2014 ISH Official Fantasy Football Draft

Here it is: the International Sports Hub Official (OffISHial) Fantasy Football Draft. 14 of the writers for ISH are competing in a season long fantasy football league, and the draft occurred over the weekend.

The settings are not the same as a standard ESPN league, as there are a few twists. Touchdown passes are 5 points and all receptions are .5. However, the biggest twist includes an “OP” position in the starting lineup, in addition to the flex. In the offensive player position, any offensive player can be started, including a second QB. This raises the value of QBs.

Without further ado, here is the result of the draft, with some of my thoughts after! (Note, draft pick trading was allowed before the draft, and a few trades did occur. Those are noted).

 

Round 1

Pick	Overall	By	Player	Pos Rank
1	1	Frank (from Marcovitch)	Jamaal Charles, KC	RB1
2	2	Euster	Adrian Peterson, MIN	RB2
3	3	Stichter (from Zimmermann)	LeSean McCoy, PHI	RB3
4	4	West	Matt Forte, CHI	RB4
5	5	Burdman (from Nooromid)	Eddie Lacy, GB	RB5
6	6	Floch	Calvin Johnson, DET	WR1
7	7	Zimmermann (from Stichter)	Peyton Manning, DEN	QB1
8	8	Nooromid (from Burdman)	Marshawn Lynch, SEA	RB6
9	9	Levy	DeMarco Murray, DAL	RB7
10	10	Shutley	Aaron Rodgers, GB	QB2
11	11	Koch	Drew Brees, NO	QB3
12	12	Marcovitch (from Frank)	Jimmy Graham, NO	TE1
13	13	Leightman	Demaryius Thomas, DEN	WR2
14	14	Levinson	Arian Foster, HOU	RB8

 

I originally started with the 8^th pick, but in a deep league, I wanted one of the top 5 RBs, so I traded up to 5^th to grab Lacy. No surprise, but the top 5 RBs went off the board in the first 5 picks. I was a tad surprised to see three QBs off the board this quickly, but in a league where two QBs can start, it makes complete sense.

The pick that really surprises me is Demaryius Thomas by Leightman. He is a fantastic receiver, but is he worth a first round pick? Who knows. Overall, though, nothing too shocking.

 

 

Round 2

Pick	Overall	By	Player	Pos Rank
1	15	Levinson	Doug Martin, TB	RB9
2	16	Leightman	AJ Green, CIN	WR3
3	17	Marcovitch (from Frank)	Julio Jones, ATL	WR4
4	18	Koch	Dez Bryant, DAL	WR5
5	19	Shutley	Brandon Marshall, CHI	WR6
6	20	Levy	Le’Veon Bell, PIT	RB10
7	21	Burdman	Giovani Bernard, CIN	RB11
8	22	Stichter	Matthew Stafford, DET	QB4
9	23	Floch	Antonio Brown, PIT	WR7
10	24	Nooromid	Zac Stacy, STL	RB12
11	25	West	Jordy Nelson, GB	WR8
12	26	Zimmermann	Montee Ball, DEN	RB13
13	27	Euster	Alshon Jeffery, CHI	WR9
14	28	Marcovitch	Alfred Morris, WAS	RB14

 

The second round was where the first major surprise came. I went with electrifying Benagls back Gio Bernard, who is a fantastic choice as a second back in my mind. Despite my pick of Bernard, this round was about receivers: 7 receivers flew off the board. Leightman started that with A.J. Green, who he paired with Demaryius Thomas. Julio Jones, Dez Bryant, and Brandon Marshall were next.

After Le’Veon Bell and Bernard, Stichter tabbed Matthew Stafford, which was a shock to me.While he has the potential to be great with fantastic weapons around him, he could have been had in round 4. Lastly, I really like what Marcovitch has done thus far. He had the number 1 pick but traded it for 12 and 17, giving him 4 (!) picks in the top 29. He got Jimmy Graham, Julio Jones, and Alfred Morris in the first two rounds, and picked Vincent Jackson to kick off the next round. Really, really solid team.

