The ‘Fanex Analysis Draft’ is underway. This is the experts draft that usually kicks off in late May. With rules and ownership voting, it got pushed back some this year.
Antonio Brown, Odell Beckham Jr., LeVeon Bell and Julio Jones were the first four picks, and I think that’s a pretty standard opening. This is a PPR league, and it’s further tipped to wide receivers with three starters at that position. There’s also a flex position, so you can start four wide receivers versus only two running backs.
It’s at pick No. 5 where things got interesting. Scott Pianowski selected A.J. Green at that spot. I thought that was a surprise – I saw Green as more of a late first-round pick – interchangeable with a half-dozen receivers after those big three.
Then, at pick No. 6, Mike Nease chose Ezekiel Elliott, making the rookie the second running back chosen. Also a surprise, in my opinion. The Cowboys have a great offensive line, but they also have Darren McFadden and Alfred Morris, and Elliott may need some time to adjust to the pro game – especially in the passing game.
I came up at No. 7 and went with Todd Gurley. He’s not in as good of a situation as Elliott, but he’s proven he can do it and has the considerable benefit of having been around for a year. I would expect, for example, that they’ll use Gurley in the passing game a lot more this year. On my board, Gurley was the No. 5 player.
I’ll post some updates on this draft over the next two weeks. It’s being done online, with owners having 18 hours to pick if they wish. Each owner submits an analysis capsule, and those can be read at MyFantasyLeague.com.
This league is a little different. There are no roster moves allowed, and there are no starting lineups – you just get your highest-scoring lineup each week. At the end of the 17 weeks, whoever has the most total points wins.
It’s a format that’s tended to work well for me over the years. I’ve been in this league 9 years, and I’ve won it four times. I finished 2nd, 4th, 5th, 6th and 11th in the other five years.
Typically this kind of format tends to result in a battle of attrition. That is, you want guys who are going to stay healthy and play 16 games. On that front, it tends to pay off nicely to collect wide receivers rather than running backs. But Gurley is my first building block this time around.
| 2016 FANEX ANALYSIS DRAFT | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Pick | Pos | Player | Owner |
| 1.01 | WR | Antonio Brown | Panizo |
| 1.02 | WR | Odell Beckham Jr. | Rito/Nazarek |
| 1.03 | RB | LeVeon Bell | Adams |
| 1.04 | WR | Julio Jones | Satterlee |
| 1.05 | WR | A.J. Green | Pianowski |
| 1.06 | RB | Ezekiel Elliott | Nease |
| 1.07 | RB | Todd Gurley | Allan |
| 1.08 | WR | DeAndre Hopkins | Serritella |
—Ian Allan
