GSI Mock Draft: Round 8

20. July 2008  - Published by Dan Clasgens
Comments (8)
RECAP: ROUND 1 | ROUND 2 | ROUND 3 | ROUND 4 | ROUND 5 | ROUND 6 | ROUND 7

Here's Round 8:
71. FISCHER - WR Roddy White - ATL
72. WETZEL - TE Dallas Clark - IND
73. SIMON - TE Vernon Davis - ARI
74. SIMS - Chargers DEF - SD
75. MURDICO - Vikings DEF - MIN
76. DINSMORE - RB Rashard Mendenhall - PIT
77. BOLTON - QB Matt Hasselbeck - SEA
78. HUMBERT - WR Jerricho Cotchery - NYJ
79. CLASGENS - WR Kevin Curtis - PHI
80. PREUTH - TE Ben Watson - NE

My Pick: For the first time in this draft I was snaked right before my pick. I was very comfortable with my RB depth and this point and don't see much difference in the stable of tight ends out there. With Carson Palmer at QB, I am drafting only a backup. That lead me to a receiver and I was really hoping that Cotchery would've slipped to me. However, I went with Plan B and took Kevin Curtis as my WR3. I was thinking maybe Joey Galloway, but ultimately Curtis has McNabb as his QB. The veteran wideout is a streaky player, but is worth a stab here.

Biggest Reach: I am believer in having a solid fantasy defense, but unlike years past when the Ravens and Bears had the ability to flat out carry fantasy teams, this year's options don't offer enough seperation to warrant going after a unit too early. SIMS and MURDICO overspent big time to get defenses that have upside, but are not capable of dominating like teams have in the past. It works for me though as it allow me to build depth at fantasy's most-coveted positions. For the record, I do like the Vikings DEF as my #1 pick for a team D this year, but I just wouldn't have pulled the trigger this early.

Final Take: People get caught up in the early rounds of fantasy drafts, best rest assured these are the rounds where titles are won. BOLTON and HUMBERT had the two best snags of the round in my mind, but no player offers the upside of Mendenhall, though he's far from a given.

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Comments

Jimmy Dinsmore
Jimmy Dinsmore
7/20/2008 6:43:40 PM #
Mendenhall was my proudest pick. He's a Stealer, so I was able to put my hatred aside and take a guy who can be Bettis-like in his TD production. I'm not sold on Willie Parker at all and I think the Stealers aren't either, otherwise, why would they have invested a first round pick on this guy.
It was gutsy because Mendenhall is my 4th RB and at that time, I didn't even have a 3rd WR. But, my choices were slim for WR. It was down to Kevin Curtis or Mendenhall with Joey Galloway on the radar. I don't regret my choice, but I did not snag Curtis or Galloway and my WR corps is looking weak.
Jimmy Dinsmore
Jimmy Dinsmore
7/20/2008 6:48:11 PM #
now, regarding the defense. I do think this was the round to take the Vikings, but only the Vikings. Sims reasoning for taking the Chargers ahead of the Vikes was lame. yes, the Chargers (with Cromartie and Merriman) are consistently good, but can Mr. Sims honestly say that they'll be any better, fantasy-wise than Chicago, New England, Pittsburgh, Dallas, Green Bay, or any slew of above average defenses? No he cannot. He said he was drafting starters over backups. So, what's next, taking a kicker? I think drafting team defense/special teams is a total crap shoot. Based on the goofy scoring systems some leagues use, they can be even more sporadic (points allowed vs. just turnovers, etc.). In short, don't pass up a #1 targeted WR or potential rookie sleeper to snag a defense. In my opinion, it's just not worth it. Especially when you grab the first defense and don't select the consensus #1 fantasy defense.
Jim Humbert
Jim Humbert
7/20/2008 8:38:23 PM #
While it always feels great to snag a player from the guy drafting after you, I can't take all the credit for the pick. I was looking at WR and my deciding factor between Galloway, Curtis, Cotchery and his teammate Coles was the WR Cheat Sheet posted by Dan a few weeks ago!

