Justice League Team Previews

While this certainly wasn't the smoothest draft I've ever been a part of, at least it finished quickly right? Sure there were some issues with the auto-picking and my mess up with the tight ends, but all's well that ends well they say. As an apology, here are some team previews. That or I'm just really excited for football. Oh and if you didn't have a team name, I just named you. So some of the names are unofficial obviously.

1. Canadian Bacon (Adam)
With the first overall pick, Adam took all of a minute and a half to cue up Chris Johnson. It looks like the token Canadians in the league will swing for the fences with home run hitters like Johnson, DeSean Jackson, Steve Smith, Johnny Knox, and Jacoby Jones. They have Jahvid Best and Michael Bush (injured) in the backfield but until one of them steps up, this team will run and shoot, with his venerable highness Brett Favre at the helm.

3. Fobulous (Jimmy)
It was hard to decide which player to take at #3 but UCLA alum Jimmy selected bowling ball running back Maurice Jones-Drew. He'll have another LA college product by his side in Reggie Bush but if rookies CJ Spiller or Kareem Huggins start their careers off right, Bush could be relegated to the bench. We rather like Fobulus' air attack of QB Joe Flacco and WRs Calvin Johnson, Marques Colston, Joey Galloway, and the rookie Mike Williams. You know, the non-bust one.

5. Gangsta Wangsta (Victor)
Despite frantically racing home due to not knowing the draft time was changed, Victor's squad should be quite solid with yardage machine Steven Jackson leading the way. In a PPR league, Brandon Marshall could be a superstar, and fellow receivers Steve Smith and Donald Driver have seen better days but they are still quite productive. The big question here is at the quarterback position. Are Matthew Stafford or Kyle Orton enough?

7. Howler Monkeys (Brian)
The team that stole Drew Brees out from under me. The Howler Monkeys are actually a little light in the personnel department for Brees to throw to. Percy Harvin is the number one here but he might be in and out with migraines, Dez Bryant is a rookie and Austin Collie and Eddie Royal might not be productive right away. The backfield is steady though, with Ryan Grant, LeSean McCoy, Justin Forsett, Steve Slation, and Larry Johnson.

9. Tom Brady is Hot (Olivia)
QB Aaron Rodgers is being touted as a NFL MVP after his outstanding season last year -- and was highly coveted by Olivia. The question is if Michael Crabtree, Jeremy Maclin, Braylon Edwards -- and eventually Sydney Rice -- are up to the task fantasy wise. There are certainly lots of good RBs on this roster: Cedric Benson, Jonathan Stewart, Felix Jones, Clinton Portis, and Willis McGahee. We smell a possible trade if the receivers don't pan out.

11. Kings of Convenience (Oliver)
This is a team ready to run and shoot behind QB Tony Romo, who might be a steal in RD3. He'll have plenty to players ready to catch his passes, starting with Randy Moss and Reggie Wayne on the outside and in the slot, and then TEs Dallas Clark and Jason Witten as safety valves. Someone will have to emerge from the three headed backfield trio of Ricky Williams, Kevin Smith, and Tim Hightower though. Or maybe it'll be Keiland Williams. Who? I dunno either.

13. Snake Eyes (Ryan)
Charger fans love Ryan Mathews and Razor Ryan's no exception as he took Mathews at the top of the second round. If the Bolt rookie falters, there's a stable of so-so running backs behind him: Matt Forte, Ahmad Bradshaw, Correll Buckhalter, and Marshawn Lynch. It looks like it's Mathews or bust! With all world Petyon Manning pacing the passing attack, you only need a few steady WRs and that's what Ryan drafted with Chad Ochocinco, Steve Breaston, Tony Gonzalez, and Visanthe Shiancoe. None of them will be stars but they'll be quite serviceable.

