Perfect Draft Series: Drafting 6th in a 16 Team IDP League
Deeper formats can be taxing. There are more positions to consider and with that, depth can become a problem if you're on the wrong end of a run on a position. You might grab your fourth wide receiver instead of a backup quarterback and end up having to take a big risk on Ryan Tannehill because you have no other option.
Your goal, whether it's a four-team or 20-team league, is to strike a balance across your roster. This can become a complicated issue when drafting in larger than normal league such as this 16 teamer I'm about to tackle. There are way too many factors at play whether it's position scarcity, scoring by position, historical position rank volatility, and the list goes on and on of ways you can analyze (or drive yourself mad) with the game's intricacies. Sometimes, it helps to dumb it down rather than get caught up in the web of your own so-called fantasy football genius.
Need a back? Draft one. Feel like taking a tight end? Sure, why not? Draft good players and do your best to not lock in on any one specific draft strategy heading in. Spread the talent out and take what falls to you. Remain flexible. When you make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, do you put the peanut butter on one half of the bread only? Of course not, that's ridiculous. You spread the goodness out as evenly as you can because that's how you make a PB&J sandwich. You don't need me to tell you that so do the same for your team. Before we begin, I'm going to make myself that sandwich...
In this Perfect Draft, I have the sixth pick in a 16-team IDP & PPR scoring league. If you're in a league like this, you've either got too many friends or you're playing with guys you barely know. I don't think I've talked to 16 people this year. Anyway, this is a big league with a big scoring system and you're going to want to address a few key spots right off the bat. For brevity's sake, by round 10, you want all your key offensive starters as well as some depth at RB and WR. You really don't want to be drafting your RB4 in round 20.
Starters: 1 QB / 2 RB / 2 WR / 1 TE / 1 K / 1 D / 1 DL / 2 LB / 2 DB
Scoring: PPR
Roster rules: No more than two QBs, five RBs, five WRs, two TEs, two Ks, two Ds, four LBs, four DBs and 2 DLs.
Below I'll be documenting my round-by-round picks as I conduct a mock draft using PC Drafter (free with a 4for4.com subscription). Full draft results can be found at the bottom.
Round 1, Pick 6 (6): QB Tom Brady, New England Patriots
PC Drafter recommended Tennessee Titans RB Chris Johnson and I can't say I blame them. Here's why I don't mind waiting on a RB until Round 2 in a deeper format: Sixteen team leagues are so spread out across the board and what I mean here is that even if you tried, you couldn't really stockpile talent at any one position. Quarterback is one position I can now hold off on for at least seven or eight rounds, if not much longer. This allows me to address other positions and their depth concerns for the first third of this draft.
Round 2, Pick 11 (27): RB Darren Sproles, New Orleans Saints
Sproles' big 2011 season makes him a great RB2 in PPR leagues and I can live with his consistent receptions and yardage totals in Round 2 as my RB1. Since there is such tremendous WR depth this season, unless I'm getting Calvin Johnson, I can live without taking a WR during the first 25 picks of a draft. Of course I like Julio Jones, A.J. Green and Larry Fitzgerald, but when guys like Jeremy Maclin, Torrey Smith and Antonio Brown are falling to the 5th round, it's okay to wait.
Round 3, Pick 6 (38): RB Reggie Bush, Miami Dolphins
A few years ago, I chuckled at people who drafted Bush, especially in non-PPR formats. Now after one promising year, we all have to get on board. The guy seems motivated and rededicated to his craft. Long gone are the days when everyone expressed concern about his tendency to bounce it outside and struggle between the tackles. He's not the Bush we remember from USC, but he's a solid PPR back who could be a Top 15 performer at his position.
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