The Fantasy Football mock draft season is in full swing. I recently had my second opportunity to complete a twelve person mock draft from start to finish. All drafters picked until completion, without anyone going on “auto-pilot.” Mock drafts like these are invaluable in helping prepare for the fantasy season. Not only did I have a full slate of actual drafters, I was again fortunate to have two other fantasy football analysts in the room: Jamey Eisenberg from CBSSports.com, and Adam Pfeifer from RotoCurve.com. It was the second opportunity to draft with these great fantasy minds, and I learned a lot from our first mock draft. For our second mock draft, I again examined each team by the following three criteria:
- Projected starting points per week based on 2015 scoring.
- Projected starting points per week based on 2016 CBSSports.com projections.
- My gut instinct on each team.
Who drafted the best running backs? Which team had the worst wide receivers? Who reached for a quarterback? Let’s start with reviewing the weakest team, and work our way up to the strongest.
Fantasy Football Mock Draft Breakdown: Part II
Team: TBay
Drafter: Parker (12th pick overall)
Points per week based on 2015: 97.6 (7th)
Points per week based on projections: 93.2 (5th)
Randle Ranking: 6th
| Player | Position | Round Drafted | Overall Pick | Projected Fantasy Points | 2015 Points |
| Cam Newton | QB | 2 | 13 | 375.6 | 458 |
| Jamaal Charles | RB | 1 | 12 | 189 | 79 |
| DeMarco Murray | RB | 3 | 36 | 143.4 | 140 |
| Jarvis Landry | WR | 5 | 60 | 124.6 | 158 |
| Jordan Matthews | WR | 6 | 61 | 133.6 | 145 |
| Ryan Mathews | RB-WR | 4 | 37 | 143.4 | 103 |
| Tyler Eifert | TE | 9 | 108 | 105.2 | 139 |
| Roberto Aguayo | K | 13 | 156 | 112.1 | 121 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | DST | 14 | 157 | 164 | 178 |
| Devontae Booker | RB | 10 | 109 | 47.8 | 0 |
| Kenyan Drake | RB | 12 | 133 | 68.4 | 0 |
| T.J. Yeldon | RB | 8 | 85 | 113.4 | 119 |
| Dorial Green-Beckham | RB-WR | 11 | 132 | 73.2 | 80 |
| Kevin White | RB-WR | 7 | 84 | 97.8 | 0 |
SKINNY: The running back with the highest yards per carry in NFL history followed by the 2015 NFL MVP? A quality start for sure. However, DeMarco Murray in round three is as bad a pick as any in this draft. There is no depth at running back and only if the mercurial Dorial Green-Beckham becomes fantasy relevant is their any depth on this entire team. I see a regression coming from Cam Newton. Last season’s MVP will still be a top quarterback, but not worthy of a second round pick. This team is top heavy, and has only average backups. Picking two players (Jordan Matthews and Ryan Mathews) on a Philadelphia Eagles team that will struggle simply cannot be good. If this was a PPR league, this is a much better team. The Newton/Charles combo is great, but it’s difficult to go higher than sixth overall for Parker’s team.
Team: @JameyEisenberg
Drafter: Jamey Eisenberg, CBS Sports (6th pick overall)
Points per week based on 2015: 95.2 (9th)
Points per week based on projections: 91.3 (8th)
Randle Rating: 5th
| Player | Position | Round Drafted | Overall Pick | Projected Fantasy Points | 2015 Points |
| Carson Palmer | QB | 8 | 91 | 309 | 378 |
| Todd Gurley | RB | 1 | 6 | 219.8 | 186 |
| Eddie Lacy | RB | 2 | 19 | 169.8 | 119 |
| Randall Cobb | WR | 4 | 43 | 140.6 | 123 |
| Mike Evans | WR | 3 | 30 | 149.2 | 136 |
| Dion Lewis | RB-WR | 5 | 54 | 142 | 83 |
| Zach Ertz | TE | 10 | 115 | 80.8 | 95 |
| Dan Bailey | K | 14 | 163 | 125.9 | 125 |
| Houston Texans | DST | 13 | 150 | 186 | 203 |
| Giovani Bernard | RB | 6 | 67 | 120.8 | 132 |
| Paul Perkins | RB | 11 | 126 | 71.8 | 0 |
| Corey Coleman | RB-WR | 9 | 102 | 85.4 | 0 |
| Chris Hogan | RB-WR | 12 | 139 | 42.8 | 57 |
| DeVante Parker | RB-WR | 7 | 78 | 110.2 | 67 |
SKINNY: Jamey’s draft proves to me that I should not start running back/running back in my own drafts. There is too much wide receiver talent that goes by the board. This team is good but not great. Mike Evans has top five wide receiver potential and Randall Cobb could end up as a top twelve wide receiver selected in round four. Paul Perkins and Corey Coleman may suffer typical rookie seasons and be non-factors. The news about Lacy and Starks splitting carries is concerning and puts a lot of pressure on Todd Gurley to outperform his 2015 rookie season. Gurley doesn’t catch passes, and is rarely on the field in third down situations. Jamey is one of the best fantasy experts in the business, but this is probably a middle of the road team. His team rates at fifth overall.
