By: Ryan Lippert
As the 2018–19 season is slowly approaching, fantasy football is coming up even quicker. Football fans are already trying to figure out who they want to draft on their respective fantasy teams. Here at Blitzalytics, we will be conducting fantasy mock drafts for different league formats and picking from different positions. This week, we are selecting from the fifth overall pick. For my mock draft, I drafted from a standard, 12-team league format. The rosters for this league consist of 1 QB, 2 RB, 3 WR,1 TE, 1 D/ST, and 1 K. This mock draft was conducted using Fantasy Pros’ Mock Draft Wizard. Here is how my draft panned out:
Round 1:
1) Todd Gurley, RB (LAR)
2) Ezekiel Elliott, RB (DAL)
3) Le’veon Bell, RB (PIT)
4) David Johnson, RB (ARI)
5) Antonio Brown, WR (PIT)
6) Saquon Barkley, RB (NYG)
7) Deandre Hopkins, WR (HOU)
8) Alvin Kamara, RB (NO)
9) Odell Beckham, WR (NYG)
10) Kareem Hunt, RB (KC)
11) Melvin Gordon, RB (LAC)
12) Leonard Fournette, RB (JAC)
Analysis: For the majority of fantasy leagues this season, I believe that Gurley and Bell are the clear-cut top two options on the board. With that being said, I was extremely surprised to see Elliott go above Bell. Behind Gurley and Bell, I strongly believe that Brown is the third best options for fantasy owners. Last year, Brown finished with over 200 fantasy points for the season according tofantasydata.com. He will continue to be the top target for the Steelers this season and could see those targets rise with the loss of Martavis Bryant.
Round 2:
13) Dalvin Cook, RB (MIN)
14) Julio Jones, WR (ATL)
15) Michael Thomas, WR (NO)
16) Keenan Allen, WR (LAC)
17) Lesean Mccoy, RB (BUF)
18) A.J. Green, WR (CIN)
19) Rob Gronkowski, TE (NE)
20) Devonta Freeman, RB (ATL)
21) Mike Evans, WR (TB)
22) Derrick Henry, RB (TEN)
23) Jordan Howard, RB (CHI)
24) Davante Adams, WR (GB)
Analysis: In standard scoring leagues for fantasy football, I believe it is important to have solid running backs. Since I went with a wide receiver in the first round, I knew that I needed to get a running back in the second. Freeman was the best back available at my selection. Although he shares a backfield with Tevin Coleman, Freeman is still the feature back in this offense and might benefit with a solid passing game. With the Falcons adding more talent at receiver, it may take some eyes off Freeman and open him up to make some big plays and score red zone touchdowns.
Round 3:
25) Jerick Mckinnon, RB (SF)
26) Travis Kelce, TE (KC)
27) Brandin Cooks, WR (LAR)
28) Tyreek Hill, WR (KC)
29) Doug Baldwin, WR (SEA)
30) Adam Thielen, WR (MIN)
31) T.Y. Hilton, WR (IND)
32) Larry Fitzgerald, WR (ARI)
33) Stefon Diggs, WR (MIN)
34) Christian Mccaffrey, RB (CAR)
35) Joe Mixon, RB (CIN)
36) Aaron Rodgers, QB (GB)
Analysis: By this round, we can see that running backs are flying off the board quickly as middle of the pack backs such as McKinnon, McCaffrey, and Mixon came off the board. We also saw the first quarterback come off the board in Aaron Rodgers. With my selection, I believed that Baldwin was the best available player. Without an established running game in Seattle, Baldwin will be a focal point of their offense as he is the primary target for Russell Wilson. Until they get their run game figured out, I’d look for Baldwin to get a high amount of targets.
Round 4:
37) Amari Cooper, WR (OAK)
38) Zach Ertz, TE (PHI)
39) Josh Gordon, WR (CLE)
40) Rashaad Penny, RB (SEA)
41) Demaryius Thomas, WR (DEN)
42) Alex Collins, RB (BAL)
43) Kenyan Drake, RB (MIA)
44) Jay Ajayi, RB (PHI)
45) Royce Freeman, RB (DEN)
46) Russell Wilson, QB (SEA)
47) Alshon Jeffery, WR (PHI)
48) Deshaun Watson, QB (HOU)
Analysis: In the fourth round, we see two more quarterbacks come off the board in Wilson and Watson who will put up a great amount of fantasy points through the air and running the ball. We also had two under-the-radar rookie running backs who I strongly believe will make some noise this year in Penny and Freeman. For my selection, I could tell that options were starting to get slim at running back so I decided to go ahead and get my second starter at the position. Ajayi was the best available player at the position for my pick. Although he has some solid backs with him in Philadelphia in Clement and Sproles, Ajayi will be the feature back this year with the departure of LeGarrette Blount. I look for Ajayi’s carries to rise tremendously and he also will benefit from Carson Wentz being back, which means there could be some more receptions for Ajayi this season as well.
