2016-2017 Draft Grades
The 2016-2017
season has officially begun as this years King of the Shack draft has now been
completed. Team owners are now scrambling to look over their rosters,
determining which players might need to be traded down the road, and which
players they are going to ride and die with all the way into the playoffs. It
goes without saying that this year is going to shape up into an all time great
season with so many owners having great drafts!
This year the
King of the Shack Fantasy Football League was able to host a live draft at The
Shack which allowed for old and new friends to reminisce on past fantasy
football losses and that time Luke picked Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson in the
same year, both of whom missed the entire season. As the draft commenced is was
the man himself, Luke Drachenberg who took over the reigns with the 1st
overall pick and proved to make some great improvements to his roster over last
year.
At the closing
of the draft, it was clear that wide receivers were again the hottest commodity
on the market, but interestingly enough, it was the quarterbacks that seemed
the hardest to come by. Below are the draft grades and analysis for each team
that participated in this year’s draft, ranking from best overall draft to
worst. In a few short weeks, the owners will put their management skills to the
test and prepare for what is to be a long hard fought season for the Shack
Daddy trophy. Stay tuned!
(A-) Gronkemon Go
– Justin
Justin did it
again, proving that expert draft advice and doing your homework can take you
from the #9 spot in the draft and move you to the top of the draft class. With
a little luck, and a lot of thought and skill Justin was able to assemble a
great squad of players for this year and is already projected to have an 85%
chance of making the playoffs with the best record, and a 19% chance of winning
the entire King of the Shack Fantasy Football League. With Russell Wilson
running wild on opposing defenses, and assuming a healthy Gronkowski can put up
another 200 points, Justin will be able to rely on his supporting cast to carry
him the rest of the way. Player to watch
Jarvis Landry-WR
(B) Silly Nannies
- Jake
After all was
said and done, the auto draft seemed to work out in Jake’s favor as he has an
overall 12% chance of winning the league championship. While this may seem like
a meager number, make no mistake that Silly Nannies will be looking to live up
to the hype as Jake leads his team in its first season in the league. The right
players fell right into Jake’s lap as he acquired Adrian Peterson with the 13th
overall pick, after being projected to go #3. On top of that, Silly Nannies drafted
arguably the best fantasy quarterback in Cam Newton, and will look to rely
heavily on his dual-threat ability to carry his team into the playoff race.
While it may take a bit of team management, Jake should be able to win
approximately 7 out of his 13 matchups which should give him about a 70% chance
of making some noise in the playoffs. Hopefully next year he is able to attend
the draft to truly prove his skills, but we will let it slide for the time
being.
Player to watch Willie Snead-WR
(B-) Favre Dollar
Footlong – Nathan
Nathan made some
solid strides in this years King of the Shack Fantasy Football draft, picking
from the #4 spot in this years draft, Nathan was able to assemble a great
variety of WR’s in Julio Jones, and Brandon Marshall and add power running back
Mark Ingram to the mix to solidify the balanced attack that Favre Dollar
Footlong was able to form. After an early exit in last year’s playoffs, Nathan
will hope to further his chances of victory this year and seems to be on the
right track for the 2016-2017 season. Nathan is projected a 65% chance of
making the playoffs this year, and while he is only favored to win about 7 out
of the 13 matchups in the season, with some savvy team management, and a little
luck, he may be able to grab one of the top seeds in this years playoffs.
Player to watch Duke Johnson Jr.-RB
(C+) Suh Girls One
Cup – Zac
Suh Girls One
Cup, formerly known as Juan Sucks, is looking to rebound after a disappointing
finish to last years season where he found himself sitting in 6th
place at the end of the season. Entering this years draft, it was clear that
Zac had done his scouting, and was prepared to make a name for himself in the
King of the Shack Fantasy Football league once again. Drafting out of the #3
spot, Suh Girls One Cup will look to build it’s name around up and coming
running back Todd Gurley who burst into the NFL scene last year after
recovering from knee surgery. Now healthy and with a full training camp under
his belt, Gurley along with Lamar Miller, Eric Decker and Andrew Luck will look
to improve on what was a bust season for Zac last year. Zac is favored to win
6.7 percent of his matchups this year, and has a 10% chance with his team to
win the league. If his players can stay healthy, Suh Girls One Cup should find
their way into the mix of the playoffs at the end of the season and will hope
to once again bring home the Shack Daddy trophy. Player to watch Josh Gordon-WR
(C) Juan
Direction- Luke
Arguably already
the most improved team thanks in large part to the crafty owner, Luke
Drachenberg, Juan Direction assembled the pieces to what could be the first
winning season for Luke since the history of the King of the Shack Fantasy
Football league. Against all Internet connectivity odds, Juan Direction was
live streamed from hundreds of miles away to make this years season a little
more interesting. After finishing on a high note in the 2015 season, Luke made
it a point to prepare to make a push for the 2016-2017 playoffs this season and
after analyzing the draft, it appears he is well on his way. Juan Direction
will rely heavily on speedy WR Antonio Brown, and bounce back player Doug
Martin to march his team into the playoffs. With kicker Josh Brown suspended
for the first two games it will be imperative that the rest of the team
performs while Brown sits in Rodger Goodell’s naughty chair. Luke is predicted
to win over 6 of his matchups, and while he just has a 50% chance in making it
into the playoffs, if he is able to do so, the matchups that are available to
him give him almost a 10% chance of winning the entire league. We will
anxiously watch as Juan Direction will attempt to do what no juan has done
before. Player to watch Le’Veon Bell-RB
(C) Team Prime –
Tyler
Newcomer Tyler
Prime will look to ruffle the feathers of a few other owners this season, as he
chose the route of drafting some of the brightest futures in this years
2016-2017 King of the Shack Fantasy Football draft. With a roster headlined by
start WR Keenan Allen, and Allen Robinson, Team Prime will look to veteran QB’s
Carson Palmer and Andy Dalton to lead the way for the rest of his offensive
fire power. With those numbers alone, Team Prime is slated to land the #6 seed
in this years playoffs and has a 10% chance of taking home the grand prize, but
that will only apply if Tyler is able to manage the highly talented roster that
he boasts. Rookie running back Ezekiel Elliot and WR Doug Baldwin will also
look to add points to the mix as they enter the season with very high
expectations for their performances. Can they live up to hype?
