Staff Fantasy Football Draft Recap: Analysis of Our 14-Team PPR League
Round 5
| Pick | Overall | Team | First Name | Last Name | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 57 | Leo Howell | Fred | Jackson | RB |
| 2 | 58 | Sam Hauss | Kendall | Wright | WR |
| 3 | 59 | Ari Ross | Trent | Richardson | RB |
| 4 | 60 | JJ Zachariason | Marques | Colston | WR |
| 5 | 61 | Brandon Gdula | Ray | Rice | RB |
| 6 | 62 | Michael Comerford | Bishop | Sankey | RB |
| 7 | 63 | Galin Dragiev | Golden | Tate | WR |
| 8 | 64 | Sean Wirth | Terrance | Williams | WR |
| 9 | 65 | Justin Thompson | Julian | Edelman | WR |
| 10 | 66 | Kenneth Cook | Stevan | Ridley | RB |
| 11 | 67 | Matt Grasso | Chris | Johnson | RB |
| 12 | 68 | Daniel Lindsey | Steven | Jackson | RB |
| 13 | 69 | Greg Bucki | Danny | Woodhead | RB |
| 14 | 70 | AJ Weinberg | Jeremy | Maclin | WR |
Ignore the name at the top of the board here. We'll get to that in a minute.
The fifth round saw the running back well dry up quickly, as Danny Woodhead and Stevan Ridley get snapped up just over 60 picks into the proceedings. With the lack of quarterbacks and tight ends off the board so far, running backs and wide receivers are thinning out faster than usual, and drafters are reaching to make sure they have enough good players at those spots.
However, with three running backs already in place, JJ adds Marques Colston, a safe bet to produce in the high-powered New Orleans offense this season. Colston has produced a Reception NEP between 90 and 115 in every season of his career except for 2008, a testament to just how consistent he and the Saints have been over that time.
My pick: Fred Jackson, RB, Buffalo Bills - With a big gap between this pick and my next pick, I decided to put my bold prediction into action and select Fred Jackson in the early fifth round. Jackson is the better running back (according to our metrics he was top-five among runners with 200 or more carries) on a team that will run the ball a ton this season (they were among the five run-heaviest teams last year).
Combine that with the lack of talent left at the position, and my fears of not getting a worthwhile player at the position at the end of the next round, I reached for a player I am confident in exceeding his expectations. This pick might seem crazy, but according to our cheat sheet, it's actually a couple of picks later than his value in this format.
