The Informer's 2020 NFL Fantasy Football Preview: Draft #1

For those clicking on an Informer blog for the first time please allow me to introduce myself: My name is The Informer and I am a self-glossed fantasy football expert. My credentials for this "self-glossing" are as follows: I play fantasy football and I once started Ryan Leaf in a week where he completed 1 of 15 passes for 4 yards.

Anyways, which means please don't interrupt the expert while I am blogging, the reason we are here is to try and help you the reader draft the perfect fantasy football team for the upcoming 2020 NFL Season.

Now, in order to accomplish this goal, The Informer is taking it upon himself to draft an un-Tebowly amount of fantasy teams (trying to join 50 "real money" leagues this year) and then I will share my experience and insights from each draft. The thinking is you will learn from The Informer's success, failures, mistakes and triumphs; so when it is time for your draft you will be able to devise the perfect strategy needed to dominate.

Ok, now that we have the "who's and the what's" figured out, the last thing I want to mention before we start is that I am breaking down my team from a "$12 real money league" 10-team auction draft on Yahoo dot com (Yahoo has the best paid fantasy leagues on the internet).

I am pointing out that this is a "$12 real money league" in order to show everyone reading that this was not a fake "mock draft" where two people took it seriously; seven people auto drafted; and one guy spent $174 on the Denver Broncos defense because his third cousin's brother's friend Tami once saw John Elway with his shirt off.

No, this team was drafted into a league with real stakes up for grabs (stakes as in prize money, not the stuff you dip into ketchup) which means The Informer really needs to win so I can pay my bills is fully invested in said team's success.

And on that note, here is Team 1 of The Informer's 2020 NFL Fantasy Football Preview.  

STARTING LINEUP (1 QB, 1 RB, 2 WR, 2 Flex, 1 TE, 1 K & 1 Def)

QB - Matt Ryan ($2)

There is nothing sexy about drafting year 12 of the Matty Ice experience, but for $2 I was able to draft a QB with nine straight 4,000 yard passing seasons who also throws the ball to Julio Jones. Considering I spent all my other draft money on four players, being able to pick up the consistency of the Falcons leader was huge.

RB - Saquon Barkley ($70)

My goal entering every 2020 auction draft is to buy two of the Barkley-Run CMC-Zeke trio. In this draft I was able to snag Barkley, but in the end The Informer got gun shy and did not pull the trigger on CMC ($74) or Zeke ($71) to form the dynamic duo.

Will this lack of guts cost The Informer money in this league? I don't think so, but we will see. Will this lack of guts  haunt The Informer's dreams for the next eight months? Absolutely.

WR - Julio Jones ($44)

WR - AJ Green ($20)

Many fantasy pundits will say that I underpaid for Julio (no reason he is not going for $50), but that I in turn overpaid for AJ (should be in the $10-$15 range). The Informer would say that is why they are pundits and not experts. Because in The Informer's "expert" opinion; I definitely under paid for Julio, but I got a steal with AJ.

The scientific facts to my AJ case are simple: Once the pre-season starts and everyone sees a healthy Green doing what a healthy Green does (making defensive backs his beeotch) his price is going to go up into the mid 30s.

So getting him for $20 is an expert win for The Informer.

Flex - Derrick Henry ($59)

Flex - Damian Williams ($2)

I think the Tennessee Titans are going to give Derrick Henry 400 carries this year. I also think that if the Tennessee Titans give Derrick Henry 400 carries this year, that will mean Derrick Henry is going to rush for 2,000 yards. And if Derrick Henry runs for 2,000 yards he will be worth every penny of his $59 price tag.

As for Damian Williams; I know the Chiefs drafted a running back in the first round, but my feeling is that the Chiefs and their veteran offense are still going to ride Williams while they integrate the new rookie into their lineup. So for me, I would rather spend $2 on Williams than the $40 that was spent on Clyde Edwards-Helaire.

With that said, The Informer does reserve the right to change my mind once we actually get to watch football and see if the Edwards-Helaire hype is real or media made up. Until that time though, The Informer will not be spending Josh Jacobs type money on an unknown when I can have the "almost won a Super Bowl MVP" running back who plays on the same high octane offense.

TE - Noah Fant ($1)

I drafted Fant and TJ Hockenson because I think both guys are going to be second year studs this season. And, well, if The Informer is correct on even one of these guys --then I just got myself a Top 10 player at his position for a buck. How many other guys/positions (kickers and defense obviously not counted) will you be able to say that about in 2020?

