It's draft season. This weekend will be the busiest draft weekend of the year, so to help out, the writers of SB Nation Fantasy got together for a mock draft. It's a 12-team, 17-round PPR draft and here are some of the rules and settings:
Rosters: QB, RB, RB, WR, WR, WR, TE, FLEX, D, K and seven bench.
Other settings: One point for 25 passing yards, one point for 10 rushing/receiving yards, five points for 100-yard rushing/receiving games, four points for pass TDs, four points for 350-yard passing games, -1 for picks, -0.5 for sacks.
After each pick, I added analysis for each round. I have included my thoughts on the best and worst pick, a quick section called "Pick of Interest" and reasoning for my own picks. The "Pick of Interest" will cover some of the players creating a buzz or just a bit of a surprising pick.
We'll be back with analysis from each of the owners.
Here we go!
Round 1 | Owner | Player |
1 | Kenneth Stein | Doug Martin |
2 | Scottie Gerhart | Adrian Peterson |
3 | Jon Benne | Jamaal Charles |
4 | Alex Strouf | Arian Foster |
5 | Alex Welch | C.J. Spiller |
6 | Ray Guilfoyle | LeSean McCoy |
7 | Daniel Kelley | Ray Rice |
8 | Dan Ciarocchi | Marshawn Lynch |
9 | Louis Bien | Trent Richardson |
10 | Mike Gallagher | Calvin Johnson |
11 | Jason Chilton | Alfred Morris |
12 | Matthew Fairburn | A.J. Green |
My pick: I was torn between Megatron and Matt Forte, but had a feeling I could sneak Forte in the second round. If that didn't happen, I would have been comfortable taking Jimmy Graham, Chris Johnson or Steven Jackson.
Pick of Interest: Obviously, Kenny taking Doug Martin with the top pick was a mild shock. Everyone and their mom has A.D. as the top pick, but I have no problem with Martin coming off the board first. He has a nice schedule and his O-line is back, assuming Carl Nicks' foot infection is minor.
Best Pick: It's hard not to say Adrian Peterson was the best pick, but I also really like C.J. Spiller at five.
Worst Pick: In a PPR league, it's hard to call ALF a first-round pick. There's talk of him getting the ball more out of the backfield, but it's not enough to put him over some of the other backs on the board.
Round 2 | Owner | Player |
1(13) | Matthew Fairburn | Jimmy Graham |
2 | Jason Chilton | Dez Bryant |
3 | Mike Gallagher | Matt Forte |
4 | Louis Bien | Brandon Marshall |
5 | Dan Ciarrocchi | Chris Johnson |
6 | Daniel Kelley | Steven Jackson |
7 | Ray Guilfoyle | Larry Fitzgerald |
8 | Alex Welch | Julio Jones |
9 | Alex Strouf | Maurice Jones-Drew |
10 | Jon Benne | Drew Brees |
11 | Scottie Gerhart | DeMaryius Thomas |
12 | Kenneth Stein | Aaron Rodgers |
My pick: Bingo. I got my guy Forte and I couldn't have been happier about it.
Pick of Interest: Jimmy Graham is a valuable piece to have in fantasy leagues. That's especially true in PPR. While I wholeheartedly feel that Graham is a top-15 pick, Matt really is rolling the dice not coming away with a running back in the first two rounds. For what it's worth, I was considering doing this with Megatron. Hopefully, Matt goes to town on backs in the later rounds.
Best Pick: Brandon Marshall is my No. 2 receiver for PPR leagues, so Louis getting him as the fourth receiver is solid. He's off to a good start with him and T-Rich.
Worst Pick: While the expectation is that Larry Fitzgerald will bounce back, I can't sign off on taking him over studs like Juilio Jones or DeMaryius Thomas.
