Fantasy Football: King's Classic Draft Recap

Instead of being in the glorious Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, I sat in front of my computer in my parent’s house representing Fantasy Alarm in the third annual King’s Classic. No, I don’t live at home anymore, but am getting married in less than a week, so I’m back home doing last minute wedding preparations. It was a different feel for the event, but better than not doing it at all!

As always, we competed in a snake and auction draft, and as a member of the Jim Brown division, it was a loaded room with many well-respected individuals in our beloved industry. Let’s take a look at some of the specs of the draft, including league rules and participants, before we dive into my team.

The snake draft and auction draft are both set up the way in terms of a PPR scoring format, and a starting lineup that features the following: 1 QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, 1TE, and 3 flex spots.

SNAKE

Without further ado, let’s take a look at the full draft board and Fantasy Alarm’s horse in this 14-team race:

Let’s break down the picks in order:

1.2 – Saquon Barkley , RB NYG

Easy pick here. It was McCaffery or Barkley, as this decision is for most.

2.27 – David Johnson , RB HOU

He’s one of my guys this year, and in a draft full of experts, you get your guys, even if that means pushing them up a bit above their average draft position (ADP). I took Johnson at pick 27, second to last pick of the 2^nd round, as the 17^th running back off the board. Per NFFC data, he’s RB22 at pick 42, so overall not too far off. For me, once I saw all the running backs go early, I knew Johnson was going to be my guy here. I like him more than Le’Veon Bell, Chris Carson and Melvin Gordon , guys that went shortly thereafter. This is a hill I’m willing to die on this year.

As long as he stays healthy, volume is not a concern, and O’Brien will feed him. I’m confident.

3.30 – JuJu Smith-Schuster , WR PIT

It was JuJu or DJ Moore for me here, but ultimately, went with Pittsburgh’s top wideout. I’m buying into a bounce-back year for Smith-Schuster will Big Ben back under center. JuJu should be a top 10 receiver this season, but in that offense, he has top-5 upside.

4.55 – Tyler Boyd , WR CIN

Insert Joe Burrow into the lineup and the return of a hopefully healthy A.J. Green should bode well for Boyd. Over the past two years, he’s averaged 17.44 fantasy points per game when Green has played, and 13.85 when Green hasn’t, per RotoViz. Loved the value here. I thought I would have to be making a decision between Chark and Boyd, but Patrick Daugherty made that easier for me.

5.58 – Zach Ertz , TE PHI

Honestly, I was incredibly surprised he was still here. If you consider Ertz as being outside of the big three at the tight end position, with Andrews as his replacement, you’ll understand my surprise. Travis Kelce , George Kittle and Andrews went at picks 19, 21 and 24 respectively. We got Ertz at pick 58! Crazy value here. Sure, Dallas Goedert is in the mix, but Ertz has at least 74 receptions and 816 yards in each of the last five seasons!

6.83 – Jamison Crowder , WR NYJ

When Dave Richard took Deshaun Watson two picks before this one, we had to shift gears a bit. I just queued up Marvin Jones of the Detroit Lions, but Bob Lung scooped him up. So, next up was Jamison Crowder . He should get plenty of targets on a bad team that is playing from behind a good bit. As you can see, I like wide receivers that get plenty of targets, and while Crowder doesn’t contain elite upside, he’s an excellent WR3 in PPR formats with his high floor.

7.86 – Jordan Howard , RB MIA

After targeting other positions, I was pleasantly surprised to scoop up Howard. It’s been reported he’ll get the lion’s share of the attempts, and with a revamped defense, the Miami Dolphins should find themselves in the thick of things more often than years past. Ryan Fitzpatrick and rookie Tua Tagovailoa should keep the offense in games, and Howard should be a solid fantasy asset, especially here at pick 86 as my RB3.

