2009 Fantasy Football Expert Mock Draft: Round 4 Recap

The 2008 fantasy football season might have just ended, but that doesn't mean you can sit back and relax until it gets closer to the 2009 season. The off-season is when you scout players, look at coaching changes and plow through game log after game log to find consistency at each position. Since our job never ends here at Bruno Boys Fantasy Football, we teamed up with five other fantasy publications and started a 2009 Fantasy Football Mock Draft.

Below you will find round-by-round recaps of the mock draft, in which 10 fantasy football experts show you a glimpse of what your 2009 draft might look like. The recaps that follow each selection are written by the team that is drafting that specific player. 

Scoring used for the 2009 Fantasy Football Expert Mock Draft:

4 Points - Passing TD's
6 Points - All other TD's
1 Point - 25 passing yards
1 Point - 10 rushing/receiving yards

Now it's time to take a look at Round 4 of our January 2009 Fantasy Football Expert Mock Draft...

ROUND 4

4.01:  Bruno Boys Larry - RB Thomas Jones

After grabbing wide receivers with my last two picks, I definitely felt I had to grab another running back at this point. I couldn't have been happier to see Thomas Jones still on the board. Behind a revamped offensive line, Jones saw a nice increase in his numbers from 2007, gaining 1,312 yards on 290 carries with 15 total touchdowns. There are some questions with the Jets heading into 2009, mainly at quarterback, but with Rex Ryan as the new head coach and Brian Schottenheimer returning as the offensive coordinator, the Jets offense will likely revolve around the running game. Even if his numbers slip some he should still gain over 1,000 rushing yards with double-digit touchdown totals, which will make for a nice RB2.

4.02:  Bruno Boys Cavigs - WR Marques Colston

After snagging Reggie Wayne at 3.09 to be my top wide receiver, my main priority heading into the fourth round was to draft a solid second wide receiver. I toyed around with the idea of going quarterback with Tony Romo, Aaron Rodgers and Jay Cutler still available, but I'm a firm believer that you win leagues by stocking up at the core positions (wide receiver and running back). With Greg Jennings going at 3.10, I instantly targeted Marques Colston and Terrell Owens. Debating between the two, you will find that Owens has the track record and gets the style points, but Colston has the upside and is ready to set fire. With the Saints' offense showing no signs of slowing down, this could be the year that Colston rivals the like of Larry Fitzgerald, Andre Johnson and Calvin Johnson for numero uno at the WR position. For starters, if he can stay healthy, you can expect Colston to repeat his 2007 season when he had 1,202 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns.

4.03:  Fighting Chance Fantasy - QB Tony Romo

After all three receivers that I was targeting with this pick were taken, I decided to go with a quarterback. With only four I really liked available, I had to make that choice now since there is a long time before I pick again. Despite his ability to stay in the tabloids, Romo is an incredible fantasy quarterback. Even though he missed three games, he still was fifth in passing touchdowns with 26. The future of Terrell Owens on the Cowboys definitely could have an effect on his statistics, as the only other wide receiver the Cowboys really have is Roy Williams, who showed nothing after going to Big D. However, Romo has only gotten better during his career in Dallas and hey, he's got a pretty good track record with chicks, too. Nothing not to like here.

4.04:  Bruno Boys Cory - WR Terrell Owens

Having two running backs and the top quarterback from my board, I felt I was sitting pretty with this pick. I had the flexibility to take a third RB for depth or to fill the flex spot or I could take a WR1. There weren't many on the board left that I liked in the fourth round, but it was the Dallas Cowboys' Terrell Owens that caught my eye. I'm not an Owens fan by any means, but the potential of production is so great with him that he's worth a pick here. There's no shortage of drama in Dallas, but the offense will again be solid in 2009 and with Romo and Jason Witten back, Owens should enjoy another good season as a Cowboy. Get your popcorn ready.