Kicker - A guy for $1

Defense - A defense for $1

My life philosophy has always been you only spend $2 total for your defense and kicker. With that said; if you want to spend a few bucks on Justin Tucker (the only kicker you are allowed to spend more than $1 on), or say the 49ers defense, I am not going to be upset with you. I would just say use caution and don't forsake drafting someone like DK Metcalf because you want to save money for the Arizona defense. 

THE RESERVES 

BN - Julian Edelman ($4)

BN - Darius Slayton ($1)

BN - James White ($1)

BN - Henry Ruggs III ($1)

BN - Sammy Watkins ($1)

BN - Tee Higgins ($1)

BN - TJ Hockenson

Julian Edelman is a risk without Tom Brady, but for $4 I think he is a low risk with potential for high reward. Darius Slayton was tied for ninth in the NFL in TD catches last season, so he is a good $1 buy low guy. I picked up James White hoping he has a bigger role now that Tom Brady is gone. Ruggs & Higgins are my rookie lottery tickets. Hockenson I already expressed how I feel about. And finally, I drafted Sammy Watkins because he has Patrick Mahomes at quarterback.

THE INFORMER'S FINAL DRAFT THOUGHTS


Biggest Reach/Mistake (Hashtag: Did somebody say steak?)

This is the dreaded "I got caught up in a bidding war and over spent on a guy" award. In this draft, I would say the dude who spent $40 on Edwards-Helaire made the biggest mistake. But I would also argue The Informer made the biggest reach by ponying up $59 for Derrick Henry. Now, I am not saying Henry was a bad buy, I am just saying that Henry will probably go for $48-$52 in most drafts; so going that far over "Henry budget" has to be considered a reach.


The Informer's "I got me eye on you" Best Future Values

I know that every draft is different, so values will change from draft to draft, but judging on these results alone here are my favorite value guys (guys with cheap/good price tags) that I will be keeping my eye on going forward: Nick Chubb ($49), Josh Jacobs ($36), Melvin Gordon ($15), Cooper Kupp ($14), Zach Ertz ($11), Devin Singletary ($12), Tyler Lockett ($9), Amari Cooper ($10 WHAT?!!!), Kyler Murray ($6 gonna be a huge year), Courtland Sutton ($8), DK Metcalf ($5) and Marquise Brown ($4).

Best Team The Informer Could Have Had If "if's and buts was candies and nuts"

Based on the amount of money spent on every player, here is the best possible team I think The Informer could have drafted if everything had gone perfectly (We had a $210 Budget to fill the roster):

QB - Lamar Jackson ($28)

RB - Zeke ($71)

WR - DK Metcalf ($5)

WR - Amari Cooper ($10)

Flex - Barkley ($70)

Flex  - Devin Singletary ($12)

TE - Noah Fant ($1 seriously gonna be great this year)

K - One Dollar

D - One Dollar

BN- CeDee Lamb ($1)

BN - Austin Hooper ($1)

BN -Ronald Jones ($1)

BN - Damian Williams ($2)

BN - Phillip Lindsay ($1)

BN - Darius Slayton ($1)

BN - Baltimore's "Hollywood" Brown ($4)

Now, while I really liked the way "The Informer Team #1" turned out, any logical fantasy expert can look at the above "hypothetical team" and see there is room to improve. Which means, it is time for The Informer to stop blogging and get back to drafting.

Peace and hair grease y'all. The Informer will be back with Team #2 soon.

Hashtag: "Draft well & Prosper."

The Informer's 2019 NFL Fantasy Football Preview: Part 4

One of the main questions I get asked by people seeking fantasy football advice is: Who should I pick with the “insert pick” in my draft?

Needless to say; there are a ton of different variables that go into answering this question, so giving a specific "take this guy here" is pretty difficult (for example let’s say the guy hates the Cowboys and refuses to draft Zeke, that changes how I would answer if the guy had a Top 4 pick).

But, just because it is difficult, doesn't mean there is not an answer. That is why today, in my quest to answer the "who should I draft here" question, I have put all of the 2019 NFL fantasy football players I love into different "Tier Groups" for each round of a standard fantasy football snake draft. 

This way -- when the inevitable happens -- and the guy who you were going to pick at 47 gets snaked, instead of frantically searching through player rankings while the clock ticks down, you will be able to refer back to the tier groupings and find a suitable 47th pick replacement.

At least that is the plan for this blog. We will see how it turns out. 

