NFL Pre-Season Central...Previews,Injuries,Results,Signings,Pictures,Etc,Etc.

[Greenbacks]

Training camp battles relevant to fantasy football.

It's that time of the year again. Optimism is in the air, and there are jobs up for grabs. With the onset of training camp comes heated positional battles. And the winners of these battles can help fantasy owners down the road. So who are we watching in training camp over the next month? Take a look at the list below and make sure to keep a close eye on how these roster spots shape up over the next few weeks. There may just be a league-winning sleeper to discover among the chaos.

[h=3]Denver Broncos[/h]Quarterbacks
With the retirement of Peyton Manning and the departure of Brock Osweiler to Houston, the reigning Super Bowl champions have to hit the reset button at quarterback.
Mark Sanchez - Sanchez is entering his eighth season in the NFL and will likely win the starting job due to his veteran status. He has playoff experience and is surrounded by elite-level weapons in Demaryius Thomas, Emmanuel Sanders and C.J. Anderson. Although he may not be the best option as your starting fantasy quarterback, he could have some matchup-based streaming potential during the season. He's not the locked in starter yet, but a strong showing in camp will solidify his job as the team's first option at signal-caller. According to coach Gary Kubiak, he's off to a good start.

Trevor Siemien - While Sanchez is the favorite to win the job, there is a definite competition brewing in Denver. Siemien, a seventh-round draft selection last year, apparently has a shot at winning the starting job. This could just be coach-speak in order to drive competition and boost performance, but at this point we have to take it seriously. It remains to be seen what kind of fantasy value Siemien would bring if he did start for the Broncos, but hopefully we will get a good look at what he can do in the preseason.
Paxton Lynch - A late first round selection in this year's draft, Lynch finished Spring OTAs as the third quarterback on Denver's depth chart. If he makes progress in camp though, he could capitalize on added reps if either Sanchez or Siemien falter. The quarterback situation in Denver this year is reminiscent of what happened with Brian Hoyer and Ryan Mallet in Houston in 2015.

 

[Greenbacks]

Training camp battles relevant to fantasy football.

It's that time of the year again. Optimism is in the air, and there are jobs up for grabs. With the onset of training camp comes heated positional battles. And the winners of these battles can help fantasy owners down the road. So who are we watching in training camp over the next month? Take a look at the list below and make sure to keep a close eye on how these roster spots shape up over the next few weeks. There may just be a league-winning sleeper to discover among the chaos.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tight Ends
Due to the offseason meltdown of Austin Seferian-Jenkins, his job as the Bucs starting tight end is evidently in jeopardy.
Austin Seferian-Jenkins - The negative offseason narrative regarding ASJ has snowballed out of control. First, he had undergone surgery to repair a shoulder injury which kept him off the field for nine games in 2015. Then, during spring practices, the coaching staff kicked him off the field for mental lapses. Things are trending in the wrong direction for the third-year tight end. He'll have to step up in camp, and prove that he can stay healthy in order to reclaim the starting role.

Cameron Brate - Bucs offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter wasn't shy about voicing his concern with Seferian-Jenkins and even said that he would have to hold off Brate for the starting role as tight end. The third-year player out of Harvard has been talked up as a red zone presence and with a strong showing in camp, he cold become a fantasy-relevant option as far as sleeper tight ends go. We're keeping a close eye on this one.

 

[Greenbacks]

 

[Greenbacks]

 

[Greenbacks]

Injury roundup: Arian Foster starts camp on PUP list.

Arian Foster signed a one-year deal with the Miami Dolphins last week, but he won't be on the field for the start of training camp.
The Dolphins announced Friday morning that Foster was one of five players who will begin workouts on the physically unable to perform list.
It's interesting that Foster would start on the sidelines after the running back insisted last week he was healthy. This seems like a more of a precautionary move for Miami. After all, Foster is a soon-to-be 30-year-old back coming off an Achilles injury, with a history of soft-tissue injuries.
Still, Foster must prove he's healthy enough to start the season on the field. He has a shot to see a significant amount of snaps alongside Jay Ajayi and play a key role in the passing game.

Here are other injuries we are monitoring Friday:

1. Jacksonville Jaguars running back T.J. Yeldon (ankle) and wideout Marqise Lee (hamstring) did not take part in practice Friday. Yeldon was reportedly limping around the locker room Thursday because of an issue with new cleats. No better time than training camp to break those in.

