2013 Dawgpatch Fantasy Football Draft Grades

Having the first pick in the draft definitely has its advantages and disadvantages. It was no secret that AD would be the first player off the board, but the following picks were a bit of a head-scratcher to me. DeMarco Murray and RGIII could have some great potential, but the risk may out way the reward in this case. Murray has yet to stay healthy during a complete season and is currently in the dog house after being benched because of a first quarter fumble in the Cowboys last preseason game. The number one receiver Pierre Garcon has had health issues as well, so look for the back ups to see significant playing time. (Oh wait, Kenny Britt will probably be in jail by week 6), so Big Red will be hitting the waiver wire early an often for receiver help. The starters averaged a little over 83 points a week last year so Big Red should win some games. It's all going to depend on RGIII staying healthy. My suggestion, handcuff Cousins because he may end up starting the season! Draft grade: B-

Despite only averaging 82 points a game last season, this group should score a lot more points this season. LeSean McCoy was limited by Andy Reid's pass happy offense last year, so running out of the spread-option this year should give him a lot more opportunities to score and scamper for big runs. Russell Wilson should be able to repeat last years numbers, and with no receivers in New England, I look for Ridley to get touches early and often this year. The bench is solid making the Dawgpound roster one of the deepest in the league. I like my chances against a majority of the lineups in this league. The Dawgpound is primed for a run at the championship belt this year! CoCo is on the top rope getting ready to drop the Macho Man elbow on the league! Draft Grade: B+

Ehhh.....After Aaron Rodgers, I can't find much worth talking up on this roster. This combination of players averaged a pedestrian 68 points a week last season. This total should go up slightly because David Wilson will have a much bigger season than his rookie campaign. Steven Jackson, however, is a beaten down vet who's averaged 400 carries a season so don't expect too much out of him, especially in a throw first Atlanta offense. I don't even know who the hell Pat Edwards is, and quite frankly didn't feel the need to look him up. He will have a minimal impact on this fantasy team. Brown and Green Ellis are backups and Charles Clay may be the Dolphins waterboy, so don't expect too much depth scoring on this team. A bright spot could be TY Hilton, who's looked really good in the preseason. Thompkins has also been impressive for New England. Overall, this team has minimal depth and lacks a big scoring threat. Draft Grade: C

Now this is a team I'm pretty high on. Even though Stafford has looked like a one armed monkey with a wrench up his a@# this preseason, the Gamblers have real potential this season. If Stafford falters, Michael Vick is a great replacement! I like his attitude and work ethic this season, and he's finally in an offense that fits his style of play. Julio Jones may be the best athlete in the league and will take over the number one receiver spot in Atlanta this year. Ray Rice is a safe bet at running back, but MJD is a big wild card. I don't expect him to return to the MJD of three years ago, but he should be more productive than last year. This group averaged 73 points a game last season. That's not going to get it done for the Gamblers, so they need to have MJD play like a number one RB. Draft Grade: B+

This is another team that could pose a potential threat to my title run. The group averaged a solid 84 points a week last season, but there are some question marks. Dez Bryant may be the top receiver in the league when it's all said and done, but Jamaal Charles is a gamble as the top back. Historically, he hasn't scored a lot of TD's and his touches may be limited with Andy Reid now at the helm. We saw last season in Philly that if he gets behind, he's not going to run the ball. This could really hurt Charles' stats. Frank Gore is getting older and will continue to see his carries drop as the season goes. I like the double threat of Luck and Wayne, but if Luck has a bad game, this will have a double negative affect. The back up receivers are solid and there's another starting back in Richardson on the depth chart, this team looks fairly solid. Draft Grade: B

Using the rookie average of RB points scored in a season for Benard, this starting lineup averaged 76 points a week. That's not great, but keep in mind that Kaepernick only started 7 games last season, so his totals should definitely go up. The Johnson and Johnson combo at receiver is a nice touch, but Tossers may need some Johnson and Johnson baby powder to relieve the rapings they'll take if Arian Foster does not stay healthy. The bench is suspect at best, and Bell is out at least the first four games, so Foster will need to stay healthy and the rookie Benard will have to play big right out of the gates for the Tossers to have much of a chance. This team has a lot of potential, but they could also get shredded in the rear if Tate becomes the focal point in Houston with Foster holding his back. Draft Grade: B

