Guys on my draft list that aren't on yours...

A couple of things:

1) The CKL is incredibly DEEP.  14 teams x 18 roster spots = 252 players.  And for the first time ever, we are allowing teams to not fill all ten starting spots in the draft, which means it's fairly likely we'll see fewer kickers and defensive backs drafted, and more quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, and tight ends.  This means our draft lists probably need to run deeper than ever before at those "primary" positions.

2) My vision for this blog is for it to not only be the official unofficial CKL blog, but also a fantasy football blog for people who aren't affiliated with the CKL.  So this type of post needs to happen.  Sure, this is me tipping my pre-draft hand a little bit, but I don't think it compromises my draft strategy at all, other than to maybe serve to put a few more relatively unknown players on my opponents' draft lists.  That's potential collateral damage that I think I can live with.

Anyway, with no further introduction, here are a few guys on my draft list that aren't on yours...

Colin Kaepernick, QB, San Francisco 49ers

In March, Alex Smith signed a contract to return to the Niners.  The contract is for three years and maxes out at $33 million.  From Matt Maiocco at Comcast Sports Net:

On the surface, the contract looks as if it contains $16.5 million in guaranteed money.  But Smith's second-year base salary of $7.5 million is fully guaranteed only if Smith remains on the 49ers' roster on April 1, 2013.

So what does this mean?  Basically, in 2012 Alex Smith is playing under a gussied-up one year deal worth just over $9 million.  If San Fran doesn't like what it sees, it can cut him prior to April 1st and recoup the rest of the cash.

Considering the fact that A) Alex Smith is a very, very ordinary quarterback, B) the Niners went hard after Peyton Manning, basically telegraphing their desire to upgrade the quarterback position, and C) they drafted Colin Kaepernick with the fourth pick of the second round (36th overall) in the 2011 NFL Draft, and had to give up a 4th and a 5th round pick to trade up with the Broncos in order to get in position to draft him, doesn't it make sense that the kid will eventually get his chance to play?

Maybe it won't happen this year.  Kaepernick was a raw prospect coming out of Nevada, and everyone knew he'd need some time to develop.  This is his second NFL season, his first offseason and full training camp.  But is it so far fetched to see the 49ers struggle out of the gate (@GB, DET, @MIN, @NYJ, BUF, NYG in the first six weeks of the season) and then make the switch from low-ceilinged Alex Smith to the talented young gun they hand-picked and have been carefully cultivating?

In any case, I think Kaepernick deserves inclusion on a CKL draft list, and should be a strong consideration for the redshirt round.

Mario Fannin, RB, Denver Broncos

I don't think Willis McGahee is very good, I think he's injury prone, and I think he's over the hill.  Ronnie Hillman is an electric back, but he's tiny and just a rookie probably slated for a 3rd down type of role.  Knowshon Moreno is also incredibly fragile, and has sucked his way into a maelstrom of ill tidings in a Broncos uniform.  I see a serious talent vacuum opening up in the Denver backfield, especially considering John Fox's hard-wired over-the-top insistence on running the ball amid the need to offer aging and physically flimsy Peyton Manning the protection of a strong rushing attack.  So you want to cast your lot with one of the backs from the quartet of Lance Ball (below-average talent), Xavier Omon (D-2 talent who was bounced off of five other NFL practice squads prior to landing in Denver), Jeremiah Johnson (sprite-like at 5-9, 200) and Mario Fannin.

Fannin is a 24-year old athletic size/speed specimen (4.31-second 40-yard dash at 231 pounds) who was the 3rd down back at Auburn and thus went undrafted in 2011.  Last season, he was on the shelf in Denver after a tearing his ACL in training camp.  The Broncos loved what they saw out of him prior to the injury.  This whole thing sounds eerily similar to the career arc of Arian Foster in Houston, doesn't it?

In reality, Fannin is a space runner with good speed to the edge who struggles a bit between the tackles despite his prototypical bellcow size.  He's probably in a roster scrum with Moreno and Jeremiah Johnson, and one of the three won't make the team at all.  However, the Broncos need a back who can run the zone/stretch play in Manning's offense, and Fannin's skill set fits that role to a tee.

