Warriors Trade for #1 Pick

The latest CRFL mock draft update didn't last very long. Within 24 hours, more chaos occurred. Trade season is on fire. The Kaneohe Ikaika Warriors, apparently recently moved from the North Shore, dumped excess talent to the Wind River Bison. It was enticing enough for the Bison to move back five picks to 1.06.

The Bison fix their WR issues almost instantaneously by adding Sammy Watkins and Jeremy Maclin. Melvin Gordon, a long time target of the Bison, was also included in the deal. As noted earlier, the Bison are not out of the 1st round. They simply accepted these players to fall back to 1.06, where the Warriors were originally slated to pick.

I've been told Kaneohe, barring some drastic change in draft stock, will take Ohio State RB Ezekiel Elliott at 1.01.

The fire sale didn't stop there. The Warriors also shipped Jimmy Graham to the Spokane Wolves for the 2.12 pick.

More craziness to come, but as of this moment the Warriors are on the clock...

Mock Draft Update 2/13

Trades and new owners are abound in the CRFL. Here is the latest mock draft, as always based on the NFL Mock Draft of Walter Football. I still think Wind River Bison goes WR, but in the case of Treadwell being a WR2 in Atlanta, Elliott goes 1st overall.

Brucey's crew hoards 1 RB, 2 WRs, and a QB. RB talent disappears in a hurry.

 1st Round

1.01. Wind River Bison selects...RB Ezekiel Elliott HOU (Ohio State)
Bison need help at WR, but Treadwell in Atlanta diminishes his fantasy upside. Wind River goes best player available.
1.02. Huskerfan selects...WR Laquon Treadwell ATL (Ole Miss)
First WR off the board won't fall farther than this pick. Huskers get another young WR stud in back-to-back drafts.
1.03. Brucey's crew selects...RB Derrick Henry TEN (Alabama)
Bruce made a huge trade in the 2015 off-season for three 2016 1st round picks. Four total for the 1st round. He'll take a potential stud RB here.
1.04. Badgerhawks select...RB Alex Collins DAL (Arkansas)
The Hawks have several needs, none more so than WR. But Collins as the bell cow in Dallas? Even 1.04 might be too low even as a 3rd round selection.
1.05. Raptors selects...WR Michael Thomas MIN (Ohio State)
Thomas is the last 1st round talent among the RBs and WRs. The Raptors get good value with this pick. 
1.06. North Shore Ikaika Warriors select...RB Kenneth Dixon NYG (Louisiana Tech)
The Warriors are in need of some proven depth at RB. North Shore gang takes the highly-talented Dixon and hopes he is a star in the making.
1.07. Juice Box Heroes select...RB Paul Perkins NYJ (UCLA)
There is potential for Perkins to be the #1 RB for the Jets. Can't ask for much more at this point in the draft.
1.08. Gem State Bruins select...WR Josh Doctson BAL (TCU)
Bruins shipped out long time WR A.J. Green for this pick and use it to get younger at WR. Docton has the potential to be a go-to target for Flacco.
1.09. Brucey's crew selects...WR Tyler Boyd STL (Pittsburgh)
The talent haul continues for the crew. There is a lot of receiving talent available, Boyd goes here because he has less competition. 
1.10. Huskerfan selects...WR Corey Coleman BUF (Baylor)
Huskers might want a RB here, but early 2nd round talent Coleman is too enticing to look passed. Even if this isn't the best landing spot for Coleman.
1.11. Brucey's crew selects...WR Braxton Miller DAL (Ohio State)
The crew grab another solid prospect. Miller should be a worthy rotational fantasy option in Dallas. You're looking for contributors this late in the 1st round.
1.12. Brucey's crew selects...QB Carson Wentz CLE (North Dakota State)
The 1st round raid is over, and Brucey's crew already has a RB and two WRs. Time to take a flier on a high-upside QB? Philip Rivers and Drew Brees aren't getting any younger.

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CRFL Welcomes New Teams

2016 season has begun on Fleaflicker and brings with it four new teams into the CRFL. The Lynch Mob are now the Raptors, Digital Plumbers are now Spokane Wolves, NWO Wolfpac now The Valley Bulls, and Triple Option Kills is now Range Lonestars. Also, in other changes the Boise Bears have made a name change to the Gem State Bruins. We are glad to have these new teams and wish them luck this upcoming season.

It did not take long for several of these teams to begin making big moves. The Spokane Wolves acquired Eddie Lacy, Blake Bortles, and LeSean McCoy in less than a week. In less than 24 hours, the Range Lonestars (who were the 0-13 TOK in 2015) have acquired A.J. Green from the Gem State Bruins.

