The Great Chicago Fire: Mo’s DLF Live Draft Recap

Mo Brewington

754.3 miles: the estimated distance from my home on the outskirts of Philly to Chicago’s West Loop district. Ripe with history, West Loop helped form the manufacturing and industrial backbone which built Chicago into the exquisite metropolis we know today.

Our inaugural DLF Live Draft was held at The Aberdeen Tap, on the east-west artery known today as Grand Avenue (formerly Whiskey Point Road) a few blocks north of the purported genesis of The Great Chicago Fire.

Today — nearly 145 years after Patrick and Kate O’Leary’s cow kicked over a lantern, sparking that most destructive conflagration — another fire was set ablaze: the burning desire of an intrepid young scrivener, who would spare no expense to plunder a dynasty football championship from hands of 12 other scribes like himself, each with the same bad intentions.

My quest to build the best team in this league of experts began from pick 1.02. While this is rarely a difficult decision, given the choice of any player in the NFL to start my team, the answer for the last 3 years has been Antonio Brown, without question or hesitation the best football player on the planet, bar none.

Today, however, there was a some trepidation in my pick. You see, our league’s setup allows for a superflex position, meaning for all intents and purposes, it is a 2QB league. Statistically, nine of the top 15 scorers from 2015 were quarterbacks, and 16 of the top 24. Considering these facts, playing any position other than a quarterback at the superflex is truly a fool’s errand. There was an advantage to be attained if I could grab Aaron Rodgers or Russell Wilson, or both! And that was my goal heading into the first three rounds.

[am4show have=’g1;’ guest_error=’sub_message’ user_error=’sub_message’]

At 1.02, I feared setting off a run on quarterbacks that would cause Wilson to get drafted if I took Rodgers this early, so I selected my old reliable friend Brown and watched, fingers crossed, as the board developed. Through round one, only Cam Newton came off the board, at 1.12.

Scary stuff, but so far so good. We got all the way around to pick 2.08, LeVeon Bell and I’m lookin’ good! Only two more picks and I’m walking out of here with at least Rodgers and A.B. If Izzy, who owned picks 2.12 and 3.01 between my second and third round picks, doesn’t take Russell, he’s mine… MINE! And I’ve practically won the league in a mere three rounds! Damn I’m goo…

Pick 2.09 is announced — Russell Wilson. Then pick 2.10, Aaron Rodgers. My plan and my dreams annihilated, in one fell swoop. I love Rodgers and Russell because of the near certainty of their top five status each year. Combined with Antonio Brown, there was a distinct possibility I could have had three of the top five scorers in the league overall! But alas, I choose Demaryius Thomas at 2.11 and began biding my time to draft the next two quarterbacks on my list. The two/three turn was too early to select my next targets.

I’m not nearly as worried about Demaryius’ production, despite the questions Denver has at quarterback, than some other analysts. This season could be a bit rough while they limp through whatever percentage of the snaps Mark Sanchez takes, but soon, Paxton Lynch will step in and D.T. will return to his high-flying ways. Even Sanchez is good enough to make him a WR2. For the time being, that’ll have to do. He’s too good to write off because we think he may have a bad season.

In round three, Jameis and Mariota came off the board, along with four receivers and six running backs, including my third selection, David Johnson at 3.02. The most talented back on a team that will feature him heavily in both the run and pass game, Johnson makes great sense as the foundation of my dynasty running back corps. I like the two quarterbacks selected in this round. Both of them met my requirements, relative youth and propensity for high-end production, but they weren’t the two I was after.

As the board came back to me at the tail end of round four, it was time to get my guys, and they were still there. Round four saw seven wideouts, two passers and a tight end get selected. At 4.11 I took my first mark, Derek Carr. Around the bend at 5.02, I came back with Carlos Hyde. As the quarterback with an elite receiver in Amari Cooper and the rest of his supporting cast, I personally believe Oakland is on the verge of a good run of football over the next several years. Carr has the opportunity to put up some serious numbers in a division he may soon own. Consider my ticket punched.

