2022 Auction Draft Listeners League – 1.04 Draft Recap

Thank you to everyone who participated in this 2022 Listener’s League! Our friends over at Fantrax were gracious enough to sponsor this league as well as several others this year including our Best Ball Tournament.

This league is 12-team, redraft, PPR, and Superflex with a $200 budget. I nominated from the 4th position. The full draft board is included below:

Quarterbacks

Dak Prescott ($34) Justin Fields ($11) Baker Mayfield ($3)

Even though I spent a little more than I wanted to, Dak Prescott was the last quarterback available which I had a QB1 grade on for fantasy. He played the majority of last season with a calf injury that severely limited his mobility. Now, heading into 2022, Prescott is fully healthy and I expect him to return to form and have a rock-solid year. He’s one of a small number of quarterbacks that finishing as the overall QB1 is a realistic possibility.

I’m honestly a little torn on Justin Fields this season. The Bears may have one of, if not the worst offensive line in the NFL. I’m under no illusion to expect Fields to regularly throw for 250 yards per game or have a massive number of touchdowns through the air. My hope (and feeling) is that the Bears will likely be playing from behind a lot, which will give Fields plenty of opportunities to use his legs and rack up some nice garbage time numbers. For $11 ($5 below his current AAV) the value and upside are there.

Baker Mayfield will primarily act as my bye-week filler. In a perfect world, I won’t need to rely on starting him more than twice this season. He’s not a terrible option in this type of role but I wasn’t super thrilled I needed to spend the extra $2 to roster him and I wouldn’t advocate spending more than $1 or $2 on Mayfield.

Running Backs

Saquon Barkley ($31) Josh Jacobs ($10) Elijah Mitchell ($9) Brian Robinson Jr. ($3) Tyrion Davis-Price ($1)

Being set to nominate 4th and having Johnathan Taylor and Austin Ekler drafted previously, I took a bit of a risk and nominated Saquon Barkley earlier than I probably should have. Barkley is a bit of a polarizing player for fantasy this season. He’s uber-talented but has a history of injuries. I gambled that the other managers may be more risk-averse than I. I wouldn’t say it paid off massively, but I did get Barkley for $2 less than his current AAV. Barkley is one of the few running backs in the NFL that is a true workhorse. He’s got an improved offensive line, plays on all three downs, and will catch a ton of passes. I expect a huge season forthcoming.

Not many people will be enamored with having Josh Jacobs as their RB2, however, dollar for dollar, he may have been my best pick. Jacobs quietly put together a fine 2021 season and finished as the 12th RB in PPR. He averaged 15.1 fantasy points per game and though I am expecting a bit of regression, he plays in the AFC West, a division that will have plenty of high-scoring games. Getting Jacobs for $11 less than his current AAV was a deal I couldn’t pass up.

As with Jacobs, Elijah Mitchell’s value was another deal I couldn’t pass up. Though Mitchell dealt with a variety of injuries last season, had off-season knee surgery, and is now dealing with a hamstring, I felt like a $9 investment was worth the risk. $9 was a 50% discount from his current AAV and it has the potential for a huge ROI. Lance will undoubtedly take rushing attempts away but we’re still talking about a team that will primarily run the ball. At his price, all I need for Mitchell to be is a consistent RB3/Flex. Anything more than 10 FPTS/G is gravy, which I think is likely.

I drafted two rookies, Brian Robinson and Tyron Davis-Price because I have little faith in Antonio Gibson and as insurance for another Elijah Mitchell injury. Gibson did not look great in the Commanders’ first preseason game (4 carries, 2 yards, 1 fumble). Robinson, meanwhile, had six carries for 26 yards and added one touchdown. The Commanders’ backfield should be monitored closely. If Gibson continues to struggle, Robinson could take over the running game in Washington. Have him on your radar.

Wide Receivers

Justin Jefferson ($37) Tyreek Hill ($23) Michael Thomas ($11) Chris Godwin ($9) Rondale Moore ($2) Kenny Golladay ($2)

Justin Jefferson was the most expensive wide receiver in our draft, with Cooper Kupp ($34) and Ja’Marr Chase/Stefon Diggs ($33) being second and tied for third, respectfully. I am fully onboard with Jefferson finishing as the overall WR1 this year in fantasy and am happy to pay for it. Simple. End of story.

