Thursday, August 31, 2017

Fantasy Football Mock Draft: 12 Teams, 2nd Pick

As the saying goes, practice makes perfect. While we may not be able to draft a "perfect" fantasy football team, the more we practice, the better our teams will be.

Starting on June 10th, we began drafting (at least) one fantasy football team per day using the 2017 Fantasy Football Mock Draft Simulator and we will continue to do so up until the start of the 2017 NFL season.

Each day, we will switch things up -- e.g., PPR vs. standard scoring, league size, draft slot, 2-QB leagues, auction leagues, etc.

In addition, we will centralize links to our daily fantasy football mock drafts for an easy way to keep track of our mock drafts.

Embed from Getty Images


Details of today's mock draft:
  • Scoring: Standard scoring (i.e., not PPR scoring)
  • # of Teams: 12
  • Draft Slot: 2
  • Starters: QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, TE, Flex (RB/WR/TE), K, DST
  • Bench Size: 6
With that said, here are the results of today's mock draft:

1.02 - Le'Veon Bell, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers: Missing four games of the 2016 season, Bell has now missed three-plus games (suspension and/or injury) in three of his four seasons as a pro. When on the field last season, however, the (now) 25-year-old back was better than ever as he was on a 16-game pace of 2,512 yards from scrimmage, 100 receptions and 12 touchdowns. (The single-season YFS record is 2,509 by CJ2K in 2009.)

2.11 - Leonard Fournette, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars: Fournette is a back with a rare combination of size, power and speed and the Jags should make him their workhorse sooner rather than later. Given their strong defense (and poor quarterback play), the Jags are likely to shift to a run-heavy approach.

3.02 - Rob Gronkowski, TE, New England Patriots: When healthy, Gronkowski is as good as it gets. Unfortunately, the 28-year-old tight end has missed five-plus games in three of the past five seasons. That said, Gronk has averaged nearly 70 yards per game with a total of 69 touchdowns in 88 career games.

4.11 - Allen Robinson, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars: While I'm not thrilled to have Robinson as this team's WR1 given the quarterback struggles, I loaded up on receiver over the next several rounds.

5.02 - Larry Fitzgerald, WR, Arizona Cardinals: Back for (at least) one more season, Fitzgerald has finished as a top-20 fantasy wide receiver with 100-plus catches and 1,000-plus yards in back-to-back seasons. Going into his age-34 season, Fitzgerald is a safe WR2.

6.11 - DeVante Parker, WR, Miami Dolphins: Failing to live up to expectations last season, Parker has a chance to break out in his third season. The main concern is passing game volume, but I expect Parker to outscore teammate (for now, at least) Jarvis Landry.

7.02 - Brandon Marshall, WR, New York Giants: Changing teams but not home stadiums, Marshall will still play half of his football games at MetLife Stadium. While he gets a quarterback upgrade with Eli Manning, Marshall is clearly the team's No. 2 receiver to OBJ but that also means less attention from opposing defenses as well.

8.11 - Danny Woodhead, RB, Baltimore Ravens: Missing the majority of the 2014 and 2016 seasons, Woodhead has played just 21 games over the past three years. While more valuable in PPR formats, Woodhead has finished as a top-24 fantasy running back (standard scoring) in each of his past three full seasons.

9.02 - Paul Perkins, RB, New York Giants: Now the starter, Perkins should easily exceed his 127 rookie touches. Not only is the offensive line a concern, but Perkins (and the running game in general) has not inspired much confidence this preseason.

10.11 - Jacquizz Rodgers, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: With Doug Martin suspended for the first three games this season, Rodgers will get a minimum of three starts. Considering Martin's durability track record, it's certainly possible that he starts more than three games this season. Generally productive with Martin out, Rodgers had back-to-back 100-yard rushing games last October.

11.02 - Robby Anderson, WR, New York Jets: Productive last year (42/587/2), Anderson had a five-game stretch where he exceeded 60 receiving yards four times. Moving into the No. 1 receiver role due to roster moves and/or injury, Anderson could finish as a top 40-50 fantasy wide receiver this season.

12.11 - Jonathan Williams, RB, Buffalo Bills: With Mike Gillislee now in New England, the 223-pound second-year back is expected to move into the role vacated by Gillislee and has weekly flex upside even if LeSean McCoy stays healthy for a full season.

13.02 - Cam Newton, QB, Carolina Panthers: After being named league MVP in 2015, Newton finished as fantasy's QB17 last year. Hopefully the selections of Christian McCaffrey and Curtis Samuel will make things easier for Newton, who could have a bounce-back year even if he runs less in 2017.

14.11 - Dak Prescott, QB, Dallas Cowboys: Prescott threw 23 touchdowns to only four interceptions and rushed for six more scores. Excluding Week 17 when Prescott (and the starters) sat for the majority of the game, the rookie finished with 17-plus fantasy points in 12 of 15 games.

15.02 - Minnesota Vikings DST

16.11 - Sebastian Janikowski, K, Oakland Raiders

- View full mock draft results here

Complete your own mock drafts for free on our Fantasy Football Mock Draft Simulator page.

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Tuesday, August 29, 2017

Fantasy Football Mock Draft: 16 Teams, 15th Pick

As the saying goes, practice makes perfect. While we may not be able to draft a "perfect" fantasy football team, the more we practice, the better our teams will be.

Starting on June 10th, we began drafting (at least) one fantasy football team per day using the 2017 Fantasy Football Mock Draft Simulator and we will continue to do so up until the start of the 2017 NFL season.

Each day, we will switch things up -- e.g., PPR vs. standard scoring, league size, draft slot, 2-QB leagues, auction leagues, etc.

In addition, we will centralize links to our daily fantasy football mock drafts for an easy way to keep track of our mock drafts.

