First Fantasy Draft of the Year
By Guest Writer EJ McKinley:
As a fantasy football writer I obviously have to play fantasy football. So just the other day the first of one of my many teams had its draft. I would like to share how my draft went down so you as the reader can see my fantasy strategy in action. Note: I play in a standard scoring league.
First Round: 
I was lucky to have the first overall pick in my draft. All the talk of late has been on the running backs. With my choice I went with Drew Brees. Everyone in my draft was stunned I didn’t take a running back. I couldn’t understand why. Brees scored the most points in standard leagues last season and he also has head coach Sean Payton back. What’s not to like?
Second Round:
With the quarterback position locked down and a few of the top receivers already taken I looked to the running back position. I licked my chops when Stevan Ridley fell to me. Ridley’s stock is rising as the New England Patriots lose receivers one by one.
Third Round:
By the time the third round rolled around I nearly took a receiver. But I want a strong tandem at running back so I decided to take Frank Gore. San Francisco lost its key receiver to a season ending injury so Frank Gore was all the more palatable.
Fourth Round:
Here I am in the fourth round and Wes Welker is still on the board. Welker is an amazing talent and I don’t care if he plays the slot or not. The guy is going to catch a lot of balls. This was a big steal for me.
Fifth Round:
Not a tight end had been touched by this point (besides Jimmy Graham). With the receivers fizzing out, I jumped on Tony Gonzalez. With this being Gonzalez’s last year I think it will be his best.
Sixth Round:
Despite my 2nd receiver spot still unfilled I couldn’t help but jump on Darren Sproles. He is the perfect player for that 3rd WR/RB spot in standard formats. That’s how I plan to use him.
Seventh Round:
Carolina’s Steve Smith was still on the board so I had to pick him. He is falling in most drafts but I think he’s going to really pick it up this season. Carolina is heading in the right direction.
Eighth Round:
In the 8th round I found my backup QB in Eli Manning. Manning fell hard and I am giddy to have him as a backup.
Ninth Round:
In the ninth round I got a real steal. Steve Johnson out of Buffalo is a major sleeper. I took him and expect a monster breakout season.
Tenth Round:
I picked another steal in Tavon Austin in the tenth round. Austin was picked 8th overall by the Rams and is already slotted to be the number one receiver in St. Louis.
Eleventh Round:
Continuing with the steal theme here I drafted Rashard Mendenhall. Mendenhall is way underrated. Get ‘em while they’re hot… Or cold. He’s cold right now but he’ll be red hot during the season.
Twelfth Round:
Heath Miller is dropping my friends. I had him rated all the way at 3 on my top 20 tight ends. What I didn’t think about was his ACL tear last year. Once he comes back he will be great. I’m fine with having him sit while he’s injured. I’ve got an All Pro starting ahead of him.
Thirteenth Round:
I was looking at defenses by this point but all the better ones had been picked up. So I took my favorite kicker in David Akers. Akers is a secret weapon. He can be a major game changer and get you those few points you need to win tight games.
Fourteenth Round:
The time was ripe to pick a defense so when the Rams popped up I felt it was the way to go. The Rams are building a strong defense that could be the top sleeper in terms of defenses this season.
Fifteenth Round:
Most people are done by this point, but every pick counts. I wanted an electric, dynamic, and young player. Tyler Eifert was my man. If something happens to Gonzalez and Heath is not ready to go. I can count on Eifert to go in and score some points. Eifert can also be expendable if I want to hit the waiver wire.
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