8.111 – Ke’Shawn Vaughn, RB TAM

Bruce Arians’ comments on Ronald Jones and the signing of LeSean McCoy deflated some of the hype around Vaughn. I’m happy to buy in here as my RB4. A few weeks ago, it would have been a pipe dream to get him here, especially with Brad Evans in the draft room.

9.114 – Matt Ryan , QB ATL

Much like Jamison Crowder , Ryan isn’t the flashiest play, but he’s a yearly QB1 and the team should be pass-happy playing from behind with great frequency. There’s plenty of talent on offense, so give me the stability here with Ryan. I battled with not taking Carson Wentz here, but ultimately, safety and security won out.

10.139 – Brandon Aiyuk, WR SF

Aiyuk should be a YAC (yards after catch) monster in San Francisco and is primed for an increased role while Deebo Samuel deals with his foot injury. Even upon the latter’s return, Aiyuk should be able to stay on the field and have a nice role. He might not necessarily be a possession receiver, but the big play ability is there in this crafty, yet low passing volume offense.

11.142 – Robby Anderson , WR CAR

Here’s to hoping Teddy Bridgewater actually throws the ball downfield in 2020. Fingers crossed!

12.167 – Jace Sternberger, TE GB

I waited too long for a backup tight end, but there’s some upside with Sternberger in Green Bay. Sure, Aaron Rodgers doesn’t use the tight ends often, but I’ll take a flier on Sternberger. In a perfect world, Ian Thomas or Jonnu Smith would have slipped a few spots, but Bob Harris and Dave Richard made sure that didn’t happen.

13.170 – Laviska Shenault Jr., WR JAX

I love Shenault, and I think he’s so talented with the football in his hands that Jacksonville is going to get creative using him. I prefer him to Westbrook, and there should be plenty of balls to go around with Jacksonville likely playing from behind on a weekly basis. They’ll move him all around the field, and finds way to get the football in his hands. In 2018 and 2019, he caught 142 balls and carried the ball 42 times (6.7 YPC).

14.195 – Gardner Minshew, QB JAX

Backup quarterback, but Minshew is a sneaky asset. He’s very good with his legs, there’s some weaker secondaries in his division, and garbage time fantasy points count the same as close contests!

15.198 – Kenny Stills , WR HOU

Stills has a knack for making big plays, and while he has some durability concerns for himself, he’s a smooth route runner that should find ways to get open when on the field for 2020 MVP hopeful Deshaun Watson .

16.223 – Dion Lewis , RB NYG

Barkley’s handcuff. That is all.

Final thoughts: Overall, I like the team, especially for a 14-team setup. It’s rather balanced with a top option at each position, and I believe to have found a solid blend of stability and security, as well as upside. This team really hinges on David Johnson early (RB17 overall), as well as some of the youngsters (Shenault, Vaughn) returning value in their rookie season.

AUCTION DRAFT

As a reminder, the auction draft follows the same rules as the snake draft. It is a PPR scoring format with a starting lineup that features the following: 1 QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, 1TE, and 3 flex spots.

SNAKE

Let’s take a look at Fantasy Alarm’s horse in this race:

Alvin Kamara , RB NO - $60

I was hoping to lock him in at $58, but $60 it was. I’m fine with this price for Kamara, who should be a PPR machine yet again.

Derrick Henry , RB TEN - $42

Yes, it’s PPR, but still a great price for one of the front-runners to lead the league in rushing in 2020. I was ecstatic to get Henry at just $42, over $20 cheaper than McCaffery and nearly $20 less than Kamara. He caught 18 balls last year (11.4 Y/R), so if Tennessee actually uses him more, Henry at $42 could end up being one of the biggest draft day values.

Julio Jones , WR ATL - $44

Needed a top-tier wideout, and Julio is just that. He’s notched 1,400 receiving yards in five of the last six seasons, and as long as the touchdowns are there, he’s a slam dunk pick.

