Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

Consisting of 10 members of the Bruno Boys Fantasy Football Staff, along with guest columnist’s from Fighting Chance Fantasy and The IDP Guru, our first of many Fantasy Football 2010 Mock Draft will be a 16-round affair based on a standard scoring league (Pass TDs - 4 points, All Other TDs - 6 points, 25 Yards Passing - 1 point, 10 Yards Rushing/Receiving - 1 point). Outside of having to field a starting line-up occupied by 1 QB, 2 RBs, 3 WRs, 1 TE, 1 K, and 1 D, owners are free to compile their rosters any way in which they pleased.

All commentary after each pick is provided by the Bruno Boys staff member who made that pick. The draft started on February 15,2010 and we will report round-by-round updates as they are available. Make sure to check back tomorrow for our Fantasy Football 2010 Mock Draft commentary.

FEBRUARY MOCK DRAFT ROUND 1 RESULTS

1.01: Bruno Boys Matt - Chris Johnson (Ten) — Is an explanation needed as to why Johnson is the No.1 overall pick heading into 2010? The second year running back totaled 2,509 yards, 16 touchdowns and led all running backs in fantasy football points. His touchdown totals should remain consistent and even if his yardage totals diminish he would need over a 20 percent decrease to be below 2,000 total yards.

1.02: Bruno Boys Larry - Adrian Peterson (Min) — In 2009 Minnesota’s Adrian Peterson posted 366 carries for 1,383 yards with 18 touchdowns, but disappointed many fantasy owners. The disappointment was likely based on two reasons. First would be the amazing season that Chris Johnson had for the Tennessee Titans. Secondly, would be his six lost fumbles. He also had a career-low 4.3 yards per carry; however, he made up for those negative points from the fumbles with a career-high 43 receptions for 436 yards. Look for Peterson to focus on hanging onto the ball in 2010 and to compete with Johnson for the top fantasy spot.

1.03: Bruno Boys Whooley - Maurice Jones- Drew (Jax) — In his first year as the Jaguars’ lead back, MJD did not disappoint. Eclipsing the 1,000 yard rushing mark for the first time in his career with 1,391 rush yards, MJD totaled 1,765 yards and 16 total touchdowns on the year. Those numbers along with the 312 carries he had on the year prove he has what it takes to carry a full workload.

1.04: Bruno Boys Hallam - Michael Turner (Atl) — Sure, Turner got injured and missed five games on the season, but his first nine games were still pretty impressive. He scored in all but two games before he went down, and broke the 100 yard mark four times, with 97 yards in another. His yards per carry average has never been below 4.5 in his career, and he is a big run threat every time he touches the ball evidenced by his nine runs over 20 yards. Turner just knows how to find the end zone.

1.05: Bruno Boys Jacob - Ray Rice (Bal) — There are only two players I would consider taking with the fifth overall pick in Round 1; Ray Rice or Steven Jackson. In my opinion, Rice is the choice because his team is obviously better in every aspect, and I love his upside coming into 2010. With over 2,000 yards from scrimmage and eight touchdowns in his first full season, it’s impossible to argue with his production. If he takes another step in 2010, he will be a perennial No.1 pick in 2011 fantasy football drafts.

1.06: Bruno Boys Jimbo - Steven Jackson (StL) — Only Chris Johnson rushed for more yards than Steven Jackson in 2009. Obviously, the fact that it took him about half the season to score for the first time hurt his overall fantasy football production. Regardless, he was healthy for nearly all season until he ran out of gas at the end of the year, and he rushed for over 100 yards seven times in 2009.

1.07: Bruno Boys Allie - Frank Gore (SF) — Gore played 14 games in 2009, ran for 1,120 yards and matched a single season team record with 10 rushing touchdowns. He also had 406 receiving yards, 52 receptions and caught three TD passes. Gore’s a workhorse whose versatility, consistent production (first 49er in franchise history to rush for at least 1,000 yards in four seasons 2006-2009), and big play potential make him a No. 1 fantasy football running back in 2010. If he stays healthy, Gore’s production could skyrocket.

1.08: Bruno Boys Cory - DeAngelo Williams (Car) — Picking eighth, I was a little concerned about what caliber of player would fall to me. But with a little luck I was able to snag DeAngelo Williams of the Carolina Panthers. Having Jonathan Stewart behind him concerns me to an extent, but Williams is still an elite back worthy of a first round pick. He finished ‘09 with 1,117 yards to go along with even touchdowns in just 13 games. A full season worth of Williams has the potential of being a great pick at No.8.

