By: Fan Sports Lists Team
The Fan Sports Lists team held a mock draft this week to test out 10 rounds of draft strategies. We will revisit these teams throughout the year to evaluate results and see what we can learn.
Each of the Fan Sports Lists contributors drafted two teams to test out multiple strategies in different places in the draft order. We also included two teams that we pulled straight from the Fan Sports Lists Top-200. That gave us 10 teams for a 10 round snake draft.
Here are the results for each team in the order the draft was done along with thoughts about the strategy and outcome:
Louis-Z shocked the world (well at least the 4 of us drafting) by taking Gurley 1st overall. While most drafters might call this a reach, it is hard to argue against taking the most talented RB in the sport who’s also focus of his offense right away. By taking Lacy with his sandwich picks for rounds 2 and 3, Louis-Z went heavy on RBs early and ended up going with a quantity approach at WR. He also went extremely strong at QB with 2 of the game’s best QBs when not suspended.
| Louis-Z | |
| Round | Player selected |
| Round 1 | Todd Gurley |
| Round 2 | Jordy Nelson |
| Round 3 | Eddie Lacy |
| Round 4 | Drew Brees |
| Round 5 | Julian Edelman |
| Round 6 | Doug Baldwin |
| Round 7 | Tyler Eiffert |
| Round 8 | Tom Brady |
| Round 9 | DeSean Jackson |
| Round 10 | Tyler Lockett |
Kras: For this first team the strategy that I went with was “best player available”, which is easy to do and say when you get Antonio Brown with the #2 pick overall. The RBs on the team are not as strong as I would have liked them to be but I think being able to get Rodgers and Jeffery will help negate some of that. Both players could have productive years. I think one of the better moves this team was able to make was getting Marvin Jones in the 10th round. The offense that he is in is a volume passing offense that can put up yards. Overall I think taking the best players available made this team strong in some areas (QB,WR) and needing improvement in others (RB).
| Kras | |
| Round | Player selected |
| Round 1 | Antonio Brown |
| Round 2 | Aaron Rodgers |
| Round 3 | Alshon Jeffrey |
| Round 4 | Mark Ingram |
| Round 5 | Latavius Murray |
| Round 6 | Delanie Walker |
| Round 7 | Randall Cobb |
| Round 8 | Donte Moncrieff |
| Round 9 | James White |
| Round 10 | Marvin Jones |
JJ Bens: My draft strategy is to make sure that I get the players that I like without reaching to far for them. I like DeAndre Hopkins a lot this year so at number 3 pick I didn’t hesitate to take him. Then for me I like to try and find value depending on how the draft flows. I was happy in rounds 3, 5 and 10 to get what I feel were steals (Marshall, Wilson, Blount). I chose to wait on tight end because I figured once the top 3 were off the board, there just wasn’t a whole lot of separation from 4-10. I also felt it was important to grab Derrick Henry having already selected DeMarco Murray for injury precaution and potential upside of the player.
| JJ Bens | |
| Round | Player selected |
| Round 1 | DeAndre Hopkins |
| Round 2 | LeSean McCoy |
| Round 3 | Brandon Marshall |
| Round 4 | DeMarco Murray |
| Round 5 | Russell Wilson |
| Round 6 | Ryan Matthews |
| Round 7 | Devante Parker |
| Round 8 | Derrick Henry |
| Round 9 | Zach Ertz |
| Round 10 | LeGarrette Blount |
By definition, the “List” team was taking best available until positions started to fill up. Value dropped to this team in the 1st round with OBJ. The make-or-break question for this roster may be whether Rawls emerges as a good lead back for Seattle.
| List | |
| Round | Player selected |
| Round 1 | Odell Beckham |
| Round 2 | Cam Newton |
| Round 3 | Keenan Allen |
| Round 4 | Thomas Rawls |
| Round 5 | Jarvis Landry |
| Round 6 | Matt Forte |
| Round 7 | Gary Barnidge |
| Round 8 | Duke Johnson |
| Round 9 | Allen Hurns |
| Round 10 | Gio Bernard |
Nate Leer: I went with my beloved “Gronk 1st” strategy. I followed that up by going quality WR heavy the with a quantity approach at RB followed by QBs late. Getting the platoon of Stafford and Carr late makes for a fine situation so I really just need 2 of my RBs to pan out. The hope is that one of the Jacksonville RBs makes himself the clear man to own and that Hill or Abdullah bust out this year.