Deshaun Watson , QB HOU - $10

2020 MVP candidate! I’m all in, as if that is any surprise. I’m excited about what he will do in 2020 with more speed on the outside than ever before, and with a lack of height in the red zone, he could notch another rushing score or two! Elite passer and runner.

Tevin Coleman , RB SF - $6

Cheap way to get a piece of the vicious San Francisco running attack. Best case scenario, he’s the 1A to Raheem Mostert and a weekly flex starter for the squad.

Anthony Miller , WR CHI - $8

Miller should get plenty of run in the offense as the clear-cut WR2 behind Allen Robinson . Taylor Gabriel is no longer in the mix, and since 2018, Miller has averaged nearly four more fantasy points per game when Gabriel was out of the lineup. Nice value here, but I have concerns with him as my WR2.

Duke Johnson , RB HOU - $4

Houston didn’t use Duke as much in the passing game as they likely should have, but he still totaled 820 total yards with five touchdowns in a complementary role with Carlos Hyde . He’ll serve as the complement to David Johnson in 2020, and Houston has reported that under Tim Kelly’s play-calling leadership, we may see more sets with both Johnson and Johnson in the backfield. If he repeats what he did last year, that should be just fine for $4.

Justin Jefferson, WR MIN - $7

Jefferson is one of my favorite rookie receivers. He’ll step in from Day 1 as the team’s number two receiver behind Adam Thielen , and his smooth route running and reliable hands should become rather appealing to quarterback Kirk Cousins . He could be the top scoring rookie receiver this season, and it likely wouldn’t surprise anyone.

Jared Cook , TE NO - $2

I was stingy and didn’t get Evan Engram , who was the guy I wanted, but Cook isn’t a bad consolation prize, especially for a couple dollars. Can’t be too upset, but not particular enthralled by the pick either.

Hunter Renfrow, WR LV - $3

Despite Henry Ruggs supposedly starting and/or getting plenty of reps in the slot, Renfrow will still get his run there and he proved to be super effective last year in spurts, especially down the stretch. Back-to-back 100 yard performances with nine targets and a touchdown in each contest spark optimism for 2020, despite the added weapons.

Latavius Murray , RB NO - $4

Kamara’s handcuff, and arguably one of the most productive in fantasy. I had to ensure I ended with him on the squad.

Allen Lazard , WR GB - $4

Lazard is the likely WR2 in Green Bay and had a nice rapport with Aaron Rodgers down the stretch in 2019. If Rodgers trusts you, you’ll get opportunities, if not, well, you know how that story ends. Over the last five games in 2019, he caught 16 balls for 250 yards and two scores, which comes out to 51 grabs for 800 yards and six touchdowns over a full 16 games. That’s not too shabby for four bucks!

Ryan Tannehill , QB TEN - $1

He was the last of the quarterbacks left that I felt comfortable rostering. I don’t love it, but in a perfect world, he only plays one week for me, or I trade him to a QB-needy team for a better asset.

Ian Thomas , TE CAR - $3

Thomas has been one of my favorite cheap/late-round tight ends this season. He’s very athletic and is the team’s top tight end. Carolina added a weapon or two in the passing game, but Thomas can be a serviceable asset in the middle of the field for Bridgewater.

Josh Reynolds , WR LAR - $1

Reynolds will play in three receiver sets, and an injury to Cooper Kupp or Robert Woods thrusts him into WR3 territory.

John Ross , WR CIN - $1

Upside flier here late for a buck. He can make big plays happen when healthy, and while there’s a ton of mouths to feed in Cincinnati, I’ll take a shot on him having a few three for 95 yards and a score performances this year.

Final thoughts: This team essentially adapted the stars and scrubs approach, headlined by Kamara, Henry, Jones and Watson. The first three guys mentioned there are typically off the board within the first 15-18 picks in the drafts, and Watson is a top-5 quarterback this year. After the studs, there are some legitimate question marks, most notably in terms of our WR2 and at the tight end position.

And that’s a wrap! Let’s take one home #FANation!