2. Orlando Scandrick will soon head back to the field for the Dallas Cowboys, according to a tweet from ESPN's Josina Anderson. Scandrick is coming off ACL and MCL injuries.
The Cowboys placed Rolando McClain and Randy Gregory on reserve/did not report, Cowboys Executive Vice President Stephen Jones told reporters. McClain has yet to report to camp after missing his flight this week and Gregory is in rehab.

The Cowboys also announced running back Lance Dunbar, defensive lineman Maliek Collins, defensive end Benson Mayowa and tight end James Hanna will be placed on the PUP list. In addition, the Cowboys placed running back Darren McFadden, linebacker Jaylon Smith and linebacker Damien Wilson on the non-football injury list.

3. The Baltimore Ravens' misfortune with tight ends might be continuing. Crockett Gilmore is headed for an MRI after injuring his hamstring in practice.

4. Julio Jones participated in individual drills, but sat out the rest of practice, the Atlanta Falcons announced. Coach Dan Quinn said Jones will be full-go in a day or so after suffering an undisclosed minor injury Thursday.

5. The Buffalo Bills placed wide receiver Marcus Easley, defensive end Shaq Lawson, wide receiver Sammy Watkins and defensive tackle Kyle Williams on the PUP list. The Bills also moved linebacker Manny Lawson and wide receiver Kolby Listenbee to the non-football injury list. The team placed defensive tackle Marcell Dareus, defensive back Jonathan Dowling, offensive tackle Seantrel Henderson and running back Karlos Williams on the non-football illness list, too.
Regarding Lawson, general manager Doug Whaley told reporters the linebacker suffered an "upper body injury" while working out prior to camp. The GM said there's no timetable for Lawson to return at the moment.

6. Denver Broncos defensive lineman Sylvester Williams will have his shoulder examined while defensive lineman Phillip Taylor will undergo an MRI on his left knee, coach Gary Kubiak announced.

7. Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson left practice early with an apparent left arm injury. Coach Mike Zimmer quelled concerns about the wideout's health after practice: "He made a great catch and it wasn't his left hand or wrist, I can tell you that. I don't think it's anything concerning, but they're taking a look at it."

The Vikings placed defensive tackle Kenrick Ellis and tight end Rhett Ellison on the PUP list. The team also placed quarterback Taylor Heinicke on the non-football injury list as well as offensive guard Mike Harris on the non-football illness list.

8. The Detroit Lions announced they have moved safety Don Carey and linebacker DeAndre Levy to the non-football injury list.

9. The Oakland Raiders placed running back Roy Helu on the reserve/injured list and will be releasing him.

The Dolphins also placed two corners, Xavien Howard and Bobby McCain, on the PUP list, along with running back Damien Williams and linebacker Zach Vigil.

 

[Greenbacks]

Analyst strategies from 12-team fantasy football mock.

Justin Bonnema's team (Pick 1)

Round 1, Pick 1 - Julio Jones, WR, Falcons
Round 2, Pick 24 - LeSean McCoy, RB, Bills
Round 3, Pick 25 - C.J. Anderson, RB, Broncos
Round 4, Pick 48 - Eric Decker, WR, Jets
Round 5, Pick 49 - Danny Woodhead, RB, Chargers
Round 6, Pick 72 - Michael Crabtree, WR, Raiders
Round 7, Pick 73 - Gary Barnidge, TE, Browns
Round 8, Pick 96 - Willie Snead, WR, Saints
Round 9, Pick 97 - Philip Rivers, QB, Chargers
Round 10, Pick 120 - Jerick McKinnon, RB, Vikings
Round 11, Pick 121 - Eric Ebron, TE, Lions
Round 12, Pick 144 - James Starks, RB, Packers
Round 13, Pick 145 - Kendall Wright, WR, Titans
Round 14, Pick 168 - Breshad Perriman, WR, Ravens
Round 15, Pick 169 - Chris Hogan, WR, Bills

Having an early pick is a tough position this year because the temptation, at least for me, is to employ a wide receiver-heavy strategy. I think it's important to get at least one running back that has a chance to be the bell-cow for his team. Since I was too shy to draft David Johnson or Todd Gurley first overall, I moved on LeSean McCoy and C.J. Anderson with my second and third selections (which caused a lot of gagging). Both backs should be bell-cows for their respective teams, even if expectations are low for both offenses.

