Below is an actual football fantasy draft with the fourth spot made before the start of last season. Lets take a look back and see who was selected; the reasoning for it, how things worked out with the pick and what players might have made more sense at that point in the draft. The analysis might help while looking ahead to next season’s fantasy football draft, which is never too early to do. So here is A 20/20 Hindsight Look at Fantasy Football Drafts!

Round 1 Pick 4: DeAndre Hopkins WR, Houston Texans

Analysis: This pick was made largely because of the unknown surrounding Ezekiel Elliott’s contract status. The selection worked out well, as Hopkins earned a Pro Bowl selection with 104 receptions for 1165 yards. The downside was that he only caught 7 touchdowns. Still, it was a solid pick. Given some of the true bust selections in the first round, no one’s season was ruined because they took Hopkins.

Round 2 Pick 17:                                Dalvin Cook RB, Minnesota Vikings

Analysis: This was easily the best pick of the draft as Cook was the MVP of the team. With 1,654 total yards and 13 touchdowns, nothing more could be expected of a late second round pick. It was unfortunate that he was hurt during the fantasy playoffs. But if you selected him, he was a huge reason why you got to the playoffs in the first place.

Round 3 Pick: 24 Kerryon Johnson RB, Detroit Lions

Analysis:  This was an unfortunate pick, but all can’t be blamed on Johnson as he spent much of the season hurt.  Going into training camp, it looked like he would be a big part of the Lion’s offense, but it didn’t work out.   It really hurts that NFL rushing leader Derrick Henry, Aaron Jones and many other quality players were on the board.  If you picked Johnson, thank goodness for the waiver wire. 

Round 4 Pick 37: Brandin Cooks WR, Los Angeles Rams

Analysis: This was without question the biggest bust of the entire draft and not just because Cooks was hurt. He simply did not produce when he was on the field.  None of the LA wide outs had great seasons, but Cooks was by far the worst of them.   It is a clear example that if there are too many mouths to feed in an offense, avoid them.  There were plenty of players that would have been much better selections, including Diggs, Ingram, Golladay and many others.    

Round 5 Pick 44: Chris Godwin, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Analysis: If Cook was the MVP of the team, then Godwin was MVP 1-B.  To receive 86 catches, 1,333 yards and 9 TDs out of a 5th round pick has to be unheard of.  He easily provided the best value in the entire draft.  There is no reason to search for another player that could have been selected, because there simply isn’t one.  

Round 6 Pick 57; Aaron Rodgers, QB, Green Bay Packers

Analysis: This selection met all of the requirements. Namely, don’t select a QB until at least the 5^th round and he is Aaron Freaking Rodgers.  The Packers had an excellent regular season, no question. But Rodgers didn’t have a great fantasy season, especially for the third QB selected.  It was average at best.  Many experts say to wait much longer to select your fantasy QB and this certainly provides strong evidence for that belief. 

Round 7 Pick 64: Tevin Coleman, RB, San Francisco 49ers

Analysis: This was a selection with an eye towards Coleman being familiar with Kyle Shanahan’s offense. He did have a monster week 8 with 3 TDs.  But he had only one touchdown from there on out.  There were too many RBs in the stable, which was pointed out by many leading up to the draft.  It would have worked better if he were a later round selection as his value didn’t match the round drafted.

Round 8 Pick 77: Allen Robinson, WR, Chicago Bears

Analysis: Any time that you have a chance to take a #1 WR this late in the draft, you jump.  Even with a less than ideal QB situation, Robinson caught 98 passes for 1147 yards and 7 TDs.  He was also big coming down the stretch and the first two rounds of the playoffs.  For an 8^th round pick, there is nothing more a fantasy owner could ask for.

Round 9 Pick 84: Austin Ekeler, RB, Los Angeles Chargers

Analysis: Unlike Ezekiel Elliot, there was no question that RB Melvin Gordon was going to miss time.  He was picked in the 4^th round and never got it going.  Ekeler was huge from the opening gun and even when Gordon joined the team, he continued to produce. This was true most notably in the passing game.  In a PPR league, this was a home run selection.

Round 10 Pick 97: Delanie Walker, TE, Tennessee Titans

Analysis: After scoring 2 TDs in week 1, this looked like a great late round pick.  Alas, there were no TDs to follow and he was done after week 6.  Even if you follow the fantasy draft rule of waiting on a TE, sometimes things just don’t work out and is the reason the waiver wire exists.

Round 11 Pick 104: Peyton Barber, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Analysis: This pick provided no impact what-so-ever.  Once again, if there are two or more players competing for a starting job, as was the case in Tampa, it is best to avoid both players until a clear starter emerges.   It sure doesn’t help that the league MVP, Lamar Jackson went later in this round.  Taking Jackson would have made trading Rodgers while his value was high a great move.

Round 12 Pick 117: Marquez Valdes-Scantling, WR, Green Bay Packers

Analysis: This was a complete waste of a pick.  Even with top wide out Davante Adams injured and Aaron Rodgers as the QB, Valdes-Scantling didn’t produce.  Just about anyone else would have been a better selection.

Round 13 Pick 124: Dak Prescott, QB, Dallas Cowboys

Analysis: This pick made the mistake of taking Rodgers much earlier a little easier to take.  It also showed how important it is to know a team’s schedule ahead of time.  Prescott was on fire to start the year. But he faded when facing the best defenses in the league down the stretch.  A savvy owner would have made a trade while his stock was high.

Round 14 Pick 137: Bills D/ST, D/ST, Buffalo Bills

Analysis: Most fantasy draft experts say to wait until the next-to-last pick before picking a defense. No argument, but there was no way the Buffalo D would still be there in that round.  Buffalo was a great starting D the entire season and the only reason to pick up another team’s defense was the bye week.  New England had the numbers for much of the season, but they faltered down the stretch when most needed.  No such worries with Buffalo.  Sometimes going with your gut has its place.  The Bears were selected by someone in the draft in the 9^th round.  The Bills pick provided so much more value and proves it is best to wait until later to draft a defense.

Round 15 Pick 144: Mark Andrews, TE, Baltimore Ravens

Analysis: What a grand slam of a pick this turned out to be.  Andrews was the starting tight end on one of the best offenses in football and he scored 10 touchdowns.  Has there ever been a player selected with the next-to-last pick of a fantasy draft that scored that many TDs? If so, I can’t name him.  Some pre-draft research made his name known.  It goes to show that research will go a long way in getting the most out of a draft.

Round 16 Pick 157: Mike Badgley, K, Los Angeles Chargers

Analysis: This selection proves the long held belief to not pick a kicker until the last round of a draft.  In this case, the player was injured before the season even began. That made making a move on the waiver wire necessary right out of the gate.  Don’t make the mistake of picking a kicker any earlier as it will be a waste of draft capital.

Final Analysis:

This was a solid draft which laid the foundation for a fantasy championship run.  Hopkins, Cook, Godwin, Ekeler, Robinson, Andrews and the Bills defense were the backbones of the team. They also made it possible to field a strong team week in and week out.  Injuries and ineffective players are always a reality in fantasy football, but the players above minimized a lot of that.  Now it is on to next year.  Have a great off season.