Typically in the Fanex Analysis Draft, I prefer to load up on wide receivers early and often. You pick up 3-4 wide receivers who are going to catch 85-plus passes, and that’s a good start towards winning the thing. It’s a PPR format, recall, and there’s also the dimension of no roster moves allowed – and wide receivers are less likely to get hurt than running backs.
But you also have to adjust your expectations to where you’re drafting and what’s going on around you. In my case, I was drafting down at No. 7, so the three super-elite pass catchers were long gone before I had a chance to send a card up to the podium. I instead went with Todd Gurley.
In the middle of the second round, there wasn’t a wide receiver I was in love with. There are some good ones left, but not a good difference between what I might select at 2.06 and at 3.07 (I think). There is, however, a running back sitting there that I like a lot better than any of the other remaining players at that position: Mark Ingram.
Early in his career, I wasn’t a big Ingram fan. He was outplayed back in the day by Chris Ivory, and they’ve always used a committee approach, mixing in 2-3 backs. And Ingram has been a notoriously bad pass catcher, making him a poor fit with this offense (the Saints typically complete more passes to running backs than any other team).
But Ingram took a huge step forward as a pass catcher last year, averaging 34 receiving yards per game. He’s also been used more extensively as a runner, and he’s really about all they have back there. C.J. Spiller has been a huge bust (I’m not sure he’ll even make that team), and Khiry Robinson is gone now, reducing the potential of Ingram losing a good chunk of 1-yard TD runs.
Ingram has been hurt some, but I don’t think he’s injury prone. I think he’s just been unlucky – particularly with hand, heel and shoulder injuries.
Given the scoring system (the PPR), I think Ingram is the 4th-best running back on the board, and a player who should have been selected in the top 10 overall. I would select him before Adrian Peterson and Ezekiel Elliott in this kind of format.
So he’s the choice here at 2.06. I have not selected a wide receiver yet, so I will need to address that position in the upcoming rounds – probably my next three picks will all be wide receivers.
Selecting running backs with my first two picks isn’t ideal, but it may save me from having to force a choice on an iffy running back in the 6th-8th round.
As a reminder, this is a 12-team league, with each franchise selecting 20 players. PPR scoring. No waiver moves, and no starting lineups each week (you just get your best-ball lineup). No head-to-head games (the team with the most points after 17 weeks wins).
The draft is being held at MyFantasyLeague.com. Owners are submitting one-paragraph scouting capsules after each pick, and those can be seen by clicking on the link.
Worst picks (I thought) in Round 2 were Jordy Nelson, Jamaal Charles and Matt Forte. Nelson and Charles have been great players in the past, but they’re older guys trying to come off ACL injuries. With Forte, he’s a 30-year-old running back, and I don’t think he’ll be used nearly as extensively with the Jets, particularly as a pass catcher. In the offseason, they signed Bilal Powell to a three-year contract worth almost as much as Forte. Powell was very effective as a pass catcher late last year, and I think he’ll get a good chunk of those plays.
| 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 |
| 1.09 | RB | David Johnson | Cahill |
| 1.10 | RB | Adrian Peterson | Schauf |
| 1.11 | WR | Dez Bryant | Holm |
| 1.12 | TE | Rob Gronkowski | Dolfi/Walls |
| 2.01 | RB | Lamar Miller | Dolfi/Walls |
| 2.02 | WR | Jordy Nelson | Holm |
| 2.03 | WR | Keenan Allen | Schauf |
| 2.04 | RB | Jamaal Charles | Cahill |
| 2.05 | WR | Brandon Marshall | Serritella |
| 2.06 | RB | Mark Ingram | Allan |
| 2.07 | RB | Devonta Freeman | Nease |
| 2.08 | WR | Allen Robinson | Pianowski |
| 2.09 | WR | Mike Evans | Satterlee |
| 2.10 | RB | Matt Forte | Adams |
| 2.11 | RB | Doug Martin | Rito/Nazarek |
| 2.12 | WR | Jarvis Landry | Panizo |
| 3.01 | RB | LeSean McCoy | Panizo |
—Ian Allan