Locking in a pair of running backs allowed me the freedom to be aggressive at other positions without the worry of missing out on an RB1. But as crazy as it might sound, a better overall strategy might be the inverse of this. That is, draft the best running back in fantasy football (Johnson for me) then load up on wide receivers for the next several rounds before stockpiling high-risk rushers that are either a big part of an RBBC (think Jeremy Hill and Ameer Abdullah), or an injury away from being a weekly option (Tevin Coleman/Jerick McKinnon). That wasn't the direction I went in this mock but is something I might consider should I end up with a top pick in August.

 

[Greenbacks]

Matt Franciscovich's team (Pick 2)

Round 1, Pick 2 - Antonio Brown, WR, Steelers
Round 2, Pick 23 - Mark Ingram, RB, Saints
Round 3, Pick 26 - Sammy Watkins, WR, Bills
Round 4, Pick 47 - Melvin Gordon, RB, Chargers
Round 5, Pick 50 - Jay Ajayi, RB, Dolphins
Round 6, Pick 71 - Emmanuel Sanders, WR, Broncos
Round 7, Pick 74 - DeAngelo Williams, RB, Steelers
Round 8, Pick 95 - Travis Benjamin, WR, Chargers
Round 9, Pick 98 - Markus Wheaton, WR, Steelers
Round 10, Pick 119 - Bilal Powell, RB, Jets
Round 11, Pick 122 - Javorius Allen, RB, Ravens
Round 12, Pick 143 - Dwayne Allen, TE, Colts
Round 13, Pick 146 - Derek Carr, QB, Raiders
Round 14, Pick 167 - Tim Hightower, RB, Saints
Round 15, Pick 170 - Denver Broncos D/ST


With the second overall pick, I knew I would be able to lock up one of the top three wide receivers in fantasy, but I did not expect it to be Antonio Brown. He's arguably the first player that should go off the board in every draft no matter what the format, so I was elated to get him in the first round. I waited a full 22 picks until I could snag a running back, and went with Mark Ingram. Since I have Ingram ranked as my RB10 for the season, I felt comfortable with him as my RB1, and managed to snag his handcuff, Tim Hightower, in Round 14 as insurance. With each passing week, I tend to like Sammy Watkins more and more. Recent news that he's nearing 100 percent after foot surgery and should be ready for camp only solidifies that stance. If he can manage to stay healthy, he's going to be an elite fantasy receiver.

Now, for the hot takes. I went ahead and reached for Melvin Gordon at the end of the fourth round as my RB2. There were other backs on the board like Ryan Mathews, Latavius Murray, DeMarco Murray and Jeremy Hill. But since I jumped on the Gordon bounce-back bandwagon a few weeks ago, I'm riding it out until the end. He basically hit rock bottom last year in terms of fantasy production. With a healthy offensive line and a replenished receiving corps in San Diego, I think Gordon will return RB2 value. Still, it was probably a little bit early to take him there. I loved my DeAngelo Williams pick in Round 7 since he'll likely be an RB1 for at least a month to start the year.

Then, it was sleeper time. Markus Wheaton, Travis Benjamin, Bilal Powell and Buck Allen are all upside guys in the later rounds who could have bigger roles as the season develops. Powell may split carries in New York with Matt Forte and Buck Allen has a shot to win the starting job for the Ravens if the aging Justin Forsett falters.
I went late-round tight end and quarterback here and loved Dwayne Allen in Round 12 and Derek Carr in Round 13 as my QB1. Allen has huge touchdown potential as the Colts' main red zone threat, and Carr could finish the year as a top-10 signal caller, or better, in fantasy.

 

[Greenbacks]

Marcas Grant's team (Pick 3)

Round 1, Pick 3 - Odell Beckham, WR, Giants
Round 2, Pick 22 - Mike Evans, WR, Buccaneers
Round 3, Pick 27 - Brandon Marshall, WR, Jets
Round 4, Pick 46 - Cam Newton, QB, Panthers
Round 5, Pick 51 - Ryan Mathews, RB, Eagles
Round 6, Pick 70 - Frank Gore, RB, Colts
Round 7, Pick 75 - DeSean Jackson, WR, Washington
Round 8, Pick 94 - Theo Riddick, RB, Lions
Round 9, Pick 99 - Delanie Walker, TE, Titans
Round 10, Pick 118 - Paul Perkins, RB, Giants
Round 11, Pick 123 - Stefon Diggs, WR, Vikings
Round 12, Pick 142 - Cardinals D/ST
Round 13, Pick 147 - Alfred Morris, RB, Cowboys
Round 14, Pick 140 - Shane Vereen, RB, Giants
Round 15, Pick 141 - Albert Wilson, WR, Chiefs

So I ended up going with a Zero RB strategy in this draft, though it wasn't completely on purpose. In the first three rounds, I had solid wide receivers fall in my lap. Then in the fourth round, I decided to break from my normal "wait on a quarterback" strategy to grab Cam Newton. The downside is that by waiting until the fifth round to get a running back, there wasn't much left on the board -- especially in a 12-team mock. On the other hand, I love my pass-catchers and I'm particularly excited about Delanie Walker, who I think is criminally slept on this season. Pay no attention to everything that happened after Round 12. We're just not going to talk about that.

