A Fantasy Football Draft (Live)

Ron Stewart would not take AJ Brown at pick 20 in a 12-team, three wide receiver, one flex league, even believing he has a career year coming; the source suggests this is not the right draft position for Brown despite the league format. Earlier in the draft, Brown was available at pick 109 overall in late August, indicating he was falling in ADP. Stewart expressed strong desire to draft Brown in round 3 but the player went off the board earlier than hoped, indicating Brown was a priority target that the source missed.

The source declines to draft Aaron Rodgers as a third quarterback on the team, citing a preference against taking multiple QBs at that depth.

The source considers AJ Barner as a tight end option, noting the team has the luxury to take another tight end at this point in the draft.

Amon-Ra St. Brown is positioned as a target receiver for the 8th pick in Ron Stewart's draft strategy; Stewart would start the draft with either Jahmyr Gibbs or Amon-Ra St. Brown as part of a top-7 tier in three-wide receiver one-flex formats.

Baker Mayfield was selected alongside Parker Washington. The source preferred this pairing over Brock Purdy and Carnell Tate, noting that sniping Mayfield was valuable given how the draft was falling and the inability to push the quarterback position further. The source also approves of taking Baker Mayfield at the quarterback turn, indicating he represents good value at that draft position.

Breece Hall made it all the way back to Ron Stewart at pick 311 in a half-PPR league; Stewart described this as an easy decision and expressed enthusiasm about letting Breece come all the way back in the draft. Stewart also considered Hall as an alternative to other running back options later in the draft, indicating he had value at that position. However, earlier in the draft Stewart avoided taking Hall despite availability, citing concern about his backfield situation and lead-back role uncertainty with his league mates' tendencies.

The source identified Brian Thomas as a preferred late-round receiver option, suggesting him as an alternative flex pick in round eight and as a preferred selection at a particular draft turn as part of an alternative strategy that would have included Puka Nacua and Christian Watson.

Ron Stewart positions Brock Bowers as an elite tight end option to consider at the 3rd or 4th pick in zero-RB scenarios where he takes Puka or Chase and gets locked out of running back. Stewart notes that even with Brock Bowers, he would need Josh Allen to return in the fourth round to make the strategy work, indicating Bowers is a key piece in aggressive receiver-first draft constructions.

Ron Stewart identifies Brock Purdy as an awesome pick as the last quarterback in a tier, offering strong late-round value. Stewart also notes Purdy was the toughest draft decision in a Superflex league, where he had to choose between Purdy and wide receiver options (Parker Washington, Jameson Williams, Christian Watson), ultimately choosing Parker Washington and watching wide receiver run out.

The source explicitly rejects taking Bryce Young as a naked quarterback pick in the draft, signaling poor value at that draft position.

The source expresses satisfaction with Bucky Irving as part of the running back room alongside Saquon Walker and Marshon Lloyd, indicating he represents good value and fits well into the team's roster construction.

Carnell Tate was the source's fallback wide receiver option after the position ran out following the Parker Washington pick, indicating heavy wide receiver depletion in the league. The source considered Tate as an alternative to Brock Purdy and Parker Washington, but preferred the Washington-Mayfield combination because relying on Tate in the flex every week was less desirable. However, the source later preferred Tate over Goff Leaporta at a particular draft turn, suggesting some value relative to tight end options.

Ron Stewart selected CeeDee Lamb at the turn (pick 12 in a 12-team draft), indicating he viewed Lamb as strong value at that draft position in a half-PPR league.

Ron Stewart rated Chase Brown approximately equally with Kenneth Walker at the turn but selected Walker instead. In a two wide receiver, one flex league, Stewart evaluated a trade offer of McCaffrey for Chase Brown and Olive, turning it down and stating 'I'm fine just holding on to uh Chase Brown and Olive. To me, that's about even,' indicating he views Chase Brown as roughly equivalent in value to half of McCaffrey in this league format.

Cody Latimer is mentioned as a wide receiver option within the top 10 rounds of the draft.

