The Brain's Breakdowns

Cows

Best Pick – Sam LaPorta (5th) – I think he’s a comparable player right now to Kraft, Loveland, and Warren. However, 2 of those guys were 2nd rounders and Loveland was kept. 5th round is great value here, for what should be a high scoring offense.

Worst Pick – Matthew Golden (4th) – I know Packers have more value in this league, compared to normal rankings. This seems high for a guy who basically did nothing last year. There are several WRs who went in the next round, who feel like better value here.

Overall – The 3 kept RBs are doing a lot of the lifting here. Flowers is solid, but not really a WR1. Wilson and Downs should be fine, but you really need Golden or Boston to break out

Grade – B-

Lumberjacks

Best Pick – Jaylen Warren (5th) – Warren was great last year, and I don’t see any reason he can’t do it again. Great value for your RB3, who is currently slotted in the Flex spot.

Worst Pick – Rachaad White (6th) – You went real heavy at RB early in this draft. This seems high for a RB who is more the passing down guy. There were some solid WRs still available here, which you could’ve used.

Overall – I like a lot of the picks you made. But with the 12th pick, and you going QB and TE early, I think your depth at WR isn’t great. Brian Thomas and Jayden Daniels are huge here, you need the 2024 versions of both players.

Grade – B-

Mud Ducks

Best Pick – Tony Pollard (4th) – The last 2 years Pollard has been the main RB in Tennessee. They don’t have a great offense, but it seems to be better than what they’ve had recently. Assuming he continues to lead their back field, this is a great value pick.

Worst Pick – J.K. Dobbins (3rd) – Most fantasy rankings I’ve looked at have Pollard ahead of Dobbins. Between his injury history and the other RBs on his team, I just don’t see great value here (especially late in the season). Denver could be really good, so if he stays healthy this could be a more neutral/good pick.

Overall – Nico Collins was a great pick at number 3, but I don’t like that you gave up Jonathan Taylor to get that pick. With the 2 Lions WRs, I do like your top 3 guys. There’s a lot of questions here. Neither of your TEs have ever done anything in fantasy, Mahomes coming off his injury. The Lloyd pick could turn out great with the Jacob’s situation, but that would require him to stay healthy.

Grade – D

Suds

Best Pick – Tyler Warren (2nd) – He was great last year, especially early in the year when Daniel Jones was healthy. With the trade of Pittman, I think Warren has a much bigger role this year.

Worst Pick – Carnell Tate (3rd) – As a prospect I thought Tate was fine, but most years he probably wouldn’t go top 5. With the Titans paying Wan’Dale Robinson, Daboll’s history with him, and Cam Ward at QB, I don’t see a big rookie year from Tate. At this point in the draft, there’s WRs or RBs I’d rather have.

Overall – I really don’t like your WR situation. Higgins is great, but your next 2 guys are rookies (1 who is likely out through September). Rookie receivers often take until the second half of the season to start producing. Even your RB situation has some questions. Jeanty is banged up (after the draft) and Kyren has to worry about Corum stealing his touches. I do love Josh Allen and Tyler Warren.

Grade – D+

Moonlighters

Best Pick – Jordan Mason (5th) – I feel like he will be the main RB in Minnesota, or at least have the bigger share of the snaps. If Kyler can at least be a competent QB, that could lead to a much better RB situation.

Worst Pick – Mike Evans (4th) – He’s been having injury issues the last few years, and now he has to practice next to that power station. This has nothing to do with football, but he also breaks up the Purple and Green aesthetic your team has going on (Jets, Eagles, Packers, Vikings, Ravens).

Overall – I think this is the best roster right now in the Red Division. I don’t see too many weaknesses. Lamar is coming off a down year, but you’re the only roster that has 2 backup QBs. With Saquon and Devonta, it would be good for you if the new Eagles offense works out.

Grade – A-

Dogs

Best Pick – Rhamondre Stevenson (4th) – Even though Stevenson kept fumbling last year, he held on to the starting job. It seems like he should have at least 50% of the snaps, with the likely goal line carries. This is great value in the 4th round.

