Pre-Draft Trades 2018

• #228: Stink Pink Gators receive Jay Ajayi from Team Grrrrific for Mark Ingram and Gators 2020 RD4
• #229: Team Cameltoe receive Marlon Mack from Sweep the Leg Zabka for conditional 2020 pick (see trade sheet for conditions)
• #230: P-Funk All Stars receive Kelvin Benjamin from Sweep the Leg Zabka for All Stars 2018 RD3
• #231: Jedi Knights receive Tom Brady from Squirtle Squad for Jedi 2018 RD8, 2019 RD6, 2021 RD2
• #232: MoRRie’s Pogiboys receive Jerick McKinnon and 2018 RD7 from Hungry Ouroboros for Pogiboys / Warriors 2018 RD1 and Larry Fitzgerald

Not as many pre-draft trades went down this year as last, but all of them were pretty interesting in their own way, as a former MVP and definitely starteable pieces were on the go. Coming off back-to-back 5-8 and 4-9 seasons, Jedi Knights pushed a few picks into the pot for Tom Brady, who has anywhere from two to five years left at premium level. The move gives sophomore Mitchell Trubisky plenty of time to sit on the bench while Jedis look for a return to respectability.

Our two newest owners, Donny (Team Grrrrific) and Dave (Stink Pink) exchanged running backs, Jay Ajayi and Mark Ingram almost straight up, which seems like a collusion-y move doesn’t it? Who watches the Spartans?! Team Cameltoe is coming off two consecutive losing seasons themselves and swung a very conditional pick from our defending champs Sweep the Leg Zabka and acquired Marlon Mack. Zabka’s owner Alan — "Cobra Kai never die!" — also shipped off Kelvin Benjamin to P-Funk All Stars, who is coming off a dirty 2-11 season.

And then finally, the morning of the draft saw MoRRie’s Pogiboys trade Larry Fitzgerald and his (actually Mandalorian Warrior's 2018 RD1.5 to Hungry Hungry Ouroboros for Jerick McKinnon. Will one of these five moves get their teams closer to their goal? We'll see!

Draft Review & Pre-Draft Trades 2017

Um, we don’t have time for a proper draft review, but it was an exciting time as we saw a whopping seven trades pre/mid-draft, and we also saw the #1 overall pick traded! There were also two preseason trades, giving us a whopping nine moves before the 2017 season has even begun!

• #212: Morrie’s Pogiboys receive Matt Ryan and Cameron Meredith from Hungry Ouroboros for Pogiboys 2020 RD4
• #213: Pooh Bears receive Pogiboys RD1 for Doug Baldwin, Pooh Bears 2017 RD8, RD9, RD10
• #214: Sweep the Leg Zabka receive Jedi Knight 2017 RD7 for Zabka 2017 RD8, RD9, RD10
• #215: Jedi Knights receive Carlos Hyde from Pooh Bears for Jedi 2022 RD2
• #216: Team Grrrrific receive Jameson Crowder from Sweep the Leg Zabka for Team Grrrrific 2020 RD4
• #217: Hungry Ouroboros receive Cameltoe 2017 RD1 (1.6) from Pooh Bears for Ouroboros 2017 RD2 (2.3) and 2018 RD1
• #218: Another Bad Creation receive Leonard Fournette from Hungry Ouroboros for Joe Mixon and 2018 RD1 pick (second earliest of ABC’s 2018 picks)
• #219: Team Cameltoe receive Jared Goff, Zabka's 2018 RD9 from Sweep the Leg Zabka for Cameltoe 2018 RD8
• #220: Hungry Ouroboros receive Dalvin Cook, Jay Cutler from Team Grrrrific in exchange for Kareem Hunt, Tyrod Taylor

For the most part, it was Pogiboys, Ouroboros, and Grrrrific making multiple moves as Pogiboys picked up a new starting quarterback, Matt Ryan, and a new keeper receiver in Doug Baldwin. Pre-keeper declarations, Jedi Knights swooped in to grab Carlos Hyde while Donny made his first move in acquiring Jameson Crowder for a cheap price. And then Ouroboros went to work, trading down from #1 to #4, and then trading again to grab the #6 overall pick as well. — and then making a move to trade that #1.6, Kareem Hunt, in exchange for #1.3, Dalvin Cook after the draft. All in all, an exciting time and we look forward to many more trades this season!

