When it comes to fantasy football drafts, the later rounds may be more important than the early rounds. The top 50 players in the NFL are fairly obvious. It’s not a question of whether stars such as LaDainian Tomlinson, Maurice Jones-Drew, and Randy Moss are going to be drafted, but how soon they are going to be drafted. Once these players are picked, it’s all luck and whether they can stay healthy to attain everyone’s expectations.
On the other hand, the players in the second half of fantasy drafts are less predictable. While the unprepared fantasy managers will doze off and make costly decisions, a well-studied fantasy manager can take advantage by drafting up-and-coming players such as Greg Olsen, Chris Henry, and Ahmad Bradshaw. You will find a little bit of both in the later rounds of the Sportsnet.ca Mock Draft 2.0.
Here’s a look at Rounds 9-16.
Round 9
1. Stephen Gostkowski Team 1
2. Rob Bironas Team 2
3. Kris Brown Team 3
4. Minnesota Team 4
5. David Akers Team 5
6. Devin Hester Team 6
7. Felix Jones Team 7
8. Chris Henry Rob Shaw’s Team
9. Jamal Lewis Team 9
10. Chris Cooley Team 10
Wow, barely midway through the draft, we have fantasy managers drafting kickers. Again, I would rather spend these picks on offensive depth and sleepers. Devin Hester counts as a sleeper in this round, but I was pleased to see wide receiver Chris Henry available for the taking. Though Henry is considered the third target in the Bengals offense, he is also the most talented and has put up fine numbers this preseason. I thought veterans Jamal Lewis and Chris Cooley were also excellent picks this late in the draft.
Round 10
1. Matt Ryan Team 10
2. Donnie Avery Team 9
3. Nate Burleson Rob Shaw’s Team
4. Chicago Team 7
5. Knowshon Moreno Team 6
6. Willie Parker Team 5
7. Laveranues Coles Team 4
8. Jay Cutler Team 3
9. Julius Jones Team 2
10. Willis McGahee Team 1
With my earlier selection Matt Cassel ailing, I was desperate to draft a quarterback. I listed Matt Ryan and Matt Hasselbeck. When Ryan was nabbed with the first pick of the round, I opted to draft another wide receiver with the intention of drafting either Hasselbeck or Jay Cutler in the next round. Alas, Cutler was also taken in the 10th round. I was surprised to see Jay Cutler taken this late in the draft. I guess the fear is that the Bears will play too conservatively for him to post big numbers. I drafted a fine sleeper in Seahawks wide out Nate Burleson. He can be a touchdown magnet and should prosper lining across from Houshmandzadeh. I thought Willis McGahee was a poor pick in this round as Ray Rice looks to have the edge when it comes to more touches.
Round 11
1. Kevin Walter Team 1
2. Torry Holt Team 2
3. Le’Ron McClain Team 3
4. John Carlson Team 4
5. Lance Moore Team 5
6. Domenik Hixon Team 6
7. Chris Chambers Team 7
8. Matt Hasselbeck Rob Shaw’s Team
9. Philadelphia Team 9
10. New York Team 10
The best pick of the 11th round was Saints wide out Lance Moore. After racking up double-digit touchdowns last season, Moore is expected to start next to Marques Colston this season. Though he has been slowed by an injury in the preseason, he is expected to be healthy and starting by week one. I secured Matt Hasselbeck with the eighth pick of the round. Assuming he’s healthy, he has an outside shot of 30 passing touchdowns thanks to his wealth of wide receivers with TJ Houshmandzadeh and a healthy Nate Burleson on the wings. In addition, the fact that the Seahawks have a weak backfield works to the quarterback’s benefit when it comes to posting big offensive numbers since the team will have to resort to the air to move the chains.
Round 12
1. Derrick Mason Team 10
2. Ryan Longwell Team 9
3. Jeremy Shockey Rob Shaw’s Team
4. Ted Ginn Jr. Team 7
5. Dallas Team 6
6. Donald Driver Team 5
7. Ray Rice Team 4
8 Michael Crabtree Team 3
9. Steve Breaston Team 2
10. Ben Roethlisberger Team 1
In the 12th round I again focused on depth and this time landed my second tight end. Jeremy Shockey was awful last season, but he is currently healthy and plays on one of the best passing offenses in the NFL. I thought Ray Rice was a great pick by Team 4 in this round, and that Ben Roethlisberger can surprise some people with a big season. Considering Team 1 already has Peyton Manning, this was a great pick for depth. As much as we consider Manning infallible, the same was thought of Tom Brady prior to last season.