Embed from Getty Images


Details of today's mock draft:
  • Scoring: Standard scoring (i.e., not PPR scoring)
  • # of Teams: 16
  • Draft Slot: 15
  • Starters: QB, 2 RB, 2 WR, TE, Flex (RB/WR/TE), K, DST
  • Bench Size: 6
With that said, here are the results of today's mock draft:

1.15 - Jay Ajayi, RB, Miami Dolphins: There were four 200-yard rushing games last season and Ajayi had three of them. (Le'Veon Bell had the other.) Getting double-digit carries every week starting in Week 5, only Bell (243) had more carries than Ajayi (242) from Weeks 5 to 17 last season. Only Ezekiel Elliott (1,219) rushed for more yards than Ajayi (1,197) during that span. Entering 2017 as the team's bellcow back, Ajayi could challenge for the league lead in carries in 2017.

2.02 - Dez Bryant, WR, Dallas Cowboys: Even though no team called a pass on a lower percentage of their plays, Bryant is a dominant presence in the red zone. Dez has a league-high 52 receiving touchdowns (in 70 games) over the past five seasons.

3.15 - Kareem Hunt, RB, Kansas City Chiefs: Extremely productive at Toledo with nearly 5,000 career rushing yards, there was speculation that Hunt would eventually emerge as the starter for the Chiefs. Given the knee injury to Spencer Ware, it wouldn't be a huge surprise if Hunt finished as fantasy's most productive rookie running back in 2017.

4.02 - Michael Crabtree, WR, Oakland Raiders: Half of one of the NFL's top wide receiver duos, Crabtree has been highly productive in both of his seasons in Oakland. Crabtree has a minimum of 85 catches, 900 yards and eight touchdowns each season and is coming off his first 1,000-yard season since 2012.

5.15 - Marcus Mariota, QB, Tennessee Titans: Finishing as fantasy's QB12 in 2016, Mariota threw for 3,426 yards, 26 touchdowns and nine interceptions. Given the team's offseason investments to put an improved supporting cast around Mariota, 2017 should be even better — perhaps much better — for this ascending dual-threat quarterback.

6.02 - DeVante Parker, WR, Miami Dolphins: Preseason expectations were unfortunately greater than his actual production in 2016. Coaches, players and reporters have generally talked Parker up all offseason, which can be summed up by the offensive coordinator's 2017 expectations for him: "Gigantic year."

7.15 - Mike Wallace, WR, Baltimore Ravens: Even though Wallace had his first 1,000-yard season since 2011, he has finished as a top-30 fantasy wide receiver (standard scoring) in seven of eight seasons since entering the league in 2009.

8.02 - Hunter Henry, TE, Los Angeles Chargers: Henry finished his rookie campaign with 36/478/8 and he was especially productive during a four-game stretch early in the season (18/290/3 from Weeks 3 to 6). Even with Antonio Gates back, it's likely that Henry leads the position group in targets and production.

9.15 - Jeremy Hill, RB, Cincinnati Bengals: After an impressive rookie season (1,124 rushing yards and 5.1 YPC), Hill has failed to reach the 1,000-yard mark and averaged under 4.0 yards per carry in back-to-back seasons. Not only did the Bengals draft Joe Mixon, the team lost two of its best offensive linemen in free agency. Eventually Mixon should take over as lead back, but it may happen later than most expect.

10.02 - Jonathan Williams, RB, Buffalo Bills: With Mike Gillislee now in New England, the 223-pound second-year back is expected to move into backup role and has weekly flex upside even if LeSean McCoy stays healthy for a full season.

11.15 - Tyrod Taylor, QB, Buffalo Bills: No team threw the ball fewer times than the Bills (474) in 2016, but that didn't keep Taylor from finishing as a top-10 fantasy quarterback (QB8) last season. In his two seasons as a starter, Taylor has rushed for 1,148 yards and 10 touchdowns -- more than six fantasy points per game from his rushing stats alone. The trade of Sammy Watkins to the Rams hurts Taylor's outlook, but Watkins missed eight games and finished with just 430 yards and two touchdowns last season as Taylor posted QB8 numbers.

12.02 - Wendell Smallwood, RB, Philadelphia Eagles: At a minimum, Smallwood is worth a flier as my RB5 and there is a chance, perhaps remote, that the Eagles cut LeGarrette Blount.

13.15 - Chris Carson, RB, Seattle Seahawks: Like Smallwood, Carson is worth an upside pick late in this draft as my RB6.

14.02 - Jacksonville Jaguars DST

15.15 - Chris Boswell, K, Pittsburgh Steelers

- View full mock draft results here

Complete your own mock drafts for free on our Fantasy Football Mock Draft Simulator page.

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Monday, August 28, 2017

Fantasy Football PPR Mock Draft: 12 Teams, 10th Pick

As the saying goes, practice makes perfect. While we may not be able to draft a "perfect" fantasy football team, the more we practice, the better our teams will be.

Starting on June 10th, we began drafting (at least) one fantasy football team per day using the 2017 Fantasy Football Mock Draft Simulator and we will continue to do so up until the start of the 2017 NFL season.

Each day, we will switch things up -- e.g., PPR vs. standard scoring, league size, draft slot, 2-QB leagues, auction leagues, etc.

In addition, we will centralize links to our daily fantasy football mock drafts for an easy way to keep track of our mock drafts.

Embed from Getty Images


Details of today's mock draft:
  • Scoring: PPR scoring
  • # of Teams: 12
  • Draft Slot: 9
  • Starters: QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, TE, Flex (RB/WR/TE), K, DST
  • Bench Size: 6
With that said, here are the results of today's mock draft:

1.10 - Devonta Freeman, RB, Atlanta Falcons: Despite getting 57 fewer touches year-over-year, Freeman finished as a top-six fantasy running back. Setting career highs in efficiency (4.8 YPC and 8.6 Y/R), Freeman now has back-to-back seasons with 1,000-plus rushing yards, 1,500-plus YFS, 50-plus receptions and 13-plus touchdowns.