Current 2016 1st round draft order

1. Wind River Bison
2. Huskerfan
3. Brucey's crew
4. Badgerhawks
5. Raptors
6. North Shore Ikaika Warriors
7. Juice Box Heroes
8. Gem State Bruins
9. Brucey's crew
10. Huskerfan
11. Brucey's crew
12. Brucey's crew

2016 CRFL Mock Draft

For those that do not play daily fantasy or NFL playoff fantasy, the off-season has arrived. As evidenced in my earlier post, the CRFL trade market is on fire. Our annual rookie/free agents draft is months away, but that doesn't mean it's not time to rev up the annual mock draft! After today's major trade, the Wind River Bison are on the clock.

As usual, my mock draft is based on the often-updated NFL mock draft that Walter Football produces.

Without further delay, 2016 CRFL Mock Draft 1.0...

1st Round

1.01. Wind River Bison selects...RB Ezekiel Elliott HOU (Ohio State)
Bison need help at WR, but Treadwell in Dallas diminishes his fantasy upside. Wind River goes best player available.
1.02. Huskerfan selects...WR Laquon Treadwell DAL (Ole Miss)
#4 overall pick won't fall farther than this pick. Huskers get another young WR stud in back-to-back drafts.
1.03. Brucey's crew selects...RB Derrick Henry TEN (Alabama)
Bruce made a huge trade in the 2015 off-season for three 2016 1st round picks. Four total for the 1st round. He'll take a potential stud RB here.
1.04. Badgerhawks select...RB Alex Collins DAL (Arkansas)
The Hawks have several needs, but none more so than WR. But Collins as the bell cow in Dallas? Even 1.04 might be too low.
1.05. Lynch Mob selects...RB Paul Perkins NYJ (UCLA)
All the 1st round talents are off the board, Lynch Mob takes the best RB still available before things get sketchy. 
1.06. North Shore Ikaika Warriors select...RB Kenneth Dixon NYG (Louisiana Tech)
The Warriors are in need of some proven depth at RB, but a 1st round WR is still available. Dilemma here, but the North Shore gang takes the highly-talented Dixon and hopes he is a star in the making.
1.07. Juice Box Heroes select...WR Michael Thomas MIN (Ohio State)
The madness ends. RB-needy teams got their RBs, meaning some solid WR talent falls. JBH gets a big steal here.
1.08. Triple Option Kills selects...WR Corey Coleman CLE (Baylor)
Coleman landing in Cleveland isn't the best situation for him, but TOK looks passed situation and takes a potential elite talent at great value.
1.09. Brucey's crew selects...WR Will Fuller GB (Notre Dame)
The talent haul continues for the crew. Fuller receiving the ball from Aaron Rodgers has all kinds of potential.
1.10. Huskerfan selects...WR Kenny Lawler BAL (California)
Huskers might want a RB here, but early 2nd round talent Lawler is too enticing to look passed. 2 of the first 3 WRs off the board in Walter's mock go to Huskerfan.
1.11. Brucey's crew selects...WR Tyler Boyd STL (Pittsburgh)
The crew grab another solid prospect. The Rams have next to no passing game, but Boyd might be the team's top WR right away.
1.12. Brucey's crew selects...QB Carson Wentz DAL (North Dakota State)
The 1st round raid is over, and Brucey's crew already has a RB and two WRs. Time to take a flier on a high-upside QB? Philip Rivers isn't getting any younger.

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Per the usual, I will attempt to update this mock draft monthly or so. Until then...

UPDATE: Bison now on the clock, Bears get Bell

True to tradition, it didn't take long for the trade market to explode in the CRFL. Less than two weeks after the Boise Bears won the 2015 CRFL Championship, major moves shake up the league. The two teams that participated in the 2015 CRFL Championship, Boise Bears and North Shore Ikaika Warriors, swapped superstars. Dez Bryant and Sammy Watkins are now on the northern side of Oahu, and Le'Veon Bell is a Boise Bear. Melvin Gordon was also included in the deal and is headed for the islands as well.

But that wasn't all. Today, despite earlier claims that there would be no trading for the #1 overall pick, Digital Plumbers sent the 2016 1.01 to the Wind River Bison for T.J. Yeldon and Allen Hurns. The Bison are on the clock. Nobody loves the draft more than the Bison (formerly Paniolos), and this will be the second time ever that the franchise picks #1 overall.

