Editor's Note: Recenlty
members of the FFToday Board completed their annual June Mock draft.
This mock will be played out in a best ball format, in a league
with no transactions, no free agent pickups, no trades in season...
properly named the "No-Hassle League." View the
round-by-round results. Below is the commissioner's analysis
of each team.
Analysis: In all the years we've
been doing this draft together, I can't remember a year in which
a quarterback was taken with the first overall pick. Luck's selection,
thus, made this entire draft fascinating to watch from that point
forward. Even if the running backs on this team can remain healthy
(there's a history of injury with a few of them), this team is
probably going to do most of its scoring from the QB and WR positions.
There's a lot of quality depth on this team, even if the overall
roster lacks star power outside of Luck. The challenge for JScott
is that he needs a lot of young quarterbacks to be good if he's
going to excel. Drafting Mike Evans, Julius Thomas, Allen Robinson,
Kendall Wright, and Eric Decker essentially means drafting their
QBs as well and Winston, Bortles, Mariota, and Geno Smith are
raw and either largely or completely unproven. That along with
the oft-injured RB group makes this team about as high-risk as
you'll find this year in the No-Hassle league. All the pieces
could fall in place for this team certainly, but there are a lot
of moving parts that need to settle.
Key to No-Hassle Success: I think
I already stated it above. Can the young QBs who serve as the
pitchers to JScott's catchers get those guys the ball? And, can
this team stay healthy? I don't lack in faith in what Jonathan
Stewart and Andre Ellington can do if they combine for 30+ healthy
games...but if one or both were to miss significant time, the
burden for scoring would fall to players on the wrong side of
timeshares most likely. There really isn't one "key" to success
for this team. It's going to take a combination of factors for
them to be a contender. The good news is that Luck is in the absolute
sweet spot of his career and is almost certain to meet expectations
for the most part.
Favorite pick: I really like JScott's
second half of the draft. He added good depth to his roster as
insurance in case plan A were to go south. Joe Flacco and Kyle
Rudolph were good value picks late to be sure.
Least Favorite pick: Andre Ellington.
I thought the Luck pick ended up costing him all throughout the
draft in terms of compiling talent, but Luck will be terrific,
so hard to fault that pick entirely. I question Ellington's ability
to handle a double-digit carry workload game in and game out.
Overall outlook: This team is not one of the "top" teams in terms
of who I think will ultimately contend for a No-Hassle title.
JScott may end up leading the league in points scored from a QB
during the season, but with every other team getting their best
ball result from two quarterbacks, I don't think the gap will
be wide enough to justify the means. Still, there are a lot of
players on this team in the prime of their careers, and that's
never a bad thing. If Kevin White can take some coverage away
from Jeffery in Chicago and Jameis Winston can develop a rapport
with Mike Evans, JScott could have two top-ten WRs on his team.
With Luck in the fold, that might be enough to remain competitive
through December.
Analysis: Most years, guys salivate over having a top-three pick
in redrafts, but I'm not sure it's the place to be after watching
things unfold. This team is a hearty mixture of young players
and veterans and there's certainly an explosive element in play
with respect to weekly scoring. But, the team is also a bit disjointed
in the sense that there's really no strength you can point to
as the foundation of the team. The selections of Knile Davis late
and the two Lions’ RBs before him do insure that this team
can withstand injury at the position. And, there is solid depth
at the other positions as well. But, the WRs and TEs on this team
are below average, meaning that the Peyton Manning of 2015 must
resemble the Peyton Manning we saw during the first half of 2014
and not the last. Otherwise, a huge burden will be cast upon Jamaal
Charles to be the best at his position and Randall Cobb to be
one of the top half-dozen wideouts. All three positive outcomes
are possible, but if only one of the three positive outcomes comes
to pass, this ship will almost certainly sink. This team was built
with the No-Hassle concept in mind. There are just questions about
the assembly that bear watching.
Key to No-Hassle Success: I mentioned Manning, but I also think
Carlos Hyde is a big part of the success-fail mechanism of this
team. Hyde looked good last season in limited action, but the
changes to the 49ers this offseason were not flattering on either
side of the ball, which makes Hyde's early selection a risky one
to say the least. I don't think Hyde needs to exceed his draft
position in terms of production for my team to contend, but I
do think he must meet the expectations that go with his draft
spot. Other than Manning and Hyde, you pretty much know what you're
getting with this team...so they are the true variables in the
overall equation.
