July 13, 2017.
This is a standard 2017 Fantasy Football Mock Draft I took part in with 11 friends on Facebook and followers on Twitter (@walterfootball. As usual, I’ll have analysis of my picks, as well as the best and worst selections every two rounds.
Just a heads up that we have 2017 Fantasy Football Mock Drafts every Wednesday afternoon or evening. Check out the forum or follow me on Twitter to find out when the next mock draft will be.
MY PICKS, ROUNDS 1-2: I love doing fantasy mock drafts. Not only are they fun; they’re very informative. I learn so much from my first couple of fantasy mocks each summer. If you don’t do your own fantasy football mock drafts, I strongly recommend that you being doing so.
One of the things I picked up is how incredibly thin the receiver position is this year. Wait… Didn’t I write the exact same thing in my first mock last year? Let me see… Yes! The same exact thing! And I also pointed out that it was the case in 2015, but it seems to be even worse now. Fantasy football has changed a ton in the past decade. Running back used to be the premium position. Because the NFL is so pass-happy now, receivers are the new running backs.
With that in mind, I’m going to bump up all the receivers in my cheat sheet. I noticed this prior to my first pick, so that’s why I went with Mike Evans over Jay Ajayi, and I’m happy with that pick. I had Jordan Howard rated right below Ajayi, so getting him at 2.04 seems like a solid deal.
BEST PICKS, ROUNDS 1-2: Given how thin receivers are, I can’t believe Dez Bryant fell to the end of the second round. I also see good value with Lamar Miller at 2.09 and Todd Gurley at 2.11.
WORST PICKS, ROUNDS 1-2: Marshawn Lynch has a ton of upside because he could score a billion touchdowns for the Raiders, but he also comes with a lot of risk. A worse pick is Doug Baldwin at 2.10. I know receivers are thin, but he was a major reach at that spot.
MY PICKS, ROUNDS 3-4: So, I accidentally X’ed out of the mock draft when I was on the clock, which would explain the Joe Mixon pick. I would have taken Alshon Jeffery and then a running back at 4.04, like Mixon, Doug Martin or Adrian Peterson. Oops.
BEST PICKS, ROUNDS 3-4: Two players I was considering at 3.09 were taken right off the board in front of me in Keenan Allen and DeAndre Hopkins. Also, I have to mention Martin and Jeffery because I brought them up as possibilities.
Two other selections I liked were Rob Gronkowski and Allen Robinson. Gronkowski is a steal in the third round, while Robinson is a nice buy-low target in the fourth.
WORST PICKS, ROUNDS 3-4: I’ve made it known that I hate Spencer Ware this year. He was one of my sleepers last season, but he wore down as the year progressed, and now Kansas City has Kareem Hunt to eat some of the workload.
MY PICKS, ROUNDS 5-6: Some expect Matt Ryan to regress to previous numbers after a career year in 2016. Perhaps that’ll be the case, but the main reason why Ryan exploded last year was because his offensive line was finally elite. That is still the case, so I think Ryan will continue to tear up opposing defenses.
Donte Moncrief, meanwhile, isn’t the most durable player in the world, but I think he’s a fine third receiver. If he can stay healthy, he could post low-end WR2 numbers.
BEST PICKS, ROUNDS 5-6: Adrian Peterson has the potential for a huge year, so he should be going earlier than the fifth round. That’s the only pick I was in love with in this segment, as the players chosen in these two rounds are kind of meh.
WORST PICKS, ROUNDS 5-6: Conversely, I hate several picks. Let’s start with Eddie Lacy, who may have trouble staying on the Seattle roster because of weight concerns. Brandon Marshall also seems like an awful pick, as he’s a declining player. Lastly, I can’t get behind Mark Ingram in the sixth. It seems like keddawkins is hedging his bets. He’s going to end up with a productive running back, but one of his selections will be a waste.
MY PICKS, ROUNDS 7-8: I was about to take Paul Perkins, but he was stolen from me. I’m fine with Robert Kelley though, as he seems to be a bit undervalued. He’s a starting running back playing on a team with a great offensive line. You can do worse in the seventh round.
As for Pierre Garcon, I think he’ll be productive in San Francisco. His skills translate to any offense, and if Brian Hoyer can get Cameron Meredith to be a viable fantasy option, Garcon should be just fine.
BEST PICKS, ROUNDS 7-8: Definitely Perkins, as Tiny Sauce broke my heart by taking him one pick before me. Cam Newton, Martellus Bennett and Tyler Eifert were all great values between my two selections. After that, I liked Derrick Henry, Randall Cobb and Kareem Hunt quite a bit.
WORST PICKS, ROUNDS 7-8: Much like I didn’t love anything in Rounds 5-6, I don’t really hate anything here. Gun to my head, I’d say Samaje Perine was the worst selection in these two rounds, but I don’t think that’s the worst thing kb could’ve done.