4.05:  Bruno Boys Ziza - WR Dwayne Bowe

Heading into this round, I considered a few things. First of all, there was no quarterback out there that was worth me spending my fourth round pick on. I also figured that it was a bit too early to backup my running backs, as everyone still left on the board has a big question mark attached to him. That left me with a handful of wideouts that I was targeting, mainly Dwayne Bowe and Colston. Colston was drafted, leaving Bowe still on the board when Bruno Boys Cory was drafting. I kept my fingers crossed and thankfully he grabbed Terrell Owens. While Owens is a very solid WR, he is in his mid-30's, has criticized Tony Romo and now has Roy Williams to deal with. Bowe, on the other hand, is the Kansas City Chiefs top wide receiver, is entering only his third year and despite a lack of quarterback talent, he still has accumalated 2,017 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns during his short career. At the very least, he seems like a lock for 1,000 yards and six touchdowns, but his potential for growth is what really intrigues me here. With Steven Jackson, Clinton Portis and Randy Moss already on my roster, Bowe makes a nice addition to my skilled positions as he is young, full of potential and should remain healthy as he has not missed a single game yet.

4.06:  Bruno Boys Whooley - WR Ryan Grant

Following a breakout 2007 season in which he went for 956 yards and eight touchdowns in just 10 starts, Grant came back down to Earth in 2008, tallying 1,203 yards and four TDs in 16 starts. Part of Grant's problem had to do with a contractual holdout followed by a ill-timed hamstring injury that hampered him early on in the season. Once healthy, though, Grant returned back to his 2007 form, coming up with six double-digit fantasy performances in the Packers' last 10 games. Look for Grant to bounce back with an even stronger 2009, as opposing defenses focus on keeping Aaron Rodgers and the passing game in check, allowing Grant to increase his yards per carry and end zone trips from 2008.

4.07:  Fantasy Football Librarian - WR Wes Welker

As a league that starts three wide receivers, I feel like this is the perfect time to snag a really solid WR2 in Wes Welker. I believe he'll be a real go-to guy for Brady as Brady gets back in the swing of things this year.

4.08:  Fantasy Pros 911 - QB Jay Cutler

Jay Cutler is the kid that keeps getting better. He should improve once again in 2008, and with two strong wide receivers in Brandon Marshall and the emergence of Eddie Royal, I'm looking for Cutler to once again improve in 2009. Now, you're probably thinking to yourself, "Well, Greco, is that even possible since Cutler threw for 4,526 yards and had 25 touchdowns?" I say to you, it can, and it will be done. Look for Cutler to reach the 30-touchdown plateau this year. What say you, non-believers?

4.09:  Fantasy Football Xtreme - WR Braylon Edwards

Edwards is a steal at the bottom of the fourth round. Sure, there is some risk counting on him as a WR1 in 2009, but not when your plan of attack is running back, running back, quarterback and then WR1. This is great value, and even though Edwards is far from a lock as a top-5 wide receiver, he ABSOLUTELY still has top-10 wide receiver potential. That's enough for me here at the bottom of the fourth. I'll be honest, though, if I didn't land Edwards right here, who I consider to be the last wide receiver left with elite upside, I would have wished that I had gone running back, running back, wide receiver and then Tom Brady. I'm very pleased with Peyton Manning, Michael Turner, Joseph Addai and Braylon Edwards thus far.

4.10:  Junkyard Jake - QB Tom Brady

Needless to say, the optimism surrounding Tom Brady after his amazing 2007 performance (4,800 yards and 50 TDs) was extremely high and he was viewed as a nearly consensus first-round pick this past season. As he recovers from the torn ACL/MCL injuries that caused him to effectively miss the entirety of 2008, there are still some serious questions regarding his 2009 status. So far, it appears that his rehabilitation is going moderately well, and while it is highly doubtful that he will ever approach the numbers of his 2007 career year, he is certainly worth a late fourth-round pick under more realistic expectations of perhaps his approximate career averages, which means 3,800 yards and 30 TDs.

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