Favorite pick: I was really pleased with the Knile Davis pick
late as I initially thought I had waited too long to get him.
To add Bridgewater in the next round was equally exciting for
me as I like his prospects should Manning struggle.
Least Favorite pick: This would easily be DeSean Jackson. Not
that I would go back and change it...I just thought the talent
dropped off a cliff right before that pick and I was left with
options that were far less than ideal, including Jackson.
Overall outlook: This team can
compete for a No-Hassle title, I believe, but if I were given
the option of trading it for one of a couple of other teams, I
would make the trade. I think much of that stems from my discovery
regarding redraft positioning this season. Jamaal Charles simply
isn't much more valuable that any of the next 6-8 guys picked
after him and the selections of Hyde and Jackson were reflections
of being in the wrong spot at the wrong time. I do think the depth
of this team will make it a quiet title contender, but finishing
top-five would probably be considered a successful season when
all is said and done.
Analysis: Last year, I questioned
whether or not it was a good idea to build a team around Marshawn
Lynch. After all, there was plenty of mileage on the tires so
to speak and a downturn in production was a near certainty at
some point in the season. That "downturn" never happened and Lynch
did indeed anchor several of my teams. So, do not count me among
those who say Lynch is due to slow down this year. I'll believe
it when I see it. The rest of this team is quite young at RB and
WR and quite old at QB and TE. The fourth and fifth round picks
of Yeldon and Randle are almost certain to define this team as
will be noted in more detail below. Beyond that, it looked like
a value-based draft in rounds 6-10 including players with fairly
low ceilings followed by a couple of upside picks in John Brown
and Matt Jones. While the overall mixture isn't exciting from
my perspective, you would be hard pressed to criticize this draft
beyond that point of contention. There is both stability and upside
at the RB position. The top two WRs are the undisputed No.1 targets
on their respective teams. And, the QBs and TEs are proven. For
a guy thrown into this draft at the last minute, Guru did a pretty
good job building a cohesive group.
Key to No-Hassle Success: It's not
rocket science. Guru spent his fourth and fifth round picks on
two RBs with little to no experience. If neither end up producing
the way he hopes they will, his season will likely be sunk. If
one produces with some vigor, this team finishes middle of the
pack. But, if he's right about both guys, the success of this
team could be more substantial. The stability of the later round
picks insures that. Sure, injuries could de-rail this team just
as it could any team, but aside from Carson Palmer, there's not
much history of that sitting on the roster. So, it just comes
down to two young running backs trying to find their way.
Favorite pick: DeAndre Hopkins
was a solid choice. The force-feeding of Andre Johnson sometimes
made Hopkins an afterthought in Houston the past two years. No
more. I am expecting a true breakout season if the QB position
doesn't hold things back.
Least Favorite pick: Martellus Bennett went too early. He's not
a sixth-round level talent in a redraft. He's reliable and proved
to be very productive last season in the red zone, but his yardage
totals this year could sag, making his early selection a questionable
one.
Overall outlook: Hard to really pin down where this team is headed
in terms of production and sustainability. I think there is a
foundation in place for success, but bets have been placed on
players that are entirely unproven at this point and that leaves
one to ponder. A.J. Green has become pedestrian enough that he
wasn't even mentioned in the analysis up until now. He'll likely
finish top ten, but he's a solid tier below the half dozen guys
before him who have far greater upside. If I had to predict this
team's fate, I would suggest a middle-of-the-pack finish. But,
if Randle and Yeldon excite, all bets are off.
Analysis: And now we come to the team compiled by our defending
league champion. And, while there were some "safe" picks
contained within the selections, there were plenty of high-risk,
high-reward picks, too. Nothing represents that moniker better
than Adrian Peterson, who could return in 2015 with a vengeance
or find himself out of synch after a year away from the sport.
The theme continues with the selections of rookies Kevin White
and David Johnson in addition to second-year guys Devonta Freeman
and Jace Amaro. And, while we're at it, let's throw Latavius Murray
into that high risk/reward category as well. This is essentially
what I call a "swing for the fences" team. Even the
choice of Tom Brady represents risk as it could mean that Josh
McCown is the only active rostered QB for the first month of the
season. This isn't Riceman trying to defend his title in a safe,
conservative, passive way. This is Rice trying to repeat as champion
and knowing that the potential is also there for the whole thing
to crash and burn. It's going to be a lot of fun tracking the
status of this team.
