Posted By:Justin Bell on May 15, 2013

Draft Recap

As usual the Steelers did not do anything to turn heads in the draft, but quietly filled many needs with quality football players. The Steelers struggled to make big plays on defense last season and addressed that need by drafting Georgia OLB Jarvis Jones, a pass rusher who thrives on making the big play. Running back Le’Veon Bell was an interesting pick in the second round with plenty of other solid options available at that point in the draft, but the Steelers liked what they saw in Bell and do not really have much set in their backfield with the departure of Rashard Mendenhall. Pittsburgh also added some depth at WR as they open up a training camp competition to replace Mike Wallace, and added some fresh legs to their aging secondary.

Fantasy Impact

Le’Veon Bell will be immediately thrust into the mix to compete for the starting job at running back. He is a player to watch in OTAs and through training camp,  and even if he doesn’t win the job outright, we expect him to get plenty of touches and take over as the starter at some point this season. He is a great late round draft target, and could rise up the board as training camp goes on.

Without getting one of the top receivers in this draft–they even passed on Notre Dame TE Tyler Eifert in the first round–it looks like Emanuel Sanders will have the inside track to the starting spot left vacant by Mike Wallace. Sanders put up some solid numbers at times last year and with more consistent looks, he could immediately become a fantasy starter week after week. Oregon State rookie Markus Wheaton is a burner who’s skills actually more closely resemble Wallace’s game and he could make an impact down the line. Expecting much from a rookie receiver in fantasy, however, is not often a wise strategy. Dynasty owners will want to keep their eye on Wheaton, though, who may fly a bit under the radar as a third round pick.

Expect to see a rejuvenated performance on defense from Pittsburgh getting sparks from Jones and Syracuse safety Shamarko Thomas. The unit should be closer to the explosive defense from years past that continuously puts up quality fantasy fantasy totals.

Draft Results

Posted By:Justin Bell on May 13, 2013

Draft Recap

One thing is clear from this draft by the Browns, they do not think they can win now, and they are right. The rest of the division is comprised of playoff caliber teams and, with a new regime taking over, Cleveland is looking to build toward the future. With their limited picks the team managed to solidify their defense with some solid talent.

Fantasy Impact

None of the Browns’ draft selections are going to be making an impact in fantasy this year. Its possible that Barkevios Mingo could turn into a sack specialist in the future, but he is raw and will take some time to develop. Leon McFadden, has the potential to form quite the tandem with Joe Haden at the corner spot making this area a strength for the rebuilding defense.

Keep an eye on Cleveland’s defensive unit in fantasy, if these draft picks catch on it could allow the Browns to be much more aggressive on that side of the football, leaving both corners in man coverage and coming after the quarterback from all angles. I expect to see a rise in their sack total by the end of the season, and they should be a good spot start based on the matchups.

The other major takeaway from this draft is that the Cleveland offense will be all Trent Richardson in 2013, as it should be. This is both a blessing and a curse for fantasy owners and T-Rich figures to get plenty of touches during the upcoming season, but with the limited explosiveness on the outside, defense will key on the running back. Richardson also battled injuries during his rookie campaign and we can’t help but think that the Browns’ would be wise to find another back to ease some of the workload despite. With almost no offensive talent joining this team in the draft, it’s a bit difficult to get excited about the prospect of Brandon Weeden and Josh Gordon becoming solid fantasy starters.

Draft Results

Posted By:Justin Bell on May 7, 2013

Draft Recap

Now this is the kind of draft a fantasy player can get excited about. With out having any glaring needs, the Bengals were able to take the best player available that gave to grab the most value for their first roundpick. They did just that, selecting tight end Tyler Eifert out of Notre Dame. Their second round pick was another great one, this time addressing an area of slight need with UNC running back Giovani Bernard. The rest of the draft they added depth to their Defense and O-Line.

Fantasy Impact

Eifert has a chance to be one of the top-5 fantasy performers out of this draft class, he is that talented. Adding the athletic tight end to the combination of  A.J. Green and Jermaine Gresham will give Andy Dalton a great set of weapons to work with as the Red Rocket attempts to tale the next step on his developmental path. The addition of Eifert will benefit Green as the speedy tight end will draw coverage to the inside of the field, taking away the coverage that usually find it’s way to Green on the outside. While there is some worry that adding a new tight end in the mix will cut into Gresham’s work, there is plenty of room for a pair of productive tight ends in the new NFL.

Bernard has the chance to step in and be an immediate impact and possibly take over as the workhorse back early in the season. This guy has been compared to Ray Rice… and that guy is pretty good (Editor’s Note: and all this coming from a Steelers Fan!). I can see him having a season very similar to what we saw from Doug Martin last year. Needless to say, this is a guy who you should target in fantasy drafts. We will have to see how things pan out in training camp with competition from BenJarvis Green-Ellis and Bernard Scott, but expect the Law Firm to be splitting time with a new partner in Giovani Bernard by week 5.

None of the other draft picks will show immediate fantasy impact beyond adding depth on both sides of the football, but both Eifert and Bernard should be on your draft boards.

Draft Results

Posted By:Justin Bell on May 3, 2013

Draft Recap

The Ravens did in the draft pretty much what they have done so far in free agency this season, address areas of need on defense and fail to get Joe Flacco a play-maker to run opposite of Torrey Smith. Yes, Baltimore has had a very good offseason rebuilding their defense and did add a nice piece to their offense in Harvard Full Back Kyle Juszczyk, but waited until pick No. 238 to select the only other offensive skill position player they took in this draft, Elon Wide Receiver Aaron Mellette.

Fantasy Impact

Mellette has the size and strength to be a good pro, but lacks top end speed and did not face top competition playing in the Southern Conference. He is raw–a longer term project–and will take some time to develop. Keep an eye on this guy through training camp though, if he catches on, he has the ability to step into the role vacated by Anquan Boldin.

Juszczyk will allow the offense to be a little bit more versatile with out changing around personnel as much, but I wouldn’t be looking for much fantasy impact from him. He should turn out to be a very good pro, but the role he will play will not allow him to consistently put up high fantasy point totals. I love this pick, however,  from a football stand point.

With the additions of Matt Elam and Arthur Brown to fill their two glaring needs on the defensive side of the ball as well as adding quality depth to their front seven, this draft will help to return Baltimore to being more than just a fill in fantasy start.

Baltimore waited until late to address their need on the interior of the offensive line. And what they got is what you find in the 5th and 6th round, some high upside picks that still need to develop and prove they will be successful at this level. We will have to wait and see what the impact is on Ray Rice and the running game, but I don’t expect it to be great.

Draft Results