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 9 RESULTS

9.01: Bruno Boys Rich - Mike Williams, WR, Seattle Seahawks — Williams had a nice comeback year in 2010, as he hauled in 65 balls for 751 yards despite missing three games. The Seahawks wisely built Williams’ contract based on incentives due to his propensity to get a little hefty in the offseason, so I believe that will motivate him to stay in shape and continue his progression out wide. The big issue with him is scoring opportunities as the Seahawks offense is far from spectacular but hopefully they can address some issues in the draft, or free agency, and put some more talent around Williams.

 
9.02: Bruno Boys Allie - Owen Daniels, TE, Houston Texans — I’m excited to grab Daniels as my tight end in Round 9 especially now that he signed a new long-term deal to remain with the Texans. Hopefully Daniels reports to training camp fully recovered from the knee that he blew out in 2009 and the hamstring injuries that dogged him last season. I’m confident that a healthy Daniels will exploit his role as Matt Schaub’s second favorite target behind Andre Johnson in 2011.  Moreover as a key player in Houston’s high-powered offense, Daniels should have no trouble putting up top-five or better fantasy tight end numbers once again.

9.03: Bruno Boys Kyle - Steve Smith, WR, Carolina Panthers — Smith had a major down year, of course, and is not even close to a WR1 or WR2 at this point in his career, however he makes for a nice WR4 for my squad. Plus, if Smith’s wishes are granted and he gets traded to a contender, you can expect an increase in his statistics because he will be playing in a more consistent offense. I consider Smith the type of fantasy player that can help me win a title from the middle rounds of the draft.

9.04: Bruno Boys Ryan - Braylon Edwards, WR, New York Jets — I want to secure a decent WR4 in a league that starts three, and what I like about Edwards is that he is a big play magnet. Even though he only had 53 receptions, he still managed 904 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. Edwards accomplished this despite having an inaccurate quarterback. Edwards is a free agent next season and while there is a possibility he returns to the Jets, he also could sign with a team like the Chicago Bears or the St. Louis Rams and be the No. 1 receiver on those teams. If that happens I expect his stats to spike and have considerably more value than the position I drafted him in.

9.05: Bruno Boys Lane - Jerome Simpson, WR, Cincinnati Bengals — Simpson emerged very late in the year, posting two huge games in Weeks 16 and 17 as the team’s veteran receivers had faded. If Chad Ochocinco and Terrell Owens leave town, Simpson is projected to be a starter in 2011 (even if they draft a rookie at No. 4 overall) and proved he has the skills to be effective.

9.06: Bruno Boys James - Marshawn Lynch, RB, Seattle Seahawks — Although I have three running backs already, I am a sucker for trying to be deep at the position and couldn’t pass up a starter like Marshawn Lynch in Round 9. Hopefully that playoff run last year against the New Orleans Saints will help him get his act together because he is a Round 1 talent and is still young enough to have some decent seasons ahead.

9.07: Bruno Boys Cavigs - James Starks, RB, Green Bay Packers — I’m currently in Las Vegas trying to win millions of pennies and with the recent news that Starks and Ryan Grant will likely compete/split carries throughout 2011 it’s worth the gamble on Starks as my RB4 option. Playing in one of the NFL’s best offenses Starks should see plenty of opportunity to makes plays and if he performs anything like he did in the postseason it will be tough to keep him off the field. I consider this a risk/reward pick, with the reward of heavily outweighing the risk in Round 9.

9.08: Bruno Boys JRonstadt - Zach Miller, TE, Oakland Raiders — It’s difficult to get a read on Miller heading into the 2011 campaign, which is why I think he lasted this long. Miller’s production has been worthy of a TE1 slotting throughout the last three seasons but he’s also been plagued by injuries, which has prevented him from reaching his full potential. Prior to suffering a Week 8 foot injury last year, Miller was averaging a healthy 4.7 receptions for 65 yards per game, with four touchdowns, but the injury sidetracked him for a month and a half. Once fully-recovered, Miller went back to being his usual, productive self, averaging 5.5 receptions for 51 yards per game, with one score. I’ll need to snag a reasonable TE2 because of the injury danger here, but Miller strikes me as a risk well worth taking.

9.09: Bruno Boys Jimbo - Mark Clayton, WR, St. Louis Rams — This round might be a little high to take somebody who still isn’t even 100 percent after a season-ending injury last year, however I’m going to take a chance here. In just five games played in 2010, Clayton showed an excellent rapport with Sam Bradford and posted 23 receptions, which leads me to believe he should be an important piece to the offense in 2011. I needed to grab a backup receiver here, and given the rest of the options left on the board, Clayton seems like the best bet to take a chance on.

9.10: Bruno Boys Brad - Sam Bradford, QB, St. Louis Rams — I’ll go with my backup quarterback here, since I’m not a big fan of the options at running back and wide receiver at this point and feel I can get one I like with my next pick at a better value. Bradford had a nice rookie season in 2010, and he should benefit from new offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels’ pass-happy system in 2011.

9.11: Bruno Boys Cory - Lance Moore, WR, New Orleans Saints — At this point in the draft the pickings are slim at wide receiver, but I felt the need to nab my WR4 option. Moore caught 66 passes for 793 yards and eight touchdowns last season, and in the 08-09 season he caught 79 passes for 928 yards and 10 touchdowns. Saints quarterback Drew Brees likes to spread the football around, however he seems to target Moore near the end zone. Moore has 20 touchdowns over the last three seasons and it shows he’s become a good red-zone option despite his small stature.

9.12:  Steve Coppola - James Jones, WR, Green Bay Packers — I need a WR4 and saw a lot of players I had my eye on taken before me. The choices remaining are all similar in value as to their potential, soI am going to take a chance on James Jones being he is free agent who has made it clear that he wants to be a starter. With 679 receiving yards and five touchdowns in 2010 there is plenty of upside and if Jones doesn’t re-sign with the Packers, I think he has the talent to become an impact wideout elsewhere.

 
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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