IDP Dynasty Startup – Rounds 16-25
This Spring, the boys at RPO Football decided to form an official IDP Dynasty league and we are currently having our inaugural startup draft! As we make our way through the startup draft, I’ll be keeping track of the ooey-gooey details of all of my picks and moves and sending them your way. I’m in the fifth spot in the snake draft, which is maybe my favorite spot to draft from this year. If you missed parts 1 – 3, here is a review of my first 15 rounds!
- 1.05 – QB – Jalen Hurts
- 2.08 – WR – Amon-Ra St. Brown
- 3.05 – WR – Chris Olave
- 4.08 – WR – Drake London
- 5.05 – LB – Foyesade Oluokun
- 6.12 – RB – Javonte Williams
- 7.11 – WR – Christian Watson
- 8.08 – QB – Jordan Love
- 9.05 – RB – Dameon Pierce
- 10th – Traded Out
- 11.02 – rookie Draft Pick 1.11
- 11.05 – LB – Shaquille Leonard
- 12.08 – TE – David Njoku
- 13.01 – LB – Frankie Luvu
- 13.02 – DB – L’Jarius Sneed
- 13.05 – DL – Christian Wilkins
- 13.11 – DB – C.J. Gardner-Johnson
- 14th – Traded Out
- 15.05 – LB – Josey Jewell
You can read more about those selections here (1-5), here (6-10), and here (11-15)! In the meantime, here are my picks from rounds 16-25. @TFFGRobbie
Sixteenth Round: 16.08 – DL – Dexter Lawrence
With my 16th round pick, I finally filled out my entire starting roster. Dexter Lawrence is coming off his best year to date and is entering a contract year. He’s established himself as one of the better run-stopping interior defensive lineman in the league but also has a great ability to get to the quarterback. It’s unclear at the moment whether he’ll be on the Giants long term, but even if not, he is a great talent that will produce for several years. As an Eagles fan, it pains me to say that I’ll be rooting for him now!
Seventeenth Round: 17.05 – RB – Jamaal Williams
I wanted to take another running back here because I only have two so far (three if you include the draft pick). I thought Jamaal Williams had the highest upside of those remaining. As the #2 back in Detroit last year, he ended the season as a Top 15 RB, scoring 17 touchdowns! As things stand in New Orleans right now, Williams is slated to be the #2 back again. However, since Alvin Kamara’s legal situation is looking rather grim, Williams could find himself getting a large majority of the carries between the tens. The downside he faces is that the Saints love to use Taysom Hill at the goal line where Williams got most of his action in Detroit. I think his floor is high enough to warrant taking him here, and if his situation works out, he could end up as a Top 10 running back.
Eighteenth Round: 18.08 – WR – Juju Smith-Schuster
Smith-Schuster finds himself in New England this year with the new offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien. He has had a rough few years, but I think O’Brien’s offensive style will fit Juju’s strengths as a receiver. Juju does very well when running routes shorter than 20 yards and between the numbers. He is also a savvy route runner that can find open spaces when running 2- or 3-man combo routes (which O’Brien is fond of doing). I don’t foresee Juju hitting Top 15 numbers this year, but I think he is a fairly reliable Flex option that has several more years of high-level play in him.
Nineteenth Round: 19.05 – WR – Darnell Mooney
Darnell Mooney’s situation this year is an interesting one. He has been the #1 receiving option for Chicago for the past three years but has found limited success. The potential for greatness is there, however, as in 2021, he (140) saw more targets than Ja’Marr Chase (128) in the same number of games. The volume is there, but the quarterback play has not been. Earlier this offseason, D.J. Moore was traded to the Bears as a part of a deal for the #1 overall pick in the draft. Additionally, Justin Fields gets yet another year under his belt. I think the combination of higher-level quarterback play and being able to see softer coverage as the #2 threat will allow Mooney to make a resurgence as a fantasy weapon.
