Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

Consisting of 10 members of the Bruno Boys Fantasy Football Staff, along with guest columnists from Fighting Chance Fantasy and The IDP Guru, our second of many Fantasy Football 2010 Mock Drafts was a 16-round affair based on PPR scoring (Pass TDs - 4 points, All Other TDs - 6 points, 25 Yards Passing - 1 point, 10 Yards Rushing/Receiving - 1 point, Reception - 1 Point). Outside of having to field a starting line-up occupied by 1 QB, 2 RBs, 2 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 March 22, 2010, and with it now in the books, we’ll go ahead and break down the action round by round. So, make sure to check back for more commentary on our Fantasy Football 2010 Mock Draft in the days ahead.

MARCH - APRIL PPR MOCK DRAFT ROUND 2 RESULTS

2.01: Bruno Boys Matt - DeAngelo Williams (Car) - This is really a tough spot because there isn’t much that I like. I obviously want to go RB or WR, but I feel that given who’s available, I’m reaching a bit no matter who I choose. I also considered Roddy White, Michael Turner, Ryan Grant, DeSean Jackson, and Greg Jennings in this spot. I ultimately went with Williams, though I hate having RBs from RBBC teams (which made me strongly consider Turner and Grant here). Williams isn’t ideal for a PPR league either, but he was the best of what I had to work with and I don’t feel like he’s so much of a reach in this spot.

2.02: Bruno Boys Cory - Rashard Mendenhall (Pit) - I wanted to get a running back here, and I really like Rashard Mendenhall of the Pittsburgh Steelers. He’s a really powerful runner who will get to handle the overwhelming majority of the carries this season, and his 25 receptions last season is a nice boost to his value as well.  ::pick made before Ben Roethlisberger suspension::

2.03: Bruno Boys Hallam - Calvin Johnson (Det) - I really wanted to take Michael Turner here since I drafted him early in round 1 of the last mock draft. I can’t believe he has fallen this far, but I just can’t pass up on Megatron. Calvin is all the stuff that number one receivers are made of, and although he is more than likely not going to have 100 receptions, he should have a great season with 10+ TDs as long as he is able to stay healthy. I am very excited to have him with my second pick.

2.04: Bruno Boys Jimbo - Michael Turner (Atl) - I’m completely aware that this is a PPR draft and Michael Turner has never had 10 catches in a season yet, but I don’t want to wait until the third round for my first running back. All of the top tier running backs are gone, so I don’t want to lose out on all of the good ones. Turner doesn’t catch the ball, but he should still give me good overall production as long as he’s healthy. I thin Atlanta will protect him more in 2010, and he should have a good chance to reach 300 carries, hopefully he’ll add some more receptions too.

2.05: Bruno Boys Kyle - Knowshon Moreno (Den) - Having taken a WR with my first pick, I need to snare a running back, and Moreno offers me a good run/catch combination. He caught 28 passes last season, including two for touchdowns, and it’s likely he’ll improve on those numbers as he goes into his second year.

2.06: Bruno Boys Cavigs - Randy Moss (NE) - After debating between Randy Moss and Roddy White, I opted to go with the old trusty future Hall of Famer (Moss) over the rising superstar (White). Both receivers had over 80 receptions, 1,100 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns a year ago; however, it’s the track record, and his role on the Patriots, that makes Moss the safer pick. The difference in my opinion is that Moss gets fed the football in the red zone on every Patriots scoring opportunity, while White will have to worry about losing red zone touches to both Tony Gonzalez and Michael Turner.

2.07: Bruno Boys Allie - Roddy White (Atl) - Quick thanks to Bruno Boys Cavigs for going with the “safer” pick in Moss. I’ll gladly use my second round selection to add the Falcons’ No. 1 fantasy wide receiver and primary target Roddy White to my team. White’s 11 touchdowns last season were a career high, and while he may not have quite the track record that Moss has, White’s posted three consecutive seasons of 80+ receptions and 1,100 yards. Moreover, a healthy Matt Ryan should positively impact White’s numbers in 2010. I think he’ll flirt with 90-100+ receptions, 1,200-1,300+ yards, and double-digit touchdowns, all of which make him an attractive pick for PPR league play.

2.08: Bruno Boys Jake - Matt Forte (Chi) - Off such a terrible sophomore campaign, Forte presents some real value (even in the 2nd round). To put what he can do into perspective, look at Marshall Faulk’s numbers in St. Louis (with Mike Martz as OC and a head coach): 7 seasons, 85 TDs, 11,000 yards from scrimmage, and most importantly, almost 5 receptions per game. Consider Frank Gore’s 2008 campaign the floor and Marshall Faulk’s average the ceiling, and Forte should be a great pick in 2010 PPR leagues.

2.09: Bruno Boys Larry - DeSean Jackson (Phi) - For the second straight mock draft, I am choosing DeSean Jackson. Is it a man crush? Maybe. But, it’s also a pick based on talent. In 2009, he had 63 receptions for 1,167 yards with nine touchdowns, and he added 11 carries for 137 yards with a touchdown. Even though he had just 63 receptions, he still totaled 252 points in PPR leagues last season, a number I see him improving on in 2010. Remember, he is entering his third NFL season, which we all know is the year wide receivers tend to have their breakout years, and I am counting on improved reception totals.

