Razzball Invitational Draft Results

On Monday night I participated in the Razzball Invitational Experts Draft with 9 other fantasy football experts. This 10 team league features standard scoring (non-PPR) and lasted 15 Rounds. The draft itself only took just over an hour to complete.

Starting Lineups consist of: QB, RB, RB, WR, WR, WR, TE, K, and DEF

Other than being weak at WR, I was really pleased with my draft and feel that it could be a contender. I stuck to my draft board, and took many value picks throughout the draft.

Here are my results drafting from the #3 Draft Slot with analysis. My personal rankings for each player are listed in parenthesis.

1. (3) Maurice Jones-Drew (RB2) I was ecstatic to land Jones-Drew 3rd overall. I had resigned myself to choosing between Matt Forte and Steven Jackson with Adrian Peterson off the board first overall. I’ve always been a fan of Jones-Drew’s talent and now in 2009 he finally gets his chance as the Jaguars lead back.

2. (18) Tom Brady (QB1) This was a tough choice between Brady and Calvin Johnson. Brady was the 6th best player overall on my draft board and to get him 18th overall was too good to pass up. I don’t expect Brady to eclipse 50 touchdown passes again, but he is head and shoulders above the other quarterbacks available. Don’t discount that giant sized chip on his shoulder now. Had Andre Johnson not gone 17th overall, he would have been the pick here.

3. (23) Ronnie Brown (RB11) All of the elite WR’s were gone at this selection and Brown has too much upside to pass up. This selection set the tone for the rest of my draft, and though I ended up with arguably the best QB, TE and starting RB’s I will be weaker at WR than most. I hope that Brown comes back strong in year 2 since ACL surgery and regain the form he has as the top RB to begin the 2007 season.

4. (38) Jason Witten (TE1) At this point, grabbing the top TE available made more sense that reaching for a middle tier WR. Witten will produce like a WR2, and I can piece together my WR’s later with high upside players.

5. (43) Anthony Gonzalez (WR15) This choice was between Anthony Gonzalez and Ochocinco. Ochocinco is on many comeback lists for 2009, but I don’t trust him or the Cincinnati offense. I am probably higher on Gonzalez than most, and the Colts offense will be dominant again. He is one of the few WR’s outside the top 20 with a chance at the top 10 if things break right.

6. (58) Knowshon Moreno (RB18) Still needing 2 more starting WR’s, I could not pass up Moreno at 58th overall. He should be an excellent bye week replacement and potential trade bait to land a WR during the season. Moreno is the top player overall in my rookie rankings.

7. (63) DeSean Jackson (WR20) I felt Jackson was a steal at this point and is another high upside pick with the potential for 1200 yards and 6 TD’s. McNabb will rely on Jackson as his #1 target at WR. Many other experts were targeting Jackson at this same spot in the draft.

8. (78) Baltimore (DEF1) I normally wait on defenses, but with this scoring system the top defense on my draft board was too good to pass up. Even with the loss of Rex Ryan, the Ravens will create havoc for opposing offenses.

9. (83) Jerricho Cotchery (WR31) I was happy to land Cotchery as my WR3 this late in the draft. He isn’t a flashy pick, but I hope that he consistently puts up solid numbers.

10. (98) Ray Rice (RB22) To get Rice here in the 10th round was a huge bargain. I had Rice rated as my 22nd best RB, and even in a committee in Baltimore he’ll put up starting quality numbers.

11. (103) Ted Ginn Jr. (WR32) I am lukewarm on Ginn, but even a team’s top WR is too hard to pass up in the 11th round. The much hyped Percy Harvin also went in the 11th round, but Ginn is already more polished.

12. (118) Rashard Mendenhall (RB38) This flier may come back to haunt me. I expected to land Josh Morgan at pick 123, so I instead went for the lottery ticket in Mendenhall becoming the featured back in Pittsburgh.

13. (123) Nate Kaeding (K2) I wanted Josh Morgan here but was thwarted by Rotoscoop.com. I had Kaeding as the #2 kicker available

14. (138) David Garrard (QB9) I was surprised Garrard lasted this long in the draft. I hope to only have to use him during Tom Brady’s Week 8 bye.

15. (143) Hakeem Nicks (WR67) I had planned to make this pick Percy Harvin (11th round) if he was still available, but Nicks is the next best rookie WR with the Crabtree holdout. I prefer to take high upside players late in the draft that could hit big and aren’t tough to drop for a hot waiver wire pickup.

Other Articles on the Razzball Invitational:

Razzball, Fantasy Depth Chart, and Big Troph