Tue Jul 30th 2024

My Scott Fish Bowl Draft

I dedicate this article to my friend and fellow Fantasy Freek, Monet Neal, who passed away last week. Monte was a follower of mine. He first emailed me two years ago, and we started talking dynasty. Since he lived in Austin, we met several times to talk football and hang out. He invited me to one of the leagues he commissions, where I took over an orphan team. Being in a league together gave us more reason to talk dynasty and get to know each other.

 

We were both invited into the Scott Fish Bowl for the first time this year. Throughout our drafts, we texted and discussed strategy. Late last week, when I messaged him about my team again, I did not get a reply, which never happened. Now I know why. His nephew posted the terrible news of his passing on our league's chat, and we were all stunned by the news.

 

Your time was too short, Monte. Fantasy football won't be the same without you. In honor of you, I write this article about my Scott Fish Bowl draft because I know you would have loved to read about it.

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Scott Fish loves to change the scoring setting each year in the Scott Fish Bowl to allow a variety of drafting strategies.  I'll discuss some of the scoring settings as I share my draft.

 

I drafted from the seventh spot and went into the draft with no determined strategy. I planned to take the draft as it came to me. The only tool I used was a page that showed what players in 2023 would have scored in these settings.

CeeDee Lamb

• Last year, Lamb scored the third most points in a league with these settings, and I was able to draft him in the seven spot. Lamb was the first receiver off the board. I debated between Lamb and Tyreek Hill, but chose Lamb, believing he will get more targets than Hill next year since there is not an excellent WR-2 option in Dallas. I was thrilled to get my top-ranked wide receiver at 1.7.

Kyler Murray

• I was thrilled to select Murray in the second round. SFB#14 is a superflex league that gives .25 points per rush and only 1 point per 50 yards passing. These settings will help quarterbacks who run a lot score far more points than those who do not. Murray was the 8th quarterback off the board. I was surprised to see Joe Burrow and C.J. Stroud, more pocket quarterbacks, drafted ahead of Murray. I'm confident that Murray will bounce back, and his new weapon, Marvin Harrison, will make him even better.

Kyren Williams

• One of the most unique settings in SFB#14 is the third-round reversal, where the team that picks 24th also gets to pick 25th while the team that drafted 1.1 and 2.24 has to wait until 3.36 to pick. The reversal did not affect me much since I was drafting from the 7th spot. I got to pick at 3.6 compared to 3.7.  That's why I chose to draft from the 7th spot. I did not want the reversal to affect me much. Given the tight-end premium settings, I was ready to draft a top tight end in the third round, but the top five had been taken. I settled instead for the player that scored the second most points per game in these settings, Kyren Williams. While I am worried about Blake Corum cutting into Williams's role, I figured you have to go bold in a league like this. I'm banking on Williams playing as often and as well as he did last year. Having the #1 ranked wide receiver and the #2 ranked running back from last year is a pretty good start.

Brock Purdy

• In a superflex league, I was pleased to get Purdy in the fourth round. While he won't get the added points from his legs like Murray will, he's a quarterback leading the team predicted to score the most points in 2024. His efficiency and weapons in the passing game will boast his fantasy points this season. I'm also confident in his quick-read offense that he can remain healthy throughout the year. He was the 26th-highest-scoring player in this format last year, just behind Patrick Mahomes. I was pleased to draft him as the 43rd spot in this draft.

Rachaad White

• I'm not a huge fan of White, but the fact is that he was the 13th-highest-scoring player in this format last year. His offensive coordinator left to become the Panthers' head coach, and they drafted Bucky Irving late. Still, he will be their lead back and dominate the volume of touches and receptions. He won't finish as high as last year, but he is one of the bell-cow backs that will dominate his team's touches, and with .25 per carry, that's important in the SFB14.

Rasheed Shaheed

• The most significant change and twist in the SFB14 setting is that there are points for return yards this year. They get one point for every five return yards and 10 points for return touchdowns. With these settings, Shaheed would have been the 23rd highest scoring player in the league last year, so I was pleased to lean into these wacky settings and draft him in the fifth round, making him my WR-2 who will really be my special teams player one. It may seem wild when Deebo Samuel and Cooper Kupp were drafted before and after me, but that's the bold move you must make in a league like this. I'll do it several more times in this draft.

James Conner

• Conner often gets injured, but when he's on the field, he's an excellent fantasy-scoring running back, especially in these settings, because he gets so many carries, catches, and first downs. He was the 22nd-highest-scoring player in points per game in these settings, and this year, his offense will get better. Trey Benson will cut into his time a bit, but not at the start of the season, and if Benson helps keep Conner healthy, then that's a win, too. I was thrilled to get Conner in the 7th round.

Keenan Allen

• If you want to talk about points per game in this format from last year, Allen would have had the 8th most points per game. His situation has changed significantly as a Bear with a rookie quarterback and two great receivers to compete for targets, but I'm still banking on the old man, especially when he fell to me in the 8th round. In this kind of league, you have to gamble on the upside, and if Allen is healthy and becomes the Bears' top target, then I have a steal of a deal with him here. He's made a rookie quarterback look good once. He can do it again.

Xavier Gipson

• Gipson is another special teams star. Since he returns punts and kicks, he was the 89th-highest-scoring player with these settings last year. He finished the season with the exact same score as his teammate, Garrett Wilson. Yes. That's how much the special teams scoring will affect their fantasy production in SFB14. While we don't know how the new kickoff roll will affect players or necessarily which players teams will select to return kicks, Shaheed and Gipson excelled last year at both, and I see no reason why either won't get the first crack on both again this year. Plus, they are involved in the passing game. I'm banking on Mike Williams getting injured and Gipson holing off rookie Malachi Corley to catch a lot of Aaron Rodgers's passes.  If so, Gipson will be a steal here.

