HOF league discussion

[maxhyde]

Well I am done with the draft.
1.03 Penny
2.14 Josh Allen
3.03 Deion Cain

Overall I am ok with how things turned out. I probably should have tried trading back but like Penny enough I figured I'd rather just have him than haggle on the clock. Really happy to land Allen at pick 31 in a 16 team league and Cain is a guy I am targeting everywhere I can

[nation31]

Haven't been active on the forum for awhile-life changes; however I figure I would provide some insight on my team and my draft.

Team Assessment (last season 9-4; tied for the 2nd most victory points, lost in first round of playoffs):

QB: Only viable QB on the roster before draft was Dak, whom I feel is serviceable and a back end QB1; I worry that the Cowboys, without Dez, may continue to be a run heavy team (in which they should with Zeke). The loss of Witten also is a huge negative as Dak's safety valve in the middle will now be missing. That being said, I do believe he will have some top end weeks with his rushing ability and he only turns 25 this summer. Hopefully Gallup can turn into something in the Big D. Obviously with no other starting QB on the roster- I need to find one for bye weeks/injuries.

RB: Gurley- no explanation needed; I do expect some regression from last season (in TD), but no complaints about rolling out the number 1 RB week after week.

My RB2 is weak, but in a PPR, I think I can get by (between Mack, Powell, Chris Thompson, Sproles and Donta); last season I drafted Mack and Donta hoping one turned into a full blown starter. I still believe in Donta overtaking the pedestrian Lamar Miller at some point this season. Mack will be given every chance to be the guy in Indy even though they drafted two backs. These guys should average approximately 10-12 fantasy points a week, which in combination with Gurley should keep pace with the rest of the league.

WR: My WR have been decimated over the last couple years. I traded 1.01 (Zeke) for Arob two years ago...yikes. Drafted Cobb in the startup how ever many years ago that was, also drafted Blackmon and Gordon (lol). Doctson hasnt panned out....YET. The trade to Buffalo really hurt Kelvin Benjamin, and Brandon Marshall is getting old and injured. I obviously needed to address this in the draft. I have had basically no WR production, I really do not know how my team did decently enough to make playoffs last season....oh yeah....Mr. Gurley.

TE: Ertz-dude is a beast and Carson loves him; yes they drafted Dallas but I do not think this will affect Ertz's production too much; should be a top 3 TE for the foreseeable future. Backup is Jack Doyle, who quietly, maybe not, had an awesome year last season (TE6 in this league-only 5 points from TE4)-some of this I think was Brissett. I have no confidence in Luck being healthy, and I know the Colts added Ebron, but Frank Reich will run out multiple 2TE sets. Doyle is a good backup.

DRAFT: My biggest needs were WR>>QB>>RB2

1.12- I was ecstatic that Ridley fell to me here. I have in WR1b in my rankings behind DJ Moore. He should see plenty of opportunities while double coverage is rolled over to Julio's side. Yes he will be stuck in Julio's shadow for the next few years, but Atlanta's offense can support two WR and I think Ridley's talent will beat out Sanu quite easily. Initially while projecting the draft, I thought Sutton/Kirk would be my options, but Kirk went rather early and Calvin fell right into my lap.

TRADE- my next pick was 3.12-the QB run had not started yet (Baker went earlier but the rest were there). Ericanadian had 4 picks at the end of round 1 and beginning of round 2. I ended up trading 2019 first (which I hope will be later) and 3.12 for 2.03 and Golden Tate. With the state of my team, and the youth that it has currently, I felt that trading a 2019 first in this deal made my team much better this season and would fill my need at QB. Tate is what he is. 90 receptions, close to 1000 yards-I find this very valuable for a 16 team league. He will be 30, but I feel his style of play could yield another 2-3 years of the same production (I believe the Lions extend his contract). This also helps to sure up my WR corps. Now the core is : Allen Robinson, Golden Tate, Randall Cobb, Kelvin Benjamin, Josh Doctson and Calvin Ridley--if Arob goes back to being a stud WR1, I like the core alot.

2.03- Sam Darnold- I was going to take whichever fell to me Darnold or Rosen, both of which I believe will start this season. I like Darnold's skill and he was rated, by some, as the safest QB in the draft. I see a bright future and I do not mind having him as my QB2 behind Dak this season, making the bye week start, hopefully.

