We like doing Fantasy Football mock drafts after major NFL events. After the regular season ended, one after the Super Bowl and our latest mock draft was after the bulk of free-agent moves.
Our goal was to see how these recent transactions impacted Fantasy owners. And the results were definitely interesting in this 12-team standard league.
For example,
Brandin Cooks
was a guaranteed second-round pick with the
New Orleans Saints
, but it was a surprise to see him still get drafted at No. 23 overall now that he’s with the
New England Patriots
. His production should decline in New England, but that didn’t hurt his draft stock. Cooks was drafted ahead of guys like
Amari Cooper
,
Allen Robinson
,
Doug Baldwin
and
Davante Adams
, among others, and that could be a mistake.
Staying with the receivers,
Alshon Jeffery
(Philadelphia),
Terrelle Pryor
(Washington),
Brandon Marshall
(Giants) and
DeSean Jackson
(Tampa Bay) changed teams, somewhat altering their draft value. Jeffery was still a third-round pick, Marshall went in Round 4 and Jackson was drafted in Round 5, but Pryor is now considered a third-round pick with his quarterback upgrade to
Kirk Cousins
with the Redskins.
Pryor was drafted ahead of guys like
Keenan Allen
and
Sammy Watkins
, which could be a mistake if those two are healthy, but Pryor has solidified himself as a No. 2 Fantasy receiver with his move to Washington. He just has to hope Cousins remains his quarterback in 2017.
We held this draft the day before
Latavius Murray
signed with Minnesota, and
Adrian Peterson
, Jamaal Charles and
LeGarrette Blount
were still free agents. But
Eddie Lacy
(Seattle),
Rex Burkhead
(New England) and
Danny Woodhead
(Baltimore) already changed teams.
Woodhead (Round 8) and Burkhead (Round 10) were still late-round picks, and the value for Burkhead could be great if he starts for the Patriots, which is a possibility. Murray was drafted in Round 4, which could be a little high with his move to the
Minnesota Vikings
, and Lacy went in Round 5, which might be too low now that he’s with the
Seattle Seahawks
.
Lacy and Murray should still be considered No. 2 Fantasy running backs, but the arrow is pointing up for Lacy with his new team. He just has to get in shape and make sure he beats out
Thomas Rawls
and
C.J. Prosise
for the starting job.
We don’t know where Peterson, Charles and Blount will play in 2017, but all three were still drafted. Blount was first in Round 5, Peterson went in Round 6 and Charles was drafted in Round 9. All three could still have plenty of Fantasy value this year, but we can’t fully evaluate their outlook until we see where they land.
For my team, the only player I drafted whochanged his address was
Pierre Garcon
, who went from Washington to San Francisco, and he’s my No. 5 receiver behind
Jordy Nelson
,
Julian Edelman
,
Rishard Matthews
and
J.J. Nelson
. I drafted Garcon in Round 12, and he’s a great late-round flier if he remains the No. 1 receiver in coach Kyle Shanahan’s offense.
Edelman fell to Round 5, and his value takes a hit with Cooks now in New England. But he was the best receiver on the board, and that was the position I targeted at the time after drafting
Jordan Howard
, Jordy Nelson,
C.J. Anderson
and
Isaiah Crowell
with my first four picks.
My running back depth is the best part of my team with Howard, Anderson, Crowell,
Tevin Coleman
and
Kenneth Dixon
, but you might be hesitant to draft Anderson and Crowell with early-round picks, which is understandable given Anderson’s injury history and Crowell playing for the
Cleveland Browns
. But if Anderson is healthy and another running back isn’t added in Denver then he should be a solid No. 2 Fantasy option. And Cleveland significantly upgraded the offensive line in free agency, which should be a huge boost for Crowell.
Coleman, even though he’s the No. 2 running back in Atlanta behind
Devonta Freeman
, is still a top-20 rusher coming into the season and well worth drafting in Round 6. Dixon was just a flier in Round 10, and hopefully he’ll be the starter for the Ravens once his four-game suspension is over, even with the addition of Woodhead.
I like my receiver depth, and Matthews will be undervalued this year even though he remains the No. 1 receiver for the Titans. He’s a steal in Round 7, and I hope to say the same thing about J.J. Nelson in Round 8. I was torn between Nelson,
Jamison Crowder
and
Willie Snead
, but Nelson could end up as the best receiver for the Cardinals this year, even with
Larry Fitzgerald
still on the team.
Cameron Brate
was a steal in Round 9, and he’s one of my favorite breakout players this year, especially at tight end. And I made it a point to wait on a quarterback as long as possible, which resulted in
Marcus Mariota
in Round 11. I thought
Dak Prescott
or Cousins would make it to me in Round 11, but both went as backup quarterbacks for other owners in that round.
I decided to draft
Carson Wentz
as a backup to Mariota in Round 13, and Wentz is one of my favorite sleepers this year after the Eagles added Jeffery and
Torrey Smith
as free agents. Wentz is one of the best No. 2 quarterbacks to target in any league this season with a late-round pick.
In this league, all touchdowns are worth six points, and we award one point for every 10 yards rushing and receiving and one point for every 25 yards passing. We feature a starting lineup of QB, 2 RB, 2 WR, TE, K, DST and a FLEX (RB/WR/TE). There will also be six reserve spots for a 15-round draft.
Our draft order is as follows:
- Meron Berkson, Video Producer
- Luke Rodgers, 247Sports NFL Insider
- Chris Towers, Fantasy Writer
- George Maselli, Editor
- Matthew Coca, Video Producer
- Will Brinson, NFL Writer
- Scott Reilly, Video Producer
- Adam Aizer, Podcast Host
- Dave Richard, Senior Fantasy Writer
- Heath Cummings, Senior Fantasy Writer
- Jamey Eisenberg, Senior Fantasy Writer
- J. Darin Darst, College Sports Producer
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