My hope for Carlos Hyde is for him to duplicate the kind of usage and success LeSean McCoy had in Philly under Chip Kelly. With back-to-back 300 carry seasons and a healthy share of the passing offense, McCoy was as good of a fantasy back as you could hope for. In Carlos Hyde you get a combination of speed and power few runners in the NFL possess.

Here is my team through the first five rounds:

QB: Derek Carr

RB: David Johnson, Carlos Hyde

WR: Antonio Brown, Demaryius Thomas

So far, so good.

With the six/seven turn approaching and the nucleus of my team intact, it was time to cement the quarterback position to make sure I could capitalize on the superflex. At 6.11 I took Kirk Cousins. Much like Derek Carr, Cousins is young, intelligent, surrounded by receiving talent, and could have a few big seasons ahead of him in D.C. I was comfortable starting these two players, but I wanted one more quarterback, with big upside for insurance and/or trade bait. My top choices here were Drew Brees and Tom Brady. Since Brees went in round six, my choice was made for me. I could now ride out Tom’s four game suspension, and have the option of playing the two quarterbacks with the best match-up for the rest of the season. I was thrilled with this outcome and ready to work on the rest of my team.

By the time I had selected Brady early in round seven, five tight ends had already been picked. Between the Brady selection at 7.02 and the end of round seven, another three would go off the board.

With my next two picks, 8.11 and 9.02, I went Roll-Tide, taking Derrick Henry and T.J. Yeldon in succession. I love these two backs, each capable of running you over or running around you, and underrated receivers as well. By this point, I was feeling good about my running game, with one true dual threat in Johnson and three guys who could see a ton of action in goal-to-go situations.

I was fortunate that despite nine tight ends being picked prior to my selection in the tenth round, waiting for me at 119th slot was Delanie Walker! You know Delanie Walker, right? The guy who caught 94 balls for almost 1,100 yards and six touchdowns last year? He’s the best receiver on his team and resident security blanket for a young quarterback with an aversion to putting the football at risk. Even at 31 years old, I was thrilled to get Walker. He was used very infrequently the first seven years of his career in San Fran. I’m willing to bet on him for another year or two. Plus I have a late round gem up my sleeve!

In the 11th, I took one of the most maligned second year players you’ll ever meet, Jeremy Langford. My biggest concern here is the usage of Jordan Howard, the powerful rookie back out of Indiana. While Langford’s yards per carry in 2015 left something to be desired, often lost in the conversation about his production last year is the fact that he was, you know, a rookie. He will get better in year two and we will see more of his ability to get chunk yardage in the open field as a receiver and runner. This will prove to be a steal in years to come.

My 12th pick was rookie Will Fuller of the Texans. He’ll compete with Braxton Miller and Cecil Shorts for the right to play second fiddle to DeAndre Hopkins, but has the advantage of being the most explosive of the three, though Miller is right behind him in that department. He’ll need some seasoning to be a steady contributor, but a nice dynasty prospect.

I was in need of depth at receiver and tight end, so I spent my next two picks on veterans I felt offered some reliability, Pierre Garçon and Jason Witten. I don’t expect them to be around long, but think I can find some matchup-based production out of each player in spot duty.

Round 15 saw the selection of one my favorite sleeper candidates, Seth Roberts, the Raiders slot receiver who I think has the makings of a solid WR3, with the possibility of more should Oakland lose Cooper or Michael Crabtree. Adept at shaking man coverage, Roberts is poised for a breakout campaign, as Derek Carr is growing to trust the third year player in all areas of the field, particularly in isolation down in the red zone.