Anyways, now that we are all on the same "tier" page, here is part four of The Informer’s 2019 Fantasy Football Preview.

Picks 1-5: Saquon Barkley, Run CMC, Zeke Elliot, Alvin Kamara and David Johnson

In any and all 2019 fantasy football drafts these are the only five guys I am drafting if I have a Top 5 pick. And I will be drafting them in this exact order. 

(Informer note — I am obviously drafting under the impression that Zeke Elliot will not be holding out any games this season. I get that his situation could make him a non draftable player for some, but I am going to continue thinking positive thoughts and assume he will be back soon.)

Picks 6-10: LeVeon Bell, DeAndre Hopkins, Julio Jones, Tyreke Hill, Michael Thomas, Nick Chubb

On Yahoo, Tyreke Hill is usually going in the late second or early third round. So some will say he does not belong in The Informer's Top 10. To those people I would say you are morons. Tyreke Hill will finish as a Top 5 WR this season and thus he totally needs to be considered at the end of the first round, and at the very least the beginning of round two (Hill is going Top 15 on ESPN so at least they agree with The Informer).

As for the other guys; I don’t think you can go wrong picking any of them in the six to 10 range. So whomever you prefer, or whoever falls to you, snatch them up.

Picks 11-20: Tyreke Hill (seriously draft him), DeVante Adams, Odell Beckham, Travis Kelce, JuJu Smith Schuster, Mike Evans, Joe Mixon, Dalvin Cook, James Conner, Todd Gurley

Todd Gurley scares me the most out of this group, but if I have the last pick in the second round and he is the only one of these 20 players left I’m gonna take him. Besides, pairing Gurley and Saquon (assuming you take Saquon 1st like I do)  in a fantasy backfield is not the worst thing to ever happen.

The rest of this tier is pretty much the same as my back half of round one tier. Namely, they are all studs so it doesn’t matter who you take or where. Just don’t do something dumb and reach for Patrick Mahomes in Round 2 and you should be fine.

21-30: Leonard Fournette, Zack Ertz, George Kittle, Antonio Brown, Amari Cooper, Josh Jacobs, Patrick Mahomes, DeVante Freeman, Damian Williams, Derrick Henry

This goes without saying, but if any of the Top 20 guys falls into the 21-30 range you should be taking them as fast as you can. Also, once you get to the third round, I no longer have a problem drafting Mahomes. So if you are targeting the “rocket armed man” pick 21 is the earliest I would think to draft him in standard leagues. 

31-40: Melvin Gordon, Julian Edelman, Keenan Allen, Adam Thailand, Kerryon Johnson, TY Hilton, Brandon Cooks, Stefon Diggs, DeShaun Watson, Marlon Mack, Robert Woods

I will not be drafting Melvin Gordon to any of my teams going forward. I have too many bad “post traumatic LeVeon Bell flashbacks” to entertain the idea of adding Gordon this year. But if you are wanting to take a chance, the 31-40 range is when it would be acceptable to go fishing. Me personally -- if no one from the other tiers fall -- I am looking at “Kerryon my wayward Johnson”, “Mr. 1k” Brandon Cooks or Tom Brady’s best friend in this range.

41-50: David Montgomery (Bears rookie RB), Aaron Jones, Mark Ingram, Cooper Kupp, AJ Green, Sony Michel, Mike Williams, Chris Carson, Aaron Rodgers and Phillip Linsey

I really like this group and will be hoping at lest one of these guys drops to the 51-60 range so I can get two guys from this tier. In a perfect world I would love to get Michel or David Montgomery here, then turn around and get AJ Green (should be back by Week 4 at the latest) with my next pick.

51-60: Chris Goodwin, Damian Williams, Evan Ingram, Alshon Jeffery, Kenny Golloday, OJ Howard, Baker Mayfield, Matt Ryan, Tyler Lockett, James White or Jarvis Landry.

Again I am assuming someone from the tier above will drop, but if not a person can't go wrong with Chris Goodwin (rising fast and probably needs to be moved up a tier), James White, Jarvis Landry or Baker's Mayfield. 

61-70: Miles Sanders, Jared Cook, Hunter Henry, DJ Moore, Calvin Ridley, Darrius Guice, Tyler Boyd, Sammy Watkins, Tarik Cohen, Austin Ekler

What starting position do you still need to fill? Figure that out and then draft the best player (or guy you love the most at that position) with this pick. Or draft Darrius Guice because I think he is going to be awesome.