2.03 - T.Y. Hilton, WR, Indianapolis Colts: Not only did Hilton record his fourth consecutive 1,000-yard season, but he led the NFL in receiving yards (1,448) in 2016. Furthermore, Hilton set career highs in both receptions (91) and targets (155), but he has never scored more than seven TDs and the status of Andrew Luck for the start of the season is unclear.

3.10 - Alshon Jeffery, WR, Philadelphia Eagles: A free-agency steal if he can stay on the field, Jeffery should be motivated to parlay 2017 success into a large contract next offseason. While he has played only 21 games over the past two seasons combined, Jeffery has averaged 78.9 yards per game since 2013 and instantly becomes Carson Wentz's No. 1 wide receiver.

4.03 - Travis Kelce, TE, Kansas City Chiefs: Kelce set career highs in receptions (85), yards (1,125) and 100-yard games (six) and led the position in fantasy points scored despite scoring only four touchdowns. With Jeremy Maclin now in Baltimore, Kelce should be even more of a focal point of the passing offense and has a chance to finish as fantasy's TE1 even if Rob Gronkowski plays a full season.

5.10 - Emmanuel Sanders, WR, Denver Broncos: After a career year in 2014 (101/1,404/9), Sanders has at least 75 catches and 1,000 yards in each of the past two seasons. Both of those -- 75 catches and 1,000 yards -- seem to be a reasonable floor, but there is some upside for improvement over the past two seasons.

6.03 - Mark Ingram, RB, New Orleans Saints: The good news is that Ingram played a full 16-game slate for the second time in his career while posting career highs of 1,043 rushing yards, 5.1 yards per carry and 10 total touchdowns. The addition of Adrian Peterson to the backfield is a concern, but Ingram has finished as a top-15 running back in three consecutive seasons and has a chance to do so again.

7.10 - Tevin Coleman, RB, Atlanta Falcons: Once again, Coleman has missed multiple games, but he showed his big-play ability when he was on the field. While Freeman will continue to lead the backfield in usage and production, Coleman had double-digit touches in 11 of his 13 games last year and finished the season as a top-20 fantasy running back.

- Related: 20 Undervalued Players in Fantasy Football

8.03 - Corey Coleman, WR, Cleveland Browns: The 15th overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, Coleman battled injuries and finished with just 33/413/3 over 10 games in 2016. An explosive athlete when healthy, the Browns will be counting on him to take a big step forward in his sophomore campaign with 1,000-yard receiver Terrelle Pryor now in Washington.

9.10 - Theo Riddick, RB, Detroit Lions: One of the backs that is much better in PPR-scoring formats, Riddick is one of the league's most dynamic receiving backs. Over the past two seasons, he has averaged 5.12 receptions for 41.08 yards and 0.35 touchdowns per game and he should remain a vital part of the passing attack.

10.03 - Paul Perkins, RB, New York Giants: Now the starter, Perkins should easily exceed his 127 rookie touches. One concern is the team's offensive line, which was surprisingly neglected in the offseason, and he's looked anything but impressive this preseason. That said, he's a decent value in Round 10.

11.10 - Josh Doctson, WR, Washington Redskins: Given the receiving corps turnover, there should be plenty of opportunity for Doctson in 2017.

12.03 - Robby Anderson, WR, New York Jets: Productive last year (42/587/2), Anderson had a five-game stretch where he exceeded 60 receiving yards four times. Moving into the No. 1 receiver role due to roster moves and/or injury, Anderson could finish as a top-50 (or better) fantasy wide receiver this season.

13.10 - Cam Newton, QB, Carolina Panthers: After being named league MVP in 2015, Newton had an inefficient and disappointing season as he finished as fantasy's QB17 last year. Even if he runs less, the team drafted Christian McCaffrey and Curtis Samuel to make things easier for Cam. At a minimum, there is plenty of upside at 13.10.

14.03 - Ben Roethlisberger, QB, Pittsburgh Steelers: Durability has been a concern and his home-road splits are extreme, but with Cam as my starter, I could play Big Ben at Heinz Field.

15.10 - Jacksonville Jaguars DST

16.03 - Matt Bryant, K, Atlanta Falcons

- View full mock draft results here

Complete your own mock drafts for free on our Fantasy Football Mock Draft Simulator page.

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Sunday, August 27, 2017

Fantasy Football ADP: Biggest Weekly Risers/Fallers in Average Draft Position

Every Sunday, we post an update in players that have had the biggest moves — both up and down — in fantasy football average draft position (ADP) from the previous week.

With this information, we can get a better sense of changes in the collective perceptions of fantasy football owners (mock drafters); in essence, it's a version of fantasy stock up/down for players. If a player is moving up the ADP chart, it may lead us to using a higher pick than his current ADP to make sure we secure a targeted player.

Of course, a player's ADP (and movement) is just one (small) piece in determining who to draft and our strategy used to assemble a fantasy roster.

For purposes of our weekly comparison(s), we use ADP data from 12-team mock drafts from Fantasy Football Calculator:
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Biggest Risers (Absolute Terms)
Pos.PlayerADP change
QBJay Cutler, Miami Dolphins-9.3 (163.8 on 8/20; 154.5 on 8/27)
RBRex Burkhead, New England Patriots-25.7 (149.5 on 8/20; 123.8 on 8/27)
WRCooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams-22.0 (160.3 on 8/20; 138.3 on 8/27)
TEAntonio Gates, Los Angeles Chargers-9.8 (157.7 on 8/20; 147.9 on 8/27)


[Note: Negative numbers mean the player's ADP is improving (i.e., being drafted earlier) and vice versa.]

