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 4 RESULTS

4.01:  Steve Coppola - LeGarrette Blount, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers — In my opinion, the start of Round 4 is where drafting from the No. 12 spot totally changes all strategy. What I like about my team is that I have three players that were near the top at their position in total touchdowns last season. Considering the league scoring system, I thought hard about going wideout with this pick, however with only four running backs available who topped 1,000 yards rushing last year, this is the last opportunity to secure a feature back. After weighing the options I decided that I trust Blount the most within his teams’ philosophy. He will be going into the season as Tampa Bay’s main ball carrier and goal line back, which bodes well for his fantasy forecast in 2011. Despite not taking over as the lead option in Tampa until Week 7, Blount finished with 1008 yards and 5.0 yards per carry average while scoring six times. While I hope he can improve as a receiver in the offseason, to help me score more fantasy points, Blount as a RB2 in any format should be good value in 2011

4.02: Bruno Boys Cory - Felix Jones, RB, Dallas Cowboys — OK, so taking Dallas Cowboys running back Felix Jones here is a risk. But, I need a second running back before they’re all gone, and I like the skills Jones brings to the table. He put up 800 rushing yards, and caught 48 passes for 450 yards last season. Plus, I feel his numbers likely would’ve been better had quarterback Tony Romo not been injured for most of the season. I like what Jones does, but my only complaint is his lack of touchdowns. He only had two last year, and I’d like to see more production in that area. Of course, catching some more passes would also be swell. That said, I think that out of all of the available running backs, he has the best chance to put together the complete season in a PPR format.

4.03: Bruno Boys Brad - Vincent Jackson, WR, San Diego Chargers — The options are still abundant here, but I’ll target my WR2 and draft the talented Vincent Jackson. Considering his negative attitude and injury history, some might think it is early to draft V-Jax, but I consider him to have the potential to be a WR1 disguised as my WR2.

4.04: Bruno Boys Jimbo - Marques Colston, WR, New Orleans Saints — I debated getting my quarterback with this pick, but I couldn’t pass on one of the two remaining wide receivers who caught 80 passes last year. Marques Colston racked up 84 passes with seven touchdowns, and he also went over 1,000 yards receiving. There’s no reason to think the Drew Brees to Colston connection is going to slow down by any means next season. I also came really close to snagging Steve Johnson here, as well. However, I decided to go with Colston simply because I want a guy I can trust in Round 4, and Johnson easily could be a one-year fluke.

4.05: Bruno Boys JRonstadt - Tom Brady, QB, New England Patriots — I was pleasantly surprised to see Brady still on the board mid-way through Round 4 and, still in need of a QB1, was perfectly happy to scoop him up. Brady posted 3,900 yards 36 touchdowns and just four interceptions last season. He should also benefit from another year to gel with some of his talented but inexperienced weapons such as Aaron Hernandez, Rob Gronkowski and Brandon Tate. If the Patriots manage to acquire a better deep threat either through the draft or free-agency, the sky is the limit for Brady’s Bunch.

4.06: Bruno Boys Cavigs - DeSean Jackson, WR, Philadelphia Eagles — With everyone drafting after me already having secured their two running backs in a league that starts two, I will wait until later to tackle that need and take who I feel is the best wideout on the big board. In non-PPR leagues Jackson will be among the top 10 receivers taken, however his low reception totals decrease his value in PPR formats. That said, I am excited to land the big play threat as my WR2 to compliment Brandon Marshall. His 47 receptions in 2010 were a career low, however Jackson had 62 in each of his first two seasons in the NFL and I am projecting him to hit 60 again in 2011. Inconsistency is his biggest red flag and I draft him fully expecting some games in which he lays an egg, however I am rostering him for those games in which he explodes (five games of over 20 points in 2010).

4.07: Bruno Boys James - Dez Bryant, WR, Dallas Cowboys — I am starting to find out that it is hard to pick from the middle of the draft, especially when you are surrounded by quality fantasy owners on both sides of you. Trying to project what will be available by each pick, or when position runs are going to occur can be annoying to say the least, however I happy to see Dez Bryant still on the board. I wanted to secure a second top shelf wide receiver and before he got injured last year, Bryant was proving why he was the best receiver in his draft class. From Week 6 to Week 11, Bryant posted six touchdowns and was easily the most targeted wide receiver for the Cowboys. With a full year of Tony Romo throwing him the ball, and Jason Garrett running the show don’t be shocked if Bryant surpasses 1,000 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns.

4.08: Bruno Boys Lane - Miles Austin, WR, Dallas Cowboys — I was exclusively targeting a wide receiver at this draft slot and felt the Miles Austin will do the most for my fantasy squad. Dez Bryant will likely cut into some of his production, but Austin is a proven commodity with back-to-back 1,000 yard seasons under his belt. The loss of Tony Romo put a dagger in his 2010 numbers, however when his starting quarterback was healthy Austin had monster stat lines. There should be plenty to go around in Big D for both Bryant and Austin to be prolific receivers in 2011.

4.09: Bruno Boys Ryan - Kenny Britt, WR, Tennessee Titans — I need a second wide receiver and I believe Britt has the most upside of any receiver left on the board. Britt proved he could produce even with the conservative Kerry Collins tossing him the pigskin. Britt had 42 receptions for 775 receiving yards and nine touchdowns in 12 games last season. If Britt could play a full season, and the Titans figure out who their signal caller will be, I like his chances of being a top 10 fantasy wideout in 2011.

4.10: Bruno Boys Kyle - Santonio Holmes, WR, New York Jets — Seeing as this is a PPR league, I figured I better get in on the wide receiver action here in Round 4, or else I could be stuck with slim pickings. I went with Holmes over some other intriguing options, such as Jeremy Maclin, because I believe that he’ll be an even more integral part of the Jets’ offense this season after having worked with Mark Sanchez for a season now. Plus, Holmes was the most explosive playmaker on the board at the wideout position.

4.11: Bruno Boys Allie - Philip Rivers, QB, San Diego Chargers — I thought about using this pick on Antonio Gates or a WR2; however I decided that adding a true No.1 fantasy quarterback of Rivers’ caliber to my roster made better sense. Rivers had his third consecutive 4,000-plus yard season in 2010, completing 357 passes for 30 touchdowns and a league-high and career-high 4,710 yards. His stats are even more impressive considering that Vincent Jackson missed most of the season, injuries kept favorite target Gates out of six games and even his backup receivers were affected by injuries. With Jackson and Gates back in the offense in 2011, there’s every reason to expect Rivers to put up another 4,500-plus yards and at least 30 touchdowns. The “real deal” Rivers is a steal at the bottom of Round 4. 

4.12: Bruno Boys Rich - Antonio Gates, TE, San Diego Chargers — I usually don’t end up with Gates because I never draft a tight end early enough, however it makes sense at 4.12. When healthy Gates is an absolute animal and far and away the best at his position. Even with an injury causing him to miss time in 2010, I expect Gates to fully bounce back and be the PPR beast his owners are accustomed to

 
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.