71-80: Russell Wilson,  Kyler Murray Cam Newton, Tevin Coleman, Robby Anderson, The Joker, Josh Gordon, Larry Fitzgerald, Will Fuller, Dede Westbrook, Courtland Sutton, Duke Johnson, Christian Kirk

Honestly, if you are not taking a QB here, or "The Joker", you should be taking the highest ranked player available. This is not the time to start jumping down your draft board to grab sleepers, or reach for a lesser tight end to fill need. Now is the time to build strength. So, when the other people in your league make the mistake of reaching, you stick to the basics and I promise your team will be better for it. 

81-90: Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Carson Wentz, Vance McDonald (TE), Marvin Jones, Dak, Big Ben, Jared Goff, Rashaad Penny, Curtis Samuel, James Washington, Darwin Thompson, Mecole Hardman. 

Same as above. Keep taking best player available, or fill out your QB spot if you have been waiting. 

91-Til the end

At this point in the draft it is time to start taking fliers on rookies, or your favorite sleepers  (Darwin Thompson, Mecole Hardman are mine), or anyone from the above 90 players that have slipped in the draft. 

With that said, since we are here to put players into tiers, I went ahead and tiered by position my favorite late rounds picks. 

QB: Phillip Rivers, Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, James Winston, Sam Darnold.

RB: Darwin Thompson, Jaylen Samuels, Dion Lewis, Tony Pollard, Alexander Mattison, Gus Edwards, Justice Hill, Darrell Henderson, Malcom Brown, Justin Jackson, Devin Singletary Kareem Hunt, Neyheim Hines and Adrian Peterson.

WR: Michael Gallup, N’Keal Harry, Mohmmad Sanu, Albert Wilson, Cole Beasley, Paris Campbell, Jalen Hurd, Preston Williams, Jakobi Myers, Rashard Higgins, Deebo Samuel.

TE: Austin Hooper, Greg Olson, Kyle Rudolph, Jim Graham, Jack Doyle, TJ Hockenson, Noah Fant, Dallas Goedert, Chris Herndon (Herndon is a Top 5-8 TE from last year who is a great draft and stash until he returns from suspension in Week 5).

And with that, we are done with Part 4. In case you missed them, here is Part 1, Part Deux and Part 3. Hopefully everyone reading will be able to use these blogs to win tons of fantasy football glory (and more importantly money) this season.

Good luck with all your drafts. I hope you win. 

Now if you will excuse me, The Informer has three drafts and 12 cans of Natty Light that need attending to. 



(The Informer after the blog note -- Before we go I just wanted to say it really sucks that we are no longer going to get to watch Andrew Luck play football. He has been one of my favorite players over the last seven years and I am going to miss the heck out of watching him play. So thank you Andrew for all the great memories. It was a pleasure watching you play football. Also, for those wondering, here is my full on Twitter meltdown upon hearing the news. I thought I handled myself pretty well considering the circumstances)

Holy shit ...Did Andrew Luck retire?

— The Informer (@therealinformer) August 25, 2019

Im not going to lie, I want to cry right now....#GoodLuckAndrew #YouWillBeMissed

— The Informer (@therealinformer) August 25, 2019

Im going back to bed . . . Cheese and rice this night can go straight to heck

— The Informer (@therealinformer) August 25, 2019 

— The Informer (@therealinformer) August 25, 2019

I blame Al Gore #LuckRetires

— The Informer (@therealinformer) August 25, 2019

pic.twitter.com/0hooXj2Jb9

— The Informer (@therealinformer) August 25, 2019

#ThankYouAndrew

— The Informer (@therealinformer) August 25, 2019

The Informer’s 7 stages of Andrew Luck’s retirement:

1) Call Adam Schefter a liar
2) Shocked
3) Denial
4) Blame Al Gore
5) Acceptance
6) Be thankful I got to watch Andrew play
7) Taco Bell pic.twitter.com/XVz8FoiA2X

— The Informer (@therealinformer) August 25, 2019

Live video footage of The Informer’s liver realizing I just found out Andrew Luck retired: pic.twitter.com/HpeyWcFrts

— The Informer (@therealinformer) August 25, 2019

The Informer's 2019 NFL Fantasy Football Preview: Part III

Hello all and welcome back to The Informer’s 2019 NFL Fantasy Football Preview. If you missed either of the previous two articles you can click here or here to catch up. 

