2014 Fantasy Football Mock Draft

When it comes to fantasy football drafts, I am always amused when people start producing mock drafts well in advance of Labor Day weekend. There are too many unknowns due to injuries, position battles and stupidity to make them worthwhile. I suppose if you are in a league that mandates that you draft weeks before the season starts, it makes sense but, even that cracks me up. If it is a league for fun, go crazy. However, most of us have a vested financial interest in how our team does and I sure as hell don't want any of my top picks missing time due to non-regular season injury or off-the-field issue. It is pretty interesting to see the shift in average draft position in the weeks leading up to the season. Players like Steven Ridley and Cam Newton have cratered and players like James White and Emmanuel Sanders have shot up.

Mock drafts can vary greatly depending on the scoring system, especially when using Points Per Reception, and whether or not the league is a redraft league or a dynasty league. For our purposes, this is a standard fantasy football league scoring system for a redraft league.

This assumes a starting roster of 1 QB, 2 RBs, 3 WRs, 1 TE, 1 K and 1 D/ST. Points would be awarded for the following actions:

• Passing: 1 point for every 25 yards, 4 points for each Touchdown, and -2 for each Interception
• Rushing: 1 point for every 10 yards, 6 points for each Touchdown, and -2 for each fumble lost
• Receiving: 1 point for every 10 yards, 6 points for each Touchdown
• Kicking: 3 points for every Field Goal made and 1 point for each successful Extra Point
• Defense: 2 points for each fumble recovered, 2 points for each interception, 1 point for each sack, 2 points for a shutout and 2 points for a safety

Round 1

1 Jamaal Charles, KC

2 LeSean McCoy, PHI

3 Adrian Peterson, MIN

4 Eddie Lacy, GB

5 Matt Forte, CHI

6 Jimmy Graham, NO

7 Marshawn Lynch, SEA

8 Calvin Johnson, DET

9 Demaryius Thomas, DEN

10 Montee Ball, DEN

11 A.J. Green, CIN

12 Peyton Manning, DEN

Evaluation: Having one of the top 5 picks is easy since you could make a case for any of those running backs. After that, it is a bit sketchy as there is great depth at tight end and quarterback this year. It is nice to think about a team with Jimmy Graham or Peyton Manning on it, but I would prefer a running back to start my team off and build around.

Round 2

13 DeMarco Murray, DAL

14 Brandon Marshall, CHI

15 Dez Bryant, DAL

16 Andre Ellington, ARI

17 Zac Stacy, STL

18 Drew Brees, NO

19 Giovani Bernard, CIN

20 Alshon Jeffery, CHI

21 Doug Martin, TB

22 Le'Veon Bell, PIT

23 Aaron Rodgers, GB

24 Ryan Mathews, SD

Evaluation: Decision time in round 2. Should you go traditional and get a second RB or is it best to get one good RB and one good WR? I think that there is great depth at WR this year and recommend that you get 2 solid RBs.

Round 3

25 Julio Jones, ATL

26 Jordy Nelson, GB

27 Antonio Brown, PIT

28 Randall Cobb, GB

29 Alfred Morris, WAS

30 Arian Foster, HOU

31 Julius Thomas, DEN

32 Andrew Luck, IND

33 Rashad Jennings, NYG

34 Toby Gerhart, JAC

35 Victor Cruz, NYG

36 Reggie Bush, DET

Evaluation: If you grabbed two RBs already, you definitely need to grab a WR in round 3. If you split them, I recommend grabbing that second RB. If you grabbed Peyton, Brees or Rodgers, you need to balance out your team in this round as the tiers begin to fall off from here.

Round 4

37 Vincent Jackson, TB

38 Rob Gronkowski, NE

39 Andre Johnson, HOU

40 Matthew Stafford, DET

41 Keenan Allen, SD

42 Frank Gore, SF

43 DeSean Jackson, WAS

44 Michael Floyd, ARI

45 Pierre Garcon, WAS

46 Roddy White, ATL

47 Chris Johnson, NYJ

48 T.Y. Hilton, IND

Evaluation: Questions abound in round 4 due to direct or indirect health issues. Stafford should have a big year, but I really like Kennan Allen at this spot.

