July 10, 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: I wanted the sixth pick because it’s unclear whom to draft after the top four running backs, and I wanted to make sure they were all gone. I opted for Arian Foster, though I heavily considered Montee Ball. Foster is injury-prone, while Ball is somewhat of an unknown, so they’re both risky choices in the middle of the first round. That’s where you don’t want to be drafting this summer.
As for Doug Martin, I was happy about obtaining him there, though I would later question it. I’ll explain why shortly.
BEST PICKS, ROUNDS 1-2: I thought about Ball at No. 6, so MK getting him at No. 9 was solid. Alfred Morris provided good value at 2.10 as well.
I also have to note that I liked the non-running back choices. That seems like the deepest position this year.
WORST PICKS, ROUNDS 1-2: DeMarco Murray at 1.11 is pretty brutal. Murray is not going to stay healthy. That was pretty much the only pick I disliked in the first two rounds.
MY PICKS, ROUNDS 3-4: See that run on receivers? The wideout position isn’t nearly as deep as the running backs are this year, which is strange. As a result, I’m going to move down all of the running backs in my rankings in my next Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet update. I’m still content with Randall Cobb though. As for Vernon Davis, I had running backs rated higher than him – Monk wagered his left arm that I’d choose Steven Jackson – but because of the depth there, I opted for Davis instead.
BEST PICKS, ROUNDS 3-4: I was hoping Brandon Marshall and Vincent Jackson would fall to me. I was also praying for Julius Thomas in the fourth round, but Jepg made sure that wouldn’t happen.
WORST PICKS, ROUNDS 3-4: I really dislike Toby Gerhart. Rags defended the pick by saying Gerhart will get all of the carries in Jacksonville. That’s true – at least to begin with – but Gerhart sucks and won’t produce much.
I also don’t like the DeSean Jackson pick. Jackson is one of the most overrated players in the NFL, and he’s constantly banged up.
MY PICKS, ROUNDS 5-6: Well, what do you know? I got Steven Jackson in the fifth round. Perhaps Monk can have his arm back.
See what I mean about the running backs being deep? I feel like in previous years, someone of Ben Tate’s caliber would’ve been chosen in the fourth round. Instead, he went in the sixth. It’s insane how deep the running backs are this summer.
At any rate, I was glad to land Marques Colston in the sixth frame. There was a big dropoff for me at wideout after him.
BEST PICKS, ROUNDS 5-6: Some other good running back value picks include Trent Richardson, Bishop Sankey, Lamar Miller and Ben Tate. Jepg had some nice value picks with his receivers as well.
WORST PICKS, ROUNDS 5-6: Chris Johnson… ugh. He stinks. I can’t imagine him keeping his job for the entire season. That was the only terrible pick in these two rounds.
MY PICKS, ROUNDS 7-8: I wonder if I would’ve made a different choice earlier had I dropped all of these running backs, but I’ll take Tom Brady as my starting quarterback in the seventh round. I also like Terrance Williams as my third wideout in Round 8. Miles Austin is gone, so Williams won’t have to split time with him this year.
BEST PICKS, ROUNDS 7-8: Reggie Wayne at the end of Round 8 is a steal. He’s coming off an injury, but he shouldn’t be going that late. And speaking of falling players, Stevan Ridley probably should’ve been chosen a round or two earlier.
WORST PICKS, ROUNDS 7-8: I think Brandin Cooks could contribute this year, but I’m not a fan of using rookie receivers in fantasy. Cooks should not be going in Round 8. The same can be said for Sammy Watkins.
MY PICKS, ROUNDS 9-10: Darren McFadden is the favorite to start for the Raiders. He has a good chance of actually playing lots of games this year because he has changed his workout regimen. However, there is still a chance he could go down again, and Maurice Jones-Drew is now two years removed from his leg injury.
Russell Wilson is my backup. Some don’t believe in drafting a second quarterback until late, but if your starter goes down and you utilize that strategy, your team will be wrecked.
BEST PICKS, ROUNDS 9-10: Marvin Jones could be a nice producer for Leelee, as could Anquan Boldin for Team True. It was a toss-up for me between Wilson and Boldin. I chose the former because I couldn’t find Boldin on Fantasy Football Calculator’s list.
WORST PICKS, ROUNDS 9-10: Defenses should not be chosen in the ninth round. Injured running backs who may not make the roster should not be chosen in the 10th round (Knowshon Moreno).
MY PICKS, ROUNDS 11-12: My philosophy with handcuffs is that you should take one only if A) your starter is injury-prone and B) your handcuff is a good player who can be a big-time producer if the starter goes down. I think Andre Brown fits the description.
I like Aaron Dobson’s value in the 12th round. He was starting to put everything together before he got hurt this past season.
BEST PICKS, ROUNDS 11-12: If I went with Anquan Boldin in the 10th frame, I was planning on targeting Philip Rivers in the 11th. And speaking of NFC West wideouts, Kenny Britt has great upside. He’s very talented, so perhaps he’ll be able to put things together in his new home while playing for his former coach.
I also liked the Zach Ertz choice in the 11th round. Ertz is going to become a much bigger part of Philadelphia’s offense this year.
WORST PICKS, ROUNDS 11-12: I can’t say I’m crazy about Jordan Matthews. He’s looked good in OTAs, but he’s just a rookie, and he’s currently option No. 6 in the offense behind LeSean McCoy, Jeremy Maclin, Riley Cooper, Darren Sproles and Ertz.
Meanwhile, I feel as though Frank chose the wrong tight end. Coby Fleener proved to be a major disappointment this past season, and Dwayne Allen could be targeted more.
