Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images
Fantasy football draft season is upon us, so we know what that means. It's time to do some mock drafts to prepare us for the drafts that really matter, and can put cash in our pockets. I wrote this column last year and it seemed to get a lot of good feedback, so why mess with a good thing?
Here's how this works. Each week I will draft a different fantasy team and I will change my draft position to highlight the types of teams one can build depending on where they are drafting. For this week's exercise, I participated in a mock draft in which I drafted with the No. 7 overall pick. Later this week I'll draft at the end of the round. If you missed my article last week when I drafted with the No. 1 overall pick, you can read it here.
I always advise people to participate in as many mocks as they can before drafting, but not everyone has the time. If that's the case for you, I'll do all the leg work participating in dozens of mock drafts, and you can sit back and learn the positives and negatives of each draft slot. These are PPR drafts, by the way. Let's get started.
I did a few drafts selecting from the No. 7 overall position, but I chose to write this one up because it's a great example of how different each draft can be. I was expecting to take a RB here, but Le'Veon Bell and David Johnson were shockingly already taken. For the record, I'm out on David Johnson, but I have no problem taking Bell as early as pick No. 4. With Ezekiel Elliott still holding out, things are volatile in Round 1. If Elliott returns before the preseason is over, I have no problem with him going No.1.
Okay, now that we got all that out of the way let's get to my pick. I took Texans WR DeAndre Hopkins at No.7 and it was only between him and Davante Adams, for me. I love Adams, but with a new coaching staff in Green Bay, I felt more comfortable with Hopkins.
With my second pick things got interesting. I typically one RB and one WR with my first two picks, but Travis Kelce fell to me in Round 2. I was hoping Nick Chubb would make it back to me, but he was taken right before I picked. I considered Mike Evans and Dalvin Cook, but instead I went with Kelce. I worry about Cook's health and the addition of RB Alexander Mattison. With Gary Kubiak involved in the offense in Minnesota, I know all about his affinity for bigger backs like Arian Foster, and Mattison has some similar traits coming in at over 220 pounds. I think Cook will still be the starter, but he may share some carries.
To be honest, I was terrified at what my RB group would look like waiting until Round 3 to pick my first one, but Damien Williams fell right in my lap, so I was thrilled. Some may be concerned about having two players on the same team, but not when both players are on an offense like the Chiefs.
I truly believe Williams has Top 5 upside, and that's what you have to shoot for when taking a RB in the first three rounds. The other players I would have considered in Round 3 were T.Y. Hilton and Amari Cooper, both players have concerns. Like Cooper's foot injury and Hilton's dependence on the health of Andrew Luck.
With my pick in the fourth round I was happy to take the best WR or RB available, and I went with Seahawks grinder Chris Carson. Seattle is one of the most run-heavy teams in the NFL, and Carson should get a ton of opportunities. Some of the other players I was considering were Cooper Kupp, Mark Ingram, and Tyler Lockett. Since I already had an elite WR, I decided to take another RB.
Moving on to the fifth round I was extremely happy to see Tevin Coleman available. He has Top 10 upside in Kyle Shanahan's offense and Jarvis Landry and Tyler Boyd weren't that appealing to me.
Next up, I decided to roll the dice on Josh Gordon in the sixth round. I was definitely targeting a WR here, and I knew I could grab another WR in Round 7 if Gordon flames out again. Just like my last mock draft, I'm waiting on QB until the double digit rounds, and I already have my TE. This allows me to keep piling up WRs and RBs.
In Round 7 my plan really came together. I was thrilled to draft Panthers WR Curtis Samuel, who has been the talk of camp in Carolina. I'm really feeling the Panthers offense this year.
Round 8 I decided to add more depth at WR with Lions pass-catcher, Marvin Jones. Round 9 I drafted some insurance for Damien Williams when I selected Chiefs RB Darwin Thompson. There are rumors that Carlos Hyde won't make the team, so I like Thompson to be the guy if Williams doesn't pan out. Running backs in Andy Reid's offenses have been pure gold regardless of where he was coaching. Brian Westbrook, Jamaal Charles, Kareem Hunt. Need I say more?
In Round 10 I grabbed yet another WR with Marquez Valdes-Scantling. The Packers are high on him, and his speed excites me a lot more than Geronimo Allison's possession receiver skill set.
I finally grab my QB in Round 11. I don't love Jameis Winston, but as a fantasy QB, the guy puts up numbers and has great weapons to throw to. Plus, their defense is beyond terrible, so I expect him to be chasing points almost every week. I finished my draft grabbing some depth at RB with Dolphins RB Kalen Ballage and Bills RB Devin Singletary. I also added Jimmy Garoppolo in Round 14 just in case Winston doesn't work out.
Takeaways
I really like this team. This squad doesn't have the star power that many covet, but taking a TE early will give your roster a different look. Here's what my starters will look like.
QB Jameis Winston (Round 11)
RB Damien Williams (Round 3)
RB Chris Carson (Round 4)
WR DeAndre Hopkins (Round 1)
WR Josh Gordon (Round 6)
TE Travis Kelce (Round 2)
FLEX Tevin Coleman (Round 5) or I can go with Curtis Samuel (Round 7)
I have tons of depth and some excellent starters. I waited until Round 3 to take my first RB and I still think I'm pretty strong at the position.