Key to No-Hassle Success: The running backs on this team have
a chance to be special. Peterson could be the best player in fantasy
football again. DeMarco Murray could get hurt allowing Ryan Mathews
to be a top-ten/elite level back. Latavius Murray could expand
upon the potential we saw glimpses of last year. Because Riceman
has picked low-risk/dependable WRs, he has allowed himself the
opportunity to be truly great at another position: Running back.
His season hinges on what his collection of thoroughbreds can
do. Brady will likely come back and be Brady. The tight ends will
be up and down. But again, the RBs could be something well beyond
all of that. We shall see.
Favorite pick: When I see a WR get drafted, my first thought
is always "and just who will be throwing them the ball?" Rice's
first two WRs taken were Jordy Nelson and T.Y. Hilton. Who throws
them the ball? Aaron Rodgers and Andrew Luck. Enough said.
Least Favorite pick: I really like this draft a lot, so any mention
of a least favorite anything feels like nit-picking to me. I'm
not bullish on either tight end (Coby Fleener, Jace Amaro), so
I guess those picks didn't do as much for me.
Overall outlook: I said last year that I thought Rice had a great
shot at winning our league and that belief was proven right over
the course of the seventeen week season. Dare I say I see him
contending big-time for the title again this season. Sure, I'll
say it. This team is stable at every position that matters and
again could put up huge points in a best ball format from the
RB position. In a league where there are no bad teams as long
as most of the roster stays healthy, this team really stands out
to me. Definitely one of the favorites unless Peterson regresses
significantly.
Analysis: This draft was Exhibit H (approximately) of what V4E
likes to do when the calendar hits June and we do this draft.
He ignores the QB position for as long as he can and stockpiles
his talent everywhere else. In this case, the picks were a mixture
of proven stars (some on the edge of remaining in their primes)
and younger players with upside. The WR duo of Calvin Johnson
and Brandon Marshall represent the former while players like Melvin
Gordon, Travis Kelce, Jarvis Landry, Tre' Mason, and Nelson Agholor
represent a heaping dose of the latter. In the end, it's an intriguing
mix that can be classified as a bit risky, but with great potential.
The second half of the draft was a little less exciting as it
featured several players either on bad teams or coming off down
seasons in 2014. Still, V4E doesn't draft with conventional wisdom
seemingly at the forefront. He has strong opinions about individual
players and has never been afraid to exercise those opinions to
put together a team that can score big more weeks than not. This
is a deep team even if I wasn't thrilled with some of the picks
down the stretch.
Key to No-Hassle Success: Despite all the risky/upside picks,
there is a sense of stability with this team. My concerns would
be: Can the QB duo of Tannehill and Cutler stay within range of
other duos whose scoring will likely exceed theirs? And, how will
the two rookies (Gordon, Agholor) perform? If the answer to either
question is positive, I think this team could really make some
noise as Eddie Lacy and Calvin Johnson represent a proven, dynamic
foundation to build upon from a scoring perspective. Gordon's
potential is especially appealing given that teams can't stack
the box against him with a veteran QB under center.
Favorite pick: I thought each of the first three picks (Lacy,
Megatron, Gordon) stayed on the board too long, so I thought Vikes
got each in an ideal spot. I would readily take his first three
picks over mine in a heartbeat.
Least Favorite pick: I think the Rams are going to turn Todd
Gurley loose once he proves that he is 100%, so I thought the
Tre Mason pick was a little unwise in terms of when it took place.
Overall outlook: I would place V4E's team in the upper half of
the league to begin proceedings for sure. I really think that
if the QB experiment works out, he'll have the talent to contend
for a league title. That is particularly true if the QB that works
out ends up being Tannehill since he's hitched Jarvis Landry and
Jordan Cameron to that wagon as well. I am also anxious to see
what Brandon Marshall has left in the tank. A top-ten season from
Marshall would almost insure a very high finish in the standings
and that's certainly possible if he can develop a rapport with
a QB, particularly when the Jets get into the red zone. There
are no teams that I "dislike". But, there are teams
that I "like". This is one of those teams.