Biggest Risers (Percentage)
Pos.PlayerADP change
QBMarcus Mariota, Tennessee Titans-8.61% (94.1 on 8/20; 86.0 on 8/27)
RBDarren McFadden, Dallas Cowboys-18.11% (85.6 on 8/20; 70.1 on 8/27)
WRDeVante Parker, Miami Dolphins-19.96% (91.2 on 8/20; 73.0 on 8/27)
TEAntonio Gates, Los Angeles Chargers-6.21% (157.7 on 8/20; 147.9 on 8/27)

Biggest Fallers (Absolute Terms)
Pos.PlayerADP change
QBTyrod Taylor, Buffalo Bills+10.4 (138.7 on 8/20; 149.1 on 8/27)
RBEddie Lacy, Seattle Seahawks+13.9 (72.2 on 8/20; 86.1 on 8/27)
WRJohn Ross, Cincinnati Bengals+15.1 (142.2 on 8/20; 157.3 on 8/27)
TEO.J. Howard, Tampa Bay Buccaneers+9.9 (128.0 on 8/20; 137.9 on 8/27)

Biggest Fallers (Percentage)
Pos.PlayerADP change
QBAndrew Luck, Indianapolis Colts+11.58% (81.2 on 8/20; 90.6 on 8/27)
RBEddie Lacy, Seattle Seahawks+19.25% (72.2 on 8/20; 86.1 on 8/27)
WROdell Beckham, New York Giants+32.08% (5.3 on 8/20; 7.0 on 8/27)
TEO.J. Howard, Tampa Bay Buccaneers+7.73% (128.0 on 8/20; 137.9 on 8/27)

- Fantasy Football ADP Risers/Fallers: See full grid of player changes in ADP over past week

Our 2017 fantasy football rankings:
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Fantasy Football Mock Draft: 12 Teams, 5th Pick

As the saying goes, practice makes perfect. While we may not be able to draft a "perfect" fantasy football team, the more we practice, the better our teams will be.

Starting on June 10th, we began drafting (at least) one fantasy football team per day using the 2017 Fantasy Football Mock Draft Simulator and we will continue to do so up until the start of the 2017 NFL season.

Each day, we will switch things up -- e.g., PPR vs. standard scoring, league size, draft slot, 2-QB leagues, auction leagues, etc.

In addition, we will centralize links to our daily fantasy football mock drafts for an easy way to keep track of our mock drafts.

Embed from Getty Images


Details of today's mock draft:
  • Scoring: Standard scoring (i.e., not PPR scoring)
  • # of Teams: 12
  • Draft Slot: 5
  • Starters: QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, TE, Flex (RB/WR/TE), K, DST
  • Bench Size: 6
With that said, here are the results of today's mock draft:

1.05 - Julio Jones, WR, Atlanta Falcons: With 1,400-plus yards in each of the past three seasons, Jones has averaged more than 100 yards per game in four consecutive seasons. The only concern with Jones is his relative lack of productivity in the red zone -- 40 career TDs on 497 receptions and 777 targets -- despite his elite combination of size and speed.

2.08 - Leonard Fournette, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars: Fournette is a back with a rare combination of size, power and speed and the Jags should make him their workhorse sooner rather than later. Given their strong defense (and poor quarterback play), the Jags are likely to shift to a run-heavy approach in 2017.

3.05 - Demaryius Thomas, WR, Denver Broncos: Thomas set five-year lows across the board: 90 receptions, 1,083 yards and five touchdowns; not bad for "five-year lows." Before last season, he had averaged 100/1,447/10 in his previous four seasons. It's reasonable to expect an improvement over last year's numbers even if he doesn't return to a 100/1,400/10 level of production.

4.08 - Keenan Allen, WR, Los Angeles Chargers: Over his past 16 games, Allen has racked up 116 catches for 1,217 yards and eight touchdowns. Of course, the bad news is that those 16 games span three separate seasons as Allen has played just nine games over the past two years.

5.05 - Mark Ingram, RB, New Orleans Saints: The good news is that Ingram played a full 16-game slate for the second time in his career while posting career highs of 1,043 rushing yards, 5.1 yards per carry and 10 total touchdowns. Both Ingram and Adrian Peterson should be productive (and I hedged a bit with both), but Ingram has finished as a top-15 back in three consecutive seasons.

- Related: 20 Undervalued Players in Fantasy Football

6.08 - Tyler Eifert, TE, Cincinnati Bengals: The good news: 18 touchdowns. The bad news: 22 games. Unfortunately, Eifert has missed more games (26) than he has played (22) over the past three seasons, but he has been a dominant red-zone target, when healthy, with 18 touchdowns during that stretch.

7.05 - Adrian Peterson, RB, New Orleans Saints: Ingram may have a higher salary and be listed as the "starter," but it wouldn't be much of a surprise if Peterson emerged as the leader in terms of workload split (and production) in that duo. With double-digit rushing scores every year he's played at least four games, the ceiling for AP is through the roof in the high-powered, Drew Brees-led offense.

8.08 - Kirk Cousins, QB, Washington Redskins: One year after throwing for 4,166 yards and 29 touchdowns (and finishing as fantasy's QB8), Cousins threw for 4,917 yards and 25 scores (and finished as fantasy's QB5). In addition, he has a total of nine rushing touchdowns over the past two seasons combined. The QB9 in my rankings, Cousins is the 12th QB off the board in this mock.

9.05 - Darren McFadden, RB, Dallas Cowboys: If Ezekiel Elliott serves his six-game (or a reduced) suspension in 2017, McFadden becomes the Cowboys' starter (and a fantasy start) for those games. In his first season in Dallas without Zeke and Tony Romo injured most of the year, McFadden rushed for 1,089 yards (4.6 YPC) on 236 carries and added 40 catches for 328 yards.

10.08 - Martellus Bennett, TE, Green Bay Packers: Going from Tom Brady to Aaron Rodgers won't hurt Bennett's fantasy value. In fact, his outlook has improved. Not that Rodgers doesn't spread the ball around, but I'd expect Bennett to see a larger share of targets in Green Bay than he saw in New England (13.27 percent) last season. Given Eifert's durability history, Bennett gives me some insurance.

