Fantasy Friday: Round One Mock Draft
Aaron Lieberman runs through a mock draft for the first round of a standard scoring 10 team fantasy football league.
It’s about damn time.
Fantasy football is right around the corner. That corner may be far away, but it’s still around the corner for sports fans getting ready for a long hot summer without a lot of sports action (sorry baseball but for casual fans, it’s all about the fall).
Now that everyone has accepted that it’s time to dust off his or her player evaluations from last season, let’s jump into a way-too-early first round 2017 mock draft (for a 10-team league with default rules).
1. David Johnson
Wow. Having the first overall pick can kind of suck sometimes. I mean, it’s great that you get your pick of the litter but sometimes when it comes to fantasy — quantity can beat quality. Regardless, if you find yourself sitting atop the draft board, you can’t go wrong with the top-scoring running back from last year who accumulate the most yards from scrimmage in the NFL. With some uncertainty with other parts of the offence, Johnson will be leaned on heavily — which makes him a prime candidate for the first overall selection.
2. Le’Veon Bell
Considering there are so many Cowboys fans in the world of fantasy (and in the world in general) this pick could easily be Zeke. However, in my experience with fantasy football, it always pays to gamble on experience. Le’Veon Bell hasn’t been suspended (yet) and even after missing three games last season, he was the fourth best RB in fantasy. Look for Le’Veon to play a full season and give fantasy owners more touchdowns this year, as he only totalled seven last season (Johnson 16, Zeke 15, McCoy 13).
3. Ezekiel Elliot
Even if you’re not a complete troglodyte (aka Cowboys fan) you have to take Zeke at three. He led the league in rushing behind the best offence in football in his rookie campaign, rushing for 400 more yards than the first player taken in this draft, David Johnson. However, DJ accumulated more than 400 more receiving yards and four more touchdowns than Zeke (which could come into play if you play PPR).
4. Antonio Brown
DJ, Le’Veon and Zeke represent the three-headed monster for me in this year’s draft. This comes as a result of depth at the wide receiver position and a lack of dual-threat high volume runners. However, once these guys are off the board, it’s time to start mixing in some top-flight wide outs. AB is an absolute stud and plays in a division without a lot of A1 talent at the cornerback position. Look for him to continue to terrorize defences in what might be one of Big Ben’s last full seasons in the black and yellow.
5. Odell Beckham Jr.
The fire sale on receivers continues here at five. I was considering taking Evans here, but I think the addition of DeSean Jackson will level out his stats a bit. Odell is a baller who now has the opportunity to be mentored by Brandon Marshall and play along side young talented players like Sterling Shepard. With Eli approaching the credits in the proverbial movie that is his career, he is being given all the talent he needs to go out with a bang in this league — which is good news for fantasy owners.
6. Julio Jones
Evans continues to slide here, as I go with absolute freakbeast Julio Jones. This guy is a monster and can always be counted on to rack up fantasy points. Atlanta may have given up a 25-point lead in the Super Bowl last season, but their offence will continue to be prolific under the careful supervision of the 2016 NFL MVP, Matty Ice.
7. Mike Evans
The slip and slide has finished and all the bubbles are gone. Mike Evans is hard to pass up here after leading all fantasy wide receivers in points last season with a young and dynamic QB like Famous Jameis (even if he stole crab legs) who is really improving and blossoming before our eyes. Even with the addition of DeSean Jackson, Evans will see a lot of red zone targets in addition to his regular workload, which will help fantasy owners fill the void left by the imminent lack of production,
8. LeSean McCoy
I think a lot of people might be thinking that eight is a classic spot to take A.J. Green. You’re not wrong. In fact I think I have taken him at eight in two consecutive seasons (for different leagues). Just because it feels comfortable, doesn’t make it the right choice. After an injury-plagued season, Green only tallied 964 yards and 4 touchdowns (which is actually the first time he has had less than 1000 yards in a season).
Here are a few names of players who put out more points than Green last year: Adam Thielen, Kenny Britt, Mike Wallace, Terrelle Pryor (who was a quarterback like two years ago), Rishard Matthews and Tyrell Williams. With Shady getting some help out wide with the addition of Zay Jones, look for the always effective running back to continue producing for fantasy owners after finishing third in total points last season. Need I say more?
9. DeMarco Murray
I am not taking a Packer in the first round because I am biased and Jordy Nelson is old (despite having an insane bounce back season in 2016 finishing second in total points at his position). Speaking of being biased, I was bragging to all my friends about reaching on DeMarco Murray last season (which was in the fifth round). I was mocked, ridiculed and judged for taking a chance on the once great Cowboy — and I was right, you dummies.
DeMarco is running behind a top-five offensive line with a young and effective quarterback and feisty defence. He will get plenty of opportunities to shine again this season, despite the pressure of a hungry Derrick Henry on his heels.
10. Devonta Freeman
I hope you don’t mind planes because I am taking another flier here. Again, I refuse to take an old packer player or a wide receiver that failed to bring me more points than Adam Thielen in the first round. With that being said, I have big love for Atlanta’s offence.
After Matt Ryan proved to be a saviour last year in fantasy, I have high hopes that they will continue to roll — as they have retained all of their key pieces. Here is the thing about Atlanta: they don’t do anything tricky, they just flat out beat you. While playing in an offence that is drawing comparisons to the Greatest Show on Turf, Devonta is set for another huge season after finishing top six in points and top five in receiving yards at his position.
That’s it for me this week, but look for my take on fantasy football every Friday. Hmm, fantasy football Friday kind of has a ring to it.
Aaron Lieberman is a cofounder of The Ocho, as well as our satire editor. You can catch him (almost) every week on The Ocho Podcast on Thursday nights with fellow cofounder Riley Nicklaus Evans. Follow Aaron on Twitter at @aliebs93.