 

Round 3

Pick	Overall	By	Player	Pos Rank
1	29	Marcovitch	Vincent Jackson, TB	WR10
2	30	Euster	Julius Thomas, DEN	TE2
3	31	Zimmermann	Reggie Bush, DET	RB15
4	32	West	Randall Cobb, GB	WR11
5	33	Nooromid	Andre Johnson, HOU	WR12
6	34	Floch	Pierre Garcon, WAS	WR13
7	35	Zimmermann (from Stichter)	Ben Tate, CLE	RB16
8	36	Burdman	Andrew Luck, IND	QB5
9	37	Levy	Rob Gronkowski, NE	TE3
10	38	Shutley	Keenan Allen, SD	WR14
11	39	Koch	Frank Gore, SF	RB17
12	40	Frank	Jason Witten, DAL	TE4
13	41	Leightman	CJ Spiller, BUF	RB18
14	42	Levinson	Larry Fitzgerald, ARI	WR15

 

Only one QB went in the third round, and that was my selection of Andrew Luck. If Luck sees the famous “Year 3 leap” this season, he could be a top 3 QB. I think I got good value here.

Also, the run on TEs not named Graham started here, with Julius Thomas, Gronk, and Jason Witten coming off the board, which is a bit earlier than I expected (for Gronk and Witten at least). A pick I really like this round is Randall Cobb. I think he has the potential to be a top 10 WR with a full season of Aaron Rodgers.

The riskiest pick of the round was Ben Tate by Zimmermann. He has the skills and opportunity to be a top 10 back this season, but has major durability issues that have plagued him throughout his career. We’ll see what wins out.

 

Round 4

Pick	Overall	By	Player	Pos Rank
1	43	Levinson	Ryan Mathews, SD	RB19
2	44	Leightman	Cam Newton, CAR	QB6
3	45	Frank	Victor Cruz, NYG	WR16
4	46	Koch	Andre Ellington, ARI	RB20
5	47	Shutley	Chris Johnson, NYJ	RB21
6	48	Levy	DeSean Jackson, WAS	WR17
7	49	Nooromid (from Burdman)	Roddy White, ATL	WR18
8	50	Stichter	Trent Richardson, IND	RB22
9	51	Floch	Toby Gerhart, JAC	RB23
10	52	Nooromid	Percy Harvin, SEA	WR19
11	53	West	Wes Welker, DEN	WR20
12	54	Zimmermann	Michael Crabtree, SF	WR21
13	55	Euster	Robert Griffin III, WAS	QB7
14	56	Marcovitch	Ray Rice, BAL	RB24

 

I didn’t have a pick in round 4, as I traded it away to move up from 8 to 5 in round 1 (I also got Nooromid’s 6^th rounder in return, so in round 6 I had two picks).

Here, Leightman made a fantastic pick with Cam Newton. Newton has always been a top-4 QB in ESPN standard leagues, and despite his perceived “lack of weapons”, he is no worse off in that department than he ever has been. Also really like the pick of Andre Ellington by Koch. In a league that gets you half a point per reception, he is valuable beyond the 20^th RB. I question the pick of Trent Richardson in round 4. Sure, he’s a bounce back candidate after a dismal sophomore season, but with a poor offensive line, and a RB who needs a top-notch line to succeed, Richardson doesn’t seem like a great value as a RB2 for Stichter.