Round 5:
49) Juju Smith-Schuster, WR (PIT)
50) Allen Robinson, WR (CHI)
51) Jarvis Landry, WR (CLE)
52) Michael Crabtree, WR (BAL)
53) Tom Brady, QB (NE)
54) Marvin Jones, WR (DET)
55) Lamar Miller, RB (HOU)
56) Golden Tate, WR (DET)
57) Derrius Guice, RB (WAS)
58) Jimmy Graham, TE (GB)
59) Devin Funchess, WR (CAR)
60) Sammy Watkins, WR (KC)
Analysis: In the fifth round we see a lot of great wide receivers starting to fly off the board. Since I already had two of my starting receivers selected, my thought process was to go ahead and draft my starting quarterback. Drafting Brady at this selection was a no-brainer for me as he was the best quarterback available and would easily be gone by my next selection. With Julian Edelman returning, I believe that Brady will put up MVP-caliber numbers once again and they will be reflected in his fantasy scoring.
Round 6:
61) Evan Engram, TE (NYG)
62) Cam Newton, QB (CAR)
63) Julian Edelman, WR (NE)
64) Kirk Cousins, QB (MIN)
65) Greg Olsen, TE (CAR)
66) Carson Wentz, QB (PHI)
67) Chris Hogan, WR (NE)
68) Pierre Garcon, WR (SF)
69) Drew Brees, QB (NO)
70) Dez Bryant, WR (FA)
71) Corey Davis, WR (TEN)
72) Will Fuller, WR (HOU)
Analysis: It’s safe to say that I made the right decision in selecting Brady in the fifth round as four more quarterbacks came off the board in the sixth. With wide receivers beginning to fall off the board at a rapid rate, I decided to go ahead and finish out my starting receiving corps in this round. Garconmade the most sense to me at this selection as he will be the primary target for a rising star quarterback in Jimmy G. Bryant was an intriguing choice but I decided to keep it safe as he has yet to find a team. I also considered Robert Woods but decided against it due to him sharing targets with two other solid receivers in Brandin Cooks and Cooper Kupp.
Round 7:
73) Jordy Nelson, WR (OAK)
74) Matthew Stafford, QB (DET)
75) Ronald Jones, RB (TB)
76) Mark Ingram, RB (NO)
77) Jacksonville Jaguars, DST (JAC)
78) Ben Roethlisberger, QB (PIT)
79) Robert Woods, WR (LAR)
80) Andrew Luck, QB (IND)
81) Sony Michel, RB (NE)
82) Jimmy Garoppolo, QB (SF)
83) Emmanuel Sanders, WR (DEN)
84) Cooper Kupp, WR (LAR)
Analysis: In this round, we see a good mixture of quarterbacks, running backs, and receivers. We also see two very intriguing rookies in Jones and Michel come off the board. Both of these rookies have company in their respective backfields so it will be interesting to see how many carries they truly get, but they are definitely two to watch out for. One pick in this round that I might wait on would be Ingram due to his suspension. He would be a better value in the ninth-tenth round in my opinion. With my starting lineup almost complete, I decided to go ahead and grab the best defense in the league before some else does. The Jacksonville Jaguars defense burst onto the scene last season and is set to have another outstanding season in 2018.
Round 8:
85) Marquise Goodwin, WR (SF)
86) Dion Lewis, RB (TEN)
87) Carlos Hyde, RB (CLE)
88) Robby Anderson, WR (NYJ)
89) Los Angeles Rams, DST (LAR)
90) Marshawn Lynch, RB (OAK)
91) Tevin Coleman, RB (ATL)
92) Kyle Rudolph, TE (MIN)
93) Jamison Crowder, WR (WAS)
94) C.J. Anderson, RB (CAR)
95) Devante Parker, WR (MIA)
96) Randall Cobb, WR (GB)
Analysis: In the eighth round, we see teams starting to draft bench players. One player in this round that I think will surprise some fantasy owners is Cobb. With the loss of Jordy Nelson, Cobb will fill in at the WR2 role behind Davante Adams and should see his targets increase tremendously. Another receiver to watch in this round is Parker, as he is now the top target in Miami. With my selection, I noticed that I had yet to draft a tight end, so I went with the best one available in my opinion. I decided to take Rudolph over Delanie Walker because he is simply a bigger threat, especially with new quarterback Kirk Cousins. The duo of Cousins and Rudolph should be fun to watch this season.
