We had our very first iCon Sports PRO LEVEL Money League draft tonight and I must say it was a ROUSING success. Draft started at 8PM Eastern time. It was a 12 team PPR redraft format. $34.95 Buy-in with $300 in total prizes on the line. The crew was a mix of money vets , money newbs and everything in between. These are the guys who will be the pillars of the community , the guys who have bought in early to the community atmosphere here by checking in and chatting on the site every day on our front page LIVE chat board

 so it goes without saying I want to extend them a huge thanks for partaking in our games this early in the sites existence.

Enough of the nonsense , let's talk about the draft and the format I will be using to review these drafts.

What I will be doing is giving you guys the first 5 full rounds of this draft with my analysis of each pick. I will then give a round write up and name the best value pick , worst value pick of each round. At the end I will give each team a grade and make a prediction as to who I think will win this league.

VIEW LEAGUE HERE

Draft Results:

ROUND 1

1 Foster,Arian RB/HOU 
Romosexual Tendencies

2 Rice,Ray RB/BAL
Jimbo Jambos

3 McCoy,LeSean RB/PHI
Balls Deep

4 Johnson,Calvin WR/DET 
The Calipari Way

5 Rodgers,Aaron QB/GB
DailyFantasySports.org

6 JonesDrew,Maurice RB/JAC
Cap Bozo

7 Mathews,Ryan RB/SD
The Market Street Mafia

8 Johnson,Chris RB/TEN
Donzaga

9 Johnson,Andre WR/HOU
Bordizzle

10 McFadden,Darren RB/OAK
19 Miles to Austin

11 Fitzgerald,Larry WR/ARI
Scarface

12 Lynch, Marshawn RB/SEA

The Lynch Mob

Round 1 Analysis - Calvin goes in the right spot at 4 after the top 3 rbs off the board. Rodgers makes an appearance in mid round 1 as usual , Andre Johnson has been slipping to round 3 in most mocks we have been doing , but in a money draft he never would have made it past mid 2 anyway so the pick was fine. Fitzgerald is safe , Lynch to me is a bust candidate.

Best Value: Foster - 1st pick not blown = best value if the round stays on par.

Worst Value: Andre Johnson , fell to mid 2 or early 3 in every mock on this site so far , can't knock the pick can only challenge the value and with WR so deep I have to wonder if Mcfadden was the better pick with the likelihood of AJ falling to round 2 for him

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Round 2
1 Gronkowski,Rob TE/NE
The Lynch Mob

2 Jennings,Greg WR/GB
Scarface

3 Graham,Jimmy TE/NO
19 Miles to Austin

4 Welker,Wes WR/NE
Bordizzle

5 Peterson,Adrian RB/MIN
Donzaga

6 Brees,Drew QB/NO
The Market Street Mafia

7 Nelson,Jordy WR/GB
Cap Bozo

8 Murray,DeMarco RB/DAL
DailyFantasySports.org

9 Forte,Matt RB/CHI
The Calipari Way

10 Brady,Tom QB/NE
Balls Deep

11 Stafford,Matthew QB/DET
Jimbo Jambos

12 Jackson,Steven RB/STL
Romosexual Tendencies

Analysis: I have been noticing the biggest trend is Marshawn Lynch and Gronk as the 12/1 combo at the end of round 1. And the jury is still out for me if those are the two players that should be taken in that important draft slot. Jennings off the board , bad value for the way WR stacks up  , Demarco in a good spot , AP a round early according to my mocks on here , and Jordy Nelson would need a full repeat of last years numbers to give even money on this draft slot , tough to ask as he reached his ceiling last year and Starks and Finley are on the come up , add some Cobb and and a QB who doesn't discriminate and you have the recipe for a 2nd round pick who should have been drafted in the 4-5th who ends up returning 6th round value.

Best Value: to me has to be Forte ONLY and I repeat only because Logan backed up Forte with Michael Bush 5 rounds later -- hindsight is 20/20 in draft analysis. - Plus Forte has a better PPR track record than Murray and is younger and in a better offense than Sjax.

