Believe it or not, we are only eight weeks away from the start of preseason action in the NFL. Teams are starting to shape up, and in OTAs player position battles are heating up.
Now, fantasy leagues are getting set up, and dynasty leagues are even holding their rookie drafts. To get you in the spirit of the fantasy football season again, eDraft has partnered with FantasyPros to create a mock draft simulator you can use to get an idea of where players are going and whose stock is rising and falling.
This is the second time we’re using this simulator to bring you fantasy mock drafts. The first time around, we went with the second overall pick in the draft, so to mix things up, this time we went with the ninth overall pick in a standard 12-team league.
1.Calvin Johnson, Wide Receiver, Philadelphia Eagles
At ninth, all of the sure-thing running backs were off the board. Rather than reach for Arian Foster, I decided to go with Johnson, a known commodity. He’s significantly better than any receiver who’d be taken after him, and it definitely doesn’t hurt that he averages over nine touchdowns per season. This might be too high for a receiver to go for some owners, but I just couldn’t pass up Johnson.
2.Alfred Morris, Running Back, Washington Redskins
Morris isn’t being looked at in the first round, but he could certainly bump is value up by the end of the season to be a first-round pick next season. He’s an excellent RB1. So far he seems like a sturdy back, and with DeSean Jackson in Washington now Morris should have more running room. I don’t see any reason why he won’t break 1,200 yards again this season.
3.Frank Gore, Running Back, San Francisco 49ers
Everyone is saying this will be Gore’s last year as a relevant fantasy back. But that’s been the knock against Gore for three seasons now. I wanted to sure up my running backs before grabbing another receiver, and besides his rookie year, Gore has only had one sub-1,000 yard season. I see no reason why he isn’t a great RB2.
4.DeSean Jackson, Wide Receiver, Washington Redskins
I accidentally put a lot of stock in Washington’s offense, but I like what they have this season. Defenses can’t completely focus on Jackson with Pierre Garcon on the opposite side of the field, and RGIII has the arm to get it downfield to Jackson. I see a lot of value for him in the fourth round as a WR2, he could potentially inch up to a WR1 in 12-team leagues.
5.Jordan Cameron, Tight End, Cleveland Browns
I was tempted to fill my flex spot here with another receiver, but the top three tight ends were already off the board, and the position drops off too much for me after Cameron and Jason Witten.
If Josh Gordon misses as much time as is rumored, Cameron will be the top pass-catching option in Cleveland. In his breakout year, Cameron was just 43 yards short of a 1,000-yard year, and he was the sixth best fantasy tight end.
6.Joique Bell, Running Back, Detroit Lions
This was a little high for Bell for my taste, but I’m glad I ended up taking him. Immediately after I took Bell, Toby Gerhart and Darren McFadden went off the board, and Bell is a solid flex/backup running back option. I just wrote about this earlier in the week, but Bell will pull even with Reggie Bush in Detroit this season and could get more carries with Bush as a primary pass-catching back.
7.T.Y. Hilton, Wide Receiver, Indianapolis Colts
This was my favorite pick of the draft. In this particular situation, Hilton would probably be my Week 1 flex spot, but he has upside to be a top WR2 by year’s end. Although he was inconsistent last season, Andrew Luck will look for him to be his top target with Reggie Wayne’s health in question and Hakeem Nicks being a deep threat decoy for defenses.
8.Jay Cutler, Quarterback, Chicago Bears
Right before Cutler, Russell Wilson and Colin Kaepernick went off the board in the two picks before I was on the clock, so I couldn’t pass up Cutler. With Alshon Jeffery and Brandon Marshall as his receivers, Cutler has a much higher fantasy upside than Philip Rivers or Tony Romo. I’m a big believer in waiting on quarterbacks in fantasy drafts, and I’ll definitely take a guy in the eighth round who surpassed 15 fantasy points in seven of the 11 games he started.
9.Julian Edelman, Wide Receiver, New England Patriots
Rather than go for another running back, I went with Edelman here because of the opportunity in New England. Besides Rob Gronkowski, Edelman is Tom Brady’s favorite target. He ranked 10th among all receivers in targets last year, according to our premium stats (paid subscription required) so why wouldn’t I take him in the ninth round?
10.DeAngelo Williams, Running Back, Carolina Panthers
Between bye weeks and potential injuries, I don’t like Williams as a potential fantasy starter. He doesn’t score enough touchdowns. But, Williams will catch a good number of passes out the backfield, and he was still 18th in the league in rushing yards. Not a bad guy to play in advantageous matchups, and he can at least pick up seven or eight points in weeks that my roster is in a pinch.
Other selections
11. Buffalo Bills Defense/Special Teams
12. Martellus Bennett, Tight End, Chicago Bears
13. Riley Cooper, Wide Receiver, Philadelphia Eagles
14. Joe Flacco, Quarterback, Baltimore Ravens
15. Christine Michael, Running Back, Seattle Seahawks
16. Mason Crosby, Kicker, Green Bay Packers