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 was 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 more commentary on our Fantasy Football 2010 Mock Draft.

FEBRUARY MOCK DRAFT ROUND 8 RESULTS

8.01: Bruno Boys Cavigs - Clinton Portis (Was) — After spending the first seven rounds of the draft taking what I like to call “safe picks”, I felt the time was no to take a gamble on a risk/reward pick. Before suffering a season ending concussion injury in Week 9, Portis had trouble finding an opening behind a bad Washington offensive line and could only muster 3.98 yards per carry. Many thought his days were numbered as a Redskin; however, new head coach Mike Shanahan announced in late February that Portis is his starting tailback and he expects him to produce behind an improved O-Line. Even if Portis’ career is nearing a downward spiral, there should be enough left in the tank for him to run successfully in. After all, it was this very same Shanahan blocking system that Portis thrived in as a member of the Denver Broncos.

8.02: Bruno Boys Greg - Ricky Williams (Mia) — Some may see this as a reach if Ronnie Brown returns healthy, but last year when both guys were running at full strength, they split the touches 50/50. The bonus with having Williams is that Brown has only played one full season in his 5 year tenure in the NFL. Therefore, you get average numbers from Williams when they split, and if Brown gets hurt, you have a running back that belongs in the top 10!

8.03: Bruno Boys IDP Guru - Brandon Jacobs (NYG) — Even though Jacobs had an extremely disappointing 2009 season, he has since admitted that he basically played the whole season hurt. This guy has the potential to be a great RB, if healthy. After all, he had close to 1,100 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2008. I see Jacobs getting a bulk of the carries next season because Ahmad Bradshaw isn’t big enough to get 20+ touches a game.

8.04: Bruno Boys Kyle - Jerricho Cotchery (NYJ) — Cotchery seemed to have very good chemistry with Mark Sanchez, and though Cotchery slowed down as the season wore on, he still wound up with over 800 receiving yards and three touchdowns. For my WR3, those are solid numbers, and very well could improve as Sanchez matures at the QB position.

8.05: Bruno Boys Cory -  New York Jets D/ST (NYJ) — I could have gone two ways with this pick, but I ultimately decided on the New York Jets D/ST because I didn’t like any of the available tight ends. I like the Jets’ defense because they finished No. 1 in the NFL last season in every major category except rushing yards allowed, where they were eighth. The Jets have some good young players, and with cornerback Darrelle Revis on the outside, they are very hard to throw against.

8.06: Bruno Boys Allie - Antonio Bryant (TB) — Word that Tampa Bay considers Antonio Bryant expendable is probably the best thing that could happen to him. In two years with the Bucs, Bryant played with five different quarterbacks yet managed to catch 122 passes for 1,848 yards and 11 touchdowns. Although he missed several games in ‘09 as a result of preseason knee surgery and saw a major drop-off in production from his monster ‘08 year, Bryant is undeniably talented and in his prime (29). He should attract interest from a number of teams looking for a go-to guy in their passing game. If Bryant lands in the right place, I think he’ll quickly return to fantasy relevancy with the potential for 1,000+ receiving yards and six or more touchdowns – not bad for my WR4.

8.07: Bruno Boys Jimbo - Pittsburgh Steelers D/ST (Pit) — Is it a little early to take a defense? Maybe, but with my starters set in the key positions, I decided to nab my starting defense over depth at the other positions. It;s the classic debate in fantasy, and one you could go either way on if a talented defensive unit is out there. With a healthy Troy Polamalu on the field, I thin Pittsburgh is that type of unit. This was a dominant defense two years ago, and if Polamalu is back at 100 percent again in 2010, watch out for the Steel Curtain.

8.08: Bruno Boys Jacob - Matt Ryan (Atl) — Well, someone has to be the guy who waits until the middle of round 8 to draft their QB…While Favre would post better numbers if he comes back, I’m not so sure he returns. I’ve been a believer in Matt Ryan since he came into the league, and as long as he’s fully healthy in his third season, he should make some strides. I will definitely be looking for a good back-up just in case, but I’m not unhappy with Ryan as my starter.

