12. BN
A. Brown, D. Bryant, A. Luck, B. Cooks, P. Manning, G. Olsen, L. Fitzgerald, M. Bryant
Fun fact: failing to draft a running back with your first 8 draft picks will leave you with a rather large hole in your team. If only our league employed the rarely seen RB/QB roster spot, that would bump this team up the rankings. Shame, because the receiving corps is next level stuff.
11. B
L. McCoy, O. Beckham, C. Hyde, J. Stewart, I. Crowell, V. Jackson, B. LaFell, D. Martin
Some very solid starters here (did anyone mention we weren’t doing keepers this year?) but, QB and TE remains empty and, with 12 QBs already taken, the weekly matchup based starter is looming. Nevertheless, McCoy and Beckham are going to win you some games by themselves.
10. IKNAN
R. Gronkowski, J. Jones, M. Gordon, T. Coleman, G. Bernard, D. Brees, T. Romo, J. Randle
A roster that looks more complete than it is, still lacking a starting wide receiver and doubling down on rookie runners. The two QB strategy being deployed again here, better be one heck of a bye week. The reason they are above B? Gronk.
9. TDT
C.J. Anderson, C. Johnson, T. Gurley, T.J. Yeldon, R. Jennings, C.J. Spiller, A. Robinson, B. Roethlisberger
A solid but decidedly average roster so far, relying on Megatron regaining some of his dominance from a couple of seasons ago. Again, lots of faith placed in rookie runners, but some solid backups waiting in the wings.
8. TTY
J. Hill, D. Thomas, J. Forsett, F. Gore, J. Maclin, A. Johnson, J. Landry, M. Ryan
Very similar to TDT in that only Thomas stands out as a true game changer, other than that another fairly mediocre roster. Jumps ahead of TDT by avoiding the high risk rookies however.
In case you hadn’t noticed: teams 8-12 in the power rankings? Why they would be teams 8-12 in the draft order. Hmmmmmmmm.
7. JS
A. Peterson, M. Ingram, L. Miller, A. Ellington, D. Jackson, M. Floyd, A. Abdullah, M. Colston, M. Wallace
Very solid starting roster, with a fearsome stable of runners and arguably the best depth league-wide at this stage. Another team waiting on both a QB and a TE, similarly to B, which could hold back an otherwise talented roster.
6. ADRZ
L. Bell, M. Evans, E. Sanders, A. Cooper, J. Graham, C. Ivory, S. Smith, P. Rivers, R. Tannehill
Our first team with 7 starters in place! And also the start of an interesting segment in the power rankings where very solid rosters are being dragged down by the RB2, Chris Ivory please step forward. When Bell returns from suspension, this will be a tough group to face.
5. P
E. Lacy, A. Jeffery, D. Hopkins, J. Edelman, R. Wilson, C. Ivory, M. Bennett, R. White
Who is the RB2 going to be this time? Why it’s Shane Vereen, or more to the point, why is it Shane Vereen!? The reason they get the nod over ADRZ is down to a RB1 that gets to start on day 1 and a more productive QB in Wilson.
4. TTY
J. Charles, A.J. Green, A. Rodgers, S. Watkins, K. White, J. Thomas, C. Sims, G. Tate, D. Freeman
And with the final instalment to our thrilling series, we have Charles Sims, holding back an otherwise loaded roster. A reunion with Charles and A-Rod would be a dream come true for this coach and would surely have them pushing for yet another playoff berth.
Note to BN: with pick no. 99 overall, TTY selected Devonta Freeman. You will be starting two RBs selected after Devonta Freeman. Just some food for thought.
3. GG
A. Foster, R. Cobb, T.Y. Hilton, J. Bell, J. Matthews, D. McFadden, T. Brady, R. Matthews, T. Smith
Kicking off the top 3 and would be higher if most of the RBs names didn’t start with a big ‘IR’. High octane receiving corps and once again they just couldn’t resist the allure of Tom Terrific. Whilst a suspension would hurt them, I wouldn’t fancy facing this team in week 6.
2. FF
M. Lynch, J. Nelson, K. Benjamin, L. Murray, L. Blount, E. Decker, A. Gates, B. Sankey
Early contender for the prestigious title of ‘Most Improved’ here, a solid set of starters and decent depth options on the bench. This team is a QB away from being a powerhouse, but they are going to have to find a gem late in the draft or the waivers beckon.
1. TR
M. Forte, D. Murray, A. Morris, K. Allen, B. Marshall, T. Kelce, C. Newton, T. Mason
Easy choice for the number 1 spot, boasting the most complete starting roster in the league at this stage, fuelled by a dominating set of RBs. The rest of the draft remains for some high (well, higher than Tre Mason) ceiling players, whilst leaving them in the best position to make a run at a top Defence.