Round 3 | Owner | Player |
1(25) | Kenneth Stein | Randall Cobb |
2 | Scottie Gerhart | Andre Johnson |
3 | Jon Benne | Reggie Bush |
4 | Alex Strouf | Stevan Ridley |
5 | Alex Welch | Vincent Jackson |
6 | Ray Guilfoyle | Victor Cruz |
7 | Daniel Kelley | Roddy White |
8 | Dan Ciarocchi | Darren Sproles |
9 | Louis Bien | Lamar Miller |
10 | Mike Gallagher | Danny Amendola |
11 | Jason Chilton | Dwayne Bowe |
12 | Matthew Fairburn | David Wilson |
My pick: In a PPR league, Danny Amendola could seriously be a top-five option. Of course, there's about a 50 percent chance that he doesn't play in 50 percent of the games. There's no other receiver on the board with the upside of Amendola, so I took the plunge. Obviously, I would have to make sure my fourth WR was going to be a good one.
Pick of Interest: Reggie Bush going in the third round has been a common occurrence in mock drafts. He has a shot for 70 catches and it was nice to see him play through injuries last year.
Best Pick: I would have taken Darren Sproles over Alfred Morris. Heck, I would take him over Marshawn Lynch, too. This is a huge steal.
Worst Pick: Lamar Miller is a risky pick here. On Monday there were some reports that there is still a competition for the Dolphins RB job. He definitely has breakout potential, but I'd think David Wilson has a higher upside and offers less risk. To be clear, I don't hate this pick at all and most of these picks were solid.
Round 4 | Owner | Player |
1(37) | Matthew Fairburn | Hakeem Nicks |
2 | Jason Chilton | Frank Gore |
3 | Mike Gallagher | Marques Colston |
4 | Louis Bien | Jordy Nelson |
5 | Dan Ciarrocchi | Reggie Wayne |
6 | Daniel Kelley | Cam Newton |
7 | Ray Guilfoyle | Peyton Manning |
8 | Alex Welch | Colin Kaepernick |
9 | Alex Strouf | Pierre Garcon |
10 | Jon Benne | Antonio Brown |
11 | Scottie Gerhart | Torrey Smith |
12 | Kenneth Stein | Eric Decker |
My pick: I was really hoping to land David Wilson, but wasn't expecting it to happen with Matt F. needing a back in the worst way. I took a safe pick with Marques Colston here to offset my gamble in Amendola. As you can see, I really like to draft a strong group of receivers as long as there isn't value at back -- Colston, Amendola and Megatron are my trio. Almost any other time, I would have taken a back, but didn't see value, which looks like a smart move since only one back went in the next 18 picks before I picked again.
Pick of Interest: Colin Kaepernick coming off the board here was interesting. I don't think it's a bad pick, though, since he offers big upside.
Best Pick: Even in a PPR, you can't go wrong with Frank Gore in the fourth round.
Worst Pick: Nicks offers WR1 upside, but he's already hurt with a groin issue. Matt better be sure to get Rueben Randle later on in the draft. I also wasn't a fan of Torrey Smith in this PPR format.
Round 5 | Owner | Player |
1(49) | Kenneth Stein | Rob Gronkowski |
2 | Scottie Gerhart | Jason Witten |
3 | Jon Benne | Tony Gonzalez |
4 | Alex Strouf | Robert Griffin III |
5 | Alex Welch | Eddie Lacy |
6 | Ray Guilfoyle | Wes Welker |
7 | Daniel Kelley | Tavon Austin |
8 | Dan Ciarocchi | Steve Smith |
9 | Louis Bien | Matt Ryan |
10 | Mike Gallagher | Tom Brady |
11 | Jason Chilton | DeMarco Murray |
12 | Matthew Fairburn | Le'Veon Bell |
My pick: I really could not pass up on Tom Brady at pick 58. He was the seventh QB off the board.
Pick of Interest: Rob Gronkowski is a gamble. A big, fun gamble. Kenny only had one back at the time of this pick, so he's going to be in a really tight spot by the time he picks again. If he had a back, I'd feel a little better about it. Eddie Lacy was also an interesting pick here.
Best Pick: DeMarco Murray is an injury risk, but the Cowboys can score a lot of points while Murray offers nice help in this PPR format.
Worst Pick: It's way too early for Tavon Austin. He has some upside in PPR, but there are way too many proven receivers out there that offer similar upside.
