I like to participate in a best-ball draft or two this time of year. Good way to see how the rankings are working out and how other teams view players. I've posted the first 10 rounds below, with commentary about my picks and some others.
One of the ones I do each year is at MyFFPC.com. The best-ball drafts go 28 rounds -- in best-ball, there are no transactions after the draft, so you want to make sure to draft enough players to cover injuries and whatnot, including as many as 3 kickers -- so rankings need to be deep. These are TE-premium leagues (tight ends get 1.5 points per reception, other positions a point), and you start 1 QB, 2 RB, 2 WR, 1 TE, 1 PK, 1 D/ST, and 2 flex spots (RB/WR/TE). Starting 2-3 TEs a week is not only valid but potentially league-winning, if you've got the right guys. Just keep that in mind if tight ends seem to be going earlier than you'd expect.
A note, I'm actually co-drafting this team with another person, with the result being some choices are a little different than the ones I'd have made on my own. Where that happens, I'll discuss. We drew the 2nd pick, and it's worth mentioning up front that my 2nd-favorite team is the guy drafting 1st -- he took a lot of players I like, before and after me. That's fantasy football.
| Pick | Player | Pos |
|---|---|---|
| 1 .1 | Jahmyr Gibbs | RB |
| 1 .2 | Bijan Robinson | RB |
| 1 .3 | Ja'Marr Chase | WR |
| 1 .4 | Puka Nacua | WR |
| 1 .5 | Christian McCaffrey | RB |
| 1 .6 | Jaxon Smith-Njigba | WR |
| 1 .7 | Amon-Ra St. Brown | WR |
| 1 .8 | Jonathan Taylor | RB |
| 1 .9 | James Cook | RB |
| 1 .10 | Brock Bowers | TE |
| 1 .11 | Trey McBride | TE |
| 1 .12 | Ashton Jeanty | RB |
| 2 .1 | Chase Brown | RB |
| 2 .2 | De'Von Achane | RB |
| 2 .3 | Justin Jefferson | WR |
| 2 .4 | CeeDee Lamb | WR |
| 2 .5 | Omarion Hampton | RB |
| 2 .6 | Derrick Henry | RB |
| 2 .7 | Drake London | WR |
| 2 .8 | Saquon Barkley | RB |
| 2 .9 | Kenneth Walker | RB |
| 2 .10 | Nico Collins | WR |
| 2 .11 | Colston Loveland | TE |
| 2 .12 | George Pickens | WR |
I'm not sure I like having an early pick this year. It's great to start with Gibbs or Bijan, but I like the early second-round picks a lot more than the later ones. I would not have selected Loveland this early in a non-TE-premium format, and considering who was left at my next two picks maybe I should have passed him up (Pickens or Breece would have been the choices). That said, we do love Loveland and believe he'll be a difference-maker at the position.
| Pick | Player | Pos |
|---|---|---|
| 3 .1 | Breece Hall | RB |
| 3 .2 | A.J. Brown | WR |
| 3 .3 | Travis Etienne | RB |
| 3 .4 | Kyren Williams | RB |
| 3 .5 | Rashee Rice | WR |
| 3 .6 | Jeremiyah Love | RB |
| 3 .7 | Josh Allen | QB |
| 3 .8 | Tyler Warren | TE |
| 3 .9 | Chris Olave | WR |
| 3 .10 | Josh Jacobs | RB |
| 3 .11 | Javonte Williams | RB |
| 3 .12 | DeVonta Smith | WR |
| 4 .1 | Zay Flowers | WR |
| 4 .2 | Cam Skattebo | RB |
| 4 .3 | Emeka Egbuka | WR |
| 4 .4 | Garrett Wilson | WR |
| 4 .5 | Tee Higgins | WR |
| 4 .6 | Quinshon Judkins | RB |
| 4 .7 | Malik Nabers | WR |
| 4 .8 | Tetairoa McMillan | WR |
| 4 .9 | Bucky Irving | RB |
| 4 .10 | Harold Fannin | TE |
| 4 .11 | David Montgomery | RB |
| 4 .12 | Luther Burden | WR |
My general antipathy for A.J. Brown has been mentioned, but I definitely needed a wide receiver and it was him or Olave seeming like the best choices. Again, a later pick would have been nice here; the late-3rd early 4th-round picks don't seem much different. I'm not thrilled with Monty at 4.11. If I were running this team alone I'd have drafted D'Andre Swift, who I have ranked a few spots higher. This general misgiving extends to my next pick (again: shared team) as well. On behalf of Monty, he's a three-down back on a team that wants to run the ball and protect its quarterback, and I don't see a strong threat to his workload. (But I do like Swift better.)
