2011 Live Dynasty Draft Blog – Updated 7/27 10:25 PM

Jeff Haverlack Posted On July 28, 2011

WRITTEN IN THE THIRD PERSON AS KEN AND JEFF WILL BOTH BE UPDATING THE BLOG TO KEEP YO UP TO DATE.

Starting Friday, July 22nd, at 6:00 AM PST, our first full, live, dynasty draft of 2011 will be kicking off. I’ll be updating the draft and picks at least once a day (hopefully) along with a little analysis. Ken Kelly and I are both taking part in this new start-up league with our own individual teams and with any luck, you’ll be able to use this draft as a live exercise towards determining where players will be coming off the board. I know many of the coaches in this league and the competition will be very good.

Scoring is standard PPR without any real twists. Twelve teams with three divisions. All division winners go to the playoffs along with one wild-card team.

For starters, here’s the draft order with our teams highlighted. Stay tuned and check back often.

ROUND ONE

1.01 – Chris Johnson, RB TEN
1.02 – Arian Foster, RB HOU
1.03 – DLFJeff. – Adrian Peterson, RB MIN
1.04 – Calvin Johnson, WR DET
1.05 – Darren McFadden, RB OAK
1.06 – Ray Rice, RB BAL
1.07 – LeSean McCoy, RB PHI
1.08 – Jamaal Charles, RB KC
1.09 – Andre Johnson, WR HOU
1.10 – DLFKenK. – Hakeem Nicks, WR NYG
1.11 – Maurice Jones-Drew, RB JAX
1.12 – Matt Forte, RB CHI

A bit of a surprise that Chris Johnson goes first as most drafts begin with the names “Peterson” or “Foster” as of late. It’s tough to argue against a guy who can put up 2,000 yards and a ton of receptions each season, though.

Foster and Peterson going at 2-3 is no real surprise – that comes at #5 where Darren McFadden is selected. While you have to admire one’s courage, that’s an awfully big risk in our opinion.

McCoy ends up being a bargain at 1.07. The draft stalls a little at 1.08 as the Coach there presumably sifts through offers of teams attempting to trade up for Jamaal Charles. He ends up taking Charles himself in the end.

After AJ gets taken at #9, DLF Ken takes Hakeem Nicks at #10 overall. With the health concerns swirling around MJD, he felt Nicks was worth more. While some other nice players were on the board (Mendenhall, MJD, White, etc.), the youth of Nicks wins out. While his toe is a concern, he’s a 23 year old dynamo with a bright future.

MJD’s free fall finally ends at #11 overall. This pick could prove to be a bargain or a death sentence for this team.

Forte being taken in the first round is a bit of a surprise as well, but he looks primed for a nice season and is still very young.

ROUND TWO

2.01 – Mike Wallace, WR PIT
2.02 – Larry Fitzgerald, WR ARI
2.03 – DLFKenK – Rashard Mendenhall, RB PIT
2.04 – Frank Gore, RB SF
2.05 – Roddy White, WR ATL
2.06 – Aaron Rodgers, QB GB
2.07 – Greg Jennings, WR GB
2.08 – Michael Vick, QB PHI
2.09 – Dez Bryant, WR DAL
2.10 – DLF Jeff – Mike Williams, WR TB
2.11 – Dwayne Bowe, WR KC
2.12 – Miles Austin, WR DAL

Wallace at the top of the round is a shocker, but he was amazing the second half of the season. Fitzgerald goes second, leaving Mendenhall for Ken at #15. While he may not be Ken’s favorite player character-wise, it’s tough to pass up a 24 year old workhorse in the second round. Nicks and Mendenhall make for a good start. Jeff waits patiently at 2.10 for a player to pair with Adrian Peterson.

Gore off the board and Jeff is happy about that as he wants nothing to do with him. White, the top scoring WR at 2.05 is a bit late. Obviously turning 30 and the addition of Julio Jones didn’t help his value, but it’s still a great value. Jeff still patiently (or not) waiting.

The quarterbacks finally make an appearance with A-Rod and Michael Vick nearly going back-to-back. Young wide receivers are being valued at a premium with Dez Bryant and Mike Williams going before a few second tier running backs. Jeff finds the potential of Williams building upon his phenomenal rookie season too much to pass up in round two.

3.01 – Jermichael Finley, TE GB
3.02 – Ahmad Bradshaw, RB NYG
3.03 – DLFJeff – Jonathan Stewart, RB CAR
3.04 – AJ Green, WR CIN (R)
3.05 – Peyton Hillis, RB CLE
3.06 – Vincent Jackson, WR SD
3.07 – Jahvid Best, RB DET
3.08 – Brandon Marshall, WR TEN
3.09 – DeSean Jackson, WR PHI
3.10 – DLFKenK – Jeremy Maclin, WR PHI
3.11 – Ryan Mathews, RB SD
3.12 – Steven Jackson, RB STL

Finley goes earlier than expected at the top of the third round. A little too high for our tastes for sure, but you can make a solid case for it. Bradshaw and Stewart go back-to-back and provide good value. Jeff is surprised Stewart is still there and adding him to Mike Williams and Adrian Peterson provides a nice core to build off.