 

Round 5

Pick	Overall	By	Player	Pos Rank
1	57	Marcovitch	T.Y. Hilton, IND	WR22
2	58	Euster	Sammy Watkins, BUF	WR23
3	59	Stichter (from Zimmermann)	Rashad Jennings, NYG	RB25
4	60	West	Vernon Davis, SF	TE5
5	61	Nooromid	Cordarrelle Patterson, MIN	WR24
6	62	Floch	Colin Kaepernick, SF	QB8
7	63	Stichter	Torrey Smith, BAL	WR25
8	64	Burdman	Michael Floyd, ARI	WR26
9	65	Levy	Nick Foles, PHI	QB9
10	66	Shutley	Joique Bell, DET	RB26
11	67	Koch	Reggie Wayne, IND	WR27
12	68	Frank	Steven Jackson, ATL	RB27
13	69	Leightman	DeAndre Hopkins, HOU	WR28
14	70	Levinson	Julian Edelmen, NE	WR29

 

This hurt. I was targeting Vikings WR Cordarrelle Patterson with this pick, as I think he will be this year’s version of Josh Gordon (without the off-the-field issues). Unfortunately, he was grabbed right before my pick, which will become a common theme for me throughout the draft.

Since CP was gone, I went with Michael Floyd to be my top receiver. I think he could supplant Fitz as the top target in the desert this season. I think Shutley made a great pick here with Detroit RB Joique Bell. Sure, Reggie Bush is the starter in title, but Bell is just as big a part in the offense, and may catch more balls than Bush. Bell was picked 35 picks later.

I think it was a bit early to pick DeAndre Hopkins, as Houston’s offense does not look exactly like a juggernaut, and Hopkins is probably the 3^rd or 4^th option. Also, QBs are starting to come off the board more frequently, with the 8^th and 9^th (Colin Kaepernick and Nick Foles, respectively).

 

Round 6

Pick	Overall	By	Player	Pos Rank
1	71	Levinson	Jeremy Maclin, PHI	WR30
2	72	Leightman	Darren Sproles, PHI	RB28
3	73	Frank	Tom Brady, NE	QB10
4	74	Koch	Seahawks D/ST, SEA	DEF1
5	75	Shutley	Marques Colston, NO	WR31
6	76	Levy	Bishop Sankey, TEN	RB29
7	77	Burdman	Kendall Wright, TEN	WR32
8	78	Zimmermann (from Stichter)	Jordan Cameron, CLE	TE6
9	79	Floch	Shane Vereen, NE	RB30
10	80	Burdman (from Nooromid)	Pierre Thomas, NO	RB31
11	81	West	Stevan Ridley, NE	RB32
12	82	Zimmerman	Emmanuel Sanders, DEN	WR33
13	83	Euster	Mike Wallace, MIA	WR34
14	84	Marcovitch	Eric Decker, NYJ	WR35

 

I had two picks in this round, and went with Kendall Wright and Pierre Thomas. Wright is a guy who caught over 90 balls last year and should do so again. He should also eclipse 1000 yards. The reason his value was so low was that he only caught 2 TDs, but that should increase. Thomas caught almost 80 balls out of the backfield, and with Darren Sproles in Philly, his workload could increase. I was debating between Thomas and Shane Vereen, but my decision was made for me when Vereen was picked by Floch just one spot before me.

I believe Frank got a steal here with Tom Brady as the 10^th QB off the board. Sure, people are down on him, but he’s still Tom Brady! While the Seahawks defense is obviously the best in the league, Koch reached, as no defense is worth a 6^th round pick by any means.

 

Round 7

Pick	Overall	By	Player	Pos Rank
1	85	Marcovitch	Bernard Pierce, BAL	RB33
2	86	Euster	Panthers D/ST, CAR	DEF2
3	87	Stichter (from Zimmermann)	Golden Tate, DET	WR36
4	88	West	Maurice Jones-Drew, OAK	RB34
5	89	Nooromid	Russell Wilson, SEA	QB11
6	90	Floch	Terrance Williams, DAL	WR37
7	91	Stichter	Kyle Rudolph, MIN	TE7
8	92	Burdman	Matt Ryan, ATL	QB12
9	93	Levy	Riley Cooper, PHI	WR38
10	94	Shutley	DeAngelo Williams, CAR	RB35
11	95	Koch	Greg Olsen, CAR	TE8
12	96	Frank	Fred Jackson, BUF	RB36
13	97	Leightman	Dennis Pitta, BAL	TE9
14	98	Levinson	Cecil Shorts, JAC	WR39