Analysis: There's a lot to like about this team and also a lot
to be moderately concerned about. First, the good. When Le'Veon
Bell returns from his suspension, he is the odds-on favorite to
lead all RBs in points from that point forward. Mix in two strong,
proven QBs and an ideal set of receivers from a No.1, 2, and 3
standpoint and you've got the horses to get far. But, what if
Tevin Coleman doesn't get much playing time early? What if Torrey
Smith and Kenny Stills struggle initially to adjust to their new
roles in new environments? The first month of the season, thus,
is critical for this team as they must stay within shouting distance
of the leaders in order to contend. Once Bell is back, I do expect
this team to be really good as I see a lot of players in the prime
of their careers who seem to fit together well in a best ball
format such as ours. I thought the risk of taking Bell, ultimately,
was worth the possible reward, but I do foresee this team falling
behind early on and having to play catch up.
Keys to No-Hassle Success: It's
all about "weathering" the early storm. This team should get better
and better as the season goes on and guys get comfortable in terms
of matching talent with situation. I think Justin Forsett could
also play a large role in the overall success of the team as he's
being drafted here as if he is going to nearly duplicate what
took place last season. If he does, it will be somewhat remarkable
given his lack of pedigree prior to last year...if he doesn't
(more likely from my perspective), it will force the others RBs
to step up. Given that the remaining guys are composed of a rookie
and a couple of guys whose touches are rare, that could pose a
problem longer term.
Favorite pick: This was a clinic in how to get WRs at great value
prices. There's no way Julio Jones should have taken so long to
be picked. Ditto for Keenan Allen. And, I am looking for a big
bounce-back from Michael Floyd in 2015. Loved that trio and the
value that each represented.
Least Favorite pick: As much as I liked the WR picks, I thought
the RB picks were questionable. Forsett went about where he should
have, even though I'm skeptical about him, but Tevin Coleman in
the sixth? That's early.
Overall outlook: If I sound critical of this team, I don't mean
to because I really like how they project over the course of a
season, particularly from Week Five on. There is stability at
every position with Bell in the fold and I think Robb's bunch
will benefit from getting three wide receivers in the scoring
column every week with what he has assembled at that position.
By season's end, it would not surprise me to see this team contending
for a No-Hassle championship, although I wouldn't initially put
them in my top three. So, as "middle of the pack" teams
go, this team is probably at the front of that line for me.
Analysis: This could be an interesting team when all is said
and done, but there is uncertainty initially about some of the
key players. For example, Jimmy Graham, LeSean McCoy and Jeremy
Maclin are all in new situations and their roles in new offensive
schemes are yet to be determined. McCoy is probably the safest
bet of the three to receive heavy usage and was certainly a sensible
foundation pick no matter what perspective you take to examine
this team. And, on weeks that Eli Manning and Odell Beckham, Jr.
make noise together, White Wonder's team will score big. I thought
the first three picks for WW were solid, but I didn't like the
next four picks nearly as much. It's hard to say if Miami and
New England will stick with Miller and Blount for the duration
of the season and Roddy White's health and status on his team
continue to be in decline. Still, the coupling of the erratic
Kaepernick with Eli Manning makes sense in the No-Hassle format
as it gives the team some upside to go with what will likely be
more consistent, predictable production from guys like Josh Hill
and Charles Johnson. This team is anchored by three star players.
Never underestimate the power of that.
Keys to No-Hassle Success: Hate to fall right into White's predictive
web, but Jimmy Graham is probably the key to success. I think
the production of most of the rostered players is fairly predictable.
In the end, McCoy will probably get his and Maclin will achieve
less than he did in Philadelphia given who his QB now is. But,
Graham's overall impact on the Seattle offense is truly an unknown.
If Graham can rival Gronkowski as the leagues’ top producing
tight end, it would go a long way towards making this team a serious
threat. But, if Graham is somewhere between the fourth and tenth
most productive tight end, then White has picked him way too soon.
Favorite pick: Absolute no-brainer. Odell Beckham, Jr. has no
business lasting that long in a draft. Everyone picking towards
the middle of this draft came out with great RB-WR combos prior
to the quality really diminishing late in the second round.
Least Favorite pick: It's a toss-up
between LeGarrette Blount and Roddy White. I thought both went
a round too early.
