2014 FADU Draft Grades

I was so unprepared for this draft. For the last two weeks in August I basically did zero research while away in the football hotbed of Alaska. Last year, I also did zero research in Africa but rode my keepers to the Championship. Maybe I shouldn't vacation in places that start with "A" and have limited internet.

Then, I only downloaded my cheat sheet on the Monday before the draft and found that there is a Rashad Jennings starting for the NY Giants. My mock draft led me to believe that my RBs would be Andre Arrington and Reggie Bush. Just FYI on that last sentence, I originally wrote in JJ Arrington and thankfully checked the name. So this draft grading this year may be a bit shaky. The CBS Sportsline site did an auto-generated draft recap story, but it lost me when it said this:

"You had the chance to pick players like Ryan Mathews, Terrance Williams, and Jimmy Graham at points in the draft where our projections suggested they shouldn't have lasted."

Umm, but I did get Jimmy Graham! And consequently ended up with the worst RB roster in the league, that I won't dispute. Then again, this draft has a lot more parity than previous FADUCO drafts because there were no keepers. It's a harder draft to grade. Here is a representation of my draft grading method:

Does a bear shit in the tundra?: (courtesy of Mr. B. Grizzly)

I'll try to use more pictures to distract you from what certainly will be disputed grades. Here are my grades from highest to lowest.

1. Justin

Best thing about the draft: Fielded a complete set of studs in the QB/RB/WR department. If they don't have injury issues, this team has the best starters using the traditional 2 RB/ 2 WR roster.

Worst thing about the draft:  I had Lamar Miller last year. He sucked. Big time. Probably Justin let his Miami fandom get in the way of good judgement.

Best bargains:   Arian Foster in 3rd round, Ruben Randle in 11th round.

Grade: A-

Alaska spirit animal:

Coastal Brown Bear (same species as Grizzly, but bigger)

2. Lily

Best thing about the draft: Despite picking Peyton Manning with #2 overall pick, got 2 solid RBs, her favorite team's #1 WR, and best DST (non-fantasy criteria). If Crabtree stays healthy, Lily can do some serious damage to the league.

Worst thing about the draft: TE is mediocre, that shouldn't matter though. #2 WRs are not bad, but are all similar potential so that could lead to inefficiencies in managing them.

Best bargain:  Julian Edelman in round 8, Ben Tate in round 7 if Johnny Manziel starts and forces teams away from 8-man fronts.

Grade:  A-

Alaska spirit animal:

Orca (Killer Whale)

3. Donny

Best thing about the draft: It's relatively to have a good draft when you are in pole position. Also has the best 3 WR set in the league (Julio, Brandon, and Cordarrelle), this is more like the Kevin 3-WR contenders than the Andrew 3-WR duds. Kudos also for being the fastest drafter.

Worst thing about the draft: TE and DSTs are mediocre. If McCoy gets injured, things can get really bad.

Best bargain:  Carlos Hyde in round 9. A potential keeper even if he doesn't start this season. Grabbing Darren Sproles in round 13 as handcuff was a major steal.

Grade:  A-

Alaska spirit animal:

Bald Eagle (in honor of Shady McCoy)

4. Tuna

Best thing about the draft: Historically, Tuna has always managed to draft very good WRs. This year is no different, with a strong set of Fitzgerald, Brown, and Harvin. Tuna also benefits from FADU turning into more of a yardage league with his acquisition of Forte and Harvin. Case in point: Last night, Harvin would have given him only 5 points last season instead of 9 this season.

Worst thing about the draft: TE are mediocre, KC defense should regress. Unlike Donny, Tuna has 2 solid RBs and so may have to juggle his 3 WRs. Case in point: Last night Tuna left Harvin on the bench.

Best bargain:  Percy Harvin in round 7.

Grade:  B+

Alaska spirit animal:

Humpback Whale (kind of a big "fish")

5. Matt

Best thing about the draft: One of the other few teams asides from Justin and Tuna who can field complete set of QB/2 RBs/ 2 WRs. Also, didn't have to sacrifice the TE position. Despite last night's underperformance, Rodgers should be able to carry this team.

Worst thing about the draft: Bench depth is thin at RB and WR. Won the "picking earliest kicker" prize in round 11. Didn't handcuff Frank Gore.

Best bargain:  Mark Ingram in round 13. This could be the year he becomes a solid RB2.

Grade:  B

Alaska spirit animal:

Moose (underrated killer of Alaskans)

6. Vu

Best thing about the draft: For a fantasy rookie, some solid picks with Brees, Lacy, and Bryant. Also picked like 3 of my queued picks (not naming them) who I thought either I had a good chance of getting or  "damn, I should have picked him up". 

Worst thing about the draft: Was by far the sloooowest drafter. The draft momentum always died when it came to his turn to pick. RB depth is a bit iffy, which is a serious concern in light of Lacy's concussion from last night.

Best bargain:  Emmanuel Sanders in round 6. Being Peyton's #2 WR is a lot better than being #1 WR in most other teams.

Grade:  B (docked one grade for slowness)

Alaska spirit animal:

Stellar Sea Lion (slow on land, especially while napping)

7. PJ

Best thing about the draft: Managed a decent core of starters despite picking last. First four picks are proven performers. Beast Mode activated. Sober drafting it seems. 

Worst thing about the draft: Some of the later WR picks seem iffy. Dwayne Bowe is fantasy poison. 

Best bargain:  No real bargains, but PJ nailed in rounds 9-10 the average draft position of this survey here.

Grade:  B 

Alaska spirit animal:

Caribou ( Can run you over when in beast mode)

Please note that the bottom 3 teams in this draft ranking share a combined 10 championship titles between them, with Kevin earning 4 of them. The other veteran teams above: One single championship. So new owners, don't count these 3 teams out yet.

8. Kevin

Best thing about the draft: Got his favorite WR, AJ Green. He seemed to successfully adopt the 3-WR strategy, and also may have stolen Tony Romo before Hai's pick. RBs have upside talent.

Worst thing about the draft: Only drafted 3 RBs, none of them really proven to be healthy all season as primary carriers. Luck vs. Romo will be difficult game-day starting decision.

Best bargain:  Reggie Wayne in round 13, he's still a starter. Ertz in round 10 could also pay off.

Grade:  B- 

Alaska spirit animal:

Mountain GOAT (Greatest of All Time)

9. Hai

Best thing about the draft: Read that the Bengals will be running more. So the pick of Bernard is a good one since Bengals will be more  ground-oriented.

Worst thing about the draft: Which is why I didn't like the Andy Dalton pick. Also, by waiting so long to draft a QB, Hai may be following PJ's history of having AP lead the rushing but also suffering from average QB contributions, resulting in just missing the playoffs. Also, his backup RBs have fallen on hard times in recent years.

Best bargain:  Trent Richardson went two rounds later than ADP (Avg. Draft Position). 

Grade:  C+ 

Alaska spirit animal:

Sea Otter (Playing cute, like what Hai did with the QB position)

10. Victor

Best thing about the draft: Getting the best WR and TE. That's pretty much it.

Worst thing about the draft: 3rd and 4th round was a disaster. Over-reached big time on Bishop Sankey because he thought that Sankey was promoted to starter (he wasn't). Nick Foles was another big reach, picked late 3rd round instead of ADP in mid 7th round.

Best bargain:  What a motley group of RBs. Incomplete rating here, may have none or a real bargain if one of his sleeper RBs emerge. 

Grade:  C 

Alaska spirit animal:

Salmon (has to fight upstream while bears, orcas, eagles, seals, and otters try to eat it)

For more Alaska photos, you can go to these links:

Sea Photos

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