In Round 16 I turned a few heads taking a chance on Victor Cruz, the 29 year old Giant returning from a season-and-a-half long stint on injured reserve after related patellar and calf injuries. Reports out of Giants camp have Cruz back running, looking as quick as ever and primed for a comeback season. While definitely a risky proposition, I think the Sterling Shepard hype is out of control. If Cruz is truly healthy, he will assume the WR2 role on the Giants and benefit greatly from the presence of Odell Beckham drawing the coverage away from Cruz. I’m eager to see this play out.

Through 16 Rounds, here is the roster:

QB: Carr, Cousins, Brady

RB: Johnson, Hyde, Yeldon, Henry, Langford

WR: Antonio, Demaryius, Fuller, Garçon, Roberts, Cruz

TE: Delanie, Witten

A nice mix of veterans ready to contribute and young talent that can fortify my team in the years to come. This alone is a group I’d be more than happy to go into battle with this season. I have enough depth at both quarterback and running back to make a trade should a deficiency arise. At this point, I’m ready to use my last five picks to attain players I’ve targeted as high upside dice rolls who could end being huge contributors this season and beyond.

This is the way I build a team through the draft. Establish your nucleus. Build a core group of players you can field a competitive line up with, then start looking for the steals, the players you think could break out and give your team a decided advantage.

The first among those picks was tight end Austin Hooper at 17.02. Easily the most talented tight end Atlanta has had since Tony Gonzalez retired, Hooper has the chance to get meaningful snaps for a Falcon team desperate for production at the position. With Walker in hand, I won’t have to depend on Hooper, but can wait for him to ascend as Walker reaches the wall.

At 18.11, Keith Marshall was my choice. As a highly touted recruit at Georgia, Marshall’s college career was derailed by injury, and played behind Todd Gurley and Nick Chubb when he was healthy. He’ll have a chance to work his way into the Washington job, which is presently occupied by Matt Jones. What he lacks in experience he makes up for in size and speed. He may need some time to get acclimated before he brings a return on investment, but I’m stacked at running back and can afford a project.

I took Alfred Morris at 19.02. My expectation is for Dallas to run the ball close to 500 times this season in an attempt to keep Tony Romo healthy. While Zeke Elliot will undoubtedly be the lead dog, there should still be around 250-300 carries to split between Darren McFadden and Morris. Given that McFadden has missed about 29 games in his career and Morris has missed exactly — let me add this up, four years times zero games missed equals, oh, zero! This was a pretty easy decision. Add in the fact Morris has more 1,000-yard seasons in his four-year career (three) than DMC has had in his 8 years in the NFL (two) and I’m betting big that Lord Alfred — behind that Dallas O-line — could have himself a huge year. Even as the number two back he could still approach 200 rushing attempts. This was perhaps my favorite pick of the day. A hit with Morris will allow me even greater flexibility to trade one of the backs I took in the first half of the draft.

My 20th pick, Justin Hardy, is a player I’ve coveted since last year’s NFL Draft. Watching him play at East Carolina, his playmaking ability was always on display. He spent his rookie year getting his act together and started getting playing time during the second half of 2015 for the Falcons. Like Roberts, Hardy is about to bust out in 2016 and should be owned by all Julio owners in the event your first round pick hits the IR list. Even without an injury to Julio, Hardy will be a mainstay in the Falcons offense for the next few years. I envision Golden Tate as a comparable projection.

Pick 21.02, my second-to-last on the day, won me the Head and Shoulders award for leaving my league-mates scratching their heads, at my selection: wide receiver Canaan Severin of the Steelers. You know as well as I do that the worst feeling in fantasy football is seeing your rivals succeed with a player you coveted all along. One of the major tenets of my fantasy philosophy is: “If you believe in a guy, you take him while you can. Price be damned.” If you are foolish enough to wait, thinking nobody else is smart enough to see what you see, you’re begging for trouble.

What I see in Severin is a player with exceptional hands and a willingness to play through contact and go get footballs — a baby Anquan Boldin if you will. Given the suspension of Martavis Bryant and possible loss of Markus Wheaton in free agency after 2016, I think Severin has a real chance at making the roster and becoming a viable option in the Steelers offense. I wasn’t waiting for a training camp injury to Sammy Coates or a big preseason for Canaan to expose him to the world. I bought in early. If I’m wrong, I’ll have an open roster spot for the next flyer, no harm. If I’m right, I look pretty stinking smart, no foul.