11.05 - James White, RB, New England Patriots: Signing a three-year extension this offseason, White had a career-high 60 receptions in 2016 in addition to 14 receptions in their Super Bowl victory. While he may once again have more catches than carries, White finished as the RB33 in standard-scoring formats (non-PPR) last season.

12.08 - Darren Sproles, RB, Philadelphia Eagles: Entering what is expected to be his final season, the 34-year-old running back had 865 yards from scrimmage and 52 receptions last season for the Eagles to finish as fantasy's RB30 in non-PPR formats. Another season of 800 YFS and 50 catches should be within reach for Sproles.

13.05 - Robby Anderson, WR, New York Jets: Productive last year (42/587/2), Anderson had a five-game stretch where he exceeded 60 receiving yards four times. Moving into the No. 1 receiver role due to roster moves and/or injury, Anderson could finish as a top-40 fantasy wide receiver this season.

14.08 - Chris Hogan, WR, New England Patriots: In his first season with the Patriots, Hogan set a career high with 680 yards on just 58 targets. Given the ACL injury to Julian Edelman, Hogan could be the biggest beneficiary in terms of fantasy outlook.

15.05 - New York Giants DST

16.08 - Adam Vinatieri, K, Indianapolis Colts

- View full mock draft results here

Complete your own mock drafts for free on our Fantasy Football Mock Draft Simulator page.

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Fantasy Football 2017: 10 Overvalued Players in Fantasy Football Drafts

On Friday, we posted a list of 20 players that we believe are undervalued compared to their average draft positions in fantasy football drafts.

If some players are undervalued, that means others, in turn, must be overvalued. So, today we turn our attention to some players that are priced a little too rich for our blood.

Even if a player appears on this list, it's not that we dislike them in terms of ability — it's just that we dislike them in terms of their current costs.

For purposes of this exercise, we used consensus ADP data from FantasyPros (as of Sunday morning).

Embed from Getty Images

With that said, here are 10 players that are currently overvalued compared to their average draft position (ADP):

QB - Matt Ryan, QB, Atlanta Falcons (ADP: 40, QB4)

To be clear, the majority of quarterbacks could appear on this list. In fact, it's not that I think Ryan is overvalued as the QB4; I have only Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady and Drew Brees ranked ahead of him in my rankings as well.

But all three of those quarterbacks are overvalued as well in terms of their overall ADPs. The reason I listed Ryan here instead of one of the top-three QBs is that there is a greater likelihood that he has some regression from last year's career season.

Essentially, I'd consider Rodgers and Brady in drafts where they fell and feel comfortable that they will finish as top-two fantasy quarterbacks. Meanwhile, Brees has finished as a top-six fantasy QB for 11 consecutive seasons. After those three guys, however, I feel like the next tier of quarterbacks are fairly similar and I'd prefer to wait as opposed to draft the first one of that group.

Before last season, Ryan had never finished as a top-six fantasy quarterback over his previous eight seasons. If Ryan fell back into that QB7-QB10 range, it wouldn't be much of a surprise with Kyle Shanahan no longer calling the plays.

Granted, I may be overly bullish on Marcus Mariota compared to others, but I have him as my QB5 and there is an ADP difference of three rounds (36 picks) between Mariota (76) and Ryan (40). For me, the difference isn't that big.

RB - Christian McCaffrey, Carolina Panthers (ADP: 29, RB14)

A dynamic player that broke the collegiate single-season all-purpose record previously held by Barry Sanders, I like McCaffrey much more in PPR formats. Using an early third-round pick on him in a non-PPR format, however, seems a little too costly.

McCaffrey's landing spot has a lot to do with him appearing on this list. Ultimately, I think he could turn out to be better for the Panthers as a real football player than he will be for your fantasy team (since he's unlikely to be on any of mine given his cost).

As versatile as any running back, McCaffrey may find touchdowns hard to come by as Cam Newton may be the best goal-line "back" in the league. And Jonathan Stewart is still going to be plenty involved in the running game, especially more so than McCaffrey near the goal line.

When push comes to shove, I'm not sure than we can count on Cam dumping the ball off to McCaffrey as opposed to running the ball himself. After all, do you "expect a lion not to roar?" I like McCaffrey; just not at his current ADP.

RB - LeGarrette Blount, Philadelphia Eagles (ADP: 70, RB28)

Featured back? Or cut?

After some speculation that Blount's roster spot may not be safe, coach Doug Pederson responded by saying that Blount is "a beast of a runner" and going to "a big part of our offense."

Coming off a massive workload last season and not much of a receiver, it's not out of the question that Blount becomes expendable if they decide Wendell Smallwood is a better option. Blount turns 31 in December and it wouldn't cost the Eagles much to part ways.

RB - Eddie Lacy, Seattle Seahawks (ADP: 83, RB32)

Battling weight issues the past couple of years, Lacy has weight-based bonuses in the one-year contract he has signed with the Seahawks and has met the targets so far. At this point though, it's difficult to trust that Lacy will have a large enough role to warrant his current ADP once all of the backs are healthy.

Thomas Rawls, who has five 100-yard rushing games over the past two years, is listed atop the depth chart, C.J. Prosise will have a sizable role as a third-down back (when healthy) and seventh-round rookie Chris Carson has been mixing in with the first-team offense at times.

Even though I have both ranked fairly close together, I'd rather draft Rawls (ADP: 110) than Lacy (ADP: 83) given their respective costs.

RB - Latavius Murray, Minnesota Vikings (ADP: 129, RB45)

As productive as Dalvin Cook has been so far, the rookie should begin and end the season as the lead back barring injury. Coming off an injury and learning a new offense, Murray is less appealing than a number of other late-round running backs currently being selected after him. Running backs like James White, Jacquizz Rodgers, Jeremy Hill, Darren Sproles and Jonathan Williams are all being drafted after Murray yet I'd prefer all of them over Murray.