Had Malik Nabers been there at 4.11 I'd have definitely taken him. The problem (and why he's ranked much higher in the magazine) is that there have been recent stories making his availability for the start of the season in question. If I knew he were healthy I'd have taken him at 2.11 or 3.2 -- no question. But everyone is clearly worried, as him slipping to the mid-4th highlights.
| Pick | Player | Pos |
|---|---|---|
| 5 .1 | Ladd McConkey | WR |
| 5 .2 | Jaylen Waddle | WR |
| 5 .3 | D'Andre Swift | RB |
| 5 .4 | Terry McLaurin | WR |
| 5 .5 | Mike Evans | WR |
| 5 .6 | TreVeyon Henderson | RB |
| 5 .7 | Jameson Williams | WR |
| 5 .8 | Rome Odunze | WR |
| 5 .9 | Bhayshul Tuten | RB |
| 5 .10 | Lamar Jackson | QB |
| 5 .11 | DJ Moore | WR |
| 5 .12 | Christian Watson | WR |
| 6 .1 | Tucker Kraft | TE |
| 6 .2 | Davante Adams | WR |
| 6 .3 | Carnell Tate | WR |
| 6 .4 | Drake Maye | QB |
| 6 .5 | Jadarian Price | RB |
| 6 .6 | Jaylen Warren | RB |
| 6 .7 | Chuba Hubbard | RB |
| 6 .8 | Kyle Pitts | TE |
| 6 .9 | Parker Washington | WR |
| 6 .10 | Rhamondre Stevenson | RB |
| 6 .11 | Joe Burrow | QB |
| 6 .12 | Jake Ferguson | TE |
Some discussion of Waddle is merited, since in both the magazine and here last week I said I felt he would be drafted too early. I still believe that, but my teammate wanted him, we definitely needed a second wide receiver, and the only guy I'd reasonably make a case for is McLaurin. In general the players at the position being taken in this round and the next are pretty similar; veterans who've changed teams like Waddle, Evans and Moore. I think Tucker Kraft at 6.1 is insane value since I considered him at 5.2.
When I took Burrow at 6.11, the other considerations for that pick were in fact Ferguson and Gainwell. Guy picking 1st seemed to be in my head or holding the magazine. But I do think Burrow is a pretty nice value there, and considering 5 QBs went before I picked again, it was a good thing I took him.