Round 6 | Owner | Player |
1(61) | Matthew Fairburn | Shane Vereen |
2 | Jason Chilton | Vernon Davis |
3 | Mike Gallagher | Ryan Mathews |
4 | Louis Bien | Stevie Johnson |
5 | Dan Ciarrocchi | Russell Wilson |
6 | Daniel Kelley | James Jones |
7 | Ray Guilfoyle | Darren McFadden |
8 | Alex Welch | Cecil Shorts |
9 | Alex Strouf | Mike Wallace |
10 | Jon Benne | DeSean Jackson |
11 | Scottie Gerhart | Montee Ball |
12 | Kenneth Stein | Chris Ivory |
My pick: I was preparing to take Vereen, Murray or Mathews, so my decision was made for me. He actually looked good in Week 2 of the preseason, but of course he'll be a massive injury risk since his collarbones are made of porcelain. He was only my second back, so I knew I'd have to be going bananas on backs later.
Pick of Interest: Shane Vereen is one of the hottest backs in PPR and to get him at 61 is a nice value. If you can draft him here, don't hesitate to do so.
Best Pick: Love the Vereen pick.
Worst Pick: Mike Wallace isn't going to get many chances to stretch the field with the lack of protection. Of course, his target count probably went up with the loss of Dustin Keller, so I get the logic.
Round 7 | Owner | Player |
1(73) | Kenneth Stein | Anquan Boldin |
2 | Scottie Gerhart | Andrew Luck |
3 | Jon Benne | Golden Tate |
4 | Alex Strouf | Mike Williams |
5 | Alex Welch | Giovani Bernard |
6 | Ray Guilfoyle | T.Y. Hilton |
7 | Daniel Kelley | Miles Austin |
8 | Dan Ciarocchi | Kenny Britt |
9 | Louis Bien | Rashard Mendenhall |
10 | Mike Gallagher | Daryl Richardson |
11 | Jason Chilton | Ahmad Bradshaw |
12 | Matthew Fairburn | Matthew Stafford |
My pick: Another easy pick for me here. I needed a third back and Richardson was clearly the best available. He's starting in St. Louis and the competition is falling behind.
Pick of Interest: I really like the Gio Bernard pick here. He's very explosive and it's just a matter of time before he unseats Green-Ellis. I almost took him over Ryan Mathews.
Best Pick: I was really surprised that T.Y. Hilton lasted this long. You'd think after his awesome play on national TV, someone would have pounced on him before pick 78. I also thought Matt did a great job picking up Stafford this late.
Worst Pick: There were gambles galore here and I don't like the oft-injured trio of Boldin, Austin or Britt here. Since Boldin went before Hilton, I'd say that was the worst of the bunch.
Round 8 | Owner | Player |
1(85) | Matthew Fairburn | Ben Tate |
2 | Jason Chilton | Tony Romo |
3 | Mike Gallagher | Josh Gordon |
4 | Louis Bien | Kyle Rudolph |
5 | Dan Ciarrocchi | Chris Givens |
6 | Daniel Kelley | Andre Brown |
7 | Ray Guilfoyle | BenJarvus Green-Ellis |
8 | Alex Welch | DeAngelo Williams |
9 | Alex Strouf | Greg Olsen |
10 | Jon Benne | Vincent Brown |
11 | Scottie Gerhart | Brian Hartline |
12 | Kenneth Stein | Seahawks D |
My pick: Josh Gordon is one of my must-draft players and since Jason and Matt both needed a QB and also were thin at back, I felt like he would make it back to me.
Pick of Interest: Givens is another guy that offers Gordon-like upside. He and Sam Bradford look to be on the same page and the improved O-line should be big.
Best Pick: I like Givens just as much, but Ben Tate was a great pick. Arian Foster's status is up in the air and Tate would be an every-week starter sans Foster.
Worst Pick: Kenny knows his stuff, but there's really no way a defense should be coming off the board with the quality of players still out there. You probably won't be surprised to know that he's a Seahawks fan.