Overall outlook: I like this team
for the most part. Sure, I'm not crazy about some of the supporting
cast, but the foundation is a good one and in the end, I do think
Graham produces like an elite tight end is supposed to. I also
really do like WhiteWonder coupling Beckham Jr. with Manning.
That is a strategy I have seen work time and time again in this
league over the years. It will drive the team's scoring up on
a number of weeks and while it may not create the most consistent
scoring base in the league, it may be one of the more dynamic.
This team may finish towards the middle of the standings, but
I would bet they lead the league in weekly scoring 2-3 times over
the course of the year. Title contender? Maybe.
Analysis: ICE's track record in this league is one of consistent
success. That being said, this isn't one of the teams I would
trade for mine. Can't fault the Aaron Rodgers pick at all and
it came at a great time, but picking a QB early forces a lot of
prudent picks afterwards and I thought ICE reached for a lot of
his choices. That left him with a collection of WRs that is probably
the league's weakest unless Jordan Matthews and Martavis Bryant
take major steps forward this season and/or Breshad Perriman ends
up contributing big right off the bat. The running game is anchored
by veterans Forte and Gore, but there are major question marks
as the other three RBs on the roster aren't guaranteed many touches
at all come September. This team ultimately looks a lot like is
JScott's team: A superstar QB and a questionable supporting cast
as a result of taking the superstar QB early. The receiving corps
and the depth of this team just scare me. Still, having Rodgers
is a luxury few can claim. Only Luck is in his same tier.
Keys to No-Hassle Success: A lot of things have to go right in
order for this team to contend, but I would probably start with
the three young WRs needing to produce. Frank Gore is not immortal
and at some point, his decline will likely be sharp. In order
for ICE to overcome his WR deficiency with a strong running game,
Gore's decline simply cannot happen this season. If Gore is not
a top-15 RB, ICE would then need Terrance West to emerge or Doug
Martin to re-invent himself. Both of those scenarios seem unlikely.
So, in summary, it's about Gore and two of the three young WRs
meeting the expectations that ICE has clearly established for
them. Favorite pick: Greg Olsen was a good pick late in the fifth and
gives this team an edge on most others from that position. I also
thought the Perriman pick was well worth the risk given his overall
potential.
Least Favorite pick: I think Marques Colston and Vernon Davis
were drafted as if they are the same players now that they were
two years ago. They're not.
Overall outlook: If you're going to try to produce a meaningful
analysis that doesn't just praise every team equally; you've got
to have a team or two that you feel is an underdog coming into
the season. Enter ICEMAN. As I stated before, ICE has found his
way to or near the top of the No-Hassle standings so many times
that I've lost count. So, is it possible that his master plan,
despite being difficult to decipher for us mere mortals, will
once again produce success? Sure it is. But, the team will have
to exceed my expectations significantly to reach that point. I
think the lack of prowess at WR is really going to hurt this team,
but Frank Gore turning into what Corey Dillon did late in his
career in New England could change all of that. Rodgers will insure
that this team has its good weeks, but will he get enough help?
That's the question.
Analysis: Wanna keep a draft really interesting? Try grabbing
a TE and QB in two of the first five rounds and see what the rest
of your team looks like. That's what Dan did here and the result
was fascinating. On one hand, Dan doesn't have much reliability
at RB behind Arian Foster. On the other hand, he's got a tight
end that is in a tier all his own and a QB that was huge in the
No-Hassle format last year thanks to his propensity for having
games with huge amounts of statistical output. Wide receiver is
a question mark for this team as well, but if you're only going
to pick two in the first six rounds, the wise thing to do is end
up with six on the team overall. That's exactly what Dan did.
So, WR is a position of depth...tight end is a position of extreme
strength...and QB is in good hands with a starter that never misses
time. Sounds like a formula for success to me unless you consider
what's there/not there at running back. Dan could be sweating
that one out all season as netting six WRs left him with only
four running backs. Quite the risk.
Keys to No-Hassle Success: The health of the running backs.
Do I even need to remind anyone how fragile the trio of Arian
Foster, Darren McFadden, and C.J. Spiller could potentially be?
