRB, late-round QB, stacking RBs, avoiding RBs — focused simply on staying open-minded and grabbing the best player available.
Promote: DeMarco Murray (No. 47 overall) — Ecstatic to acquire the Rodney Dangerfield All-Star at that juncture of the draft. The hype surrounding Derrick Henry is deafening, but Murray, almost unceremoniously, racked 8.1 yards per carry with the first-string offense in Preseason play. His power and burst from two years ago are back. Even if he surrenders 35-40 percent of the workload he should turn a tidy profit.
Regret: Sammy Watkins (No. 19 overall) — Admittedly this was a reach, but I’m confident in the talent and on-field romance between the WR and Tyrod Taylor. However, passing on Dez Bryant, even with Dak Prescott under center, for Watkins probably wasn’t my finest moment.
Steal: Jordan Matthews — His value is depressed due to his August knee setback, but he’s fully expected to return Week 1. Snagging him in Round 5 of a 14-team, .75 PPR was highway robbery. No longer tied to exclusively the slot and with little competition for targets outside Zach Ertz, he could easily generate a top-20 return. Slow clap, Behrens.
Reach: Jamaal Charles — In hindsight, snapping tendons for Charles in Round 2 was an exercise in futility. Even before the Spencer Ware speculation emerged, he was an enhanced risk coming off his second major knee procedure in five years. Now a likely committee back for the foreseeable future, he’s a brand name with mega bust potential. Good thing Funston smartly handcuffed Spencer Ware in Round 7.
Andy Behrens, Yahoo
Best F&F Finish: Three titles (2011, 2013, 2014)
Strategy: In consideration of the settings (0.75 PPR) and knowing my draft position in advance (second), I was confident that I would land David Johnson at the top. He has a clear shot at 70 receptions and 2K scrimmage yards, and he’s tied to a high-yield offense. That pick was easy. And no, I’m not a ZeroRB zealot. A quick look at my overall ranks should convince you that I’m not opposed to drafting receivers at the top, but I’m also not going to tie myself to an inflexible strategy.
Promote/Regret: I’ll offer Chris Hogan as my pick to promote. I’m not sure where the story goes, but he and Tom Brady have had some sort of mind-meld thing going throughout camp and preseason. This just feels like a classic Pats breakout story. I’m not full of regret about any pick, really, but it’s close with Jordan Matthews. No disrespect to him, but that team could really be dreadful — far worse than anyone is projecting.
Steal/Reach: Derrick Henry was supposed to be mine in Round 6. That one hurt a little. I think the Titans intend to lead the NFL in rushing, and that team can easily support two starting-quality fantasy backs. Henry treated the NFL preseason like just another romp through the SEC West.
Jeremy Hill at pick No. 33 in a PPR draft is not recommended, you guys. Stay away. He is not the PPR back you’re looking for.
Dalton Del Don, Yahoo
Best F&F Finishes: First in 2012, third in 2013
Strategy: I wanted to load up on running backs and wide receivers with my first five-seven picks and worry about quarterback later (especially in this format, where it’s difficult to bench a second QB with such short benches). I went running back with three of my first four picks, which wasn’t necessarily planned and increasingly rare in today’s game in which WR typically dominates early. But I was fine with how it shook out and was able to grab Ben Roethlisberger in round eight.
Promote/Regret: Jerick McKinnon is one of my favorite late round fliers with a ton of upside, so I was happy to land him in round 10. I like Marvin Jones now in Detroit, and he keeps ending up on many of my teams, but I worry I made a mistake taking him ahead of DeVante Parker.
Steal/Reach: C.J. Anderson with the 34th pick was an absolute steal. Had he lasted one more pick, I would’ve actually started my draft RB-RB-RB. Conversely, I want absolutely no part of Frank Gore this season, as history is strongly against running backs at age 33. Round four seems extremely high to me, as I don’t have him ranked as a top-35 back.
Liz Loza, Yahoo
Best Y&Y Finish: 4th (first season)
Strategy: Drafting at the eight spot is no fun. I always like going best player available, and waffled between Miller and Green. I own lots of AJ in other leagues, so in an attempt to diversify, I went with the less tried and true option. Once I was able to secure Dez in round two, I felt better about being gutsy in round one. From there on out I just had fun and rostered guys I either like watching (ex: Shepard, Bennett) or think could do something unexpected this year (ex: Sanu, Rogers, McDonald).