Round 9 | Owner | Player |
1(97) | Kenneth Stein | Fred Jackson |
2 | Scottie Gerhart | Greg Jennings |
3 | Jon Benne | Jared Cook |
4 | Alex Strouf | 49ers D |
5 | Alex Welch | Jermichael Finley |
6 | Ray Guilfoyle | Andy Dalton |
7 | Daniel Kelley | Denarius Moore |
8 | Dan Ciarocchi | Michael Floyd |
9 | Louis Bien | Ronnie Hillman |
10 | Mike Gallagher | Bernard Pierce |
11 | Jason Chilton | Emmanuel Sanders |
12 | Matthew Fairburn | Ryan Broyles |
My pick: I was crossing my fingers for almost every pick in hopes nobody took Pierce. I felt like this was the last piece of the puzzle as my fourth running back. I still needed a tight end, but since the two behind me already had Vernon and Jimmy, I felt comfortable waiting a round.
Pick of Interest: Michael Floyd getting Bruce Arians as his coach could really be huge. He's a possible breakout candidate and while Jason did take him a bit early, I certainly can't fault him here.
Best Pick: I liked Emmanuel Sanders and thought he should have gone off the board a bit earlier.
Worst Pick: The bad pick here is San Francisco D, but I also don't like Denarius Moore. There's little reason to draft Raiders WRs. I wasn't a fan of Dalton going here and just didn't see the value since Ray has Peyton Manning. That said, Cincy could score a lot of points.
Round 10 | Owner | Player |
1 (109) | Matthew Fairburn | DeAndre Hopkins |
2 | Jason Chilton | Eli Manning |
3 | Mike Gallagher | Jordan Cameron |
4 | Louis Bien | Antonio Gates |
5 | Dan Ciarrocchi | Fred Davis |
6 | Daniel Kelley | Jacquizz Rodgers |
7 | Ray Guilfoyle | Bryce Brown |
8 | Alex Welch | Lance Moore |
9 | Alex Strouf | Matt Bryant |
10 | Jon Benne | Mark Ingram |
11 | Scottie Gerhart | Jonathan Stewart |
12 | Kenneth Stein | Aaron Dobson |
My pick: There were five teams without a tight end, so I knew this was the time to pounce on Jordan. There's just no way he would slip under the radar of that many writers. Another easy pick for me here.
Pick of Interest: Man, Jonathan Stewart had a mighty slide. He couldn't play in a golf tournament earlier this summer, but apparently he'll be ready for the season. There was very nice value here.
Best Pick: I like the Mark Ingram pick. He offers enough upside and beat writers have been raving about him. There's a big dropoff after him and J-Stew.
Worst Pick: Kicker alert. Obviously, this was an auto.
Round 11 | Owner | Player |
1(121) | Kenneth Stein | Brandon Myers |
2 | Scottie Gerhart | LaMichael James |
3 | Jon Benne | Rueben Randle |
4 | Alex Strouf | Owen Daniels |
5 | Alex Welch | Andre Roberts |
6 | Ray Guilfoyle | Heath Miller |
7 | Daniel Kelley | Vick Ballard |
8 | Dan Ciarocchi | Justin Blackmon |
9 | Louis Bien | Sidney Rice |
10 | Mike Gallagher | Kenbrell Thompkins |
11 | Jason Chilton | Alshon Jeffery |
12 | Matthew Fairburn | Danny Woodhead |
My pick: I can't begin to tell you guys how badly I wanted to draft Thompkins. His selection helps mitigate some of my risk on Amendola, and Thompkins still has a high ceiling. Also, I'm ashamed to confess that I'm a Jets fan. Yes, I have Brady, Amendola and Thompkins. Brady threw the ball 637 times last year, so there's plenty to go around. Nobody could ever call me a homer. Ev-er.
Pick of Interest: Rueben Randle was a hot name on Sunday with Victor Cruz's heel injury. He was a great pick here and I wouldn't let him go past 110 under most situations. If you remember, before Cruz broke out, everyone was talking about a Mario Manningham breakout. That could happen with Randle. I also wonder how Matt Fairburn feels about this pick since he reached a bit on Nicks.
