Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

Consisting of 10 members of the Bruno Boys Fantasy Football Staff, along with guest columnist’s from Fighting Chance Fantasy and The IDP Guru, our first of many Fantasy Football 2010 Mock Draft was a 16-round affair based on a standard scoring league (Pass TDs - 4 points, All Other TDs - 6 points, 25 Yards Passing - 1 point, 10 Yards Rushing/Receiving - 1 point). Outside of having to field a starting line-up occupied by 1 QB, 2 RBs, 3 WRs, 1 TE, 1 K, and 1 D, owners were free to compile their rosters any way in which they pleased.

All commentary after each pick is provided by the Bruno Boys staff member who made that pick. The draft started on February 15, 2010 and we will report round-by-round updates as they are available. Make sure to check back for more commentary on our Fantasy Football 2010 Mock Draft.

FEBRUARY MOCK DRAFT ROUND 12 RESULTS

12.01: Bruno Boys Cavigs - Golden Tate (FA) — As Bruno Boys Greg mentioned when researching the NFL Scouting Combine, rookie wide receivers rarely make an impact in year one but I am willing to take the gamble on Tate. He is the most NFL ready receiver in the 2010 NFL Draft and should land on a team that needs immediate help on the outside. As a junior at Notre Dame, Tate hauled in 93 receptions for 1,496 yards and 17 total touchdowns. I know those stats are out of the question; however, working as my WR5, I’d be satisfied if Tate can haul in 50-60 receptions for 700-750 yards and 5-6 touchdowns.

12.02: Bruno Boys Greg - Kyle Orton (Den) — I certainly don’t need a 2nd quarterback with Philip Rivers, but I am not in love with anyone else at any position at this time. Orton had a strong year in 2009 where he threw for 3,802 yards and 21 touchdowns. If you look at the rest of the quarterbacks left on the board, it will be tough finding a decent backup option past this spot. That is why I go with Orton here to secure the quarterback position.

12.03: Bruno Boys IDP Guru - Roy Williams (Dal) — Jerry Jones paid too much money for Roy Williams to not have him be a starting wide receiver. Williams did play better down the stretch and does have upside being a starter on a high-powered offense such as the Cowboys.

12.04: Bruno Boys Kyle - Matt Hasselbeck (Sea) — Granted, I’m taking a chance here with the aging and injury-prone Hasselbeck, but at this point in the draft it’s worth it. He has the potential to give me better value than my fifth running back or receiver, or second tight end, and solid insurance behind Carson Palmer.

12.05: Bruno Boys Cory -  Earl Bennett (Chi) — I wanted to build some wide receiver depth with this pick and was able to so by picking Earl Bennett of the Chicago Bears. I like Bennett’s potential and I don’t think Devin Aromashodu is going to be the Bears’ second receiver. I also don’t think quarterback Jay Cutler is going to be as bad as he was last season, further boosting Bennett’s value.

12.06: Bruno Boys Allie - Chad Henne (Mia) — I like his big arm and the confidence to air it out that Henne showed when he took over as the Dolphins quarterback following Chad Pennington’s shoulder injury. In 14 games he averaged 205.6 passing yards and 32.2 pass attempts per game with a 60.8 percent completion rate. Henne also had three 300-yard games in the final five games of the season. Miami plans to add a big name receiver this off-season to help further Henne’s development and also re-signed Pennington to a one-year deal to mentor him. I think Henne is a good value pick in Round 12 and should I need him for more than a bye week, a decent back up to Ben Roethlisberger. 

12.07: Bruno Boys Jimbo - Davone Bess (Mia) — While Davone Bess didn’t put up monster numbers in 2009, he was still the Miami Dolphins’ leading receiver. He has potential to be a decent fantasy option on the bench. Obviously, how much the Wildcat is used next year will be a determining factor in how much Bess is used.

12.08: Bruno Boys Jacob - Miami Dolphins D/ST — Just a year ago, Mike Nolan transformed the Broncos from a well-below average defense to one of the best. Now he joins a Dolphins team whose premise is to run the ball effectively and not allow the opponent to control the clock. With a few tweaks, this defense could be one of the best.

12.09: Bruno Boys Hallam - Alex Smith (SF) — I’m a little surprised Smith hasn’t gone among back up QBs yet as he had a great ten week run to end the season. There are some lingering rumors about Donovan McNabb possibly ending up in San Francisco, but I am not buying them and Smith will be the starter going into 2010. With the breakout of Vernon Davis and the emergence of Michael Crabtree, the 49ers passing game isn’t elite, but it isn’t something to laugh at either. If all goes well Smith could possibly throw 22-24 touchdowns and hopefully have a great fill in week or be good insurance in case Matt Schaub goes down.