Worst Pick – Jadarian Price (2nd) – There’s a lot of questions here, that scare me at this Price (Zing!). The Seahawks love using multiple backs, and love taking RBs early in the draft. You do have Charbonnet, but I could see every week being a guessing game which RB to start (once Charbonnet is back).

Overall – This is a real solid squad. You have the starting RBs for 3 good offenses (Dallas, Seattle, New England) with the hand cuff for 2 of those. I like your 3 starting WRs, but there are some questions there (1 yard TDs, Injury, Jail rehab). But you have some decent options off the bench, and McBride has been awesome.

Grade – B+

Dingoes

Best Pick – D’Andre Swift (2nd) – The Bears were one of the best rushing offenses in the league last year, and the offense in general could improve with the second year of Ben Johnson. It was also Swift’s best season, and currently Monangai is banged up.

Worst Pick – Jonathan Brooks (4th) – Sure this is a fun pick, and a popular breakout player. He also is coming off of 2 torn ACLs in the same knee. Maybe he will be good, but there were a lot more proven players available at this pick.

Overall – Ultimately, I like a lot of the players here, especially for their potential. However, this bench is mostly made up of rookies, with no guaranteed playing time. If everyone stays healthy and a rookie or two breaks out, this could be a playoff team. Derrick Henry seems to defy aging, George Pickens has had a volatile career, Nabers is coming off of injury. If things go bad, this could be a disaster.

Grade – C-

Dalmatians

Best Pick – D.J. Moore (3rd) – The Bills are pretty much a top 5 offense every year, and have been looking for a number 1 WR. In Carolina and his first year in Chicago, Moore has shown he can handle a lot of work.

Worst Pick – Bo Nix (6th) – I think the Broncos will be a very good team, and even have a pretty good offense. That being said, myself, and most fantasy rankings would have several other QB’s ahead of Nix here.

Overall – Judkins looked great last year before his injury, and Irving was great in 2024. Assuming they’re good I love your top 3 RBs, and Corum is a nice pick as well. Olave is a little risky with his concussion issues, but Sutton and Stribling are nice backups there. You waited to take QB and TE, and the guys you have should be fine. As of right now, I think you have the best team in the Blue division.

Grade – A-

Hippos

Best Pick – Justin Herbert (7th) – One of the better QBs in the league, but hasn’t really been a top guy for fantasy. I think this new offense under Mike McDaniel will juice up his numbers. Well worth being the 9th QB off the board.

Worst Pick – Jeremiah Love (1st) – This is probably a great pick for future years. But the Cardinals are gonna stink this year, and Love got a high ankle sprain in the first preseason game. Those take a while to heal, and can linger throughout the year. I feel like they will be careful with his injury and use the other backs quite a bit (Conner, Allgeier).

Overall – Your team seems to be the opposite of mine. Your bench depth at WR and RB are all basically 30+ years old. Bowers and AJ Brown should be great, but I don’t love relying on 2 Commanders WRs. Treveyon is explosive but all indications are he will be splitting time with Stevenson.

Grade – C+

Sharks

Best Pick – Christian McCaffrey (1st) – When healthy, he’s been one of the best RBs in fantasy. I’m not too worried about his injuries this preseason, but with his age and history you never know. Still, think this is a no-brainer pick.

Worst Pick – Drake London (2nd) – Not a lot of great options to pick here, so I’m just gonna continue the bit from draft weekend. I like London as a player, but his QB situation is a mess. He fell, so the value is better then his location in rankings.

Overall – As mentioned by just about everybody on draft day, this is a great team. You have a stacked starting lineup, with 2 good options at QB and TE. You have a nice mixture of young players with potential, and proven veterans. You’d maybe want one more WR, but that is the easiest position to find once the season starts.

Grade – A

Herd

Best Pick – Emeka Egbuka (2nd) – Egbuka looked like a stud right out the gate last year. Evans is gone now, and assuming Egbuka is healthy, I don’t see why he wouldn’t put up huge numbers.

Worst Pick – Garrett Wilson (3rd) – There may be some bias here, as I had him for a couple of years. Wilson is a great player, but between his Team, Head Coach, OC, and QB I don’t love the situation.