For those new to the blog let me explain real quick what is going on. My name is The Informer and I am on a quest to help everyone reading this blog draft the perfect fantasy football team for the 2019 NFL Season. Now in order to accomplish this goal, I have decided to draft 50 teams before the season starts and then write a recap about each draft/team. Then hopefully, once it is all said and done, I will have provided the most in depth and accurate fantasy football preview series in the history of the Flat Earth. 

Of course, in order for this to be the most accurate and in depth preview series ever, I will only be blogging about teams I drafted in "real money" leagues. These previews will not be "mock draft blogs" where I talk about "fake drafts" I did with people who refuse to draft Tyreke Hill (the biggest 2019 fantasy lottery ticket alive) because of their moral high horse. No, these previews will be about real drafts, with real people, real stakes and 100% real results.

Anyways, now that we are all on the same page about how real this blog is, how about we break down what took place when The Informer entered into a Yahoo $10 dollar, 10 team, 1/2 point per reception, standard roster size (QB, RB, RB, RB, WR, TE, Flex, D, K, BN, BN, BN, BN, BN, BN) Snake Draft with $90 dollar payouts for 1st place and $10 payouts for second?

(The Informer one final note before we start - For the sake of this blog I will be using "R1.P5" (Round 1 Pick 5) to explain what round and pick I am talking about. So for example when my second round pick comes up my header will show R2.P15 then the players name. This will help you the reader understand that I am talking about the 2nd round and the 15th overall pick.) 

The Informer Team #8:

R1.P5: DeAndre Hopkins WR Texans

In my mind I had four choices to choose from with this pick: Hopkins, David Johnson, Melvin Gordon or LeVeon Bell. I decided to go with Hopkins for four reasons:

1. I don’t like the “hold out” talk around Gordon. So he is a stay away until further notice.
2. I had yet to draft Hopkins in any leagues I had done so far this year. So I was excited to draft him here once I knew I wasn’t getting Saquon, CMC, Zeke or Kamara.
3. Likewise, but also the exact opposite, I have already drafted David Johnson onto five of my eight teams. So in the name of doing something different, I was not going to take him in this draft unless something weird happened and he fell to the middle second round (he did not fall, he was drafted 7th overall).
4. And finally, I am not drafting LeVeon Ball in any drafts until I actually see him step on the football field and look like LeVeon Bell again. 

R2.P16: Antonio Brown WR Raiders

The Yahoo fantasy football rankings said I should have drafted Travis Kelce, Mike Evans, Joe Mixon, James Conner or Dalvin Cook in this spot. I choose to ignore the Yahoo rankings because I think the ugly Brown-Steelers divorce has people forgetting the fact that Brown has six straight seasons with over 100 receptions and at least 1284 yards. Not to mention he has caught double digit touchdowns in five of the last six seasons. 

With that said, if you are scared of Brown, then I would have no problem with Evans or Kelce with this pick (I think it is too soon for Mixon, Conner or Cook). They are two proven guys -- who like Brown -- are the safest bets to return high end 2nd round value.

R3.P25: Patrick Mahomes QB Chiefs

I am not going to lie; I really wanted to make sure I have at least one team with Patrick Mahomes on it. So he was drafted here. But make no mistake about it, drafting Mahomes this early in a standard 10 team draft is something most fantasy experts would call a stupid move. 

(Other people I could have drafted: Fournette, Mack, AJ Green, Derrick Henry.)

R4.P36: Julian Edelman WR Pats

The most notable guys I passed on to pick up Tom Brady’s favorite target were: Stefon "Can You Diggs It", Kerryon "My Wayward" Johnson, and "Double J" Josh Jacobs.

My thought process on this pick was pretty simple: I would rather have Tom Brady’s favorite target than Matthew Stanford’s or Kirk Cousins'. And I’m not drafting Johnson (coming off injury) or Jacobs (rookie with the 36th pick is risky) this early in any draft until I actually see them play real football with pads on.

R5.P45: Sonny Michel RB Pats

R6.P56: Mark Ingram RB Ravens

I needed running backs and I needed them fast. So I scooped up Michel & Ingram who were the two best options left at this point.

(Other guys I could have drafted: Darius Guice, Tarik Cohen or Tyreke Hill)

R7.P65 Baker Mayfield QB Browns

In hindsight, if I could do it over again, I would have grabbed Lamar Miller here. Don’t get me wrong I love Baker, but as you can see my team is currently in desperate need of more running backs.