I could easily see all three backs missing time this season and/or
missing time all together. That would spell disaster for any team
no matter who your tight end happens to be. On the flip side,
relatively good health for all three running backs might allow
this team to really take flight. Once Brady returns from his suspension,
Gronkowski will most likely go on a huge tear and with all three
primary backs healthy, that could mean some big, big scoring weeks.
So, the answer here is quite simple: The RBs on this team MUST
avoid injury.
Favorite pick: Gronk. I know it defied conventional wisdom to
grab a TE this early in a non-PPR league, but this guy is a game-changer.
If he plays 14-16 games this season, no one else will touch his
production. Well worth a first round pick from my vantage point.
Least Favorite pick: Garcon. I think he was overvalued as a ninth
rounder. Overall, though, I didn't have a problem with any of
the other picks sans maybe McFadden due to his chronic health
status.
Overall outlook: I hate to beat a dead horse, but health really
is the key to this team. Healthy and utilized properly, this team
could make some noise in this league. They could even win the
whole thing. But, the lack of depth at RB and the history of the
RBs on the roster make me extremely nervous. As the guy who tracks
the scoring in this league, I know what happens when multiple
running backs go down on teams that only have four to begin with.
It's game over. As I said in the beginning, you draft a TE and
QB both fairly early...and you get a roster that looks like this.
Analysis: With the exception of having the four customary Bengals
on his team, I think this was a really good effort from what is
typically a difficult drafting position. What I like most about
this team is how balanced it is. Shovel didn't load up on any
one position to make it great, but did put together seemingly
equal talent at each of the main three positions that matter most
in fantasy football. Starting at QB, he acquired a near perfect
duo from a best-ball perspective in the form of Ryan and Stafford.
Then, he paired together a couple of guys at RB whose value was
underrated in this draft since the league is non-PPR. Finally,
on top of having the most coveted WR in the draft, he created
depth by grabbing a couple of WRs in good offensive schemes to
back him up. Tight end is not a position of strength by any means.
But, if you're going to come out of the June Mock with a weakness
(everybody does and will), tight end is probably the place to
go. Again, balanced rosters have always looked good to me. That's
what we've got here first and foremost.
Keys to No-Hassle Success: I see a bunch of players whose chances
of repeating what they did in 2014 or even bettering it in some
cases look quite favorable. One key would be Matthew Stafford
enjoying a bounce-back season as that would also enhance the value
of Golden Tate. Another key would be getting something out of
the tight end position. This team could be top-five with almost
zero production there, but if they covet a championship, they
probably need a little more than that. Finally, Tennessee needs
to run the ball better. Coupling the Sankey pick with Cobb was
a wise move, but only if the Titans can figure out a way to become
viable running the football.
Favorite pick: Matt Ryan and Matthew Stafford. It's the exact
same combo of QBs that I had last year and even with Stafford
failing to meet expectations, I never regretted the pairing. Solid
choices there.
Least Favorite pick: I thought Shovel waited too long to address
the TE position, so although I didn't mind his picks there per
se, I thought he should have waited another round on David Cobb
and Marvin Jones and taken a better tight end in the ninth round.
Overall outlook: This was the tale of two drafts for me. I loved
the first eight rounds. I didn't care as much for what happened
after that, but the more important half of the draft I thought
Shovel nailed. This team may not lead the league in points scored
for even one week this season. They simply aren't explosive enough
for that distinction. But, what they will do is score very consistently
from week-to-week and in the end, slow and steady can indeed win
the race. I don't see much scoring volatility here which suggests
middle of the pack is the worst Shovel could do (barring a rash
of injuries) and top-three is the ceiling. Again, I think this
team has the look and feel of a stable contender.
Analysis: Picking two wide receivers to begin a draft used to
be the edgy. Now, it's much more commonplace and can actually
win you a title if the two picks end up being what you're expecting
them to be. Enter Ray's 2015 drafting strategy. It's hard to argue
with what Thomas and Bryant have done in recent years to make
themselves the true elite at their position. Ray is banking on
more of the same from them and has chosen to surround them with
a blend of savvy veterans and rookies alike, including two of
the latter at the RB position. If one of those two (Todd Gurley
most likely) bursts onto the scene this year as a top-ten fantasy
talent, it could make this team scary good. I'm not buying the
fact that Drew Brees is no longer fantasy relevant, so if you
team him with a talented, stable running game and the best WR
combo in the No-Hassle league, you might just have fantasy gold
on your hands. It just depends. Something both Dan and Ray will
be interested in is the usage of Mark Ingram vs. C.J. Spiller.
