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Okay, you whiners, and you know who you are. You're the guys who complain that they never had a chance to put together a good Fantasy Football team, because you had a lousy draft position and all the good players were taken. Alright, maybe you never got a shot at LeSean McCoy or Calvin Johnson, but that's no reason to complain. The fact of the matter is that whatever your draft position, you had the chance to draft a totally bitchin' team. And just to prove my point, I've assembled said team for you. Here it is: The Team that Anybody Could have Drafted.
Round 1: Peyton Manning - This was a tough choice, because it really hurts the running back selection, but Manning was so far out in front of any QB you could have had if you passed him up that I've got to go with him. If you picked your first QB later, then you got over 130 fewer points. So Manning gets the nod here over Matt Forte. And since Manning didn't go until round 2, any of us could have taken him in the first round. Who did we take in round 1? Ray Rice, C.J. Spiller, Doug Martin Round 2: Jimmy Graham - Again, it's about margin. There was no other tight end in the league who scored in the same ballpark as Graham did. And since he was the last pick of round 2, that means any of us could have had him in the second round. And Mulligan did. Who did we take in round 2? Stevan Ridley, Trent Richardson, Matt Ryan Round 3: Chris Johnson - Not exactly a sexy pick, but Johnson has the tenth best total among running backs. Luckily, we have some better RBs yet to come, but since Johnson was drafted in round 4, we've got to put him on this list for round 3. Who did we take in round 3? David Wilson, Roddy White, Colin Kaepernick Round 4: DeMarco Murray - He's got the seventh highest total among running backs through the fantasy regular season, and he was taken in round 5. Which means any of us could have had him in round 4. Who did we take in round 4? Lamar Miller, Danny Amendola, Dwayne Bowe Round 5: Antonio Brown - While nobody was looking, Antonio Brown has slipped into fourth place among wide receiver scoring this year. Maybe somebody should have grabbed him before round 6. Who did we take in round 5? Hakeem Nicks, Rob Gronkowski, Montee Ball Round 6: DeSean Jackson - Anyone notice that a lot of guys on this list were eventually drafted by Tommy? Anyone notice that Tommy dominated the regular season? Probably just a coincidence. Anyway, Jackson's ranked 9th among wide receivers and was taken in the seventh round. Who did we take in round 6? Mike Wallace, Steve Smith, Darren McFadden Round 7: Josh Gordon - Yeah, this is my moment of glory. Thanks in part to his two game suspension at the start of the year, I was able to get him in the tenth round. Only Calvin Johnson has more fantasy points at the position, and nobody has more receiving yards. Who did we take in round 7? Texans Defense, Chris Ivory, Bears Defense Round 8: Knowshon Moreno - Taken in the 11th round, Moreno has emerged as the top back in Denver, the top back on this team, and the number three running back overall. Who did we take in round 8? Mikel Leshure, Cecil Shorts, Michael Vick Round 9: Chiefs DST - Between turnovers and returns, the Chiefs DST have 10 touchdowns this year. That and bigass sack numbers put them at the top of Defense/Special Teams scoring by a wide margin. Undrafted. Who did we take in round 9? Mark Ingram (hmm, a lot of MY picks have been showing up here lately), Mike Williams, "Benedict Arnold piece of crap with Ponder throwing to him" Round 10: Stephen Gostkowski - I know, I hate taking a kicker this high, but he's the guy with the most points, and as you'll see, there's plenty of quality that we can still get. So we put Gostkowski here because he was actually drafted in round 11 (right after Moreno). Who did we take in round 10? Isaiah Pead, Josh Freeman, Matt Schaub Round 11: Philip Rivers - Mocked on draft day, Rivers went undrafted. Now he's the number three fantasy QB in the NFL this year. Who did we take in round 11? Ronnie Hillman, Isaac Redman, Roy Helu Round 12: Alshon Jeffery - The Chicago Bears are a fantasy powerhouse. Read that last sentence again. And again. I wrote it, and I don't frickin' believe it. But Matt Forte is fourth in RB points, Brandon Marshall is eighth at wide receiver, and Alshon Jeffery is fifth. Also, Martellus Bennett is tenth at tight end, and the combined points of Jay Cutler and Josh McCown would be good enough for fourth among QBs. Anyway, the point here is that Jeffery was undrafted. Who did we take in round 12? Falcons Defense, Zach Sudfeld, DeAndre Hopkins Round 13: Julius Thomas - Undrafted, but you had to move quick after that. I think I snatched him up during the first half of the first game. Currently third among tight ends. Who did we take in round 13? Michael Floyd, Kenbrell Thompkins, Greg Zuerlein Round 14: Panthers DST - As of right now, they've given up the fewest points of any team in the NFL this year. Undrafted. Who did we take in round 14? Tyler Eifert, Santana Moss, Denarius Moore So there you have it. This could have been your draft this year. Yes, we would have been gaping at you in astonishment then. But we'd also be gaping at you in astonishment now, for an entirely different reason. |