Aug. 18, 2016.
This is a PPR 2016 Fantasy Football Mock Draft I took part in with 11 other members of the forum and followers on Twitter (@walterfootball. As usual, I’ll have analysis of my picks, as well as the best and worst selections every two rounds.
Just a heads up that we have 2016 Fantasy Football Mock Drafts every Wednesday afternoon or evening. Check out the forum or follow me on Twitter to find out when the next mock draft will be.
MY PICKS, ROUNDS 1-2: Man, drafting at the end of the first round of a PPR league is even more difficult than doing so at the end of a standard format. There really aren’t any appealing options. The four I happened to be considering were Allen Robinson, Dez Bryant, Rob Gronkowski and Keenan Allen. Gronkowski definitely makes sense, but given the lack of receiving depth, I wanted to double up on receivers.
Of the three players, I considered Robinson the least likely to come back to me. You could make a case for Bryant, too. I thought there was a good chance I could get Allen at 2.04, and that at least worked out.
BEST PICKS, ROUNDS 1-2: Lots of good picks here, including Gronkowski and Bryant. I would’ve had to take a hard look at Le’Veon Bell as well at 2.04.
My two favorite selections of these two rounds happen to be Amari Cooper and LeSean McCoy. Both were at the top of my board when they were chosen. I love their value in the middle of Round 2.
WORST PICKS, ROUNDS 1-2: The only bad choice that sticks out to me is Ezekiel Elliott at 2.02. First of all, Elliott is only a rookie, and it remains to be seen how much he’ll be used in the passing game. Also, Elliott is this guy’s second running back. Given the volatility at the position, I would not take back-to-back running backs to start the draft.
MY PICKS, ROUNDS 3-4: I was hoping for Alshon Jeffery, even though he would’ve been my third receiver. I’m telling you, I want to stock up on wideouts early! DeMarco Murray isn’t a bad consolation prize; the Titans want to run the ball a lot, and Murray is always good for 40-50 receptions.
As for the fourth-rounder, I would’ve taken Aaron Rodgers had this league awarded six points for touchdown passes. I assumed standard ESPN scoring though, and Jordan Reed was the top option for me in that case. There’s not that much of a drop-off from Gronkowski to Reed.
BEST PICKS, ROUNDS 3-4: I mentioned Jeffery. Some of the picks ahead of me in the third round seem good, too, including Demaryius Thomas and Sammy Watkins. Nothing else really stands out.
WORST PICKS, ROUNDS 3-4: Latavius Murray at 3.08 made me turn my head. There’s no guarantee he’ll even be the starter by November, so taking him in the third round is way too risky – especially if he’s your third running back already!
I can’t say I’m a big fan of Carlos Hyde at the end of the fourth frame either. Hyde had 11 receptions last year, so he doesn’t strike me as someone who would be particularly useful in a PPR format.
MY PICKS, ROUNDS 5-6: My heart was broken repeatedly in the fifth round. I was hoping for Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson, Danny Woodhead, Ameer Abdullah or Andrew Luck to fall to me. Nope. Not a single one. I’m telling you, it sucks to draft at the end this year!
Jeremy Hill is fine for an RB2, I guess, though he’s not as good in PPR. Duke Johnson, on the other hand, is much better in this format, and I was surprised he lasted until 6.04.
BEST PICKS, ROUNDS 5-6: Wow, how in the world did Rodgers fall to the fifth round? That’s the best pick in this entire draft.
The other names I mentioned above also qualify as the best picks. I also have to tip my cap to Andrew for selecting T.J. Yeldon before Chris Ivory. That’s the first time I’ve seen that in a mock draft this summer.
WORST PICKS, ROUNDS 5-6: Rodgers and Wilson were such strong picks in the early part of the fifth round… and then there was Coby Fleener, who is just meh.
I also can’t get behind Arian Foster and Matt Forte this early. Both are has-beens with serious injury concerns.
MY PICKS, ROUNDS 7-8: I wish I could’ve done better at WR3, but I like Marvin Jones this year. By all accounts, he’s been the best receiver for the Lions in training camp, and he made a fantastic catch on his only drive of the preseason opener.
Meanwhile, I know I don’t have a quarterback yet, but perhaps I can gamble here? Justin Forsett has injury issues, but that’s fine in the eighth round. He could catch 50-60 passes this year, making him a decent option in PPR.
BEST PICKS, ROUNDS 7-8: Emmanuel Sanders in the seventh round? Doesn’t it seem like he should be taken earlier? I know Mark Sanchez is the favorite to start, but statistically, Sanchez was actually better than Peyton Manning last year. Crazy, but true.
Eli Manning and Blake Bortles were two guys I strongly considered/would’ve considered at 8.04.