Promote/Regret: Grabbing Russell Wilson at No. 64 overall was delightful. I’m definitely a member of the “wait on QB” fan club, but in the fifth round of a fourteen-team draft, he was far and away the best player on the board.
I don’t regret making Matt Forte my RB2, but his is a less than exciting presence on my squad. Thankfully, he looked healthy in limited preseason action and this is a .75 PPR league.
Steal: Have to give Mike Clay props for snagging AP at No. 18 overall. I’m not convinced the Purple Jesus will suit up for sixteen consecutive weeks, but a generational talent with guaranteed workhorse volume in the second round is a massive win.
Reach: Allen Robinson is a studly talent, but buying him in the middle of the first round is paying at peak value. I’m 100 percent convinced that the Jags’ passing offense will regress in the red zone this year, and have been staunchly opposed to chasing last year’s points this go-around.
Brandon Funston, Yahoo
@1befun
Best F&F Finish: 2nd (three times)
Strategy: I never have a strategy. It’s always value-based drafting. Stay true to my board and take the best value available, with consideration for the remaining quality of depth at each of the key positions. With the fourth overall pick, I was hoping that RB David Johnson would fall to me, but he went No. 2 overall, so I settled for the the last of the Big 3 wideouts (Julio Jones).
Promote/Regret: I regret wasting two of my roster spots, albeit fairly late selections, on the Baltimore backfield (Justin Forsett and Kenneth Dixon), which looked like a mess going into the preseason and looks no different coming out of the exhibition campaign. In retrospect, I really don’t want to be spending my time caring about how the Ravens might distribute workload between their four viable running backs.
On the flip side, I’m liking my Spencer Ware pick more and more. Jamaal Charles is heading towards a Week 1 DNP, and you have to expect he’ll be limited for a while after his initial return. Ware should get a lot of play in September, and if he continues to perform at the high level of late last season and this preseason, there’s a really good chance he maintains a sizable workload throughout the season.
Steal/Reach: I thought Salfino reached in taking Michael Floyd with the No. 43 overall pick, ahead of Jeremy Maclin and even teammate Larry Fitzgerald, who I landed 10 picks later. Floyd has the look of a WR1 who has consistently performed like a WR3 in his four-year career.
I think Del Don landed a a major steal in Thomas Rawls at pick No. 50 overall as you can pretty much count on a Seattle team to churn out backfield fantasy production and Rawls looks set to take the lead back in Week 1. But he failed to land backup Christine Michael, and I would put Rawls down on the list of the few key RBs, like Le’Veon Bell and Jamaal Charles, that you really should try to handcuff.
Jason Klabacha, Yahoo
Director of Fantasy Content
Best F&F Finish: 11th (first season)
Strategy: Having the third pick, I planned to take whoever fell to me between Odell Beckham Jr. and Julio Jones but when Andy took David Johnson at No. 2, I had my choice and went OBJ. From there I tried to go best talent available. Not sure how well I executed that strategy taking guys coming off injury like Jordy Nelson and Arian Foster. Overall, not loving this team overall right now.
Promote/Regret: As the draft went on, I had a couple possible reaches like Devin Funchess at 82. He could end up being a boom or bust pick but a player with a higher floor might have been the wiser choice. Emmanuel Sanders or Travis Benjamin for instance.
Getting Tevin Coleman at pick 110 seems like good value and big upside. He could end up being the starter by the second half of the season and flex option in the meantime.
Steal/Reach: Brandon knows far more about fantasy than me but I was leery of his Jamaal Charles pick in the second round and that’s only grown with the latest news out of K.C.
Love Scott’s pick of Tom Brady at the top of the ninth round. He could end up with a top 5 QB for a bargain price and be bridged the gap until Brady returns from suspension with Matthew Stafford.
Scott Pianowski, Yahoo
Best F&F Finish: First in 2010, two thirds
Strategy: Fix the lottery, get Antonio Brown. Stock up on wideouts early, play market at RB, be patient with quarterback. Probably won’t see Doug Baldwin based on my slot, but maybe I can get my other pet, Spencer Ware.