Round 5

49 Larry Fitzgerald, ARI

50 Ben Tate, CLE

51 Torrey Smith, BAL

52 Steven Jackson, ATL

53 C.J. Spiller, BUF

54 Jordan Cameron, CLE

55 Cordarrelle Patterson, MIN

56 Reggie Wayne, IND

57 Fred Jackson, BUF

58 Shane Vereen, NE

59 Marques Colston, NO

60 Percy Harvin, SEA

Evaluation: If you thought round 4 was tough, round 5 is even more difficult. There are a handful of players with very high upside here, such as Cordarrelle and C.J., but I like Cameron quite a bit since Cleveland has the absolute worst WRs ever lined up in professional football.

Round 6

61 Julian Edelman, NE

62 Jeremy Maclin, PHI

63 Eric Decker, NYJ

64 Colin Kaepernick, SF

65 Vernon Davis, SF

66 Wes Welker, DEN

67 Emmanuel Sanders, DEN

68 Trent Richardson, IND

69 Tom Brady, NE

70 Joique Bell, DET

71 Golden Tate, DET

72 Bishop Sankey, TEN

Evaluation: Tom Brady in round 6? It has been a long time since we have seen anything resembling this. I still think I would pass and grab Ryan, Rivers or Cutler in one of the next 3 rounds. I like Sanders if I want a WR here or Bell if I want a RB. He had great numbers last year, even in a split role. That role should continue this year with him getting the red zone work. Plus, Reggie isn't Mr. Durability.

Round 7

73 Matt Ryan, ATL

74 Jason Witten, DAL

75 Mike Wallace, MIA

76 Kendall Wright, TEN

77 Terrance Williams, DAL

78 Michael Crabtree, SF

79 Ray Rice, BAL

80 Maurice Jones-Drew, OAK

81 Knowshon Moreno, MIA

82 Riley Cooper, PHI

83 Darren McFadden, OAK

84 Nick Foles, PHI

Evaluation: There is a lot of value in this round. I like Mike Wallace to have a solid year with Tannehill growing into his position. Matty Ice has his weapons back. Moreno should assume the #1 RB spot within a few weeks. Cooper, Williams and Wright will all have solid numbers. Enjoy this round as it won't be this easy for a few rounds.

Round 8

85 Sammy Watkins, BUF

86 Russell Wilson, SEA

87 Stevan Ridley, NE

88 Pierre Thomas, NO

89 Tony Romo, DAL

90 Lamar Miller, MIA

91 Cam Newton, CAR

92 Brandin Cooks, NO

93 Cecil Shorts, JAC

94 Philip Rivers, SD

95 Dwayne Bowe, KC

96 Terrance West, CLE

Evaluation: LOADS of questionable picks here. If you need a QB, Rivers is a must-pick now. I trust Cooks and West as rookies more than Watkins but I would leave Cam and Ridley alone here. Bowe could be a value pick here since KC has no receivers past him.

Round 9

97 Dennis Pitta, BAL

98 Carlos Hyde, SF

99 DeAndre Hopkins, HOU

100 Kyle Rudolph, MIN

101 Jay Cutler, CHI

102 Robert Griffin III, WAS

103 Shonn Greene, TEN

104 Bernard Pierce, BAL

105 Kelvin Benjamin, CAR

106 Greg Olsen, CAR

107 Darren Sproles, PHI

108 Anquan Boldin, SF

Evaluation: This round is a mixture of good and bad. The ceiling on Cutler is sky-high this season but the threat of injury is always sky high with him. Kyle Rudolph should be a solid pick now as is Olsen. Lots of upside with Benjamin, Pitta and Hopkins.

Round 10

109 Jordan Reed, WAS

110 Jeremy Hill, CIN

111 DeAngelo Williams, CAR

112 Danny Woodhead, SD

113 Hakeem Nicks, IND

114 Justin Hunter, TEN

115 James White, NE

116 Martellus Bennett, CHI

117 Mark Ingram, NO

118 Danny Amendola, NE

119 James Jones, OAK

120 Jonathan Stewart, CAR

Evaluation: I have been fooled by Stewart, Amendola and Nicks enough to stay away in all of my fantasy football leagues. There is a lot of value in Hunter, White, Jones and Ingram in this round. Hill should see a nice split of action with Bernard as will Reed and Bennett on teams with lots of other options.

