Katie’s well-chronicled startup journey continues as the core rosters are evaluated. Catch up on the previous rounds:
Continuing the journey of my late season startup, this installment will cover a recap of the rosters through the first 10 rounds.
The Format:
- 12 teams, .5 ppr, IDP tackle heavy scoring, 6 pts TD
- 40 man roster
- Start 1 QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE, 1 Flex (R/W/T), 1 K, 1 DT, 1 DE, 1 LB, 1 CB, 1 S, 2 IDP Flex
Chad always stresses that in startup drafts, the first six rounds are vital to a dynasty team’s success or failure. Since this group of owners isn’t an expert group, and since it is a 40 man roster, I decided that looking at the teams 25% of the way through the draft would be about right to assess their hits, misses, and overall strength. I will list each team in order of their draft sequence and in the order the players were picked.
Team 1
- Dez Bryant
- Matt Forte
- Peyton Manning
- Marshawn Lynch
- Lavonte David
- Cordarelle Patterson
- Reggie Bush
- Coby Fleener
Other than Dez, this team is going to be hurting. They have the 12th overall pick in the rookie draft, so even that isn’t going to infuse the kind of talent they will need to be competitive. I really hate to see what this team will look like in two years.
Chad’s Take: Peyton Manning in Round 3 was one of the bigger reaches of the entire draft. There is a chance Manning retires post-2014 season and a much larger chance that the top shelf difference-making production is not returning on a consistent basis. This team looks like, at best, they push for a title run in 2015, beyond that they will be searching for answers to remain competitive.
Team 2
- AJ Green
- Demarco Murray
- Julius Thomas
- Kendall Wright
- Alfred Morris
- Pierre Garcon
- Larry Fitzgerald
- Terrance West
- Philip Rivers
- Trent Richardson
Another team in lots of trouble, AJ Green and Murray should be considered hits, but with a late round rookie pick, this team seems destined for the basement as well. Taking Kendall Wright in the 4th round may haunt this owner for a long time.
Chad’s Take: Julius Thomas’ location in 2015 is a big question mark. The quartet of Wright-Morris-Garcon-Fitzgerald is straight from the ‘what not to do in the middle rounds’ UTH handbook. Trent Richardson? Feels like taking a $5 bill from your startup wallet and burning it.
Team 3
- Le’veon Bell
- Jamaal Charles
- JJ Watt
- Andre Ellington
- Matt Stafford
- Julian Edelman
- Von Miller
- Navarro Bowman
- Tom Brady
- Mike Wallace
Hits at RB will help, but this team will be hurting at WR and TE. Misses at QB, WR, and TE will have this team struggling. This team went defense way too early and it will cost them, in this scoring format there isn’t enough of a difference to give up the huge loss at WR strength.
Chad’s Take: Going early on IDP is generally a mistake. Could J.J. Watt prove worthy of a third round pick? Certainly, but in my experience, outside of extremely IDP-heavy starting lineups and scoring, mine for value over being the first to grace an IDP position. Mike Wallace as WR1 with nothing in the top-120 behind him? That is a frightening thought in a league where 3-4 WRs start each week.
Team 4
- Antonio Brown
- LeSean McCoy
- Donte Moncrief
- Adrian Peterson
- Martavis Bryant
- Golden Tate
- Jarvis Landry
- Blake Bortles
- Jordan Cameron
- Ben Roethlisberger
I like how this team has started, to a point, though I think they reached a couple of times. They have some stud talent with youth mixed in. They have the option of letting Bortles develop as Big Ben can be more than solid as a QB1. This owner was active and in my conversations with him via text chat, he has the potential to make trades and improve what he has started.
Chad’s Take: This is one of the better teams thus far. Roethlisberger is a quality value choice at quarterback (smart paring with Bortles) and Golden Tate, Jarvis Landry, Martavis Bryant, and Donte Moncrief as a WR2-4 committee allows for upside and a potential bust. LeSean McCoy and Adrian Peterson is a boom-bust combination at running back that could fuel a 2015 title run or be a couple of regretful top-50 startup picks. There is a wide range of outcomes for this team in the coming year or two.
Team 5
- Julio Jones
- Jordy Nelson
- Russell Wilson
- Arian Foster
- Jerrick McKinnon
- Brandon Marshall
- Alec Ogletree
- Harrison Smith
- Zach Ertz
Pretty solid and fairly well balanced. I love that he has strength at WR, RB, and QB. He went too early on defense and didn’t keep his foot on the gas pedal on the offense he was building, but overall a decent start.
Chad’s Take: Light on depth as Arian Foster is a one-to-two year play at most. Brandon Marshall looks like a value at first glance, but I am skeptical he is a long-term difference-maker at 31.5 years old and counting come 2015.
Team 6
- Demaryius Thomas
- Josh Gordon
- Kelvin Benjamin
- Carlos Hyde
- Isaiah Crowell
- Christine Michael
- Cody Latimer
- Greg Olsen
- Matt Ryan
- Vincent Jackson
This team will be a formidable opponent and has done a fine job drafting a strong core. While I was going young strong WR, he was going young strong RB. Overall I like what he has started here, although I much prefer the strength of my team to be at WR, RB can change so much from year to year- even the studs.