WR - Tyreek Hill, Kansas City Chiefs (ADP: 45, WR20)

There's a good chance that I could be really wrong on Hill. After all, he finished as fantasy's WR11 last year and Jeremy Maclin is now in Baltimore.

That said, the explosive wideout scored a total of 12 touchdowns -- six receiving, three rushing and three returns -- despite getting only 85 touches. Especially considering that Alex Smith is more of a game manager, Hill is unlikely to score as many touchdowns even though his opportunities will increase.

Based on ADP, Hill is going at the end of the fourth round, but there are some receivers going in Round 5-plus that I'd prefer over him: Larry Fitzgerald, Golden Tate, Emmanuel Sanders, etc. to name a few.

WR - Jarvis Landry, Miami Dolphins (ADP: 52, WR22)

In standard-scoring formats, Landry has finished as the WR15 and WR18 over the past two seasons, respectively, as he posted a total of 205 receptions for 2,295 yards and eight touchdowns. In addition, he has added 22 rush attempts for 128 yards and a touchdown.

So, why is he on this list?

Starting on Oct. 9th, the Dolphins began a stretch where they gave Jay Ajayi double-digit carries every week. Before Oct. 9th, Landry posted a 7.75/93.75/0.25 line on 11.25 targets per game. From Oct. 9th through the end of hte season, that dropped to 5.25/63.42/0.25 on 7.17 targets per game.

With the Dolphins becoming a run-first team last year and signing Jay Cutler to start recently, I'd expect Landry's per-game targets to be closer to 7.17 going forward than 11.25/G. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me if DeVante Parker scored more fantasy points than Landry in standard (non-PPR) formats.

WR - Sammy Watkins, Los Angeles Rams (ADP: 54, WR23)

There is no denying that his best is about as good as any receiver's best, but there are a number of concerns with Watkins going into the 2017 season. While he's healthy at the moment, foot injuries are tricky, especially for wide receivers, and Watkins has missed a combined 11 games over the past two seasons.

In addition, Watkins gets a quarterback downgrade going from Tyrod Taylor to Jared Goff. If the Bills had traded Watkins earlier in the offseason, there would have been an opportunity to establish more of a rapport with Goff and learn a new offense.

Not to put too much stock into the preseason, but one target and no catches in the dress rehearsal yesterday doesn't inspire confidence in the Goff-Watkins duo lighting up the league, at least early in the season.

WR - Randall Cobb, Green Bay Packers (ADP: 89, WR34)

Now behind Jordy Nelson and Davante Adams in the targets pecking order, Cobb posted a career-low 10.2 Y/R in 2016 and averaged only 46.9 receiving yards per game, the lowest since his rookie season.

From Week 5 to 11 when Aaron Rodgers averaged 45 pass attempts per game (out of necessity), Cobb finished as a top-36 fantasy wide receiver in five of six games. Outside of that six-game stretch when the Packers went 1-5, however, Cobb failed to finish as a top-30 fantasy wide receiver in any week.

In general, I prefer many of the receivers going after Cobb, such as Pierre Garcon, DeVante Parker, Cameron Meredith, etc.

TE - Delanie Walker, Tennessee Titans (ADP: 82, TE8)

Among the four major fantasy positions, my tight end rankings most closely align to ADP at the position as well so there aren't any really pronounced overvalued options. That said, I like Zach Ertz slightly more than Walker this season and you can get him more than a round later, on average, in fantasy drafts.

Walker has been highly productive with 100-plus targets, 60-plus catches and 800-plus yards in each of his past three seasons. Going into his age-33 season, Walker has more competition for targets than ever as the Titans drafted Corey Davis fifth overall and signed Eric Decker in free agency.

Even though Marcus Mariota appeared on my list of undervalued players, the increased competition for targets in a run-based offense limits the upside for all of the receiving options.

Our 2017 Fantasy Football Rankings:
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Saturday, August 26, 2017

2-QB PPR Fantasy Football Mock Draft: 12 Teams, 7th Pick

As the saying goes, practice makes perfect. While we may not be able to draft a "perfect" fantasy football team, the more we practice, the better our teams will be.

Starting on June 10th, we began drafting (at least) one fantasy football team per day using the 2017 Fantasy Football Mock Draft Simulator and we will continue to do so up until the start of the 2017 NFL season.

Each day, we will switch things up -- e.g., PPR vs. standard scoring, league size, draft slot, 2-QB leagues, auction leagues, etc.

In addition, we will centralize links to our daily fantasy football mock drafts for an easy way to keep track of our mock drafts.

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Details of today's mock draft:
  • Scoring: 2-QB league with PPR scoring
  • # of Teams: 12
  • Draft Slot: 7
  • Starters: 2 QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, TE, Flex (RB/WR/TE), K, DST
  • Bench Size: 6
With that said, here are the results of today's mock draft:

1.07 - Julio Jones, WR, Atlanta Falcons: With 1,400-plus yards in each of the past three seasons, Jones has averaged more than 100 yards per game in four consecutive seasons. The only concern with Jones is his relative lack of productivity in the red zone -- 40 career TDs on 497 receptions and 777 targets -- despite his elite combination of size and speed.

2.06 - DeMarco Murray, RB, Tennessee Titans: Exceeding expectations last season, Murray touched the ball 346 times for a total of 1,664 yards and 12 touchdowns as the clear lead back in the team's "exotic smashmouth" offense. Murray showed remarkable consistency as he finished as a weekly top-20 back in his first 14 games of the season. In fact, he finished as a top-10 weekly back in 10 of those 14 games as he averaged 22.7 touches per game over that span.

