Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

Just because the 2010 NFL season recently came to an end doesn’t mean that you can’t start preparing for the upcoming fantasy football season. Comprised of 11 members of the Bruno Boys Fantasy Football Staff and guest draftee Jim Day from Fantasy Football Whiz we bring to you the first of many Fantasy Football 2011 Mock Drafts. This draft will be 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 lineup made up of 1 QB, 2 RBs, 3 WRs, 1 TE, 1 K, and 1 D/ST, owners are free to fill out their rosters any way they like. 

Commentary after each pick is provided by the Bruno Boys staff member who made that pick. The draft started on February 10, 2011. Be sure to check back on a regular basis for updates and feel free to give your opinion in our comments section.

2011 FANTASY FOOTBALL MOCK DRAFT ROUND 4 RESULTS

4.01: Bruno Boys Allie - Jonathan Stewart, RB, Carolina Panthers — Expectations for Stewart were high at the beginning of last season in light of his 2009 performance where he accumulated 1,272 total yards and 11 total touchdowns (10 rushing, one receiving) in a running back tandem with DeAngelo Williams. Unfortunately, if you owned Stewart in 2010, then you know his season– real and fantasy–was a disappointment with a capital D. Between injuries (concussion and heel/foot ailments) and the disaster that was the Carolina Panthers offense as a whole. Stewart’s production dropped to just 873 total yards and three total touchdowns. He posted double-digit fantasy points only four times, three of which occurred between Weeks 13-15. Drafting Stewart as my RB2 at pick 4.01 is indicative of (1) my respect for his talent, (2) my belief that the new coaching regime will mean positive changes for the team and (3) my belief (hope) that the Panthers don’t use the franchise tag on or re-sign Williams, which would up Stewart as the feature back for the first time in his career. If this happens, then he should bounceback nicely in 2011. 

4.02: Bruno Boys Kyle - Vincent Jackson, WR, San Diego Chargers — A prolonged holdout severely damaged Jackson’s statistics last season, of course, but he still showed very capably in the four contests in which he did play. He’s established himself as one of the top weapons at wideout in the NFL over the last few seasons, and getting him in Round 4 is solid value.

4.03: Bruno Boys Lane - Jahvid Best, RB, Detroit Lions — It’s probably a bit early to snag the sophomore running back out of Cal, but his breakaway speed and overall skill set are undeniable. If Best can avoid the injury bug he will be a very profitable member of what is looking like a high-upside offense in Detroit.

4.04: Bruno Boys Ryan - Tony Romo, QB, Dallas Cowboys — I was incredibly close to drafting my favorite wide receiver of 2010, Tampa Bay Buccaneers receiver, Mike Williams, but in the end decided to draft Romo. After Wade Phillips was fired and then offensive coordinator Jason Garrett took over the Dallas Cowboys, the offense really started to play up to it’s potential and that was primarily with veteran backup Jon Kitna as quarterback. I believe Tony Romo has a chance to thrive in 2011, especially with all the weapons he’s going to have at his disposal. I think Dez Bryant takes a big step in his development and claims the No. 1 receiver role in Dallas. I also think Miles Austin, Jason Witten and Felix Jones all have strong seasons thanks to a more balanced offense that Jason Garrett will likely deploy again because it worked so well for him during the 2010 season. I don’t think it’s out of the question that Romo can have a season similar season to his 2007 season where he passed for 4,211 yards and 19 touchdowns.

4.05: Bruno Boys Rich - Mike Williams, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers — I couldn’t miss the opportunity to take Williams, who has developed a great relationship with burgeoning signal caller Josh Freeman. Williams found the end zone in 11 of 16 games and I expect his yardage numbers to increase in his second year in the league. The opportunity to grab him as my WR2 was too enticing to pass up for a quarterback that could be a stretch at this spot in the draft.

4.06: Bruno Boys James -Dez Bryant, WR, Dallas Cowboys — What’s not to like about Dez Bryant after the pure ability he displayed during his rookie campaign. With Jason Garrett at the helm now and Jerry Jones obviously in love with Dez by donning him with the #88, next year should be a big year for Dez Bryant. I think he is the most dangerous weapon the Cowboys have in the redzone, he has tremendous return skills and should emerge as Tony Romo’s No.1 option. I love him as my WR2, now lets hope he can play a full season and if so, I wouldn’t be surprised if he puts up WR 1 numbers in 2011.

4.07: FF Whiz - Jim Day - Austin Collie, WR, Indianapolis Colts — This is a risky pick, but the upside is definitely there. Before getting his first concussion last year he was the leading fantasy wide receiver. Even with missing right games a stat line of 58 receptions, 649 yards, and 8 touchdowns is very respectable. Manning definitely trusts him in the red zone. Of course another concussion would be a huge blow, but if he can stay healthy he has every chance to be a top 10 wide receiver.

4.08: Bruno Boys Cory - Cedric Benson, RB, Cincinnati Bengals — The 2010 season was a bit of a disappointment for Cincinnati Bengals running back Cedric Benson, but it was still a solid one. He put up 1,111 yards with seven touchdowns, and had 178 receiving yards and a touchdown. I wanted to secure my second running back with this pick, and that’s just what Benson does. He’s not flashy, but he gets the job done.

4.09: Bruno Boys Cavigs - Antonio Gates, TE, San Diego Chargers — I’m usually not the one to take the first tight end in fantasy drafts, however I can’t pass on Gates with the No. 45 overall pick. When evaluating the wide receiver remaining none of them compared to Gates in terms of consistency and production. Though he will be my starting tight end, I look for Gates to bring WR1 type production to my fantasy team in 2011. Despite missing six games with a foot injury in 2010 Gates finished with 50 receptions, 782 yards and 10 touchdowns. His 134 fantasy points ranked second at the tight end position and if it weren’t for injury, Gates would have likely outscored every wide receiver in terms of fantasy points.

4.10: Bruno Boys JRonstadt - BenJarvus Green-Ellis, RB, New England Patriots — After going quarterback and wide receiver with my previous two picks, I knew drafting a RB2 with this pick was a must. Green-Ellis was a beast last year, coming out of relative obscurity to register 1,008 yards rushing and 13 touchdowns on 229 carries. While Belichick has been known to have a quick trigger finger when it comes to axing his starting running backs, the Patriots had one of the most prolific running games in the league last year and BGE was the biggest reason why. I anticipate close to 1,000 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns for the upcoming season.

4.11: Bruno Boys Brad - Shonn Greene, RB, New York Jets — I was targeting a RB2 with my 4.11 pick, and to me Greene is the best on the board. He certainly was a disappointment in 2010, so this pick is contingent on him rebounding, however the talent is there and he runs behind one of the best offensive lines in the NFL The possibility the Jets bring back LaDainian Tomlinson does not scare me.

4.12: Bruno Boys Jimbo - Kenny Britt, WR, Tennessee Titans — I really considered snagging my tight end here, so that I could secure one of the top-tier tight ends, however I could not pass up on Kenny Britt. Regardless of who his quarterback will be, Britt proved he can post fantastic numbers, even if it is somebody like Kerry Collins. It also looks as though his trouble with the law will not cause him to miss any time. I’ll be very curious to see what he does this offseason. If he really puts in the effort, he could be a top 10 wide receiver in 2011. There’s way too much upside here for me to let him go.

 
ROUND-BY-ROUND RESULTS:  1  |  2  |  3  |  4  |  5  |  6  |  7  |  8  |  10  |  11  |  12  |  13  |  14  |  15  |  16    (click to view)

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