Keeping in line with our diminishing draft reviews by round — we only looked at three last season — we’re gonna just go through the first two rounds here.

ROUND ONE
Rookie running backs were all the rage this year, as Leonard Fournette, Christian McCaffrey, Dalvin Cook, and Joe Mixon went off the board in short order to Another Bad Creation (trade-in), Shoguns of Harlem, Team Grrrrific, and Hungry Hungry Ouroboros respectively. The only rookie receiver to see any love was Corey Davis at 1.5 (Squirtle Squad) and in fact, no other receiver even went until Davante Adams at 1.10 to Fockers. Eleven of the top fourteen picks were running backs, which broke the record of ten running backs drafted in the first round, from 2015.

P Funk All Stars took the gamble on Marshawn Lynch at 1.7, and then it was a pair of Green Bay running backs, rookie Jamaal Williams by Italian Stallionz and Ty Montgomery by Stink Pink Gators afterwards. Green Bay was a popular first round destination as Ann Arbors took Randall Cobb with 1.12 too.

With four picks in the first round, resulting from an incredibly Celtics/Nets type trade a few years ago, Another Bad Creation not only moved up for Fournette but also nabbed Bilal Powell, rookie Samaje Perine, and yet another Packer, new tight end Martellus Bennett. Cleaning up the bottom of the round was 100 Acre Wood Bears, who scooped up rookie quarterback Deshuan Watson with the last pick in the round.

ROUND TWO
And as usual, 100 Acre Pooh Bears had a bunch of extra picks in the early rounds, this time concentrated in RD2, with picks 2.3 (OJ Howard), 2.6 (Ben Roethlisberger), 2.10 (Austin Hooper), and 2.16 (Tyrell Williams). The rich keep getting richer right? And Pooh Bears wasn’t the only team with multiple picks, as the previously named Shoguns of Harlem — now Xur and the Ko-Dan Armada — CGIed themselves into Thomas Rawls at 2.1 and then Mike Wallace with 2.4. Mandalorian Warriors poached New England with their two picks, with James White at 2.11 and our first kicker, Stephen Gostkowski all the way up at 2.7 — a full two rounds above where the first kicker tends to go.

Team Grrrrific grabbed semi-injured rookie Mike Williams early on, a smooth move considering their rebuilding plans, and fellow rookie Alvin Kamara was taken three picks later by Squirtle Squad. With a strong crop of offensive rookies, we saw them fly off the board in the early rounds this draft, including our second rookie TE in Evan Engram (P Funk All Stars, 2.14). Some rookies from last year went early too, like Sterling Shepard, Paul Perkins, and the aforementioned Austin Hooper. All three flashed promise last year but will need more seasoning. Perhaps their sophomore season will be their breakout year?

Relative old man DeSean Jackson — the third oldest player drafted in the first two rounds behind Lynch and Wallace — signals Ann Arbor Bamfers desire to stay in title contention this season. Duke Johnson by Morrie’s Pogiboys and Rob Kelley by Sweep the Leg Zabka are both in questionable playing time arrangements, but could work out.

And here concludes our quick draft review, onto individual teams and divisions! Thanks for completing our CBS draft in record time and thanks to Alvin again for setting up all the behind the scenes stuff, which is incredibly time consuming!

Pre-Draft Moves, and New Owner

Let’s welcome a new owner to the league, Alan! He’s taking over from the moribund Ann Arbor Bamfers franchise, who have been the worst team in Maize and Blue over the last decade. [Edit: Actually Alan is replacing WS Tartars!] The newly rebranded Sweep The Leg Zabka will look to turn things around quickly. The only thing we know about Alan is that he’s young, he’s hungry, he’s a Soliman, and he’s a Michigan State Spartan. Worse than that, he’s got a Comcast email account. Cobra Kai is stuck in the Eighties! Regardless, let’s raise our glasses for Jay’s years of service and give a hearty welcome to new guy Alan!

