2019 Fantrax SuperFlex Mock Draft 1.0

John Laub breaks down the 2019 Fantrax SuperFlex Mock Draft.

I do not watch a movie on a Betamax machine, take photographs with a Polaroid camera or buy a Yugo for my daughter. In fantasy baseball, I no longer play in two-catcher formats or leagues that do not allow daily roster moves. In fantasy football, I despise standard-scoring formats and avoid playing in leagues with less than 12 teams. So, why do I tolerate fantasy leagues with only one starting quarterback?

I began watching football in the Seventies with my Dad when defenses dominated the gridiron: The Purple People Eaters, Steel Curtain, Orange Crush and Doomsday Defense. In the Eighties, the 49ers (1984), Bears (1985) and Giants (1986) crushed opponents and won the Super Bowl. I still love watching dominant defensive units stifle offenses like the Legion of Boom in 2013 and the Mile High No Fly Zone in 2015.

Nevertheless, we are fantasy footballers and rooting for points on the scoreboard is our passion and pleasure. We yearn for offensive juggernauts like the ‘83 Redskins, ‘89 49ers, ‘97 Vikings, ‘07 Patriots and ‘13 Broncos. Of course, a great quarterback led each team to the pinnacle of offensive proficiency. In the NFL Draft, front offices extort desperate clubs huge ransoms to acquire a franchise-changing signal caller. Arguably, it is the most important position in any organization. Why do we endure playing in leagues with only one starting quarterback?

When drafting, the industry orthodox is the late-round quarterback strategy, and it is so incredibly predictable and boring. The vast majority of experts and diehards (myself included) wait patiently until the double-digit rounds to select the most important player on the field. Any time a game develops a consensus on strategy, it is time to tweak the rules around the edges. We must ignite the SuperFlex revolution in fantasy football. Will you join the rebellion against outdated dogma and idiocy?

The Move to SuperFlex

My great friend Joe Pisapia and I have banged the drums for years to convert all leagues to a SuperFlex. It is by far the best method to play. Now, the industry must embrace the superior set-up, which allows an owner to start two quarterbacks in their lineups. It drastically increases the value of elite signal callers and forces everyone to research all 32 starters in the NFL. Who is a better SuperFlex asset: Andy Dalton or Joe Flacco? It is not an existential question in SuperFlex: Fantasy owners must evaluate all 32 field generals to maximize roster capital.

In order to inspire alternative-reality zealots to change their starting lineup requirements and/or join a SuperFlex league, I assembled an All-American team of Fantrax football experts and completed a Mock Draft. The participants were asked four fiery questions after the draft to provide insight for readers.

Enjoy my fellow fantasy fanatics!

The Fantrax SuperFlex Draft Team:

1. Kate Magdziuk, @FFballblast
2. Chris Allen, @ChrisAllenFFWX
3. Michelle Magdziuk, @BallBlastEM
4. Scott Engel, @scotteTheKing
5. Michael Florio, @MichaelFFlorio
6. Joe Pisapia, @JoePisapia17
7. Michael Stepney, @MStepney71
8. Etan Mozia, @EtanMozia
9. Mick Ciallela, @themick23
10. John Laub, @GridironSchol91
11. The Welsh, @IsItTheWelsh
12. John Schepps, @CoachSchepps

*You can view the rosters of each analyst by clicking on their name above.

Four Fiery Inquiries

1. What is your quarterback strategy in a SuperFlex Draft?

Chris Allen – Can “no strategy” be an answer? At least to me, startups are all about capturing value at all positions. So regardless of the scoring format (1QB, SF, 2QB), I try not to let that dictate my approach. I do think it’s easy to get caught up in the positional runs. You see quarterbacks start to fly off the board and Fear of Missing Out starts to creep into your process. While I don’t recommend leaving your draft with Eli Manning as your first quarterback, there’s a middle ground that doesn’t involve having to draft Patrick Mahomes. I draft using two tenets: draft for value, trade for need and find the middle of the curve. Drafting for value gives you leverage to trade for players/positions you’ve neglected later. So, if you devalue a position, it can be addressed later using the assets you’ve collected. But, with positional runs, that can become difficult. The curve describes the positional runs that occur in every draft. You don’t want to be at the start of the curve sacrificing opportunity cost and being at the end of the curve forgoes upside. The middle is where it’s at as an owner. Tier 2 and early Tier 3 players can still deliver weekly upside while providing the benefits of a powerful roster at other positions. If I can acquire players in that range and acquire blue-chip prospects as backups (i.e. rookies), then my roster has both current value with ascending talent to keep my roster strong.