Overall, coming out of the draft, I actually like where my team is at currently and think I should put up a similar record and VP as last season, hopefully have some better luck in the playoffs.

[ArrylT]

Draft is fully complete and posted above (as are all draft trades).

[ericanadian]

I ended up moving a lot of my picks for picks next year. I liked owning the early second round. Had a lot of offers on the picks there so even when I didn't have anyone specific of interest, I had a lot of options to trade back. Ultimately, I picked up Rosen to fill my long term hole at QB while Tyrod holds the fort in the short term. I picked up J'Mon Moore to re-enforce my Allison ownership and have the WR3 in Green Bay. I don't have a lot of faith in St. Brown and there was a lot to like about Moore. I grabbed Andrews, who I like way more than Hurst in an offense that has featured the TE a fair bit. I grabbed Ian Thomas as the successor to Greg Olsen in Carolina. I also picked up Jaylen Samuels because RB was picked mostly clean and I needed some lottery tickets in this area.

[thebeast]

My draft was nothing to write home about. Having he 16th pick in all rounds was less than exciting.

1.16 - There was no one at pick 1.16 who I thought could help my current team, so I traded the pick for a 2019 1st. If it’s even a few picks higher I will be happy.

2.16 - I know everyone is into these TEs who are really WRs but I was still surprised to see Hurst available at pick 2.16 so I took him. Andrews is a nice player, but I think you will need to be patient with him, while Hurst will be a day one starter and should contribute immediately. Hurst is not going to come off the field much and as a good blocker he will have a lot of opportunities to catch play-action passes, esp in the red zone. I liken this to Gronk/Pitta (inline tes) and Hernandez/Dickson (move tes) drafted together. Not saying it will end up like that, but there is value in owning the guy who can block and catch. If you’ve watched tape on Hurst you know he has amazing hands and he is pretty darn athletic, I’m happy to take a shot with him where I did. I also considered Deon Cain here, but WR is a team strength and TE is a weakness.

3.16 - I was hoping Deon Cain would still be available here, but he wasn’t. I agree with ericanadian that ESB is just hype right now if even that. However, with the last pick of the draft, I selected him. Everyone at that point has a low floor, but no one else has so much possible upside.

[maxhyde]

I like having the last pick in the draft. It means I did something right last year

I agree on Hurst. I have been getting him in quite a few leagues. I will disgree with Pitta being inline...he was a terrible blocker as far as I remember. Hurst might be like a Henry/Witten type more than a seam stretcher/hybrid WR like Engram. I like those TE's that block because they stay on the field

[ArrylT]

1.10 - ArrylT - C. Kirk WR
2.01 - ArrylT - J. Washington WR
2.07 - ArrylT - D. Goedert TE
3.02 - ArrylT - C. Edmonds RB
3.04 - ArrylT - J. Jackson RB
3.07 - ArrylT - B. Scott RB
3.08 - ArrylT - R. Nall RB
3.09 - ArrylT - J. Lasley WR
3.11 - ArrylT - J. Adams RB
3.14 - ArrylT - C. Warren RB

Basically the first half of the draft (ie top 2 rounds) took guys who could hopefully be around a long time and be WR2 or TE1 for me in a couple of years. Then plenty of RB upside fliers.

As a Raiders fan last year I was grabbing Elijah Hood everywhere I could - just in case - and this years Hood is Chris Warren. Maybe he'll make the 53 man squad, or maybe I'll be cutting him.

I started at 1.07 and moved back, and used part of what I got to move back, to move up and grab Washington - hopefully the Pittsburgh Steeler WR track record works for him (like Juju & AB) rather than against (like Wheaton or Coates).

In hindsight I should have explored being able to move up more. I didnt think anyone in the top 6 would move back, and I would have definitely paid more for the 1.04 than Plank had to. But I am happy with the move back since this is a 2-3 year tear down and build up orphan (imho) so Kirk seems like the better bet for long term stability since any of the Rookie RBs a year from now could become a Perine, Joe Williams or McNichols instead of a Kamara, Hunt or Fournette. They alll have their detractors and truthers.

