Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

Consisting of 10 members of the Bruno Boys Fantasy Football Staff, along with guest columnists from Fighting Chance Fantasy and The IDP Guru, our second of many Fantasy Football 2010 Mock Drafts was a 16-round affair based on PPR scoring (Pass TDs - 4 points, All Other TDs - 6 points, 25 Yards Passing - 1 point, 10 Yards Rushing/Receiving - 1 point, Reception - 1 Point). Outside of having to field a starting line-up occupied by 1 QB, 2 RBs, 2 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 March 22, 2010, and with it now in the books, we’ll go ahead and break down the action round by round. So, make sure to check back for more commentary on our Fantasy Football 2010 Mock Draft in the days ahead.

MARCH - APRIL PPR MOCK DRAFT ROUND 1 RESULTS

1.01: Bruno Boys Whooley - Chris Johnson (Ten) - Seeing me with the first pick in a fantasy draft is like seeing an NFL linemen enjoying a small salad at an all you can eat buffet, it just doesn’t happen all that often. However, it is something I can get use to, as it allows me to the opportunity to grab the beast that is Chris Johnson. Some may think that with this being a PPR league, the choice of the overall #1 gets muddled a bit further with both Maurice Jones-Drew and Ray Rice seeing a boost in value due to their roles in the passing game. But, in reality, the PPR format just makes it even easier to grab Johnson. In going for over 2,000 yards rushing last season, Johnson’s role in the Titans’ passing game often got overlooked. Yet, the RB had the 8th most receptions, 2nd most receiving yards, and was tied for the 8th most receiving TDs among RBs in 2009.

1.02: Bruno Boys Greg - Adrian Peterson (Min) - While you may think Peterson isn’t a solid selection in a PPR league, he did have 43 receptions for 436 yards last season. In all, Peterson totaled 1,819 yards & 18 touchdowns in 2009, and even with his fumbles, he is still the 2nd best fantasy player. I believe Brett Favre will be back in 2010, which means Peterson will do well in PPR leagues. But, even if Favre doesn’t return, it’s tough passing on this talented back!

1.03: Bruno Boys IDP Guru - Maurice Jones-Drew (Jax) - MJD is the obvious pick here especially in a PPR league. He had over 1,700 yards, 15 touchdowns, and 53 catches in 2009. The Jaguars will continue to rely on him to carry their offense. I really like that MJD fell to me at #3.

1.04: Bruno Boys Larry - Ray Rice (Bal) - This pick was a no-brainer as Ray Rice had 78 receptions in 2009, which is more than any other running back in the NFL. He had 2,041 total yards with eight touchdowns, which is good for 308 points in this scoring system. He should continue to flourish in the Ravens’ offense in 2010, even with the addition of wide receiver Anquan Boldin. As a matter of fact, if not for Willis McGahee poaching 12 touchdowns last season, Rice might have been the No. 1 overall pick in this format.

1.05: Bruno Boys Jake - Andre Johnson (Hou) - Typical wisdom would say that a RB here is the pick (Steven Jackson probably). Andre Johnson, though, is the best WR and in a PPR league makes for great value with 100 catches almost guaranteed.

1.06: Bruno Boys Allie - Steven Jackson (Stl) - Tempted to roll with Aaron Rodgers in Round 1, however since I won’t pick again until No.19, I’d likely have to settle for a lesser RB/WR combo in Rounds 2 and 3 and that isn’t appealing. So call me “typical” (see Bruno Boys Jake’s comment above), but my pick at No. 6 is running back Steven Jackson. Despite playing for the worst team in the NFL and a nagging back injury, Jackson had a great 2009 with 324 carries/1416 rushing yards/4 touchdowns as well as 51 receptions/322 receiving yards. A healthy Jackson should post 300+ carries/1800 yards, 60+ receptions and 10 touchdowns and that works for me.

1.07: Bruno Boys Cavigs - Frank Gore (SF) - To be completely honest, I was targeting Steven Jackson at 1.07; however, Bruno Boys Allie drafted him right before me. As such, the game plan needed to be altered, so I decided to go with Frank Gore. Whether it’s PPR or standard scoring, Gore is a guy fantasy football owners can feel confident about drafting in the middle of Round 1. In 2009, he totaled 1,526 yards while scoring 13 touchdowns and hauling in 52 receptions out of the backfield. His 266 fantasy points in PPR leagues ranked fifth among running backs and only seven players in the NFL could top his 19.0 point per game average (Gore missed two games due to injury in ‘09). With Gore, I now have a true RB1 that has a proven track record and can anchor my team.

