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 were 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 for commentary on Round 6 of our Fantasy Football 2010 Mock Draft.

FEBRUARY MOCK DRAFT ROUND 6 RESULTS

6.01: Bruno Boys Cavigs - Brent Celek (Phi) — There was no possible way I could go wrong with my pick at 6.01. Targeting a tight end, I was able to choose from among some of the best at the position in Vernon Davis, Tony Gonzalez, Brent Celek and Jermichael Finley. Each has his advantages, and if I didn’t care about having a WR and TE from the same team I might have Davis, but in the end it’s Brent Celek who is the choice. I’m a firm believer that getting 6-9 points from your TE can be the difference in a win-or-loss each week, and in 2009, Celek scored seven or more points in 12 of 16 games.

6.02: Bruno Boys Greg - Jermichael Finley (GB) — This was a tough pick for me, because there were both good tight ends and subpar wide receivers on the board. Considering, I can find a serviceable WR for my #3 spot, I figure now is the time to get a tight end before a good run leaves me with nothing! The debate as Cavigs said above is between Tony Gonzalez, Jermichael Finley, and Vernon Davis. Finley has the most potential, which was shown in the 2nd half of the season and the playoffs. Gonzalez had a good year, but his numbers were down a bit from seasons past. Davis was exceptional with 13 TD’s, but he can be inconsistent and may have been a one year wonder. I am very tempted to go Gonzalez, but potential usually reigns supreme when guys are so close, which is why I go with Finley with this pick.

6.03: Bruno Boys IDP Guru - Vernon Davis (SF) — I need a TE and Davis is one of the last really good TEs left in the draft. I don’t think his 13 TDs in 2009 were a fluke. Even if his performance subsides somewhat, he’s still a solid TE1. I think the addition of Mike Singletary at head coach really helped him out a lot as did the continued development of Alex Smith.

6.04: Bruno Boys Kyle - C.J. Spiller (FA) — Spiller will be the first running back taken in the NFL draft, and he offers a lot of potential for big things at this point in the proceedings. He is a dual threat who can be used as a runner and receiver, and even if he winds up in a timeshare in his new backfield, he should still do plenty of damage.

6.05: Bruno Boys Cory - Percy Harvin (Min) — Refusing to get sucked into the recent run on tight ends, I wanted to continue to build my receivers, which is I why I picked Percy Harvin of the Minnesota Vikings here. I like how he stepped right in as a rookie and contributed for the Vikings, and I love his potential. What will make this a great pick though is if Brett Favre decides to return.

6.06: Bruno Boys Allie - Ben Roethlisberger (Pit) — With my favorite quarterbacks off the board and the uncertainty of Favre, I debated between two guys who were the 11th picks in their respective drafts - Ben Roethlisberger (2004) and Jay Cutler (2006). I chose Big Ben because he better reflects my preferred strategy for the first six to eight rounds - build a core team of solid fantasy performers and save the ballsy moves for later. Roethlisberger and the Steelers passing game took a big leap forward in 2009 when he threw 337 passes for 4,328 yards, 26 touchdowns, and had a 100.5 passer rating. With aerial targets Santonio Holmes, Hines Ward, Mike Wallace, and Heath Miller returning, Big Ben heads into 2010 as No. 1 fantasy quarterback and a worthy Round 6 pick.

6.07: Bruno Boys Jimbo - Kellen Winslow (TB) — He plays for a bad team with an inexperienced quarterback, but Kellen Winslow still produced 77 catches, 884 yards and five touchdowns last season. I was debating between Winslow and Tony Gonzalez here, but I picked Winslow because I think he is more capable of giving me solid production for 16 games. He is by far Tampa Bay’s No. 1 receiving option, and if Josh Freeman can improve on his skills, Winslow’s numbers should get a nice boost riding the coattails.

6.08: Bruno Boys Jacob - Thomas Jones (NYJ) — With a mock draft in February, I’ll take a chance on Thomas Jones who has been a stud since joining the Jets. I understand Shonn Greene is “taking over” as the RB there, but it’s hard at this point to pass up on Jones.

6.09: Bruno Boys Hallam - Tony Gonzalez (Atl) — Well, I nearly took my TE in the last round, but decided it could wait one more round. Boy did I read that wrong. Big thanks to Bruno Boy Cavigs for starting that run and basically picking every player I have been targeting. But, even though he is aging, Gonzalez should have a couple more good years left in him and with QB Matt Ryan and RB Michael Turner healthy, the Falcons should have a good season. He had six touchdowns last season and should be able to match that at worst in 2010.