The source explicitly identifies Cyrus Allen as a flyer pick, indicating a speculative but targeted interest in the player as a late-round upside play.

The source explicitly rejected Dak Prescott as a draft pick, stating 'Could do the Dak thing, but I don't really want to... The thing wants us to go Dak, but I don't really feel like going double elite quarterback after taking Lamar.' This reflects the source's preference to avoid double-stacking elite quarterbacks after already securing Lamar Jackson in round 6. However, the source later selected Dak and positioned him as a slight tier break below Jalen Hertz and Caleb Williams in the quarterback hierarchy, indicating Prescott was available at a later round as a viable fallback option.

Ron Stewart argues that drafting Dallas Goedert over Kyle Pitts is 'simply wrong,' indicating Goedert is overvalued relative to Pitts' production projection advantage. In the context of Stewart's draft, where Pitts was outproducing wide receivers and running backs by two to three points per game, Goedert represents a poor value alternative.

Ron Stewart selected Daniel Jones as a quarterback in a later round, anticipating that another drafter (Dimes) would take a quarterback again. Stewart's pick was strategic, based on draft flow and the need to secure a quarterback before the other drafter could.

The source expresses approval of Darius Price as a draft pick, asking how much higher the drafter wants him to go, suggesting Price represents good value at his current draft position; however, the source does not believe Price should go above Love in draft rankings, indicating Price is overvalued relative to Love at their respective draft positions.

Ron Stewart selected D'Andre Washington and positioned him in a tier ahead of Hubbard and Paul Dobbins. Stewart took Washington when he fell to him, indicating strong value at that draft position relative to other running back options.

Ron Stewart considered Denzel Boston as a draft option but opted to prioritize other selections instead, passing on Boston in favor of Shaheed.

Derrick Henry can be stacked with Lamar Jackson as a strategic pairing in draft construction, providing correlated upside in the same offense.

The source approves of DeVonta Smith as a receiver pick at the 34th turn (round 3, pick 4 in a 12-team league), noting that if you wait on wide receiver until round three, DeVonta Smith is as good as that gets at that draft position.

Ron Stewart selected DK Metcalf as WR4 in the flex position and upon reflection prefers this outcome to alternatives. Stewart initially considered Metcalf as a potential wide receiver three option if he had taken Jeremiah Love or Breece Hall instead of Flowers, noting 'that could work.' Ultimately, Stewart selected Metcalf in flex and retrospectively indicated satisfaction with the selection.

The source expresses high conviction in Dylan Samson, stating 'I have so much Dylan Samson' before selecting him in the draft; this pick brings the team to five running backs, which the source deems sufficient depth.

Ron Stewart selected Garrett Wilson during the live draft and acknowledged falling into the wide receiver position with this selection, indicating it was a positional pivot rather than a targeted pick.

The source does not like the Isaiah Likely pick, indicating it was a poor draft decision. However, the source notes that Joe's overall receiver strategy through 10 rounds was strong.

Ron Stewart describes his receiver corps of Jamar Chase and Neighbors J as 'amazing,' indicating strong draft value and satisfaction with his wide receiver selections.

Ron Stewart targets Jahmyr Gibbs as a potential 8th-pick option in three-wide receiver one-flex formats, positioning him alongside elite receivers like Amon-Ra St. Brown as part of a top-7 tier. The strategy involves starting the draft with either JSN or Amon-Ra St. Brown, creating a seven-player tier that extends to the 8th pick.

The source grouped Jalen Hurts with Caleb Williams and Dak Prescott as the final tier of starting quarterbacks in the draft, with Dak representing a slight tier break below. Hurts was selected as the preferred option over alternatives like Dak or Oliver Ekeler in the same round, reflecting confidence in his value at the quarterback position. The source took Hurts in round three with the hope that AJ Brown would still be available later in the draft.