1.08: Bruno Boys Kyle - Brandon Marshall (Mia) - With all the top-tier receiving running backs gone, I thought I’d go for the guy who has had at least 100 receptions in each of the past three seasons, and who scored a career-high 10 touchdowns last season. Marshall has caught at least 10 passes on eight occasions over his last 34 games, and he’s done so at an optimum time for fantasy owners, with five of those games coming between weeks 14-16, aka the fantasy playoffs.

1.09: Bruno Boys Jimbo - Reggie Wayne (Ind) - Seeing as I didn’t like any of the available running backs to take with my first pick, I chose to follow the recent trend of snagging a top wide receiver in the first round, taking one of the stars in the league who finished 2009 with 100 catches, over 1200 yards and 10 touchdowns in Reggie Wayne.

1.10: Bruno Boys Hallam - Jamaal Charles (KC) - Charles broke out in a huge way in 2009 and staked his claim to the starting running back job in Kansas City. Not only did he score a bunch of touchdowns down the stretch, but he also caught 40 passes on the season, even though he didn’t have the starting job full time making him a fine first round pick in a PPR league.  ::pick made before Chiefs drafted Dexter McCluster::

1.11: Bruno Boys Cory - Larry Fitzgerald (Ari) - I wasn’t a huge fan of the running backs left and figured I could still grab a good one I wanted later, so I decided to go with the top wide receiver left on the board. In each of the last three seasons, Larry Fitzgerald of the Arizona Cardinals has had at least 96 catches, more than 1,000 yards and double digit touchdowns. The departure of Anquan Boldin hurts some, but to me that just means more touchdowns for Fitzgerald.

1.12: Bruno Boys Matt - Aaron Rodgers (GB) - Despite the fact that this is a PPR league, I’m still surprised Rodgers is available with the last pick in the first round. Even in this scoring system, he was the second highest scorer behind Chris Johnson last year. I thought for sure that Rodgers would go in picks 7-11. Very happy he fell to me at #12 overall.

Round 1 Commentary from Bruno Boys Whooley: PPR or standard scoring? It just doesn’t matter when it comes to that first overall pick. Based on his 2009 season, Chris Johnson should be the first name uttered in all fantasy drafts this coming summer. Now, does Adrian Peterson belong in that No. 2 spot in all situations? While Bruno Boys Greg, who took All Day at No. 2, would say yes and could make a valid argument in support of that stance, I disagree. In PPR formats, I like Johnson at No. 1 and MJD at No. 2. MJD’s role in the passing game for Jacksonville, along with the wild cards (Brett Favre’s retirement dance? Toby Gerhart’s arrival?) now surrounding Peterson are enough for me to shuffle my top-3 from standard scoring leagues.

Moving down from the top-3, one notices that the switch from standard scoring to a PPR format did indeed boost the value of the WR position. While just one wide out, Andre Johnson, was taken in Round 1 during our Standard Scoring Mock Draft back in February, that number jumps to four this go around as Brandon Marshall (101 receptions), Reggie Wayne (100), and Larry Fitzgerald (97) all join Johnson in the first round fun this go around.

So, who’s stock drops in PPR formats to make room for the fresh arrivals above? Running backs involved little in the passing game. Out of the four RBs (Michael Turner, DeAngelo Williams, Ryan Grant, and Rashard Mendenhall) to slip out of Round 1, making room for Marshall, Wayne, Fitzgerald, and RB Jamaal Charles, who had 40 receptions in 2009, none had more than 30 receptions in 2009.

PPR Scoring Mock Draft RECAPS (Mar/Apr):  1 |  2 |  3 |  4 |  5 |  6 |  7 |  8 |  9 |  10 |  11 |  12 |  13 |  14 |  15 |  16 |

PAST 2010 STAFF MOCK DRAFTS

Standard Scoring Mock Draft RECAPS (Feb/Mar):  1  |  2  |  3  |  4  |  5  |  6  |  7  |  8  |  9  |  10  |  11  |  12  |  11  |  13  | 14  |  13  | 14  |  15  | 16

 
Have an opinion on how the 1st round played out? If so, let us know!

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