FanEx Analysis Draft
Round 5

Rules | Transactions

Draft Rounds - See below for analysis
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20  

Final Analysis

 5.01
Chris Dolfi | Tom Walls
QB Aaron Rodgers
QB: Rodgers  RB: Peterson RBrown JJones WR: White TE: PK: DT:

This is where drafting with a partner can be tricky - Julius Jones wasn't Chris' first choice at RB for our last pick, and Aaron Rodgers wasn't Tom's first choice at QB for us at this pick.  We compromised - Tom picked the RB, Chris picked the QB.

Rodgers was a model of FAD consistency last year - only failing to score double digits once the entire season.  He had at least 1 passing TD in every game last season, except two.  4th in passing yards (4038yds) and 4th in passing TDs (28) are numbers we can no only live with - we're thrilled to get at this point in the draft.  Toss in the fact that GB doesn't face the toughest pass defense schedule (special thanks to playing the woeful Lions twice a year) and Rodgers nudges out some other tempting choices for QB for us.

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5.02
Ian Allan  (via Cannon trade)
WR
Chad Ocho Cinco
QB: RB: Westbrook Bush  WR: SSmith  Welker Gonzalez Ocho Cinco TE: PK: DT:

I’ve won this league the last two years. If you look at where the separation occurred with those teams — why they were better than the other 11 — it was at wide receiver. I got 1150 points last year out of Welker, Andre Johnson, Calvin Johnson and Steve Smith. The previous year, I had Smith-Houshmandzadeh-Cotchery-Jennings for 950 points. This is a PPR format and there’s also the flex position (RB-WR-TE), so you can start four. Factoring in bye weeks and off games, in fact, every team should be looking to come out of the draft with a minimum of four good receivers. But there simply aren’t that many good wide receivers available. I see Ocho Cinco as a probable top-15 receiver. Should catch 80-90 balls and 8 TDs. He dropped off last year, but Carson Palmer was hurt — simple as that. Ocho can still play; he’ll be fine. Adding him to the mix of the other guys I’ve got, I’m expecting to get something like 1100 points out of these four spots — about 380 catches, 4500 yards and 32 TDs.
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5.03

Matt Pitzer
QB Philip Rivers
QB: Rivers  RB: Jones-Drew Grant  WR: Wayne RWilliams TE: PK: DT:

I really liked Rivers last season but am less wild about him now that he is coming off a career-high 34 touchdown passes. That has pushed his value up a little too high because he is unlikely to match last year's stats. The Chargers will be a high-scoring team and they are not so much of a running team any more so Rivers will have plenty of chances. I wanted to take him here because I didn't want to wait until nearly the end of the sixth round to take my first QB.
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5.04

Greg Kellogg 
WR
Vincent Jackson
QB: Brady RB: Tomlinson Wells  WR: Owens VJackson TE: PK: DT:
Jackson has improved both his receptions and yards in each of his four years in the league.  With QB Philip Rivers growing into a very good NFL starter, things should only improve for Jackson.  Projecting him for 80 receptions, 1,300 yards and 10 TDs is not unreasonable based on his growth over the past two years.
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5.05
Craig Davis
WR
Santonio Holmes
QB: RB: Forte Barber WR: Bowe Edwards Holmes TE: PK: DT:

Okay, so I realize his 2008 regular season wasn’t everything it should have and could have been, but did you get a chance to watch him in the playoffs? Why do you think everyone’s consensus #1 receiver right now is Larry Fitzgerald? It’s not because his regular season numbers but because of what he did in the post-season, and how can you argue? The guy was flat out sick in Arizona’s three NFC games and was clutch in the Super Bowl, leading everyone to believe he should be the first receiver off the board. Holmes has great speed, solid hands, and has learned how to run better routes from following Hines Ward around. Holmes will be the top fantasy receiver on this team and I believe a steal for me at WR3.
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5.06

Duane Cahill 
TE Tony Gonzalez  
QB: Manning RB: SJackson Jacobs LJohnson WR: TE: Gonzalez  PK: DT:
Some will argue that tight ends are becoming a position where you can grab talent in the later rounds, and this draft would seem to bear that out.  In years past, if you wanted one of the top three tight ends in a draft (whoever those top three turned out to be), you needed to spend a third rounder - or a fourth if you were lucky - to get one.  To get Gonzo in the fifth is simply a value pick.
 