12.10: Bruno Boys Whooley - Michael Bush (Oak) — The release of running back Justin Fargas seems to indicate that the Raiders’ feel confident riding the duo of Darren McFadden and Michael Bush in 2010. As talented and athletic as McFadden is, Bush is the better of the two between the tackles, so I look for the time share to be a pretty even split.

12.11: Bruno Boys Larry - Jacoby Jones (Hou) — This late in the draft I am just looking for some value. There has already been a pretty good run on defenses so I figure I can wait one more pick to take a defense. I decided to go with the upside of a young wide receiver in a high-powered offense. Jacoby Jones appeared to surpass Kevin Walter as a secondary option behind Andre Johnson in Houston. If Jones can improve on his 27 receptions for 437 yards with six touchdowns that he had last season, I just got some good value this late in the draft with my fifth wide receiver.

12.12: Bruno Boys Matt - Matthew Stafford (Det) — I needed a good backup QB with upside and Stafford fits that bill better than most. He showed flashes of brilliance in his rookie season and I like his future. A second season in the league and a healthy Calvin Johnson should make this a great pick.

Round 12 Commentary from Bruno Boys Cavigs: As I discussed at length in my Round 7 commentary, the middle rounds of a fantasy draft are when championships are won; however, that doesn’t mean you can discount the later rounds. Often times fantasy football owners spend Round 12 and on finding much needed depth at each position or looking for players that can be the next big thing. You know, the guys like who are barely targeted in August but impact players by December. I’m talking players like Jamaal Charles and Rashard Mendenhall.

When breaking down Round 12 I couldn’t help but notice the emphasis owners placed on snagging their second quarterback or solidifying their lineup at the wide receiver position. In all, 10 of the 12 owners with with a quarterback or wide out, while only Bruno Boys Whooley and Bruno Boys Jacob bucked the trend. Whooley went the direction of running back in snagging Michael Bush of the Oakland Raiders. To be frank, I’m not a big fan of anything Oakland; however, I feel Bush in Round 12 could pay off. He was drafted as a fifth RB and did outperform Darren McFadden in 2009. Bruno Boys Jacob’s selection of the Miami Dolphins D/ST wasn’t all that exciting, but the Dolphins defense is on the rise and new defensive coordinator Mike Nolan is proven around the league.

Starting the quarterback run in Round 12 was Bruno Boys Greg. At the time of the draft, his selection of Kyle Orton looked promising. He was going to use Orton as a back-up to Philip Rivers. Since, the Denver Broncos have made a trade for Brady Quinn and Orton is a few bad games away from riding the pine. Still, with a quarterback like Rivers, you only need your back-up during a bye week. The next QB to fly off the board was the aging veteran Matt Hasselbeck. Bruno Boys Kyle. Hasselbeck struggled in 2009 and I don’t think he lasts the season as the starter in Seattle. The Seahawks are expected to draft a rookie quarterback and I wouldn’t be surprised if new head coach Pete Carroll turns the page by mid-season.

The next three quarterbacks drafted are my type of picks at this stage of the draft. Young, big armed, signal callers who have a chance to make a solid contribution from start to finish in 2010. Bruno Boys Allie started the fountain of youth when she drafted Chad Henne of the Miami Dolphins. With each game Henne gained confidence and by seasons end he was playing like a QB on the verge of being low-end QB1 material. With Ben Roethlisberger and Henne at the helm, Allie should have no trouble getting double-digit points from her quarterback spot each week. Alex Smith went off the board at 12.09 and I think this was the right move for Bruno Boys Hallam. Smith will be used as insurance to Matt Schaub and playing in a soft NFC West conference, he will make a nice match-up play if Schaub were to get injured or struggle.

The final quarterback in Round 12 was Matthew Stafford of the Detroit Lions. As a rookie, Stafford played behind a horrible offensive line and struggled with accuracy; however, he has one of the best arms in the NFL and at times showed signs of being something special. Already owning Tony Romo, Bruno Boys Matt won’t be calling on Stafford outside of a week or two but the Lions passing attack should be improved in 2010. Still, Stafford is no more than a low end QB2 in just his second season.

Past Rounds RECAP:  1  |  2  |  3  |  4  |  5  |  6  |  7  |  8  |  9  |  10  |  11  |  12  |  11  |  13  | 14 |  15 |  16

 
Have an opinion on how the 12th round played out? If so, let us know!

————————

Don’t forget to head over to our Fantasy Football Message Board and sign-up for a FREE FORUM account. By doing so you will be able to talk fantasy football all season long.