Round 11

121 Greg Jennings, MIN

122 Christine Michael, SEA

123 Marqise Lee, JAC

124 Ben Roethlisberger, PIT

125 Zach Ertz, PHI

126 Tre Mason, STL

127 Jordan Matthews, PHI

128 Mike Evans, TB

129 Markus Wheaton, PIT

130 Donald Brown, SD

131 LeGarrette Blount, PIT

132 Steve Smith, BAL

Evaluation: Just when you would expect to be dragging the bottom of the barrel, you will find happiness in a lot of WR options here. This round epitomizes why I stressed a run on RBs early. Lee and Matthews could end up being the primary receiving options on their respective teams. Wheaton, Smith and Evans may also put up significant numbers as should Ertz at the TE position.

Round 12

133 Devonta Freeman, ATL

134 Ladarius Green, SD

135 Andy Dalton, CIN

136 Andre Williams, NYG

137 James Starks, GB

138 Knile Davis, KC

139 Khiry Robinson, NO

140 Rueben Randle, NYG

141 C.J. Anderson, DEN

142 Carson Palmer, ARI

143 Tavon Austin, STL

144 Seattle Seahawks D/ST

Evaluation: Hello Handcuffs! It is always a good idea to back up your studs RBs if they have talented backups. That is the majority of this round. There is always one team that considers themselves smart by choosing the top defense before the inevitable late run. I suppose I can support that over a backup QB.

Round 13

145 Brandon LaFell, NE

146 Josh McCown, TB

147 Ronnie Hillman, DEN

148 Doug Baldwin, SEA

149 Joe Flacco, BAL

150 Jerricho Cotchery, CAR

151 Charles Clay, MIA

152 Kenny Stills, NO

153 Mike James, TB

154 Mike Williams, BUF

164 San Francisco 49ers D/ST

155 Ahmad Bradshaw, IND

156 Ryan Tannehill, MIA

Evaluation: As mentioned in Round 11, you can find solid receiving options in these late rounds. The Patriots have no set number 1 WR and LaFell could easily assume that role. Carolina is starting fresh at WR and Cotchery has the most seniority. Seattle showed that they believe in Baldwin by giving him a contract to earn and Stills showed decent rapport with Brees last season, but you can't expect consistent production from him.

Round 14

157 Brian Hartline, MIA

158 Mohamed Sanu, CIN

159 Andrew Hawkins, CLE

160 Kenbrell Thompkins, NE

161 Carolina Panthers D/ST

162 Denver Broncos D/ST

163 Lance Dunbar, DAL

165 Antonio Gates, SD

166 Dwayne Allen, IND

167 Robert Woods, BUF

168 Michael Vick, NYJ

Evaluation: Bottom of the barrel, we find ye here. Hartline, Thompkins and Hawkins are well worth a flier here if you have room for an extra WR. Other than that grab a backup or think about dipping into the pool of defenses.

Round 15

169 Stephen Gostkowski, NE

170 New England Patriots D/ST

171 Houston Texans D/ST

172 Cincinnati Bengals D/ST

173 Arizona Cardinals D/ST

174 Dri Archer, PIT

175 Matt Bryant, ATL

176 Tampa Bay Buccaneers D/ST

177 Buffalo Bills D/ST

178 Kansas City Chiefs D/ST

179 Justin Tucker, BAL

180 St. Louis Rams D/ST

Evaluation: Get a defense. They are pretty thin this year.

Round 16

181 Steven Hauschka, SEA

182 Chris Ivory, NYJ

183 Mason Crosby, GB

184 Phil Dawson, SF

185 Adam Vinatieri, IND

186 Baltimore Ravens D/ST

187 Nick Folk, NYJ

188 Robbie Gould, CHI

189 Dan Bailey, DAL

190 Greg Zuerlein, STL

191 Nate Freese, DET

192 Nick Novak, SD

Evaluation: Get a kicker. You need to start one.