2014 Pre-Draft Trades:

• #174: Hungry Ouroboros trade 2014 RD3 to Pooh Bears for Ray Rice
• #175: Cameltoe trade 2014 RD1 to Pooh Bears for Doug Martin and Jordan Reed
• #176: P Funk All Stars 2014 RD2 to Pogiboys for DeSean Jackson
• #177: Sweep the Leg Zabkha trade 2017 RD1 and 2018 RD2 to Mandalorian Warriors for Rob Gronkowski and Knowshon Moreno
• #178: Fockers trade 2014 RD10 to Hungry Ouroboros for Antonio Gates
• #179: Sweep the Leg Zabkha trade 2014 RD3 to Squirtle Squad for Rashad Jennings
• #180: Italian Stallionz trade 2014 RD7 to Hungry Ouroboros for Mike Wallace  

Last off-season we saw a ton of pre-draft moves that included the blockbuster involving Matthew Stafford and Demaryius Thomas, as well as Cameltoe's complete rebuild. This off-season, we had quite a few moves also, with many notable names shuffling around. The most signifcant trade was Cameltoe moving their 2014 first rounder to Pooh Bears in exchange for Doug Martin and Jordan Reed. That pick ended up winning the lottery (I think) and gave our defending champions the #1 overall pick for 2014! Yowza! Only time will tell if that was a worthwhile trade, but a part of Felipe must be sad that he won’t be able to grab his choice of rookie.

Pooh Bears wasn’t done either, as they continued to clear spare parts off their championship team. Longtime stalwart Ray Rice was dumped to Hungry Ouroboros for a 2014 third rounder, as the ownership team of Jose and Jayvee decided that they couldn’t put up with Rice’s off-season, well, you know what Rice did. Ouroboros then acquired a pair of low end picks in exchange for Mike Wallace and Antonio Gates, essentially giving away two of his 2013 keepers. P Funk All Stars got into the action by sending a 2014 second rounder to Pogiboys for DeSean Jackson, who had an outstanding season last year, and will now bring his deep speed to a new NFL and fantasy team.

And since new owners love to make a splash, Alan put a stamp on his new team by moving a 2014 RD3, 2017 RD1 and 2018 RD2 to acquire Rob Gronkowski, Knowshon Moreno, and Rashad Jennings. We’ll take a look at the impact of these new keepers later on, but it’s interesting to note that the last three new owners have all made big splash trades -- Ouroboros moved Drew Brees, Fockers acquired Demaryius Thomas -- before even playing a game. Note: Matt has now firmly established his first mover advantage for hitting up the new owner for trades before they've even had a chance to catch their breath. I remember I got an email from him literally within an hour or two of taking over Ouroboros three years ago!

Merry Go Round

With rumors flying and one late trade acceptance that slid in too late for the deadline, this year saw only one move before the post-WK10 cut off date. Defending champs Mandalorian Warriors moved to shore up a receiving position that had semi-plagued them all season. Last year’s Super Bowl hero, Roddy White, was moved for a healthier superstar receiver: Larry Fitzgerald.

Despite floundering a bit so far this year, Fitzgerald is averaging 8.1 points a game this season, has four double digit games, and is a huge upgrade over the missing-in-action White. Losing Steven Jackson won’t be a problem either because Knowshown Moreno has more than replaced (In)Action Jackson’s RB2 stats. With Rob Gronkowski returning to form, the Warriors are getting ready for a long stretch run. Already averaging a league leading 91.0 points per game, it’s highly likely GM Matt just assured his 8-2 team of another Super Bowl appearance. Future defending champs take note: This is how you defend your title! Aggressive, be aggressive! (Does this move have shades of Matt moving for Roddy last year, and then going to win the title? Yes, yes! The fantasy gods reward bold moves.)

Trade ID: #170

• Original Salt receive Roddy White and Steven Jackson
• Mandalorian Warriors receive Larry Fitzgerald and Nick Folk

On the other side of things, Original Salt was facing a losing season after a promising start and is already looking toward the off-season. White and Jackson have been injured most of the season — they’ve combined for only 36 points this entire season — and the two are clearly not going to help much the rest of the way. Both are back but still fighting through their various dings. Despite a roster featuring Philip Rivers, Matt Forte, and the ghost of Jordan Cameron, Reno has likely decided to throw in the towel and hope for a high draft pick next year.