 

[Greenbacks]

[h=3]Michael Fabiano's team (Pick 4)[/h]Round 1, Pick 4 - Todd Gurley, RB, Rams
Round 2, Pick 21 - Alshon Jeffery, WR, Bears
Round 3, Pick 28 - Brandin Cooks, WR, Saints
Round 4, Pick 45 - Thomas Rawls, RB, Seahawks
Round 5, Pick 52 - Julian Edelman, WR, Patriots
Round 6, Pick 69 - Jeremy Langford, RB, Bears
Round 7, Pick 76 - Ameer Abdullah, RB, Lions
Round 8, Pick 93 - Allen Hurns, WR, Jaguars
Round 9, Pick 100 - Tom Brady, QB, Patriots
Round 10, Pick 117 - Antonio Gates, TE, Chargers
Round 11, Pick 124 - Blake Bortles, QB, Jaguars
Round 12, Pick 141 - Julius Thomas, TE, Jaguars
Round 13, Pick 148 - Josh Gordon, WR, Browns
Round 14, Pick 165 - Darren Sproles, RB, Eagles
Round 15, Pick 172 - Kansas City Chiefs D/ST

Much like the last mock I did, which was a 10-team PPR format, I was pleased with the final results. Jokingly, I can call this the "Suspension Squad" (a tribute to the "Suicide Squad" movie that's coming out in August) as I was able to land both Tom Brady and Josh Gordon on a roster that has a whole lot of upside. You'll also see the reason I continue to wait on quarterbacks and tight ends in my full analysis here.

 

[Greenbacks]

Alex Gelhar's team (Pick 5)

Round 1, Pick 5 - David Johnson, RB, Cardinals
Round 2, Pick 16 - Eddie Lacy, RB, Packers
Round 3, Pick 25 - Amari Cooper, WR, Raiders
Round 4, Pick 36 - John Brown, WR, Cardinals
Round 5, Pick 45 - Latavius Murray, RB, Raiders
Round 6, Pick 56 - Jonathan Stewart, RB, Panthers
Round 7, Pick 65 - Marvin Jones, WR, Lions
Round 8, Pick 76 - Tavon Austin, WR, Rams
Round 9, Pick 85 - Carson Palmer, QB, Cardinals
Round 10, Pick 96 - Coby Fleener, TE, Saints
Round 11, Pick 105 - Mohamed Sanu, WR, Falcons
Round 12, Pick 116 - Mike Wallace, WR, Ravens
Round 13, Pick 125 - Wendell Smallwood, RB, Eagles
Round 14, Pick 136 - Jeff Janis, WR, Packers
Round 15, Pick 145 - Houston Texans D/ST

This 12-team mock was a perfect exercise to test my strategy of targeting running backs early. At the end of the draft, I was pleased with the results. Thus I opted for Eddie Lacy over Alshon Jeffery in Round 2, which left me with Amari Cooper as my WR1. I'm not in love with that, but backing him up with John Brown in a two wide receiver league made me feel better. In addition, I was able to round out my running back corps with a lot of strong depth, meaning I'll likely only ever need to start two wideouts. Having Latavius Murray and Jonathan Stewart as my third and fourth rushers made me feel like Scrooge McDuck diving into a vault of running back gold.

With so much stability at the top of my running back depth chart, I targeted upside wideouts who have are the No. 1 option in their passing game, or have the potential to get there. Marvin Jones, Tavon Austin and Mike Wallace all fit that bill. Mohamed Sanu is someone I'm targeting in deeper drafts as a high-upside flier who could become a weekly flex play if the Falcons use him creatively as a rusher and passer in addition to his role as the No. 2 wide receiver. Jeff Janis was a YOLO pick before the final round, because why not chase the upside he flashed in the NFC Divisional Round with the 136th overall pick.