8.09: Bruno Boys Hallam - Philadelphia Eagles D/ST (Phi) — Even with the sad death of their defensive coordinator Jim Johnson, the Eagles’ defense retained his scheme and continued to be one of the best defenses in fantasy football. They have great play makers in Trent Cole, Will Witherspoon and Jeremiah Trotter up front with Sheldon Brown and ball hawking Asante Samuel at the corners. The Eagles are always going to be a great fantasy defense, and I love to have them on my team.

8.10: Bruno Boys Whooley - Jahvid Best (FA) — Granted, taking Best in a February mock draft before he even has an NFL team to call home is a risk. Nonetheless, Best is coming off a strong combine performance in which he posted the fastest time in the 40-yard dash and was the top performer in the 3-cone drill. He obviously has the tools to be a very good running back in the NFL, though there are durability concerns surrounding the former Cal Bear. Even so, depending on where he lands, Best has a real chance at being the best rookie running back in 2010.

8.11: Bruno Boys Larry - Justin Forsett (Sea) — Injuries and poor play from Julius Jones allowed Justin Forsett to receive an increased role in the Seahawks’ offense in 2009. He responded with five total touchdowns during weeks 10-13. He finished the year with 114 carries for 619 yards and added 41 receptions for 350 yards. I feel Forsett has a chance to make an impact in Seattle’s new head coach Pete Carroll’s offense, and he could even be the team’s opening day starter at running back. He will be a solid backup on my team and I will feel comfortable inserting him into my starting lineup if needed.

8.12: Bruno Boys Matt - Braylon Edwards (NYJ) — Since I’ve already locked up Megatron and Roddy White, I can afford a high risk/high reward player at WR3. Edwards fits that bill to a tee. Yes, he drops far more passes than he should. However, Mark Sanchez should improve in his sophomore season and don’t forget last year was Edwards’ first season in New York, and it wasn’t even a full one. Say what you want about Edwards, but he wants to prove the naysayers wrong. He’s a great boom or bust pick as my third WR.

Round 8 Commentary from Bruno Boys Whooley: Curious about how fickle the game of fantasy football can be? Then, look no further than the selections of Clinton Portis and Brandon Jacobs here in Round 8. It was just last season, after all, that these two backs were gone either in Round 1 or Round 2 of the majority of fantasy drafts around the country. But, injuries and poor performances will do that to a player, and both were victimized by both those things in 2009. Still, there’s nothing like buying low on a potential comeback, which both Bruno Boys Cavigs and Bruno Boys IDP Guru did here.

I know some may shy away from Ricky Williams despite numbers that made him the 7th best fantasy back in 2009, and there is reason to proceed with caution as Ronnie Brown is set to come back and be the team’s “feature” back. But, even with Brown in the mix, Williams will get touches in that wild cat formation, making him a credible RB3 fantasy option. Heck, he had double digits in six of the nine games that he and Brown played together last year.

While taking older backs with a proven track record, hoping for one more good year, is one such way to go when you get down to these later rounds, we also see examples of our experts going in a different direction, taking younger backs with upside. Both Jahvid Best and Justin Forsett are dual threat abilities that can have an impact in the ground and passing game, and we all know those backs can be money for fantasy purposes. The question though is how much of the field they see this early in their careers.

The last thing I want to point out here with regards to Round 8 is the mini defensive run we see. While some fantasy owners are willing to wait to the last rounds for the defense and play match-ups, others like to nab a solid unit early, leaving them one less thing to worry about on a weekly basis. Both strategies have their merits, but only if you can get a solid unit with that early pick. The Jets with Revis Island, the Steelers with a healthy Polamalu, and the Eagles with their ball hawking nature qualify.

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

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