R8.P76: Eric Ebron TE Colts

If everyone is going to keep letting me draft Andrew Luck’s tight end this late in every draft I do; then I am going to keeping drafting Andrew Luck’s tight end this late in every draft I do. 

R9.P85: Russell Wilson QB HGHawks

At this point I drafted the best name on the board with the hope that down the line he will become trade bait for a team in desperate need of a QB. 

R10.P96: Courtland Sutton WR Donkeys

I really like Sutton this season. I also really hope my dumb ass drafts another running back sometime soon.

R11.P105: Jaylen Sammuels RB Steelers

R12: P116: Ito Smith RB Falcons
R13.P125: Dion Lewis RB Titans
R15: Devin Singletary RB Bills

Other than the Ravens defense in the 14th round, my last four picks were finally used on running backs. Now I am not going to say that waiting this late to get RB depth was a great strategy (it wasn't); but I will say Samuels, Smith and Lewis are all backups who have had fantasy success with the teams they are currently on. And Singeltary is a nice little rookie lottery ticket who can be easily cut if he doesn’t win me the jackpot.

Final Overall Thoughts: 

If I am handing out a grade for this team I would say it was “not The Informer's best effort”. I mean, I am never going to be mad about getting the reigning NFL MVP, but I can't help but wonder what my roster would have looked liked with Fournette or Mack instead of Mahomes (maybe I draft T. Hill instead of Sonny or Ingram if that was the case). 

Then again, as I said above, the entire point of these drafts/blogs is for the “practice makes perfect” experience that will hopefully lead to all of us gaining the knowledge needed in order to draft the perfect fantasy football team when the time comes. 

So while today wasn’t my best effort, I can guarantee the mistakes made will make me -- and all seven of you who clicked on the link -- better when the next draft starts. 

#TheQuestForPerfectionContinues.

The Informer's 2018 Fantasy Football Preview: Snake Draft #1

Last night in my never ending quest to help you the reader draft the perfect NFL Fantasy Football team, I took part in my first 2018 "Snake/Live" draft on Yahoo sports dot com. It was a standard 10-team, one point per reception, league where a person starts a QB, RB, RB, WR, WR, TE, FLEX, FLEX, Kicker and a Defense.

For those who are new to fantasy football (Where have you been? And why are you reading a fantasy football article?), a "Snake/Live" draft is where everyone gets to chose a player based on a draft order starting with the #1 pick and ending with the #10 pick. Then the guy who had the #10 pick in the previous round gets the 1st pick in the next round. 

I know it sounds confusing, but really it is not. Basically the guy with the 1st pick in round one then has the last pick in round two and then the 1st pick in round three. This changing order continues throughout the draft. 

Like I said, its not really confusing at all. 

Now, before we delve into the results of the draft, I would like to point out that this was an actual "paid" money league. That means this was a real draft, with real people and real money at stake. So rest assured there were no shenanigans, or people "Drafting Blake Bortles number one overall because they follow Blake Bortles facts on Twitter". 

No, the results you are about to read are legit as Frankie Munoz. 

On that note, here are the results from The Informer's first Yahoo snake draft of the 2018 NFL fantasy football season.

(The Informer note -- For this draft I drew the lucky #9, which means I had picks 9, 12, 29, 32, 49, 52, 69, 72, 89,92, 109, 112 and four other late round selections.)

ROUND 1 (Pick #9): WR Odell Beckham Jr

With running backs and Antonio Brown going with the first eight picks my choice here was either Odell Bekham Jr. or Julio Jones. In other words I was choosing between a Blimpie Best on Italian bread, or a Blimpie Best on wheat bread. 

In this draft I choose the O.D.B. because I already have Julio on three other teams and I just happened to be craving wheat bread when it was my time to select. 

ROUND 2 (Pick #12): WR A.J. Green

I definitely had plenty of options with this pick, but in my mind no matter what happened I was either drafting Leonard Fournette or A.J. Green. When it came time to choose I went with Green because he is my favorite player. 

ROUND 3 (Pick #29): QB Aaron Rodgers

I know  . . . I know  . . . YOU ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO DRAFT A QUARTERBACK IN THE EARLY ROUNDS!!!!

In my defense, Aaron Rodgers was the best player on the board when it came to the 29th pick. Sure I could have reached on a running back like Joe Mixon (not a bad reach), or I could have drafted a third WR like Tyreek Hill (again not a bad option); but in my mind I went the safe route and picked a guy who is guaranteed to be a fantasy stud every single week.