Brown is an idiot-proof No. 1, but I for some reason didn’t notice Jarvis Landry still around at Pick 29 when I took Golden Tate. I’m fine with Donte Moncrief as my other 2/3 pick; Brown and Tate have high floors, so I’ll swing for more upside with the sandwich pick.
Promote/Regret: Instead of playing the Brady/Stafford game in a league with short benches, maybe I needed another running back lottery ticket. I’m also counting on Eric Ebron to be an every week tight end, which might be comically bad.
I didn’t get a huge discount with DeAngelo Williams at Pick 85, but I’m a Play for Today guy (again, why it’s odd I have Brady). Hopefully Williams helps us push to a 2-1 or 3-0 start.
Steal/Reach: I like Chris Ivory at Pick 87. The Jags paid him starter money and last year’s wonky TD ratio isn’t going to repeat. Other nice values: Spencer Ware Pick 88 (Brandon is no dummy), DeAndre Washington Pick 121 (I need more lottery tickets), Shaun Draughn Pick 180 (someone in SF is getting a ton of cheap catches).
I’m not a Jamaal Charles at 25 guy, but Brandon did the necessary back-up. I also wouldn’t bother with Blake Bortles so early (Pick 79) when the position is teeming with depth.
MEET THE FRIENDS
Patrick Daugherty, Rotoworld
Best F&F Finish: 2nd in 2014, 2015; also predicted Rams move to Los Angeles
Strategy: I have never been an intentional zero-RB drafter, but typically find myself gravitating towards it in this league. I definitely followed it this year. Even though it’s not full PPR, it just makes too much sense. There’s more high-end depth than ever at receiver, less high-end depth than ever at running back. For me it boils down to, there are better answers for a longer amount of time at receiver in the draft. There will be less turnover at receiver during the year. Better to get as many “safe” bets as possible now and wait on RBs. I will say, hated my draft position. Wasn’t that into taking Rob Gronkowski in the first round, but I thought I might as well try to completely lock down a position with this lousy draft position. Took the same approach with Drew Brees in the fifth.
Promote/Regret: I never really love my draft in this league. It’s often hard to in 14-teamers. I really, really want to win this year. Gotten the silver each of the past two. Wasn’t psyched at all about my Matt Jones grab, and even less so now. I was very happy to get Markus Wheaton in the seventh. Was better than people realized last season, and is probably going to flirt with 1,000 yards. I also liked getting Tyler Eifert in the ninth. I’m usually with Mr. Scott Pianowski, not investing too heavily in injured players, but with running back barren and receiver really drying up at that part of the board, I loved snagging his touchdown potential.
Steal/Reach: It’s not like I love Jeremy Langford, but was surprised to see him fall as far as he did in a 0.75 PPR. Our leaguemate Mike Clay has destroyed Langford’s brand! Disciplined group of drafters. Not too many reaches, though I thought the esteemed Mike Gehlken got a little over-excited with Stefon Diggs.
Chris Liss, Rotowire
Best F&F Finishes: First in 2005, 2008; one second, one third
Strategy: Take a lot of RB and WR, punt QB – the usual. This league has short benches, so QB is almost like kicker where there’s always one available.
Promote/Regret: I like Derek Henry in Round 6 – home run pick in a deep league with savvy owners. Of course, Terrance West is looking good in the 11th with Forsett cut. But that benefit was partly due to not drafting a QB there instead.
I picked Vincent Jackson in Round 7 as a safe source of targets, but I really wanted Christine Michael there. I saw Michael buried in the default ranks and thought he’d make it back. Big mistake.
Steal/Reach: I like C.J. Anderson at 3.6 for Hansen. This is only .75 PPR, and you only need to start 2 WR, so the RBs are valuable, and Anderson is a three-down back.
Danny Woodhead in Round 4 in less than full PPR strikes me as early. Also thought Moncrief at the 2/3 turn was aggressive, though at least I see the upside.