When I posted my team on Twitter this morning post-mock, I received a quite a few questions about whether or not I was worried having three Cardinals and two Raiders on my team because of bye weeks, and the answer is a resounding "no." I never let bye weeks dictate my draft strategy or whether or not to take a player I believe in. Fantasy is a week-to-week game, and having a loaded team for all but one week gives me a greater advantage than worrying about bye weeks and trying to play Tetris with players I don't believe in on a weekly basis.

 

[Greenbacks]

Adam Rank's team (Pick 6)

Round 1, Pick 6 - A.J. Green, WR, Bengals
Round 2, Pick 19 - Keenan Allen, WR, Chargers
Round 3, Pick 30 - Demaryius Thomas, WR, Broncos
Round 4, Pick 43 - Matt Forte, RB, Jets
Round 5, Pick 54 - Stephen Gostkowski, K, Patriots
Round 6, Pick 67 - Duke Johnson, RB, Browns
Round 7, Pick 78 - Andrew Luck, QB, Colts
Round 8, Pick 91 - Corey Coleman, WR, Browns
Round 9, Pick 102 - T.J. Yeldon, RB, Jaguars
Round 10, Pick 115 - Tyler Eifert, TE, Bengals
Round 11, Pick 126 - Devontae Booker, RB, Broncos
Round 12, Pick 139 - Shaun Draughn, RB, 49ers
Round 13, Pick 150 - Rishard Matthews, WR, Titans
Round 14, Pick 163 - Kenyan Drake, RB, Dolphins
Round 15, Pick 174 - Martellus Bennett, TE, Patriots

I'm not going to bull (expletive) you good people. Drafting Stephen Gostkowski in the fifth-round of a draft is pretty fun. (Catch up here if you don't know why I'm doing this. Don't worry, I'll wait. ... Pretty great, right? Anyway). So it's fun in a 10-team league. But doing it in a 12-team league is not quite as cool. You don't think it would make much of a difference, but it does. Kind of like how you wouldn't think there was much of a difference jumping off the high dive at school and jumping off the Huntington Beach pier. But trust me, it is very different.

I would rather jump off the Huntington Beach pier before I had to take Gostkowski in the 12th-round is the kind of thing I would write if I was prone to hyperbole. But I literally try to stay grounded in reality as much as possible. Plus, it's a mock draft with nothing on the line. So I'd rather stay out of the water and just go with Gostkowski.

Anyway, I approached this draft with the mindset of going with a running back in the first round, just to see what type of roster I would end up with. But to my chagrin, no wait, surprise (I wasn't really chagrined by this) two running backs went in the first five picks. So I went with A.J. Green. Double- and tripled-down with Keenan Allen and Demaryius Thomas (wanted Amari Cooper, so of course Alex Gelhar drafted him. Alex being the Bizzaro Rank in that he loves the Packers and Marvel comics. Or maybe I'm the Bizzaro Gelhar) in the next rounds and I'm feeling pretty great about myself.

Matt Forte was a great pick in the fourth, but then the Gostkowski thing happened. I'm not sure I would have gone with Giovani Bernard, seeing that I have Green already. But it's all moot because I can never keep my trap shut.
I did end up with Duke Johnson, so that was a lot of fun. I started a nice run of value picks which included Andrew Luck (love this a lot), Corey Coleman and Tyler Eifert. The Eifert pick could end up terrible if he misses a ton of time, but I was able to nab Marty B at the very end to make it worthwhile. I was going to add Zach Miller, but James Koh has been listening to me a lot. (This is the kind of thing that leads me to overdraft players in leagues with my friends because everybody listens and knows what I'm doing. So I hope you all appreciate this!)

But based on my first four picks, and some of the steals (like Andy Luck), I'm somewhat pleased with my team. Damn near delighted when I compare it to Matt Harmon's team. (Even though Harmon is still my favorite.)

 

[Greenbacks]

Hytham Kilani's team (Pick 7)

Round 1, Pick 7 - Adrian Peterson, RB, Vikings
Round 2, Pick 19 - Doug Martin, RB, Buccaneers
Round 3, Pick 30 - Randall Cobb, WR, Packers
Round 4, Pick 43 - Kelvin Benjamin, WR, Panthers
Round 5, Pick 54 - Russell Wilson, QB, Seahawks
Round 6, Pick 67 - Travis Kelce, TE, Chiefs
Round 7, Pick 79 - Justin Forsett, RB, Ravens
Round 8, Pick 90 - Larry Fitzgerald, WR, Cardinals
Round 9, Pick 103 - Dorial Green-Beckham, WR, Titans
Round 10, Pick 114 - Derrick Henry, RB, Titans
Round 11, Pick 127 - Vincent Jackson, WR, Buccaneers
Round 12, Pick 138 - Josh Ferguson, RB, Colts
Round 13, Pick 151 - Phillip Dorsett, WR, Colts
Round 14, Pick 162 - Terrance Williams, WR, Cowboys
Round 15, Pick 175 - Carolina Panthers D/ST