A lot of my team's success may depend on Josh Gordon, but I added a lot of depth behind him just in case he goes 'Josh Gordon' on me.
Final thoughts
Fantasy owners are still getting a feel for the first and second rounds. Guys like Le'Veon Bell, Travis Kelce, and even Todd Gurley are being drafted in Round 1 and Round 2 depending on who you're drafting against. Be prepared to see some curveballs in the first few rounds. For my final Mock my Mock, I will draft at the end of Round 1, and I will not take a TE early. We'll see what my roster looks like when I wait on TE until the bitter end. Or who knows, maybe I'll grab one in the middle rounds.
Be sure to check out my radio show MoneyLine with Jerry Bo on ESPN 97.5. We're on every Sunday from 10-noon, and we'll talk a lot of fantasy football and NFL gambling. Also, be sure to follow us on Twitter.
Most Popular
SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome
Listen Live
The NFL Draft, NBA playoffs, and NHL playoffs all dwarf baseball in the sports pecking order this week, but that doesn’t detract from the Astros playing their best stretch of baseball in the still young season. Following up taking two of three from the previously sizzling hot Padres by sweeping the Blue Jays three straight has the Astros’ record at a just fine 13-11 as they open a three-game weekend series in Kansas City. 13-11 may not sound special, because it isn’t, but having come home from St. Louis last week with the record at 8-10 makes 13-11 a quality leap. Plus, a 13-11 pace over 162 games extrapolates to 87 wins, which last season were enough to win the American League West and for an AL Wild Card spot.
Batter up!
While no one will be confusing the potency of this Astros’ lineup with those of the 2017 or 2019 juggernauts, some welcome perking up may have kicked in, despite Yordan Alvarez still not getting rolling. After Joe Espada gave Christian Walker a “mental rest” game off Monday, Walker produced a three-hit game Tuesday and a two-hit follow-up Wednesday, including a home run. Walker’s .202 batting average and .640 OPS are still lousy, but a much lesser grade of lousy than the statistical abyss he was in starting the Toronto series. Yainer Diaz has been much worse than Walker to this point. Diaz managed at least one hit in all three games of the Jays series. Baby steps. He is still sitting on an unacceptable three walks in 78 plate appearances.
Speaking of hits and walks, Jeremy Pena carries a 14-game hitting streak into the weekend. One-quarter of the way to Joe DiMaggio’s big league record! Willy Taveras set the Astros’ record with a 30-gamer back in 2006. Pena hasn’t been crushing it during the streak, during which he has just two multi-hit games. He’s had stretches where he has hit better and slugged harder (2022 postseason anyone?), but while too small a stretch to declare a leap has been made, it is noteworthy that over the 14 games Pena has drawn six walks. That gives him eight free passes in 24 games this season. More math fun! That’s one walk drawn per three games, which over 162 games would make for 54. Last season in 157 games played Pena drew a paltry 25 walks. Add in that his defense has been superb so far this season with a number of fabulous plays made and just one error committed, and Pena could be making modest offensive improvement that makes him a meaningfully better player.
Furthermore speaking of hits and walks, it’s been a struggle on both fronts the last couple of weeks for Jose Altuve. A two-week funk does not represent a crisis, but there are troubling trends that bear watching as Altuve sets to turn 35 years old May 6. Over his last 14 games, Altuve’s OPS is a sub-Maldonadian .547. In this stretch he has two doubles as his lone extra base hits and drawn just two walks. Altuve has struck out 22 times in 24 games. Setting aside the short 2020 COVID season when Altuve never got it going, last year he had the worst strikeout percentage of his career, while his walk rate was his worst since 2015. So far this season, Altuve’s strikeout rate is more than 20 percent worse than last year’s, with his walk rate down 30 percent from 2024. He is hitting line drives at a much lower rate than ever before, and struggling to get the ball in the air. The season still isn’t 20 percent old, but since Altuve last season finished with his lowest OPS (.790, again, exempting 2020) since 2013, and his current .728 OPS is 62 points lower than that, the antennae of at least mild concern are up. This is the first season of Altuve’s five-year 125 million dollar contract extension. Remember, the Astros would not offer Kyle Tucker a contract that took him to age 35.
Bringing the heat!
Hunter Brown makes his next start Sunday in Kansas City. Good luck Royals! Until getting a doubleheader against the pathetic Rockies Thursday, K.C. was averaging under three runs per game. Brown's earned run average through five starts is 1.16! It's waaaaay early to focus on this, but the best season ERA for an Astro pitcher who qualified for the statistical lead (one inning pitched per team game played) belongs to Nolan Ryan who posted a 1.69 in the strike-shortened 1981 season. Over a full-schedule season, Justin Verlander's 1.75 in 2022 is the standard. Brown has fired 24 consecutive shutout innings. Ryan Pressly holds the Astros’ record with 38 consecutive scoreless innings pitched. Orel Hershiser set the Major League record by finishing the 1988 regular season with a ridiculous 59 straight shutout innings. Yes he won the National League Cy Young Award. The Cy Young is strictly a regular season award. Hershiser in 1988 also won the League Championship Series Most Valuable Player Award, and World Series MVP.
For Astro-centric conversation, join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and me for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday.
_____________________________________________
*Looking to get the word out about your business, products, or services? Consider advertising on SportsMap! It's a great way to get in front of Houston sports fans. Click the link below for more information!