My final selection, and the second-to-last pick of the entire draft, was Dwayne Washington, a running back for the Lions. I think Washington is more likely to end up on the practice squad than the 53-man roster. If I had this to do over again, I would have taken Stevan Ridley, who, being several Jamesons deep by this point in the draft, I hadn’t realized was still available. I would later grab Ridley (the likely short-yardage back in Detroit) in the first round of waivers following the draft, along with receiver Chris Givens, who, surprisingly, is reported to be in line to start for the Eagles. You won’t find either player on a Dynasty ADP list, yet both could find a meaningful role before all’s said and done.

All told, the final lineup looks like this:

QB: Brady, Carr, Cousins

RB: David Johnson, Carlos Hyde, T.J. Yeldon, Derrick Henry, Jeremy Langford, Alfred Morris, Keith Marshall, Dwayne Washington, Stevan Ridley (waivers)

WR: Antonio Brown, Demaryius Thomas, Pierre Garçon, Victor Cruz, Seth Roberts, Will Fuller, Canaan Severin, Chris Givens (waivers)

TE: Delanie Walker, Jason Witten, Austin Hooper

I feel great about this team’s prospects. I have three passers capable of putting up big numbers, two with long range prospects. At 27, Morris and Ridley are the oldest running backs on the team. Excluding Washington and Marshall, all of the backs could see significant playing time this season, while Johnson and Hyde may be bonafide workhorses.

The receivers, with the ability to start between three and seven each week, could stand to be deeper, but in Antonio, Demaryius, and Garçon in particular, I feel confident I have three that could see over 120 targets each. Roberts and Hardy are very intriguing prospects and Cruz might be an absolute steal should he remain healthy. Anything gained from Fuller, Givens, and Severin is a bonus.

Delanie should have another top five finish at tight end and Witten, a nice spot starter, could earn me a draft pick via trade to a tight end needy team later in the year. Should Hooper catch on in year one, he becomes a fascinating flex option on a team whose offense is slowly and surely becoming a real threat.

The final verdict on this draft won’t be known until this winter. I feel I did a good job of balancing my risk with players I can depend on getting me the 15 points per week I need to be competitive and avoid putting zeroes in any one position’s column. I expect to be in playoff contention, both this year and beyond. If we can make it to the dance, anything is possible!

A special thank you goes to all of the DLF writers in this league. We had a tremendously talented and knowledgeable group who made this event highly competitive and fun. I’m certain the season will follow suit. About the only component missing from this league is a salary component which could really make this league something special. Perhaps we can arrange that in the near future. Regardless, I’m excited to compete with this group.

My appreciation also needs to be expressed to the partners, Jeff Haverlack, Ken Kelly, Ken Moody, and Eric Dickens, who sponsored this event and paid what was certainly an absurd bar tab. Thank you gentlemen!

And last, to my wife Tianna, for being crazy enough to cosign a cross-country trip to a fantasy football draft, for which the purse for winning is dwarfed by the expense of the itinerary. Reason #943 you are so beautiful!

Oh, I can’t forget the barmaid at the Aberdeen Tap who had her ears modified to look like elf ears and kept me thoroughly plied with Jameson all afternoon. Now I see why they call it Whiskey Point Road.

For those of you brave enough to endure this novella on the construction of my newest dynasty franchise, you are a maniac and I love you for it. Be sure to follow me on Twitter, @Smashmouth_Mo, and watch as I ridicule my league-mates and dominate the next several years of this league. Thanks for reading!

[youtube id=”0Kz7NSqNLHE” align=”center” maxwidth=”1000″]

[/am4show]

mo brewington
Latest posts by Mo Brewington (see all)