Former #1 picks in the CRFL

2011 - MIN RB Adrian Peterson (Start-up Draft)
2012 - CLE RB Trent Richardson
2013 - CIN RB Giovani Bernard
2014 - PIT WR Antonio Brown
2015 - STL RB Todd Gurley

Boise Bears beat North Shore in CRFL Championship

The 2015 CRFL season came to a close tonight as the Boise Bears defeated #1 seeded and two-time CRFL champ North Shore Ikaika Warriors 143.32-127.34. The Bears were lead by waiver wire pick-up RB Tim Hightower, and a combination of QB Blake Bortles and WR Julio Jones to fend off the Warriors, who despite a rough week across the board from its star players, were aided by a 43-point performance from the Arizona Cardinals DST. It was a repeat of the 2014 CRFL Championship, the Bears were poised to need help from A.J. Green on Monday Night again. This time Green didn't deliver a goose egg, and it wouldn't have mattered anyway with the matchup already decided before hand.

That concludes season #5 in the CRFL. Each team will keep 12 players going into 2016. The Digital Plumbers are currently on the clock at 1.01 in the 2016 CRFL Draft.

I'll have 2016 draft analysis come spring!

2015 CRFL Draft Midseason Review

We're midway through the 2015 fantasy season and the CRFL is still wide open. The trade deadline is next week and everyone is jockeying for position to either make a run at the title, or better position themselves in the 2016 CRFL Draft. I figured I'd take a look back to spring 2015 to see how everyone did in the 1st round of the 2015 CRFL Draft. Keep in mind we've had some turnover in ownership of certain teams, but here are my grades.

1.01 - Boise Bears select STL RB Todd Gurley A+

I won't pat myself on the back too much, but this obviously panned out. Some dynasty rankings already have Gurley as the #1 overall player.

1.02 - Laces Out (now NWO Wolfpac) selects SD RB Melvin Gordon B

The owner who made this pick is now gone, but he made the sensible pick before swapping Gordon for LeSean McCoy and Kevin White. Turns out, he forgot to set his pre-draft rankings and really wanted Kevin White instead (he's a Bears fan). Oddly enough, White now plays for Triple Option Kills. We trade a lot in this league.

1.03 - Huskerfan selects OAK WR Amari Cooper A+

Before Gurley's explosion, you could have made an argument Cooper should have gone at 1.01. Huskerfan drafted an elite WR to anchor his team for years to come. That's what everyone hopes to get in these high picks.

1.04 - Wind River Bison selects JAC RB T.J. Yeldon A

Talked with the WRB owner personally, and he was shocked both Gordon and Cooper were off the board. Bison didn't panic and selected Yeldon, who has turned into a much better pick than 2014 selection Bishop Sankey.

1.05 - La Mesa Badgerhawks of San Diego select TB QB Jameis Winston B-

One of the surprise picks of the first round. Nobody expected a rookie QB to come off the board this early, but the Badgerhawks greatly lacked at QB. Instead of continuing on with average fantasy QBs, they invested in Winston (and later Mariota too).

1.06 - German Pirates (now Digital Plumbers) select DEN WR Emmanuel Sanders C-

Autopick from an owner no longer in this league. I'm not a fan of picking non-rookies this early.

1.07 - Sparta Spartans (now Lynch Mob) select ATL RB Tevin Coleman C+

Sparta was a long-time team in the CRFL that unfortunately went cold on us into the season. He wouldn't have been happy how this pick panned out. Some 1st round pickers emerge with franchise cornerstones, others come away with busts. Harsh to call Coleman a bust, but Devonta Freeman doesn't look to be slowing down anytime soon.

1.08 - Sparta Spartans (now Lynch Mob) select CAR RB Jonathan Stewart B

I still hate non-rookies going in the 1st round, but this wasn't a bad pick at all. Stewart isn't getting younger, but this was a solid pick in the hopes that it would help his team win in 2015.

1.09 - Boise Bears select CHI WR Kevin White B-

White obviously hasn't lived up to his hype, being hurt and all. That said, I gave myself a B- because I flipped him for Melvin Gordon in a trade involving other players. Sure, Gordon has sucked too. Huh, maybe I should lower that B-.

1.10 - Brucey's crew selects DET RB Ameer Abdullah A-

Abdullah isn't seeing the snaps he should, but at 1.10 this is insanely good value. After seeing Odell Beckham go late in the 2014 CRFL draft, the late rounds of the CRFL draft continue to produce fruit.

1.11 - Sparta Spartans (now Lynch Mob) select KC TE Travis Kelce A-

At this point of the draft, grabbing a Top 5 caliber TE is pretty impressive. Probably shouldn't have been left without a keeper tag.

1.12 - Juice Box Heroes select TEN WR Dorial Green-Beckham B+

DGB, much like the rest of the Titans, is still growing. However, he has shown promise. Considering this is the final pick of the 1st round, I think this is a great long term pickup.