Ron Stewart prefers Jonathan Taylor over James Cook, describing Cook over JT as "getting too cute." In three-wide receiver one-flex league formats, Stewart deprioritizes Cook in favor of wide receivers, indicating format-dependent valuation where Cook ranks below JT in standard leagues.

Jameson Williams was one of the WR options the source considered alongside Parker Washington and Christian Watson; the source ultimately chose Parker Washington over Jameson Williams and the other options.

The source considers taking Javante Williams over another player to be a big mistake in draft strategy, indicating Williams is overvalued at that draft position.

Ron Stewart held Jayden Daniels on an IR spot after he went down in the prior year, creating bench-clogging issues and forcing reliance on backup quarterbacks. This experience illustrates the risk of investing in injury-prone quarterbacks early in drafts.

Ron Stewart considered Jeremiah Love as a strategic alternative to Z Flowers in round three, viewing him as undervalued relative to draft consensus. Stewart wanted to 'spam receivers' and 'dare this room to take Bree Hall,' suggesting Love represents contrarian value that the room was avoiding due to conservative rookie sentiment.

The source approves of Joe Burrow's draft performance through five rounds, indicating he made solid draft picks early on.

Ron Stewart positioned Josh Allen as a top-5 tier quarterback in his draft strategy for a three-wide receiver one-flex format. Stewart noted he would only consider taking Allen at 27th or 28th overall in a league that punts quarterback, and only if all running backs get wiped out and he pivots to zero RB strategy. This indicates Stewart views Allen as a premium quarterback option but not worth early-round capital in his preferred draft approach.

Josh Jacobs represents a draft pattern the source explicitly wants to avoid, stating 'we can't do the Josh Jacobs thing.' This indicates a reluctance to repeat a previous draft mistake or strategy, with the source using Jacobs as a cautionary reference point when rejecting Mike Evans at a similar draft spot.

Ron Stewart selected Kenneth Walker at the turn, rating him approximately equally with Chase Brown but choosing Walker as his preferred pick at that draft position. Stewart also employed a 'double hero' running back strategy in another draft, pairing Kenneth Walker with Saquon Barkley early to take the two best available running backs.

The source expresses direct interest in Kirk Cousins as a draft target, indicating a positive view of his value in the current draft environment.

Ron Stewart acquired Kyle Pitts at an absurdly low price due to being perceived as a meme by BDG draft guide followers. Stewart debated Pitts for four consecutive rounds before securing him at a discount. Pitts was outproducing wide receivers and running backs by two to three points per game at the spot Stewart took him, making the valuation a steal despite negative perception. Stewart notes: 'I just got like a pretty absurd price on him just because he's like I guess like a meme for the BDG guys... he was out projecting like the wide receivers and the running backs uh at the like by two to three points per game at the spot I took him.'

The source approves of taking Kyler Murray at the quarterback turn in a live draft, indicating he represents good value at that draft position.

Ron Stewart makes a strong conviction play on Lamar Jackson in round 6 of best ball formats, stating he cannot pass on the value even without stacking strategy. Stewart also notes that round 6 Lamar continues to be a tough button to pass on. However, prior-year injury context shows Jackson's injury forced Stewart to hold multiple backup quarterbacks (Dylan Gabriel, Marcus Mariota), clogging bench space. Despite this risk, Stewart avoids double-stacking elite QBs after securing Lamar in round 6, rejecting Dak Prescott in favor of other positions.

Luther Burden is drafted with obvious conviction given the way receivers came off the board; the source ranks Burden above Devonte McLaren in tier, indicating Burden as a clear preference at the receiver position.

Malik Nabers was selected early in a 10-man draft starting lineup alongside JSN and CD, indicating he was drafted as a core receiver option.

Ron Stewart selected Mark Andrews as a tight end pick in the draft, indicating he could be sold on the pick with appropriate projections. Stewart states: 'I suppose you could sell me let's do Andrews here actually. Yeah, let's do Andrews.'

The source prefers Matthew Golden over Kan Booty in a 10-man draft context and approves of him as a receiver option in the flex, indicating Golden represents better value at that draft position.