Round 13
1. Zach Miller Team 1
2. Eli Manning Team 2
3. Deion Branch Team 3
4. Percy Harvin Team 4
5. David Garrard Team 5
6. Brett Favre Team 6
7. San Diego Team 7
8. Miami Rob Shaw’s Team
9. Kyle Orton Team 9
10. Kevin Curtis Team 10
Many of the backup quarterbacks were taken in the 13th round. I thought Brett Favre was the best of the lot and I was surprised to see him drafted after Eli Manning, a player who is better in fantasy than reality. With few defenses available, I drafted the Miami Dolphins thinking that they will again put plenty of pressure on opposing quarterbacks, which often results in turnovers. I was also a fan of the David Garrard pick since he enters the season with veteran Torry Holt as his new toy.
Round 14
1. Donald Brown Team 10
2. Muhsin Muhammad Team 9
3. Ahmad Bradshaw Rob Shaw’s Team
4. Mason Crosby Team 7
5. Nick Folk Team 6
6. Dustin Keller Team 5
7. Michael Jenkins Team 4
8. Visanthe Shiancoe Team 3
9. Heath Miller Team 2
10. Mark Clayton Team 1
A couple of good sleepers were drafted in the 14th round including Colts rookie running back Donald Brown. I went with Giants backup running back Ahmad Bradshaw since the injury-prone Brandon Jacobs is all that is in his way of fantasy stardom. I thought Vikings tight end Visanthe Shiancoe and Falcons wide out Michael Jenkins were also very good picks in this round.
Round 15
1. New England Team 1
2. Carolina Team 2
3. Tampa Bay Team 3
4. Brady Quinn Team 4
5. Green Bay Team 5
6. Hakeem Nicks Team 6
7. Robert Meachem Team 7
8. Earl Bennett Rob Shaw’s Team
9. Miles Austin Team 9
10. Jason Elam Team 10
In the 15th round, I opted for a risky sleeper. Chicago Bears wide out Earl Bennett hasn’t caught a single pass in his NFL career. On the other hand, he is a former college teammate of Jay Cutler and should get a chance to start this season. I expect 800 yards and a half dozen touchdowns from Bennett this season. Cowboys wide out Miles Austin was a poor pick by Team 9 considering Cowboys starting wide out Patrick Crayton was still available.
Round 16
1. Darren Sproles Team 10
2. Anthony Fasano Team 9
3. Neil Rackers Rob Shaw’s Team
4. Vernon Davis Team 7
5. Brent Celek Team 6
6. John Kasay Team 5
7. Matt Prater Team 4
8. Nate Kaeding Team 3
9. Rian Lindell Team 2
10. Garrett Hartley Team 1
Finally, in round 16, I was forced to draft a kicker. I opted for Neil Rackers since he is a safe bet on a high-powered offense who plays his games under a retractable roof. Chargers backup running back Darren Sproles was a fine pick by Team 10, as the 5’6 running back hopes for a play-making role similar to Jacksonville’s Maurice Jones-Drew and Jets running back Leon Washington.
Rob Shaw’s Fantasy Football Team:
QB: MATT HASSELBECK, SEAHAWKS
RB: STEVE SLATON, TEXANS
RB: LARRY JOHNSON, CHIEFS
WR: LARRY FITZGERALD, CARDINALS
WR: MARQUES COLSTON, SAINTS
WR: CHRIS HENRY, BENGALS
TE: TONY GONZALEZ, FALCONS
K: NEIL RACKERS, CARDINALS
DEF: MIAMI DOLPHINS
BENCH: MATT CASSEL, CHIEFS
BENCH: JEREMY SHOCKEY, SAINTS
BENCH: CEDRIC BENSON, BENGALS
BENCH: AHMAD BRADSHAW, GIANTS
BENCH: DARREN MCFADDEN, RAIDERS
BENCH: NATE BURLESON, VIKINGS
BENCH: EARL BENNETT, BEARS