What Happens When A Fantasy Football Draft Goes Completely Sideways

Fantasy football draft season is in full swing as we get closer and closer to the NFL’s opening night in Seattle. That means there are also a lot of mock-draft (and actual draft) results being used to help determine player values, tier breaks, etc. In fact, I posted the results of the recent Sports Illustrated Superflex draft, which involved a host of NFL and fantasy analysts.

However, those drafts are often very different from what you’ll see in your home leagues. The expert drafts are predictable to a degree … running backs and wide receivers will come flying off the board first; there will be a wait on quarterbacks and many tight ends … you get the point.

That isn’t the case in most leagues, though. Home leagues throw lots of curveballs in terms of where players are picked, which positions are focused on most, and overall draft strategies. So, in the interest of the majority who aren’t in expert leagues, I wanted to share one of my recent drafts. It includes some experts, as well as folks who love fantasy football but aren’t neck-deep into it. And I’d venture a guess that you know most of, if not all, of these participants.

The members of the league, in order of draft position, are Lindsay Rhodes from Sumer Sports, former MLB pitcher Joel Pineiro, former NBA player and current NBA analyst Brendan Haywood, former MLB pitcher and current MLB analyst Adam Wainwright, former MLB pitcher and current MLB analyst Dellin Betances, myself, NFL reporter and analyst Amber Theoharis, former ESPN and current sports analyst Trey Wingo, comedian and sports nut “Cousin Sal” Iacono, former NFL player and current NFL analyst Robert Turbin, former NFL player and current NFL analyst James Jones, and current Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Luke Weaver.

The league requires a starting lineup of one quarterback, two running backs, two wide receivers, a tight end, two flex spots (RB/WR/TE), a kicker, and a defense. There is no Superflex. The scoring system is full-point PPR, and an extra 0.5 points are given for each tight end reception.

As you’ll see, some of the managers had very interesting strategies that might more closely mirror what you’ll see in your drafts. To break it down, here’s every selection from every round, including my own personal draft picks and strategies. Where did I get “sniped?” Where did I need to audible (and it was way more often than in an expert league)? Read on to find out!

Note: This draft happened before Josh Jacobs was placed on the commissioner’s exempt list.

Round 1

Notes: The first round was basically chalk when it comes to who was selected and at what point in the draft. Unless you’re down on Achane, there were no real surprises. At No. 6, I took Smith-Njigba. Waino took CMC (which he said was an app blip), so I was happy with JSN.

Round 2

Notes: The second round began with McBride, which is no shock in a tight end premium format. Turbin, a former running back, took two runners with his first two picks. Theoharis took the first quarterback, Allen, which isn’t unusual in Round 2. This round, like the first, didn’t have really any strange selections or reaches. I went with Walker as my No. 1 back with my selection.

Round 3

Notes: There was a huge run on wide receivers to start this round. It began with four (Pickens, Smith, Olave, Rice), and it ended with three more (Higgins, Egbuka, Waddle) in the final four picks. It’s notable that Jeanty fell all the way to the third round. I almost took him in Round 2, so that could be an absolute steal for Betances. The first rookie, Love, went to Wingo in the round. I took Nabers, who was the best wideout left on my board at the time. He’ll be my No. 2 wideout.

Round 4

Notes: Weaver took Loveland at the start of the round, so he’ll have two of the top three tight ends in his starting lineup every week. Jones took the second quarterback, Jackson, and Turbin took his third running back, Jacobs (again, this draft happened before the Jacobs news). I was surprised to see Montgomery and Irving go this high, and I was thrilled to see McMillan still on the board when I was on the clock. So, I went with three wideouts in the first four rounds in part because McMillan was by far the best player on my board and I just couldn’t pass on him.

In an experts league, there’s no chance Tet is still available in the middle of Round 4.

Round 5

Notes: Rhodes selected Burrow (ahead of Drake Maye) to start the round, and two tight ends (Warren, Tucker) were selected. Everyone else was either a running back or a wideout. I was thinking about taking a running back here, since I have three wideouts, but Burden was still on the board. And if you know me, you know I love Burden. So I did something I don’t usually do … I went with a “Hero RB” strategy in the first five rounds. I already have Walker, so I went with Burden as my fourth wideout ahead of the best running back on my board, Jadarian Price.

Like McMillan, Burden would likely be gone at this point in most experts leagues. Weaver took Price with the final pick of the round … and this should be noted because he had to go on auto pick for the next several rounds. This is something you’ll find in home leagues quite often.

Round 6

Notes: The round starts with the auto-pick of Evans, who was the first of six wideouts taken. Fannin went next, and to my surprise, Kincaid went to Wingo in the round ahead of tight ends like George Kittle, Kyle Pitts Sr., and San LaPorta. I took Warren, who was the best running back on the board. I don’t hate him as my RB2 in a full-point PPR league, especially with the four wideouts I’ll be starting every week. Betances took Maye, the fourth quarterback off the board. In another surprise, at least to me, Thomas Jr. went ahead of Washington in the round.

Round 7

Notes: This is the round where something weird happened, and it jacked up almost everyone else in the league. I’ll get to that. Rhodes took Kittle, and Waino took LaPorta, so I wanted to grab my starting tight end and landed Pitts. I would have preferred Kittle, but I’m fine with it. Mahomes went in this round … it’s the highest I’ve seen him go this year in a non-Superflex format. Turbin went with Strange ahead of Travis Kelce, Isaiah Likely and a host of other tight ends. If you want a guy, go get your guy … but I would have waited longer to get Strange.

So, if that weren’t strange, here’s what I was talking about when I said something weird went down … Jones took Caleb Williams when he already had Lamar Jackson at quarterback. So, that’s one less quarterback that I (and other managers) can select as the draft rolls on.

