People are always trying to get something for nothing. Or, get something for cheaper. I can’t really blame them. Have you seen the price of groceries? Or the fast food bill when you actually eat Arby’s? It’s crazy out here in these streets.
In our fantasy sports world, I think we all have this eternal quest to let a player ride for as long as possible before clicking “draft.” At least, I do. That’s what I’m chasing after, amigos. Especially in a home league where people aren’t actively trading away draft picks. Does anyone else have this problem? Let’s be real. Not every league is as active as what I see some degenerates describing on Twitter.
So in the spirit of said sleepy hometown leagues, what follows is a recap of one of my dynasty league fantasy football drafts. We always hold our draft the Monday following the real NFL Draft, which is a pretty epic way to begin the fantasy football season. So we have as much tape to watch (lol) as NFL teams do, but we get the added bonus of seeing how much draft capital each prospective draft pick comes with. For those reasons, I am 100% in favor of drafting “early.” Why don’t you mix it up a little bit, folks?
The SMASH team overview/needs
Our league drafts only five rounds, and we keep 30. Yours truly had an extra third round pick to play with this year, after jettisoning Daniel Jones into the sun last year. My return was Rashod Bateman (still just 24), Roschon Johnson, and this 2024 third round pick. I made this trade early last season, choosing to hitch my fortunes to Lamar Jackson (duh) and Trevor Lawrence (solid?) for the immediate future. I suppose the jury is still out on who ‘won’ this trade, but I’m feeling pretty decent about it. I’d rather not hold onto depth like Jones when I can take some shots at skill positions, especially running back. That’s a position I’ve been lacking in since this particular league’s inception.
We are a superflex format, so my needs were essentially any skill player that could give me a boost–but hopefully running back. Here’s the roster I began with:
QB: Lamar Jackson, Trevor Lawrence
RB: David Montgomery, Raheem Mostert, Kendre Miller, Roschon Johnson, Alexander Mattison, Izzy Abanikanda, Kenneth Gainwell, Justice Hill, D’Ernest Johnson, Matt Breida
WR: Garrett Wilson, Nico Collins, Stefon Diggs, Chris Godwin, Tank Dell, Dontayvion Wicks, Quentin Johnson, Rashod Bateman, Parker Washington, DJ Chark, Josh Reynolds, Xavier Gipson, Andrei Iosivas, Derius Davis
TE: David Njoku, Cole Kmet, Greg Dulcich, Mike Gesicki
What do I see when I look at this roster? A lot of depth at tight end and running back, but not a lot of top-end talent at any one position, except wideout. And yes, I realize I have three Houston receivers now. That wasn’t a plan, but I can’t control Diggs getting traded, can I? The upside is that if any of the three gets dinged up, the other two should be really strong plays. The downside…that probably just revolves around Diggs still being a head case, and laboring over who to bench each week. I will say that I feel really good about the receiving group in general. If Aaron Rodgers keeps the drama to a minimum in New York, Wilson could have a career year, especially from a touchdown-scoring perspective. Godwin’s move back to the slot, Wicks as an upside play with Jordan Love (what a baller), and young guys in Quentin Johnson and Bateman who could pop off…that doesn’t appear to be an area of need for me.
I’d love it if one of the young RBs on my roster decided to pop off in 2024, but I obviously can’t bank on that. I can’t even bank on Mostert, as he’s been brittle too often and he’s an ancient 32 years old now.
Overall, my plan was to flat-out ignore the quarterback position, and to focus solely on skill guys. My hope was to bolster my tight end group with Brock Bowers, as yours truly was saddled with pick 1.08. I was fully expecting the top 3/4 QBs to be gone, as well as the top three wideouts…but I was sadly mistaken.
Round 1 Recap
Only three quarterbacks went before my pick, but not the three you’re thinking. Three wideouts were also drafted, as was Bowers. Here were the first seven picks:
1.1 – Caleb Williams
1.2 – Marvin Harrison Jr.
1.3 – Brock Bowers (ouch)
1.4 – Malik Nabers
1.5 – Jayden Daniels
1.6 – J.J. McCarthy
1.7 – Rome Odunze
The seventh pick hurt especially bad, as the commish leapfrogged me after trading away Geno Smith and a 2.11 to get the 1.07…can you say collusion? Okay, maybe not actual collusion, but idiocy. Surely someone else has a home league like this. Don’t lie!
Anyway, with the seventh overall pick, the commish selected Odunze, who was my primary skill player target given that Bowers was off the board. Just brutal.