Chad’s Take: Enviable young talent and upside across the board. Matt Ryan is underrated heading into the offseason. Between Hyde, Michael, and Crowell at least one is likely to be a top-20 asset come September, if not two of them. I would bet this owner makes a savvy rookie selection with their middle-of-the-round addition to boot.
Team 7
- Andrew Luck
- Eddie Lacy
- DeAndre Hopkins
- Emmanuel Sanders
- CJ Mosley
- Lamar Miller
- Devonta Freeman
- Desean Jackson
- Martellus Bennett
- Michael Crabtree
The top 6 teams make the playoffs, and once that happens, anything can happen. This team has some core assets that can help them get there, and some youth that can help them for years. Not a dominator, but no slouch.
Chad’s Take: I love the DeAndre Hopkins pick – folks are sleeping on him due to a lack of quarterback in Houston I think. Miller and Bennett looks like values, while Freeman is unlikely to pay off if Atlanta brings in any semblance of competition in the offseason.
Team 8
- Aaron Rodgers
- Randall Cobb
- Luke Kuechly
- Tre Mason
- Jordan Matthews
- Jeremy Hill
- Travis Kelce
- Doug Martin
- Joique Bell
- Justin Hunter
This owner did a decent job through round 10 even with being very early on Kuechly. I’m going to jump ahead for a second, this guy took a kicker at 14.05 and then a back up kicker in round 23. That and some other questionable moves later in the draft did not continue the good start that he had. He should still have a competitive team overall, but he wasted an advantage.
Chad’s Take: I like the stacking of Mason-Matthews-Hill. Joique Bell is a sneaky pick that can have this team competitive in 2015. Justin Hunter worth a gamble that late.
Team 9
- Calvin Johnson
- Jimmy Graham
- Drew Brees
- Mark Ingram
- Percy Harvin
- Ryan Mathews
- Charles Johnson
- Brandon Lafell
- Rashad Jennings
- Chandler Jones
- Richard Sherman
Aging talent early, IDP early, I’m scratching my head on this one. It will be interesting to see what he adds with his 4th overall rookie pick.
Chad’s Take: Looks like a New Orleans homer runs the show. Charles Johnson and Percy Harvin could be values in the middle rounds, but this team screams a short run of one-to-two years with a need to rework their core. The good news is the 1.04 rookie pick is a prime asset this year to add a premium young talent.
Team 10 (My Team)
- Rob Gronkowski
- Mike Evans
- Brandin Cooks
- Davante Adams
- Allen Robinson
- Austin Seferian-Jenkins
- Eric Ebron
- Marquess Wilson
- CJ Spiller
- Knile Davis
- Ryan Tannehill
Strong at TE and WR with a solid young QB, while I may have done a few things differently, I really couldn’t have asked for a better start to a dynasty team. Add in the 3rd overall pick in 2015 which will most likely be a running back, I’m very happy with drafting the UTH way!
Chad’s Take: The pass-catcher heavy approach stocks the cupboard with talent on the rise. Ryan Tannehill is stealing that late. Much like Doug and I’s startup, Gronkowski is a powerful trading asset if Ebron-ASJ take their likely step forward in 2015 to acquire more premium talent at running back and wide receiver. While this team has a shot to make the playoffs in 2015, the league is in trouble starting in 2016 with the 1.03 rookie pick added to this core.
Team 11
- Odell Beckham Jr
- Sammy Watkins
- Jeremy Maclin
- Cam Newton
- Robert Quinn
- C.J. Anderson
- Torrey Smith
- Dwayne Allen
- Jordan Reed
- Vontaze Burfict
With the exception of the early defensive players, I like the start that this team got. He has strong WR and QB to help carry him through. He unfortunately messed up big time when he traded up to the 6.10 spot he traded away his 1.02 rookie pick by accident and didn’t notice it until several hours later. The draft had gone on too far to do anything about it. He really could have used a solid RB with that pick, Robert Quinn better stay on his team for a long, long time!
Chad’s Take: Outstanding start with Beckham-Watkins. I even like Newton in that range. Wide range of outcomes for Jeremy Maclin and C.J. Anderson in 2015, along with that tight end committee. Adding one of Todd Gurley, Melvin Gordon, and Amari Cooper is an additional boost.
Team 12
- Alshon Jeffrey
- TY Hilton
- Keenan Allen
- Giovani Bernard
- Latavius Murray
- Bishop Sankey
- Mychal Kendricks
- Tyler Eifert
- Muhammad Wilkerson
- Marcel Dareus
Another great start, but then they took their foot off the gas and switched to IDP when there was still time to get quality depth on offense. This team has the #1 pick in the rookie draft and has already said that they will take WR Amari Cooper, but a lot can change between now and the draft, we will see.
Chad’s Take: I like Bernard that late. Murray and Sankey also worthy upside in that range. Three IDPs including two lineman is a quesy feeling considering the starting requirements.
