Thursday, August 28, 2014

Pre-Season Rankings (With Draft Analysis) - Part 3

And finally, ranking #1-#4.  Let the arguing begin.

1. Unicorn Burps

QB - Tom Brady $4, Johnny Manziel $1 - Grade: B
RB - Marshawn Lynch $57, Rashad Jennings $18, Ahmad Bradshaw $1, Jonathan Stewart $1 - Grade: B-
WR - Brandon Marshall $46, A.J. Green $51, Jeremy Maclin $8, Hakeem Nicks $4, DeAndre Hopkins $4 - Grade: A+
TE - Charles Clay $1, Coby Fleener $1 - Grade: C
K - Stephen Gostkowski $1 - Grade: B+
DEF - Cincinnati $1 - Grade: B
Intangibles - Grade: A
Unused $1

The new commissioner manages to put together a pretty formidable team in spite of some hiccups in his drafting (Johnny Football?).  Putting most of his money on Marshawn and two great WRs could have screwed him up in the latter part of the draft, but he won big-time with his first QB pick:
His RBs and TE are probably his weakest positions, but if Marshawn can manage to stay healthy and Rashad can turn around the Giants historically bad running game, David could be easily prancing to the championship.  His WR combo of Brandon Marshall and A.J. Green is sick, and given his ability to waiver-hunt and his even-more-vested-interest in the league as a commish (hence, an A for intangibles), I think David Lin's team is the team to beat right now.

2. GHOTEM

QB - Russell Wilson $6, Robert Griffin III $4 - Grade: B-
RB - Jamaal Charles $74, Frank Gore $22, Trent Richardson $9, Danny Woodhead $1 - Grade: A-
WR - Pierre Garcon $21, Reggie Wayne $10, Julian Edelman $9, Michael Floyd $11, T.Y. Hilton $9 - Grade: B
TE - Jordan Cameron $10, Jason Witten $4 - Grade: B+
K - Matt Prater $3 - Grade: A
DEF - Seattle (Sea - DEF) $7 - Grade: A
Intangibles - Grade: A-
Unused $0

It turns out Andrew really did want Jamaal Charles, as he was willing to shell out the most money for any player in this draft:
That's a whole 37% of his budget.  For one player.  Not long afterwards, he reached for Frank Gore as well:
The question is if this will actually pay off.  I think Jamaal Charles will, but am not convinced Gore will be a sufficient RB2.  Andrew was able to turn things around by just filling up his roster as quickly as possible with serviceable deals:
Some of his pickups were questionable (Frank Gore for $22, Reggie Wayne for $10, Jordan Cameron for $10, Seattle Defense for $7, Trent Richardson for $9 - which was kind of a fluke), but he had some good pickups as well (Michael Floyd, Julian Edelman, T.Y. Hilton, Russell Wilson, Jason Witten).  The point was that he put people on his team that he actually wanted, and didn't ridiculously overpay for many of them.  Therefore, those questionable pickups, when viewed in the bigger-picture, didn't overshadow the good pickups.
His team, however, looks fragile.  He lacks true depth at RB, and he has no superstar WR to carry the load.  But as a rookie manager in our league, I think Andrew knows more than we might think he does, and he's got something to prove.  So we'll see

3. The Pain Train

QB - Drew Brees $42 - Grade: A
RB - Eddie Lacy $65, Doug Martin $22, Ronnie Hillman $1 - Grade: A-
WR - Mike Wallace $10, Marques Colston $14, Riley Cooper $5, Stevie Johnson $1, Jermaine Kearse $1, Marvin Jones $2, Eddie Royal $1 - Grade: C+
TE - Julius Thomas $26 - Grade: A
K - Steven Hauschka $1 - Grade: B+
DEF - San Francisco $3, Kansas City $2 - Grade: A-
Intangibles - Grade: A-
Unused $4

The reigning champ is out to win it again, and actually put together a pretty good draft.  I think he reached a little for Eddie Lacy, but evidently it's who he really wanted.  Snagging Doug Martin later on for $22 was impressive:
His glaring problem lies in his weak WRs.  Wallace tends to be feast-or-famine, Colston has a history of injuries, and Riley Cooper is unproven.  All his other positions are strong, though, and as the reigning champion, Gabs has something to play for - his pride.

4. Spider Pig

QB - Matt Ryan $10 - Grade: B
RB - Adrian Peterson $70, Arian Foster $37, Darren McFadden $1, DeAngelo Williams $2 - Grade: A-
WR - Demaryius Thomas $60, Eric Decker $10, Greg Jennings $2, Cecil Shorts III $1, Jarrett Boykin $1, Justin Hunter $1, James Jones $1, Brian Hartline $1 - Grade: B
TE - Antonio Gates $2 - Grade: C+
K - Unfilled - Grade: C
DEF - Houston $1 - Grade: B-
Intangibles - Grade: B+
Unused $0

Mr. Instant Gratification #1 went hard for Adrian Peterson and Demaryius Thomas - spending a combined $130 on those two players alone.  That was more than anyone else spent on two players.  Luke then made the mistake of reaching for an injury-prone Arian Foster at $37.  If Foster stays healthy, it will be a great pickup.  I just don't think that will happen.  As a result, he gets stuck with a relatively weak supporting cast at WR.  If it weren't for his luck at grabbing Matt Ryan, Luke might have gotten royally screwed (refer to Eric's team):
But at the end of the day, Luke's team isn't as bad as it could have been.  As it stands now, his RBs are a great duo, and if they can stay healthy, Luke will be riding them to victories.  If not, he'll be falling flat on his face.
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