Diontae Johnson

• I was surprised to see Johnson still available here. He was the only WR-1 left in the draft, while many WR-2s were drafted ahead of him. I have no doubt that Johnson will have the most targets in Carolina this year. That alone is a reason to draft him here this late. Last year was his worst season, but I think he will be rejuvenated to play with a new team and put in more effort than he did last season. I'm counting on a bounce-back season.

Jordan Addison

• I don't think Addison can repeat his ten-touchdown rookie season, but he will be the second-most targeted Viking, especially with T.J. Hockenson out. Unfortunately, minutes after I selected him, the news came out about his alleged DUI. He may get suspended for some games, but I am confident in his play on the field when he returns. He'll be in my starting lineups a lot this year. I am sure of it.

Luke Musgrave

• SFB14 is a tight-end premium league. PPR points are scaled with .5 to running backs, 1 to receiver, and 1.5 to tight ends.  Plus, they get 1.5 points per first down, compared to every other position, which gets .5 points per first down. This setting drove up the cost of tight ends, and they were drafted early and often. Each time I had a chance to select a tight end, someone beat me to the punch, and I refused to reach for a tight end. Thus, it is the weakest part of my team, but I drafted some guys late who gave me some upside. Musgrave has plenty of competition for targets in Green Bay, but at least he's young, already proved himself a starter in his rookie season, and has room to grow. I was pleased to draft a player whose role could surprisingly grow here.

Hunter Henry

• As tight ends were falling, Henry was the one I eyed late in the draft.  He's the most experienced pass catcher on the Patriots and could easily become the team's first or second-most-targeted player this season. He can help me with my weak point by simply getting the target volume.

Romeo Doubs

• As with Musgrave, Doubs has plenty of competition for targets in Green Bay, but he far and away led the wide receivers in snap count last season with 938 compared to Jayden Reed's 645. He will be on the field more than any of the other Packer receivers, yet he's always drafted behind Reed and Christian Watson. The coaching staff trusts Doubs. He's the most underrated of the Packer receivers. I was pleased to draft him this late in the 14th round.

Brandin Cooks

• Cooks was more productive than fantasy managers remember last season, especially at the end of the season. With Michael Gallup gone, he should see even more targets and compete with Jake Ferguson to be the Cowboys' second-most targeted player. He also gives me some insurance in case CeeDee Lamb battles an injury. At least I'd still have the Cowboys' WR-1 in that case. I was happy to add him late in this draft.

Aidan O'Connell

• I believe O'Connell will win the job in Las Vegas. So I was pleased to add a third quarterback to my team in this superflex league. The Raiders will run the ball and play conservatively, limiting O'Connell's upside.  Even so, getting a third starting quarterback in a superflex league is important, so I was glad to draft him this late.

Gabe Davis

• I get it.  No one likes Davis. He fell and fell in this draft to the point where I had to take him. I can't remember exactly how long, but he was at the top of the ADP queue for at least a full round before I decided to take him. I think Christian Kirk is the Jaguar's WR-1, and Evan Engram is Lawrence's next favorite target, but if rookie Brian Thomas can't pick up the game fast, Davis could get more targets than I thought. At this point in the draft, he was worth the gamble.

Jake Moody

• Kickers score a ton of points in SFB14. They get 3.3 points per extra point and decimal scoring one field goal length on top of that.  Last year, Brandon Aubrey would have been the 35th-highest-scoring player in these score settings. Kickers were not drafted higher because they are less predictable, and the differentiation between them can be minute. My goal was to pick a kicker on a team that was predicted to score the most points. Justin Tucker and Brandon Aubrey had already been taken, so I debated between Moody and Jake Elliot. I picked Moody because I think the 49ers will score more touchdowns and because I have a mini stack with Purdy as my quarterback. Each time Purdy scores, Moody gives me 3.3 more points.

Juwan Johnson

• Johnson has fallen in drafts because of his recent foot injury. Still, if he returns healthy to start the season or only misses a few games, Johnson could be a steal for me in this tight-end premium league. I was willing to take the risk in the 19th round. It's as simple as that.

Braxton Berrios

• I was surprised that Berrios fell so far in this draft. He returned kicks and punts for the Dolphins last season and was the 128th highest-scoring player this season, ahead of quarterbacks like Gardner Minshew. Miami may lean on someone else for kick returns, and Berrios will not be an active part of the offense, either, like Shaheed and Gipson, but he was worth a gamble at this point in the draft, especially if he does get to return kicks.

Tre Tucker

• What I said about Berrios applies to Tucker, although he will also be involved in the team's passing game.  I would have picked him ahead of Barrios in the previous round, but I was scared off a bit when I saw that some depth charts show the Raiders leaning on Dylan Laube as their punt and kick returner this year.  Either way, we'll find out pretty early in the season or maybe even in the preseason before we have one round of waivers the day before the season starts.

Joe Flacco

• I debated about which quarterback to take here. Part of me wanted to secure my handcuffs to Kyler Murray (Desmond Ridder) or Brock Purdy (Josh Dobbs), but I decided to bet on the possibility of Anthony Richardson getting injured and Joe Flacco working his old-man magic again. When waivers process the day before the season starts, I may change my mind and add my quarterback handcuffs. We'll soon see. 

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It was a blast to finally participate in the Scott Fish Bowl. It's an impossible tournament to win, but I'll give it my best.  I need Kyren Williams, Rachaad White, and James Conner to hold off the rookies behind them, I need my decision to draft special teams players to work, I need Keenan Allen to become the Bears' WR-1, and I need one of my three tight ends to get more targets than expected. If those things happen, I'll have a pretty competitive team.  Thanks for the opportunity to participate @#SFB14.

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