The Turkeys Call

Oh, is this good?

You think you want to encounter this rafter of turkeys in the wild?

When the draft countdown clock hit zero, the GM of Wild Turkeys put their game face on. Firing on all cylinders from the 10th spot in the draft, they put together a team that’s projected to finish first in The Dynasty League with a record of 10-3-0 (1,690 points). They loaded up on ball carriers early, using three of their first five picks to scoop up RBs Arian Foster (third round), Doug Martin (fourth round), and Alfred Morris (fifth round). They put together one of the best groups of WRs in the league, as they have Julio Jones, Odell Beckham Jr., Pierre Garcon, and Steve Smith Sr. on their team.

How much credence do I put into this report?  Like 110%.  Actually I don’t think it means much but it’s nice to lead projections week 1 drafting the way I did.

Draft Thoughts

This was the 2nd draft I did in as many days and I’ll recap both for the fun of it and where drafts are taking odd turns.   My first explanation will be for Steve’s draft and my 2nd for Evan’s.

• First and foremost, the Yahoo rankings differ greatly from ESPN.  In bizarre fashion Yahoo’s rank and ADP seemed off to me.  For instance, Doug Martin carried an ADP of 96.8.  Read this article by Rotoworld and it reads that Doug Martin is neither a reach or a steal at 41.  So when I’m taking him with my 39th pick it looks ridiculous by Yahoo standards but I feel hes the RB I want on my team.
• 

  I’d have to be pretty high. I bet you would, Panama Red.

  I drafted 9 and 10 in the two drafts.  I was pretty pleased in my 1st and 2nd round picks as I got Gronk & ODB and ODB & Julio.  If Julio performs to expectations, I fully expect him to score more points than Gronk.  Gronk gives the positional advantage which has some power.  I still think ODB has a skill set that makes him the best receiver in the league.  He’s athletically superior to the D backs and I’ll take my chances.

• 

  Get healthy brother.

  Rounds 3 and 4 were questionable in both leagues.  In the first league I was targeting Jordan Matthews but he was scooped up and I settled with Brandin Cooks who I expect to have a nice year.  I could have drafted Forsett, which in hindsight I should have, because not drafting a RB with the first 3 picks put me in a tough spot.  I took D. Martin with the 4th pick.  In Evan’s draft I got even more wild grabbing Arian Foster in the 3rd round while his ADP was 5-6 round.  I reasoned that I wanted him on my team and he may or may not have come back to me but I couldn’t chance it.  I grabbed the Muscle Hamster again with my 4th round pick.

I’m not going to reveal the rest of my picks because I think there is a lot of value later in the drafts in handcuffs and WR’s who drop too far.

Closing Thoughts

• Past injuries don’t matter when I draft players.  I hear people say all the time that “they may get injured”.  Really?  You mean this is the NFL, a league where players try to knock other players unconscious, and people get injured?  Did you see Jordy Nelson get injured for the season on a play where he wasn’t even touched?  Players get injured and just because they are injury prone doesn’t mean that they will get injured.  This is why I draft guys like Gronk, Arian, and Bradford without thinking twice.
• Has he ever been good?    This is why I’ll reach for a guy like Doug Martin in the 4th round instead of drafting a Lamar Miller or Melvin Gordon.  Miller rushed for 1,100 yards and 9 TD’s last season (career highs) and the hope is he will vastly improve.  I’m not so sure.   Melvin Gordon has never played a game.  Doug Martin rushed for 1,454 his rookie year and has been hampered by injuries the last two years.  In fantasy, you want the most upside you can get.  I have no idea if Doug Martin will be in his rookie form or if he’s going to bust but at least at one point in his career, he was a top 5 RB.  Those are the players you need to find in later rounds who make or break your team.
• 

  Are you any good?

  Draft guys who get the ball.  In my one draft I got nabbed on RB’s and had to draft Doug Martin, Jonathan Stewart, and Chris Ivory as my backs.  This is not ideal as these are not the explosive players I want for the position that carries the least depth.  However, I know these players are going to get the ball.  They are the lead back and they are going to have to seriously suck to get replaced.  This isn’t the Eagles where they are going to use 3 RB’s all game, every game.

• Mental Game on point.  Most years I don’t worry about the mental game and only concentrate on my team and putting out the best lineup.  This year I will be doing more to encourage my opponents to make lineup mistakes.  This is a small part of the game but certainly one that can be worked.  Adam is already in a puzzle week 1.  I learned yesterday my phone can auto correct words into emoticons (hence the man running).