Also, I have to note Devin Funchess and DeAndre Washington being chosen so “early.” I put that in quotes because this is probably the right range for them, but you might be able to obtain them a couple of rounds later in your real draft. This draft, however, contained some savvy people who correctly scooped up some of the best Fantasy Football Sleepers.
WORST PICKS, ROUNDS 7-8: I don’t think there’s anything too bad here, save for maybe Chris Ivory. This might be where he belongs in a standard format, but Yeldon is the one who will be catching the passes.
MY PICKS, ROUNDS 9-10: In the middle of the ninth round, I thought there was a good chance Tom Brady or Philip Rivers would fall to me. And I would’ve been happy with either.
And then they were gone. Noooooo!!!
I settled for Tony Romo. Except it didn’t give me Romo for some reason. I clicked it, but I guess my Internet lagged, since it awarded me Matthew Stafford instead. Good thing this wasn’t a real draft!
I actually don’t mind Stafford, but I would’ve preferred Romo, then Jameis Winston.
BEST PICKS, ROUNDS 9-10: I’ll give the nod to the three other quarterbacks I mentioned (Brady, Rivers, Winston).
As for the non-quarterbacks, Kevin White, Bilal Powell and Devontae Booker seem like the best picks in these two rounds.
WORST PICKS, ROUNDS 9-10: The worst picks seem kind of obvious. Jay Ajayi is horrible in the passing game, which is why he won’t be playing much for Adam Gase. Steve Smith isn’t even a year removed from his torn Achilles. And Torrey Smith? Just yuck!
MY PICKS, ROUNDS 11-12: Two players on my Fantasy Football Sleepers list. Spencer Ware is clearly ahead of Charcandrick West, and Jamaal Charles has injury concerns. Chris Hogan will take the injury-prone Julian Edelman’s spot if Edelman misses action.
BEST PICKS, ROUNDS 11-12: There were actually a number of players I had in my queue who were all snatched off the board before I was on the clock in the 11th round. This includes Travis Benjamin, Phillip Dorsett, Michael Thomas and Tavon Austin.
WORST PICKS, ROUNDS 11-12: The two selections surrounding my 11th choice seem pretty bad. Markus Wheaton has been outplayed by Sammie Coates in training camp, while Laquon Treadwell is a reserve for the time being.
MY PICKS, ROUNDS 13-15: Tajae Sharpe! I discussed him on the sleepers page. He’s actually being undrafted in many mocks right now despite being Tennessee’s No. 1 receiver. He’s a name people are going to have to learn quickly over the next couple of weeks.
Defense, kicker. Actually I wanted to touch on Roberto Aguayo, whom the owner of FFC added to the list a couple of weeks ago. Aguayo wasn’t listed there before, but he and Trevor Siemian are available now.
BEST PICKS, ROUNDS 13-15: High-upside picks include: Marcus Mariota, Tyler Boyd, Karlos Williams, Dorial Green-Beckham, Jaelen Strong, Jerick McKinnon, Bruce Ellington.
WORST PICKS, ROUNDS 13-15: Low-upside picks include: Ryan Fitzpatrick, Terrelle Pryor and Jesse James.
I’ll be adjusting some of my Fantasy Football Rankings based on these draft results, so check them out. Also, we’ll be doing mock drafts every Wednesday evening, so come join us!
My Fantasy Team:
QB – Tony Romo, RB, Cowboys
RB – DeMarco Murray, RB, Titans
RB – Jeremy Hill, RB, Bengals
WR – Allen Robinson, WR, Jaguars
WR – Keenan Allen, WR, Chargers
RB/WR – Duke Johnson, RB, Browns
TE – Jordan Reed, TE, Redskins
K – Roberto Aguayo, K, Buccaneers
DEF – Vikings Defense
BN – Marvin Jones, WR, Lions
BN – Justin Forsett, RB, Ravens
BN – Matthew Stafford, QB, Lions
BN – Spencer Ware, RB, Chiefs
BN – Chris Hogan, WR, Bills
BN – Tajae Sharpe, WR, Titans
Again, I hate drafting at the end this year. It doesn’t feel like my team is as strong as it would’ve been with a pick in the top five. That said, I don’t think this is that bad. I’m happy with my receiving corps (save for depth), and I have the second-best tight end.
My running backs and quarterbacks are another story. I missed out on some of the better signal-callers in Round 9 (again, it sucks to draft late), but I don’t know if anyone can walk away from any draft this summer feeling super confident about their running backs. It’s a new NFL, and fantasy football has completely changed. So, with that in mind, don’t be too depressed if you’re not thrilled with your situation at that particular position!
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