6.10: Bruno Boys Whooley - Owen Daniels (Hou) — Like that stellar Vin Diesel/Paul Walker flick, the tight ends have been coming off the board fast and furious, but thanks to the new found depth at the position, I’m still able to land a solid one here. Perhaps some of my fellow draftees forgot about Daniels due to his ACL injury in week 8 last season or perhaps the injury was a big enough concern that they were willing to pass on a guy who was on pace for an 80 catch, 10 TD season prior to getting hurt. Either way, I’m happy to nab him here at the back end of Round 6.

6.11: Bruno Boys Larry - Robert Meachem (NO) — There weren’t a lot of expectations for Robert Meachem heading into 2009. The Saints were pretty loaded on offense, but the third-year wide receiver had his breakout season. After a slow start, he recorded double digit fantasy points each game from weeks 9-13. He finished the year with 45 catches for 722 yards, and he proved to be a big play receiver with nine touchdowns. Meachem may not score one touchdown every five receptions the way he did last year, but I look for him to continue to improve on last year’s numbers. I am very happy with him as my WR3 and I won’t be surprised to get WR2 numbers out of him in 2010.

6.12: Bruno Boys Matt - Fred Jackson (Buf) — Due to the uncertainty surrounding Sproles, I felt compelled to make sure I got another talented, high upside RB. I believe I found that in Jackson. I am almost certain that Marshawn Lynch will be traded this off-season, opening up the door for Jackson to be the workhorse RB in Buffalo.

Round 6 Commentary from Bruno Boys Whooley: Well, if you were wondering when the tight end run will occur in your 2010 fantasy draft, I think you’ve found your answer. Starting with Bruno Boys Cavigs selection of Brent Celek, Round 6 saw six of our experts take their tight ends. And, there are some interesting things to note regarding the order in which those tight ends came off the board.

First and foremost, despite coming out of 2009 as the top fantasy performer at the tight end position, San Francisco 49er tight end Vernon Davis wasn’t even one of the first five tight ends taken in our February Mock Draft. While it’s understandable that Davis would take a back seat to the consistency over the years of Dallas Clark, Antonio Gates, and Jason Witten, it was somewhat surprising to see Celek and Jermichael Finley go ahead of VD. Just like Davis, neither of those tight ends have established themselves as sure fire fantasy performers and both fell quite short of Davis’ production in 2009. This is definitely one of those times when it’s all about preference, but with Alex Smith looking like a capable QB and WR Michael Crabtree on the outside, taking pressure off of Davis, Vernon would be my 4th option at the TE slot at this point and time.

Meanwhile, it looks like the aging of Tony Gonzalez and the injury Owen Daniels’ suffered in 2009 have really effected their fantasy value at this early stage. Yes, both tight ends do have question marks heading into 2010, but I’d still gamble on them before taking Kellen Winslow like Bruno Boys Jimbo did here. The QBs that are throwing the ball Gonzo and Daniels’ way are just leaps and bounds better than Josh Freeman.

Outside of the tight end selections, there are a couple more things worth pointing out here in Round 6. The first being that we see our first rookie come off the board as Bruno Boys Kyle takes RB C.J. Spiller. Obviously, seeing as Spiller’s destination is unknown at the moment, this is a risky pick from Bruno Boys Kyle, but it is one that can pay heavy dividends. Spiller, who hails from Clemson, racked up 1,715 total yards 16 total TDs during his 2009 season at Clemson, and if he lands in the right situation, he can have an immediate fantasy impact.

Speaking of picks that can pay huge dividends, Bruno Boys Jacob and Bruno Boys Matt didn’t do too bad for themselves with their selections of Thomas Jones and Fred Jackson, respectively. Sure, Jones is aging, but after finishing the 2008 season as the fourth best fantasy RB, Jones ended 2009 as the fifth best fantasy runner. He may not even be a Jet in 2010 thanks to the growth of Shonn Greene during last year’s playoffs, but he should find a job somewhere in the NFL for 2010 and once again will run hard for his fantasy owners. As for Jackson, it looks like there’s a good chance he’ll be the workhorse in Buffalo in 2010, meaning he could continue to put up fantasy numbers much like he did with his 5 double digit outings in his last 8 games of 2009.

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 sixth round played out? If so, let us know!

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