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 2 RESULTS

2.01:  Steve Coppola - Calvin Johnson, WR, Detroit Lions — While it is nice getting back-to-back picks when drafting at 1.12 and 2.01, the dreaded weighting game is never fun. That said, I want to use this pick on a playmaker who can find the end zone on a regular basis. The ceiling on Megatron is through the roof and even though he has been suburb throughout his career, he hasn’t reached the top floor just yet. Johnson can get open anywhere on the field and uses his size to get open in the red zone.  If Matthew Stafford  can stay healthy throughout the year look for Johnson to build on his 1,220 receiving yards and 12 touchdown campaign from a year ago. Detroit is on the rise and Megatron is the main man in town.

2.02: Bruno Boys Cory - Greg Jennings, WR, Green Bay Packers — One positive about picking so late in the Round 1 is that it allows a quick pick in the second, which allows me to select a top tier wide receiver in Greg Jennings. Being a PPR league I like to go running back and wide receiver within the first two rounds, and spent my previous pick on St. Louis Rams running back Steven Jackson.There is a lot to like about Jennings. He plays in a pass-happy offense with a quarterback - Aaron Rodgers - who likes to get him the ball. Last season Jennings caught 76 passes for 1,265 yards and 12 touchdowns. While I’d like to see him catch a few more passes, everything else about Jennings is great.

2.03: Bruno Boys Brad - Larry Fitzgerald, WR, Arizona Cardinals — I feel like the crop of upper echelon wide receivers will be thin (if not gone entirely) by the time I pick again, so I’ll grab Fitzgerald here. Arizona’s quarterback situation doesn’t excite me, but Fitzgerald should continue to see tons of targets in the dessert. Despite having four quarterback throw him the football last year Fitzgerald was still able to haul in 90 receptions and if he can increase his touchdown totals from a year ago he once again has a chance to be the top PPR wideout. There is some concern that this is the second player (Frank Gore) I drafted from NFC West, however the division should continue to be poor defensively in 2011… which means a lot of scoring chances for my players.

2.04: Bruno Boys Jimbo - Michael Turner, RB, Atlanta Falcons — I’m making this pick knowing that Michael Turner is not a PPR machine. However, you still can’t deny how effective he is at running the ball. To get a running back the quality of Turner in Round 2, I can’t pass on that even if he doesn’t catch a ton of passes out of the backfield. Remember, for every touchdown that is six receptions and with Turner having 39 of them over the last three years I like my chances with him as my RB1. There were guys like Matt Forte and Peyton Hillis available who catch more passes than Turner, but overall, Turner is still going to produce at a higher level than those guys.

2.05: Bruno Boys JRonstadt - Matt Forte, RB, Chicago Bears — With this being a PPR league, Forte, who has reeled in an average of 57 receptions per season for his career, makes for a fringe RB1. Furthermore, Forte has averaged 1,577 total yards per season throughout his career and is coming off a 2010 campaign in which in averaged a career-best 4. per carry. Look for the Bears to draft a rookie in order to better-complement Forte (backup Chester Taylor and his 2.4 yards per carry aren’t getting it done), however he should once again head into 2011 as the clear cut starter in Chi Town.

2.06: Bruno Boys Cavigs - Aaron Rodgers, QB, Green Bay Packers — In our February standard scoring mock draft, Rodgers was the first quarterback taken at 1.12, and while he was the first taken again in our PPR draft, it was six picks later that I was able to snag fantasy football’s top signal caller.  To be honest, I was shocked Aaron Rodgers was still on board when I made my pick at 2.06, however I am not going to question why. Since taking over as the starter in Green Bay in 2008, Rodgers has scored 100 combined touchdowns and turned the football over just 43 times. Not only is Rodgers producing at a high level, he is continuing to improve. His 65.7 completion percentage was a career high, as was his 356 rushing yards. Fresh off a Super Bowl XLV victory, expect Rodgers to once again be the top fantasy quarterback in 2011.

2.07: Bruno Boys James - Darren McFadden, RB, Oakland Raiders — As a New York Giants fan, it was hard to pass up Hakeem Nicks with this pick being that a solid wide receiver in a PPR league is a nice addition. That said, running back Darren McFadden is still on the board and I can’t pass on him. I love the back to back running back mantra and being able to add McFadden to Jamaal Charles is a great foundation for a fantasy football team. McFadden averaged 19.6 fantasy points per game in 2010 which was good for No. 3 overall In fact, he had only three games in 2010 where he didn’t have 100 total yards or a touchdown. McFadden can run, catch and will be the focal point again in head coach Hue Jackson’s offense. Run DMC has yet to play every game during a full season, however I’ll take that risk here.

2.08: Bruno Boys Lane - Hakeem Nicks, WR, New York Giants — Nicks emerged last season as a one of the National Football League’s most prolific wide receivers, reeling in 11 touchdowns and racking up over 1,000 yards on 79 total receptions in just 13 games. His biggest question mark is obviously health, and while a full season probably isn’t a reasonable expectation (based on past history) his rate of production makes him a great No. 1 for my squad. If he can defy the odds and play 16 games, his per game averages would give him a stat line like this: 97 receptions, 1,295 yards, 13-14 touchdowns. Scary.

2.09: Bruno Boys Ryan - Peyton Hillis, RB, Cleveland Browns — I wanted Hakeem Nicks, but he was snatched up right before me. Hillis is by no means a bad consolation prize. He was the Cleveland Browns offense last season, rushing for 1,177 yards and catching 61 passes for 477 yards. Did I forget to mention he scored 13 touchdowns? I think the Browns will once again have to feed him the ball at a rapid pace next season because they still lack other solid offensive options. I need a wide receiver, however feel Hillis is the more valuable pick from the options left on the big board.

2.10: Bruno Boys Kyle - Michael Vick, QB, Philadelphia Eagles — I drafted Vick at the end of Round 1 in our previous mock draft, and I’m going to go with him again here at the end of Round 2. Even in a PPR league, where he gathers no points that way, he’s among the most valuable fantasy football assets in the game.

2.11: Bruno Boys Allie - Reggie Wayne, WR, Indianapolis Colts — With five receivers already off the board, I’ll grab my No. 1 wideout here because it’ll be a long time between picks. I’ll admit to flirting with sexier, upside guys like “Tampa” Mike Williams or Mike Wallace before deciding on perennial Pro Bowler Reggie Wayne. However when all was said and done, track record (787 career receptions, 10,748 yards and 69 touchdowns) and durability (150 consecutive games played heading into 2011) outweighed upside for me in this round. There are few receivers who are better or more consistent in a PPR format than Wayne. The Colts offense was off its game last season thanks to a host of injuries to key players. Yet Wayne posted his third 100-plus reception season in four years despite being keyed on by opposing defenses. He had a career-best 111 receptions for 1,355 yards (second highest yardage total in 10 seasons) and six touchdowns. I’m confident that Wayne will continue to be a favorite target of Peyton Manning’s in Indy’s high powered offense as well as deliver another season of WR1 production for his fantasy football owners. 

2.12: Bruno Boys Rich - Mike Wallace, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers — Wallace emerged in 2010 as a legitimate WR1 option and is one of the best home run threats in the NFL. His value takes a slight hit in PPR as he’s more of a long-ball threat, however Wallace still a wide receiver who had over 1,250 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2010 and is only on the rise. Year three is usually when superstar wideouts have their big season, and while Wallace has some lofty numbers to surpass, I am confident he can do so in 2011.

 
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

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