1.09: Bruno Boys Kyle - Andre Johnson (Hou) — The elite backs are gone, and with Johnson, I get a guy who produces like a top running back, but from another position. Johnson actually had more fantasy football points last season than three guys taken ahead of him in this draft: Michael Turner, Steven Jackson and DeAngelo Williams.

1.10: Bruno Boys IDP Guru - Aaron Rodgers (GB) — I tend to draft with the philosophy of taking the best player available. and none of the remaining running backs excite me as first round selections. And I always have a hard time taking a wide receiver with my first pick. Thus, Aaron Rodgers makes sense here. He’s registered back-to-back 4,000 yard seasons and he increased his touchdowns (from 28 to 30) and decreased his interceptions (from 13 to 7) last year with a spotty offensive line. With an improved offensive line, I look for Rodgers to be even better next year.

1.11: Bruno Boys Greg - Ryan Grant (GB) — Due to the studs being gone, picking this low can be tough. I could go with a quarterback, but 10 of them threw for over 4,000 yards last year. I could take a wide out, but no one excites me as a first round pick (outside of Andre Johnson). That leads me back to the running back position, where Ryan Grant has quietly put together back-to-back 1,200 yard seasons. Add that Grant plays in a high powered offense and you have a running back whose production is too much to pass up at this spot.

1.12: Bruno Boys Cavigs - Rashard Mendenhall (Pit) — Mendenhall used a Willie Parker injury to break onto the scene in 2009. Despite not taking over the starting job until Week 4, Mendy eclipsed 1,100 rushing yards and found pay dirt eight times. Moving forward, he will be the primary ball carrier in Pittsburgh and has yet to reach his ceiling. I expect big things from my lead back in 2010.

Round 1 Commentary from Bruno Boys Cavigs: Overall the first round of a 2010 fantasy football mock draft in February played out like I thought it would. Chris Johnson outplayed Adrian Peterson in 2009 and deserves to be the top choice in standard and PPR leagues in 2010. If Brett Favre returns, Peterson might have more value in TD-only leagues; however, this is a standard league and CJ is the choice. Some might argue Peterson at 1.02, but I feel these two workhorses are the clear cut No.1 and No.2 overall options entering next season.

I’m a big fan of Bruno Boys Whooley taking Maurice Jones-Drew at 1.03. You can debate MJD against Ray Rice, because Rice is a yardage machine, but touchdowns prevail here. MJD has 54 touchdowns in 63 career games and Rice has to worry about Willis McGahee stealing his.

Ray Rice will likely be the trendy pick at 1.04, but I really like that Bruno Boys Hallam went a different route and snagged Michael Turner. Rice is on the fast track of being a star in the NFL; however, just one year ago Turner was being considered as the No.1 overall fantasy football option. It Turner stays healthy he has a legitimate shot of leading the league in touchdowns.

The middle half of the first round is where preference of the drafter starts taking priority and this is what we saw. Steven Jackson flew off the board at 1.06 and while I wouldn’t have picked him I can see Bruno Boys Jimbo’s reasoning. He is arguably the best pure running back in the NFL and if SJAX can get a supporting cast he’d be a top fantasy performer. There are a few guys I’d take over Jackson entering 2010 and one of them is Frank Gore. When healthy, there are few players as dynamic and effective as Gore. With pick 1.07, Bruno Boys Allie drafted a running back that is guaranteed to produce in an offense that is starting to figure it out.

DeAngelo Williams and Andre Johnson were the next stickers placed on our Commish Kit Draft Board at picks 1.08 and 1.09. With a big 2009 campaign, Johnson has cemented himself as a first round draft choice while being the top wide receiver in fantasy land entering the new season. With the emergence of Jonathan Stewart, drafting Williams in the first round could raise some eyebrows but it’s tough to argue against his 5.0 yard per carry average and big play ability. If you can live with Stewart breathing down your RB1’s throat this pick could pay off.

Rounding out the first round was Aaron Rodgers, Ryan Grant and Rashard Mendenhall. After watching Green Bay score 28.8 points per game in 2009, I’m not surprised to see Rodgers and Grant propel into top-12 selections. Even in a league that rewards just four points per passing touchdown, a player like Rodgers can lead you to a fantasy football championship. He trailed only Chris Johnson in fantasy points a season ago.

Past Rounds RECAP:  1  |  2  |  3  |  4  |  5  |  6  |  7  |  8  |  9  |  10  |  11  |  12 |  13 | 14 |  15 |  16

Have an opinion on how the first round played out? If so, let us know!

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