There’s a week before the 2020 NFL season begins.
Is your Fantasy board great?
Obviously, time is running out, because most leagues that have not yet been drafted probably will this weekend, so to help you in your next intensive sessions, let’s take a look at how the experts treated their new drafts..
Expert fantasy simulation projects
Gary Davenport of Bleacher Report (PPR of 12 teams, fourth publisher)
Davenport has a transparent and concise message for fantasy coaches: beating the ball carrier position this season.
“By the time RB’s position is decimated in 2020, I mean an early investment there,” Davenport wrote.
He started with Ezekiel Elliott in the first round, and after catching DeAndre Hopkins at the time (only because his ball-carrying goals were off the board), Davenport returned to the position with his 3rd (Leonard Fournette), fourth (Devin Singletary) and Selection Number 5 (Ronald Jones II).For the context, the draft failed before Fournette released through the Jacksonville Jaguars and signed through the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Davenport’s strategy made sense because the rest of the league also implemented it effectively.In three rounds, 21 of the first 36 selections were offensive midfielders.
Davenport was a forged reception core with Hopkins, T.Y.Hilton and Tyler Boyd (in addition to Jamison Crowder as a reliable WR4), while his circular selections 10 and 13 placed him as quarterbacks with Matthew Stafford and Ben Roethlisberger, respectively.
TRIstan H.Cockcroft by ESPN (PPR of 12 teams, Editorial 1st)
The main theme of the ESPN style is no other than B/R.
“The trend is clear,” ESPN’s Joe Kaiser wrote, “offensive midfielders are a higher priority than ever before in the first two rounds.”
That said, Cockcroft has adopted another technique to extract the price elsewhere: after making the simple call to catch Christian McCaffrey at the top, Cockcroft walked away from the ball carrier post in 3 of his next 4 selections.3 with Kenny Golladay and Mike Evans, then, after taking over Todd Gurley II on the fourth lap, Cockcroft opened fifth with TYHilton.
Cockcroft’s initial investments in non-brokers continued in other positions.He spent his seventh-circular selection over Dak Prescott, making him the fourth quarterback decided (behind Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson and Kyler Murray). Cockcroft then took Noah Fant the ninth circular as caught in the ninth closed final.
Cockcroft’s offensive runner ended with McCaffrey, Gurley, Mark Ingram II (sixth round), Duke Johnson (tenth) and Justin Jackson (13th).
Jamey Eisenberg of CBS Sports (PPR 12 teams, Editorial 6th)
Have we spent enough time insisting on the maximum costs of brokers?Probably not, actually.
This draft began with six consecutive midfielders, adding Dalvin Cook’s Eisenberg variety.After Michael Thomas chose the seventh selection, he began another series of six consecutive varieties of ball carriers.
Positions began to diversify from there, as six open receivers, two tight finals and one quarterback (Mahomes) went to circular 2.Eisenberg was guilty of one of the tight final selections, so he took Travis Kelce 19th overall.Eisenberg’s initial purpose for this slot was Aaron Jones, but after leaving the table at number 17, Eisenberg saw Kelce as “a comfort prize.”
Eisenberg took the direction of the pass receiver in rounds 3 and with Calvin Ridley and Tyler Lockett, respectively.
“I selected Ridley from Mike Evans, which may be a mistake, but I love Ridley’s benefits in his third season,” Eisenberg wrote.
Only 3 of Eisenberg’s first nine picks were offensive midfielders: Cook, Melvin Gordon (fifth round) and Tarik Cohen (seventh). Five were receivers: Ridley, Lockett, Stefon Diggs (sixth), Preston Williams (eighth) and CeeDee Lamb (ninth). Eisenberg waited until round 11 for his quarterback, Matt Ryan.