July 31, 2014.
This is a standard 2014 Fantasy Football Mock Draft I took part in with 11 other members of the forum and followers on Twitter. As usual, I’ll have analysis of my picks, as well as the best and worst selections from each two rounds. In a new addition this year, David Wipperman (forum member Ragnarok, a.k.a. Rags) will break down the best and worst teams from the mock draft.
Just a heads up that we have 2014 Fantasy Football Mock Drafts every Wednesday evening. Check out the fantasy mock draft thread for details.
MY PICKS, ROUNDS 1-2: Never in a million years did I imagine that Adrian Peterson would fall to me at No. 5. Crazy. I figured I’d have to decide between Calvin Johnson and Eddie Lacy. As for the second round, I was prepared to select Doug Martin until Monk stole him from me. I guess that was for the best, given the run on receivers beginning with the Julio Jones choice.
BEST PICKS, ROUNDS 1-2: Monk gets credit for Martin. Andrew made a sharp pick with A.J. Green as well. My favorite selection of the first two rounds goes to BB3 for securing Eddie Lacy at 1.07.
WORST PICKS, ROUNDS 1-2: Everyone was shocked when Charlie took Jimmy Graham at 1.03, so I’ll address it here. I don’t think it was a bad decision. Charlie will have a huge edge at the tight end position, and he’s picking a player who is relatively safe compared to all of the running backs.
The worst pick of the first two rounds goes to K for the injury-prone DeMarco Murray. I also wasn’t a fan of the quarterbacks in the first round. Andrew and Boner probably could have secured either one of them (or Aaron Rodgers) in the second round.
MY PICKS, ROUNDS 3-4: Given the way the receivers were coming off the board, I had to go with Vincent Jackson over Zac Stacy, whom I have ranked higher. There’s very little depth at receiver, so I’d suggest picking two in the first three rounds as long as the value is right.
Lamar Miller is my RB2. That’s not ideal, but Miller has been enjoying a great offseason thus far. We’ll see what he looks like during the preseason.
BEST PICKS, ROUNDS 3-4: Jepg, K and Monk get credit for snatching the remaining second-tier receivers. BB3 and Zac Price, meanwhile, obtained some great values with Stacy and Andre Ellington.
WORST PICKS, ROUNDS 3-4: I can’t get behind Toby Gerhart in the third round. C.J. Spiller at 4.02 isn’t as bad, but he’s way too unreliable. Team 11 has three running backs thus far, and I can’t say I’m a fan of any of them.
MY PICKS, ROUNDS 5-6: I really wanted Vernon Davis and Marques Colston at this point. I figured there was a better chance of Colston lasting until 6.08. It was close, but he came off the board two picks before I was up. I went with Rashad Jennings instead; Jennings is now more appealing in the wake of David Wilson’s most recent injury.
BEST PICKS, ROUNDS 5-6: Some other players I considered in these two rounds include Ben Tate, Michael Floyd and Roddy White. Floyd figures to have a big year, while White should be steady now that he’s healthy. I’m not as crazy about Tate, but he provides solid RB2 value in the fifth frame.
WORST PICKS, ROUNDS 5-6: DeSean Jackson is sure to disappoint K, as he doesn’t have much of a chance of matching last year’s numbers. Nothing else really stood out here.
MY PICKS, ROUNDS 7-8: Dallas’ defense will be awful once again this year, so Tony Romo will be throwing frequently. Danny Woodhead, meanwhile, will continue to catch tons of passes. I wanted Darren McFadden, Joique Bell, Shane Vereen or Bernard Pierce instead, but they all went off the board before my eighth selection.
BEST PICKS, ROUNDS 7-8: I mentioned the running backs I missed out on. I was also envious of the Reggie Wayne pick. I considered Julian Edelman at 8.08, so I like what Rags did one selection after mine.
WORST PICKS, ROUNDS 7-8: Chris Johnson? Ugh. Also, it seems like it’s too early for Jay Cutler, especially with Colin Kaepernick, Philip Rivers, Russell Wilson, etc. still on the board.
MY PICKS, ROUNDS 9-10: Dwayne Bowe has been working hard this offseason, so he could have a breakout campaign. Or, Alex Smith could keep sucking… Either way, he’s not a bad ninth-round option.
As for Mike Evans, I’m aware that I have Vincent Jackson. I just planned on taking Marvin Jones, but Zac Price surprised me by snatching him off the board three picks earlier.
BEST PICKS, ROUNDS 9-10: Jones, obviously. I’m also warming up to Justin Hunter. The second-year wideout has made great progress this offseason, so he’s going to be making an appearance in my Fantasy Football Sleepers list, which will be updated soon.
WORST PICKS, ROUNDS 9-10: It’s way too early to take a defense. Unless you’re in a pay-per transaction league, you should be cycling through them on a weekly basis.
MY PICKS, ROUNDS 11-12: Ruskell Wilkens, MVP Canadate. I like him as an 11th-round QB2. And Josh Gordon? Here’s to hoping that really was second-hand smoke. In all seriousness, if you’re drafting now, I suggest taking Gordon in the 12th-14th round range because there’s a chance he could play this year.
BEST PICKS, ROUNDS 11-12: With Arian Foster already missing time because of a hamstring, Andre Brown could be huge for BB3. I also liked the Jarrett Boykin selection. I had my eye on him as a 12th-round possibility.
WORST PICKS, ROUNDS 11-12: Johnny Manziel probably won’t start right away, so he seems like a wasted pick in the 11th round. Then again, this is coming from someone who may have blown a 12th-round choice on Gordon.
Some other bad picks include James Jones, who has been awful this offseason, and Eric Ebron, who has done nothing but drop passes during training camp thus far.
MY PICKS, ROUNDS 13-15: Ahmad Bradshaw could be Indianapolis’ leading rusher. Or, he may not even play a single game. Sounds like a fine 13th-round pick to me.
Defense and kicker, blah blah. By the way, I went with the Browns because the Steelers could be looking past them in Week 1. Pittsburgh has to battle Baltimore on a Week 2 Thursday night game, so the team could be more focused on that matchup.
BEST PICKS, ROUNDS 13-15: Players with upside in these three rounds include David Wilson, Aaron Dobson, Donald Brown and Kenny Britt.
WORST PICKS, ROUNDS 13-15: Players with no upside in these rounds include Steve Smith, Robert Woods and the two Jacksonville receivers.
My Fantasy Team:
QB – Tony Romo, Cowboys
RB – Adrian Peterson, Vikings
RB – Lamar Miller, Dolphins
WR – Julio Jones, Falcons
WR – Vincent Jackson, Buccaneers
RB/WR – Rashad Jennings, RB, Giants
TE – Vernon Davis, 49ers
K – Greg Zuerlein, Rams
DEF – Browns Defense
BN – Danny Woodhead, RB, Chargers
BN – Dwayne Bowe, WR, Chiefs
BN – Mike Evans, WR, Buccaneers
BN – Russell Wilson, QB, Seahawks
BN – Josh Gordon, WR, Browns
BN – Ahmad Bradshaw, RB, Colts
I feel like I made out pretty well. I’m strong at receiver and tight end, and I also have Adrian Peterson as one of my running backs. I have a potential issue at RB2, but either Lamar Miller or Rashad Jennings will step up. Otherwise, I’ll probably be scouring the waiver wire for an upgrade.
Best and Worst Fantasy Teams:
By David Wipperman (Rags)
Not available this week.
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