Worst Value: J. Nelson - this is not a knock on the player , this is purely a value analysis and my projections for him along with the sheer ridiculous amount of WRs that can be drafted in rounds 3-6 make this bad value. 

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Round 3
1 Jackson,Fred RB/BUF
Romosexual Tendencies

2 Richardson,Trent RB/CLE
Jimbo Jambos

3 Bradshaw,Ahmad RB/NYG
Balls Deep

4 Sproles,Darren RB/NO
The Calipari Way

5 Turner,Michael RB/ATL
DailyFantasySports.org

6 Smith,Steve WR/CAR
Cap Bozo

7 Bush,Reggie RB/MIA
The Market Street Mafia

8 Vick,Michael QB/PHI
Donzaga

9 Newton,Cam QB/CAR
Bordizzle

10 Gore,Frank RB/SF
19 Miles to Austin

11 Charles,Jamaal RB/KC
Scarface

12 Martin,Doug RB/TB
The Lynch Mob

Round analysis: We see the last of the "I can feel good about owning this RB" running backs come off the board. This is a telling sign that the RBs are just flat out horrible this year. Get two early or don't even draft one until you get to Spiller/Ridley territory in round 8. Trent offers much upside , but has team and schedule difficulty question marks , early 3 is a good spot for him because of the RB board and his skillset and slate of volume touches expected for this season. Turner went a round or 2 too early for this format , one of these years a Turner owner will be caught with their pants down and watch him turn into Chocolate Grimace by week 5. This is the year. Sproles was a great selection in PPR coming off his Calvin pick in round 1 setting himself up to snatch the WRs in round 4.

PSA: Don't draft chocolate grimace. 

                                      

 

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Cam fell to a GREAT spot and was a great selection , Newton goes before Vick , Donzaga's biggest draft hole I have seen is he takes homer picks too often. Ask him about Utley and Ryan Howard this year.

Best Value: Cam Newton , top 3 QB upside in round 4 = win

Worst Value: Doug Martin - Yes the pickings at RB are slim , that means you do not reach , you hold fast and remain true to the board and the value out there. Some drafts you have to reach for the stars , this one you did not have to because the blown picks are piling up in abundance , too many top picks left out there to take a rookie as we will see in round 4. Lesson learned , read the draft and don't overreact.

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Round 4

1 Cruz,Victor WR/NYG
The Lynch Mob

2 Redman,Isaac RB/PIT
Scarface

3 Gates,Antonio TE/SD
19 Miles to Austin

4 White,Roddy WR/ATL
Bordizzle

5 Marshall,Brandon WR/CHI
Donzaga

6 Austin,Miles WR/DAL
The Market Street Mafia

7 Wells,Beanie RB/ARI
Cap Bozo

8 Green,A.J. WR/CIN
DailyFantasySports.org

9 Nicks,Hakeem WR/NYG
The Calipari Way

10 Harvin,Percy WR/MIN
Balls Deep

11 Wallace,Mike WR/PIT
Jimbo Jambos

12 Hernandez,Aaron TE/NE

Romosexual Tendencies

Round Analysis: 

This round was flat out RIDUCULOUS - any blown picks or missed picks all came to roost here. Roddy White , Hakeem Nicks , AJ Green - ALL top 5 WR talent. Brandon Marshall , Percy Harvin , Victor Cruz,Mike Wallace all top 10 WR talent. This round is the pure reason why drafting WRs in round 2 is no way to build your team. Round 2 is shaping up to me a 5 man round for me - Gronk , Graham , Forte , Murray, T Rich for me and in no particular order but with T Rich being the fall back. Rounds 3 4 5 the WR talent is all supreme and should be drafted as such if you are looking to maximize your value. Wells got some question marks during the draft , but after Cap took WRs with his last two picks he coudnt afford to take another one here - the Nelson pick now hurts his chance at the true steals of round 4 , but  I am strangely OKAY with Beanie here. Too early for Redman here , it's June we have 3 months for 1 positive Mendy report to send Redmans value tumbling.

Best Value: Roddy White and Hakeem Nicks and AJ Green 

Ties for the 3 best players in this round all drafted a full round later than they should be in a PPR 3WR league.

