Fantasy Football Mock Draft: Rounds 9 To 16

Recently I, Dominic Brown, had the privilege to represent Bruno Boys in an expert mock draft hosted by Fantasy Football Writers With Hair.The draft consisted of nine other fantasy football websitesand publications. The league was standard scoring with a startingroster of 1QB, 2 RB, 2WR, 1TE, 1 DEF, 1 K and 1 FLEX. Once we got intoa draft room with everyone present (third times a charm), the 16 roundsflew by. The Bruno Boys ended up with the 3rd pick and witnessed this year’s fantasy trends unfold while following a few of my own.

Here is a breakdown of Rounds 9-16 of my picks in each round and an explanation for each pick.

9:03 Anthony Gonzalez (IND) - Getting Gonzalez in the 9th isa perfect example of a value pick. With Harrison gone and a healthyManning back at the helm, this could be Gonzalez’s break out year. He’son a dynamic offense and I expect Manning to be looking his way oftenas Reggie Wayne faces multiple defenders. There’s no reason whyGonzalez shouldn’t be able to double his 664 yards and 4tds from lastyear. And the fact that he’s my 4th receiver bodes pretty well for mydepth at this position.

10:08 Kyle Orton (DEN) - It can be tough to gaugewhen to draft your back up QB. You want to believe the only time youwill need them is on a bye but in the world of fantasy football,if you don’t account for injuries, you best grab a 4 leaf clover, arabbits foot and nail them to a horseshoe cause you’re gonna need someluck. With Orton available in the 10th, I decided to take advantage ofhis potential for a break out season. I’ve always been high on Ortonand now he’s in a system with the same coach who turned Matt Cassel intoa 63 million dollar QB after only starting 1 season. Plus, check outthese tidbits: he’s throwing to one of the best wide receiver combos inthe league, behind one of the best offensive lines and hasmulti-talented back Knowshon Moreno to not only run but catchthe ball out of the backfield. Rivers should remain my starter but Ifeel good having Orton behind him. 

11:03 John Carlson (SEA) - With my backup QB taken care of, Icould focus on my tight end. This year, I felt I could wait on thisposition because there is so much depth and there are really only 3-4guys worth taking early. Carlson had a great rookie season with 627yards and 5 tds. And while some skeptics suggest he will obsolete nowthat the other receivers are healthy and T.J. Houshmandzadeh has arrived, Matt Hasselbeckand the Seahawks coaching staff may have something to say about that.He’s a big target in the end zone and should remain a powerful weaponon an offense ready to rebound from a disappointing season. 

12:08 Ray Rice (BAL) - I was planning this pick for a runningback or handcuff with major upside. So I was very surprised to see thatRice was still on the board. All reports out of Baltimore have Rice asthe primary ball carrier. And though he is smallish, he’s a dynamicrunner with great vision and a whole lot of heart. Plus, the Raven’sdefense is still solid and should give him lots of opportunities to beon the field. My only hang up, besides backups LeRon McClain and Willis McGaheetaking carries is that with Mason gone (if he is truly gone), opposingdefenses may not respect the passing game and stack the box. Stillgetting a talented RB3 in the 12th is a great value. 

13:03 Mark Clayton (BAL) - Speaking of Baltimore’s receivers.In this round adding one more wide out to my roster was a priority.Considering I had been targeting Clayton from the beginning, thisworked out perfectly.  With Derrick Mason possibly gone, hebecomes the number one guy for the Ravens. And though Clayton has beeninconsistent throughout his career, he’s really never had a reliableQB. Now he has Joe Flacco who is not only accurate but canthrow one heck of a deep ball. I expect Clayton to deliversignificantly better production if not become a serious threat in theopen field. The talent is definitely there. It’s just a question ofwhat he does with it. 

14:08 Tony Scheffler (DEN) - Taking a backup tight end isnever fun for me. But if you’ve waited on the position like I did, it’susually a good idea. I’ve been a Scheffler fan since he came into theleague. He’s immensely talented and was on his way to becoming one ofthe league’s elite last season. Unfortunately, his buddy Jay Cutler is now throwing to Greg Olsen and new coach Josh McDaniels does not generally use tight ends very much. Add the fact that they drafted Richard Quinn and have Daniel Grahamon the roster and you can see why his value dropped significantly. Sowhy pick him? At this round, he was the TE with the most upside and ifhe and Orton can develop a relationship, he could prove to be veryvaluable. It’s also important to note that Quinn is more of a blockingtight end. As a backup I could afford to gamble a little with thispick. 

15:03 Minnesota Vikings DEF/ST - In my fantasy footballplaybook, a defense shouldn’t be picked any higher than the last threerounds. Waiting until the 2nd to last round worked out well for mesnagging one of the league’s top 5 units. For the last three seasonsthe Vikings D has been in the top 7 and last year were ranked 4th insacks. The only thing I have to worry about is the legal issuesurrounding Kevin Williams and Pat Williams. If the Williams wall goes down with suspensions, the line and my team will suffer. 

16:08 Nick Folk (DAL) - Mama told me never take a kickeruntil the last round and mama don’t lie. At the end of the day, there’snot really a significant difference between the points you get from onekicker to the next. And whatever the difference, it’s not worth anearlier pick. Plus you can always just pick a kicker up on the waiverwire that’s on a hot streak or play the match ups. Getting Folk here ina standard scoring league is extra sweet. He’s extremely accurate andhas a strong leg going 2 for 2 on field goals of 50 plus. He did havesurgery in the off-season but is expected to be 100% at the start. Withthe Dallas Cowboys eager to put the past season behind them, he should get plenty of opportunities. 

Overall Assessment: I feel quite good about the team Idrafted. Despite the absence of an elite tight end, Carlson is veryserviceable and I have solid starters at each position. Creating a goodfantasy team is about having a central core of stud players with lotsof depth and I think my team has that.

Be sure to check out the write-ups for Rounds 1-8 by clicking here… 2009 Fantasy Football Mock Draft.