3.07 - Rob Gronkowski, TE, New England Patriots: When healthy, Gronkowski is as good as it gets. Unfortunately, the 28-year-old tight end has missed five-plus games in three of the past five seasons. That said, Gronk has averaged nearly 70 yards per game with a total of 69 touchdowns in 88 career games.

4.06 - Marcus Mariota, QB, Tennessee Titans: Finishing as fantasy's QB12 in 2016, Mariota threw for 3,426 yards, 26 touchdowns and nine interceptions. An elite athlete, the dual-threat quarterback also ran a little more often (60/349/2). Given the team's offseason investments to put an improved supporting cast around Mariota, 2017 should be even better — perhaps much better — for this ascending quarterback.

Related: 20 Undervalued Players in Fantasy Football Drafts

5.07 - Isaiah Crowell, RB, Cleveland Browns: Crowell had single-digit carries in five games and less than 30 rushing yards in six of 16 games, but he set career highs in rushing yards (952), yards per carry (4.8) and receptions (40) in 2016. Not only did the Browns improve their offensive line in the offseason, but Hue Jackson expects to run the ball more often.

6.06 - Emmanuel Sanders, WR, Denver Broncos: After a career year in 2014 (101/1,404/9), Sanders has at least 75 catches and 1,000 yards in each of the past two seasons. Both of those -- 75 catches and 1,000 yards -- seem to be a reasonable floor, but there is some upside for improvement over the past two seasons.

7.07 - Andy Dalton, QB, Cincinnati Bengals: Dalton has finished as a mid-tier QB2 (QB16-18) in each of the past three seasons, but a part of that mediocrity has been the injuries to the team's pass-catchers. During that span, Tyler Eifert has played a total of 22 games and A.J. Green has missed three-plus games in two of three years including six missed games last season. While the offensive line has become a concern, the Bengals used their early picks -- John Ross (first round) and Joe Mixon (second round) -- to give Dalton and the offense more weapons.

8.06 - Bilal Powell, RB, New York Jets: Finishing as the RB16 in PPR in 2016, Powell set career highs in yards from scrimmage (1,110), receptions (58) and touchdowns (five). Even if the Jets employ a "backfield-by-committee," Powell should lead the backfield in touches and production in 2017.

9.07 - Adrian Peterson, RB, New Orleans Saints: Mark Ingram may have a higher salary and be listed as the "starter," but it wouldn't be much of a surprise if Peterson emerged as the leader in terms of workload split (and production) in that duo. With double-digit rushing scores every year he's played at least four games, the ceiling for AP is through the roof in the high-powered, Drew Brees-led offense.

10.06 - Jordan Matthews, WR, Philadelphia Eagles: Being traded to a run-heavy team isn't usually a positive for a wide receiver, but you could certainly argue that J-Matt's fantasy outlook improved by being traded to the Bills, especially considering the Bills traded away Sammy Watkins as well.

11.07 - John Brown, WR, Arizona Cardinals: Brown's production was nearly cut in half (39/517/2 in 2016 vs. 65/1,003/7 in 2015) in large part due to medical issues. There is the potential for a bounce-back season, but his sickle-cell trait hinders his ability to recover quickly from soft-tissue ailments and those are something that he has battled often in his young career.

12.06 - Darren Sproles, RB, Philadelphia Eagles: Entering what is expected to be his final season, the 34-year-old running back had 865 yards from scrimmage and 52 receptions last season for the Eagles to finish as the RB24 in PPR formats. Another season of 800 YFS and 50 catches should be within reach for Sproles.

13.07 - Zay Jones, WR, Buffalo Bills: The 37th-overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, Jones set the records for most receptions in a season (158) and career (399) at East Carolina. He provides some depth, especially if Matthews isn't ready for the start of the season.

14.06 - Jeremy Hill, RB, Cincinnati Bengals: After an impressive rookie season (1,124 rushing yards and 5.1 YPC), Hill has failed to reach the 1,000-yard mark and averaged under 4.0 yards per carry in back-to-back seasons. I expect rookie Joe Mixon to become the lead back sooner rather than later, but there is a chance that Hill remains the starter longer than most expect.

15.07 - DeShone Kizer, QB, Cleveland Browns: If Kizer doesn't beat Kessler out in camp or the preseason to start, it's likely that he finds himself under center at some point during the regular season. If I had to draft one Cleveland quarterback, it'd be Kizer and he's only needed as a potential bye-week fill-in.

16.06 - Minnesota Vikings DST

17.07 - Adam Vinatieri, K, Indianapolis Colts

- View full mock draft results here

Complete your own mock drafts for free on our Fantasy Football Mock Draft Simulator page.

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MRI confirms Julian Edelman tore his ACL, done for season

New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman played a full 16-game season last season for the first time in three years and only the second time in his career.

Unfortunately, he won't play any games this season.

Leaving last night's preseason game with what was feared to be a torn ACL, Edelman had an MRI on Saturday and the results confirm what was feared. Edelman has a torn ACL and he'll miss all of 2017.

Edelman had a 98/1,106/3 line on 159 targets last season. With Rob Gronkowski missing half of the season last year and the addition of Brandin Cooks this offseason, his target share would have certainly been reduced some in 2017.

While I wasn't necessarily bullish on Brandin Cooks this season, Edelman's injury changes that. With Edelman and Gronk both healthy, the concern was that Cooks might be an inconsistent weekly performer as the other two would still get a significant share of Tom Brady's targets.

Not only does Cooks' fantasy outlook improve, perhaps the biggest winner in terms of fantasy outlook is Chris Hogan. In last night's dress rehearsal against the Lions, Hogan finished with four catches for 70 yards and two scores.

Both Danny Amendola and Malcolm Mitchell benefit as well, but I will move Hogan into my top-50 fantasy wide receivers when I update my preseason rankings later today.

Fantasy Football Mock Draft: 12 Teams, 12th Pick

As the saying goes, practice makes perfect. While we may not be able to draft a "perfect" fantasy football team, the more we practice, the better our teams will be.