Uncanny X-Men Team Previews

2. Dirty Birds (Jon)
With the trade down to in the first round, the Dirty Birds committed themselves to the air. They selected six receivers projected as the main pass catcher on their NFL teams: Andre Johnson, Roddy White, Dwayne Bowe, Malcolm Floyd, Laurent Robinson, and Jabar Gaffney. The problem is there's no real running back here, with Jamaal Charles, Marion Barber, and Cadillac Williams all filled with some question marks. And more importantly, can QB Matt Ryan evolve into a good fantasy player or will Ben Roethlisberger be called upon to save the day?

4. Department H (Mark)
We actually kind of really like the mysterious Department H's core of Philip Rivers, Ray Rice, and Anquan Boldin. They are all going to be top tier players and the 2010 Ravens are said to be an offensive team finally. There a lot of WR potentials on the roster with Mike Wallace, Santonio Holmes, Devin Aromashodu, and Legedu Naanee but we think TE Vernon Davis will still be the best receiver after Boldin. The backfield is thin though, as Darren Sproles, Rashad Jennings, and Brian Westbrook aren't full time players and would be cause for concern if Rice goes down.

6. The Johnsons (Kevin)
This roster seems like a very complete one as there are quality backups and prospects at every position. Frank Gore is a stud, and Knoshown Moreno, Darren McFadden, and/or Fred Jackson should complement him well. The Johnsons are strong at receiver with Miles Austin, Hakeem Nicks, Kenny Britt, and Kellen Winslow. Matt Schaub won't likely ever need to come out of the lineup but Vince Young is a very capable backup. While some of these guys won't work out, enough of them should to emerge to give Kevin a very flexible team that might depend heavily on week to week matchups.

8. Inglorius Basterds (Mike)
Rolling the dice and trading up to nab Adrian Peterson was a calculated gamble but it could work out well. Behind Peterson is a large handful of timeshare RBs in Pierre Thomas, Laurence Maroney, Thomas Jones, and Chester Taylor. Mike did manage to draft a good selection of receivers to take the pressure off All Day (Greg Jennings, Wes Welker, Lee Evans, Chris Cooley) but who'll throw them the ball? Is Kevin Kolb as good as he's been touted, or will sophomore Mark Sanchez have to come off the bench and save the day? Can a Bruin really rely on a Trojan at any point in the season? Probably not I say.

10. Alberto's El Nino's (Hong)
That's two possessive apostrophes in one team name; it's a Mexican joint in Poway's crazy weather's something basically. Hong's team is devoid of tight ends or John Carney but he's assembled quite the crew. Running backs Michael Turner and Joseph Addai are solid starters. QBs Carson Palmer and Donovan McNabb are fading but could still have one more good season. And Larry Fitzgerald, Hines Ward, Pierre Garcon, and Derrick Mason let the El Nino's go run-and-gun if they want. There's even a LaDainian Tomlinson sighting here! And who doesn't fear Devin Hester as a kick returner?

12. Ben Coates All-Stars (Andy)
Basically I wrote all these team synopses so that I could get to Andy's. There's going to be three TEs on this roster and while that may sound crazy, it's hard to argue with Antonio Gates, Jermichael Finley, and Brent Celek. Okay, maybe Celek. But we're hoping Andy drafts another TE so he can go run-and-tight sometime this season. There is a really strong running game here with DeAngelo Williams, Shonn Greene, Arian Foster, and possibly Donald Brown. It may sound crazy that Eli Manning is actually good but in 2009 he was a 4000+ yard passer and may have hit a new tier as a fantasy quarterback. Oh right, and he has a championship. Gag.

14. Ron Artest Was Lucky (Rollen)
A fellow Wolverine, either Rollen or I were destined to draft Tom Brady. We'd like to see him drop David Garrard for Chad Henne to really commit to school pride. Rollen does have WR Mario Manningham as a sleeper though, and he might sneak into the starting lineup alongside Mike Sims-Walker, Santana Moss, Bernard Berrian, Josh Cribs, and Devery Henderson. We don't see a lot of difference between most of those guys so it could be Mario time soon. We think Rollen got the two next big things in RBs with Rashard Mendenhall and Beanie Wells. If one of them can't break out in a feature role, Ronnie Brown is on hand to lend his veteran presence.