Kicker Nick Folk, included in the deal for we're not sure why, has already been dropped by Mandalorian Warriors. Folk has been on fire recently and is the #3 ranked kicker, so it might behoove someone to scoop him up. The Warriors already had Matt Prater and Garrett Hartley on board, while Original Salt employs Robbie Gould. Folk has been outscoring all three of them, and now he's a FA. Go figure.

Offseason Moves

Trade ID: #167

• Pogiboys receive Cameltoe 2013 RD1 (1.4), rights to Pogiboys 2013 RD4

• Mandalorian Warriors receive Pogiboys 2013 RD2 (2.11), 2013 RD2, 2015 RD1

Trade ID: #168

• Human Amoebas receive WR Demaryius Thomas, Italian Stallionz 2013 RD1, 2014 RD3

• Italian Stallionz receive QB Matthew Stafford

Trade ID: #169

• Jedi Knights receive WR Steve Smith and TE Jason Witten

• Detroit Players receive Jedi Knights 2014 RD4, 2015 RD1

A few pre-draft trades worth taking a look at. First up, a total doozy as Alvin makes a huge play for this year's draft. After picking number one overall last season -- nabbing Trent Richardson -- Alvin was already set for a big 2013 draft with three first round picks. His own and two others acquired last August for Frank Gore and Larry Fitzgerald (Trade ID#157 and 158). Post-draft lottery, Pogiboys moved to secure the rights to Cameltoe's 2013 RD1, which was under the control of Mandalorian Warriors from their recent deal. The trade gives Alvin a whopping four first round picks this year, as he'll pick third, fourth, ninth, and eleventh. The entire Pogiboy fan base is excited about what this infusion of new talent could do for the team. As for the defending champs, why give up an early first round pick? Could it be that they don't believe much in any of the top rookies? Interesting...

A cautionary note for Pogiboys:

• In 2010 Ann Arbor Bamfers had four selections -- #3, 4, 13, 15 -- and came away with C.J. Spiller, Ben Tate, Golden Tate, and Braylon Edwards.
• In 2011 Detroit Players had three of the first four overall draft picks. They selected Mark Ingram, Ryan Williams, and Daniel Thomas. The #2 pick that year, Julio Jones, was the only one that panned out. Jones was selected by Team Cameltoe.
• In that same draft, P Funk All-Stars had three first round picks also, which were used on A.J. Green, Knowshon Moreno, and Owen Daniels.

Installed as the new head of decision making, Hong had his first major move to orchestrate. With two up-and-coming quarterbacks on the roster, he had to figure out if he wanted to hitch his star to Matthew Stafford or Andrew Luck. Ultimately he went with Luck and while under a mandate to find a franchise running back, he chose to usurp Eric's authority and move for Demaryius Thomas and draft picks instead. Thomas had a breakout season with Peyton Manning at the helm, catching 90+ balls for over 1,400 yards and ten touchdowns. He'll remain a top receiver as long as Manning is playing, and probably beyond that. If fellow Georgia Tech alum Calvin Johnson is Megatron, then the similarly physically gifted Thomas could become Optimus Prime.

As for Stafford, he threw for an astonishing almost 5,000 yards last season, even at the cost of 17 interceptions to 20 touchdowns. Surprisingly, Stafford is only twenty five years old and could still improve. While it was rumored that Stafford was headed to other destinations, it was the Italian Stallionz who charged in with the best offer. We're not sure why Porta needs Stafford and Tom Brady, but perhaps another trade is soon on the way.

In late-breaking news, Jedi Knights swooped in to shore up their keeper roster by moving a few picks for Jason Witten and Steve Smith. Great move! Is anybody else feeling like all of Lum's moves are turning up daisies recently? We should probably rename him King Midas if he keeps this up. Smith's numbers dipped from his resurgent 2012 season but he still caught 70+ passes for 1,170 yards and 4 TDs. That's pretty decent for an old guy. The real get is Jason Witten, who caught 110 balls last year, and while he only scored three touchdowns, a tight end who has gone over 80 receptions in five of his last six seasons is invaluable. This is the kind of pre-draft trade we love to see, as Ariel had extra assets and Lum had room to upgrade his roster. Lovely!

