MAC Fantasy Football League: The Draft

Recently the guys at Hustle Belt decided we wanted to start a fantasy football league formed of only players from the Mid-American Conference. There are eight teams in the league with a 15 round draft, making things pretty difficult to find relevant players once we got past the first few rounds. However, we gave it our best shot and I think everyone in the league is excited about one of their potential "sleeper" picks.

Paul:

My fantasy team hinges on the performance of Matt Johnson. If Matt Johnson performs as well I think he could be unstoppable. There is no other player in the MAC who can put up 30-40 points every night the way Johnson can. I also paired Johnson with receivers Dieter and Burbrink to get extra points when BG plays. My running backs are OK with Durham, Abrokwah and Woodley. My other receivers are Akron studs D’Orazio and Bickley as well as sleeper Alfred Ardarkwah from UMass. My fantasy team goes wherever Matty J goes, which will be far.

Ian:

During the first round of the fantasy draft I wanted a good quarterback so I wouldn’t have to pick an UMass quarterback (sorry UMass fans). I locked in on Joe Licata and with the 8^th picked I pulled the trigger. Since I knew wouldn’t get to pick for a long time I went with Alonzo Russell. I wanted Toledo’s best players and I got them. In rounds following it got harder and harder to find players who played last year. Hopefully players like Kent State wide receiver Josh Boyle and Central Michigan running back Thomas Rawls will have big years for their respective teams.

Jesse:

I had two very different draft strategies for this draft. The first was to rely on research, grab starting RB's and WR's and a middle of the road QB late. Positional scarcity is higher in this draft than an average draft since there's only 13 teams, so starters are a must. The second strategy was make draft picks away from my computer, realize that I only knew UMass player names in the later rounds, and draft them. This turned out to be the less successful of the two strategies.

Alex:

I'll be honest: fantasy football is not my forte. That's in large part due to the fact that fantasy football is absolutely stupid. If it weren't stupid, then explain to me how I got Dwight Macon in the final round of the draft. I'll tell you why: it's because none of these other bozos have ever seen a game of football and only joined this thing because "The League" is a really funny show and everybody just wants to channel in with their inner Ruxin. Well guess what? Me, Jahwan Edwards and Chase Cochran are going to be bringing home the Shiva this year.

Bryan:

First, let me explain why I wasted a second-round pick on a player that won’t play until week five: I panicked. Picking in the second half of the first round I took what I thought was the best available player, hoping to snag Kareem Hunt on the swing around. Jesse is a punk and took Hunt. So I took the biggest name running back left.

After a few rounds I realized these guys don’t know anyone outside of their own teams, and just did my thing. But in case I suck I named my team appropriately: We are, Gridiron Barnacles.

Fitz:

Drafting 3rd (and then 5th in the next round) left me with a plethora of choices, and I had to pick-up Hill, who surprisingly was left after Alex picked Edwards at #2. Coming back around, I wanted a WR, and with both Davis's off the board, Lewis is a solid guy who will give me both rushing and receiving stats.

After that, it gets murky. A lack of decent running-backs and QBs forced me to pick-up spare parts at time. Tyreese Russell is the best TE in the MAC in my opinion, and snatching him up before Alex could with the very next pick was crucial. That spot is locked down. Getting Rush with my next pick was also critical, as he is probably the 4th best QB with a guaranteed spot (and probably the last).

Dareyon Chance and Ball State's D/ST are also solid pick-ups, and my steal of the draft has to be Derrius Vick in Round 9 (again, before Bryan could pick him up this time). My one regret is picking Jon'Vea Johnson over Dwight Macon in the last round. How I missed Macon, I'll never know. But if these freshmen can produce, this is a solid team. However, that's a BIG if.

Mike:

Going into the draft I wanted either Kyle Pohl or Joe Licata at quarterback. Quarterbacks are the most consistent scorers in the MAC so at the fifth pick I wanted to get a top QB. I'm very excited about getting running back Dawan Scott in the ninth round. Keith Harris Jr. is another guy who could be a sleeper. I took a flier on Rob Bolden as my backup quarterback over Andrew Hendrix because Bolden has a higher ceiling (along with a higher likelihood to be irrelevant) even though it is not known if Bolden will start under center for Eastern Michigan. Overall, I'm excited about my team and its potential.

Keith:

I definitely wanted to go running back in the first round. The MAC has a number of talented receivers, and at the time of the draft so many quarterback battles were left unresolved. With Edwards off the board, Greene was an easy pick. I'm happy to have a Ball State quarterback on my team, but again, at the time of the draft we did not know who would start the season under center for the Cardinals. I drafted Mann with fingers crossed, then snatched up Jack Milas with my next pick, who I project to be the starter should Mann not work out.

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