Scott Engel – Get a quarterback in the first two rounds, and the second no later than the fourth or fifth round, depending on the flow. Avoid taking a tight end unless he is Top 3 player or so early because you will cripple the other positions where you have to start more players.

Michael Florio – You need to grab a quarterback early on in SuperFlex. I grabbed Baker in the second and then waited a while and drafted Kyler Murray. Traditionally, I select a second signal caller sooner, but with Murray sliding, I was fine waiting. I love the upside he brings due to his legs.

John Laub – SuperFlex drafts progress organically and challenge the participants. Usually, quarterbacks come off the board quickly and value falls at wide receiver. At the end of five rounds, I would like to own two signal callers, two runners and a receiver. Nevertheless, I do not have a steadfast strategy to follow. In this draft, I observed signal callers coming off the board and compared with my personal rankings. In the fifth round, I noticed that The Welsh and John Schepps had both selected two quarterbacks and not likely to acquire a third with their picks. Therefore, I took a calculated risk and drafted D.J. Moore before my second quarterback. Luckily, Dak Prescott remained on the board in the sixth round with pick No. 63. Mission Accomplished! Finally, I always grab a third starter and wait until only a few remain available. I seized Joe Flacco in the fourteenth round and am confident he can fill in during bye weeks.

Kate Magdziu – In a SuperFlex draft, my inclination is always to hold out on quarterbacks through the first and sometimes second round. I prefer to secure my stud receivers and/or running backs and cash in on some of the quarterback values that hang around in the third or fourth rounds. Some of those I like for late-round targets include the quarterbacks with rushing value, such as Josh Allen or Lamar Jackson, and players who have seen a drop in ADP for 2019, like Kirk Cousins.

Joe Pisapia – SuperFlex is my favorite format. I like to go early and often at quarterback, getting two QB 1’s in the first four rounds. I’d still take a top running back or wide receiver round 1, but there’s no way I’m leaving round four without two top quarterbacks, and I want 3 on my roster.

John Schepps – My strategy was to take quarterbacks early, and I felt signal callers were being undervalued. Aaron Rodgers was a great value at the end of the first round in my opinion. He was a top five selection in SuperFlex drafts in recent years, but had a down year in 2018. Getting him at 12 set me up with a top quarterback for the season. Matthew Stafford is another QB who is undervalued due to a down season. He has shown in the past that he will chuck it and produce among the top QBs in the league. I believe this year he will bounce back.

2. Identify the team with the strongest roster that is not yours?

Scott Engel – I like Mick Ciallela’s team. He drafted solid, but not great quarterbacks, and a really good foundation at receivers and runners.

Michael Florio – Have to give credit where it’s due, and Scott Engel crushed this draft. He doesn’t have a glaring weakness in his starting lineup and added good depth. I get that no one wants to touch Shady right now but round 13?!? I also really like Mick Ciallela’s team.

Ethan Mozia – This was a tossup between Scott Engel’s monster and Michael Florio’s beast of a team. I give the edge to Florio because of his second running back spot. While I do think Damien Williams is a strong bet to be a fantasy star turn this season, the assured volume of Leonard Fournette does it for me.

John Schepps – The team with the best roster is Mick Ciallela. He got two stud quarterbacks—who might be at the end of their careers­—in the fourth and fifth rounds and will produce at a high level. He has a lot of depth at receiver with a few breakout candidates in Sterling Shepard, Sammy Watkins, Jamison Crowder, and Andy Isabella. His running backs are solid. Melvin Gordon will be a weekly stud, and Austin Ekeler will come in handy when the veteran gets banged up. Behind Gordon, Josh Jacobs has a nice floor this season, and James White will have a few weeks where he produces as top 12 fantasy runner. Overall, Mike drafted a great roster.

Joe Pisapia – I think Scott Engel had a strong showing.

3. After the eighth round, who is the preeminent value pick not on your team?

 Chris Allen – The delta between where D.J. Moore and Curtis Samuel are being drafted is fascinating. Samuel’s injury history is a valid concern, but their on-field usage (or projected on-field usage) doesn’t indicate the need for such a gap. Moore’s greatest strength is his ability to create after the catch and isn’t an indication of future performance. Moore’s and Samuel’s total volume in 2018 isn’t all that different with Samuel missing 3 games (82 targets to 65, respectively). If the two continue to see a similar workload and Samuel’s route-running ability continues to improve, Samuel will be a huge value in both dynasty and redraft.

