Tue Aug 27th 2024

My Freek League Rookie Draft

I had my final rookie draft this past week, my original Freek league. Twenty-six years later, we're still meeting every late summer on Lake LBJ to draft and, more importantly, catch up and enjoy our decades-long friendships. It was a busy weekend, so I'll post a short article here. I'll share about my Freek team and the players I drafted in my final rookie draft.

For context, It's a 10-team, one-quarterback league with 1 QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, 1 Flex, 1 TE, and we still have a K and DST.

Last season, I lost in the Super Bowl. My team is still a win-now team with a solid roster and young players in backup roles. I traded my first-round pick last year to a rebuilding team, so I only had four picks in our five-round rookie draft. I'm pleased with that trade and the future of my team, especially after a big trade I made during the offseason.

Here is how my draft played out last weekend.

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** Mark Andrews

• Of course, I did not draft Mark Andrews. I traded for him last year as I made my run to the championship game. I knew it would be a late-round pick. It ended up being the 1.9, where the other manager drafted Trey Benson. I'd much rather have Andrews than Benson, so I'm still pleased with the trade, even though I did not win the Super Bowl. I had David Njoku as my starting tight end, so Andrews is a step up at the position, even after Njoku finished the season on a tear. Andrews strengthens my strong team, locking me up with a top-tier dynasty tight end in my lineup every week.

Xavier Legette

• Legette's lingering injuries and lack of preseason games caused him to fall to be with the second to last pick in the second round at pick #19  in this draft. I've drafted Legette as early as pick #15 back in May. I'm still a believer, even though he's had a rough start in training camp. The Panthers traded up to select him in the first round, so they have to get him on the field early. Jonathan Mingo had a decent camp while Legette was sidelined, but Legette will quickly pass by him on the depth chart once he's fully healthy. He's the big deep-threat coach Canales wants and will fit that role well. I was excited to get one of my favorite receivers in this class so late in the second round. Adonai Mitchell, Ja'Lynn Polk, and Ricky Pearsall were all drafted ahead of Legette in this rookie draft, and I had Legette ranked higher than those three. I thought Legette was a steal.

Drake Maye

• Even though this is a one-quarterback league, Maye fell too far. I was pleased to draft him at pick #29 in the third round. Quarterback is the only position where I do not have a top-tier dynasty player. Justin Herbert is my starter, and Sam Darnold is my backup, with Gardner Minshew and Aidan O'Connell behind them. I wanted to get a quarterback in this draft because of the uncertainty of Herbert's productivity in what we assume will be a run-first approach under Jim Harbaugh and Greg Roman. Now that Darnold is the starter in Minnesota after J.J. McCarthy's injury, I have more security at quarterback and time for Maye to develop on my bench. I won't be surprised at all if Maye is named the starter in New England this week after his improvement in practice and preseason games. I'm writing this on Sunday, August 25th, and posting on Tuesday, August 27th. We may know by then. It will take some time for Maye to be a productive quarterback in fantasy, but I believe he will. Tyrone Tracy was the only guy I was willing to take ahead of Maye in a league like this, but he was selected with the pick right ahead of me in this round.

J.J. McCarthy

• Given his injury, McCarthy fell quite a bit in this round. I was the perfect team to take him since I also have Sam Darnold on my roster. I can move McCarthy to my IR and wait out the year with him. It felt like a smart move for any team, but even more so for my team, which has Darnold and needs more depth at QB. Now that I have Herbert, Darnold, Maye, and McCarthy, I am able to drop Minshew and O'Connell from my rosters when we have to cut our rosters back this weekend. That's another reason why I added McCarthy here. He looked awesome in his lone preseason game, giving me a reason to wait on him for a year. In this round, I planned to draft Audric Estime, my most drafted rookie this year, but again, he was drafted the pick ahead of me. 

Malik Washington

• Washington has looked awesome in all of his preseason games. He's returning kicks and punts and has had carries on gadget plays, too. He's buried on Miami's depth chart so long as Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle are healthy, but if one of them misses time, Washington could become a startable player. OBJ continues to battle injuries during training camp, leaving the WR-3 role open. The way Washington has looked in the preseason, he could take the job outright anyway. Washington will make the cut on my team. I have to wait and watch to see how he's used once the season starts.

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My Team

Quarterbacks

Justin Herbert, Sam Darnold, Drake Maye, J.J. McCarthy, Aidan O'Connell, Gardner Minshew

• My quarterback room is a bit volatile, but it's young. Herbert's dynasty value dropped a bit after Harbaugh was hired as the head coach, given his run-first tendencies. That move caused me to pick up Darnold, O'Connell, and Minshew late last season and this offseason. I went into the draft eager to draft a quarterback for depth. I ended up with two. I was pleased to add some youth to my squad and see them grow and develop in the next few years. O'Connell and Minshew are cutable now that I added youth and depth in the rookie draft.

Running Backs

Jahmyr Gibbs, Kyren Williams, Rhamondre Stevenson, Jaylen Warren, Tyjae Spears, Tank Bigsby, Elijah Mitchell, Miles Sanders, Sean Tucker

• If Gibbs and Williams stay healthy, my lineup is a killer, but injuries could ruin my team for this year. My biggest trade of the offseason was in this league when I traded Saquon Barkley and Tank Dell for Kyren Williams and Rhamondre Stevenson. I reluctantly accepted the trade offer even though I love Barkley and Dell because I saw Williams as the best player in the trade, and I have great depth at wide receiver. Stevenson had just signed his new deal with the Patriots when this trade was proposed, so I was more confident in his role in New England, even though the offense will be less productive than most. Warren and Spears have split backfields, but each could become their teams' future starters. I'm pleased to see how well Bigsby has played in the preseason games, giving me hope for him for the very first time. Mitchell will help me if he can get healthy, and Christian McCaffrey cannot, but Sanders and Tucker will get cut from my roster this weekend.

Wide Receivers

Amon-Ra St. Brown, A.J. Brown, Puka Nacua, Jordan Addison, Jayden Reed, Xavier Legette, Rashod Bateman, Tim Patrick, Van Jefferson, A.T. Perry, Malik Washington

• My top three starters are all in the top eight of my dynasty rankings. They make my team a force to be reckoned with. The youth and depth I have behind them excite me, too, especially Addison, Reed, and Legette. The back five receivers in my lineup should all make my roster, given that they could see their roles increase this year, but they'd be very unlikely to ever see my starting lineup, barring a lot of injuries.

Tight Ends

Mark Andrews, David Njoku, Micahel Mayer, Mike Gesicki, Chig Okonkwo

• As mentioned above, Andrews is my every-week starter. If he gets injured, as he often does, Njoku is a fine backup who would be an every-week starter on other teams in this league. I'm holding out hope for Mayer that the Raiders will use Mayer and Bowers lined up together a lot this season. I'm eager to see what Gesicki can do in his first year with the Bengals, and Okonkwo is on the roster bubble for my team that should not carry more than four tight ends.

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My Starting Lineup

• My starting lineup is killer. I'd start Justin Herbert, Jahmyr Gibbs, Kyren Williams, Amon-Ra St. Brown, A.J. Brown, Puka Nacua, and Mark Andrews, with Rhomandre Stevenson, Jaylen Warren, Tajae Spears, Jordan Addison, and Jayden Reed competing for the flex position. Injuries can permanently derail a team, but I have the depth to stay competitive and a few players who would benefit significantly if players ahead of them got injured.  I'll be a top-tier competitor again this season and look forward to competing against the Freeks in my longest-standing league.

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