June 14, 2012.
This is a standard 2012 Fantasy Football Mock Draft I took part in with 11 other members of the forum. As usual, I’ll have analysis of my picks, as well as the best and worst selections from each two rounds.
Just a heads up that we have 2012 Fantasy Football Mock Drafts every Wednesday evening. Check out the fantasy mock draft thread for details.
Oh, and you can see our chat log here.
MY PICKS, ROUNDS 1-2: Tom Brady was my best player available. I’m not going to reach for high-risk running backs. I also can’t believe Andre Johnson fell to me at 2.06. I was worried I’d have to decide between Rob Gronkowski, Hakeem Nicks and Greg Jennings when the second round started, but that was not the case. Johnson’s a great buy-low candidate.
BEST PICKS, ROUNDS 1-2: I’m down on Maurice Jones-Drew this year, but he was a great value pick at 1.11, even though Pheltz did take a billion years deciding his selection. I also have to give Cougar the thumbs up for getting Gronkowski at 2.07; I would have taken him at the beginning of Round 2 if Johnson were off the board.
WORST PICKS, ROUNDS 1-2: Sorry Ragnarok, but I don’t like your first two picks. Matt Forte is holding out and will lose goal-line carries to Michael Bush. Cam Newton, meanwhile, is highly unlikely to match last year’s touchdown total.
I’m also not a fan of Adrian Peterson in Round 2. I have a feeling he’s going to come back too early and re-injure himself.
MY PICKS, ROUNDS 3-4: Still no running backs? Yeah… I just don’t like very many this year, so I don’t want to reach. No one is going to be particularly strong there until some are available on the waiver wire, so if you can’t get one of the studs, why not be strong elsewhere? That’s my philosophy this year.
BEST PICKS, ROUNDS 3-4: I was really hoping Hakeem Nicks would fall to me. Kudos to Cougar for taking him one pick before me. Nicks probably won’t miss any time, so I would select him in Round 2.
Cougar also landed a stud in the fourth round. How the hell did Matthew Stafford drop all the way down there? I’m suddenly jealous I didn’t go Maurice Jones Drew at 1.07 and then Ser Stafford at 4.06.
Honorable mentions to Kaiser for Percy Harvin and IR for Dez Bryant. I almost took Bryant with my fourth pick.
WORST PICKS, ROUNDS 3-4: Round 3 is a bit too early for Darren Sproles in standard leagues. Steven Jackson was also a reach at that point. I forgot to cross him off my cheat sheet and thought about maybe taking him in Round 4.
MY PICKS, ROUNDS 5-6: I never would have waited until Round 6 to pick a running back prior to this year, but the position is so terrible that I almost had to. I’m really happy with my team so far. No one can say they’re better at me at quarterback, receiver and tight end as a combination. Yes, my running backs are the worst in the league, but I can always pick up players off waivers or play matchups.
BEST PICKS, ROUNDS 5-6: I would have drafted Miles Austin-Jones and Jeremy Maclin over Steve Johnson, but they were snagged off the board before my pick. I also love the Philip Rivers, Tony Romo and Eli Manning choices; they were steals.
WORST PICKS, ROUNDS 5-6: If you know me, you know where I’m going with this. QB Dog Killer is one of the most overrated players in the league. He can’t stay healthy and he’s no longer a dangerous runner. He has really regressed.
I wasn’t a fan of the Robert Meachem selection either. I wouldn’t be surprised if Vincent Brown passed him as a starter this year.
MY PICKS, ROUNDS 7-8: More running backs. Jonathan Stewart was on the field more than DeAngelo Williams last year, and I feel like that trend will continue. Meanwhile, Michael Bush will get the goal-line carries in Chicago. He’ll start if/when Matt Forte gets hurt. Forte is holding out, so he’ll be more prone to injury because he won’t be in top shape.
BEST PICKS, ROUNDS 7-8: I would have considered Isaac Redman or Roy Helu over Bush in Round 8, so those were good selections. Jahvid Best, Toby Gerhart, Stevan Ridley and Mark Ingram also offer plenty of upside.
Matt Ryan, however, was the best pick of these two rounds. He was the top player available on my board as early as the sixth.