And this is where I felt I needed to “price enforce” upon the draft room. No, it wasn’t an auction draft. But I can’t just let potential franchise quarterbacks fall further in the draft, can I? So despite not having an overt need for a signal-caller, I took Drake Maye at 1.08. And if he turns into ANYTHING resembling Justin Herbert (his popular comp), I’ll take that as a massive win. Trevor Lawrence is also entering the “put up or shut up” phase of his career, so while I wasn’t hurting for a QB, this move does make me feel pretty good about my QB position moving forward. Lamar has had his injury concerns, too. Carrying three QBs in a superflex format is a wise move. See, I don’t hate the pick. But I do hate it. Welcome to the pain of fantasy football.
Here’s the rest of Round 1:
1.09 – Xavier Worthy
1.10 – Ladd McConkey
1.11 – Jonathon Brooks
1.12 – Keon Coleman
I considered both McConkey and Brooks at the 1.08 spot. I probably would have drafted Brooks if the draft ahead of me had been chalkier, with McCarthy as the QB left on the board instead of Maye. I’m not a fan of McCarthy as a Round 1 selection, but he does have a loaded cupboard to work with in Minnesota.
Round 2
2.1 – Bo Nix
2.2 – Trey Benson
2.3 – Blake Corum
2.4 – Jaylen Wright
Holy running backs, Batman! This was a frustrating point of the draft for me, and something I anticipate you’ll experience too, if you play with folks who are drafting more for current needs than they are with any sort of macro-level mindset with regard to team-building. I was particularly floored by the selection of Wright in the top part of Round 2, but that’s the Mike McDaniel tax, I suppose? Either way, yours truly was priced out of a running back pretty early on, which was a major disappointment. Shouts to all the Trey Benson owners out there. Despite being large, he should still operate as the “lightning” component to James Conner in Arizona. That feels like a great pick…it just wasn’t one I could make based on my position at the end of each round.
2.5 – Brian Thomas Jr.
2.6 – Ben Sinnott
2.7 – Ray Davis (huh?)
2.8 – Xavier Legette (me)
I’m not sure what was up with running backs in this draft, but some of these moves felt crazy. Ray Davis is a fourth round choice by the Buffalo Bills, but that backfield belongs to James Cook. Maybe Davis works himself into short yardage situations, but Cook is an excellent receiver, so Davis is on the outside looking in with any sort of significant role. Of course, there’s also the rushing prowess of Josh Allen to consider. Either way you slice it, that sort of fantasy draft capital for a Round 4 running back going to Buffalo…I hate it. Ours is also a PPR format, so even if Davis carves out a ‘thunder’ role to James Cook’s lightning, those short yardage scores aren’t going to significantly move the needle–and they likely won’t do so consistently enough to trust Davis as any more than a yolo flex play each week.
I loved the Sinnott pick. He was someone I was hoping to have a shot at in the top part of the third round, with my extra pick. However, it appears that the back end of Round 2 might be safer as the place to draft Sinnott if you’re targeting tight end help in 2024. There aren’t many exciting safety blankets to choose from this year, and Sinnott seems like the consensus #2 guy. That plus his athleticism scores might equal an inflated draft day cost.
Ultimately, I chose between Xavier Legette and Ricky Pearsall with my 20th pick. My lil brother, who watches more college football than me, low-key thinks I made a mistake with Legette. Me, I think it’s splitting hairs. Both of these guys are 23 years old, and at this juncture of my draft they were the only receivers left on the board with (real life) Round 1 draft capital. They both also played in the SEC, which we all know is still the best football conference in the land. Lastly, I hail from Marion, South Carolina. Our rivals were from Mullins, which is where Legette is from. The fact that I can fully understand this accent means that Legette was firmly my pick:
That’s what you came here, for next level fantasy football #analysis based on player accents and hometowns.
2.9 – Ja’Tavion Sanders
2.10 – Ricky Pearsall
2.11 – Adonai Mitchell
2.12 – Michael Penix
It’s equal parts comforting and disconcerting that the other player I labored over (Pearsall) went almost immediately following my pick. On the one hand–yes, I was right to like him. On the other hand–did I make a mistake? Again, welcome to the agony of fantasy sports. AD Mitchell is receiving positive reports in OTAs, which means he’ll likely be drafted prior to Legette in most leagues. Me, I’m in this game to have fun, and I’m okay giving a small nod of confidence to Dave Canales in Carolina–as well as for Bryce Young to be serviceable. Legette also shouldn’t have trouble finding volume as a member of the Panthers, with only Diontae Johnson to compete with for targets. In short, Legette is big, he’s fast, and he’s got opportunity. I’ll bite. Pearsall’s room is much more crowded in San Francisco, at least for now.