Arriving: Off-Season Rebuilds

Well, it looks like the 2013 football season is finally rounding the corner. With a flurry of moves, Felipe is making sure that Team Cameltoe doesn't repeat last year's 4-8-1 record. After a 2012 season that saw them post the second fewest points in the league, ownership mandated big changes. After starting off last season on reasonably good footing with three wins and a tie through WK8, Felipe's team collapsed down the stretch. A big problem was the quarterback position, where the two headed monster of Jay Cutler and Mark Sanchez wasn't able to do much of anything. Cutler dipped to barely 3,000 yards and only 19 TD versus 14 INT, and Sanchez was well, Sanchezian. A change was needed at the top.

A quick tangent and R.I.P. of sorts for Jay Cutler. The mercurial Cutler has been with Felipe since his rookie year, when Mr. Kristin Cavallari was a lowly 2006 RD7 pick. By 2007, Cutler had overtaken Jake Plummer as the starter -- for both the Denver Broncos and Cameltoe -- and his growth coincided nicely with team success. After three seasons from 2004-6 that boasted 2-11, 4-8-1, and 1-12 records, Cutler helped Cameltoe go 26-13 from 2007 through 2009. Those three winning years included two playoff victories over higher seeds, and a bright future behind Cutler, Brandon Marshall, and Dallas Clark.

Those years also featured a young Adrian Peterson, drafted first overall by Cameltoe (then "St. Lunatics") in 2007. However, a trade away of Peterson just after his stellar 2008 season signaled the beginning of dark times for the franchise. They still managed to go 9-4 in 2009 with a temporary salve in the backfield of um, Joseph Addai and eight games of Clinton Portis, but Felipe's team hasn't had a winning season since dumping All Day.

Two four win campaigns in the last three years, along with an upcoming keeper core that looked to boast exactly one prime time piece at best -- 2011 second overall pick Julio Jones -- convinced Felipe to move toward a rebuild.

Trade ID: #165

• Team Cameltoe receive RB Daryl Richardson, WR Jordy Nelson, DST Chicago Bears
• Mandalorian Warriors receive Cameltoe 2013 RD2 pick and 2014 RD3 pick Cameltoe 2013 RD1 and 2014 RD4 [Revised]

Trade ID: #166

• Team Cameltoe receive QB Russell Wilson
• 100 Acre Wood Pooh Bears receive Cameltoe 2014 RD1, 2015 RD1, and 2017 RD2. (The 2013 RD1 is lottery-protected and will convert into Cameltoe's 2017 RD1, in the event that Team Cameltoe does not make the playoffs this season.)

By mortgaging a boatload of future picks, Felipe completely revamped his team. Sure, he won't have an early pick for some years -- four of their next RD1/RD2s were already owned by 100 Acre Wood Pooh Bears through 2016 -- but that could be okay since Russell Wilson looks like a franchise quarterback and then some. The diminutive rookie emerged through the back half of the season to power Seattle into the playoffs. "Wilson closed the season with at least 19 Fantasy points in nine of his final eleven games, including at least 27 points in his final three outings." Armed with Percy Harvin and another year of experience, Wilson should continue as a fantasy force.

Not only that, Felipe picked up a new RB and WR set to replace likely camp cuts Roy Helu and Shonn Greene. Daryl Richardson could be the starting tailback in St. Louis and he represents a cheap buy. The same with Jordy Nelson, who had an injury ravaged 2012 but just one year prior was a breakout star. Defending champion Mandalorian Warriors is awash with talent and dumped Richardson, Nelson, and Bears DST for some picks, a move that makes sense for both teams.

We're not sure if a defense is worth keeping, but GM Felipe has shown a predilection for selecting defenses early in drafts so this could just be a pre-emptive strike against a surefire third round defense selection. Go Bears! I mean, "Go Cameltoe!" We love the boldness of these moves and we're hoping more owners take such proactive efforts to reconfigure their roster. We know there are some quality players being dangled in trade talks so we can't wait for the pre-draft shenanigans to continue.

• Felipe must curse the name "Roy Helu" every night. Helu was acquired as part of the Adrian Peterson trade and then again in 2012, ID#146, which cost Cameltoe a 2013 RD2 and a 2014 RD2 to Pooh Bears. All of that and Helu has now taken a gigantic backseat to Alfred Morrris.