However Kirk already has familiarity and chemistry with Rosen (and Fitzgerald) so that seems like a good bet long term - we'll see!

[ArrylT]

Lots of $$$ spent at the first post rookie draft waivers run.

Our budget is $300 for the entire year I believe and here are some of the amounts spent yesterday:

A. Wadley - $179
P. Lindsay - $101
K. Lauletta - $50 (silly me thinking $10 would be sufficient)
T. Quinn - $50
B. Scarborough - $42
D. Schultz - $25

[Seventy5]

Only having one draft pick, my draft plan short and simple - 1.01, Saquon Barkley (well, it was SUPPOSED to be that simple, but……. Hahaha)

Anyways, when we first started I thought I could have a potentially dominate lineup for a larger competitive window if I sold all my short-term production/roster value for assets I thought would give me the most value 2-3 years later. I still think that is possible to do, you just have to do it with rookie classes that have loaded top end talent + depth (2014, 2017, 2018, 2020….not our first two years with the relatively weak 2015-2016 classes). If you throw enough 1st-2nds at the wall of those classes, you’re bound to hit on a handful of assets good enough to build around (likely moreso than if you went a mixed route in a start up draft, IM0) I really like the top end talent of this class, but absolutely hate the depth, so I sold off all my other rookie picks (not a big fan of the 2019 class so I sold my 1st there too) and pushed my chips in to try and compete for a win this year:

QB: Andrew Luck | Deshaun Watson | Phillip Rivers
RB: Saquon Barkley
RB: Alvin Kamara
WR: AJ Green
WR: TY Hilton
Flex: Melvin Gordon | Joe Mixon
Flex: Stefon Diggs | Sammy Watkins | Mike Williams | Nelson Agholor
TE: Greg Olsen | Jordan Reed | Eric Ebron | Rico Gathers
2019 Rookie Picks: 2nd, 3rd, 2020 1st, 2nd, 3rd

Im happy I was patient with the build. It’s tough to build a roster deep enough with top end talent + depth to last more than 1-3 years, but I think I should be able to manage/retool this for quite a few years while avoiding any massive rebuilds - a problem a few teams in our league have hit and a few more have creeping up. Id like my starting lineup in a 12-teamer, and feel like I also have good depth options at every position. Adding AJ Green and Olsen were the most important moves, IMO, as it gave me some steady production at WR/TE whereas my Hilton/Diggs/Watkins trio has incredibly high upside (and untapped potential) but inconsistent production. I like my combination of youth + steady production (AJ Green, Alvin Kamara, Melvin Gordon, TY Hilton, Olsen) + untapped potential/room for even more growth (Stefon Diggs, Sammy Watkins, Joe Mixon, Andrew Luck, Deshaun Watson, Saquon Barkley, Mike Williams, Jordan Reed)

Overall, my roster construction plan developed into:

--If you acquire a young elite asset, hold and build around them. Don’t trade away unless it is elite for elite.

--Sell off any players with a value spike you don’t think will last (Jeremy Langford/2nd for a future 1st/2nd, Ty Montgomery for a 1st/2nd, Jimmy Graham for a 1st, Willie Snead, etc, although I lost some trades as well. Example: that 2nd paired up with Langford became Jordan Howard so a late 1st/2nd was actually probably a loss for me there)

--Accumulate as much roster value as I could that would be desirable in 2018-2019, flip everything else (hold Luck/Watson/Kamara/MelvinGordon/Mixon/Watkins/Hilton/Diggs, pile up 2017/2018 picks and sell off most 2015/2016/2019 assets, flip everything else to fill whichever holes are left).

[ArrylT]

As an Oakland Raiders fan I approve of the ericanadian side of this deal that just went down.

Jules gives up: Doug Martin

ericanadian gives up: Vance McDonald

[ericanadian]

I figure in line with the intent of this league, I'll walk through my roster over the next couple weeks with some short scouting reports.

Quarterback

Tyrod Taylor

Why he's on my team: I probably would've moved him by now, but Buffalo's constant talk of replacing him really capped his value. He's a league average starter as a passer and has rushing upside and not much wear on the tires. He was efficient at every level and I he walks into massive upgrades at the receiver position and offensive system.

