By Chet Gresham – @ChetGresham
Updated August 11, 2015
Follow @walterfootball for updates.
Round 2
2.01. Rumford Johnny — Andrew Luck
2.02. Denny Carter — DeMarco Murray
2.03. Shawn Siegele — Demaryius Thomas
2.04. J.J. Zachariason — Calvin Johnson
2.05. Mike Braude — A.J. Green
2.06. Ryan McDowell — Jeremy Hill
2.07. Mike Clay — Jordy Nelson
2.08. Graham Barfield — Alshon Jeffery
2.09. Rich Hribar — Randall Cobb
2.10. Evan Silva — Matt Forte
2.11. Sigmund Bloom — Mike Evans
2.12 Chet Gresham — Justin Forsett
The second round brought us some fairly normal names and continued to have plenty of receivers come off the board in a receiver-friendly draft.
Johnny grabbed Andrew Luck early, which was probably the most notable deviation from industry-draft norms. The thinking on Luck is that his upside is very much in line with Peyton Manning’s upside from 2013. Fifty touchdown passes is not an insane thought with the additions of Andre Johnson, Phillip Dorsett and Frank Gore, alongside what appears to be a more up-tempo, less tight end-heavy offense. If I’m reaching for any quarterback this year, it’s going to be Luck.
As I mentioned in the first-round blurb, I really like C.D. Carter’s start of Marshawn Lynch and DeMarco Murray. Both backs are poised for big touch totals on offenses that will get them near the endzone and an easy 10+ rushing touchdowns if they stay healthy. Finding those running backs even in the second round can be tough, as you can see with my pick of Justin Forsett.
Forsett is my upside-running back pick for full-PPR leagues this year. We saw what he did with just 235 carries and 44 receptions last season as he finished as the eighth-best fantasy running back in non-PPR and full-PPR leagues. Those 44 receptions boosted him up a little in PPR, but not enough to jump any other running back in the rankings because even those backs with fewer receptions only had a handful under compared to Marshawn Lynch at the bottom with 37. But, this is a new year and a new offensive coordinator.
Over the last two years under Marc Trestman, Matt Forte finished with 74 and 102 receptions, and this is no fluke as Trestman has given his running backs more than your average number of receiving targets. This makes for a great opportunity for Forsett, who is already an accomplished receiving back. There’s no reason not to predict 70-100 receptions for him this season. And in PPR leagues, you can see what 100 receptions did for Forte, as he ended up third overall and finished with just 1038 rushing yards. Forsett doesn’t need to rush for 1,600 yards to be a top-5 back in PPR leagues.
Round 3
3.01. Chet Gresham — Brandin Cooks
3.02. Sigmund Bloom — Frank Gore
3.03. Evan Silva — LeSean McCoy
3.04. Rich Hribar — Mark Ingram
3.05. Graham Barfield — Lamar Miller
3.06. Mike Clay — T.Y. Hilton
3.07. Ryan McDowell — Aaron Rodgers
3.08. Mike Braude — Jordan Matthews
3.09. J.J. Zachariason — C.J. Spiller
3.10. Shawn Siegele — DeAndre Hopkins
3.11. Denny Carter — Kelvin Benjamin
3.12. Rumford Johnny — Jimmy Graham
And my other upside-PPR player is receiver Brandin Cooks. Is Cooks an elite receiver who will take over a game? No. Is he a possible PPR star? Yes. Last season, Cooks averaged 2.14 PPR points per target, which is eighth among receivers with 50 or more targets. And now with Jimmy Graham gone and Marques Colston not nearly the player he once was, Cooks should lead the team in targets and have a nice PPR floor each game.
Cooks isn’t my perfect third-round pick by any means, but after getting shafted with the No. 1 slot, I’m going full-out upside in this draft and trying to exploit the PPR scoring as much as possible.
Sigmund Bloom grabbed Frank Gore with the second pick in the third after getting Le’Veon Bell and Mike Evans in the previous rounds. Gore is a bit of a sticking point with many in the fantasy community. He couldn’t have a better team to play for in the Colts, which pretty much allowed anyone not named Trent Richardson to gain big chunks of yardage per attempt. I want to believe the 32-year-old can get it done in these incredibly favorable conditions. It all depends on how his body holds up, and I believe he at least has a good half season in him, which might lead me to sell high at some point.
Evan Silva started this draft going all-in on running backs while most grabbed a receiver somewhere in the first three rounds. Jamaal Charles, Matt Forte and now LeSean McCoy are a nice group. I passed on McCoy because he didn’t look like himself last year, but he’s also in line for the most touches by a running back in the league. In Round 3, that’s tough to find. I’m all for this strategy of going all-in on running backs if the rest of the league is high on receivers.
Make sure to check out our Fantasy Football Rankings for even more fantasy advice. Or go back to Round 1.
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