Remember drafting is all about getting the best value, and when the season ends I am willing to bet that my third round selection will score more points than any other third round selection. That makes taking a QB early in the draft worth it if you ask me.

ROUND 4 (Pick #32):  TE Travis Kelce

Travis Kelce or Derrick Henry? That was the question I was facing early in the fourth round. I choose Kelce because Henry was ranked #54 overall by Yahoo, so I was rolling the dice that he would still be on the board when I picked in the 5th round with the #49 pick. 

ROUND 5 (Pick #49): RB Derrick Henry

I am going to be very honest; if I would have missed out on Henry here, then this draft would have been a complete bust. Luckily, the fantasy Tebow's were on my side and I was able to draft the guy who is going to lead the league in rushing yards in 2018. 

ROUND 6 (Pick #52): TE Jim Graham

Jim Graham is going to be Aaron Rodgers' favorite receiver this season; which means adding him as one of my flex options in the sixth round was a no-brainer. 

ROUND 7 (Pick #69): QB Cam Newton

I'll explain this pick more in a second.

ROUND 8 (Pick #72): RB Marlon Mack

Marlon Mack is going to be a starting running back in the NFL this season. And, well, since I need to start two running backs on my "fantasy" team; I figured I better draft a second guy who is actually going to be a starter on a "real life" team. Also, I think Mack has a ton of upside is Andre Luck stays healthy in 2018. 

Hey, speaking of Andrew Luck . . .

ROUND 9 (Pick #89): QB Andrew Luck

So you all are probably asking: "Why in the hell would The Informer draft three QBs in a league where you only start one?" 

Well . . . Here is my reasoning: In the ninth round I could have had my choice between rookies we know nothing about (Kerryon Johnson, Nick Chub, etc...), older stars we hope have one more season left (Jordy Nelson/Sam Watkins) or a back up running back (Tarik Cohen). 

Or, I could draft Andrew Luck and give myself two extra fantasy studs (Luck & Newton) who I can use as trade chips to try and get the stud WR/RB who was not available in the 9th round.

As you can see, I decided to go with option "stud trade chips". 

Remember folks, fantasy football is not over once your draft is over. Sometimes you need to play the long-con game and hope that a desperate sucker comes along later to reward your strategy. That is what I am doing here. If I can turn Cam or Luck into a stud later in the season then my strategy will pay off with a fantasy championship.

ROUND 10 (Pick #92): RB Isaiah Crowell

Isaiah Crowell may not be the Jenna Jameson of the fantasy football world (aka a sexy pick), but he is a starting running back that I was able to draft in the 10th round. 

ROUND 11 (Pick #109): RB Nick Chubb

ROUND 12 (Pick #112): WR Randal Cobb

ROUND 13: RB Matt Breida

ROUND 14: WR Calvin Ridley

Two rookies, an older WR who plays with Aaron Rodgers and a running back who is getting really good "camp" reviews. That is why I drafted Chubb, Ridley, Cobb and Breida. These are all lottery tickets that I am hoping turn into something. 

ROUND 15: Los Angeles Chargers

I drafted the Chargers for two reasons:

1) This league mandates that you draft a least one defense.

2) I drank one to many Natty Lights during the draft and thought I was drafting the Los Angeles Rams, not the San Diego Bosa's. 

ROUND 16: Cowboys Kicker

Its a kicker. 

CONCLUSION:

If you ask me the Rodgers, Henry, Mack, Beckham, Green, Kelce, Graham, Crowell, Chargers & Kicker is a winning lineup. Most weeks I am going to have the best QB, the two best WRs, & the two best TEs in any match up. And if Henry is fantasy gold like I suspect, and I am able to turn Newton or Luck into a stud, then this will turn out to be one of the best teams I draft all year. 

In the end if this roster comes through like I think it will I stand to make a profit of $65. Time to go find another house to flip team to draft. 

The Informer's 2018 Fantasy Football Preview: Auction Draft #1

Last night I took part in my first 2018 fantasy football auction draft (league price was $40) on Yahoo sports dot com. It was a 10-team "Super Flex" league where a person starts a QB, RB, RB, WR, WR, TE, FLEX, SUPER FLEX (which means you can use a QB, RB, WR or TE) and a Defense. In this draft each team was able to fill their roster (9 starters & 7 reserves) using a $200 dollar budget.

Now I know what everyone is thinking right now: "Informer no one gives a damn about your fantasy football teams."

And to that I say, "I totally agree and understand."