Overall – Jacobs and Taylor is a great 1-2 at RB. Mitchell has some upside, but I don’t love the rest of your RBs. I think a suspension for Jacobs is likely, but if you weather that, the rest of your team is solid. I think Egbuka could be great, and you have 4-5 other WRs who can give you solid weeks. I obviously love your TE, and Likely could be a sneaky player as well.

Grade – B

Peeters

Best Pick – Ladd McConkey (2nd) – I’m very high on the Chargers offense this year, and I think that means good things for Ladd.

Worst Pick – Bhayshul Tuten (3rd) – From what I can tell, the opinions of fantasy people are very mixed on Tuten. 2nd year RBs do break out quite often, but I think this is a little high for a risky player. I expect Chris Rodriguez to be used a decent amount which will hurt Tuten’s value.

Overall – ESPN has you as the 12th ranked team, so I’m a little higher. Montgomery is a solid RB, and I love your top 3 WRs. You’ve got a lot of interesting players on your bench as well. But you really need at least one of Tuten or Bill to break out this year.

Grade – C

Lumberjacks

Best Pick – CeeDee Lamb (1) - He was the best player on the board, and is probably a top 5 overall player. Should be a keeper for many years.

Worst Pick – Joe Mixon (4) - He has been hurt all preseason and plays on a team with a terrible offensive line. Although he wasn’t placed on the IR until after our draft, it clearly seemed to be trending that way. Maybe he has some value later in the season,

but this could also just be a lost season for Mixon.

Overall – You have a very strong roster, which makes sense with all your extra picks. A 3rd proven RB would be nice, but if Breece Hall bounces back you should be fine. You have a good mix of proven veterans, and some young players with upside. It’s understandable

why ESPN has put you number 1 in the rankings.

ESPN Rank – 1

My Grade – A-

Mud Ducks

Best Pick – Ricky Pearsall (3) - There is a lot of hype around Pearsall , and that makes sense. Aiyuk is still coming back from injury, and Jennings has been hurt/holding in. Seems like a good young player, who could have a huge role for a typically strong

offense.

Worst Pick – RJ Harvey (1) - I like Harvey , but I also think you didn’t need to trade up for him. Running backs in Sean Payton offenses can be hard to predict, and it feels like Dobbins will be the early down guy, at least to start the year.

Overall - I know you had a plan, and you ended up getting the guys you wanted. ESPN doesn’t seem to like your draft, but I’m higher than them. You went with a lot of young players, and there is a ton of upside. Taylor and Hampton are a strong top 2 at RB,

and I can see Mason having a good year in Minnesota.

ESPN Rank – 11

My Grade – B-

Suds

Best Pick – George Pickens (3) - The Cowboys feel like a very similar team to the Bengals, a bad defense which may lead to a lot of points. Pickens is gonna want to get paid, and I think this could all lead to a big year for him. As long as he doesn’t go

the way of all the previous WRs Mike Tomlin has let go.

Worst Pick – Davante Adams (2) - Obviously a great player, but Matt Stafford’s back scares me. You have some questions at WR, and I think there are better options at this pick.

Overall – You have the best QB in fantasy, and 2 RBs who should get high volume. You went with a bunch of big names WRs, but there are some injury questions, and Travis Hunter is kind of a wild card. But you gave yourself a lot of options there, and you also

have the 2 most likely RBs to do anything in Dallas.

ESPN Rank – 3

My Grade – A-

Moonlighters

Best Pick – Ollie Gordon II (11) - He has looked great in the preseason, and the other 2 RBs ( Achane and Wright ) are hurt. This has the potential to be a steal, and at the very least looks like he could have a good role. Achane will still be the number 1

guy, but the Dolphins have had 2 good fantast RBs before.

Worst Pick – Matthew Golden (2) - Probably earlier than he should go, but he wasn’t gonna last much longer in a league filled with Packer fans. Maybe he becomes the obvious number 1 guy, but LaFleur likes to spread around the ball, and they have a lot of guys.