| Nate Leer | |
| Round | Player selected |
| Round 1 | Gronk |
| Round 2 | Allen Robinson |
| Round 3 | Mike Evans |
| Round 4 | Jeremy Hill |
| Round 5 | Michael Floyd |
| Round 6 | Ameer Abdullah |
| Round 7 | Chris Ivory |
| Round 8 | T.J. Yeldon |
| Round 9 | Derek Carr |
| Round 10 | Matthew Stafford |
Louis-Z got GREAT value at the 6th slot with Julio. He also did well getting the huge upside play in Le’Veon Bell. By getting a couple vet RBs late, Louis-Z’s team would be able to get by early in the season then bring the hammer down when the Bell tolls in week 4.
| LZ | |
| Round | Player selected |
| Round 1 | Julio Jones |
| Round 2 | Le’Veon Bell |
| Round 3 | C.J. Anderson |
| Round 4 | Golden Tate |
| Round 5 | Ben Roethlisberger |
| Round 6 | Travis Kelce |
| Round 7 | Frank Gore |
| Round 8 | Arian Foster |
| Round 9 | Will Fuller |
| Round 10 | Alfred Morris |
K (Kras): This was the second team that I picked and I liked the way this team turned out. I think there is good balance up and down the roster. This team has quality WRs, RBs that are poised to have solid seasons and a QB who is in for what should be a similar year to what he had last season. I have what I believe is two of the better RBs in the NFL. Both have the potential to finish in the top 5 in the league at their position. Here again the tight end situation is questionable, outside the top 3 TE’s in the NFL they all have big question marks. Overall I like this team and it closely resembles a lot of teams I have in actual FF leagues.
| K | |
| Round | Player selected |
| Round 1 | David Johnson |
| Round 2 | Jamal Charles |
| Round 3 | Kelvin Benjamin |
| Round 4 | Brandin Cooks |
| Round 5 | Blake Bortles |
| Round 6 | Eric Decker |
| Round 7 | Jeremy Maclin |
| Round 8 | Rashard Jennings |
| Round 9 | Coby Fleener |
| Round 10 | Josh Gordon |
J (JJ Bens): I used this second team as somewhat of an experiment. I decided to stick to my board and not to be tempted when a player I liked was available. This is something I think a lot of fantasy players do – if you like the guy take him even if he is not the best player on your board. However, liking or disliking a player for non-fantasy sports reasons is foolhardy. We all have some sort of information or maybe just a feeling that persuades us to have more confidence in a player when making a list to draft from. Those opinions that were formed objectively should be followed. I am happy with how this team turned out staying true to my board.
| J | |
| Round | Player selected |
| Round 1 | Adrian Peterson |
| Round 2 | Lamar Miller |
| Round 3 | D Thomas |
| Round 4 | Andrew Luck |
| Round 5 | T.Y. Hilton |
| Round 6 | Melvin Gordon |
| Round 7 | Emmanuel Sanders |
| Round 8 | Justin Forsett |
| Round 9 | Kevin White |
| Round 10 | Julius Thomas |
This seems to be a good year to have a pick later in the 1st round since there is a lot of great options available deep into the draft. This team is a perfect example getting a huge upside play in the 1st round and one of the most productive players from last year in the 2nd round. This team was able to make similar selections with picks in the next 4 rounds as well – productive RBs and high upside receivers. This ends up looking like a pretty good team.
