Fantasy Football 2009 Expert Mock Draft: Round Six 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 fantasy football season. The offseason 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 one of many round-by-round recaps of the mock draft, in which ten 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:

Four Points - Passing TD's
Six Points - All other TD's
One Point - 25 passing yards
One Point - 10 rushing/receiving yards

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

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6.01:  Bruno Boys Larry - TE Tony Gonzalez

Rather then reaching on a WR3 or a QB at this point I decided to take a TE that can put up numbers of a WR2. Tony Gonzalez is still a top three TE as he showed last season when he had 96 catches for 1,058 yards and 10 touchdowns. Even if his number dips a little he is still a TE1 and this pick assures that I will be set at the TE position for the entire season.

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6.02:  Bruno Boys Cavigs - WR Antonio Bryant

The scouting report on Bryant has always looked something like this; big time talent with a brain that rivals the size of a sunflower seed. After multiple off the field incidents forced him to miss the 2007 season, Bryant signed as a free agent with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and a week seven victory over the Seattle Seahawks put him on the fantasy map.

He had 115 receiving yards to go along with a touchdown in that game and that was the confidence he needed to put together a remarkable second half of the season. Over the seasons final two months (November and December) Bryant had 46 receptions for 797 receiving yards and six touchdowns. In December alone, Bryant scored the most fantasy points at the position, as he had 512 receiving yards and four TD's in just four games. Now, I'm not saying he repeats his '08 season again in 2009, but snagging him as my WR3 in this draft is more than worth it.

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6.03:  Fighting Chance Fantasy - RB Darren McFadden

I feel like this might be somewhat of a stretch, but we are through the point of reliably awesome receivers and are to the point where many of them are similar in value. The top few tight ends are off the board, so why not take a chance on the guy who was supposed to be the most talented guy out of last year's draft?

McFadden battled injury all year long, but did have a couple of games where he showed flashes of why he was drafted so high. If the Raiders are smart and make him their every down back heading into 2009, I could have an incredible flex option. Or he could continue his 2008 season and I have a dud. I feel very confident taking this risk though.

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6.04:  Bruno Boys Cory - Baltimore Ravens D/ST

I don't necessarily like selecting a defense this high but my main concern is points. And the Baltimore D/ST will get me anywhere from 50-80 more points than if I selected a TE or a third WR. I could've gone for depth at RB but I'd rather do that in the later rounds, especially considering the two backs I have are very durable.

With the Baltimore defense, you know what you're getting and that's the top unit on the board. They don't allow many points, generate a lot of sacks and turnovers and that Ed Reed guy is pretty good at returning interceptions for touchdowns. Linebacker Ray Lewis told the team he'd take a discount to stay to help re-sign other members of the defense. Given all of that, Baltimore will enter the 2009 season as the top defense and that will net me more points than a TE, RB3, or WR3 at this point in the draft.

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6.05:  Bruno Boys Ziza - WR Chad Johnson

This definitely is not a sexy pick as he is better known as "Ocho Stinko" around the Bruno Boys offices, as 2008 was his worst year in the NFL since becoming a weekly starter in 2002. There are many things that can be attributed to this, his lack of wanting to be in Cincinnati, his shoulder injury that he suffered before the season contributing to him missing his first games since he was a rookie as well as Carson Palmer's injury riddled season.

In 2009 there still will be plenty of question marks. Carson Palmer is expected back healthy, but will he be? T.J. Houshmandzadeh will most likely bolt during free agency leaving Chad Johnson, if he isn't released or traded, as the Bengals top receiver once again. From 2002-2007 he averaged 1,340 receiving yards and eight TD's. Now, while getting back to this elite wide receiver level will mean a lot of things having to go right for "Chad", being in a start-three wide receiver league I felt that it was very justifiable to take a flier and keep my fingers crossed on this very proud man.

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6.06:  Bruno Boys Whooley - RB Reggie Bush

Yes, there is some risk involved in this pick as it is unclear at this point as to how healthy Bush's knee will be come the 2009 season. Still, the reward greatly outweighs the risk. Not only am I getting a top tier talent if healthy (In seven of the 11 games he played last season, Bush had 14-plus fantasy points), but as of now, Bush is my team's RB3 in a two back line-up. If the knee doesn't rebound, it's not a huge loss. In drafting wide outs with two of my first three picks, I know many were concerned that I'd be weak when it came to my RB2. But, with both Ryan Grant and now Bush set to battle for that spot, I feel quite comfortable.

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6.07:  Fantasy Football Librarian - RB Jonathan Stewart

As a DeAngelo Williams owner I felt like I really needed to grab Stewart here. I'll be honest though, I was pretty tempted to go with Felix Jones here since I think he'll be a force to be reckoned with—but the smart call is to grab Stewart in case anything happens to Williams. Plus I think there's a good chance that some weeks both Williams and Stewart could be productive starts...lots of potential in Carolina.

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6.08:  FantasyPros911.com - WR Lee Evans

Despite only having three touchdowns in 2008, Evans fits exactly what I was looking for; a wide receiver in an improving offense. In five years in the NFL, Evans has never missed a game and in 2008 he recorded his second best yardage season. I'm looking for Evans to top 1,100 yards next season and for him to get into the end zone eight times.

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6.09:  Fantasy Football Xtreme - WR Santonio Holmes

After pulling in 52 passes for 942 and 8 TDs as a sophomore, Santonio Holmes was set to breakout in 2008. Well, he didn't. His so called "third-year breakout season" was extremely disappointing, as the Pittsburgh receiver caught just 55 passes for 821 yards and 5 TDs. His 2008 campaign especially disappointed me, as I had Holmes pegged as a top 10 fantasy WR heading into the season.

I firmly believe I was just a year early on this kid, as some receivers take a bit longer to develop than others. Even after his monster Super Bowl performance (9-131/1), it's obvious that many still doubt this youngster. Well, I don't. He should be an outstanding WR2 this year, but you do not have to draft him as a WR2...He is falling well into the late 5-7 range…I honestly didn't expect him to last to my 6.09 after that Super Bowl outing and I was actually starting to regret the fact that I didn't reach for him in the fifth…but it worked out well and Holmes is now on the roster! Santonio is very capable of cranking out 1,200-plus yards and 10-12 scores in 2009.

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6.10:  Junkyard Jake - WR Jerricho Cotchery

Jerricho Cotchery isn't the fastest or flashiest receiver, but he runs great routes, makes tough catches, and shows surprising play-making ability after the catch. After his impressive rookie year in 2006, when he finished with 961 yards and six TDs, Cotchery has led the team in both receptions and receiving yards the past two seasons. Whether or not Brett Favre returns to the Jets, Jerricho Cotchery has a great chance to reach the 1,000-yard mark again in 2009, and remains a reliable No. 2 or No. 3 fantasy receiver.

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