Staff Fantasy Football Draft Recap: Analysis of Our 14-Team PPR League
Round 2
| Pick | Overall | Team | First Name | Last Name | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 15 | AJ Weinberg | Giovani | Bernard | RB |
| 2 | 16 | Greg Bucki | Brandon | Marshall | WR |
| 3 | 17 | Daniel Lindsey | Jordy | Nelson | WR |
| 4 | 18 | Matt Grasso | Julio | Jones | WR |
| 5 | 19 | Kenneth Cook | Doug | Martin | RB |
| 6 | 20 | Justin Thompson | Peyton | Manning | QB |
| 7 | 21 | Sean Wirth | Antonio | Brown | WR |
| 8 | 22 | Galin Dragiev | Zac | Stacy | RB |
| 9 | 23 | Michael Comerford | Alshon | Jeffery | WR |
| 10 | 24 | Brandon Gdula | Reggie | Bush | RB |
| 11 | 25 | JJ Zachariason | Andre | Ellington | RB |
| 12 | 26 | Ari Ross | Randall | Cobb | WR |
| 13 | 27 | Sam Hauss | Arian | Foster | RB |
| 14 | 28 | Leo Howell | Vincent | Jackson | WR |
Justin Thompson took the first quarterback of the draft with the 20th pick, a good spot to select a signal-caller according to our cheat sheet (although our projections prefer Drew Brees over Manning). But little did Thompson know that the rest of his league mates were about to hold a game of chicken as to who could wait on quarterback the longest.
Fears of Arian Foster's injuries and fit in the struggling Houston offense forced him to the bottom of the second round, where Sam Hauss was able to pair him with Jamaal Charles to form a potent combination of backs if Foster even begins to live up to his potential this year.
And while it may seem like a homer pick for Daniel Lindsey, a Packers fan, to take Jordy Nelson ahead of Julio Jones, consider that Nelson's two best seasons in the NFL according to our Reception NEP metric (2011 and 2013) are better than Julio's breakout 2012 season. Even if Jones simply returns to form after his injury, he's still not as efficient of a receiver as Nelson, and with a full year of Aaron Rodgers under center, the Green Bay wideout could justify Daniel's seemingly bold selection.
My pick: Vincent Jackson, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Left with no running backs worth taking in this format, and with a strong RB1 already locked up, I opted for Vincent Jackson - a safe, reliable wideout who will be the top target for whoever plays quarterback in Tampa Bay.