AJ Green is the first rookie taken and he goes to a team implementing a WR-WR-WR approach with Calvin Johnson, Dez Bryant and Green. A risky approach for certain, but one that could pay off if he can find RB value later on.

Hillis fans rejoice! He finally goes at 3.05 to a hometown Browns fan. I’m not a big fan of the 3rd round. When looking at many of the players, it’s where the risk in the second tier really starts. For that reason, I often times don’t mind trading out to pick up later picks. Vincent Janckson, Marshall and DeSean are good receivers, but are a little risk all in their own way. Solid 3rd round selections, though. Mathews has fallen quite a bit but is a good value pick near the end of the 3rd. Ken gets Maclin who should flourish again beside DeSean Jackson and Vick.

4.01 – Steve Johnson, WR BUF
4.02 – Shonn Greene, RB NYJ
4.03 – DLFKenK – Mark Ingram, RB NO (R)
4.04 – Dew Brees, QB NO
4.05 -Vernon Davis, TE SF
4.06 – LeGarrette Blount, RB TB
4.07 – Philip Rivers, QB SD
4.08 – Percy Harvin, WR MIN
4.09 – Julio Jones, WR ATL
4.10 – DLF Jeff – Wes Welker, WR NE
4.11 – Reggie Wayne, WR IND
4.12 – Daniel Thomas, RB MIA (R)

After taking Maclin at 3.10, Ken was hoping for Ingram, Greene or Mathews to fall to him at 4.03. The surprise isn’t that it happened, but that it was Ingram who fell. Starting off with Nicks, Mendenhall, Maclin and Ingram is a solid start. Solid picks afterward with Brees, Davis, Blount and Rivers. QBs starting to go off, but Brady and Manning still on the board. Age is affecting their value obviously.

TRADE: The first trade for one of the DLF crew as Jeff just traded his 5.03 for a 2012 first round pick, 2012 second round pick and 6.07 in this draft. Just too much to pass up. May take him out of contention for 2011 but Jeff loves his draft picks.

Love the Percy Harvin pick. He’s a bit of a steal here and is going to have a great year. He’s a lot like Wes Welker but more physical and more dynamic. Julio Jones goes next and Jeff is disappointed. He hoped he was going to fall and that he could continue his youth movement. The team taking Jones has now drafted four receivers. Jones is a great value here as many have taken him above A.J. Green.

Wes Welker is selected by Jeff and now has a bit to wait. Welker is a monster in the format and is now fully removed and recovered from his injury. Every team needs an anchor at each position and Welker is a great anchor.

Reggie Wayne’s pain finally ends as he’s selected at 4.11. Take note if you have him in a dynasty league – his value is spiraling quickly.

5.01 – Jimmy Graham, TE NO
5.02 – Jason Witten, TE DAL
5.03 – DeAngelo Williams, RB CAR
5.04 – Ryan Williams, RB ARI (R)
5.05 – Kenny Britt, WR TEN
5.06 – Antonio Gates, TE SD
5.07 – Marques Colston, WR NO
5.08 – CJ Spiller, RB BUF
5.09 – Michael Turner, RB ATL
5.10 – DLF KenK – Sidney Rice, WR MIN
5.11 – Santonio Holmes, WR NYJ
5.12 – Knowshon Moreno, RB DEN

The fifth round starts with DeAngelo Williams, with the owner certainly hoping he finds himself in a nice situation here in the next week or two.

Britt is a gamble, but likely worth it in round five. It’s probably a fifty-fifty proposition in regards to him being a top 10 fantasy receiver or a top ten inmate.

Ken is happy that Sidney Rice falls to him at 5.10. Pairing Rice with Nicks and Maclin makes for a productive, but young lineup.

Moreno finally gets taken at 5.12 amidst numerous reports that he both is and isn’t the future of the Broncos at running back. At 5.12, it’s hard to argue the risk.

6.01 – DLFKenK – Matt Ryan, QB ATL
6.02 – Dallas Clark, TE IND
6.03 – Roy Helu, RB WAS (R)
6.04 – Owen Danels, TE HOU
6.05 – Tom Brady, QB NE
6.06 – DLFKenK – Marshawn Lynch, RB SEA
6.07 – DLFJeff – Michael Crabtree, WR SF
6.08 – Greg Little, WR CLE (R)
6.09 – Felix Jones, RB DAL
6.10 – DLFJeff – Josh Freeman, QB TB
6.11 – Rashad Jennings, RB JAX
6.12 – Mikel LeShoure, RB DET (R)

TRADE: Ken trades up from 6.03 to 6.01, sending his 12th rounder as compensation. Ken figures the late round choice is good enough to ensure he gets the quarterback he wants.