This team has the potential to have the best starting wideout combination...but that's about it. The starting lineup actually scored 86 points a week last year, one of the highest totals in the league, but that will not be repeated if Doug Martin doesn't reproduce his ridiculous totals of 2012. McFadden is way too risky to have without a solid backup. Daniel Thomas and Montee Ball doesn't impress me. Gronk isn't going to be ready until week 4, so it looks like Pettigrew will be the starting TE. That will definitely drop the totals for the A@#-Bandages. This roster will keep them in games, but they will definitely have to rely on the waiver wire to remain competitive when McFadden goes down. Draft Grade: B

On paper, this may be the team to beat. The starting lineup averaged 88 points a week a year ago, ranking them as one of the best teams in the league. This year will be a different story. Tom Brady will see a decrease in his numbers with no one to throw to, and Vincent Jackson is streaky so his numbers may be much lower, especially if his QB keeps playing like a crippled Ryan Lief. Roddy White's numbers may drop with Julio Jones getting more of the looks, but he'll still put up good numbers. Trent and Spiller equal a formidable backfield and will combine for well over 400 points. For the man who drafted the Steelers kicker in the first round of our very first draft, he certainly has come a long way in managing a team. Draft Grade: A-

Using rookie averages, this team averaged 65 points a game last year. 65! Ok, let's start with the positives...Peyton Manning looks to be in prime form and has a lot of weapons to work with. Look for him to equal 2012's totals. Reggie Bush will get a lot of touches this year, so if he stays healthy it could be a career year for the Trojan. Tavon Austin is stupid fast so as long as Bradford can get the ball far enough down field for him, he should have a nice rookie season. Now the bad...Eddie Lacy is a rough No. 2 back because he's yet to prove in the preseason he can carry the load for an NFL team. Both backups are just that on their respective teams...backups. Greene and James will see minimal carries so it's going to be hard to predict when they'll actually score from week to week. The Lions secondary looks like four blind, armless racoons with two left feet. They made Brandon Weeden look like a Pro Bowl QB and give us Browns fans false hope. Thanks a lot you F&%$s!!! I love Torrey Smith this season so I think he'll be starting for the Lions most weeks. This team isn't horrible, but could use some help from the waiver wire to make them solid down the stretch. Draft Grade: B-

The defending champs enjoyed another decent draft. It's hard to argue a team that has won twice now...but let's try shall we. As much as I love Hakeem Nicks, he's going to miss at least 4 games this year due to injury...at least that's what history tells us. Lucky for the Dyno's, James Jones is a solid No. 2 option. I love Chris Johnson and Alfred Morris in the backfield. This team averaged 74 points a week last year, but Jordan Cameron will have a better year with full time action, so those points will go up. The Ravens defense is old and brittle, so don't expect them to score the points they did last season. Unfortunately, that's the only negative thing I have to say about this team. Draft Grade: A-

This team tallied a total of 86 points per last season, ranking them near the top. That's nice and all, but I can't see any upside to having your two starting receivers coming from the same team. That's going to be an issue is this roster stays the same. Drew Brees and Marshawn Lynch will put up their points, but there's no depth on this roster. Stevie Johnson has no one to throw him the ball. I do like Floyd and think he'll have a solid year, but the bench RB's are mediocre at best. It seems like the Puns go with Randall Cobb every year and they suffer the same results. I don't see this year being any different. I'm sure he'll try to trade him off in the next few days for Adrian Peterson and a bench player, so beware Big Red! Draft Grade: B-

It pains me say this, but we saved the worst roster for last. This isn't my opinion, this is based off last years numbers. This team averaged a god-awful 62 points a week. Half of the starting lineup is unable to stay healthy on a consistent basis, which is why the points are so Pink-Plunger-ess! I do like Forte, and I think Fitzgerald will have a comeback year, but outside of that, the starting lineup really has little to offer. Ben Tate may be a saving grace on the bench for this backfield, and it may come early when Ryan Matthews breaks his vagina. The Doom may be doomed early on in this league. There's a pink plunger in this teams future. Draft Grade: C-