Twentieth Round: 20.08 – Rookie Pick 3.04
I’ve gone very heavy into receivers in this draft but there is a lot of value at the position and would rather stock up now while I have the chance. The later it gets, however, the more enticing rookie draft picks become. My usual options when I take a rookie pick are to take a vet who may be questionable or roll the dice on a rookie. My thought process is that if I take the vet, I’m more or less stuck. But if I take the pick and I end up not wanting a rookie at that spot, I could trade the pick for the vet anyway. So, for the rest of this draft, if I’ve taken a rookie pick it’s because I would rather see which rookie I can get than take a mid-level vet.
Twenty-First Round: 21.05 – WR – Isaiah Hodgins
Hodgins is a prospect I like a lot. He started the 2022 season as a nameless player, but in his last eight games (including playoffs) racked up 42 catches, 459 yards, and 5 touchdowns. The Giants receiver room had been in shambles all season. Hodgins came in at the end to provide some pretty consistent production and help the team win a playoff game. He currently fits in at #2 on the depth chart behind recently added Parris Campbell, but his size more than likely makes him the “X” receiver. It’s very possible that the Giants draft another young receiver this year, but there aren’t many that have Hodgins’ physical characteristics. I think he’ll certainly be able to rise to Top 50 receivers with the potential to make it much higher than that.
Twenty-Second Round: 22.08 – WR – Nico Collins
If you have read the article I wrote back in March about receivers to get before free agency, you’ll know how much I like Nico Collins. Toward the end of his season, Nico was seeing target volume comparative to Jaylen Waddle and DeVonta Smith. Poor quarterback play turned an unfortunate amount of those targets into incompletions. A shiny new quarterback addition in this year’s draft would be a major boost to Nico’s production. Additionally, the departure of Brandin Cooks and the addition of lackluster weapons Robert Woods and Noah Brown means that the target share likely still belongs mostly to Nico. We’ll have to see what other weapons may be added, but if Nico continues to play like he did last season, I think he’ll be a valuable asset to have drafted in round 22.
Twenty-Third Round: 23.05 – RB – Samaje Perine
I drafted Perine here both as a handcuff and with the belief that he could end up as a valuable contributor. Javonte Williams has worked out of a timeshare since he entered the league. It wouldn’t shock me if Perine ended up splitting touches with him once he comes back healthy. If that is the case, I think Perine is likely to be flex worthy pretty much every week. He’s shown great ability to work as a pass catcher out of the backfield which makes him a great compliment to Javonte’s hardnose running style. He’s my oldest offensive player so far, but I think he’ll do a shocking amount of good for my team.
Twenty-Fourth Round: 24.08 – TE – Jelani Woods
Jelani Woods should have been so much better than he was last year. A 6’7” tight end on a team captained by Matt Ryan should have been absolutely dominant. But he was rather disappointing. Luckily for him, his new head coach, Shane Steichen, has an offense that loves to target tight ends. See Dallas Goedert last year. Depending on which quarterback the Colts end up with, I think Woods could emerge as a red zone/3rd down monster. In a Tight End Premium like this league is (1.5 ppr), he could earn 10 points per game just on catches alone. Woods is probably going to start the year on my taxi squad, but I’ll be looking for the first sign of life to bring him up into the Big Leagues.
Twenty-Fifth Round: 25.05 – Rookie Pick 3.09
These rounds were full of mostly backups or high upside bench players. I’m stocking up on younger receivers so that I don’t have to use any of my draft picks on a relatively weak receiver class. Hopefully I won’t need to draft any receivers in the next few years because of my work in this start up. My lack of running backs does pose a weakness in the short term, but I’ll have plenty of opportunities to take rookies in this draft or next year’s. I’m also planning on using my later rookie picks to fill out my IDP depth, whether through trades or simply just in the draft. I still am happy with the position my team is in, although my strengths and weaknesses are becoming clearer. I’m looking forward to wrapping up the draft in my next article!
Thank you for reading! Follow me on Twitter at @TFFGRobbie
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