I think Mario Fannin is the secret weapon in the Broncos backfield, and he should definitely be on your draft list.  He's a long shot lottery ticket, but the measurables are all there and the opportunity isn't dire.  Wanna draft the next Arian Foster?  Here's your chance.

Need more convincing?  Slap it HERE.

Nick Toon, WR, New Orleans Saints

Look, it's a crowded situation in New Orleans, I admit.  Lots of mouths to feed.  Drew Brees will be pumping balls at Jimmy Graham like an uzi.  Marques Colston will get his cut of the action.  Lance Moore in the slot.  Devery Henderson screaming down the sideline.  Darren Sproles in space.  Lots and lots of mouths to feed.

But here's the thing: Robert Meachem is gone, taking his erratic hands and glass vagina with him to San Diego.  He's leaving behind 40 catches, 620 yards, and six touchdowns in this prolific New Orleans passing offense.

Meanwhile, the Saints drafted Nick Toon, son of the great Al Toon, and in possession of this very specific skill set (courtesy of NFL.com):

Toon understands how to run strong routes, using his size to make a play on the ball and move the chains. Not only is he an excellent mid-range receiver, he also has shown the ability to gain position on defenders downfield and make deep ball plays. He is willing and definitely strong enough to be involved as a blocker in the run game. He is a red-zone threat at the next level and a go-to receiver on intermediate routes to pick up the first down.

Okay, so Toon is an athletic leaper and a tough, sure-handed, chains-moving possession receiver who found his way onto the roster of one of the best passing teams in the NFL at a time in which they are attempting to stretch the field more horizontally as opposed to vertically.  Moreover, he's in the same receiving corps as injury-riddled and aging Marques Colston, china doll Lance Moore, and consistently inconsistent Devery Henderson.  Toon has a golden opportunity to step right in and take the stats vacated by Robert Meachem, which add up to fantasy's 44th-best wide receiver in 2011.  But not only that, he has a chance to take root in the slot and gobble up some of Moore's production (52 catches, 627 yards, 8 touchdowns), he has a chance to emerge as a red zone receiving option, and he'd be first in line to start at flanker if/when Colston goes down.  (Note: Marques Colston has been able to play an entire season only twice in his entire six year career.)  Plus, PLUS, Toon is impressing everyone in Saints training camp.  ALL HAIL THE FLEUR-DE-LIS, AMEN AND HALLELUJAH.

He's a rookie, and nothing is set in stone, but...  Nick Toon is definitely on my draft list.  Is he on yours?

Orson Charles, TE, Cincinnati Bengals

When it comes to fantasy football, I'm a shameless Bengals homer.  Always have been, always will be.  Carson Palmer and Chad Johnson led me to my second CKL Cup.  Like a moth to the flame, I'm the guy who consistently rostered Cedric Benson.  I just traded Megatron for A.J. "Starscream" Green.  And I'll be the guy who reaches for Jermaine Gresham in this year's draft.  I suffer for my craft.

That being said, my Bengals fandom does have a silver lining: I know about shit the Bungles are doing - and the potential fantasy impact of those things - long before most other people do.  And here's what the Bungles are doing right now...

They hired Jay Gruden last year to come in and install the West Coast offense (which finds its true roots with Bill Walsh working with Paul Brown in Cincinnati).  In 2011, with the foundation for the WCO being laid, the Bengals offense delivered two players worth mention -- decent QB2 Andy Dalton, and stud-in-the-making WR1 A.J. Green.  This season, the Bengals WCO will evolve to include a focus on the tight end position.  Enter Jermaine Gresham as a sleeper fantasy TE1 if he can stay healthy and learn his routes and his role.  Also, enter rookie Orson Charles, destined to be the poor man's Aaron Hernandez to Gresham's low rent Rob Gronkowski.

Charles is a squat, short (6-3, 240) "move" tight end who will get on the field when Cincy goes with its increasingly-used two tight end look.  He'll also line up in the backfield at times and in the slot when the team spreads it out.  He's a great weapon in the passing game, as evidenced by his production at Georgia (94 catches, 1,370 yards, and 10 touchdowns in two seasons).

It's highly unlikely that Charles will deliver useful fantasy stats in this, his rookie season.  But wouldn't you rather roll the dice on a talented youngster like this than on an ancient bag of dinosaur bones like Todd Heap or Dallas Clark?  Okay then, why isn't Orson Charles on your draft list?








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