But that is not why I am sharing my team with you today. No, I am sharing my team, and the reasons behind why I drafted said team, in order to try and prepare you the reader for your upcoming drafts.

The thinking is that you will get a chance to see the mistakes, or great picks, that I made and when it comes time for your fantasy draft you will be able to learn from my experiences to help you build the perfect fantasy football team.

Furthermore, the reason I pointed out that this was a "$40 money league" is because I wanted everyone reading to know that this was an actual draft with real money at stake and not some mock draft where three people didn't show up and two guys bid $150 on Kirk Cousins because they graduated from Michigan State. I have used those types of drafts in the past to write my previews and it always seems like I end up not giving you the readers a true reflection of how a draft is going to play out in real life.

So again, while you are reading about my team please keep in mind that these are the real results, from a real draft, with real people and real money at stake.

Okay, now that we all agree this draft was realer (Is realer a word?) than an episode of WWE Monday Night Raw, here are the results from The Informer's 1st official 2018 Fantasy Football team.

QB: Andrew Luck ($9) Russell Wilson ($27) Lamar Jackson ($1)

The first thing everyone needs to remember is that this is a "start two quarterbacks each week" league which means it was absolutely critical that I was able to draft two elite quarterbacks. So getting Luck and Wilson on the same team was a win. Now, with that said; the problem with having Luck and Wilson on this team is the fact that I did not want to spend $27 on Russell Wilson.

You see what happened was I got too cute trying to run up the bid for Wilson (a classic auction draft strategy gone wrong) that I accidentally ended up spending $27 for one guy when I could have had any combo off Cam Newton, Matt Ryan, Ben Roethlisberger, Kirk Cousin, Philip Rivers, etc . . . for less than $27 dollars.

Basically, I could have had a roster of three elite QBs, but by messing around with the bid I ended up blowing all my money on Wilson and now my only backup quarterback in a two QB league is literally a back up quarterback.

In other words: "I done f-up trying to keep it real" and now I have to pray to Tebow that Lamar Jackson, Sam Darnold or Josh "The Torpedo Missile" Allen turn out to be real NFL quarterbacks or else my chances of winning this league may be gone before training camp ends.

RB: Joe Mixon ($30) Derrick Henry ($17) Nick Chubb ($1)

The goal going into the draft was to get a three RB combination of Leonard Fournette, Derrick Henry, Christian McCaffrey and Joe Mixon. So getting two of the four guys counts as a sort of win. But the reality is I ended up not bidding on some other quality backs trying to get my guys and that left a glaring hole in my team.

On the bright side though, it is only July 30th, which means my strategy has changed from getting three of "these" four guys to "I sure as hell hope there is some fourth round running back who turns into Kareem Hunt this August so I can pick him up off of waivers and complete my team".

I admit, it is not the best strategy, but as of now it is the only one I have so I am rolling with it.

WR: Julio Jones ($47) AJ Green ($37) Josh Gordon ($11) Cory Davis ($4) DeVante Parker ($1) Cooper Kuup ($1) Randall "Corn On The" Cobb ($1) Calvin Ridley ($1)

The truth of the matter is I have too many WRs on the roster. I know that. But if I am being totally honest, I would say that I just drafted the best WR trio in the history of fantasy football, and I did it for under $100 bucks.

That folks is called winning.

TE: Evan Ingram ($11)

Ingram was listed as a $22 dollar value heading into the draft, so getting him at half price was a complete steal. These are the types of deals you have to be ready to pounce on in order to have great fantasy auction drafts. And last night that is exactly what I did.

Defense: Denver Broncos ($1)

It's a defense. I paid a dollar for them. That pretty much sums up the thought process behind getting the Von Miller's.

IN CONCLUSION:

If healthy and everyone plays I have great upside guys (Henry, Mixon & Ingram all year 2 players looking to make the leap), I have the fantasy veterans who I know will deliver (AJ, Julio & Wilson) and I have one guy who could win me the league for me if he returns to MVP form (Andrew Luck).

So overall I am happy with how things turned out. With that said, I am man enough to admit that with this being the first draft of the year -- and also being the first time I did a fantasy auction draft for a 2-QB league - - I made too many mistakes to call this a 100% success (I will be having nightmares for months about blowing $27 bucks on Wilson when I could have had Cam for $17).

In the end I don't think the mistakes made will keep me from winning my league, but they are mistakes that I will learn from and hopefully can avoid making again during my quest to help you the readers draft the perfect 2018 NFL Fantasy team.