WORST PICKS, ROUNDS 7-8: Davild Wilson could be a good fantasy player if Ahmad Bradshaw gets hurt, but Round 8 is too early for him. A pick I hate more is That Makes No Since’s Anquan Boldin. You don’t take a decrepit receiver that early.
MY PICKS, ROUNDS 9-10: Surprise, more running backs! I’m just taking the best players at that position on my board at this point. Peyton Hillis will score touchdowns, while Jacquizz Rodgers will eat into Michael Turner’s touches.
BEST PICKS, ROUNDS 9-10: How was Matt Schaub available in the 10th round? That’s insane. I also should note that I would have broken my running back chain if Link hadn’t scooped up Titus Young three picks before me in the ninth.
Another receiver I considered was Sidney Rice in Round 10. He’s a great value pick there because he can post WR2-caliber numbers if he can stay healthy and Matt Flynn lives up to expectations.
WORST PICKS, ROUNDS 9-10: We’ve written about how much of a bum Mike Williams is ad nauseum on this Web site. He doesn’t care about football. It wouldn’t surprise me if he were benched.
I don’t get defenses in Round 10, particularly San Francisco’s. CKane won’t even be able to use them in Weeks 1 and 2 because the 49ers play the Packers and Lions.
MY PICKS, ROUNDS 11-12: I didn’t want to take a sixth running back, but Rashard Mendenhall is worth a gamble in Round 11. He could return by late October. Reports are that he’s in great shape.
Assuming he’s not traded, James Jones can be started as an occasional WR3/flex because he scores so many touchdowns.
BEST PICKS, ROUNDS 11-12: Another running back I would have considered was Ryan Williams, who has recently returned to full practices at OTAs. Meanwhile, Jonathan Baldwin would have been my pick in Round 12 had Kaiser not taken him off the board. He’s had a great offseason.
Shane Vereen and Tim Hightower also should be mentioned because they might be starters on their respective NFL teams.
WORST PICKS, ROUNDS 11-12: I feel like every receiver in Rounds 11-12 has fantasy upside, save for Justin Blackmon because of Blaine Gabbert. I also don’t like the two mediocre quarterback picks (Joe Flacco, Andy Dalton) when there are players at the position with so much more fantasy potential.
MY PICKS, ROUNDS 13-15: FantasyFootballCalculator only has 15 rounds, so I would have spent my 14th pick on Brent Celek to be my backup behind Antonio Gates. My reserve quarterback, meanwhile, is Tim Tebow, who will probably be used as a fullback in goal-line situations before he takes over for Mark Sanchez.
David Akers was the best kicker remaining on my 2012 Fantasy Football Big Board, while the Cardinals will score lots of points versus Seattle in Week 1.
BEST PICKS, ROUNDS 13-15: All five high-upside running backs are worth mentioning: Pierre Thomas will get plenty of carries if the injury-prone Mark Ingram gets hurt again. Kendall Hunter is in the same position with Frank Gore, as is Alex Green with James Starks. Rashad Jennings will be the man if Maurice Jones-Drew holds out into the season. Kevin Smith, meanwhile, has shown that he can be highly productive if given the chance.
WORST PICKS, ROUNDS 13-15: It’s difficult to give a worst pick in Rounds 13-15. I really don’t dislike anything, so let’s move on to my team and the comment board.
My Fantasy Team:
QB – Tom Brady, Patriots
RB – James Starks, Packers
RB – Jonathan Stewart, Panthers
WR – Andre Johnson, Texans
WR – Julio Jones, Falcons
RB/WR – Steve Johnson, Bills
TE – Antonio Gates, Chargers
K – David Akers, 49ers
DEF – Cardinals Defense
BN – Michael Bush, Bears RB
BN – Peyton Hillis, Chiefs RB
BN – Jacquizz Rodgers, Falcons RB
BN – Rashard Mendenhall, Steelers RB
BN – James Jones, Packers WR
BN – Tim Tebow, Jets QB
BN – Brent Celek, Eagles TE
Again, I HATE the running backs this year, so I’m willing to bolster the other positions with more better, more reliable players (since backs are so high-risk) unless I can get one of the studs like LeSean McCoy or Arian Foster.
I know I took risky running backs, but I may hit with one or two of them. If not, there’s always the waiver wire, where talents like DeMarco Murray, Roy Helu and Kevin Smith were available last year.
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