 

Round 8

Pick	Overall	By	Player	Pos Rank
1	99	Levinson	Khiry Robinson, NO	RB37
2	100	Leightman	Anquan Boldin, SF	WR40
3	101	Frank	Danny Amendola, NE	WR41
4	102	Koch	Philip Rivers, SD	QB13
5	103	Shutley	Ben Roethlisberger, PIT	QB14
6	104	Levy	Jay Cutler, CHI	QB15
7	105	Burdman	Danny Woodhead, SD	RB38
8	106	Stichter	Tony Romo, DAL	QB16
9	107	Floch	Brandin Cooks, NO	WR42
10	108	Nooromid	Dwayne Bowe, KC	WR43
11	109	West	49ers D/ST, SF	DEF3
12	110	Zimmerman	Johnny Manziel, CLE	QB17
13	111	Euster	Knowshon Moreno, MIA	RB39
14	112	Marcovitch	Lamar Miller, MIA	RB40

 

In round 7 and 8, I went with my second QB, Matt Ryan, and my 4^th RB, Danny Woodhead. I got two QBs before some teams even got one, which will be big for me. Woodhead will be awesome as a 4^th back and occasional flex start.I was targeting Terrance Williams in round 7, but when he was picked, I had no issues selecting Ryan.

Round 8 saw a mini-run on QBs that ended with Zimmermann taking a flier on Johnny Manziel. Manziel may not even be the starter to open the season, but he may be a rookie sensation and finish better than his draft position. Brandin Cooks, a sleeper of mine, also went off the board. As the 42^nd WR taken, Floch got a fantastic value here.

 

Round 9

Pick	Overall	By	Player	Pos Rank
1	113	Marcovitch	Terrance West, CLE	RB41
2	114	Euster	Steve Smith, BAL	WR44
3	115	Zimmermann	Chris Ivory, NYJ	RB42
4	116	West	Greg Jennings, MIN	WR45
5	117	Nooromid	Martellus Bennett, CHI	TE10
6	118	Floch	Zach Ertz, PHI	TE11
7	119	Stichter	Mike Evans, TB	WR46
8	120	Burdman	Jordan Reed, WAS	TE12
9	121	Levy	Hakeem Nicks, IND	WR47
10	122	Shutley	Donald Brown, SD	RB43
11	123	Koch	Shonn Greene, TEN	RB44
12	124	Frank	Josh Gordon, CLE	WR48
13	125	Leightman	Tavon Austin, STL	WR49
14	126	Levinson	Darren McFadden, OAK	RB45

Terrance West has a serious chance at fantasy relevance if Tate goes down with an injury.

Round 10

Pick	Overall	By	Player	Pos Rank
1	127	Levinson	Mark Ingram, NO	RB46
2	128	Leightman	Andy Dalton, CIN	QB18
3	129	Frank	John Potter, WAS	K1
4	130	Koch	Matt Prater, DEN	K2
5	131	Shutley	Charles Clay, MIA	TE13
6	132	Levy	Eric Ebron, DET	TE14
7	133	Burdman	Andrew Hawkins, CLE	WR50
8	134	Stichter	Carlos Hyde, SF	RB47
9	135	Floch	Jeremy Hill, CIN	RB48
10	136	Nooromid	Blair Walsh, MIN	K3
11	137	West	Christine Michael, SEA	RB49
12	138	Zimmermann	Justin Hunter, TEN	WR51
13	139	Euster	Stephen Gostkowski, NE	K4
14	140	Marcovitch	Eli Manning, NYG	QB19

 

In round 9, I needed a TE, so I went with Jordan Reed of the Redskins. If he can stay healthy, he is better than the 12^th TE. In round 10, looking for depth at WR, I chose Andrew Hawkins. If Josh Gordon is suspended, Hawkins will be starting in Cleveland.

