Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

Just because the NFL is in the middle of a lockout it doesn’t mean that you can’t start preparing for the upcoming fantasy football season. Comprised of 11 members of the Bruno Boys Fantasy Football Staff and guest draftee Steve Coppola , a member of the Bruno Boys Forum, we bring to you the second of many Fantasy Football 2011 Mock Drafts. This draft will be a 16-round affair based on a points per reception (PPR) scoring league (Pass TDs - 4 points, All Other TDs - 6 points, 25 Yards Passing - 1 point, 10 Yards Rushing/Receiving - 1 point, All Receptions - 1 point). Outside of having to field a starting lineup made up of 1 QB, 2 RBs, 3 WRs, 1 TE, 1 K, and 1 D/ST, owners are free to fill out their rosters any way they like. 

Commentary after each pick is provided by the Bruno Boys staff member who made that pick. The draft started on March 9, 2011. Be sure to check back on a regular basis for updates and feel free to give your opinion in our comments section. **All draft picks were made before the 2011 NFL Draft**

2011 FANTASY FOOTBALL PPR MOCK DRAFT ROUND 3 RESULTS

3.01: Bruno Boys Rich - Ahmad Bradshaw, RB, New York Giants — I was very close to picking another wide receiver in this spot however I then realized that the amount of high profile RB2 options available was dwindling. In my opinion, Bradshaw was the best available at running and catching the football and he is just too good to pas up at 3.01. I feel confident that I will be able to snag a productive WR2 and maybe WR3 on my next turn around, so I will take the running back and be happy that I have two great dual-threat options in my backfield.

 
3.02: Bruno Boys Allie - Ryan Mathews, RB, San Diego Chargers — For as much as my pick at 2.11 (Reggie Wayne) was based on track record rather than upside, I’m going b*&#!s out in the opposite direction this time around. Ryan Mathews made his share of “2010’s Biggest Busts” lists largely because he couldn’t stay healthy and that gave Mike Tolbert the chance to shine. However I expect Mathews to rebound in 2011 and play like his former Fresno State self. In Week 17 against the Denver Broncos, we saw the feature back ability (speed, balance and power) that the Chargers expected from the 2010 Draft’s No. 12 pick overall. Mathews ran for 120 yards on 26 carries and scored three touchdowns and he looked darn good doing it. No doubt a lot of fantasy football owners will shy away from Mathews in the early rounds, however I like him as a solid RB2 in 2011. 

3.03: Bruno Boys Kyle - Knowshon Moreno, RB, Denver Broncos — There were some interesting options available here, especially at running back, however I decided to go with Moreno over the likes of Jonathan Stewart, LeGarrette Blount and DeAngelo Williams because of Moreno’s superior receiving ability. He ran for nearly 800 yards and five touchdowns last season despite missing three games, and also caught 37 passes for 372 yards and an additional three scores. With John Fox now the coach in Denver it can only help the chances of Moreno to post even bigger numbers.

3.04: Bruno Boys Ryan - Brandon Lloyd, WR, Denver Broncos — I need a wide receiver and Lloyd proved to be a really effective option in 2010. The journeyman surprised every fantasy football owner last year hauling in 77 receptions for 1,448 yards and 11 touchdowns. Lloyd has a nice rapport with quarterback, Kyle Orton, and to a lesser extent Tim Tebow, so I don’t think it’s out of the question he can be a strong option in 2011. Lloyd was strong in both halves of the 2010 season and proved to me he is no fluke.

3.05: Bruno Boys Lane - Jonathan Stewart, RB, Carolina Panthers — With running back or wide receiver an option here, I decided to go with a running back due to the shortage of likable options left. In a PPR scoring league I would rather end up with Santonio Holmes than Cedric Benson in the Round 4. With DeAngelo Williams likely heading out of town, “The Daily Show” will be getting his first shot at being the feature back for the Carolina Panthers and he has been a monster when given the opportunity. Mike Goodson stands to see some work on passing downs but considering the dearth of quarterbacking talent in Carolina J-Stew should still see enough dump passes to maintain value in PPR.