As for defense, I remember picking the Bucs in the fifth round a few years ago. It paid off then but things have changed. Starting a defense is a week-to-week decision based on match-ups. There's a good chance in some deeper leagues that I may take two decent defenses late in the draft just to have an option. And then still look at who is available each week.
Bret Sims
Bret Sims
7/20/2008 8:49:38 PM #
I think drafting styles depend on the type of league that you play in because I play in 14 team leagues and the winner of the league for the past 7 years has been the person that has filled out their starting lineup in the first 8 rounds and then their bench players.

Putting a bunch of guys on your bench that are never going to see the field or driving yourself nuts every week trying to figure out which RB or WR you should play based on matchups and then screwing yourself gets old.

Like I have said 1,00000000000000000000000000000000 times, if the people in this mock draft want to join me in a 14 team league and play like the big boys do then step up.  Otherwise your genius analysis of my so called bad picks are like listening to the reasons for rising gas prices.
Chris Murdico
Chris Murdico
7/20/2008 9:01:57 PM #
I don't think my pick of the Vikings D here was a bad one at all, Dan! Especially after you dog it and then say that they're your #1 defense in your rankings. My draft strategy is to always take a top tier D in the middle rounds...if they're gone, I'll wait until the later rounds to snag one up. Now I was a bit surprised that Bret took the Chargers D right before me, but I was obviously fine with it because I was targeting the Vikings. Could I have waited another round or two to get them?...probably, but if they're there and this is when I'd want to take a D, then why not snag them up?

I have a good core of RBs and WRs at this point and I have one of the top TEs in the game. The only position I still need to get a starter at that matters is QB...but in a ten team league where everyone already has a QB, I can wait to pull the trigger on that spot in the next couple rounds. So taking a top tiered D here made sense to me.

Now Bret, I think we've heard enough about this 14 team league. There is an actual GSI league, and if its like last year it will be a 12 team league, usually the standard size for fantasy football. I don't think I'd ever do a 14 team league. To me that's too many teams in a league. 12 should be the max, but that's just my opinion.
Jim Humbert
Jim Humbert
7/20/2008 10:03:24 PM #
I happen to agree with you Bret. Draft strategies need to change based on what type of league for which you are building a team. Although our goal here is really just to put a good list of players together, this particular 'mock' draft consists of 10 teams and the owners have been asked to draft accordingly. Any so-called 'big boy' should be able to put together a competitive fantasy squad regardless of the number of teams, drafting style or league scoring.

This season I will be participating in one league that uses an auction to draft teams, one that has small rosters but requires two keepers, one that has 12 teams  drafted from scratch each year and another that is attempting to use a roto-type scoring system. I may not win any of the leagues, but I will put a good team together in all of them.
Jimmy Dinsmore
Jimmy Dinsmore
7/21/2008 7:15:46 AM #
Bret, the huge flaw in the theory you've explained one bizillion times is that it's so much easier to snag a good defensive team off waivers than it is to find some "backup" RB or WR. Those guys are gone usually. And as Humbert says, playing a defense is all about matchups. You might like San Diego's D (and I do too), but to put them on the same pedestal as your other "starters" is absurd because it's a total crapshoot. So, by your own theory, can we put you down for the best kicker out there next as you have to start one kicker too?
I would love to be in this big boy league if everyone drafts defenses and kickers in the middle rounds. I'll take my "needless" depth every time over that.
Bret Sims
Bret Sims
7/21/2008 8:57:40 AM #
14 team leagues separate the men from the boys.  Because between rounds 4 - 6 is where the champions are made unlike smaller team leagues.

Kickers are an exception but like I said, all 10 of us plus 4 more to form a league and play it out.

I can only assume I have a bunch of OSU fans who are gutless and think the Big 10 is a great conference. Get ready for another SEC beat down in the title game again.
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