Best Pick: Ahmad Bradshaw can't stay healthy, so Ballard is a nice high-upside back. Indy might score a lot of points. To be clear, I like Randle more.
Worst Pick: Heath Miller is hurt and might end up on the PUP list.
Round 12 | Owner | Player |
1(133) | Matthew Fairburn | Cordarrelle Patterson |
2 | Jason Chilton | Kendall Wright |
3 | Michael Gallagher | Jonathan Franklin |
4 | Louis Bien | Daniel Thomas |
5 | Dan Ciarrocchi | Dwayne Allen |
6 | Daniel Kelley | Brandon Pettigrew |
7 | Ray Guilfoyle | Michael Bush |
8 | Alex Welch | Brandon LaFell |
9 | Alex Strouf | Ben Roethlisberger |
10 | Jon Benne | Michael Vick |
11 | Scottie Gerhart | Jermaine Gresham |
12 | Kenneth Stein | Jonathan Dwyer |
My pick: It's all about striking gold and I've lived by the idea of drafting a ton of backs to finish your draft. Eddie Lacy has been lapping the field and Franklin is losing steam, but this late in the draft in a PPR, I thought Franklin was an OK pick. This was my least favorite pick of the draft.
Pick of Interest: Le'Veon Bell going down makes Dwyer an interesting choice. Chances are by the time you're reading this, Dwyer's value has gone way up or way down.
Best Pick: I had Kendall Wright ready to go and he was taken right in front of me. He has nice upside and the Titans might be able to move the ball this year with their improved line. I also thought Jon Benne took a nice gamble on Vick this late in the draft. Interestingly, he has Drew Brees, so it's a transparent move that he'll be trying to deal him. Louis Bien also made a smart pick in handcuffing Lamar Miller to Daniel Thomas.
Worst Pick: Coby Fleener is going to run a lot more routes and T.Y. Hilton is going off, so it's hard to see the allure of Dwayne Allen.
Round 13 | Owner | Player |
1(145) | Kenneth Stein | Jeremy Kerley |
2 | Scottie Gerhart | Josh Freeman |
3 | Jon Benne | Joique Bell |
4 | Alex Strouf | Martellus Bennett |
5 | Alex Welch | Zach Sudfeld |
6 | Ray Guilfoyle | Brandon Lloyd |
7 | Daniel Kelley | Marcel Reece |
8 | Dan Ciarocchi | Mikel LeShoure |
9 | Louis Bien | Alex Smith |
10 | Mike Gallagher | Pierre Thomas |
11 | Jason Chilton | Tyler Eifert |
12 | Matthew Fairburn | Bilal Powell |
My pick: The backup running back run continues and Thomas could be a beast should something happen to Mark Ingram.
Pick of Interest: Sudfeld is the best pick here, but he's also the most interesting. He definitely should have been off the board a while ago and I had him one TE behind Fred Davis.
Best Pick: Besides Sudfeld, I thought Joique Bell was a good pick for a PPR format.
Worst Pick: Brandon Lloyd doesn't have a job, but you'd think some team signs him. I'm looking at you, Chargers.
Round 14 | Owner | Player |
1(157) | Matthew Fairburn | Matt Schaub |
2 | Jason Chilton | Texans D |
3 | Michael Gallagher | Knowshon Moreno |
4 | Louis Bien | Greg Little |
5 | Dan Ciarrocchi | Rod Streater |
6 | Daniel Kelley | Julian Edelman |
7 | Ray Guilfoyle | Keenan Allen |
8 | Alex Welch | Carson Palmer |
9 | Alex Strouf | Isaiah Pead |
10 | Jon Benne | Robert Woods |
11 | Scottie Gerhart | Robert Turbin |
12 | Kenneth Stein | Christine Michael |
My pick: Ronnie Hillman and Montee Ball can't protect Peyton Manning, which is the priority for the Broncos and their O. There's a small chance Knowshon gets the starting gig and that's enough for me here.