Michael Gehlken, San Diego Union-Tribune
Best F&F Finishes: First in 2009, two seconds
Strategy: My approach to this draft was meticulously measured, the product of weeks of preparation and hours of ahh hell, I think Joey Bosa is about to sign. This draft became chaotic when a months-long contract dispute between the Chargers and their first-round pick was resolved, I heard, a few minutes before we began.
Strategy? I flew by the seat of my pants, wondering where all the wide receivers went. I then adapted to perceived positional value, choosing RBs Melvin Gordon and Charles Sims as my flex options rather than reach at WR. Stefon Diggs was my safety net at the position in the pick between, but then Teddy Bridgewater suffered the awful, unfortunate knee injury days later. I have work to do.
Promote/Regret: I feel obligated to highlight Gordon. He was the 23rd running back off the board, taken after Frank Gore. His set-up for success is significantly better than it was last year. There is a lot to like as a post-hype sleeper, particularly at this price.
Dwayne Allen should see heavy snaps and could produce big numbers if he can stay healthy. But at 89th overall, in hindsight, I should’ve taken a high-ceiling RB instead (i.e. Christine Michael, Ameer Abdullah, T.J. Yeldon), given the value at tight end in the later rounds.
Steal/Reach: Ravens running backs Terrance West and Kenneth Dixon went in rounds 11 and 12, respectively. Much respect to Chris Liss and Brandon Funston. Respectively.
I hate to call this a reach because we all know what Jordan Reed can do; I had him in our league last year. The injury history, though, scares me, particularly 37th overall as the No. 2 tight end.
Jeff Erickson, Rotowire
Best F&F Finishes: Second in 2013, third in 2008
Strategy: Drafting late without 3RR, I had to pound wide receivers early, because there’s a pretty clear drop around the 4th or 5th round in a 14-team league. I essentially played this as a PPR league – .75 PPR skews it in that direction. As usual, there were very few outlier picks in this crowd – it’s not fun to be next to Mike Clay, who doesn’t let anything slip. The team feels fine – hopefully variance tips in my direction.
Promote/Regret: I was happy to snag Josh Gordon in the sixth round, even if it forces me to play one roster spot short early on. It helps make up for the tragic “settle” pick of Latavius Murray in the third round, where my three queued players all went immediately before me. I should have instead grabbed Michael Floyd and began with four wide receivers. I wasn’t necessarily going Zero-RB, and it somehow became conscious in my mind that I *wasn’t* doing so and forced the RB pick. I compounded that failure by not getting DeAndre Washington later.
Steal/Reach: I like DeAngelo Williams at 7.1 – it’s going to be interesting to see how much Williams plays after Bell returns from the suspension, but that’s a good problem to worry about later.
I’m always wrong on the reach, so I’ll cheat and say Funston’s pick of Justin Forsett, because the Ravens have already cut Forsett.
Michael Salfino, Wall Street Journal
Best F&F Finish: Third in 2010
Strategy: I was hoping to get as many good receivers as possible in a format I basically consider PPR. Alas, most of the room had the same idea so the queue was drained. But I expected that and figure that while the receivers will be weaker than you expect in a zeroRB strategy, the running backs would be stronger. And that’s basically what happened.
Promote/Regret: It was stupid to not take a kicker and a defense so close to the season but I figured that it would be fun to pick extra players that I basically feel should be on watch lists, hence the Jalen Richard and Kenny Britt picks. But why do that? To have a better team, I should have rostered a better kicker and defense there than the one I’ll likely find on the waiver wire. I think my boring reserve wideouts Pierre Garcon and Ted Ginn are being under-drafted relative to expected targets. They are opposites though, where Garcon is more bettable week-to-week and Ginn obviously a wildcard given that he’s so big-play reliant. Garcon just turned 30, which I find incredible given he played on the Colts with Peyton Manning way back in their last Super Bowl year.
Steal/Reach: I like Jeremy Hill but hate him at 33rd overall. I would have definitely taken Jordan Reed (37th) there. I respect the player and the touchdowns are a nice floor for him but I can’t see much surplus value at this draft position and of course I hate taking RBs early, period — especially in this format. I had Travis Kelce so I could not do two Chiefs receivers but I like Chris Conley at pick 181. Conley has the measurables you look for and may get considerable opportunity in what I think will be a very narrow Kansas City passing tree.