3.06: Bruno Boys James - Mike Williams, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers — After starting the draft with a running back/running back combo, I wanted to make sure I could get a solid go-to wide receiver with upside and Tampa Mike fits that bill. In his rookie season, Williams established himself as a go to red zone threat catching 11 touchdowns and with of growth I expect him to increase on his 65 catches and 964 in 2011. The other wideouts I considered were Dwayne Bowe and Brandon Marshall, however I have Jamaal Charles already, eliminating Bowe from my thought process and I need to see a different quarterback in Miami before I pull the trigger on Marshall.

3.07: Bruno Boys Cavigs - Brandon Marshall, WR, Miami Dolphins — Going with a running back and quarterback in the first two rounds there is an extreme need to secure a solid wide receiver in Round 3. Being a PPR league, there is a lot more depth at the position, however I think Marshall’s ability as a pass catcher makes him the best available. He finished 2010 with 86 receptions for 1,014 yards and just three touchdowns, however it is his last three games that I am intrigued by. A perennial 100 receptions wideout, Marshall hauled in 26 receptions and scored 59 fantasy points over his last three contests. This production is what the veteran receiver is capable of and while he isn’t the ideal WR1, Marshall should get back to his consistent ways in South Beach.

3.08: Bruno Boys JRonstadt - Dwayne Bowe, WR, Kansas City Chiefs — This is definitely the first time I’ve ever selected wide receivers with two of my first three picks, but if there ever were a league for it, I suppose it would be a PPR, two-RB format like this one. Bowe took the next step in his long-expected rise to stardom last season, catching 72 balls for 1,162 yards and 15 touchdowns. As gifted as any wideout in the game, Bowe will be even better in 2011 if Kansas City takes the training wheels off of their often predictable, run-dominated offense.

3.09: Bruno Boys Jimbo -  Jahvid Best, RB, Detroit Lions — I realize Jahvid Best has some issues with staying healthy, but when he’s on the field he does one thing really well - catch the ball. In 2010, Best was No. 6 among running backs in receptions with 58. If he can stay healthy, he makes an excellent compliment to Michael Turner on my team. I also considered taking my WR2 here; however, there are still enough stud wide receivers left for me to wait a until Round 4.

3.10: Bruno Boys Brad - Drew Brees, QB, New Orleans Saints — After drafting a proven RB1 and WR1 in Frank Gore and Larry Fitzgerald I was targeting an elite signal caller in Round 3. The choice was tough with most of the top tier options still being available, however after taking Peyton Manning in our standard mock draft, I decided to shift gears and go with Brees here. The reason isn’t necessarily because I prefer one signal caller over the other, rather it’s a matter of not putting all of my eggs in one basket. Regardless who the choice was, I have myself a quarterback that will throw for over 4,000 yards and 30 touchdowns.

3.11: Bruno Boys Cory - Wes Welker, WR, New England Patriots —  It’s just too hard to pass up New England Patriots receiver Wes Welker at 3.11. Welker was coming off of an ACL injury, a short rehab window, and in what could be considered a down year, still caught 86 passes for 848 yards and seven touchdowns. When he’s at his best he’s a PPR monster. When he’s not he posts numbers like he did last season. Either way is fine with me, but if he went back to his pre-knee injury numbers I’d be ecstatic.

3.12:  Steve Coppola - Peyton Manning, QB, Indianapolis Colts — Normally I would wait on a quarterback and grab a skill position in Round 3, however as I mentioned earlier drafting this late, and with such good competition, I have to change my normal strategy and snag the best available player. My personal preference narrowed it down to Drew Brees and Manning, mainly because of their history and consistent threat to score weekly. The Stats were so close, as both signal callers had 33 touchdown passes and only a difference of 80 yards in the air, however even if Brees was still on the board I would have taken Manning. You can’t ignore his insane 679 attempts from a year ago and the fact that he plays six division games against team’s that finished in the bottom five against the pass.

 
PPR ROUND-BY-ROUND RESULTS:  1  |  2  |  3  |  4  |  5  |  6  |  7  |  8  |  9  |  10  (click to view)

STANDARD ROUND-BY-ROUND RESULTS:  1  |  2  |  3  |  4  |  5  |  6  |  7  |  8  |  10  |  11  |  12  |  13  |  14  |  15  |  16

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