TRADE: As if one sixth rounder wasn’t enough, Ken trades his 2012 #1 and #2 for 6.06. After debating for a bit between Crabtree and Lynch, he goes with Lynch to ensure having a three back rotation.

Crabtree falls to Jeff at 6.07 and that’s great value. As expected, Little goes to a big-time Browns fan. We can see it, but the hype machine needs to slow down a little.

Jennings and LeShoure have potential, but it seems a little early to start taking RB flyers. We’ll see who’s right in a year or two.

7.01 – Tony Romo, QB DAL
7.02 – Matt Schaub, QB HOU
7.03 – DLFJeff – James Starks, RB GB
7.04 – Jordy Nelson, WR GB
7.05 – Ryan Grant, RB GB
7.06 – Pierre Garcon, WR IND
7.07 – Austin Collie, WR IND
7.08 – Brandon Lloyd, WR DEN
7.09 – BenJarvus Green-Ellis, RB NE
7.10 – DLFKenK – Mike Thomas, WR JAX
7.11 – Peyton Manning, QB IND
7.12 – Mario Manningham, WR NYG

Lloyd finally goes at 7.08, proving that few believe he can repeat his success from last year. Packer players Starks, Nelson and Grant oddly all go back-to-back-to-back. Jeff takes Starks, believing in his long-term ability.

Garcon and Collie are also selected and one of them should be a solid pick here, likely not both.

The vastly underrated Thomas drops to Ken at 7.10 and he’s thrilled to have him as a WR4.

The insanity ends with Manning finally being taken at 7.11. Age and injury were surely factors, but that’s simply too steep a drop for him, even at 35.

Manningham rounds out the 7th round and breaks Ken’s heart since he wanted him at 8.03. With a contract that expires soon, he could be a steal this late.

8.01 – Jonathan Baldwin, WR KC
8.02 – Zach Miller, TE OAL
8.03 – DLFKen – Chris Wells, RB ARI
8.04 – Davone Bess, WR MIA
8.05 – Mike Tolbert, RB SD
8.06 – Johnny Knox, WR CHI
8.07 – Aaron Hernandez, TE NE
8.08 – Danny Amendola, WR STL
8.09 – Mike Williams, WR SEA
8.10 – DLFJeff – Ryan Torain, RB WAS
8.11 – Steve Smith, WR CAR
8.12 – Emmanuel Sanders, WR PIT

Jeff and Ken both roll the dice this round after pretty much filling out their respective starting lineups. Wells is amazingly just 22 years old and should get a fresh start at some point. Torain is still the starter in Washington, but obviously has no margin for error.

9.01 – Leonard Hankerson, WR WAS (R)
9.02 – Rob Gronkowski, TE NE
9.03 – Matt Stafford, QB DET
9.04 – Sam Bradford, QB STL
9.05 – Jacoby Ford, WR OAK
9.06 – Kendall Hunter, RB SF (R)
9.07 – Steve Smith, NYG
9.08 – Brandon Pettigrew, TE DET
9.09 – Anquan Boldin, WR BAL
9.10 – DLFKenK – Tim Tebow, QB DEN
9.11 – Ben Roethlisberger, QB PIT
9.12 – Fred Jackson, RB BUF

Jeff makes two trades to start off the 9th round. First, the coach that drafted Mike Williams (SEA) offered Mike Williams and 14.09 for 10.10 and 13.03. With receivers being very thin and likely to forego a receiver for another round, Jeff took the deal which equates to using his 10.10 on Williams with the kicker of 13.03, getting 14.09 in return. Well worth it as Jeff feels the tier is at an end with Williams.

Second trade – Owners are still willing to trade away their first round picks for current picks. Jeff sends his 9.03 for the other team’s first round pick in 2012 plus his 11.01. Still a tough decision as Jeff did covet Sam Bradford but the deal was too rich not to accept, especially as much of his starting roster has been formalized. Added bonus as the sending coach has struggled in this draft and the starting roster looks suspect.

Call him crazy, but Ken takes a stab at Tim Tebow at the end of round nine. There were a few players (Bradford, Ford, etc.) he wanted, but they were taken a few picks earlier. He figures this is an absolute feast or famine pick, but also thinks it’s worth the risk with Matt Ryan in the fold as his QB1.