Worst Value: Gates - passed all those WRs to take Gates when he already owned Graham ,  Gates could have been had on the 5/6 turn 20 picks later.

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Round 5
1 Romo,Tony QB/DAL
Romosexual Tendencies

2 Jones,Julio WR/ATL
Jimbo Jambos

3 Witten,Jason TE/DAL
Balls Deep

4 Bryant,Dez WR/DAL
The Calipari Way

5 Johnson,Steve WR/BUF
DailyFantasySports.org

6 Finley,Jermichael TE/GB
Cap Bozo

7 Gonzalez,Tony TE/ATL
The Market Street Mafia

8 Colston,Marques WR/NO
Donzaga

9 Helu,Roy RB/WAS
Bordizzle

10 Jackson,Vincent WR/TB
19 Miles to Austin

11 Rivers,Philip QB/SD
Scarface

12 Manning,Peyton QB/DEN
The Lynch Mob

 

Round analysis: Here you still see some dominant and potentially dominant players get drafted. Rivers , Vincent Jackson , Dez Bryant , Julio Jones ALL have potential to exceed their draft position by 1-3 rounds in ADP. Peyton Manning a reach , he was falling to this area last year BEFORE word of his neck surgery , facts are he is on the down side of his career arc , winning FF strategy revolves around drafting on the upside of a players career arc before he plateaus and before you have to pay for his stats. Not a fan of the Colston pick 

Donzaga admitted to me on the phone earlier today he was not at his best for drafting , but wanted to give it a crack - don't worry I know this guy and the brains behind Splatter Crew will be back soon dominating drafts. Helu pushing round 5 value , if you can back him with Royster late I love the pick , Hightower not the handcuff for me there , Royster is. Tony Gonzalez proved me wrong last year , he won't this year , went 3 rounds too early for me.

Best Value: Vincent Jackson - considered Dez Bryant and Julio but these 3 are in the same tier so getting the same WR value 6 picks later gives him the edge.

Worst Value: Tony G - The Tes around him were Witten and Finley and both are in separate tiers above Tony G making this pick even worse when it comes to round 5 positional stats accrued.

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TEAM GRADES

Romosexual Tendencies 

Key Players: Arian Foster , Fred and Steven Jackson , Floyd , Lance Moore , Torrey Smith , Aaron Hernandez

Grade - C  tripled up with the RBs 1 2 3 , I liked the move , killed his draft by wasting picks on A Hern and Romo when he HAD to take 2 WRs there , his team looks monstrous if he went Julio and Dez in 4/5. Used a strategy of not taking WRs until late, it cost him here and because of that he reached early for Torrey and Lance. 3WR and a flex PPR Leagues vault WRs up the value charts , he never adjusted.

Jimbo Jambos

Key players: Stafford , Rice , T Rich , Wallace , Julio , Lloyd , Shonn -

Grade - C+ has a decent starting team , depth lacking - needs some good Free Agents to contend - or for Trent/Shonn/Julio all to step up - Not happening , Shonn is Michael Turner 3 years from now  , yes he is that bad.

 

Balls Deep

Key Players: Brady ,Mccoy , Bradshaw , Best , Spiller , Harvin , Maclin , Mike Williams TB , Witten

Grade - B - Time and again we see teams that draft a qb in this format too early can't stretch their draft to field a solid set of Rb/Wr all the way through but Brady might be worth it. Spiller pick I love , Maclin expecting to carry the load here , Witten gives him stability but I see a roster that is forced to start Mike Williams which is never good haha. Brady and Mccoy can't get hurt or nicked up at all here for him to win. Mccoy won't get 17 tds again.

 

The Calipari Way

Key Players: Cutler , Ben , Calvin , Sproles ,Dez , Nicks, Forte / M Bush , Ridley / Vereen , Decker

Grade - A - came in the most ready of the drafters to attack this format. Took the WRs that fell to him and didn't over think the game. Sproles pick was key. TEs lacking. Did not like the Ben pick  , I identified a better selection while commishing the draft. 