There are two distinct tiers at TE this year, with the first one now being gone, and the second consisting of Dallas Clark, Owen Daniels, Greg Olsen and Chris Cooley.  If KWII gets his act together in Tampa, maybe he joins them.  After that, there is a significant dropoff.
 
In a league where you have to start a TE, why not grab a guy you know you can count on to produce?  You'd better believe that with a weapon like Gonzalez in the arsenal, Matt Ryan won't throw complete only 19 passes to TEs again this year.  Look for a typical 900-yard, 7-8 TD season from Gonzo in his new digs.

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5.07

Tony Holm
R
B Pierre Thomas
QB: RB: CJohnson KSmith Thomas WR: CJohnson TE: Witten  PK: DT:
I was looking for a RB or WR here and narrowed it down to a hand full.  I went with Pierre Thomas because I felt he had the most upside of the group.  Thomas flies under the radar due to Reggie Bush but from Week 10 - Week 17 when Pierre Thomas was handed the rock, he was the 3rd best RB in the FAD behind DeAngelo Williams and Maurice Jones-Drew.  While Reggie Bush will certainly steal some carries, the Saints will line up Bush in a number of positions this year and give Pierre Thomas time to show what he can do.
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5.08

Brian Hulett
R
B Jonathan Stewart
QB: RB: Gore McFadden Stewart  WR: Jennings Marshall TE: PK: DT:
The days of handcuffing NFL teams' #2 backs are long over in many cases.  Quite a few such teams have found the one-time fantasy nightmare--the two-headed rushing monster--to be a valid strategy, leaving fantasy owners free to use such "backups" as valid spot starters.  Those Carolina cats are a case in point:  DeAngelo Williams had his long-expected breakout season and, at the same time, rookie Stewart smashed it between the tackles for 836 yds and 10 TDs, totally respectable numbers as a fantasy RB3, with no reason to expect less this year with stability at the Panthers' skill positions.
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5.09

Shannon O'Leary | John Georgopoulos
QB Jay Cutler
QB: Cutler  RB: Williams Portis Lynch  WR: TE: Gates PK: DT:
Talented... Strong Arm... Cocky.... Time to put up or shut up... The Bears gave up enough that they should do everything they can to provide the tools. The running game is in place, and they are in the market for a number 1 Wide Out. Worthy of a 5th round pick, and could pay dividends, even in Chicago.
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5.10

Chris Rito | Mike Nazarek
QB Kurt Warner
QB: Warner  RB: Westbrook  WR: AJohnson Colston Boldin TE: PK:
Yep, we have put off drafting a RB#2 for at least one more round. The drop off from Warner to the remaining QBs is substantial in our eyes, so we struck now.  Much like the analysis for an earlier pick, we felt that there was not enough difference between the remaining handful of passable RB#2 candidates to merit jumping on one now; we can take our QB of choice now and let Ian and Mike cull the RB herd of the sick and dying before we select again as the draft snakes back to us. In our eyes, it is not impossible to believe that we have drafted five players thus far that could all be in the top 5 at their position at year's end. Downside? Warner is a bit gray and maybe a little too prone to interceptions for a league that penalizes them (as this one does), but that is about all. He can still sling it as well as anyone -  and has the best trio of targets of any thrower in the NFL at his disposal, so even a major injury at WR would not shut down the aerial show in Arizona.

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5.11

Ian Allan
R
B LenDale White
 QB: RB: Westbrook Bush White  WR: SSmith Gonzalez Ocho Cinco  TE: PK: DT:
I’m going conservative with this pick. I actually have four running backs graded higher than White, most notably Joseph Addai. It also pains me to pass on Dallas Clark, the highest-rated tight end on my draft board. White doesn’t catch any passes, which really hurts him in this format. But I feel like I just want to make sure I’ve got a guy who’s going to be on the field for 16 games (particularly after using an earlier pick on Reggie Bush, who’s had knee problems). I’ve got an outstanding quartet of wide receivers already. I feel like if I can just put an adequate team around those wide receivers (making sure I’m not taking zeros), this team will be very good.
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5.12

Mike Harmon
QB Tony Romo
QB: Romo  RB: Slaton Ward  WR: Moss Housh TE: PK: DT:
I’ll admit to hesitating quite a bit about this selection. What’s the plan in the post-TO era? I suspect that the Cowboys turn more to the running attack, but Romo will continue to sling the ball around. A full off-season of work with Romo will make Roy E. Williams a stable contributor, Jason Witten is Jason Witten, and then … there’s my pause. Which of the young receivers steps up?
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