2.10: Bruno Boys IDP Guru - Drew Brees (NO) - I know a lot of people aren’t big fans of taking a QB in the first two rounds. However, I am. Especially, when his name is Drew Brees. Fantasy quarterbacks are arguably the most important fantasy players on a roster, and if I have a chance (after filling my RB1 spot) to grab either Rodgers or Brees, I’m probably going to do it. In addition, I was looking at either Colston or VJax for this pick, but they just don’t catch enough balls (only 60-80 catches a year) to warrant a pick in this PPR format over Brees, and I really wasn’t thrilled with a ton of the RBs left. So, Brees became the best option for me here.

2.11 - Bruno Boys Greg - Miles Austin (Dal) - Austin had a great year in 2009, rising from the third wide out spot to star receiver on a passing team. His numbers will only increase in 2010 after ending last season with 1,320 yards and 11 touchdowns. Add that this is PPR league and he had 81 catches in basically 12 games (his first 4 games, he only had 5 catches total) and that makes Austin a solid 2nd round pick for me!

2.12: Bruno Boys Whooley - Steve Smith (NYG) - No, I didn’t make a mistake and grab the wrong Steve Smith. With 107 receptions in 2009, the New York Giants’ version is the guy I want to be on my squad. Smith is the perfect example of a wide receiver who sees an uptick in value thanks to the added bonus of PPR. Factor in the 1 point he would have gotten per catch in 2009, and the man has just one game with less than 10 fantasy points. That consistency is fine with me for my WR1 slot.

Round 2 Commentary from Bruno Boys Cavigs: The conventional way to approach Round 2 of a fantasy football draft is to look at your leagues scoring system and take who you think is the best available player. Outside of a few curve balls, you will notice that our staff did just that.

Bruno Boys Matt got things started by taking Carolina Panthers running back DeAngelo WIlliams and quite frankly I don’t have much to say about this pick. He picked Aaron Rodgers in Round 1 and if he didn’t take a RB1 at 2.01 he would have waited until pick No.36 to get his hands on a running back. A healthy Williams means 1,000 rushing yards and 10 TDs; however, he hasn’t had 30+ receptions since his rookie campaign. Next up Bruno Boys Cory took Rashard Mendenhall at pick 2.2. At the time of the pick Ben Roethlisberger wasn’t facing a six game suspension and this pick looked like a good one. However, with Big Ben suspended teams may stack the box on Mendenhall and it could lead to limited holes to run through. Still, Mendenhall will get the football around the goal line and Pittsburgh will be playing smash mouth football for at least the fist month of the season.

The next two picks we saw Calvin Johnson and Michael Turner fly off the board. Bruno Boys Hallam drafted a running back in Round 1 and getting Megatron at pick 2.03 is a solid move in my opinion. Johnson played injured for the majority of the 2009 season and the Lions know that if they are going to score points they need to get him the football. Don’t be fooled by his 67 receptions last season because a healthy Johnson should lead to 85+ in his fourth NFL season. Whether he catches passes out of the backfield Bruno Boys Jimbo’s selection of Turner in Round 2 is the right move. Turner knows how to find the end zone and plays in one of the NFC’s best offenses. Ten times out of 10 I’d draft the potential of 15+ touchdowns over a guy who scores five to seven touchdowns but catches 40+ balls.

I’m a fan of the Knowshon Moreno pick by Bruno Boys Kyle at 2.05. As a rookie he never did go for over 100 rushing yards in a single game; however, he is in line for 300 touches and has the ability to catch 40+ passes out of the backfield. In 2010, Moreno will get his first 100-yard game and if Denver uses him right he has the potential to find pay dirt 10 or more times.

With the selection of Randy Moss and Roddy White both Bruno Boys Allie and I (Bruno Boys Cavigs) follow a similar route in the first two rounds of this PPR draft… take a top tier RB in Round 1 and make sure to get a true WR1 in Round 2.  With Steven Jackson and White as a solid 1-2 punch Allie should be getting double-digit fantasy points from her studs on a weekly basis. The same can be said about my Frank Gore and Moss combo. Though Moss will be relying more on touchdowns, than receptions, to score his fantasy football points.

The selections of Drew Brees, DeSean Jackson and Miles Austin towards the end of Round 2 are pretty standard. We saw all three of these guys get drafted with the first 24 picks in our standard scoring mock draft and this should be the case throughout 2010 fantasy football drafts. Jackson does take a hit in PPR formats; however, he is a true playmaker and worth drafting at pick 2.09.

PPR Scoring Mock Draft RECAPS (Mar/Apr):  1 |  2  |  3 |  4 |  5 |  6 |  7 |  8 |  9 |  10 |  11 |  12 |  13 |  14 |  15 |  16 |

PAST 2010 STAFF MOCK DRAFTS

Standard Scoring Mock Draft RECAPS (Feb/Mar):  1  |  2  |  3  |  4  |  5  |  6  |  7  |  8  |  9  |  10  |  11  |  12  |  11  |  13  | 14  |  13  | 14  |  15  | 16

 
Have an opinion on how the 2nd round played out? If so, let us know!

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