Lynch Mob

Key Players: Peyton , Marshawn , Gronk , Doug Martin , Ben Tate , Cruz, Djax , Garcon , Jared Cook

Grade - B- gets a reprieve for being in a really hard draft spot. Gronk pick was the wrong one because the RBs were so depleted when it got back to him that he reached for Martin. In retrospect I am learning the 10-12 holes have to be RB RB - then you back that up with WR WR - then you wait on QB and Te in this spot - his roster could have been Marshawn , Forte , Aj Green , Roddy White , Djax  , Finley , Eli/Ryan and THAT team could win the whole thing. The issue from the 12 hole is that you cant force the TE you have to double up on positions and make up for your lack of Rices and Fosters by getting 2 semi superstars. Taking Gronk only works if you have the Balls to not draft a RB again until round 7ish hence my mock draft everyone is ribbing me about. But I am always 1 step ahead of the game and wanted to see what my team looked like properly Gronking at pick 12. It sucked - Gronk is not a viable selection at 12.

Market Street Mafia

Key players : Brees , Mathews , Reggie , Willis Mcgahee , Austin , Crabtree , Fred Davis , Tony G

Grade: C+ - Brees will mask a lot , Mathews I love , Reggie and Willis good picks - Tony G makes even less sense now looking at his roster - he desperately needed a WR there and Vincent Jackson was SCREAMING at him to be picked!

Props for the awesome team profile song tho haha , if he took Vjax instead of Tony G he could win the whole thing - now he is waiver wire dependent.

dailyfantasysports.org

Key Players: A Rodge , Demarco , Turner, AJ Green , Steve Johnson , Wayne , DHB , Vernon Davis

Grade B+ His team is actually built good -- Qb1 rb 1 rb2 wr1 wr2 wr3 te1 -problem is I think he is asking a lot of turner and vernon davis. Will contend but needs 1 or 2 more players.

Donzaga

Key Players: Vick , Cj1k , AP , Gerhart , Leshoure , Scott, Tolbert , Marshall , Colston , Britt , Ford ,

Manningham , 

Grade B++ during the draft I thought he was struggling. looking at the roster in plain view he has a decent team. Winslow is his Te and that has to change , But solid at QB RB WR all the way through. The key to his entire draft was gerhart and it slipped by me when he made the pick that he also had AP - Genius selection.

Bordizzle

Key Players: Cam , Helu/Royster , Dwill/Stew  , Ingram , Andre , Welker , Roddy , A Brown , Gresham

Grade: B+ does not get an A until the RB situation clears up , but great at QB and WR and above average at TE so that counts for a competitive team with money potential.

Cap Bozo

Key players: Matt Ryan , MJD , Lawfirm , Beanie , Steve Smith , Jordy , Brian Quick , Finley , 

Grade C- his best value pick was Ryan , and lawfirm was a good pick. Jordy killed his draft - he had a chance to unlock his entire draft by picking Demarco or Forte there - come back w/ Jordy and Steve Smith in rounds 3/4 and then take finley and another WR in 5/6 - the Quick pick was astonishing -- shock the world is this players mantra! 

Give him credit when he wants a player he goes and gets him  , like Mike Ditka when he ruined the Saints franchise for a decade to draft Ricky Williams.

19 Miles To Austin

Key players: Eli , Gore , DMcfadden , Moore , Bowe , Vjax, Graham , Gates

B is the grade here , coud have been an A if he just didnt draft Gates! Gore is boring and has no real chance to be anything special this season. Look for his role to be reduced to preserve his health. DMC needs to stay healthy all year and be the number 1 RB for him to win it. Simply because the depth on this team is not there.

Scarface

Key players: Rivers , Starks, Hillis , J Charles , Jennings , Fitz , Dem Thomas , Pettigrew

I like what he did with this team. Rivers was a steal , paired Charles with Hillis. Solid at all 3 wr spots , Starks is iffy but the team can win it

Grade A

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My Prediction

Calipari Beats Scarface and wins the cheddar.

Dark Horse: Bordizzle/Donzaga if they work waivers good

Balls Deep could come out of nowhere -- this is a VERY open field - no team will dominate.

Great Draft!!

Thanks Guys!!

VIEW LEAGUE HERE