MY PICKS, ROUNDS 13-15: Maybe Ryan Mathews will get hurt this year. We’ll see. The Eagles play the Jaguars in Week 1, and Justin Tucker is awesome.
BEST PICKS, ROUNDS 13-15: I considered Roy Helu at 13.06. The Redskins are running a new system, and Helu could be more involved.
WORST PICKS, ROUNDS 13-15: It’s difficult to give a worst pick in Rounds 13-15. However, you’re looking for upside late, and Steve Smith doesn’t offer any. He was completely done last year.
My Fantasy Team:
QB – Tom Brady, Patriots
RB – Arian Foster, Texans
RB – Doug Martin, Buccaneers
WR – Randall Cobb, Packers
WR – Marques Colston, Saints
RB/WR – Steven Jackson, RB, Falcons
TE – Vernon Davis, 49ers
K – Justin Tucker, Ravens
DEF – Eagles Defense
BN – Terrance Williams, WR, Cowboys
BN – Maurice Jones-Drew, RB, Raiders
BN – Russell Wilson, QB, Seahawks
BN – Andre Brown, RB, Texans
BN – Aaron Dobson, WR, Patriots
BN – Donald Brown, RB, Chargers
I think this team is solid, but it could have been better had I realized how deep the running back position is this year. But that’s why I do plenty of mock drafts in the summer prior to actually drafting for my leagues. Learning this stuff is invaluable, and I’ll definitely factor it into my rankings.
Best and Worst Fantasy Teams:
By David Wipperman (Rags)
Again this year, I will be going through the team I drafted along with my favorite and least favorite teams on a given Wednesday night.
Team Ragnarok – Demaryius Thomas, Peyton Manning, Toby Gerhart, Rob Gronkowski, Bishop Sankey, Torrey Smith, Mike Wallace, Terrance West, Justin Hunter, Devonta Freeman, Jordan Matthews, Heath Miller, New Orleans Defense, Carson Palmer, Mason Crosby
With a number of the top running backs gone around the turn, I chose to get Demaryius Thomas and hope that Peyton Manning slipped back to me so that I could pair them. In the third, I decided to get Gerhart, who is essentially guaranteed to be the three-down guy in Jacksonville. I had the same thought process in the fifth when I took Sankey as the Titans have no viable candidates to take the job from him. Sandwiched in between was Gronkowski, who looks to be healthy for a change, which would be a huge boost.
With my next two selections, I took guys who are their teams No. 1 receivers. Torrey Smith is solid in a standard format, while rumors from Miami suggest that Wallace and Tannehill are clicking. With my next four picks, I went for young, upside guys. Justin Hunter could take over as the No. 1 in for the Titans, and everyone in Philadelphia is raving about Jordan Matthews, who could be an exception to the rookie wide receiver rule.
Both West and Freeman are behind running backs who had major injury issues last year, so I am hopeful one of these pcisk gets extensive playing time. From there, I filled out my roster with my quarterback and tight end backups along with my defense and kicker.
Least Favorite Team:
Team Bolt –
Jimmy Graham, Julio Jones, Andrew Luck, Darren McFadden, Trent Richardson, Bernard Pierce, Mike Evans, Stevan Ridley, Riley Cooper, Hakeem Nicks, Ahmad Bradshaw, C.J. Anderson, STL Def, Chris Ivory, Matt Bryant
This team started out well with three studs at their respective positions. From there though, it faceplanted. McFadden and Richardson have both proven to be hilariously ineffective, and after Ray Rice is done with his suspension, we have no way of knowing what the carry situation will be between him and Pierce.
Mike Evans is a great draft prospect, but rookie wide outs are notoriously poor in fantasy, especially for your No. 2 guy. Ridley may never get out of Bill Belichick’s doghouse, and while Riley was good last year, I am having doubts as to a repeat performance. I don’t expect Nicks or Bradshaw to do much of anything as both have numerous injuries. All-in-all, after the first three choices, I don’t know if there is a single player on this team I would target.
Favorite Team:
Team Leelee –
A.J. Green, Aaron Rodgers, Ryan Mathews, Michael Crabtree, Lamar Miller, Kyle Rudolph, Julian Edelman, Fred Jackson, Marvin Jones, Charles Clay, Ben Roethlisberger, Carlos Hyde, Roy Helu, Andre Holmes, Texans Defense
This was tough as there were a number of good teams including Eh and Pat. Grabbing Green and Rodgers on the turn is an excellent start as both could be tops at their position next year. Crabtree in the fourth is another very good pick as he is fully healthy and should be the No. 1 target in San Francisco, which should be passing more.
Ryan Mathews was excellent last year as he finally lived up to his draft status, and if he does so again, is very good value in the third. Everyone was all over Lamar Miller last year, but he was held back somewhat due to an ineffective rushing offense and awful offensive line. With both looking better, he could finally have a breakout-type season. The Rudolph pick was one of my favorites as we all know what tight ends can do in a Norv Turner offense. Likewise, Brady loves throwing to Edelman, so he should see plenty of targets once again this year.
Jones and Clay are both solid choices for at the very least being bye-week backups. I was a fan of a couple of Leelee’s late-rounds picks in Hyde and Holmes. We have heard very good things about Holmes thus far this offseason, and Hyde should be the best handcuff option to an aging Gore. Overall, a solid team with some excellent starters and good upside picks.
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Fantasy Football Rankings
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2014 Fantasy Football Rankings: Wide Receivers - 9/3 (Walt)
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2014 Fantasy Football Preseason Stock - 8/30 (Walt)
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2014 Fantasy Football Stock Report: Running Backs - 3/28 (Walt)
2014 Fantasy Football: Overdrafted Players - 2/16 (Walt)
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2025 NFL Mock Draft - Nov. 20
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