2020 DRAFT RECAPS - PART 1

Welcome back everyone, hope you’re all doing well. Draft day has come and gone and it’s time for the first writeups of the 2020 season. As always, we’ll start with draft recaps and season predictions that are intended to stir the pot and provide a baseline for our (my) expectations this year. Given my time constraints (tax busy season) and lifestyle changes (fatherhood), I’m cutting these down quite a bit – from a 3 page article on each team, to a 3 paragraph blurb on each team. Blurb. Great word. Anyways, here’s the format:

What I Like:

What I Don’t Like:

Grade & Prediction:

I’ll break it up into separate articles reviewing picks 10-8, 7-4 and 3-1. Hopefully these give you something to read on the shitter or on the commute that no one has to make to work anymore. Enjoy.

Pick 10: RUGG AND TUGG, JON KEETZ

What I Like:

Great team name, I got a good chuckle out of that.

Keetz has far and away the best WR duo with Tyreek Hill and Davante Adams. Both of these guys got hurt for stretches last year, but both were still able to put up big numbers. Despite missing 5 games last year, Hill still put up 860 yards and 7 TDs. Despite missing 5 games of his own, Adams put up 997 yards and 5 TDs last year.

The Aaron Rodgers-Davante Adams stack could be lethal if both stay healthy. From 2016-2018, Adams and Rodgers put up 12, 10 and 13 TDs together.

What I Don’t Like:

In a league that rewards points per carry and only half-PPR, it’s hard to justify not taking an RB with any of your first four picks. Especially when there were a ton of RBs available at the end of the first round – CEH, Sanders, Drake, Jones, Mixon, etc. Keetz is rolling with a similar strategy that won him the league last year, but can it work twice in a row?

Grade & Prediction:

I give Keetz a B for this draft, an 87/100. Just barely below a B+. He’s got top end potential at QB/TE and his WRs are unreal. If Gordon and Ingram do what they’re capable of, he could be set at RB too. His backup RBs have a ton of potential as well – Dobbins, Gibson and Sony.

I say Keetz goes 7-6, gets the bye and loses in the 2nd round of the playoffs. His team is great on paper, but no way he wins this league twice in a row. Not when he stole the title from the rightful champ last year. Not bitter at all.

Pick 9: VOTE FOR CREEPY “SNIFFIN” JOE, DYLAN WHITING

What I Like:

Apparently I like opening old wounds since I chose to start off with the two teams who won the last two championships when I should have. Not bitter at all.

Anyways you have to like Dyl’s WR depth - Amari Cooper, Calvin Ridley, Cooper Kupp, Keenan Allen and Christian Kirk. They’re all #1 or #2 receivers on their team and Kupp, Cooper and Allen all finished as top 10 WRs last year. The fact he has Cooper Kupp on his bench says a lot.

What I Don’t Like:

I don’t like the TB12-Gronk stack. Treasonous whores.

Also don’t like how he’s holding other people’s handcuffs – Latavius Murray and Alexander Mattison. Holding other people’s handcuffs can be a longgggg and painful waiting game and neither of these guys have stand-alone value. Barring injury to Cook/Kamara these are wasted roster spots.

Grade & Prediction:

I give Dyl a C+ for this draft, a 79/100

I say Dyl finished 6-7 and misses playoffs. He does have some good players and Lamar Jackson is a freak, but I just don’t see this team making it far. He’s only projected for 109 points in week 1 which is the lowest in the league. I think the average team put up 120 a game last year, so 109 is typically an automatic loss.

Pick 8: FRESH PRINCE OF BHEL-AIRE, ROB D

What I Like:

The #1 WR in the draft at pick 8 – nicely done. Never hurts to have the best player at a certain position.

I like that Robby D doubled down on JuJu after getting burned last year. I always tell myself to draft guys who let me down the year before, but I always forget to do it. That or I just never get over the sting of it. JuJu may not be worth the 2nd round price you had to pay for him last year, but he’s absolutely worth the late 3rd round price Robby D paid for him this year.

In general Robby D has really good WRs, with Thomas, JuJu, Allen Robinson, Michael Gallup and Mecole Hardman. Lots to work with there.

What I Don’t Like:

A lottttt of question marks at the RB position and this will make or break his season. Edwards-Helaire wins the off-season hype award, but will he produce enough to win you fantasy matchups? Rookies are risky this year with how little practice time they got, so it’ll be interesting to see how this works out.

LeVeon Bell was decent value in the 5th round, but no one actually wanted him on their team and the Jets stink (sorry Kev). Raheem Mostert was great in the playoffs last year, but I’ll jump off the Tobin Bridge before I draft an RB on a Shanahan-coached team ever again. He also cornered the Detroit Lions’ backfield, but that hasn’t been a lucrative backfield since Barry Sanders.

As of now he’s weak at TE, but there’s a chance one of these guys could go off.

Grade & Prediction:

I give Robby D a B- for this draft, 81/100. His QB and WRs are great, but I don’t like his RBs and his TEs are arguably the worst in the league.

I say Robby D finishes 6-7 and misses playoffs. The weaknesses at RB/TE will be too much to overcome.