Overall - The Moonlighters always draft well, and this is my highest grade. McCaffrey and Barkley could be the top 2 RBs if they stay healthy. QB and TE are fine, but you have a ton of talent at RB and WR.

ESPN Rank – 2

My Grade – A 

Dalmatians

Best Pick – TreVeyon Henderson (1) - I really think Henderson can immediately become the number 1 RB in New England. He should be very good this year, with the potential to be a long term keeper.

Worst Pick – Luther Burden III (6) - I think Burden is gonna be a great player, just not sure how much he will do this year.

Overall – You used to be the team waiting to take RBs, and now they are the strength of your team. The top 3 should be good, and Ford could be the Browns top guy. At both WR and TE you have young guys who could go either way. But once Addison comes back

from suspension, that should help.

ESPN Rank – 7

My Grade – B-

Peeters

Best Pick – Drake London (1) - I know you didn’t love this pick, but I think he’s poised for a big year. He put up great numbers in the games Penix played last year.

Worst Pick – Bill Croskey (7) - He was a huge sleeper, and I was looking at taking him. I realized he is like your 5th RB, but you passed on QB and TE, and those are weak points on your roster.

Overall – You may not have a top tier RB, but the run of 4 guys you took should leave you solid at that position. I don’t see much value from your TEs, and you really need Caleb or Cam Ward to break out this year.

ESPN Rank – 12

My Grade – C

Dogs

Best Pick – James Conner (2) - This guy just seems to produce every year. He may not be as flashy, or be a multi-year solution, but he should put up great numbers for you.

Worst Pick – Rashee Rice (4) - His suspension came after the draft, but it was always going to come. He could be valuable late in the year, but 6 games is a lot to miss.

Overall – McBride could be the best TE in the league, and gives you another guy other than BTJ to rely on long term. You were able to get some solid RBs after waiting until round 2 to get your first, but there isn’t a lot of upside from them. I think Mahomes

could put up stronger fantasy numbers, than he has the last few years.

ESPN Rank – 8

My Grade – C 

Hippos

Best Pick – Zach Charbonnet (5) - Ken Walker has injury issues, and Charbonnet always seems to produce when he is the number 1. Having both on your team was a smart move.

Worst Pick – Chris Olave (4) - Between his concussion problems and Spencer Rattler as his QB, I’m not very high on Olave this year.

Overall – Lamar and Bowers are studs at their positions. You went with a veteran heavy team, and have quite a few with injury concerns. If guys like Jones and Olave (and Aiyuk when he is back) play well this could be a dangerous team. But you already have

2 guys on IR, and 6 with “Q” next to their name.

ESPN Rank – 6

My Grade – C+

Herd

Best Pick – Tyreek Hill (2) - You were able to trade down, and still get a guy who was the number 2 WR overall 2 seasons ago. If Tua stays healthy, this could work out really well.

Worst Pick – Quinshon Judkins (4) - He could be a good player, but he still is unsigned. I think there are several better RB options that went after this pick, at least for this year.

Overall – I’m not a fan of the depth on your team. Your top 3 WRs should be good, and Thielen will be nice until Addison is back. You really need Kaleb Johnson or Quinshon Judkins to have a breakout year.

ESPN Rank – 9

My Grade – C

Dingoes

Best Pick – Calvin Ridley (2) - He had a pretty decent season last year with Will Levis / Mason Rudolph . He is by far Tennessee’s best receiving option, and I imagine Cam Ward will be giving him a lot of targets.

Worst Pick – Alvin Kamara (1) - I had a feeling this would end up being my 1st round pick, and now my top 2 RBs are 30+. It doesn’t help that the Saints are likely going to stink this year.

Overall – I don’t love my depth. I’m pretty much relying on Allen , Leggette, or Ekeler to be my flex. Probably took the 2nd QB too high. I feel great about the top 3 WRs, and hopefully Kamara and Henry have at least one more year of quality.

ESPN Rank – 4

My Grade – C+ 

Cows

Best Pick - Emeka Egbuka (3) - A lot of buzz with Egbuka . With Godwin and McMillan hurt, he is likely to have an immediate role.