Mick Ciallela – Because this is a SuperFlex, quarterbacks made up over 25% of picks through the first eight rounds. That leaves a lot of excellent value picks to choose from. I liked the selection of Alshon Jeffery in the ninth round by Joe Pisapia. He averaged nearly 15 PPR points per game last season and should approach that level of production again this year in a high-powered offense. I also really liked Etan Mozia handcuffing Todd Gurley with Darrell Henderson. With the question marks surrounding Gurley’s health, this was a very savvy pick in my opinion.

Scott Engel – Packers receiver Geronimo Allison with the final pick. He had four quality outings to start 2018 before he was hurt, and I wanted him but had no room. He will re-emerge quickly as a Fantasy WR No. 3.

Michael Florio – Kansas City receiver Demarcus Robinson in round 12 was my favorite late-round pick. Sammy Watkins is the number one, but can we trust him to stay on the field. Rookie Mecole Hardman is getting the hype as the Hill replacement, but he was viewed as a development project coming out of college. There is a ton of sneaky value in Robinson, who could quickly become a staple in the Chiefs’ offense should Watkins get hurt or Hardman struggle to live up to the very lofty expectations.

John Laub – In the eleventh round, Etan Mozia snaked rookie Darrell Henderson from my Que. I wanted the enticing game breaker badly, but Etan had to protect his investment in Todd Gurley, who he selected in the first round. Any owner with Gurley must acquire Henderson on their roster in 2019. In my Dynasty leagues, I am already heavily invested in Henderson and will target him throughout the summer in fantasy drafts.

Kate Magdziu – One of my favorite value picks was Marvin Jones, who went to Michael in the tenth. The Lions offense sputtered in 2019, but prior to Jones’ knee injury that ended his season after week 9, he was on pace to be the WR #18 in standard formats and WR No. 20 in PPR. In our mock? He went as the WR No. 39! I repeat, Marvin Jones was the thirty-ninth wide receiver off our boards! Tremendous touchdown upside in an offense that has bounce back potential in 2019…I’ll take it all day.

Michelle Magdziuk – Rashaad Penny in the ninth round. I believe he takes a step forward in his sophomore season and surpassed Carson as the lead back. I have him ranked as my RB No. 17 in PPR formats. He was the thirty-second runner selected off the board—amazing value and little risk involved.

Ethan Mozia – In redraft, Texans’ Lamar Miller is the standout value pick for me. I was sniped by one measly pick and that forced my hand in covering my bases with a potential downtick from Gurley on the horizon. Think what you will about Miller, second running backs should not come that cheaply.

Joe Pisapia – Tampa Bay running back Ronald Jones has a great return on investment potential in 2019.

4. In the first four rounds, pinpoint the most overpriced selection in the draft?

Mick Ciallela – This is a bit of a loaded question and one that is basically impossible to answer. After all, if we all valued each player the same way, every draft board would look exactly the same. But I thought Matthew Stafford going in the third round was a bit of a reach. I had Cam Newton and Drew Brees ranked ahead of all of the other quarterbacks available at that point in the draft. I was able to snag Brees at 4.04 after Newton went 4.02, so no complaints from me.

Scott Engel – Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield in the second round with Wilson, Roethlisberger, Wentz, and Goff still on the board.

Michael Florio – With so many quarterbacks occupying the early rounds, it’s hard to find a reach at the other positions. My least favorite pick was Matt Stafford though, as he is trending in the wrong direction with a coach who thinks it’s still 1985. There were a number of signal callers I would have selected before him.

John Laub – In life, I try to embrace my better angels and not criticize too much. Unfortunately, my career as a teacher entails critique as does my position as a fantasy analyst. At the end of the third round, I cannot believe that Matthew Stafford came off the board ahead of Cam Newton, Drew Brees, Philip Rivers, and Kirk Cousins. Lions’ coach Matt Patricia wants to win games with suffocating defense and a ground game to control the clock. There is no way Stafford throws the ball over 600 times as he did from 2011-14. While I like Stafford as a late-round bargain, there is no way I spend so much draft capital on Detroit’s field general.

Michelle Magdziuk – Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Selecting a signal caller with the fourth overall pick is too pricey for me, even in SuperFlex. I do not believe Mahomes will repeat his historical 2018 season. If he throws for even 40 touchdowns, you will be wildly disappointed taking him with your fourth pick overall over a stud like Alvin Kamara.

Joe Pisapia – Jaguars running back Leonard Fournette has too many injuries, is still on a bad offense and in this format with RB lasting wasn’t worth the reach.

Full Results

You can view the results round by round by using the navigation control below the table.

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