Round 8

Notes: Weaver auto-picked Harrison Jr. to begin the round. Jones was up next, and he did it again. He drafted a third quarterback, Daniels, in the eighth round. So that’s three signal-callers before he picked his second wide receiver. I texted our group thread and can only guess he’s thinking he’ll have trade chops during the season. Still, I don’t get it … and this is the sort of thing that happens in home leagues that won’t ever happen in an experts league.

As a result, as one of the teams that still doesn’t have a quarterback, I have to audible (or do I)? I still needed more running backs with upside, so I decided to take Croskey-Merritt, hoping he can bring value. Another notable selection … Theoharis took the Rams defense in this round.

Round 9

Notes: Obviously, I’m looking at quarterbacks in this round, and Prescott and Dart were my two top targets. Sniped! They each went ahead of me. So… do I take Lawrence, or wait and hope Jones doesn’t take a fourth quarterback? When I looked at the rosters making their upcoming picks, most of them have at least one quarterback, so I waited and grabbed Mason instead. This is the epitome of the Hero RB strategy, and you’ll see shortly how it might have worked out.

Oh, by the way … Jones took his second receiver, Addison, instead of another quarterback.

Round 10

Notes: The round began with two running back sleepers, Monangai and Coleman, in the first three picks. Sal took his first tight end, Ferguson, after taking the Texans defense in the last round. Like me, Sal is a (suffering) Cowboys fan, so it makes sense. Wingo took the first kicker, Aubrey, who I might have taken in Round 11 or 12 had he still been on the board. Maybe. Since I still didn’t have a quarterback, I went with the best one on my board … Purdy. So, even though Jones hoarded three high-end quarterbacks, I still feel good about my starting field general … who I took in Round 10. Again, this is why I refer Superflex leagues to traditional formats. I think Waino taking Tucker in this round is notable, and Haywood took his second tight end, Goedert.

Round 11

Notes: I was looking at Stribling in this round, but he went to Pineiro four spots before I was on the clock. That could be a great pick, especially with Christian Kirk on injured reserve to begin the season. Ultimately, I took Murray as my second quarterback … so I’ll go into the year with Purdy and Murray starting most of my games. I’ll take it. Theoharis, who covers the Raiders, took Washington in the round (things that make you go hmmmm). Pierce fell to Round 11 due to his ankle issues, but ultimately, he could be a decent value. The Seahawks defense also went.

Round 12

Notes: This is the round where maybe, just maybe, the Hero RB strategy worked for me … with the seventh pick in the stanza, I landed Lloyd. With Jacobs’ status in major question, this could be an absolute steal … assuming Lloyd can avoid injuries. Fingers crossed. I also love Waino’s selection of Black, who will serve as the handcuff for his first-round choice, McCaffrey.

Rhodes finished the round with Charbonnet, who will miss at least the first four games of the year coming off a torn ACL. This league has I-R spots (yours should too), so he’s a good stash.

Round 13

Notes: Rhodes, who is an analytics nut, took Lane with the first pick of the round. I wanted to take Allgeier, but again, sniped! Pineiro got me again. Since I have five running backs, I went with Fairbairn. You all know I love Aubrey, but the Texans kicker is pretty damn good too. He was one of three kickers picked, including Little and Myers (who was an auto-draft pick).

Round 14

Notes: Weaver was auto-picked for the Eagles defense, followed by two veteran runners in Kamara and Harris. I took Boston, who I love as a late-round flier, as the fifth wideout on this roster. Since I took four receivers in the first five rounds, I didn’t feel the need to take another one until now. Betances took Allen, another rookie who warrants a late-round selection.

Round 15

Notes: Rhodes took what I consider another nice late dart throw in Washington, who could lead the Dolphins in targets. I would have taken Juwan Johnson as my second tight end, but he went three spots ahead of me. I still needed a second tight end, but instead I took Emmett Johnson to handcuff Walker (just in case). In all, four different rookies were selected in this round.

Round 16

Notes: I had my eye on Hockenson or Okonkwo in this round, and I was able to grab the latter. He has some deep sleeper appeal in Washington. Two more kickers (Bates, Mevis) and two defenses (Steelers, Jaguars) were selected, and the rest of us were throwing late darts.

Round 17

Notes: Two defenses, the Raiders and Vikings, started the round. I might have taken Ferguson as a third tight end, but again, I was sniped by Haywood. I aubibled and went with the Chargers defense, which I have been targeting a lot in drafts. Their first two opponents, the Cardinals and Raiders, are both favorable matchups based on fantasy. Both of those games are at home, too.

Round 18

Notes: With 18 roster spots, I’m not opposed to taking a third quarterback… so I did. I was hoping Shough would fall to me, but Weaver (who might have been off auto pick at this point) grabbed him at the start of the round. I pivoted and went with Jones, who was a stud before tearing his Achilles a season ago. I’ll take him in Round 18 and hope he can reclaim that form.

Final Roster

QBs – Purdy, Murray, D. Jones
RBs – Walker, Warren, Croskey-Merritt, Mason, Lloyd, E. Johnson
WRs – Smith-Njigba, Nabers, McMillan, Burden, Boston
TEs – Pitts, Okonkwo
Ks – Fairbairn
DEFs – Chargers

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Published 17 minutes ago | Modified 17 minutes agoMICHAEL FABIANO

Michael Fabiano is a fantasy football analyst for Sports Illustrated. His weekly rankings and Start 'Em, Sit 'Em articles are must-reads for fantasy players. Before joining SI in August 2020, he worked for CBS Sports, NFL Network and SiriusXM. He also contributes to Westwood One Radio and the Locked on Dynasty Podcast. Fabiano was the first fantasy analyst to appear on one of the four major TV networks and is a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association Hall of Fame.

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