I really like the Mike Evans pick by Stichter in round 9. Evans looks poised for a great rookie season in Tampa, and could be the Alshon Jeffery to Vincent Jackson’s Brandon Marshall. Frank taking Josh Gordon is interesting: if he somehow avoids suspension, this is hands down the steal of the draft. Lastly, though, what’s with people taking kickers in the 10^th round? Come on, man!

 

Round 11

Pick	Overall	By	Player	Pos Rank
1	141	Marcovitch	Jarrett Boykin, GB	WR52
2	142	Euster	Devonta Freeman, ATL	RB50
3	143	Zimmermann	Ryan Tannehill, MIA	QB20
4	144	West	LeGarrette Blount, PIT	RB51
5	145	Nooromid	Broncos D/ST, DEN	DEF4
6	146	Floch	Patriots D/ST, NE	DEF5
7	147	Stichter	Kelvin Benjamin, CAR	WR53
8	148	Burdman	Markus Wheaton, PIT	WR54
9	149	Levy	Ka’Deem Carey, CHI	RB52
10	150	Shutley	Cardinals D/ST, ARI	DEF6
11	151	Koch	James Jones, OAK	WR55
12	152	Frank	Dexter McCluster, TEN	WR56
13	153	Leightman	Justin Tucker, BAL	K5
14	154	Levinson	Bengals D/ST, CIN	DEF7

 

Round 12

Pick	Overall	By	Player	Pos Rank
1	155	Levinson	Tre Mason, STL	RB53
2	156	Leightman	Texans D/ST, HOU	DEF8
3	157	Frank	Browns D/ST, CLE	DEF9
4	158	Koch	Reuben Randle, NYG	WR57
5	159	Shutley	Andre Williams, NYG	RB54
6	160	Levy	Carson Palmer, ARI	QB21
7	161	Burdman	Brandon LaFell, NE	WR58
8	162	Stichter	Brian Hartline, MIA	WR59
9	163	Floch	Alex Smith, KC	QB22
10	164	Nooromid	Teddy Bridgewater, MIN	QB23
11	165	West	Stevie Johnson, SF	WR60
12	166	Zimmermann	Chiefs D/ST, KC	DEF10
13	167	Euster	Marqise Lee, JAC	WR61
14	168	Marcovitch	Josh McCown, TB	QB24

 

These two rounds were painful for me. In the 11^th, I had Kelvin Benjamin all queued up and ready to go, but he was picked by Stichter just before it was my turn. Grrr. I went with Markus Wheaton, an up-and-comer for the Steelers who could start opposite Antonio Brown. Total lottery ticket. In the 12^th, I went with Brandon LaFell after hoping to draft Andre Williams. LaFell could see a boost in targets and productivity in New England.

At the top of round 11, Euster made a great pick with Devonta Freeman. Steven Jackson is having health issues in camp, and Freeman looks like the real deal. Shutley picked the Cardinals defense, and only after our draft did news of Darnell Docket’s injury leak. Unfortunate. Speaking of defenses, I like the pick of the Chiefs by Zimmerman. They were one of the best last year, and he got them as the 10^th defense.

 

Round 13

Pick	Overall	By	Player	Pos Rank
1	169	Marcovitch	Kenny Stills, NO	WR62
2	170	Euster	Roy Helu, WAS	RB55
3	171	Zimmerman	Ahmad Bradshaw, IND	RB56
4	172	West	Joe Flacco, BAL	QB25
5	173	Nooromid	James Starks, GB	RB57
6	174	Floch	Rams D/ST, STL	DEF11
7	175	Stichter	Andre Brown, HOU	RB58
8	176	Burdman	Sam Bradford, STL	QB26
9	177	Levy	Odell Beckham, NYG	WR63
10	178	Shutley	Jerricho Cotchery, CAR	WR64
11	179	Koch	Knile Davis, KC	RB59
12	180	Frank	Doug Baldwin, SEA	WR65
13	181	Leightman	C.J. Anderson, DEN	RB60
14	182	Levinson	Jonathan Stewart, CAR	RB61

 