What concerns me: I suspect a lot of his efficiency was built around the offensive scheme which had play off an elite running game. For a guy that struggled to earn the trust of his coaching staff in Buffalo, going to Captain Panic in Hue Jackson worries me, especially with the team signalling a plan to bring in a top tier rookie. The Browns will need to win early to take the pressure off Jackson and save him from himself. I'm also not convinced that Haley & Jackson are going to coexist well.

DeShone Kizer

Why he's on my team: He was an upside guy with no major red flags besides his terrible agility numbers going to an offense where they seemed to be committed to a long term plan. He struggled a lot last year, but he had some bright spots like an above average deep ball and he never seemed to get frustrated even with all the losing an Jackson's terrible coaching. He's since moved to Green Bay where people seem to think he can learn behind Rodgers and with Rodgers health lately, he may even see some action and be able to build some hype.

What concerns me: While he seemed fine, there's still a good chance that Jackson's panic may have broke Kizer's confidence and I really don't see Green Bay as a team that's any good at developing quarterbacks anymore with Hundley looking lost for most of last season after sitting behind Rodgers for several years. His accuracy was abysmal underneath and if he gets thrust into playing, he's probably going to look about as good as Hundley did.

Josh Rosen

Why he's on my team: No red flags from the metric perspective and the talk about his lack of focus on football seems blown out of proportion. He's got a couple years of starting under his belt and didn't get pulled into a mess of a team like the Jets or Browns. He's got a first coach, so is likely to have a couple years of stability and a veteran QB that can let him learn on the bench if the coaching staff feels it necessary. He was my top rated quarterback in the draft.

What concerns me: The concussion history. Arizona's offensive line wasn't exactly elite (though I think a lot of that was due to Arians' system with the deep dropbacks and focus on the deep ball), and concussions can end a guy's career in a hurry.

[ArrylT]

While I am sure most of the league (and DLF owners in particular) is looking forward to the start of the 2018 season in approx 2 months, I for one have an extra reason in DLF HOF to be anticipating the beginning of the season.

Reason is that our league has expanded rosters during the off-season. During the regular season Rosters have to be 25 or less. As such, at this current moment, the rest of the league combined will have to cull 90+ players from their rosters to get to the 25man limit.

My team only has 24 players atm, and as it is still in the early stages of a long rebuild, there are still a couple of players I can jettison without feeling much "pain", so I am feeling pretty confident that there will be a few potential gems tossed aside by other owners, that I will have the room to add.

[ericanadian]

While I am sure most of the league (and DLF owners in particular) is looking forward to the start of the 2018 season in approx 2 months, I for one have an extra reason in DLF HOF to be anticipating the beginning of the season.

Reason is that our league has expanded rosters during the off-season. During the regular season Rosters have to be 25 or less. As such, at this current moment, the rest of the league combined will have to cull 90+ players from their rosters to get to the 25man limit.

My team only has 24 players atm, and as it is still in the early stages of a long rebuild, there are still a couple of players I can jettison without feeling much "pain", so I am feeling pretty confident that there will be a few potential gems tossed aside by other owners, that I will have the room to add.

I don't want you to get too excited, but looking at my team, you can choose from the wonderfully talented group of Sammie Coates, Matt Jones, DeShone Kizer, Bishop Sankey, and some combination of Chris Herndon, Torrey Smith, Byron Marshall & DeAndre Washington. You might as well cut five guys right now.

[ArrylT]

Thats why I was going with the overall 90+, as I think of the massive volume, a couple of gems could sneak through the drek being dropped.

However you did mention a couple of guys, that should you choose to cut them, I may, depending on the news of them at the time, would seriously consider adding.

But that is why I am excited - because who knows what another owner considers junk, but I do not.

[thebeast]

Thats why I was going with the overall 90+, as I think of the massive volume, a couple of gems could sneak through the drek being dropped.

However you did mention a couple of guys, that should you choose to cut them, I may, depending on the news of them at the time, would seriously consider adding.

But that is why I am excited - because who knows what another owner considers junk, but I do not.

Totally. I think everyone Eric mentioned is worth rostering, can’t believe he’s going to cut any of those guys.