I went old school with my first two picks by loading up on running backs because I think there's way more depth at wide receiver in the later rounds and Adrian Peterson is a freak. He is just too good to pass up with the seventh pick.
In the third and fourth rounds I grabbed two potential top 10 wide receivers in Randall Cobb and Kelvin Benjamin. I think Cobb is going to have a monster season with Jordy Nelson back in the lineup, and the 6-foot-5 Benjamin is going to eat up targets from Cam Newton in the red zone.

With running back depth dwindling I grabbed Justin Forsett in the seventh round with the hope that I could later handcuff him to Kenneth Dixon, but James Koh ruined that plan by taking Dixon in the eighth round.

In the later rounds I tried to grab some young players with the hope that they can break out. DGB is a physical specimen and Derrick Henry just screams touchdown vulture. I also like really like Phillip Dorsett in the 13th round because the Colts offense could rebound big time this season.

My favorite pick: Russell Wilson in the fifth round ... honestly, I just love watching him play ball.

Least favorite pick: Pretty much all of them

 

[Greenbacks]

Matt Harmon's team (Pick 8)

Round 1, Pick 8 - Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Cowboys
Round 2, Pick 17 - Allen Robinson, WR, Jaguars
Round 3, Pick 32 - T.Y. Hilton, Colts
Round 4, Pick 41 - Donte Moncrief, WR, Colts
Round 5, Pick 56 - Greg Olsen, TE, Panthers
Round 6, Pick 65 - Drew Brees, QB, Saints
Round 7, Pick 80 - Charles Sims, RB, Buccaneers
Round 8, Pick 89 - Torrey Smith, WR, 49ers
Round 9, Pick 104 - Arian Foster, RB, Dolphins
Round 10, Pick 113 - Laquon Treadwell, WR, Vikings
Round 11, Pick 128 - Nelson Agholor, WR, Eagles
Round 12, Pick 137 - Spencer Ware, RB, Chiefs
Round 13, Pick 152 - Zach Zenner, RB, Lions
Round 14, Pick 161 - Steve Johnson, WR, Chargers
Round 15, Pick 176 - Mike Gillislee, RB, Bills

The more I look at my team the less I like it. My first four picks were an ideal start with Elliott, Robinson, Hilton and Moncrief. I don't think we should fear drafting two receivers from the same team if the offense is highly concentrated and a high-powered unit. The Colts have shaky depth at the receiver position after their top three and Dwayne Allen isn't a locked-in star pass-catcher at tight end. Both Hilton and Moncrief should soar past 130 targets which would lock them in for WR2 seasons (at worst) catching passes from Andrew Luck. Teams with combinations of Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker, Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns or Michael Crabtree and Amari Cooper didn't exactly suffer last year.

However, my team fell apart after that. Taking a tight end and quarterback in the fifth and sixth round proved crippling for my team, and I should know better than that. While I'm high on Charles Sims as a floor play with plenty of upside, even in standard leagues, he shouldn't be my RB2 and it only got worse after that. I was chasing depth at running back and receiver for the rest of the draft after going in too early on both onesie positions (quarterback/tight end). I like some of my later round picks at receiver to end up as better values than most might, namely Torrey Smith and Nelson Agholor. Both Spencer Ware and Mike Gilleslee have clear paths to upside behind starters with injury questions. Still, this team just isn't good enough coming out of the draft to feel comfortable with. Better luck next time, Harmon.

