Clan-Members » lowing three runs, three walks and

Mock drafts are a good place to try something new when youre busy preparing for fantasy football drafts. Thats exactly what I did in our most recent staff mock, a 12-team PPR draft.Its easy to lock in on a pattern or a few key targets and never deviate from your standard approach, which could easily be thrown off when your real drafts come along. You could simply be missing a better way to draft, and trying different techniques in a mock could open your eyes to a better approach for when its time for the real thing.In this latest mock, I tried something different ... and I didnt like it at all.I am a fairly strict believer in waiting on a quarterback in fantasy football drafts, but in this mock, I found myself changing course and taking Aaron Rodgers in the fifth round. I know what many of you are thinking ... Fifth round for Aaron Rodgers? Thats an obvious pick!Based on our average draft position, youre right. Rodgers normally finds himself on a roster in the first 25 picks in ESPN Standard drafts, and I took him with the 52nd pick of this mock. But our expert crew generally waits at QB, meaning that, relative to his peers at the position, he wasnt a value. Cam Newton went a few picks prior, and Russell Wilson and Drew Brees went in the next 15 picks.I was unable to adapt properly to my new strategy, spending the next few rounds after selecting Rodgers trying to get caught up at running back and wide receiver. This meant I wound up waiting too long to select my tight end and selected Jordan Cameron with my final position player pick.How could things have gone better? Julius Thomas was available when I selected in the 11th round and instead picked LeGarrette Blount, and Tyler Eifert was on the board the round before. Instead of taking another bench flex player (which is something I feel is valuable but potentially prioritized too much), I could have locked in a TE1 and felt better about my draft.Alternatively, I could have followed my usual strategy and selected Matt Jones or Latavius Murray in the fifth round, moving back my QB pick until the end, when steady, reliable QB1 options such as?Philip Rivers, Carson Palmer and Eli Manning all went in the 10th round, or even later.So while I understand those of you who like to take your quarterback early, and see the benefit in posting the highest score at the highest-scoring position every week, this mock solidified my belief that waiting at QB is the best approach.Waiting on tight end, on the other hand, might not be as smart of an approach this season, as I found out the hard way in this mock.But now I know, and my pride wasnt on the line in a real league. I encourage you to try new strategies when you participate in a mock draft, and then review the mock afterwards and consider how well your team turned out -- where you could have improved your squad using that new strategy or how it may have changed using your normal approach.Heres the full recap of our draft, broken down by team rather than round. The participants this week, in drafting order, were: Field Yates, Jim McCormick, Mike Clay, Leo Howell, KC Joyner, Pierre Becquey, Eric Karabell, Matt Bowen, Tom Carpenter, Keith Lipscomb, Tristan H. Cockcroft and Kyle Soppe.Garrison Mathews Jersey . Louis Blues. Shane Hnidy joins Brian Munz for the broadcast on TSN 1290 Radio at 7pm ct. Chris Webber Jersey . After taking two big hits this week -- losing at home and dropping back-to-back games for the first time all season -- Indiana struck back by playing its most complete game of the year. https://www.cheapwizardsonline.com/549k-gene-shue-jersey-wizards.html . Sgt. Eric ONeal says most of the arrests at Monday nights game were for public drunkenness, though one person was taken into custody on suspicion of trying to steal a seat from the stadium. Gus Johnson Jersey . Just as Montreal was settling into the first full working week of a new year, the Impact announced the appointment of their new head coach. Admiral Schofield Jersey . -- Canadian Andrew Wiggins got the ball on the wing, made a nifty spin move and then let go with a soft floater from about 10 feet that swished through the net in Allen Fieldhouse.ANAHEIM, Calif. -- After two years of riding the shuttle between Anaheim and Salt Lake City, right-hander Nick Tropeano will get the chance to establish himself in the Los Angeles Angels rotation during the second half of the season. After nearly two years of inactivity, right-hander A.J. Griffin hopes to do the same with the Texas Rangers.Griffin and Tropeano will face each other when the Angels and the Rangers begin their three-game series Monday night at Angel Stadium.Tropeano is in his second stint this season with the Angels, who acquired him and catcher Carlos Perez from the Houston Astros for catcher Hank Conger in November 2014. Los Angeles recalled Tropeano from Triple-A Salt Lake when left-hander Andrew Heaney severely injured the ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow during his first start this season.Tropeano responded by winning three of five decisions and by compiling the best earned-run average by any starter in the injury-riddled rotation, 3.25, before a tight right shoulder placed him on the disabled list June 4. Activated on June 24, the Angels sent him back to Salt Lake.I dont think anyone who is optioned down is pleased, Los Angeles manager Mike Scioscia told MLB.com at the time. Nicks a competitor, and he wants to come up here and wants to make footprints in the big leagues. We all feel he will.But the Angels recalled Tropeano on July 3 to replace Jhoulys Chacin in the rotation. In two starts since, the right-hander has permitted just three runs, nine hits and two walks in 11 innings while striking out 12 and lowering his ERA for the season to 3.12.Tropeano made 23 starts last year for both Salt Lake and Los Angeles, with the bulk of them coming for the minor league Bees. In four stints with the Angels, Tropeano went 3-2 with a 3.82 ERA aand 38 strikeouts in 37 2/3 innings.ddddddddddddGriffin, meanwhile, won three of four decisions this year following his recovery from Tommy John surgery in April 2014. Before the surgery, Griffin went 14-10 for the Oakland Athletics in 2013. Afterward, the right-hander threw just 14 1/3 total innings in four combined starts for Class A Stockton and Triple-A Nashville in the Athletics system. After Oakland released him, the Rangers signed Griffin as a free agent during the offseason.In his first four appearances, Griffin went 3-0 while recording five quality starts in his first five games this year. Through May, opponents were batting only .212 against him. But after allowing three runs, three walks and four hits in 2 2/3 innings May 7 against the Detroit Tigers, Griffin went on the disabled list because of a stiff right shoulder.Since being activated June 25, Griffin bears little resemblance to the pitcher who started the season. The right-hander has yet to surpass five innings in any of his four starts, and allowed 11 earned runs and 22 hits in 18 1/3 innings. Griffins last start was his worst of the year and accounted for his only loss. In a 15-5 rout by the Minnesota Twins on July 10, Griffin gave up six runs on nine hits in five innings while throwing 94 pitches.Griffins performance since returning from the disabled list, combined with the presence of starters Derek Holland and Colby Lewis on the 60-day list, provide motivation for general manager Jon Daniels to reinforce the Rangers rotation before the Aug. 1 trading deadline.Were focused on the pitching side, Daniels told MLB.com. We want to do what makes sense for the team. ' ' '