Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

Just because the NFL is in the middle of a lockout it 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 Steve Coppola , a member of the Bruno Boys Forum, we bring to you the second of many Fantasy Football 2011 Mock Drafts. This draft will be a 16-round affair based on a points per reception (PPR) scoring league (Pass TDs - 4 points, All Other TDs - 6 points, 25 Yards Passing - 1 point, 10 Yards Rushing/Receiving - 1 point, All Receptions - 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 March 9, 2011. Be sure to check back on a regular basis for updates and feel free to give your opinion in our comments section. **All draft picks were made before the 2011 NFL Draft**

2011 FANTASY FOOTBALL PPR MOCK DRAFT ROUND 10 RESULTS

10.01:  Steve Coppola - Pittsburgh Steelers D/ST — With three running backs and four wide receivers the time is now to fill my starting lineup. There aren’t many position players that jump out at me, so with the No. 109 overall pick I don’t mind being the first to take a top tier D/ST. I’m sure the way this draft is playing out that the defenses will start coming off the board soon, and the Steelers’ defense actually had more fantasy points in 2010 than most remaining players. As a unit, they had 48 sacks, 21 interceptions and ranked among the leaders in all defensive categories. I want to have a D/ST I can rely on weekly and Pittsburgh is an elite unit that can make a difference in the outcome of a game.

10.02: Bruno Boys Cory - Green Bay Packers D/ST — If you follow our staff mock drafts, you know I am usually the first to take a D/ST, however this time I swore I wouldn’t be and I wasn’t! In fact, I wasn’t set on taking one at 10.02, but with so many picks before I draft at 11.11 I figured it would be a good idea to get one now instead of losing out because of a potential run. Last season the Packers D/ST was top five in every major defensive category except for rushing yards allowed, which I expect them to improve upon. Also, they had 47 sacks, and forced 24 interceptions and 15 fumbles. Those are the kind of turnover numbers I like to see from my defense. 

10.03: Bruno Boys Brad - Mike Tolbert, RB, San Diego Chargers — I will not continue the run on defenses here. Instead I’ll bolster my depth elsewhere. Tolbert had 11 touchdowns on the ground and averaged an even four yards per carry in 2010, and even if Ryan Matthews has a healthy 2011 the Chargers won’t forget about Tolbert entirely. At minimum, I see Tolbert as a touchdown vulture, and I’ll take that from my RB4. He also had 25 receptions last season, so he could be an underrated PPR option.

10.04: Bruno Boys Jimbo - Eli Manning, QB, New York Giants — I wanted to grab my backup quarterback sooner rather than later. Given the significance of my starter Tony Romo’s injury, it’s not a bad a idea to secure a solid backup just in case. Eli Manning is a good example of a boom-or-bust quarterback, as his 2010 numbers will dictate, but he’s still a borderline QB1. I’m slightly partial towards Manning right now because he led me to the title in last seasons Bruno Boys Staff League. A fantasy championship-winning quarterback is always welcome on my squad.

10.05: Bruno Boys JRonstadt - Donald Brown, RB, Indianapolis Colts — With Joseph Addai likely to test the free-agent waters once a new CBA is reached, Indy’s backfield could finally be Brown’s for the taking next season. Drafted No. 27 overall in 2009, Brown has so far been a considerable disappointment as a pro, accounting for only 1,152 total yards and five touchdowns. There’s a possibility that the Colts could either re-sign Addai or draft a running back early on in April’s draft, but either way, Brown stands to have his most productive season to date in 2011.

10.06: Bruno Boys Cavigs - Kellen Winslow, TE, Tampa Bay Buccaneers — “Soulja…: enough said. In all honesty, Winslow has been a consistent fantasy football tight end and while he hasn’t exactly scored a lot of touchdowns his reception totals make up for it in PPR scoring formats. Winslow has hauled in at least 65 receptions in four of his past five seasons and he was on pace for 69 receptions before he suffered an injury in 2009. Expect another 65-70 receptions, 800 receiving yards and five touchdowns from Winslow.

10.07: Bruno Boys James - Hines Ward, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers — Although Hines Ward is aging, and getting more prepared for life after football with his “Dancing With the Stars” shtick, I think he’s a great WR4 in a PPR league. I still think at his age he can be a good possession receiver and last year had 59 receptions on 94 targets to go along with five scores. He might not be the best WR4 there is, but he also isn’t the worst and it helps that he plays in an offense that is consistent week in and week out.

10.08: Bruno Boys Lane - Matthew Stafford, QB, Detroit Lions — Stafford makes for a great No. 2 quarterback behind my other emerging phenom Josh Freeman. The former Round 1 pick in 2009 has oodles of untapped potential but his career up to this point has been marred by injury. If he can stay healthy this season he will be a monster with weapons like Megatron, Jahvid Best, and Brandon Pettigrew to work with.

10.09: Bruno Boys Ryan - LaDainian Tomlinson, RB, New York Jets — I don’t completely trust Joseph Addai as my RB3 so I want to make sure I take one of the last decent running backs on the board to shore up the position. L.T. had a resurgent season last year after many thought he was done. He rushed for 942 yards and had 52 receptions for 368 yards in 2010. He also managed to score six touchdowns. Even though he will likely split carries again with Shonn Greene and James McKnight next season, the Jets run the ball a ton so Tomlinson should be just fine as my RB4.

10.10: Bruno Boys Kyle - Chad Ochocino, WR, Cincinnati Bengals — The Ocho didn’t have the greatest of seasons last year, with just 831 receiving yards and four touchdowns, but he did have a solid 67 receptions, and even though he may not be with the Bengals this year, he still has enough game left to be a useful backup for my fantasy football team.

10.11: Bruno Boys Allie - Joe Flacco, QB, Baltimore Ravens — Though I’d never sit Philip Rivers in favor of Joe Flacco except during a bye week or because of injury, I’m happy to take him as my QB2. Flacco put up solid numbers in 2010, completing 306 passes for 3,622 yards and 25 passing touchdowns and throwing just 10 interceptions. If the Ravens ran a more exciting offense, then I think Flacco could easily be a top-10 fantasy quarterback. While he has more serviceable games than “big” ones, Flacco is consistent and I look for reliable production in my backup signal caller. Flacco is a great value at the bottom of Round 10.

10.12: Bruno Boys Rich - Chris Ivory, RB, New Orleans Saints — At this stage of the offseason (before the NFL Draft) I am excited to land a player like Ivory at 10.12. Ivory led the Saints in rushing with 716 yards while playing in just 12 games, averaging 5.2 yards per carry. He landed on injured reserve to end the season but according to reports is right on track to begin the season healthy. Obviously we’ll have to see how rehab goes and it could be an issue down the line, but when this guy is in there he is a beast and is, I believe, the best back available.

 
PPR ROUND-BY-ROUND RESULTS:  1  |  2  |  3  |  4  |  5  |  6  |  7  |  8  |  9  |  10  (click to view)

STANDARD ROUND-BY-ROUND RESULTS:  1  |  2  |  3  |  4  |  5  |  6  |  7  |  8  |  10  |  11  |  12  |  13  |  14  |  15  |  16

————————

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.