The Fanex Analysis Draft is over (finally). I’ll give myself a B on this one. I didn’t like the draft position (6th), and there are some things I wish I had done differently.
Most notably, I selected Rishard Matthews and Josh Doctson as my 5th and 6th wide receivers (important spots; this is a best-ball league with no roster moves, and I expect to use four wide receivers most weeks). Shortly after each of those selections, developments reduced their value. In Tennessee, they signed Eric Decker; I still think Matthews will be the best wide receiver there; but I’m not as confident. And in Washington, I saw a gushing story about Jamison Crowder, leading me to believe Doctson will be only the 4th-best pass catcher on that team (behind Crowder, Terrelle Pryor and tight end Jordan Reed).
But overall, the team is fine. If you want to look at the rosters and read the scouting capsules for the 240 picks, then click here. This is a PPR league, with 3 wide receivers and a flex (RB-WR-TE). No roster moves are permitted, and it’s best-ball scoring.
Now that the draft is over, I will take a brief look at the best players at each position who weren’t chosen:
BEST PLAYERS NOT PICKED IN FANEX
Mike Glennon, Bears. I don’t see any oversights at quarterback. Three teams got ignored, so if you want any quarterbacks on the Jets, Browns or Bears, have at it. Glennon, I guess, would be my No. 1. Chicago actually ranked 15th in passing yards last year, up at 259 per game. But they’ll probably want to get Mitchell Trubisky in there at some point. In this format (12 teams drafting 20 players each) you want to select two good quarterbacks, so I’m of the school of thought that 24 should be selected, and all of the top 30 quarterbacks on my board were picked.
James Conner, Steelers. LeVeon Bell has gotten hurt four years in a row. If he misses any time, the Steelers should plug in Conner, and he would probably be one of the top half-dozen backs in the league while filling in. DeAngelo Williams helped win a lot of fantasy leagues two years ago when he was in this role. I am shocked Conner wasn’t chosen. I considered selecting him with a late-round choice, but I would have had to go with only one kicker to make room for him.
Darren McFadden, Cowboys. Like Conner, he’s an injury away from being a huge factor in fantasy leagues.
Kenyan Drake, Dolphins. He’ll be the backup behind Jay Ajayi, and he might be more talented. He’s faster and a much better receiver. I’ll bet they start working him in as a change-of-pace and perhaps on third downs.
Jeremy McNichols, Bucs. Is Doug Martin even going to be on Tampa Bay’s roster? I’m not sure that he is. If they decide to cut him, then their leading rusher will be McNichols, Jacquizz Rodgers or Charles Sims. Rodgers is really small, and Sims is more of a third-down back.
Tyler Lockett, Seahawks. He was plagued by injuries last year, but he’s healthy now. He caught 51 passes for 664 yards and 6 TDs as a rookie, with another 2 TDs on kick returns. He should be better than that now. He’ll hit some big plays; he scored on a 75-yard run late last year. He’s the 57th wide receiver on my board (I think he’s better than 21 wide receivers who were drafted).
Chris Hogan, Patriots. Hogan caught 9 passes for 180 yards and 2 TDs in the AFC Championship game last year yet wasn’t one of the 77 wide receivers drafted. That seems weird to me. New England has other wide receivers, but Hogan should hit on some big plays, making him a nice fit with this format (where you’re not picking a lineup each week).
Erik Swoope, Colts. Indianapolis traded Dwayne Allen because they want to get Swoope on the field. He’s the converted basketball player out of Miami that they’ve been coaching up the past few years. Teammate Jack Doyle is more experienced, but Swoope is a lot more talented. I think they’ll use two tight ends, and I don’t see much difference between the two. Swoope is the 18th tight end on my board. I didn’t select him because in this format, you need to carry two tight ends, and I had already chosen two really good ones (Eric Ebron, Hunter Henry). Swoope is the 18th tight end on my board.
Tyler Higbee, Rams. Los Angeles dumped Lance Kendricks, so it needs a new starting tight end. That position should be featured a lot more in their new offense. They drafted Gerald Everett in the second round, but he’ll probably need a year or so to figure out what he’s doing – he’s coming from a small school. Higbee has the advantage of having been around for a year, and he was a productive pass catcher at Western Kentucky. Also a top-20 tight end, in my opinion.
Graham Gano, Panthers. He has a chance to be a top-10 kicker. But he’s coming off a down year, leading Carolina to use a late-round pick on Harrison Butker. If Gano can’t get things figured out, the Panthers might cut him. That scared a lot of drafters off. In this league, there are no roster moves, so the priority has to be to draft two kickers that will be on the field.
Miami Dolphins. I’ve got them 18th for defense (and special teams). One of only five teams to score multiple touchdowns on kick returns last year. Should be a No. 2 for some franchise, I think.
—Ian Allan