 

[Greenbacks]

Jake Ciely's team (Pick 9)

Round 1, Pick 9 - Lamar Miller, RB, Texans
Round 2, Pick 16 - Le'Veon Bell, RB, Steelers
Round 3, Pick 33 - Michael Floyd, WR, Cardinals
Round 4, Pick 40 - Jeremy Maclin, WR, Chiefs
Round 5, Pick 57 - DeMarco Murray, RB, Titans
Round 6, Pick 64 - Golden Tate, WR, Lions
Round 7, Pick 81 - DeVante Parker, WR, Dolphins
Round 8, Pick 88 - Ladarius Green, TE, Steelers
Round 9, Pick 105 - Jordan Howard, RB, Bears
Round 10, Pick 112 - Ben Roethlisberger, QB, Steelers
Round 11, Pick 129 - Steve Smith Sr., WR, Ravens
Round 12, Pick 136 - DeAndre Washington, RB, Raiders
Round 13, Pick 153 - Zach Ertz, TE, Eagles
Round 14, Pick 160 - Michael Thomas, WR, Saints
Round 15, Pick 177 - Sammie Coates, WR, Steelers

First off, big thanks to Alex Gelhar and the NFL.com boys for letting me join in the fun, and I do mean FUN, as I was all too excited when Alex said, "Don't need to draft a defense or kicker." I was a bit less excited once the draft started, and I saw that I was picking ninth. The top eight picks are set for me with a decent drop-off afterward. The first eight went as expected, so I took Lamar Miller since it's a standard league where only two wide receivers start each week and Miller has rid himself of the circus in Miami.

I planned to go receiver in the second, and should have looking back, but Le'Veon Bell was too enticing. As soon as Matt Harmon sniped T.Y. Hilton in the third, I knew my receiver situation was a tad rough. I do love Michael Floyd ... as a WR2 and Jeremy Maclin ... as a WR3. That said, having DeMarco Murray as my flex (again standard scoring) with DeVante Parker, Golden Tate, Steve Smith, Sammie Coates and Michael Thomas on the bench made me feel better. On second thought, I'm perfectly happy with Bell in the second, even though I missed on DeAngelo Williams. While I don't have a clear WR1, I have four WR2/3s with plenty of upside behind them. I also have breakout-waiting-to-FINALLY-happen Ladarius Green at tight end and Ben Roethlisberger (please play 16 games) at quarterback.

Overall, I ended up happier than I thought I'd be with Floyd as my team's WR1. Of course, you won't find a kicker (or defense) on my squad, and that alone makes everything copacetic.

 

[Greenbacks]

James Koh's team (Pick 10)

Round 1, Pick 10 - DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Texans
Round 2, Pick 15 - Dez Bryant, WR, Cowboys
Round 3, Pick 34 - Carlos Hyde, RB, 49ers
Round 4, Pick 39 - Dion Lewis, RB, Patriots
Round 5, Pick 58 - Giovani Bernard, RB, Bengals
Round 6, Pick 63 - Tyler Lockett, WR, Seahawks
Round 7, Pick 82 - Kevin White, WR, Bears
Round 8, Pick 87 - Kenneth Dixon, RB, Ravens
Round 9, Pick 106 - Tevin Coleman, RB, Falcons
Round 10, Pick 111 - Tyrod Taylor, QB, Bills
Round 11, Pick 130 - Zach Miller, TE, Bears
Round 12, Pick 135 - Kirk Cousins, QB, Washington
Round 13, Pick 154 - Jaelen Strong, WR, Texans
Round 14, Pick 159 - Cameron Artis-Payne, RB, Panthers
Round 15, Pick 178 - Ty Montgomery, WR, Packers

Learn from your mistakes.
It's hard advice to follow when you make almost zero mistakes in your life like your boy over here. That being said, what I learned from my last mock was that taking a mid-round quarterback and/or tight end can ruin your draft this year. I corrected course and ended up with a team I absolutely love.
Picking 10th out of 12, I thought I'd end up with a value running back as I've seen in so many of my other mocks, but today Nuk Hopkins fell into my lap. My turnaround pick left me with a Dez/A-Rob choice and I went with the more established name in Bryant. A Nuk/Dez combo has 25 touchdown potential, so obviously I'm cool with that.

I snagged Carlos Hyde and Dion Lewis with my next two selections, which presents plenty of risk (they each missed nine games last year) with tons of upside. But I buffered that risk considerably by snapping up Giovani Bernard, Kenneth Dixon, and Tevin Coleman later. A trio of backs with considerable question marks of their own but keep in mind, I only need two of those five backs to emerge as every-week ball carriers. I like my odds.

A quarterback combo of Tyrod and Kirk Cousins is about as good as you can ask for late in drafts and I especially loved my high-ceiling WR picks of Tyler Lockett, Kevin White, Jaelen Strong and Ty Montgomery. I think all four have potential for breakout campaigns this year, with Kevin White as the most interesting given his secure role and extremely soft schedule (HOU, PHI, DAL, DET, IND, JAX to start).