Worst Pick – DK Metcalf (1) - I’m not sure I want to rely on 2025 Aaron Rodgers for my 1st round WR. There were several WRs available here I would rather take.

Overall – 3 really good RBs and one of the best fantasy QBs. Kincaid seems like a nice post-hype sleeper. I don’t love Downs as WR3, and I’m not sure what Kupp will be giving you either. So, you probably have some work to do at WR. Time to start thinking

up trades Jonnie.

ESPN Rank – 5

My Grade – B

Sharks

Best Pick – JK Dobbins (5) - He’s probably gonna have a pretty good size role in Denver, and he’s another year past his injuries. I wouldn’t expect huge numbers, but great value at this pick, with the RBs available.

Worst Pick – Garrett Wilson (1) - I know he played with Fields in college, and he’s the only WR they have. But he was unreliable last year, and I think that is likely to continue. Like Metcalf, I think there were better WR options at this pick.

Overall - RB depth is a major question, as I’m not sure what Chubb has left in the tank. Herbert and Hockenson are both solid. I know I put Wilson as worst pick, but him and Waddle should be fine as your 3rd and 4th receivers. It’s tough being the last

pick, especially when you’re missing some picks.

ESPN Rank – 10

My Grade – C 

Peeters

Best Pick – Javonte Williams (4) - A solid option as your 3rd RB, on a team likely to run a decent amount. He’s now another year past the knee injury, when a lot of guys bounce back.

Worst Pick – Kyler Murray (4) - Not technically your pick, and a player I really like. But as I was saying during the draft, I think it’s crazy you traded Richardson and a pick for Kyler.

Overall – Very heavy on the Cardinals, but I do think they will be much improved this year. I think you have a very strong lineup, but that makes sense as you had some strong keepers, the first pick, and a bunch of extra picks.

ESPN Grade – C

My Grade – B-

Dogs

Best Pick – Ty Chandler (9) - Played pretty well when given the chance last year. At the least it appears he will have a decent role. But an injury from Aaron Jones could lead to him being a starting caliber RB.

Worst Pick – Kyle Pitts (6) - He’s certainly in a better QB and team situation than he has been in years past. But he burned me last year, and I just can’t trust him at this point.

Overall - Considering your keepers this went pretty well. Outside of Mahomes, you don’t have any studs but do have a lot of very good players. Some decent upside players on the bench as well.

ESPN Grade – B

My Grade – B

Dalmatians

Best Pick – Evan Engram (8) - 2nd most catches ever by a TE in a season last year. He did have some bad touchdown luck. I think it’s likely he will continue to be targeted heavily and be great value for the 11th TE off the board.

Worst Pick – (3) - If he wasn’t getting enough targets in Buffalo, I’m not sure how that will improve with Nico Collins and Tank Dell. Between that and his second half of last year I’m not sure

Overall – This team was hard as I was fine with pretty much all your picks. I may have gone in a different direction at times, but I understand your choices. Plus, your 2 Bears picks had me torn between being a homer, and realistic about this year's fantasy possibilities.

ESPN Grade – C

My Grade – B

Suds

Best Pick – Josh Allen (2) - He was the top QB last year, by a decent margin. And you got him a round later than where he went last year. His receivers have some questions, but his running ability will keep him a top QB.

Worst Pick – George Kittle (4) - Kittle at this pick isn’t bad, it’s more of the fact he is your TE2. Some decent RBs went off the board before your next pick

Overall – I don’t like your RB situation, hopefully for you Warren is ready to go Week 1. Better keep an eye on the waiver wire, or hope one of your backups get a bigger than expected workload. You have a lot of good options at WR and TE.

ESPN Grade – B

My Grade – B-

Hippos

Best Pick - Zack Moss (6) - Good value as I think he’s likely to split carries and be the goal line back. Chase Brown is unproven so he could just end up being the unquestioned starter.

Worst Pick – Romeo Doubs (5) - I think Doubs is a good player, but not a good player for Fantasy. I think there is better WRs here at this pick, including from the Packers.

Overall – I like your RBs, especially if Jones stays healthy and plays like he did late last year. I think with Bowers and your WRs there are a lot of questions, after Brown and Hill.