| L | |
| Round | Player selected |
| Round 1 | Dez Bryant |
| Round 2 | Devonta Freeman |
| Round 3 | Doug Martin |
| Round 4 | Sammy Watkins |
| Round 5 | Jordan Reed |
| Round 6 | Jonathan Stewart |
| Round 7 | Carson Palmer |
| Round 8 | Jeremy Langford |
| Round 9 | Jordan Matthews |
| Round 10 | Eli Manning |
N (Nate Leer): I would have preferred to go WR/WR here but Easy-E was just too good to pass up. Once again I waited to double-up on QBs late and took a top TE early. The upside of my first 5 picks was balanced with taking players late that should be solid even if they are not spectacular.
| N | |
| Round | Player selected |
| Round 1 | Ezekiel Elliott |
| Round 2 | A.J. Green |
| Round 3 | Greg Olsen |
| Round 4 | Amari Cooper |
| Round 5 | Carlos Hyde |
| Round 6 | Larry Fitzgerald |
| Round 7 | Matt Jones |
| Round 8 | Philip Rivers |
| Round 9 | Tyrod Taylor |
| Round 10 | Danny Woodhead |
Draft Results By Round:
| Andy – Round 1 Pick 1/1 | Todd Gurley |
| Kellen – Round 1 Pick 2/2 | Antonio Brown |
| Jeff – Round 1 Pick 3/3 | DeAndre Hopkins |
| List – Round 1 Pick 4/4 | Odell Beckham |
| Nate – Round 1 Pick 5/5 | Gronk |
| A2 – Round 1 Pick 6/6 | Julio Jones |
| K2 – Round 1 Pick 7/7 | David Johnson |
| J2 – Round 1 Pick 8/8 | Adrian Peterson |
| L2 – Round 1 Pick 9/9 | Dez Bryant |
| N2 – Round 1 Pick 10/10 | Ezekiel Elliott |
| Team & Round – Pick/Overall | Player selected |
| N2 – Round 2 Pick 1/11 | A.J. Green |
| L2 – Round 2 Pick 2/12 | Devonta Freeman |
| J2 – Round 2 Pick 3/13 | Lamar Miller |
| K2 – Round 2 Pick 4/14 | Jamal Charles |
| A2 – Round 2 Pick 5/15 | Le’Veon Bell |
| Nate – Round 2 Pick 6/16 | Allen Robinson |
| List – Round 2 Pick 7/17 | Cam Newton |
| Jeff – Round 2 Pick 8/18 | LeSean McCoy |
| Kellen – Round 2 Pick 9/19 | Aaron Rodgers |
| Andy – Round 2 Pick 10/20 | Jordy Nelson |
| Andy – Round 3 Pick 1/21 | Eddie Lacy |
| Kellen – Round 3 Pick 2/22 | Alshon Jeffrey |
| Jeff – Round 3 Pick 3/23 | Brandon Marshall |
| List – Round 3 Pick 4/24 | Keenan Allen |
| Nate – Round 3 Pick 5/25 | Mike Evans |
| A2 – Round 3 Pick 6/26 | C.J. Anderson |
| K2 – Round 3 Pick 7/27 | Kelvin Benjamin |
| J2 – Round 3 Pick 8/28 | D Thomas |
| L2 – Round 3 Pick 9/29 | Doug Martin |
| N2 – Round 3 Pick 10/30 | Greg Olsen |
| N2 – Round 4 Pick 1/31 | Amari Cooper |
| L2 – Round 4 Pick 2/32 | Sammy Watkins |
| J2 – Round 4 Pick 3/33 | Andrew Luck |
| K2 – Round 4 Pick 4/34 | Brandin Cooks |
| A2 – Round 4 Pick 5/35 | Golden Tate |
| Nate – Round 4 Pick 6/36 | Jeremy Hill |
| List – Round 4 Pick 7/37 | Thomas Rawls |
| Jeff – Round 4 Pick 8/38 | DeMarco Murray |
| Kellen – Round 4 Pick 9/39 | Mark Ingram |
