Draft Round 1 Analysis

With less than a week left before our actual draft occurs, I decided to give you all some fodder to chew before the fun begins.  It's unfair to judge or rate how good the first round picks were, because the rest of the draft is important in providing context for first round picks.  Plus, some managers got an advantage, depending on who they kept.  However, I will still provide my commentary, seeing as how some people find pleasure in doing anything except work.  At work.  (As I write this at work.)

Password is Taco - Marshawn Lynch
Classic pick-stealing here.  Now that I'm in Seattle, I was eyeing Marshawn, hoping Justina would go the CJ2K route - he carried her to victory two years ago, right?  Why would you want one of the ugliest guys in the NFL on your team anyway?  Isn't that why they call him Beast Mode - because he looks like The Beast (from Beauty And or X-men - take your pick)?  But alas, Justina took the (in my opinion, at this stage in the draft) smart route and stuck with Skittles.  I can't blame her.

Seenie J - Adrian Peterson (Keeper)
Must I compliment Jeff more?  No, thanks.

Pinchers of Peril - C.J. Spiller
I'm not 100% sold on my pick, and probably for good reason.  By this point in the draft, RBs start to have large asterisks after their names.  Duke recommended (in a possibly inebriated state) that I pick up LeSean McCoy, but after my experience with Shady last year, I ultimately decided to pass.  LeSean may have a killer year while C.J. disappoints, but I'd rather take that risk than have McCoy for a third year and be disappointed again.  For some reason, it hurts me more when I'm loyal to a player and am disappointed by him rather than if I have no previous connection and am disappointed.  Call it sentimental.

The Pain Train - LeSean McCoy
Gabs takes the risk I'm not willing to take.  Time will tell whether it pays off.  Funny thing is, Gabs and I essentially swap players from last year.  The not so funny thing is, Shady was my 1st round pick last year.  C.J. Spiller?  11th round for Gabs.  I lose no matter how you spin it.

David's Team - Calvin Johnson
As Luke mentioned, this might be David's best 1st round pick since he joined our league two seasons ago.  With RBs like Alfred Morris and Trent Richardson left, it was smart of him to pick up the #1 WR in the draft.  Now it's a matter of how the rest of his draft pans out.  Who will he choose as supporting cast for his WR squad?  Who will his starting RBs be?  Question marks that he'll have to eventually answer.  But suffice it to say that David has started the draft off on a good foot, in my opinion.  But now that both Luke and I have acknowledged it, he's jinxed for the season.  Sorry, David.

Choux AKA Sweet Buns - Arian Foster (Keeper)
Arian Foster is one of those that could carry Aaron's team to a championship, or could totally wreck his team.  Aaron had no choice but to keep him, though.  And if he spends the amount of time on his team this year as he did last (at least the first half of last year), then I'm sure he'll be fine.

E-San's Nifty Team - Doug Martin ( Keeper)
While E-San's Nifty Team doesn't sound as intimidating as MUSCLE HAMSTER, I guess all Eric needs is the Hamster (who hates the name, by the way) on his team to get the job done, fancy name or not.  I'm a believer that Martin will continue to perform at a high level for Eric, and even though it's only the first round, Eric's team is already one of my favorites to do well this season, coming off the crazy momentum he had from last season.  It may seem irrational, but if you can give me an example of any of my posts that have actually been rational, I'll take take back what I wrote about Eric's team.  Then you'll have to take things up with Eric.

David's Team2 - Alfred Morris
At this point, what could he do?  I think Morris is a bit of a gamble, but it's hard to confidently say there's an RB out there at this point in the draft that doesn't have some sort of associated risk.  I'm a fan of Alfred Morris.  I think he'll do well, especially if RGIII can stay healthy and spread out defenses to open up running lanes.  Shanahan has been known for rotating RBs all the time, but if Morris can prove himself to be consistent, I see no reason to doubt his ability to perform.

Spider Pig - Jamaal Charles (Keeper)
As I mentioned in a previous post, I support Luke's decision to keep Jamaal Charles.  However, he could be in some deep doo doo if Charles can't stay away from injury.  That sux.

Duke's Dazzling Team - Ray Rice (Keeper from Abraham)
Seeing as how he had little chance of picking up a more reliable RB by his last-pick spot, Duke made a wise decision to obtain Rice.  While I'm not convinced he objectively came out on top over Abraham in the trade, I think I would personally rather be Duke in this case than Abraham.  Sure, he'll lose some ground by not being able to pick in Round 3, but at least he's got a solid RB1 - it'll be interesting to see who Duke picks to support him.  With the next pick in the draft, I'd say he has a pretty good list of options.

Jen Wong's Team - Drew Brees
Bold pick by Jen.  I'm not sure if this is a result of her relative lack of experience in fantasy football (no offense intended), or if she's got something up her sleeve that I don't know about.  I'll give her the benefit of the doubt and go with the latter.  I can't blame her for not trying to pick up a so-so RB and instead going for an elite QB.  So I'm intrigued to see how the rest of her draft plays out.  Dark horse candidate, anyone?

Charlotte Hornets - Trent Richardson (From Duke)
After giving up Ray Rice, Abraham settles for Richardson.  Depending on who he picks up in Round 3, and how Richardson's season plays out, Abraham could end up making bank in this trade.  I'm hopeful.  Reservedly hopeful, but hopeful.