Round 9:
97) Allen Hurns, WR (DAL)
98) Marlon Mack, RB (IND)
99) Chris Thompson, RB (WAS)
100) Kerryon Johnson, RB (DET)
101) Isaiah Crowell, RB (NYJ)
102) Kenny Stills, WR (MIA)
103) Delanie Walker, TE (TEN)
104) Tarik Cohen, RB (CHI)
105) Rex Burkhead, RB (NE)
106) Nelson Agholor, WR (PHI)
107) Kelvin Benjamin, WR (BUF)
108) Jamaal Williams, RB (GB)
Analysis: Round nine is another round that holds mainly bench players. The key player to watch from this round is Allen Hurns. With Dez Bryant out of Dallas, Hurns will likely be the top target in Dallas. I look for him to be a fantasy sleeper this year and have an outstanding season. With my ninth round selection, I decided to add a running back to my bench. Crowell was the most intriguing option, as he was a stud for the Browns and I believe that he will be the feature back for the Jets and continue to be very successful. I thought about taking Rex Burkhead with this selection but I decided against it due to the crowded backfield in New England.
Round 10:
109) Sterling Shepard, WR (NYG)
110) Aaron Jones, RB (GB)
111) Duke Johnson, RB (CLE)
112) Jack Doyle, TE (IND)
113) Marqise Lee, WR (JAC)
114) Nick Chubb, RB (CLE)
115) D’onta Foreman, RB (HOU)
116) Desean Jackson, WR (TB)
117) Mike Williams, WR (LAC)
118) Josh Doctson, WR (WAS)
119) Martavis Bryant, WR (OAK)
120) Calvin Ridley, WR (ATL)
Analysis: This round was filled with intriguing young players that I believe can have breakout seasons for their respective teams. Amidst all of this young talent, I decided to go with a veteran wide receiver with this pick. Jacksonmay be getting a little old but he can still get the job done. He will continue to be an extremely reliable deep threat for Jameis Winston (and Ryan Fitzpatrick) this season. Although I’m satisfied with this pick, I’m upset that I missed Bryant and Ridley. Bryant is set to have an outstanding season as he joins an Oakland team that will probably feature him more in their offense. Ridley is just a rookie but he will be joining Julio Jones to make a very dangerous wide receiver duo in Atlanta.
Round 11:
121) Trey Burton, TE (CHI)
122) Doug Martin, RB (OAK)
123) Bilal Powell, RB (NYJ)
124) Jordan Reed, TE (WAS)
125) D.J. Moore, WR (CAR)
126) Rishard Matthews, WR (TEN)
127) Legarrette Blount, RB (DET)
128) Mohamed Sanu, WR (ATL)
129) Devontae Booker, RB (DEN)
130) Cameron Meredith, WR (NO)
131) Minnesota Vikings, DST (MIN)
132) Ty Montgomery, RB (GB)
Analysis: This round holds a lot of bench players that have some experience in the league. The pick I like in this round was the tight end, Burton. Now that Burton is out of Philadelphia, I believe he will be able to truly have a breakout season as the top tight end in Chicago. For my selection in this round, I went with a very talented rookie wide receiver. Moore had an outstanding final season at Maryland and will give Cam Newton an extra deep threat. I strongly believe that he could eventually become the go-to target for the Panthers at some point this season.
Round 12:
133) Kenny Golladay, WR (DET)
134) Dede Westbrook, WR (JAC)
135) Philip Rivers, QB (LAC)
136) O.J. Howard, TE (TB)
137) James White, RB (NE)
138) Tyler Eifert, TE (CIN)
139) Jameis Winston, QB (TB)
140) Matt Ryan, QB (ATL)
141) Ricky Seals-Jones, TE (ARI)
142) Seattle Seahawks, DST (SEA)
143) Jared Goff, QB (LAR)
144) Corey Clement, RB (PHI)
Analysis: This round is filled with mainly quarterbacks and tight ends. A pick that I would view with caution from this round would be James White. I don’t see where he will stand in carries this year with a very crowded New England backfield. I also would take Winston a little later due to his suspension. For my selection, I decided to go get my backup quarterback. For me it was between Goff and Ryan. I decided to go with Ryan because of his past success and his weapons he has around him. With the addition of Calvin Ridley, Ryan now has a dangerous trio of receivers to throw to in Julio Jones, Mohamed Sanu, and Ridley.