| Andy – Round 4 Pick 10/40 | Drew Brees |
| Andy – Round 5 Pick 1/41 | Julian Edelman |
| Kellen – Round 5 Pick 2/42 | Latavius Murray |
| Jeff – Round 5 Pick 3/43 | Russell Wilson |
| List – Round 5 Pick 4/44 | Jarvis Landry |
| Nate – Round 5 Pick 5/45 | Michael Floyd |
| A2 – Round 5 Pick 6/46 | Ben Roethlisberger |
| K2 – Round 5 Pick 7/47 | Blake Bortles |
| J2 – Round 5 Pick 8/48 | T.Y. Hilton |
| L2 – Round 5 Pick 9/49 | Jordan Reed |
| N2 – Round 5 Pick 10/50 | Carlos Hyde |
| N2 – Round 6 Pick 1/51 | Larry Fitzgerald |
| L2 – Round 6 Pick 2/52 | Jonathan Stewart |
| J2 – Round 6 Pick 3/53 | Melvin Gordon |
| K2 – Round 6 Pick 4/54 | Eric Decker |
| A2 – Round 6 Pick 5/55 | Travis Kelce |
| Nate – Round 6 Pick 6/56 | Ameer Abdullah |
| List – Round 6 Pick 7/57 | Matt Forte |
| Jeff – Round 6 Pick 8/58 | Ryan Matthews |
| Kellen – Round 6 Pick 9/59 | Delanie Walker |
| Andy – Round 6 Pick 10/60 | Doug Baldwin |
| Andy – Round 7 Pick 1/61 | Tyler Eiffert |
| Kellen – Round 7 Pick 2/62 | Randall Cobb |
| Jeff – Round 7 Pick 3/63 | Devante Parker |
| List – Round 7 Pick 4/64 | Gary Barnidge |
| Nate – Round 7 Pick 5/65 | Chris Ivory |
| A2 – Round 7 Pick 6/66 | Frank Gore |
| K2 – Round 7 Pick 7/67 | Jeremy Maclin |
| J2 – Round 7 Pick 8/68 | Emmanuel Sanders |
| L2 – Round 7 Pick 9/69 | Carson Palmer |
| N2 – Round 7 Pick 10/70 | Matt Jones |
| N2 – Round 8 Pick 1/71 | Philip Rivers |
| L2 – Round 8 Pick 2/72 | Jeremy Langford |
| J2 – Round 8 Pick 3/73 | Justin Forsett – Bal-8 |
| K2 – Round 8 Pick 4/74 | Rashard Jennings |
| A2 – Round 8 Pick 5/75 | Arian Foster |
| Nate – Round 8 Pick 6/76 | T.J. Yeldon |
| List – Round 8 Pick 7/77 | Duke Johnson |
| Jeff – Round 8 Pick 8/78 | Derrick Henry |
| Kellen – Round 8 Pick 9/79 | Donte Moncrieff |
| Andy – Round 8 Pick 10/80 | Tom Brady |
| Andy – Round 9 Pick 1/81 | DeSean Jackson |
| Kellen – Round 9 Pick 2/82 | James White |
| Jeff – Round 9 Pick 3/83 | Zach Ertz |
| List – Round 9 Pick 4/84 | Allen Hurns |
| Nate – Round 9 Pick 5/85 | Derek Carr |
| A2 – Round 9 Pick 6/86 | Will Fuller |
| K2 – Round 9 Pick 7/87 | Coby Fleener |
| J2 – Round 9 Pick 8/88 | Kevin White |
| L2 – Round 9 Pick 9/89 | Jordan Matthews |
| N2 – Round 9 Pick 10/90 | Tyrod Taylor |
| N2 – Round 10 Pick 1/91 | Danny Woodhead |
| L2 – Round 10 Pick 2/92 | Eli Manning |
| J2 – Round 10 Pick 3/93 | Julius Thomas |
| K2 – Round 10 Pick 4/94 | Josh Gordon |
| A2 – Round 10 Pick 5/95 | Alfred Morris |
| Nate – Round 10 Pick 6/96 | Matthew Stafford |
| List – Round 10 Pick 7/97 | Gio Bernard |
| Jeff – Round 10 Pick 8/98 | LeGarrette Blount |
| Kellen – Round 10 Pick 9/99 | Marvin Jones |
| Andy – Round 10 Pick 10/100 | Tyler Lockett |