Starting on June 10th, we began drafting (at least) one fantasy football team per day using the 2017 Fantasy Football Mock Draft Simulator and we will continue to do so up until the start of the 2017 NFL season.

Each day, we will switch things up -- e.g., PPR vs. standard scoring, league size, draft slot, 2-QB leagues, auction leagues, etc.

In addition, we will centralize links to our daily fantasy football mock drafts for an easy way to keep track of our mock drafts.

Embed from Getty Images


Details of today's mock draft:
  • Scoring: Standard scoring (i.e., not PPR scoring)
  • # of Teams: 12
  • Draft Slot: 12
  • Starters: QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, TE, Flex (RB/WR/TE), K, DST
  • Bench Size: 6
With that said, here are the results of today's mock draft:

1.12 - Jordy Nelson, WR, Green Bay Packers: Missing all of 2015, Nelson's 2016 campaign (97/1,257/14 on 152 targets) was nearly identical to his 2014 season (98/1,519/13 on 151 targets). Given his rapport with Aaron Rodgers and being another year removed from his torn ACL, Nelson should be in store for another elite season.

2.01 - DeMarco Murray, RB, Tennessee Titans: Exceeding expectations last season, Murray touched the ball 346 times for a total of 1,664 yards and 12 touchdowns. A weekly top-20 back in each of his first 14 games last season, Murray finished as a top-10 weekly back in 10 of those 14 games as he averaged 22.7 touches per game over that span.

3.12 - Alshon Jeffery, WR, Philadelphia Eagles: A free-agency steal if he can stay on the field, Jeffery signed a one-year deal that should keep him motivated to parlay 2017 success into a large contract next offseason. While he has played only 21 games over the past two seasons combined, Jeffery has averaged 78.9 yards per game since 2013 and instantly becomes Carson Wentz's No. 1 wide receiver.

4.01 - Terrelle Pryor, WR, Washington Redskins: A full-time receiver for the first time, Pryor had 77 receptions for 1,007 yards and four touchdowns and added 21 rushing yards and another score despite Cleveland's quarterback issues. Getting a quarterback upgrade with Kirk Cousins on his one-year deal with Washington, Pryor should post better -- perhaps much better -- numbers in his second full season at receiver.

5.12 - Jordan Reed, TE, Washington Redskins: Missing multiple regular-season games every year, Reed missed another four games last season and durability is obviously the main concern with Reed. Since Kirk Cousins became the team's starting quarterback in 2015, however, Reed has averaged the per-game equivalent of a 94/1,008/10 season (16 games).

6.01 - Larry Fitzgerald, WR, Arizona Cardinals: Back for (at least) one more season, Fitzgerald has finished as a top-20 fantasy wide receiver with 100-plus catches and 1,000-plus yards in back-to-back seasons. Going into his age-34 season, Fitzgerald is a great value as my WR4.

7.12 - Adrian Peterson, RB, New Orleans Saints: Mark Ingram may have a higher salary and be listed as the "starter," but it wouldn't be much of a surprise if Peterson emerged as the leader in terms of workload split (and production) in that duo. With double-digit rushing scores every year he's played at least four games, the ceiling for AP is through the roof in the high-powered, Drew Brees-led offense (if he can stay healthy, of course).

8.01 - Danny Woodhead, RB, Baltimore Ravens: Missing the majority of the 2014 and 2016 seasons, Woodhead has played just 21 games over the past three years. Woodhead has finished as a top-24 fantasy running back (standard scoring) in each of his past three full seasons. Given the season-ending injury to Kenneth Dixon, it's possible that Woodhead extends that streak if he can stay healthy.

- Related: Woodhead is on our list of 20 Undervalued Players in Fantasy Football Drafts

9.12 - Kirk Cousins, QB, Washington Redskins: One year after throwing for 4,166 yards and 29 touchdowns (and finishing as fantasy's QB8), Cousins threw for 4,917 yards and 25 scores (and finished as fantasy's QB5). In addition, he has a total of nine rushing touchdowns over the past two seasons combined.

10.01 - Darren McFadden, RB, Dallas Cowboys: If Ezekiel Elliott serves his six-game (or a reduced) suspension in 2017, McFadden becomes the Cowboys' starter (and a fantasy start) for those games. In his first season in Dallas without Zeke and Tony Romo injured most of the year, McFadden rushed for 1,089 yards (4.6 YPC) on 236 carries and added 40 catches for 328 yards.

11.12 - James White, RB, New England Patriots: As much as Tom Brady targets running backs, specifically White, he has plenty of value in both PPR and standard-scoring formats. Even though he finished with more receptions (60) than carries (39), White still finished as a top-35 RB in standard-scoring formats.

12.01 - Jacquizz Rodgers, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: With Doug Martin suspended for the first three games this season, Rodgers will get a minimum of three starts. Considering Martin's durability track record, it's certainly possible that he starts more than three games this season. Generally productive with Martin out, Rodgers had back-to-back 100-yard rushing games last October.

13.12 - Dak Prescott, QB, Dallas Cowboys: The NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year threw 23 touchdowns to only four interceptions and rushed for six more scores. Excluding Week 17 when Prescott (and the starters) sat for the majority of the game, the rookie finished with 17-plus fantasy points in 12 of 15 games.

14.01 - Coby Fleener, TE, New Orleans Saints: In his first season in New Orleans, Fleener set four-year lows in both receptions (50) and targets (81), but his 631 receiving yards and four touchdowns (three receiving and one rushing) were the second-most of his career. While he disappointed fantasy owners (compared to his ADP), Fleener scored the 12th-most fantasy points in 2016.

15.12 - New York Giants DST

16.01 - Justin Tucker, K, Baltimore Ravens

- View full mock draft results here

Complete your own mock drafts for free on our Fantasy Football Mock Draft Simulator page.

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