In a league so fiercely contested, the difference between those
two teams could be as simple as ball distribution with respect
to that pairing. Whatever the case, the upside here is remarkable.
Keys to No-Hassle Success: The Ingram vs. Spiller dynamic was
mentioned above, but it's really about Todd Gurley. Ray has based
his entire team on the idea that Gurley is going to be a factor
at some point before the mid-point of the season. If he is, everything
else seems to be in place for a run at another No-Hassle championship.
If Gurley busts, however, and/or cannot regain his health, the
running game could sputter. There are also question marks, depth-wise,
behind Thomas and Bryant at WR. This team's potential is great,
but the WRs must stay healthy and Gurley needs to contribute in
meaningful ways.
Favorite pick: Yeah, I know it's not 2012, but getting Drew Brees
at 5.11 is still some kind of steal. Getting Larry Fitzgerald
four rounds later wasn't too shabby, either.
Least Favorite pick: I liked all of Ray's picks in this draft
sans one. I thought Victor Cruz got picked way too early given
all the uncertainty about him. I think there were far better WRs
available to him at that time in the draft.
Overall outlook: It seems I always like Ray's teams coming out
of this draft. He likes to assemble teams with upside that have
an intimidating look to them in terms of the talent and potential
of the group as a whole. This team is going to be good if the
running game turns out OK; Brees, Bryant, and Thomas make that
a near certainty. If Ingram, Gurley, and Rashad Jennings can somehow
outscore just half of the other teams in this league at that position,
this is a bona fide title contender.
Analysis: Although Remote doesn't follow the same formula each
year, this team does look similar to teams he’s drafted
in the past. The similar part comes in the form of taking two
workhorse running backs to begin the draft. If Remote could guarantee
that Murray and Anderson would put up the same numbers as last
season, we would probably go ahead and engrave his name on the
trophy, figuratively speaking. Neither is assured of that, but
both should get plenty of red zone opportunities, making their
selections sensible as a foundation for this team. The different
part has to do with the relative youth of all WRs not named Anquan
Boldin. Remote is clearly banking that the two years' NFL experience
amongst his top three wideouts COMBINED is not a problem, but
instead an asset. Gone are the days, apparently, when Remote's
team was fairly conservative and close to the vest, top to bottom.
QB and TE appear to be in good hands, so it really does come down
to a number of high upside, moderate risk guys at that one position.
Keys to No-Hassle Success: Murray and Anderson may not match
what they did last year, but they're not going to crash and burn
either. And even if they did, Remote wisely drafted Montee Ball
as insurance for Anderson. So, the "keys" to this team,
if you will, have been handed off to a trio to ultra-talented,
but still green receivers. Make no mistake: This team will absolutely
rise and/or fall based upon Kelvin Benjamin, Brandin Cooks, and
Amari Cooper. Benjamin and Cooper are especially important also
due to the fact that their QBs (Newton and Carr) are also on this
team. If both end up being highly successful, they will take those
QBs along for the ride making this a really, really good team.
Something else to watch: Will Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb stay
healthy? If they don't, Remote may end up with the steal of the
draft in Davante Adams.
Favorite pick: Put me in the camp of people that think DeMarco
Murray is actually being undervalued this season. I think his
workload from last season is being over-emphasized. I think he's
first-round good. Also loved the Davante Adams pick.
Least Favorite pick: I haven't seen any indication as of yet
that Charles Sims can be an impact player at the pro level. I
hope for Remote's sake that I'm wrong, but that might turn out
to be a wasted selection.
Overall outlook: Impossible to say what the overall outlook of
this team is. There are too many variables. What I do know is
that there is a ton of upside and if nothing else, I would be
excited to track a team like this if it were mine. Maybe picking
last in the odd rounds made Remote come out of his comfort zone
a bit- only he could tell you that. What I like is that he didn't
settle for what was "safe" once those first two picks
were made. Sure, he took Boldin and Witten in the middle of his
draft, but beyond that, this was a bit of a swing for the fences
draft much like what Riceman did. I see those two teams as equal
starting out and that's a compliment to Remote to be sure.
