BSD Fantasy Draft Matchup: Tim vs. Clay

After introducing each of the eight fantasy teams our BSD writers have assembled of Penn State players from the Big Ten era, we’re now ready for the truly fun part: Pitting said teams against each other. We didn’t know how to do a proper seeding of the teams, so we are simply matching up by draft order (1 vs. 8, 2 vs. 7, etc.).

Up first are Tim and Clay. You can see their rosters below, as well as their own respective takes on how their team will put themselves over the top.

Tim’s Game Plan

Offensively, we’re definitely going RPO with a running threat like Rashard Casey and try to establish a ground game with Saquon and a little dose of Brian Milne because...FULLBACK. Where Saquon will truly be dangerous though, is as an extra receiving option out of the backfield, forcing one of Clay’s linebackers to cover him. That leaves room to nail a wide open Saquon, KJ Hamler, Eddie Drummond, or Pat Freiermuth on a short-to-intermediate route with plenty of real estate to rack up the YAC. If Clay decides to go Don Brown on my offense and dial up the pressure with his front seven, I have faith in my O-line, led by a pair of guys from the ‘94 offensive line in Marco Rivera and Bucky Greeley (as well as the blocking abilities of Milne and Freiermuth) to hold off the blitz long enough to allow Rashard to nail one the trio of speedy receivers over the top for a TD bomb.

Defensively, because Clay’s team’s strength is in the run game with M-Rob, Miles Sanders, and Eric McCoo: I’m stacking the box and having my most athletic linebacker (Navorro Bowman, in this case) spying Michael Robinson, because the last thing I need is for M-Rob to feel like he can run hog wild out there. Brandon Noble and Matt Fornadel are an underrated group of defensive tackles who can make it more difficult than one may think for those backs to gain significant yardage.

Bryant Johnson undoubtedly, is a beast to deal with, but Tony Johnson and Isaac Smolko are rather pedestrian receiving weapons, and I’ve got Calvin Lowry leading the way for the secondary along with Brian Miller at corner, so I will take my chances forcing Clay’s team to beat me through the air. Perhaps bring the ocassional corner or safety blitz to see if we can catch M-Rob off-guard for a rare sack, or force him into a panic throw that results in an interception. It also doesn’t hurt that Aaron Maybin and Shareef Miller are capable pass rushers.

Clay’s Game Plan

From a matchup standpoint, I really like my chances in this one. Tim has some impressive weapons with Hamler and Freiermuth, but with Saquon and Casey in the backfield and a fullback as well, it’s going to be heavy doses of the run game and option football. If Casey beats me with his arm, so be it. Luckily, I have a big, athletic defensive line with speed and sure tacklers behind it. Defensively, my plan is to bring Stephen Obeng-Agyapong into the box and play with a single high free safety, with Steph Morris shadowing KJ Hamler and Adrian Amos shading to that side. I trust Anwar Phillips 1 v. 1 with Drummond and will throw multiple players at Freiermuth.

Offensively, the plan is to attack Aaron Maybin in the run game. Maybin was a great pass rusher, but not very big and not as good as handling the downhill running game, especially with a tackle the size of Floyd Wedderburn. I want to isolate Maybin in the option game, using aggressiveness again him and making him think twice before bearing down on the QB. Tim’s defensive backfield is solid on the back end with Lowry and Fox, so my passing game will focus on using a possession-style to keep the chains moving. Lots of slants and quick throws to get the ball out quick from MRob. Utilize the height advantage Bryant Johnson has against both corners and get Eric McCoo and Miles Sanders the ball in space. The moment they commit to coming down and stopping the short passing game we go double move or play action for six.