3.1 – Troy Franklin
3.2 – Bucky Irving
3.3 – Malachi Corley
3.4 – Ja’Lynn Polk
3.5 – Roman Wilson
3.6 – MarShawn Lloyd (me)
Franklin became a questionable NFL prospect after showing up smaller and slower than expected at the NFL Combine. A 4.41 40-yard dash isn’t awful, but if he adds onto his 176-pound frame and loses a bit of speed in the process, things could get dicey. That said, he’s reunited with his college quarterback in Bo Nix, so it’s logical to assume that chemistry shouldn’t be an issue. Additionally, Denver has light competition for targets, as it’s Courtland Sutton and a bunch of “meh” in that receiver room.
Corley is a pick for all the Deebo Samuel lovers out there. Corley reads like the slower version of Deebo, if you subscribe to all the punditry. Me, it’s tough to get past the perpetual Aaron Rodgers drama–and the New York Jets football drama, in general. I prefer the low-key environs and landing spot of a guy like Roman Wilson, in Pittsburgh. That should be a run-first offense, but Wilson looks like an easy way to get some depth WR splash plays in 2024…maybe a solid best ball target, at the least.
I was STOKED to land MarShawn Lloyd at this juncture, given the plethora of running backs that had already been selected. He’s the short and squatty running back that Coach Prime loves–under 5-foot-9, but a bowling ball at 220 pounds and with some 4.46 speed. He’s firmly behind Josh Jacobs in Green Bay, but that’s long been a place with multiple fantasy-relevant runners, and this is a dynasty format, so I can afford to look ahead. Plus, there just weren’t many other exciting runners, and I was happy to land Lloyd in Round 3 after that burst of runners went off the board in Round 2.
3.7 – Braelon Allen
3.8 – Jermaine Burton (me)
3.9 – Will Shipley
3.10 – Kimani Vidal
3.11 – Javon Baker
3.12 – Luke McCaffrey
I’d call this fairly extreme value on Burton? Like AD Mitchell, the more positive reviews we receive, the more his needle will point firmly north. And on that note, what’s the huge difference in situation between those two? Instead of a Year 2 QB in Anthony Richardson, Burton gets to snag passes from Joe Burrow. Perhaps he’s not as enticing in Year 1, but if the Bengals lose Tee Higgins to free agency, then Burton is option 1B for Burrow behind Ja’Marr Chase as soon as 2025.
4.1 – Jalen McMillan
4.2 – Tyrone Tracy
4.3 – Audric Estime
4.4 – Theo Johnson
4.5 – Jacob Cowing
4.6 – Brenden Rice
4.7 – Erick All
4.8 – Spencer Rattler (me)
4.9 – Devontez Walker
4.10 – Isaac Guerendo
4.11 – Dylan Laube
4.12 – Jaheim Bell
Rattler wasn’t something I was planning, but apparently yours truly is a sucker for falling quarterback value. And hey, if Archie Manning agrees with the Saints’ fifth round draft choice, who am I to question greatness? Let me take my discounted long-term QB project and happily place him on my taxi squad.
5.1 – Jordan Travis
5.2 – Cade Stover
5.3 – Rasheen Ali
5.4 – Joe Milton
5.5 – Malik Washington
5.6 – Johnny Wilson
5.7 – Sam Hartman
5.8 – Jared Wiley (me)
5.9 – Frank Gore Jr.
5.10 – Jamari Thrash
5.11 – AJ Barner
5.12 – Isaiah Davis
Jared Wiley is fun, if for no other reason than Travis Kelce is surely going to retire within the next two years…right? Or he’s surely going to take a step back? Getting to shadow the 35-year-old Kelce and catch passes from Patrick Mahomes…I’ll take that from my fifth round pick. Wiley is huge (6-foot-6, 250 pounds) and already turning heads in camp. I also dig that he’s a former QB who converted to tight end, just like Kelce. He’ll contribute to Kelce’s rep management in 2024, and hopefully take advantage of learning from one of the best to ever play the game.
My picks recap:
1.8 – Drake Maye (QB)
2.8 – Xavier Legette (WR)
3.6 – MarShawn Lloyd (RB)
3.8 – Jermaine Burton (WR)
4.8 – Spencer Rattler (QB)
5.8 – Jared Wiley (TE)
How’d I do, folks? If I missed someone, let me know who YOU are targeting in your dynasty drafts this season.
rotoranks 