Pick of Interest: Greg Little dropped all the way to 161. Greg Little drops everything, though.
Best Pick: When Bruce Arians is your coach, there's a chance your QB goes off. Palmer was a great value here and he's a nice upside QB2.
Worst Pick: Robert Woods isn't going to get many looks. The Bills are running a short-range passing attack, so don't expect more than 40 catches.
Round 15 | Owner | Player |
1(169) | Kenneth Stein | Nate Washington |
2 | Scottie Gerhart | Rams D |
3 | Jon Benne | Malcom Floyd |
4 | Alex Strouf | Darrius Heyward-Bey |
5 | Alex Welch | Bengals D |
6 | Ray Guilfoyle | Sebastian Janikowski |
7 | Daniel Kelley | Mohamed Sanu |
8 | Dan Ciarocchi | Sam Bradford |
9 | Louis Bien | Bears D |
10 | Mike Gallagher | Percy Harvin |
11 | Jason Chilton | Kendall Hunter |
12 | Matthew Fairburn | Joseph Randle |
My pick: We have seven bench spots, so I figured using a spot on Percy Harvin made sense. If there is no positive news or if I see someone I need to pick up, I can cut him since I had a tiny investment. On the other hand, if there's good news of him coming back around Week 8, it could be huge -- especially with all these Seahawks fans in this league.
Pick of Interest: Mohamed Sanu looks to be the man as Cincy's WR2, but they're going to use their tight ends a lot as well as Gio Bernard. It's a solid pick, though.
Best Pick: Sam Bradford is another high-ceiling QB2 to take for those that waited. His improved O-line should really help him. Plus, he has some decent weapons.
Worst Pick: Kicker alert.
Round 16 | Owner | Player |
1 | Matthew Fairburn | Patriots D |
2 | Jason Chilton | Roy Helu |
3 | Michael Gallagher | Shonn Greene |
4 | Louis Bien | Denard Robinson |
5 | Dan Ciarrocchi | Colts D |
6 | Daniel Kelley | Cardinals D |
7 | Ray Guilfoyle | Ryan Williams |
8 | Alex Welch | Justin Forsett |
9 | Alex Strouf | Broncos D |
10 | Jon Benne | Ravens D |
11 | Scottie Gerhart | Packers D |
12 | Kenneth Stein | Matt Flynn |
My pick: Shonn Greene stinks, but he'd get a long look should CJ?K become a question mark.
Pick of Interest: Denard Robinson is listed as an "offensive weapon" and the Jaguars aren't being shy about getting him the ball. He's a fun pick at this point and could be a slot PPR guy. Plus, Blaine Gabbert playing better helps his cause. I also thought it was interesting that the Colts came off the board, but they play the Raiders in Week 1, so there's your explanation.
Best Pick: I wanted Helu over Shonn Greene. Helu is having a nice camp and he'd likely take over as the starter with stud Alfred Morris out of the lineup.
Worst Pick: Matt Flynn. This league is -0.5 per sack, so there will be a couple negative games for him.
Round 17 | Owner | Player |
1 | Kenneth Stein | Mike Goodson |
2 | Scottie Gerhart | Phil Dawson |
3 | Jon Benne | Blair Walsh |
4 | Alex Strouf | Santonio Holmes |
5 | Alex Welch | Stephen Gostkowski |
6 | Ray Guilfoyle | Chargers D |
7 | Daniel Kelley | Justin Tucker |
8 | Dan Ciarocchi | Matt Prater |
9 | Louis Bien | Dan Bailey |
10 | Mike Gallagher | Zac Stacey |
11 | Jason Chilton | Kai Forbath |
12 | Matthew Fairburn | Randy Bullock |
My pick: I didn't draft a kicker or a defense. I did, however, draft nine running backs.
Pick of Interest: Santonio Holmes is starting to ramp up his workouts, so there's that.
Best Pick: Chris Ivory gets hurt a lot and Mike Goodson is his backup. He has legal troubles, though.
Worst Pick: Kicker alert.
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