MY PICKS, ROUNDS 9-10: I was planning on taking a tight end in the ninth round, but I noticed that the three guys making selections in between my two picks all had tight ends already, so I figured I could wait until the 10th round to grab Zach Ertz. I was able to land Jonathan Stewart as a consequence, who seems underrated in the wake of the Christian McCaffrey acquisition.
BEST PICKS, ROUNDS 9-10: Kyle Rudolph was the other tight end I was considering, so I liked that pick. I also thought that taking some of the high-upside receivers in these two rounds – DeVante Parker, Corey Coleman, Kevin White – seemed like a good decision. My favorite pick was Thomas Rawls, as I would’ve taken him at 9.09 had Stewart not been there.
WORST PICKS, ROUNDS 9-10: Taking defenses this early is very stupid. I’m not a fan of Matt Forte either, but selecting him isn’t nearly as bad as targeting a defense.
MY PICKS, ROUNDS 11-12: Tyler Lockett is very underrated, as he was hurt all of last year. If he can remain healthy, he could post possible WR3 numbers. He’s in my Fantasy Football Sleepers list. As for Jonathan Williams, he’s the best running back I could find. If LeSean McCoy gets hurt, I’ll have someone I can possibly plug into my lineup.
BEST PICKS, ROUNDS 11-12: You’re looking for upside at this stage of the draft. Joe Williams is the player who provides most of it, as he could start for the 49ers at some point during the 2017 season. Carson Wentz, C.J. Prosise, Taylor Gabriel and Hunter Henry were four other selections I loved.
WORST PICKS, ROUNDS 11-12: Again, defenses. Elsewhere, Eli Manning seems like a poor pick at this stage because he has no upside.
MY PICKS, ROUNDS 13-15: I needed a backup quarterback, and Blake Bortles will sometimes post huge numbers in meaningless action. Otherwise, a defense that plays the 49ers in Week 1 and a kicker I found at the bottom of the chart for teh lulz.
BEST PICKS, ROUNDS 13-15: High-upside picks include: O.J. Howard, Sterling Shepard, Josh Doctson, Zay Jones and Duke Johnson.
WORST PICKS, ROUNDS 13-15: Low-upside picks include: Mike Wallace, Kenny Britt, Cole Beasley.
‘ll be adjusting some of my Fantasy Football Rankings based on these draft results, so check them out. Also, we’ll be doing mock drafts every Wednesday afternoon or evening, so come join us!
My Fantasy Team:
QB – Matt Ryan, Falcons
RB – Jordan Howard, Bears
RB – Joe Mixon, Bengals*
WR – Mike Evans, Buccaneers
WR – Davante Adams, Packers
RB/WR – Donte Moncrief, Colts
TE – Zach Ertz, Eagles
K – Zane Gonzalez, K, None
DEF – Panthers Defense
BN – Robert Kelley, RB, Redskins
BN – Pierre Garcon, WR, 49ers
BN – Jonathan Stewart, RB, Panthers
BN – Tyler Lockett, WR, Seahawks
BN – Jonathan Williams, RB, Bills
BN – Blake Bortles, QB, Jaguars
I don’t think this is a bad first team. Again, I didn’t mean to take Joe Mixon in the third round, so that would explain the asterisk. Otherwise, this isn’t horrible, but the important thing is that I learned something, which is how scarce receivers are this year. Again, that’s been the case recently, but it seems to be even worse this summer.
More 2017 Fantasy Football Articles:
Fantasy Football Rankings
2017 Fantasy Football Rankings:
2017 Fantasy Football Rankings: Quarterbacks - 9/6 (Walt)
Chet Gresham's Fantasy Football Quarterback Rankings - 8/28 (Chet)
2017 Fantasy Football Rankings: Running Backs - 9/6 (Walt)
Chet Gresham's Fantasy Football Running Back Rankings - 8/28 (Chet)
2017 Fantasy Football Rankings: Wide Receivers - 9/6 (Walt)
Chet Gresham's Fantasy Football Wide Receiver Rankings - 8/28 (Chet)
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2017 Fantasy Football Rankings: Defenses - 8/18 (Walt)
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Fantasy Football Rookie Rankings: Dynasty - 5/12 (Chet)
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2017 Fantasy Football Mock Draft: Standard - 8/10 (Walt)
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2017 Fantasy Football Mock Draft: PPR - 7/26 (Chet)
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2017 Fantasy Football: Dynasty Rankings - 9/6 (Walt)
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2017 Fantasy Football Articles:
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2017 Fantasy Football Busts - 9/2 (Walt)
2017 NFL Preseason Game Recaps - 9/1 (Walt)
2017 Fantasy Football Stock Report: Preseason - 9/1 (Walt)
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