Ron Stewart selected Michael Pittman Jr. as a wide receiver pick in the draft, making a deliberate draft selection at this point in the draft.

Mike Evans was explicitly rejected as a draft pick, with the source stating 'Goes Mike Evans, huh? No, we can't do the Josh Jacobs thing,' indicating Evans represents a trap pick or overvalued option at this draft position, compared unfavorably to a prior-year mistake. Evans was positioned in a tier below Parker Washington, Jameson Williams, and Christian Watson, with a pretty big tier break between Watson's tier and Evans' tier.

Ron Stewart identifies Nico Collins as a viable target in zero-RB draft scenarios where he takes Chase or Puka, gets locked out of running back, takes Brock Bowers, and then Nico Collins comes back in the draft. This positions Collins as a complementary receiver in aggressive receiver-stacking strategies.

Ron Stewart chose Parker Washington over Brock Purdy and other WR options (Jameson Williams, Christian Watson) in a Superflex draft, and wide receiver ran out so much that Parker Washington ended up filling the flex spot. In three-wide receiver one-flex formats, Stewart considers Parker Washington in the flex position a really strong play compared to typical flex options, expressing much more confidence in finding replacement-level production at RB2 than at flex. Stewart drafted Washington as wide receiver three and notes that selecting him in flex creates downstream draft cascade effects.

Ron Stewart selected Puka Nacua early in his draft strategy, viewing him as a strong pick on the board. Stewart positioned Nacua as part of the top-5 tier in his draft strategy for three-wide receiver one-flex formats; he would consider taking Puka at the 3rd or 4th spot, and only in scenarios where he gets locked out of running back would he pair Puka with an elite tight end like Brock Bowers. Stewart believes Nacua should have been taken over Rome Odunze in a draft turn, suggesting Nacua represents better value.

The source selected Rome Odunze, stating 'Let's take Rome. I never get Rome and he's like the only receiver left in the tier for me.' The source is above market on Odunze at 9.2% ADP and defends the pick against criticism, noting investment in a Ben Johnson offense with Caleb Williams, who 'could go nuclear this year.' The source ranks Burks and Leland higher but considers Odunze 'a fine pick in his own right.' However, the source also criticized taking Odunze at a particular draft turn, arguing Puka Nacua should have been selected instead, as the Odunze pick pushed the drafter into being locked out at QB2.

Saquon Barkley was the source's highest-ranked running back and one of only two RB detours in a running back-hungry league where the source prioritized wide receivers. The choice between Saquon and Kenneth Walker was decided in Saquon's favor because the source already had two teams with Amon Ross St. Brown and Kenneth Walker. Barkley was selected as part of a 'double hero' running back strategy paired with Kenneth Walker, viewed as among the two best available players. The source expressed satisfaction with the running back room of Saquon, Walker, Bucky, and Marshon Lloyd.

Sony Michel was one of the best high school football players ever, but the source attributes his injuries and early retirement to excessive workload at the varsity level, receiving approximately 400 touches from eighth grade onward. The source suggests his high school coach should be held accountable for overuse similar to pitch-count concerns in baseball.

The source questions taking Tee Higgins at that draft turn, though acknowledges you could argue for a Burrow-Higgins stack strategy. The source's overall tone suggests this is not the preferred pick at that draft position.

Ron Stewart identifies Tyler Warren in the ninth round as superior keeper value compared to Ibuka in the eighth round. Warren provides a tight end lock in a two-wide-receiver, one-flex format, allowing the drafter to avoid early tight end pressure and feel confident about replacement-level production at the position. The source states: 'Probably Tyler Warren in the ninth... if I could just lock in Warren and uh not feel any pressure to take it early tight end, I would feel good about that.'

Zay Flowers is drafted alongside Jaylen Hertz as one of the two biggest draft decisions; the source debated taking Crystal L instead and later reflected on whether Hertz and Flowers or Oliver and Dak would have been preferable.