ESPN Grade – B

My Grade – B-

Herd

Best Pick - Diontae Johnson (5) - Someone has to get the ball in Carolina and Johnson seems like the guy. Could be a great WR3/Flex.

Worst Pick - Brock Purdy (8) - I get taking an established backup after the Jayden Daniels pick. But, I think a 3rd RB here would be more helpful to your team.

Overall – I love your top 2 RBs, but not much depth after that. I think Daniels could be a great fantasy QB. I like your receivers, and have like 3 of them I was gonna take 2 picks later.

ESPN Grade – B

My Grade – B+

Lumberjacks

Best Pick - Devin Singletary (5) - I don’t think the Giants will be good, but he seems like the clear option to get all the carries. The fact that you got this pick as a throw in with the Kyler Murray trade makes it better.

Worst Pick - Jaylen Waddle (1) - He’s had an unknown injury designation since the beginning of August, and is coming off a mediocre year. I just like a lot of the WRs who went after him in round 2, and the recent injury news isn’t great as well.

Overall – I don’t see many holes here. Richardson has huge upside and if he fails or gets hurt Dak is a great backup. I love Kincaid, as he could be the Bill’s top receiving option.

ESPN Grade – B

My Grade – A

Dingoes

Best Pick - Courtland Sutton (7) - Seems to be the clear number 1 WR in Denver. I have some questions about this offense, but Sutton should put up a lot of points at this draft slot.

Worst Pick - Malik Nabers (1) - I love Nabers, but Daniel Jones as his QB worries me. Probably reached here on the exciting rookie.

Overall – A couple of homer picks and some exciting upside players. I think there is a lot of variance with the RBs. If it goes well, I like my chances.

ESPN Grade – A

My Grade – B+

Sharks

Best Pick - Mark Andrews (4) - Some of the new hot TEs went earlier, which made Andrews fall a little. When healthy he has been a consistent top 3 TE.

Worst Pick - CJ Stroud (3) - I really like Stroud, but I think a 2nd WR here would have been more useful.

Overall - Your top 3 RBs should be great. You really need Williams or Wicks to step up and be your WR2.

ESPN Grade – A

My Grade – A-

Cows

Best Pick - Trey Benson (7) - Conner tends to miss games, and that could make Benson very valuable. Also, I imagine he could be the starter moving forward in 2025 so this could be a nice draft value keeper.

Worst Pick - James Cook (1) - I like Cook but in a non PPR league this seems a little high. The Bills seem to like Davis, and have historically used other guys, especially in the goal line area.

Overall – I think you really need Achane and Dell to build on what they did last year and stay healthy. You took a lot of popular late round sleepers, and probably need a few to contribute.

ESPN Grade – D

My Grade – C

Mud Ducks

Best Pick – Joshua Palmer (7) - Looks like he could be the Chargers WR1. Has had good games in the past but needs to be more consistent. Even on a team that should run a lot I imagine he will get chances to step up.

Worst Pick – Ben Sinnott (11) - I do think you reached here, but who are we kidding it’s an 11th round pick. This is more about the fact that this is probably the strongest group of TEs maybe ever, and you waited until 17 were gone to take one. And when you did pick it was for a rookie backup.

Overall - I liked the play to get both of the Brown’s RBs. But because of that and the missing 2nd rounder I think it hurts your depth. If Kupp and Chubb get/stay healthy, your top 2 at RB and WR could be impressive.

ESPN Grade – D

My Grade – C+

Moonlighters

Best Pick - Rashee Rice (4) - It doesn’t appear a suspension is coming anytime soon. With Marquise Brown out injured, he seems to be the number 1 WR for Mahomes. He was great in the 2nd half of last year.

Worst Pick - Jonathon Brooks (5) - Really good upside here, but there’s kind of an unknown when he will play.

Overall - Considering you didn’t have picks in the 1st 3 rounds, not a bad job. Although we’ve all seem you are willing to add talent by trading future draft picks. You have some interesting guys at WR.

ESPN Grade – C

My Grade – B-