Round 14

Pick	Overall	By	Player	Pos Rank
1	183	Levinson	Mason Crosby, GB	K6
2	184	Leightman	Bills D/ST, BUF	DEF12
3	185	Frank	Mike Williams, BUF	WR66
4	186	Koch	Antonio Gates, SD	TE15
5	187	Shutley	Delanie Walker, TEN	TE16
6	188	Levy	BenJarvus Green-Ellis, CIN	RB62
7	189	Burdman	Buccaneers D/ST, TB	DEF13
8	190	Stichter	Redskins D/ST, WAS	DEF14
9	191	Floch	Jordan Matthews, PHI	WR67
10	192	Nooromid	Aaron Dobson, NE	WR68
11	193	West	Ladarius Green, SD	TE17
12	194	Zimmermann	Kenny Britt, STL	WR69
13	195	Euster	Denarius Moore, OAK	WR70
14	196	Marcovitch	Ravens D/ST, BAL	DEF15

 

Round 15

Pick	Overall	By	Player	Pos Rank
1	197	Marcovitch	Alex Henery, PHI	K7
2	198	Euster	Andre Roberts, WAS	WR71
3	199	Zimmermann	Heath Miller, PIT	TE18
4	200	West	EJ Manuel, BUF	QB27
5	201	Nooromid	Coby Fleener, IND	TE19
6	202	Floch	Steven Hauschka, SEA	K8
7	203	Stichter	Geno Smith, NYJ	QB28
8	204	Burdman	Phil Dawson, SF	K9
9	205	Levy	Saints D/ST, NO	DEF16
10	206	Shutley	Adam Vinatieri, IND	K10
11	207	Koch	Colts D/ST, IND	DEF17
12	208	Frank	Harry Douglas, ATL	WR72
13	209	Leightman	Jonathan Grimes, HOU	RB63
14	210	Levinson	Dwayne Allen, IND	TE20

 

Round 16

Pick	Overall	By	Player	Pos Rank
1	211	Levinson	Jake Locker, TEN	QB29
2	212	Leightman	Garrett Graham, HOU	TE21
3	213	Frank	Nick Novak, SD	K11
4	214	Koch	Donnie Avery, KC	WR73
5	215	Shutley	Steelers D/ST, PIT	DEF18
6	216	Levy	Dan Bailey, DAL	K12
7	217	Burdman	Mike Tolbert, CAR	RB64
8	218	Stichter	Greg Zuerlein, STL	K13
9	219	Floch	Levin Toilolo, ATL	TE21
10	220	Nooromid	Blake Bortles, JAC	QB30
11	221	West	Nick Folk, NYJ	K14
12	222	Zimmermann	Shayne Graham, NO	K15
13	223	Euster	Rod Streater, OAK	WR74

*Due to a lopsided trade, Marcovitch had 17 draft selections, so his final selection in round 16 was forgone.

I closed my draft with Sam Bradford, the Bucs defense, Phil Dawson, and Mike Tolbert. Bradford has upside as a 3^rd QB. I only need him for two weeks, and if he’s healthy, he’s a top 15 QB. The Bucs have upside with Lovie Smith at the helm. Phil Dawson, well, he’s just awesome (as a Browns fan, how can I not love Phil?) Finally, Tolbert is a TD machine, and he’s a solid value this late.

I like the Jerricho Cotchery pick by Shutley in round 13. He’s reliable and an overall good weapon. In round 14, West made a great pick with Ladarius Green. He will be taking over as the main TE in San Diego this year, and has stud potential. Lastly, I really liked the last two picks of the 15^th round. Leightman took Jonathan Grimes, who will be a starter if (when?) Arian Foster gets hurt. Levinson took Dwayne Allen, who is clearly the better of the Indy TEs. Coby Fleener was taken 9 picks earlier.

So there you have it! The 2014 ISH Fantasy Football Draft, broken down. I think I’ve got it in the bag, right?

 

Leave which team / writer YOU think will win our fantasy league in the comments below, or vote here!