Round 13:
145) Latavius Murray, RB (MIN)
146) Philadelphia Eagles, DST (PHI)
147) Eric Ebron, TE (IND)
148) Patrick Mahomes, QB (KC)
149) Giovani Bernard, RB (CIN)
150) Tyler Lockett, WR (SEA)
151) Dak Prescott, QB (DAL)
152) Alex Smith, QB (WAS)
153) Marcus Mariota, QB (TEN)
154) Nyheim Hines, RB (IND)
155) Derek Carr, QB (OAK)
156) Chris Carson, RB (SEA)
Analysis: In round 13, we saw multiple teams draft their backup quarterback. Since I just drafted my backup quarterback, I decided to build my bench at the running back position. Bernard was the best option available. With Jeremy Hill gone, Bernard’s carries will go up this season as he only has Joe Mixon to share the backfield with. I thought about going with Theo Riddick but I believe Bernard offers more both on the ground and out of the backfield in the passing game.
Round 14:
157) Los Angeles Chargers, DST (LAC)
158) Paul Richardson, WR (WAS)
159) Baltimore Ravens, DST (BAL)
160) Houston Texans, DST (HOU)
161) Ted Ginn, WR (NO)
162) Pittsburgh Steelers, DST (PIT)
163) New Orleans Saints, DST (NO)
164) George Kittle, TE (SF)
165) Denver Broncos, DST (DEN)
166) Corey Coleman, WR (CLE)
167) Keelan Cole, WR (JAC)
168) Carolina Panthers, DST (CAR)
Analysis: In this round, we see a lot of teams drafting their defense. Since I already have my defense selected, I decided to continue building my bench by drafting a backup tight end. Kittle is a very intriguing player at this spot and I believe I got a steal with him falling this low. I see Kittle having a breakout second season in the league and being a go-to target for Jimmy G.
Round 15:
169) Greg Zuerlein, K (LAR)
170) Justin Tucker, K (BAL
171) Stephen Gostkowski, K (NE)
172) Matt Bryant, K (ATL)
173) Chris Boswell, K (PIT)
174) Dan Bailey, K (DAL)
175) Harrison Butker, K (KC)
176) Wil Lutz, K (NO)
177) Matt Prater, K (DET)
178) Robbie Gould, K (SF)
179) Jake Elliott, K (PHI)
180) Ryan Succop, K (TEN)
Analysis: In the last round of most fantasy football drafts, you usually see teams drafting their kicker. As a Steelers fan, I’ll admit Boswell was a bit of a biased pick for me. However, I do strongly believe that he is the most underrated kicker in the league. He had an outstanding season in 2017 and I look for him to do much of the same this year.
Final Roster:
QB: Tom Brady (NE)
RB: Devonta Freeman (ATL)
RB: Jay Ajayi (PHI)
WR: Antonio Brown (PIT)
WR: Doug Baldwin (SEA)
WR: Pierre Garcon (SF)
TE: Kyle Rudolph (MIN)
DST: Jacksonville Jaguars (JAC)
K: Chris Boswell (PIT)
Bench:
BN: Isaiah Crowell, RB (NYJ)
BN: Desean Jackson, WR (TB)
BN: DJ Moore, WR (CAR)
BN: Matt Ryan, QB (ATL)
BN: Giovani Bernard, RB (CIN)
BN: George Kittle, TE (SF)
Final Analysis:
I enjoyed picking at the #5 slot in this draft. I believe that it gave me a prime position to get some solid players. My biggest strength is easily at wide receiver with the best in the league (Brown), along with another outstanding receiver in Baldwin, and a darkhorse in Garcon. It’s also always a plus to have Tom Brady on your team as he is always due for some big numbers. My running game could be a little better, but I feel like Freeman and Ajayi are both solid fantasy options. Rudolph should see his numbers increase with Cousins throwing him the ball. Lastly, the Jacksonville DST and Boswell will get their jobs done at their respective positions. My bench is also pretty strong with tremendous running backs in Crowell and Bernard, a proven quarterback in Ryan, veteran deep threat Jackson, potential rookie phenom Moore, and a rising tight end in Kittle. I actually believe that Moore and Kittle could sneak into the starting lineup at some point in the season. The only thing I regret not doing is drafting a second DST, so I will have to sign one when Jacksonville has their bye week. All things considered, I’m very pleased with how my team panned out and am confident that this team could win its league.