Before I drafted Tyreek Hill, I was actually trying to get A.J. Brown. But seeing as Brown cost $25, I’m pleased I was able to get, arguably, the most dynamic wide receiver in the NFL, for less. Going from Patrick Mahomes to Tua Tagovailoa is a downgrade for Hill. There’s no way to sugarcoat it. Assuredly, Hill won’t have as many of his usual, explosive stat lines as he did when he was a member of the Chiefs. However, he still has week-winning upside on his own, and pairing him with Jefferson could make for some eruptive fantasy weeks.

Michael Thomas and Chris Godwin’s prices were within $1 of their current AAVs, and I felt I needed to make a play for the two of them. In the case of Thomas especially, who looks nearly ready for Week 1, both have enormous upside and the potential to be league winners. Even if Godwin misses time, he’ll be back in plenty of time to be a valuable contributor. If you can get either player for the right price, as I was able to, you should not hesitate to bid. At their prices, they’re the type of players that can propel your team to contend for a championship.

I view Moore and Golladay as bye-week fillers, though especially Moore, has sneaky upside. He’ll be operating primarily as the Cardinals’ WR2 until DeAndre Hopkins returns from his six-game suspension. But even then, he has flex appeal playing for a high-octane offense in Arizona and in a division that will see many shootouts.

Tight Ends

George Kittle ($11) Brevin Jordan ($1)

To be 100% honest, I was not targetting George Kittle, nor did I think the winning bid would be $11. I was planning on waiting on the position and getting one of my favorite, cheap tight ends this year, such as Cole Kmet. But in auctions, you always need to have a plan A, B, and C. Things will almost certainly never break the way you think or hope they will. When I saw the bidding had stopped at $10 and the clock nearly at zero, I hit “bid,” trying to prevent someone else from getting a great deal. It turns out, that someone was me! It can be a risky proposition to “price enforce.” You can and often will either end up with a player you don’t want or possibly paying too much…or both! Even though this particular instance was the exception and not the rule, I was happy with the result, getting a bonafide TE1 for an $8 discount from his current AAV.

Like Kmet, but with less hype, Brevin Jordan is another one of those late-round, cheap tight ends I really like this year. The Texans will likely be playing from behind a lot this year and outside of Brandin Cooks and Nico Collins, the team doesn’t have much in the way of pass catchers. There should be ample opportunity for Jordan in an offense that will be throwing a lot.

Additional Thoughts/Rapid Reactions

• I was surprised at the cost of a few players towards the end of the draft. David Njoku ($9), Kadarius Toney ($7), and Nyheim Hines ($7) particularly stand out.  WhileToney has the most expensive AAV at $3, Hines has regularly been $1-$2, and Njoku has gone undrafted in a third of the mock drafts I have done. I actually like all three players this fantasy season but these prices were unexpected.
• Deshaun Watson was drafted as Team 3’s third QB for $11. As it is looking more and more likely that Watson’s six-game suspension will increase substantially, I cannot justify spending that amount. Even if Watson misses eight games, I would prefer to bypass what is sure to be a tumultuous situation going forward.
• Teams 8 and 10 spent 61% and 56% of their total budget on their QB1, RB1, and RB2, respectively. While their teams are incredibly strong in those areas, each has obstacles elsewhere on their respective roster. My preference is to spread my budget out a little more evenly.
• I thought teams 1, 9, 11, and 12 did a very good job ensuring balanced rosters.
• Relative to other player’s costs, my favorite values in the draft were: Kyler Murray ($32), Javonte Williams ($26), Leonard Fournette ($24), James Conner ($14), Josh Jacobs ($10), Ja’Marr Chase ($33), Kyle Pitts ($14), George Kittle ($11).

As always, please be sure to check out all of our Auction fantasy football content, including our Average Auction Value (AAV) database for reliable and up-to-date auction values.

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