Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Pre-Season Rankings (With Draft Analysis) - Part 1

So that draft was interesting.  I want to first say that I enjoyed seeing how things played out.  It certainly gave us a good idea of who was motivated more by delayed gratification (Justina) versus instant gratification (Eric, Luke).  I know not everyone was a fan of the auction draft for various reasons (instant gratification people felt screwed by the end of the draft, it took longer than expected because the time to nominate and bid was extended since it was our first time, autodraft messed a few people up), but I am not entirely convinced that it was an unfair process.  The jury is still out in my mind as to whether I'd want to do it again.  I liked that you created your own destiny and weren't limited by your selection position.  But it did tend to drag a little by the end.

Regardless, our league's very first auction draft in the books, and now it's time for (drum roll, please).... POWER RANKINGS.  Since it would be way too long if I put all the rankings in one post, and to add a little more suspense, I have decided to split the pre-season rankings into 3 parts.  Each part will be published around noon PST starting today and ending on Thursday, giving everyone a whole week to argue with me before the regular season begins.  So without further ado...  Power Rankings, #9-12

9. Seenie J

QB - Peyton Manning $58, Andrew Luck $15 - Grade: A+
RB - Matt Forte $67, Darren Sproles $6, Ben Tate $9, Terrance West $1 - Grade: B
WR - Michael Crabtree $17, Cordarrelle Patterson $19, Danny Amendola $1, Kenny Stills $1, Jerricho Cotchery $1, Andrew Hawkins $1, Brandon LaFell $1 - Grade: C
TE - Ladarius Green $1 - Grade: B
DEF - Carolina $2 - Grade: A-
Intangibles - Grade: C
Unused $0

Jeff went hard for his first two picks, putting down $125 for Forte and Peyton, being surpassed only by Luke in most money spent on 2 players.

However, Jeff didn't do as good of a job scrapping together a supporting cast as Luke did.  This was partly due to his inability to stay in the draft because of connection issues (Andrew Luck for $15, Cordarrelle Patterson for $19), which is basically what screwed him over.  I mean, Andrew Luck for $15 when he already had Peyton definitely screwed him over.  But I think Jeff has potential on his team.  I like Ben Tate as an RB2, Cordarrelle could pay off, and... well, that's it.  According to Andrew, Jerricho Cotchery has arthritis and dentures, so I'm going to go with a low-ceiling-high-floor on him.

 10. Charlotte Hornets

QB - Philip Rivers $4 - Grade: C-
RB - Montee Ball $60, Toby Gerhart $18, Carlos Hyde $1, Tre Mason $1 - Grade: C+
WR - Antonio Brown $36, Alshon Jeffery $37, Randall Cobb $36, Mike Evans $1, Harry Douglas $1 - Grade: A
TE - Kyle Rudolph $1, Tyler Eifert $1 - Grade: B+
K - Justin Tucker $1 - Grade: B
DEF - St. Louis $1, Indianapolis $1 - Grade: B
Intangibles - Grade: C+
Unused $0

Abraham waaay overpaid for Montee Ball:
Ball is a big question mark, especially in a Denver running game that shares it a little too much.  And that hurt him when he was trying to pick RBs to backup Ball.  His QB will be a big liability, but he at least was able to pick up very solid starting WRs, which is what he'll have to rely on to get anywhere this season.

11. Password is Taco

QB - Matthew Stafford $21, Tony Romo $2 - Grade: B
RB - DeMarco Murray $47, Lamar Miller $4, Chris Ivory $3, Fred Jackson $2, Jacquizz Rodgers $1 - Grade: C-
WR - Keenan Allen $26, Victor Cruz $28, Vincent Jackson $22, Anquan Boldin $2, Kelvin Benjamin $9, Golden Tate $6, Kenny Britt $1 - Grade: A-
TE - Greg Olsen (Car - TE) $6 - Grade: B+
K - Unfilled - Grade: C
DEF - Unfilled - Grade: C
Intangibles - Grade: C
Unused $20

Justina saved a little too much money, as the end of the draft showed.  Her first pick was DeMarco for $47, which was a big stretch, in my mind.  She then went WR-crazy and snatched Keenan Allen, Victor Cruz, and Vincent Jackson, all for around the same price.
She could have spent a little more on some better players, but her insistence upon saving allowed her to do this:
AKA waaaayy overpay for Kelvin Benjamin but waaaaaayyy out-muscle and frustrate me.  That could pay off big-time for her.  I'm big on KB doing well this year.
She muscled for Golden Tate and Greg Olsen, and was eventually the first to finish, even though she was a slower starter:
Can you believe - that $20 could have bought her DeSean Jackson or Roddy White!

12. Choux AKA Sweet Buns

QB - Andy Dalton $1, Carson Palmer $1 - Grade: F
RB - Zac Stacy $35, C.J. Spiller $30, Jeremy Hill $1 - Grade: D
WR - Dez Bryant $52, Kendall Wright $9, Tavon Austin $1, Markus Wheaton $1, Jordan Matthews $1 - Grade: B
TE - Jimmy Graham $54, Vernon Davis $11 - Grade: A
K - Adam Vinatieri $1, Mason Crosby $1 - Grade: B+
DEF - New England $1 - Grade: B
Intangibles - Grade: D+
Unused $0

Watching the computer draft for Aaron was soooo entertaining.



It's safe to say he has the worst team in the league right now.  Jimmy Graham and Dez Bryant will have to carry his team, but that's definitely not enough to make up for the big holes in his roster left by a TERRIBLE WR supporting cast, a questionable Zac Stacy and CJ Stinker, and dreadful QBs.  And he can't even vulture over the waiver wires anymore.  Sorry, Aaron.
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