Filling Some Needs

A blockbuster went down as 100 Acre Wood Pooh Bears moved Ryan Mathews and Ryan Tannehill to Squirtle Squad for Miles Austin, Brandon Lloyd, and Russell Wilson.

With the emergence of Doug Martin, Mathews was no longer needed and the former number one draft pick has been on the trading block all week. Mathews has only been the 25th ranked RB this season, averaging 8.8 points per while missing the first two games of the season. Before getting injured during the pre-season, most prognosticators had him as a surefire first round pick. Obviously, it's been a tough year for him.

Meanwhile, Austin has been Squirtle Squad's third best player this season, and the Cowboys' leading receiver has been in the top dozen receivers so far, bouncing back from an injury plagued last couple of years. Austin is averaging 10.2 points, making J's goal of getting "a WR that gets me 8-10 points per week" complete. Adding Brandon Lloyd will help the Pooh Bears too, as Lloyd is capable of starting in place of Dez Bryant or Brandon LaFell should the need arise.

The exchange of rookie QBs Russell Wilson and Ryan Tannehill is mostly a wash, as Wilson will sit behind Cam Newton while Tannehill will duke it out with Christian Ponder to back up Michael Vick. Our analysts say this was a good trade for both sides as the Pooh Bears desperately needed a number one receiver, and had an extra running back to spare. The Squirtles will certainly miss Austin but red hot Randall Cobb is more than ready to step up. Brian bought low on Mathews and if he can bounce back in the next year or so, Mathews will make a nice RB pair with Adrian Peterson. A logical trade that helps everybody involved, just the kind we like!

• An original seventh round draft pick of the Ann Arbor Bamfers in 2009, Miles Austin was then picked up as a free agent by Squirtles' GM Brian. Austin promptly blew up for 250 yards and 2 TDs that week, pushing the Squirtles to their team best 132 points scored.
• Ryan Mathews was J's 2010 1.2 pick -- right after 1.1 Dez Bryant, also by Pooh Bears. The trade involved an exchange of 2010 RD1 picks and also 2011 RD2 and RD3. We took a brief look at it during our early round wheeling and dealing article -- ID#103 -- and gave it a big thumbs up.

Moving On Up

In a shocking move, the Detroit Players sent Madden cover boy Peyton Hillis to the Ann Arbor Bamfers for their 2011 first overall pick. Along with Hillis, the Players also sent along the rights to Human Amoebas 2012 RD1 selection. The Players picked up rookie RB Mark Ingram with their selection.

"Coming off a disappointing season, we needed to switch things up. I thought this was our best move, to secure a rising star at an affordable price," GM Ariel said to the media. After compiling four winning records in a row, and back-to-back Super Bowl wins in 2006-7, the Detroit Players dipped to 6-7 last season. "Our fan base expects the best and we need to show them that we're not afraid to make moves that will return us to glory."

The Detroit Players now have a roster boasting quarterbacks Matt Ryan and Tim Tebow, up and coming receivers in Hakeem Nicks and Mike Williams, a solid tight end in Jason Witten, and a stable of rookie running backs. The Players grabbed all three highly touted rookie running backs this year -- Ingram, Ryan Williams, Daniel Thomas -- by securing three of the four top draft slots. Analysts raved over the bold maneuvers and predict another winning season ahead.

As for Hillis, he'll join a Bamfers backfield that is quite crowded at the moment. LaDainian Tomlinson is like a former child star now relegated to a supporting role in an ensemble television comedy. He's serviceable but his name carries more weight than his performance. More likely it'll be Fred Jackson starting alongside Hillis while last year's disappointing rookie, CJ Spiller, waits in the wings.

The Bamfers are coming off of consecutive four win seasons, which may sound lackluster but they are actually high points in the franchise's recent history. In the three seasons prior (2004-2006), owner/coach/GM/scapegoat Randy managed to compile only six wins total. We'll say that again. Six wins total. Suffice to say, picking near the top of the draft is not a new experience for him.

The good news is that Hillis is optimistic about leading a turnaround and quite candidly said, "Hey, I play in Cleveland, I know all about losing teams." In a breakout season, Hillis put up 1600+ combined yards and scored 13 TDs in 2010, performing as a top player. The only question this year is if he can escape The Madden Curse.

Actually, at his introductory press conference, Hillis had a question himself: "Guys, what's a bamf?!"