2014 Rookie Draft Review: Industry League, Round One
Each year, we recap the rookie draft of a dynasty league comprised of some of the most influential sites within the fantasy industry.
Now heading into our fifth year, the league finally has some history behind it and the 2014 rookie draft has nearly been completed. As has been the case each year, I’ll be breaking down the top three rounds, one at a time, along with brief commentary of each selection as well as my thoughts about the biggest reach, the best value and a basic round summary.
First, a little bit of history.
As would be expected, the competition of this league is fierce and it’s not easy to covet sleeper players, uncover hidden gems or, in any other way, capitalize on information with the hope that other owners may not also be aware of it. But as is the case with any draft, surprises always occur.
It’s been a good run for team DLF, managed by Ken Kelly and myself. We were fortunate enough to hoist the trophy in 2011, just missed the big show in 2012 and finished second in 2013. The team to catch is none other than the Fantasy Sharks, who have managed back-to-back championships in 2012 and 2013.
For reference,, here’s the link to the league.
Rather than bore you with further details about the participants or past performance (you can get that from the link above), let’s get to the picks:
Round One
[inlinead]1.01 Draft Buddy – Sammy Watkins, WR BUF
No surprise here and I continue to believe no other player should be considered at 1.01, including Mike Evans.
1.02 Fake Pigskin – Mike Evans, WR TB
Evans is as strong a selection at 1.02 as Watkins was at 1.01.
1.03 Fantasy Sharks – Brandin Cooks, WR NO
He has a monster dynamic, a monster offensive system and a monster quarterback. To me, he’s the clear 1.03 selection unless you have a glaring need at running back.
1.04 Pigskin Addiction – Bishop Sankey, RB TEN
Sankey is the top runner on my board and I have him coming off the board in the top seven in all formats.
1.05 Rotoviz – Jordan Matthews, WR PHI
A little high for Matthews in my opinion, but if you believe in his size/speed dynamic in the Chip Kelly offensive system, you have to believe Matthews has a very high ceiling.
1.06 Football Guys – Carlos Hyde, RB SF
No real shock here. Sankey and Hyde are different backs, but fairly equally valued. It’s anyone’s guess which back will come off first in any rookie draft.
1.07 Draft Buddy – Cody Latimer, WR DEN
Latimer has a high ceiling, but is somewhat raw as a receiver. I love his situation, but this is too high a selection for my taste.
1.08 Fake Pigskin – Davante Adams, WR GB
Much like Latimer at 1.07, I’m not a fan of this selection with other names still available. But this is why we do the draft, folks.
1.09 Fake Pigskin – Allen Robinson, WR JAX
I still believe Robinson is being over-drafted. I like his size, but concerns lurk. Jags are hoping for the next Alshon Jeffery.
1.10 Fantasy Football Extreme – Odell Beckham, Jr., WR NYG
Wow. Say what you will about his situation, there’s still a lot to like with Beckham, especially this late in the first round.
1.11 Dynasty League Football – Eric Ebron, TE DET
After the selection of Watkins at 1.01, Ebron was the easiest pick to make here. There’s no second guessing it. DLF has a need at tight end and Ebron falling to 1.11 could not have been expected.
1.12 Fake Pigskin – Austin Seferian-Jenkins, TE TB
Again, in my opinion, this was too high for ASJ to be selected, but I wasn’t consulted and if you have a need at a position, you make the pick, even if it’s a bit high.
Best Value
There were quite a few surprises in this first round, but that alone isn’t surprising. What is surprising are the two names that dropped: 1) Odell Beckham and 2) Eric Ebron. In most drafts I’ve seen, both of these players have been gone by 1.07 and I haven’t seen a single draft yet where neither player had been selected by that selection. Yet here we see Beckham selected by Fantasy Football Extreme at 1.10, perhaps as one of the easiest selections a coach could ask for with the tenth pick in a rookie draft, at least if not considering Eric Ebron. DLF’s selection of Ebron at 1.11 was as easy as was the 1.01 selection of Sammy Watkins by Draft Buddy. Both Beckham and Ebron could be tagged as this round’s “best value.”
In the end, I have to give the nod to FF Extreme and his selection of Odell Beckham. That’s a great ‘get’ at 1.10.
Biggest Reach
A “reach” in the first round is a term I don’t often like to use. Each coach will have their own methodology for rating players, their individual team needs and reasons for a particular selection. So the disclaimer here is that, just as with other labels within this review, it is my own interpretation.
When looking at the fact Beckham and Ebron both fell to 1.10 and 1.11 respectively, we know other players commonly drafted in the second round would likely now be found within the first round. While I can make a solid “buy” case for any of the listed players within the first round above, I’m going to give this ‘award’ to Draft Buddy’s selection of Cody Latimer.
I like Latimer as a developmental talent, much to the same degree as Davante Adams selected one pick later in our draft. However, with Beckham still on the board following the Fantasy Sharks’ selection of Brandin Cooks, I have to apply the label to the coach selecting the next receiver not named Beckham.
Without a single rookie ranker at DLF having ranked Latimer above Beckham, the selection seems clear.
That all said, with Peyton Manning at the helm when combined with Latimer’s 6’2”/215 lb. frame, it’s not hard to see the potential. Risky? Yes. Out of the question? No.
Summary
This first round was really a tale of the two halves. The first six, aside from the absence of Odell Beckham, didn’t surprise me. The second six, especially the order, was nothing like I’ve seen anywhere else.
I’m still surprised to see names such as Latimer, Adams and Robinson ahead of Beckham and Ebron. Even the Seferian-Jenkins sneaking into the bottom of the first round comes as a mild surprise. But if a coach has need at the tight end position, ASJ is a worthy stab even if a bit early here.
Will the second round be as interesting? Stay tuned to find out …
Follow me on Twitter: @DLF_Jeff
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You can find Jeff on Twitter at @dlf_jeff
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