Well as the 2018 training camp season comes to an end it is now becoming appropriate to draft your Fantasy Football Evolution team(s). I drafted my first team earlier this week and this will feature a breakdown of my team, a little of my strategy, and it’ll end with some values you can find later on in case you have not drafted yet. Here’s the breakdown of my team with the round and overall selection in parentheses.
Quarterbacks: Cam Newton (2.19), Jimmy Garoppolo (3.30), Kirk Cousins (5.54), and Eli Manning (12.139)
Running Backs: Saquon Barkley (1.6), Carlos Hyde (7.78), Chris Carson (8.91), Rex Burkhead (10.115), and James White (14.163)
Wide Receivers: Stefon Diggs (4.43), Chris Hogan (6.67), Larry Fitzgerald (9.102), Chris Godwin (13.150), and Julian Edelman (15.174)
Tight Ends: George Kittle (11.126) and Jesse James (16.187)
Defense/Special Teams: Atlanta (17.198) and Carolina (20.235)
Kickers: Graham Gano (18.211) and Josh Lambo (19.222)
All in all it’s a team I’m pretty happy with. I have three quarterbacks I’m comfortable starting each week in Newton, Jimmy G, Cousins, and I’m not even deterred by plugging Manning in when either of those three are on bye week. Taking four quarterbacks might seem risky and like a waste of a roster spot. However, you’re able to start three quarterbacks each week in Fantasy Football Evolution and if one of them gets hurt it’s not a bad thing to have a spare. Last season I had a phenomenal team with Aaron Rodgers , Deshaun Watson , and Kirk Cousins . Injuries to Rodgers and Watson really derailed that team.
As you can see, I had three quarterbacks locked up with my first five picks. In total, nine quarterbacks were off the board at the end of round three and 12 were gone by round five (I had three of them). Quarterbacks will average more points than any other position and you have the chance to start three of them. Make sure you grab some good ones.
I’m not quite sure why I took Saquon Barkley in the first round. I think he’ll have a few big games, but this is definitely a format where I probably should have taken Aaron Rodgers in the first round. I even like the running backs I drafted later on in the draft and had I gone the route of taking Rodgers in the first round I could’ve looked at Dalvin Cook in round two. But I still like the depth I have behind Barkley. Carlos Hyde has looked good in camp so far, Chris Carson seems to be the lead back in Seattle heading into the season, Rex Burkhead will be a focal point of the Patriots offense if he can stay healthy, and if he can’t then I’ve got James White who will see work in the New England offensive attack. So as you can see there is value that can be found late. I think in the first round of FFE drafts it might only be wise to use an early pick on Le’Veon Bell, Todd Gurley , Ezekiel Elliott , and maybe David Johnson if you have a top four or five pick. If you choose to pick in the middle-to-end of the first round it might be wise to select Aaron Rodgers .
For wide receivers and tight ends I’m pleased with the group I have. Kirk Cousins seems very fond of Stefon Diggs so I was excited to draft both of them because I think they’ll connect a lot. Larry Fitzgerald in the ninth round seems like a steal given that he’ll be targeted so much in Arizona. I am starting to like Chris Godwin more and more and think he could be a late round steal if he can get 100 targets. And additionally I went back to the New England well with Chris Hogan and Julian Edelman because Hogan should get a lot of work in Edelman’s absence and it doesn’t hurt to have Tom Brady ’s favorite target on your roster especially when you can draft him in the 15th round despite the four-game suspension. I waited and passed on numerous tight ends in this format, which is a really big gamble because there are no waivers with FFE. But I did get George Kittle in the 11th round to pair with Jimmy G and drafted Jesse James as a backup. If Kittle’s healthy (fingers crossed) he has immense upside with Garoppolo. But this could easily be the pick that backfires on me. When drafting tight end it’s not a horrible idea to take Rob Gronkowski , Travis Kelce , or Zach Ertz earlier in the draft. However, in this draft all three of them were off the board before the 30th pick and I really wanted to make sure I was locked in at quarterback.
Where the Value Is At
This section is a bit of a small preview for the next Fantasy Football Evolution article coming out next week that’ll highlight some of the best draft values to select for your team, as well as some players you may want to avoid. With FFE, disregard what you know about traditional ADP. It’s much different in this format.
Keenan Allen (WR – LAC): I’ve run two mock drafts and one draft for my first team. Of those three drafts the earliest I’ve seen Keenan Allen go is 36th overall at the very end of round three. So if you pass on the elite receivers in the first two rounds you may be able to get a top three wide receiver with your third pick. Additionally, A.J. Green went one pick before Allen in this draft, and Tyreek Hill went three picks before Allen. I’d rather take Allen over those players.
Royce Freeman (RB – DEN): I had Freeman queue’d up to draft him 78th overall, but he went a few slots ahead at 73. And that’s still really good value for a guy who, by all accounts, is getting a ton of praise in Denver right now especially from John Elway. Freeman could be one of those guys that is a crucial piece to your team in FFE’s second and third stages. My only reservation with Freeman in stage one (weeks one through seven) is if Denver wants to get cute and start Devontae Booker in the first quarter of the season. Freeman is clearly the most talented running back in Denver regardless and if you can tread water through stage one he could pay off really well in the more competitive rounds.
Defense/Special Teams and Kickers
In this draft Jacksonville’s DST was selected in the ninth round at 101st overall. They could easily perform at a high level again this season, but they went ahead of Larry Fitzgerald , Marlon Mack , Nelson Agholor , Rex Burkhead , and Michael Crabtree . With defenses and kickers, stick to the tried and true method of waiting until the end of the draft. And unfortunately with bye weeks and injuries you will need to draft backups for both positions. Personally I think the Atlanta defense is deeply underrated heading into the year and they can be drafted in round 17 in FFE drafts. As a backup I also like grabbing Baltimore (against Buffalo to open the season), Carolina, or New England. The Patriots pass rush should be better this year so there’s potential for sacks and they have six games against the AFC East and the Bills, Jets, and Dolphins don’t scare me offensively. For kickers just try to find two guys with offenses that can move the ball down the field. Graham Gano is a good option in the 18th round and Josh Lambo , Adam Vinatieri , and Brandon McManus will be good backup options.
Just know that the prices to purchase a Fantasy Football Evolution team will increase as of Friday. Currently the prices are as follows:
- Single team - $24.50
- Five team package - $98
- Ten team package - $180
As of Saturday the prices will jump to:
- Single team - $26.50
- Five team package - $105
- Ten team package - $195