 

[Greenbacks]

Alex Wilk's team (Pick 11)

Round 1, Pick 11 - Rob Gronkowski, TE, Patriots
Round 2, Pick 14 - Devonta Freeman, RB, Falcons
Round 3, Pick 35 - Jarvis Landry, WR, Dolphins
Round 4, Pick 38 - Doug Baldwin, WR, Seahawks
Round 5, Pick 59 - Jeremy Hill, RB, Bengals
Round 6, Pick 62 - Chris Ivory, RB, Jets
Round 7, Pick 83 - Sterling Shepard, WR, Giants
Round 8, Pick 86 - C.J. Prosise, RB, Seahawks
Round 9, Pick 107 - Eli Manning, QB, Giants
Round 10, Pick 110 - LeGarrette Blount, RB, Patriots
Round 11, Pick 131 - Pierre Garcon, WR, Washington
Round 12, Pick 134 - Devin Funchess, WR, Panthers
Round 13, Pick 155 - Jimmy Graham, TE, Seahawks
Round 14, Pick 158 - Tyler Boyd, WR, Bengals
Round 15, Pick 179 - Los Angeles Rams D/ST

Another mock, another back-end draft position. Though I'm generally a proponent of loading up on running backs early in a weak year for true RB1s, the 11 spot in a 12-team mock isn't the place to do that. I was happy to land Gronk and Devonta Freeman in Rounds 1 and 2. I don't really consider Doug Baldwin and Jarvis Landry to be WR1s in fantasy, but I trust the two of them to combine for a solid stat line most weeks. Once my starting lineup had been solidified, I wanted to take some risks on younger players. Between CJ Prosise, Tyler Boyd, and Sterling Shepard, I'm confident I will have at least one of the breakout rookies of 2016.

 

[Greenbacks]

Dylan Milner's team (Pick 12)

Round 1, Pick 12 - Jordy Nelson, WR, Packers
Round 2, Pick 13 - Jamaal Charles, RB, Chiefs
Round 3, Pick 36 - Aaron Rodgers, QB, Packers
Round 4, Pick 37 - Jordan Reed, TE, Washington
Round 5, Pick 60 - Jordan Matthews, WR, Eagles
Round 6, Pick 61 - Matt Jones, RB, Washington
Round 7, Pick 84 - Kamar Aiken, WR, Ravens
Round 8, Pick 85 - Rashad Jennings, RB, Giants
Round 9, Pick 108 - Isaiah Crowell, RB, Browns
Round 10, Pick 109 - Josh Doctson, RB, Washington
Round 11, Pick 132 - Seattle Seahawks D/ST
Round 12, Pick 133 - Chandler Catanzaro, K, Cardinals
Round 13, Pick 156 - Charcandrick West, RB, Chiefs
Round 14, Pick 157 - Tony Romo, QB, Cowboys
Round 15, Pick 180 - Quinton Patton, WR, 49ers

Drafting last in a 12-team league is tough. Sure you get the sweet back-to-back picks, but waiting 24 more picks before you're up again is a grind. Player after player in my queue gets swiped before I can draft again. My strategy here was to get a top-tier starter at the Big Four (QB/RB/WR/TE) positions before filling out my depth. I felt drafting my WR2 or my RB2 before getting my starters elsewhere would leave a gaping hole in my roster. So without further ado, here are some thoughts guiding my draft:

1) I was between Nelson and Dez Bryant with my first pick. I sided with Nelson because when he and Rodgers are clicking, they're a top-three combo in the league. Add in the injury concerns with both Bryant AND his quarterback, and I went with the Packer superstar.

2) Speaking of injury concerns, I don't feel I have any with Jamaal Charles. I've seen him come back from an ACL injury before, so perhaps that's why I think he'll be fine this year.

3) My third and fourth picks were where I tried to solidify my "get a starter first" strategy by drafting Rodgers and Reed. I locked up the best fantasy quarterback in the game (he'll finish better than Cam Newton) and Reed, if he can stay healthy, is gaining ground on Gronkowski as the No. 1 tight end in fantasy as well.

4) The next two picks are where I didn't love my strategy. I think Matt Jones can be a sneaky good back this year and I'm trying to snag him as a flex in most of my leagues, but I think both Jones and Matthews are more RB3/WR3 than RB2/WR2, which I got stuck with here.
I took some fliers late and after filling out the roster, I feel like I got a good, but not great team. Depth is always an issue in a 12-team league and I feel like it's compounded picking last.

 

[Greenbacks]

 

[Greenbacks]

 

[Greenbacks]