| Pick | Player | Pos |
|---|---|---|
| 7 .1 | Kenny Gainwell | RB |
| 7 .2 | Isaiah Likely | TE |
| 7 .3 | Alec Pierce | WR |
| 7 .4 | Justin Herbert | QB |
| 7 .5 | Tony Pollard | RB |
| 7 .6 | Jayden Daniels | QB |
| 7 .7 | Sam LaPorta | TE |
| 7 .8 | Caleb Williams | QB |
| 7 .9 | George Kittle | TE |
| 7 .10 | Brian Thomas | WR |
| 7 .11 | Makai Lemon | WR |
| 7 .12 | Jalen Hurts | QB |
| 8 .1 | Dallas Goedert | TE |
| 8 .2 | Jordyn Tyson | WR |
| 8 .3 | Jonathon Brooks | RB |
| 8 .4 | Kyle Monangai | RB |
| 8 .5 | Chris Godwin | WR |
| 8 .6 | Blake Corum | RB |
| 8 .7 | Dalton Kincaid | TE |
| 8 .8 | Marvin Harrison | WR |
| 8 .9 | Travis Kelce | TE |
| 8 .10 | Trevor Lawrence | QB |
| 8 .11 | Rico Dowdle | RB |
| 8 .12 | Matthew Stafford | QB |
Likely is a favorite this year and I was willing to take him a bit early in this TE-premium format. Guess I'm a little nervous about counting on John Harbaugh who is shall we say either outright dishonest or just totally indifferent to things he says (like praising Likely on a regular basis), but they're paying the guy a ton of money and you'd think they might use him. If Nabers is iffy for the start of the year, Likely is one beneficiary.
Dowdle (pictured) as my 3rd running back seems really, really good. This is partially a bet on Dowdle and partially a bet against the annually overrated Jaylen Warren, who inexplicably went over two rounds earlier. What? The Steelers are paying Dowdle $6 million per season and have hired the head coach he broke out under, he's not going to be behind Warren for long, if at all. The three running backs taken right before I took Dowdle are clear No. 2s. I honestly do not get it, but I'll take it happily.
| Pick | Player | Pos |
|---|---|---|
| 9 .1 | Bo Nix | QB |
| 9 .2 | DK Metcalf | WR |
| 9 .3 | Courtland Sutton | WR |
| 9 .4 | RJ Harvey | RB |
| 9 .5 | Brock Purdy | QB |
| 9 .6 | J.K. Dobbins | RB |
| 9 .7 | Michael Pittman | WR |
| 9 .8 | Jakobi Meyers | WR |
| 9 .9 | Quentin Johnston | WR |
| 9 .10 | Rachaad White | RB |
| 9 .11 | Dak Prescott | QB |
| 9 .12 | Jordan Love | QB |
| 10 .1 | Jayden Reed | WR |
| 10 .2 | Jaxson Dart | QB |
| 10 .3 | Mark Andrews | TE |
| 10 .4 | Ricky Pearsall | WR |
| 10 .5 | Wan'Dale Robinson | WR |
| 10 .6 | Jared Goff | QB |
| 10 .7 | Patrick Mahomes | QB |
| 10 .8 | Baker Mayfield | QB |
| 10 .9 | Oronde Gadsden | TE |
| 10 .10 | Michael Wilson | WR |
| 10 .11 | Tyler Shough | QB |
| 10 .12 | Josh Downs | WR |
That said, drafting Steelers with back-to-back picks was not my ideal. I'm not a Metcalf fan and how I ended up with A.J., Waddle and Metcalf as my three top wideouts is hard to understand. My wide receiver corps is skewing a bit old, and I guess Monty and Dowdle as two of my top 3 running backs is similar. But these are the players we're looking at in Rounds 8-10 this year. I think he's at least a No. 1 wideout (even if Pittman is a 1A), so there's that. But I'm not in love with the pick, I'm going to need to draft a lot of wide receivers in upcoming rounds.
I had an eye on Bo Nix as my 2nd quarterback, but to be honest I thought he'd last another round. And indeed, even after he was gone there were 4-5 quarterbacks I would have been happy with as my 2nd, including Prescott, Purdy, Dart, Mayfield and Goff. Instead, they all went, and I had to take the last quality No. 2 (in my opinion), Shough. I've discussed him plenty; I think he's underrated, and has top 15 potential if he takes even a small step up from what he was doing the second half of last year. Favorable schedule, good offensive mind running things, probably not a strong running game. I would have taken the few guys I mentioned over him, but he's a solid 2nd option. And literally the last No. 2 I liked.
So that's the first 10 rounds, feel free to question, praise or criticize. Later in the week I'll post a wrapup of the rest of the draft.
