Champions League Draft Recap

Welcome to the sixth year of the Relegation Fantasy Football League. Thank you everyone for staying on top of the draft. Since other leagues were slow and required a lot of babysitting, we will probably go back to 1 day quick drafts next year. But let's get to the rankings.

We will see a number of key trends come up. When do you take your TE? When do you take your QBs? Who do you take late? Each strategy has a weakness and we will see if you covered up your weakness.

Shomeur Titans – 1st Pick Prediction – Champions League (No Playoffs)

Right off the bat, we start with Kyle Pitts. I think he is a wildcard. The potential is immense, but there are questions. Last year was not a league-winning year. Mariota and Ridder aren’t expected to light up the scoreboard. And there aren’t a lot of other pieces that scare defenses. If he hits the potential people see, he is a league winner. But he could also be an expensive boom-bust TE. This team needs Pitts to be elite because they waited on QB and RB2. I don’t have a lot of confidence in Gibson or any of the other RBs to hold down the RB2 spot. I am going middle of the road because I think Pitts will be good, but not good enough to prop up the rest of the team.

Racesens – 2nd Pick Prediction – Champions League (Playoffs)

Heavy QB followed by heavy RB. Not surprisingly both positions are solid. That leaves WR and TE. I like Ertz at the value. I don’t love the WRs. Allen Robinson either lost his edge last year or quit on his team. Either way, I don’t like it. Then you have Drake London and a bunch of mediocre WRs. I would have liked to see different WRs. But if you are going to be weak in one spot, I think WR is the right spot. That can be fixed easier than other positions. Playoff-bound.

SRochat – 3rd Pick Prediction – Minor Leagues

This feels like the team that used to be. Davante Adams used to be a top WR with Aaron Rodgers throwing the ball. Aaron Jones used to be a top RB before Green Bay got rid of all their receivers. James Connor scored tons of TDs last year. Jameis Winston used to throw 30 interceptions which forced them to play from behind. Could all of these players have a great year like years past? Of course. But I am concerned too many have a drop in performance that leave this team on the outside looking in.

kcamin – 4th Pick Prediction – Champions League (Playoffs)

I don’t hate Kelce in the 2nd, but to have Andrews available in the third when it came back around does feel like Kelce went a bit early. Then Trey Lance gets picked up in the 3rd. That is a lot of pressure on a QB who hasn’t started. But I think this team did a great job in the next 5 rounds. Fournette and Hall can both be RB 1s. Then Sutton, Bateman, and JuJu all have a huge upside for their draft price. Then round out the team with some upside running backs. I think this was a well-executed draft all in all.

LuckyTue – 5th Pick Prediction – Minor Leagues

Same family as the 4th pick, and similar results. However, I have more concerns. And it starts with the running backs. Javonte really needs 60-70% of the backfield touches to pay off. He has the talent but I don’t know if he will see the ball. Then Etienne hasn’t shown anything in the Pros. Sure there is potential but his backfield sidekick is also looking to cause problems. I don’t think the later RBs offer as much upside. Furthermore, the WRs, Metcalf and Mooney, have negative storylines from last year compared to the WRs for Kcamin. A similar plan, it just didn’t have the execution.

Thejessica88 – 6th Pick Prediction – Minor Leagues

Just about any fantasy football podcast will tell you Nick Chubb doesn’t catch passes. And since I am limited to one or two original thoughts while writing these, I have to say Chubb in the 2nd feels early. I am also not a Rodgers fan this year even though he was MVP last year. It might be like saying Brady is going to retire for the past 30 years and he never does. But at this point, Rodgers makes me nervous. Jeudy hasn’t been able to show a lot yet. Godwin is coming off the injury and there isn’t a lot of RB depth that makes you excited. Too many questions at the top with no answers at the bottom.

Disgusting Act – 7th Pick Prediction – Champions League (No Playoffs)

3 out of 5 years the champion. I think that is correct. But for some reason, I am going to keep this team out of the playoffs. Jefferson, Diggs, and Tyreek. Zig when others Zag and you have the best WR room. Brady and Mac Jones feel safe, but not exciting. I don’t know if Brady has the offense around him to put up elite fantasy numbers. There is a lot of potential at RB which is good, but I think this team could get burned early on trying to figure out who will break out. Then the strangest thing to me is a TE was not drafted by this team. Sure there is a big mess of TEs that are all the same. How many losses will these teams take figuring out TE and RB? Chances are a few and that might just be a few too many.

Commissioner – 8th Pick Prediction – Champions League (Playoffs)

If McCaffrey and Saquon play as they can play, this Championship is over. If they are both injured like the past couple of years, well someone is going to be blowing their FAAB budget early. My WRs are close to the champions only at a lower price. Goedert is going to have all sorts of open field to run to. I have extra QBs especially once Garappolo is traded. Maybe those last 6 picks left some to be desired but those first 8 rounds crushed this league.

CrCarr – 9th Pick Prediction – Minor Leagues

I want to poke holes in Derrick Henry but I can’t really do that with the RBs I drafted. Is Stafford’s elbow going to work all year? With Fields survive all year and find someone to throw to? Will Mike Evans continue to catch a high number of TDs? So many questions. I don’t like it. And Amari Cooper tends to disappear. Now playing with the worst QB of his career, it isn’t looking up. Derrick Henry needs to retake his seat on the throne and dominate the league for this team to have a shot.

Anto00861 – 10th Pick Prediction – Minor Leagues

AKA Team Old Guy. There are some rookies later on but you have Thielen and Cordarrelle in there too. Old people can occasionally do some good things. I take the most issue with rounds 4, 5, and 6. Matt Ryan is the QB1 of this team. The Colts have a conservative passing attack. The team plays through Jonathan Taylor. And Tannehill lost his best WR for a rookie that they hope to be as good as AJ Brown. Those are some big concerns in an important position. I really don’t’ get Mike Williams. It is his 6th year in the league. I guess he did finish as WR 12 last year in PPR. But it included 6 out of 8 weeks in the middle of the season with less than 10 points. And a 13-game stretch where 11 of those did not have a touchdown. Should we be excited about the handful of great games last year or worried about the majority of 5 years disappointing fantasy owners?

MoonwalkerTee – 11th Prediction – Champions League (Playoffs)

Chase and Ekeler to start, hard to argue those. Derek Carr and Cousins are an interesting pair. Carr has so many weapons, I think he is going to be a solid QB. And Cousins always finds a way to get points. Kittle should give this team an advantage at TE. Marquise Brown and ASB have good value in the 7th and 8th. I think this team hinges on Cam Akers and Dameon Pierce. I liked Akers before the Achilles. Can he defy history and regain his speed? Can a day 3 RB really make a splash in their rookie year? Again history is against him. But either is possible. And if one makes history, this team will be a contender.

Mark Nading – 12th Prediction – Minor Leagues

I like when players have positive storylines. AJ Brown I don’t think is going to be a better situation. Keenan Allen is into his 30s. And Penny has a new RB that should be back from injury soon. TLaw could be really good but I still don’t like his weapons. CEH in the 10th seems like a good value. And one of the GB WRs should pop out of the 12th and 13th rounds. There just isn’t enough for me to love here. I think this team will be right on the edge but coming up short consistently.