Team: Superbad
Drafter: Paul (8th pick overall)
Points per week based on 2015: 95.4 (8th)
Points per week based on projections: 96.9 (2nd)
Randle Ranking: 4th
| Player | Position | Round Drafted | Overall Pick | Projected Fantasy Points | 2015 Points |
| Andrew Luck | QB | 4 | 41 | 319.2 | 160 |
| Latavius Murray | RB | 3 | 32 | 143.8 | 163 |
| Adrian Peterson | RB | 1 | 8 | 190.6 | 230 |
| Dez Bryant | WR | 2 | 17 | 171.4 | 58 |
| Jeremy Maclin | WR | 5 | 56 | 144 | 155 |
| Emmanuel Sanders | RB-WR | 6 | 65 | 138 | 147 |
| Ladarius Green | TE | 7 | 80 | 113.4 | 70 |
| Mason Crosby | K | 14 | 161 | 140 | 116 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | DST | 13 | 152 | 190 | 227 |
| Eli Manning | QB | 9 | 104 | 302.4 | 357 |
| Ben Roethlisberger | QB | 8 | 89 | 317.4 | 269 |
| Darren Sproles | RB | 12 | 137 | 87.4 | 93 |
| Jimmy Graham | TE | 10 | 113 | 85.6 | 72 |
| Zach Miller | TE | 11 | 128 | 94 | 73 |
SKINNY: Paul drafted a hit or miss team. Everyone forgets that Andrew Luck was a consensus first round fantasy football draft pick in 2015. Grabbing him in round four could mean 45,00 yards and 35+ touchdowns. Adrian Peterson may be the only running back available who could realistically go over 1,500 yards rushing. In 2016, it is simply way too risky to draft Peterson and not Jerick McKinnon, even if he has to reach. Dez Bryant has looked great so far in the preseason, and Jeremy Maclin is the only reliable option for the Kansas City Chiefs. Drafting three quarterbacks makes no sense, especially because this team needs wide receiver depth. His only backup running back is Darren Sproles. Not good. He nailed a couple major studs, but his overall team leaves a lot to be desired. Paul’s stud top strength will carry him, but overall his team ranks fourth.
Team: @ffb_dope
Drafter: Rick (2nd pick overall)
Points per week based on 2015: 95.2 (10th)
Points per week based on projections: 90.3 (11th)
Randle Rating: 3rd
| Player | Position | Round Drafted | Overall Pick | Projected Fantasy Points | 2015 Points |
| Matthew Stafford | QB | 11 | 122 | 289.2 | 353 |
| Ezekiel Elliott | RB | 1 | 2 | 182.2 | 0 |
| Mark Ingram | RB | 3 | 26 | 152.4 | 152 |
| Julian Edelman | WR | 4 | 47 | 137.6 | 111 |
| Alshon Jeffery | WR | 2 | 23 | 154.4 | 104 |
| Danny Woodhead | RB-WR | 6 | 71 | 114.2 | 162 |
| Greg Olsen | TE | 5 | 50 | 133.4 | 150 |
| Justin Tucker | K | 12 | 143 | 134.5 | 136 |
| Oakland Raiders | DST | 14 | 167 | 147 | 142 |
| Tevin Coleman | RB | 8 | 95 | 53.8 | 40 |
| Jordan Howard | RB | 9 | 98 | 77.2 | 0 |
| DeAndre Washington | RB | 13 | 146 | 42.6 | 0 |
| Michael Crabtree | RB-WR | 10 | 119 | 117 | 146 |
| Larry Fitzgerald | RB-WR | 7 | 74 | 130 | 171 |
SKINNY: It has been rumored that Ezekiel Elliott will get 250-300 touches this season. That would give him an opportunity that many other running backs won’t have. Pairing him with Mark Ingram gives Rick two top running backs. If Elliott produces this team should be fine, however I just don’t see that happening to the level of a first round pick. Julian Edelman and Alshon Jeffery should be solid contributors. Matthew Stafford will be a notch below the other quarterbacks, but Rick’s bench could bail him out. Greg Olsen is a top three tight end with a very high floor. DeAndre Washington and Tevin Coleman are outstanding backup running backs. Larry Fitzgerald is on the bench as a future Hall of Famer. Excellent job by Rick. This is a very solid all around top three mock team.
