Sporting News Experts Draft -- This time it's for keeps

Just wrapped up my third and final mock draft of the season with the Sporting News Fantasy Source experts. This is the one we'll play out for fame and fortune. I had the 7th pick in the 12-man league and, true to form, took the same player (Drew Brees) as I took back in May with the 6th overall pick.

To my surprise, the player I was criticized for taking in the 2nd round in May (the mock draft featured in Sporting News' 2010 Draft Guide) -- Ryan Mathews -- was selected with the 11th overall pick. So maybe I'm not so crazy after all...

Here's my team, along with a little commentary:

Round 1: Brees. First six picks were CJ, AP, Rice, MJD, Gore and Turner. To me, the only choice left was Brees, Rodgers or Andre Johnson, who would all be gone by the end of the round.

Rd 2: Reggie Wayne. He dropped to me in the 3rd round back in May. No chance he'd last that long again. WRs already off the board: AJ, Miles, Moss and Fitz. Gave some thought to DeSean Jackson, but went with Mr. Consistency instead.

Rd 3: LeSean McCoy. Wanted Pierre, but he went two picks earlier. Coulda had Jamaal Charles, and will probably live to regret passing on him. Chose McCoy because he's unlikely to share carries, and Jamaal could be replaced at the goal by Thomas Jones. Still, I would make a different decision now.

Rd. 4: Joseph Addai. Hard to get excited about Addai, but I knew I needed to support my McCoy pick, and it was either him or Ronnie Brown. Sure hope Indy works out their offensive line issues before Week 1...

Rd. 5: Jermichael Finley. Clark, Gates and Davis gone. Had to pull the trigger if I wanted an elite TE, and I love Finley this year.

Rd. 6: Robert Meachem. Love the connection to Brees. If Meachem stays healthy, he could rival Colston for production.

Rd. 7: Jerome Harrison. I took the guy who tore it up at the end of last season. Not the one who could be replaced by rookie Montario Hardesty.

Rd. 8: Jacoby Jones. Will be the starter opposite Andre Johnson by opening week (I'm betting). One of my sleepers heading into the season.

Rd. 9: Devin Hester. Lots of interest in Johnny Knox and Aromashodu, but I prefer the proven commodity. That said, I'm not expecting that much out of him.

Rd. 10: Jets D/ST. Decided to start the run on defenses, mostly because there was nobody on my board that I just had to have. It didn't work quite as well as during last month's mock, but Philly and Green Bay were taken before my next pick.

Rd. 11: Darren Sproles. If Mathews isn't as great as advertised, this will be a nice pick. Otherwise, a solid bye week fill-in.

Rd. 12: Larry Johnson. Love this pick. LJ will be the Redskins' starting RB at some point this season, either when Portis breaks down, or when he out-plays him. Besides, Shanahanigans has always loved LJ.

Rd. 13: Eddie Royal. WR options were awfully thin, though I considered Mike Williams (TB) and Donnie Avery (STL). They ended up going in the next two picks. Royal is expected to be Denver's top receiver this season, though I have plenty of doubts about that. I still remember what a bust he was in '09, following his awesome rookie campaign.

Rd. 14: Mark Sanchez. I had Henne, Alex Smith and Sanchez pegged as my backup options, because all three have excellent matchups during Brees' bye. Henne and Smith were off the board, so I had to pull the trigger. Sanchez at the Browns could be sweet in Week 10.

Rd. 15: Dustin Keller. Running out of ideas, and apparently was in a New York state of mind.

Rd. 16: Lawrence Tynes. Kickers were flying off the board, including my faves (Hartley, Kaeding, Crosby, Gostkowski, Bironas...).

Rd. 17: Brian Hartline. Should be the starting WR opposite Brandon Marshall. Nice last-round flier.

Overall, I'm pleased with this roster, but not blown away, especially with my RBs. That said, I've found (like most fantasy veterans) that the more excited I am about my roster on draft day, the more disappointed I am later. So maybe this will work out well...

Thoughts?