This draft went down yesterday. I picked from the one hole and went with a fairly extreme strategy.
Here’s a link to the live stream, and here are the results:
1.1 Ja’Marr Chase — I don’t need to explain this pick.
2.12 Ladd McConkey — This was a surprise. I originally wanted to take Tyreek Hill, but Hill has an oblique injury, so I settled on Jaxon-Smith Njigba who typically goes somewhere in the first half of Round 3. But JSN went one pick before me, Garrett Wilson was already gone, I don’t love Jonathan Taylor’s situation or Josh Jacobs’ recent mileage, so I went for McConkey who fell half a round. I had soured on McConkey at his original ADP because he’s been injury prone, but at the slight discount, I rolled the dice.
3.12 Xavier Worthy — Looking at the ADP ahead of time, I was hoping to land Omarion Hampton, but like JSN he was snapped up by Team 2, one pick ahead of me. Tyreek Hill almost made it back to me too, but he was gone, as was DJ Moore and Breece Hall, other players I liked around this turn. I had prepared for this scenario ahead of time. If the players I wanted weren’t there, pivot to the Chiefs stack. So I took Worthy even though I’m not sure he’s stout enough to get the targets needed for a player at pick 36.
4.1 Rashee Rice — The second half of this stack, Rice will probably be suspended at some point, for how long I don’t know. But it was worth pushing him up a round for the stack in part because any game he misses is more targets for Worthy, i.e., I’m getting a partial refund on those missed games. And a healthy Rice, post-suspension, is a second-round WR, who hopefully is there for me in the fantasy playoffs.
5.12 Patrick Mahomes — My plan was to wait on Mahomes until the 7/8 turn because I already had his two top receivers and doubted anyone would take him as a standalone QB in the top seven rounds. Why pay a premium for an unstacked Mahomes with so many QBs and stacks available later? But I was hoping for RJ Harvey here, per ADP, and he went early Round 5, was long gone. I had four receivers already, so I didn’t want to take Jaylen Waddle or Emeka Egbuka, and I didn’t like most of the other running backs. So I took Mahomes two rounds early on the off chance someone decided to take him at his ADP for no reason and destroy my stack.
6.1 Tony Pollard — I just needed *a* running back, and Pollard is one ostensibly with a job and in what should be an improved situation. You can go zero RB, but you can’t go zero RB *and* get too picky about the running backs you’re going to use.
7.12 Jordan Addison — I was hoping he fell to me, and he did. I really didn’t need a receiver after having four, but Rice is likely to be suspended, there are byes, and players get hurt. It’s funny because Addison is himself suspended, but it’s only three games, and it might not overlap with Rice’s suspension which hasn’t been handed down yet. But taking a receiver might have been a mistake here, given my build. I could have had Tyrone Tracy, Jordan Mason or Jaylen Warren instead, but Addison has so much more upside IMO.
8.1 Travis Kelce — I don’t like Kelce this year, but if he fell past his ADP, I had to take him to complete the full stack. If Mahomes throws 40 TDs again, this team has legs. If he throws 50 like he did a few years ago, an overall is in play, depending on the timing.
9.12 Javonte Williams — This hurt. I had Jaylen Warren and Tyjae Spears queued up for my next two picks, and both went right before me. I like Williams’ pedigree, and Dallas might be a decent landing spot for him, but locking up Tennessee’s backfield and getting a veteran like Warren who Aaron Rodgers is likely to trust would have been ideal.
10.1 Cam Skattebo — I’m a Giants fan, so I was happy with this, though I have no idea what the split will be between he and Tracy. It’s even possible Skattebo finds himself behind Devin Singletary.
11.12 Hollywood Brown — When I say I went with an extreme strategy, I meant it. I have every relevant Chiefs pass catcher now to go along with Mahomes. Imagine doing that when he had peak Kelce and Tyreek Hill!
12.1 Bhayshul Tuten — I really don’t know who this is, only that the Jaguars don’t have a firmly established No. 1, and they brought in a new head coach that might shake things up. Apparently he had a fumbling problem in college, but the Jaguars took him in the fourth round nonetheless.
13.12 Breshard Smith — You didn’t think I was done stacking Chiefs, did you? Smith might not even make the team, so maybe I should have gone with a Nick Chubb or Roschon Johnson type, but Smith, a converted WR who would catch passes out of the backfield, augments the stack.
14.1 Jonnu Smith — I have Kelce who I don’t trust, so I wanted another good TE. Smith gets reunited with Arthur Smith under whom he was productive in Atlanta despite the team requiring him to use No. 4 overall pick Kyle Pitts. Arthur has no such mandate in Pittsburgh, and the Steelers are thin at pass catcher beyond DK Metcalf.
15.12 Trevor Lawrence — Maybe this was more of an expensive backup than I need. After all, we’re just talking bye week since my team is so tied to Mahomes no matter what. But this seemed too cheap, and we’re already in the later rounds.
16.1 Keaton Mitchell — He’s healthy for now and is one of the more explosive running backs in the league. Of course, he’s stuck behind Derrick Henry and Justice Hill, but it would take only an injury to either for Mitchell to make an impact.
17.12 49ers Defense — I like their Week 1 matchup against the Sam Darnold Seahawks.
18.1 Eric Ayomanor — I got him in the other draft, and I’m hearing good buzz out of camp. Plus the Titans don’t really have a No. 2 behind Calvin Ridley. Tyler Lockett is more of a No. 3 at this stage.
19.12 Dameon Pierce — I need some running back options for early in the season, and Pierce could be one if Joe Mixon is out. Neither Woody Marks nor this incarnation of Nick Chubb have a lock on the backup job.
20.1 Vikings Kicker — I don’t know who this is, only that usually the offense is decent, and home games are in a dome.
Roster By Position:
QB Patrick Mahomes
RB Tony Pollard/Javonte Williams
WR Ja’Marr Chase/Ladd McConkey/Xavier Worthy
TE Travis Kelce
FLEX Rashee Rice
K Vikings
D 49ers
B Jordan Addison/Cam Skattebo/Hollywood Brown/Bhayshul Tuten/Breshard Smith/Jonnu Smith/Trevor Lawrence/Keaton Mitchell/Eric Ayomanor/Dameon Pierce