Player to Watch Ezekiel Elliot-RB
(D+) Hernandez
Hitmen – Noah
The reigning
champ sits in a bit of a whole to start of the 2016-2017 King of the Shack
Fantasy Football season. While he may have won the WR position battle, with
names such as Odell Beckam Jr, Randall Cobb, and Bradin Cooks, Hernandez Hitmen
is severely lacking in all of the other major positions. He will look for
interception prone Phillip Rivers, and inconsistent Ryan Tannehill to lead
their respective offenses into the endzone if Noah has any hopes of making it
into the playoffs this year. He is being given a 6% chance of making it into
the league and has only a 50% chance of being one of the top 6 teams to make it
into the playoffs. What does this mean? Hernandez Hitmen will have to utilize
every skillset whether it be by waiver wire, or by trade to boost his chances
of defending his championship trophy this year. Player to watch Eddie Lacy-RB
(D) Juan Too Many
– Josh
After a late
surge in last years regular season and playoffs, Juan Too Many was left hungry
for victory heading into the 2016-2017 season. After months of deliberating and
planning Josh attempting to build off of a steady performance last year, but
unfortunately will have his work cut out for him again this year. Coming into
the start of this year, Juan Too Many has only a 48% chance of making the King
of the Shack Fantasy Football playoffs, but if he is able to do so, he boasts
near 14% chance of winning the title if he makes it past the first round.
Quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady will be firing on all cylinders
towards the end of the season, and it is just the first half of the year that
Juan Too Many will have to work a few odds and ends out to end up in playoff
contention. Devonte Freeman and new Seahawks workhorse RB Thomas Rawls will
give Josh the balance of both receptions in the backfield and touchdown
opportunities in the redzone. However, the true X factor will be Mike Evans and
Demaryius Thomas, both coming off less than stellar seasons, if they are able
to perform at a high level, watch out for Juan Too Many. Player to Watch Michael Crabtree-WR
(D) Mr. Rodger’s
Neighborhood – Juan
Juan finished
the 2015-2016 season in 3rd place after getting hot quick in the playoffs
and fighting into the consolation championship game. While the draft may have
followed that night of his birthday celebrations, Juan appeared to be in
midseason form already with aspirations of finally winning that elusive King of
the Shack Fantasy Football championship. While the letter grade may not do it
justice quite yet, Mr. Rodger’s Neighborhood does have a great deal of
potential to make some noise in the upcoming fantasy football season. If Jamaal
Charles, Carlos Hyde and Dez Bryant call all stay healthy and have consistent
performances, Juan should be able to rely on quarterbacks Derek Carr and Drew
Brees to have standout seasons which should be able to win Mr. Rodger’s
Neighborhood more than the 6 games that he is projected to win. While the schedule
may be tough, it is clear that Juan is desperate to win and will fight at all
costs to make the playoffs.
Player to Watch DeMarco Murray-RB
(D-) Ballz Deep! –
Matt
Hey rookie!
Welcome to the NFL! Ballz Deep went out on a limb for the start of the
2016-2017 season and decided to overload his lineup with running backs and wide
receivers, while waiting until the 9th round to draft a mediocre
quarterback. While the move may appear at the moment to be a fatal mistake,
Matt is a seasoned vet in the fantasy football realm and did show his poise by
landing two solid defenses, and a wide receiving core that could put up some
incredible offensive numbers this year. Ballz Deep will truly need Jeremy Hill
and C.J Anderson to perform to their fullest capability this year if Matt wants
any chance at making it into the playoffs. Ballz Deep is projected to win 5 out
of the 13 games this year and will need to make some clutch moves this season
in order to sneak into the playoffs come that time of the year.
Player to watch Kelvin Benjamin-WR