Team: @FtsyWarriorMike
Drafter: Mike Randle, Sports Events Guide, RotoUnderworld (4th pick overall)
Points per week based on 2015: 101.2 (4th)
Points per week based on projections: 90.9 (10th)
Randle Ranking: 2nd
| Player | Position | Round Drafted | Overall Pick | Projected Fantasy Points | 2015 Points |
| Tom Brady | QB | 9 | 100 | 273.8 | 414 |
| Melvin Gordon | RB | 5 | 52 | 109.6 | 75 |
| Jeremy Hill | RB | 4 | 45 | 136.6 | 154 |
| T.Y. Hilton | WR | 2 | 21 | 148.2 | 142 |
| Julio Jones | WR | 1 | 4 | 203.8 | 233 |
| Brandin Cooks | RB-WR | 3 | 28 | 145 | 168 |
| Coby Fleener | TE | 7 | 76 | 107.2 | 69 |
| Josh Brown | K | 14 | 165 | 131 | 140 |
| Arizona Cardinals | DST | 11 | 124 | 193 | 224 |
| Kirk Cousins | QB | 10 | 117 | 279.4 | 350 |
| Duke Johnson | RB | 6 | 69 | 113.2 | 102 |
| Kamar Aiken | RB-WR | 12 | 141 | 78 | 122 |
| Tavon Austin | RB-WR | 8 | 93 | 121 | 140 |
| Devin Funchess | RB-WR | 13 | 148 | 67.4 | 72 |
SKINNY: I went with my favorite mock draft strategy here: wide receiver with the first three picks. Then in rounds four and five, I grabbed two goal line backs: Jeremy Hill and Melvin Gordon. Duke Johnson is the first running back off the bench, and could be a starter with Hue Jackson as the head coach. Up to this point, this is my favorite team from all the mock drafts. Julio Jones, T.Y. Hilton and Brandin Cooks are the best wide receiver core in this draft. Coby Fleener was great value in round seven, and the pairing of Kirk Cousins and Tom Brady produces two quarterbacks in pass heavy offenses. And the Arizona Cardinals defense has a fantastic first seven games schedule. If I get this team in my real draft, I’d be thrilled. This team rates second overall in this mock draft.
Team: @APfeifer24
Drafter: Adam Pfeifer
Points per week based on 2015: 99.5 (5th)
Points per week based on projections: 95.5 (4th)
Randle Ranking: 1st
| Player | Position | Round Drafted | Overall Pick | Projected Fantasy Points | 2015 Points |
| Tyrod Taylor | QB | 10 | 114 | 281.6 | 309 |
| David Johnson | RB | 1 | 7 | 196.4 | 173 |
| Thomas Rawls | RB | 2 | 18 | 150.2 | 118 |
| Brandon Marshall | WR | 4 | 42 | 160.2 | 230 |
| Sammy Watkins | WR | 3 | 31 | 157.2 | 158 |
| Michael Floyd | RB-WR | 5 | 55 | 141.2 | 120 |
| Delanie Walker | TE | 6 | 66 | 123 | 149 |
| Graham Gano | K | 14 | 162 | 132.8 | 150 |
| Minnesota Vikings | DST | 13 | 151 | 186 | 185 |
| Kenneth Dixon | RB | 9 | 103 | 91.4 | 0 |
| Justin Forsett | RB | 8 | 90 | 91 | 91 |
| Chris Johnson | RB | 11 | 127 | 53.4 | 100 |
| Donte Moncrief | RB-WR | 7 | 79 | 111.8 | 109 |
| Torrey Smith | RB-WR | 12 | 138 | 89.4 | 92 |
SKINNY: Similar to Jamey Eisenberg, Adam started by drafting back-to-back running backs. Both David Johnson and Thomas Rawls are goal line RB1s, which is rare in the NFL in 2016. Getting Brandon Marshall in round four is incredible value. I love the Kenneth Dixon and Justin Forsett selections in back to back rounds (eight and nine). One of those players will be the lead running back for the Baltimore Ravens. Donte Moncrief is his first wide receiver off the bench, which is a sign of incredible depth. The Ryan Fitzpatrick signing puts this as the team to beat. He has stars at every position, and superb depth on his bench. The only negative is he has no backup quarterback, but could easily find someone on the waiver wire. Adam Pfeifer’s team (RotoCurve.com) rates as the best coming out of this mock draft.
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