10.01 – Jared Cook, TE TEN
10.02 – Michael Bush, RB OAK
10.03 – DLFKenK – Jermaine Gresham, TE CIN
10.04 – Marcedes Lewis, TE JAX
10.05 – Chris Cooley, TE WAS
10.06 – Cedric Benson, RB CIN
10.07 – Plaxico Burress, WR FA
10.08 – Montario Hardesty, RB CLE
10.09 – Mike Sims-Walker, WR FA
10.10 – Shane Vereen, RB NE (R)
10.11 – Eli Manning, QB NYG
10.12 – Torrey Smith, WR BAL (R)

Tight ends were going fast and Ken was happy to get a young one with upside. Burress goes awfully high here in the tenth round, but again, you could make a case. Shane Vereen is a nice value pick here as well.

11.01 – DLFJeff – Joe Flacco, QB BAL
11.02 – Kellen Winslow, TE TB
11.03 – Donald Brown, RB IND
11.04 – Arrellious Benn, WR TBB
11.05 – Kevin Kolb, QB PHI
11.06 – Randall Cobb, WR GB (R)
11.07 – Jacquizz Rodgers, RB ATL (R)
11.08 – Dustin Keller, TE NYJ
11.09 – Delone Carter, RB IND (R)
11.10 – DLFKen – Jerome Simpson, WR CIN
11.11 – Danario Alexander, WR STL
11.12 – DeMarco Murray, RB DAL (R)

Jeff gets his backup QB in Joe Flacco, who provides a nice value in round 11. The round is full of rookie RB stabs with Rodgers, Carter and Murray all being taken. We’re not the biggest fans of Carter, but Ken would have taken him if he had fallen. Simpson makes for a nice consolation – he should have been taken a round or two earlier as an evolving young wideout.

12.01 – Steven Ridley, RB NE (R)
12.02 – Pierre Thomas, RB NO
12.03 – Vincent Brown, WR SD
12.04 – Andre Roberts, WR ARI
12.05 – Jason Snelling, RB FA
12.06 – Jay Cutler, QB CHI
12.07 – Cam Newton, QB CAR
12.08 – Earl Bennett, WR CHI
12.09 – Mark Sanchez, QB NYJ
12.10 – DLFJeff – Santana Moss, WR WAS
12.11 – Bilal Powell, RB NYJ (R)
12.12 – Mike Goodson, RB CAR

One of our favorite sleepers goes here as Andre Roberts is taken at 12.04. Goodson and Snelling both have a chance to have their value go up via free agency moves as well.

13.01 – David Gettis, WR CAR
13.02 – Jordan Shipley, WR CIN
13.03 – Braylon Edwards, WR FA
13.04 – Reggie Bush, RB FA
13.05 – Tashard Choice, RB DAL
13.06 – Louis Murphy, WR OAK
13.07 – GB Defense
13.08 – Alex Green, RB GB (R)
13.09 – Deion Branch, WR NE
13.10 – DLFKenK – James Jones, WR FA
13.11 – Robert Meachem, WR NO
13.12 – Joseph Addai, RB IND

14.01 – Matt Cassell, QB KC
14.02 – Lance Moore, WR NO
14.03 – DLFKenK – Ben Tate, RB HOU
14.04 – Brandon Jacobs, RB NYG
14.05 – Jacob Tamme, TE IND
14.06 – Danny Woodhead, RB NE
14.07 – PIT Defense
14.08 – NEP Defense
14.09 – DLFJeff – Brent Celek, TE PHI
14.10 – DLFJeff – Brandon Jackson, RB GB
14.11 – Ed Dickson, TE BAL
14.12 – Goldent Tate, WR SEA

15.01 – Toney Moeaki, TE KC
15.02 – Kyle Orton, QB KC
15.03 – DLFJeff – Eric Decker, WR DEN
15.04 – Bernard Scott, RB CIN
15.05 – Titus Young, WR DET
15.06 – Toby Gerhart, RB MIN
15.07 – Ronnie Brown, RB MIA
15.08 – Kyle Rudolph, TE MIN
15.09 – Jacoby Jones, WR HOU
15.10 – DLFKenK – Brandon Tate, WR NE
15.11 – NYJ Defense
15.12 – Blaine Gabbert, QB JAX

Reggie Bush falls all the way to the 13th round. That can be attributed to many things, but mostly to him being terrible. Ken takes James Jones, who looks to be on the rise, especially if he can sign elsewhere.

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Jeff Haverlack

Co-Founder at Dynasty League Football

Appreciative husband and proud father who poorly attempts to balance family life with his passion for creating the largest, most helpful and most impactful fantasy community on the planet! DLF was created for the community and we're committed to each member within it! Hope anyone playing this great game will call DLF home in some way!

You can find Jeff on Twitter at @dlf_jeff

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