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Fantasy Football Dynasty Mock Draft: Round 6 Complete

Sat, 18 May 2013 09:24:19 -0400

We have now completed half of our new 2013 fantasy football dynasty mock draft.

Here are the picks from Round 6:

6.01 - Dan Yanotchko (Team 3): Frank Gore, RB, San Francisco 49ers

Although Gore just turned 30 years old (on May 14th), he's coming off back-to-back 1,200-yard seasons. It's possible that he has one more 1,200-yard season in him.

Considering Gore's age and the fact that the team drafted Marcus Lattimore, however, Gore owners should see a (potentially significant) drop in production after this season.

As the 27th running back off the board, this is a good spot for him.

6.02 - Kevin Hanson (Team 3): Russell Wilson, QB, Seattle Seahawks

Along with fellow rookies Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III, Wilson had a fantastic rookie season.

While Wilson's rookie season began relatively slowly, he was one of the best fantasy quarterbacks in the second half last year. From Week 9 through Week 17, he posted a league-best 120.3 passer rating and scored 20 touchdowns (16 passing and four rushing) with only two interceptions thrown.

By adding one of the league's most dynamic players in Percy Harvin to the team's offense, that only enhances Wilson's fantasy value for 2013 and beyond.

6.03 - Brendan Donahue (Team 3): Mike Wallace, WR, Miami Dolphins

Despite setting a career low with an average of 13.1 yards per reception last year, Wallace, who signed a five-year deal with the Dolphins, provides the Dolphins with the explosive, big-play receiver that they lacked.

Although he is coming off a down year, Wallace has averaged 1,095 yards and scored a total of 26 touchdowns over the past three seasons.

6.04 - Sean Beazley (Team 3): Tavon Austin, WR, St. Louis Rams

The Rams have lost Danny Amendola via free agency, but they traded up in the draft this year to select Austin with the eighth overall pick. Austin has the ability to make huge plays any time he touches the ball whether he is lined up in the slot or backfield and in the return game.

Not only is Austin explosive (4.34 forty), he is strong (14 reps of 225 pounds) for his size (174 pounds) and durable (never missed a practice at West Virginia). Last year, Austin had six 100-yard receiving games including 215 yards against Baylor. In addition, he had a 344-yard rushing game (on 21 carries) against Oklahoma on 11/17.

6.05 - Sean Beazley (Team 2): Pierre Garcon, WR, Washington Redskins

Garcon's tenure as a Redskin got off to a great start: four receptions for 109 yards and a touchdown in the first quarter of his first game. Unfortunately, he suffered a toe injury on that touchdown that kept him out the rest of that game and six other games.

Provided he can stay healthy for a full season, Garcon, who turns 27 in August, should be in store for a career year with the Redskins in 2013. And with one of the best young quarterbacks in the NFL throwing him the ball, the best is yet to come for Garcon.

6.06 - Kevin Hanson (Team 2): Jonathan Stewart, RB, Carolina Panthers

Back in 2009, The Daily Show gave fantasy owners a glimpse of what life would like if he were featured in a more prominent role within the offense. That year, he rushed for 1,133 yards and 10 touchdowns on 221 carries.

Purely based on talent alone, Stewart would be one of the top 10 or 12 running backs off the board. Unfortunately for his fantasy owners, the opportunity has been less plentiful than desired. In the past three seasons, he has averaged only 10.6 carries per game.

With DeAngelo Williams now 30 years old, Stewart should see a larger share of the workload this year and an increasing role going forward.

6.07 - Brendan Donahue (Team 2): Vick Ballard, RB, Indianapolis Colts

It will be Ballard, not Donald Brown, as the Colts' featured back in 2013.

Although he is far from explosive, the big back (5-10, 220 pounds) was productive as a rookie. From Week 6 to the end of the season, Ballard carried ball 190 times for 772 yards, which was 14th in the league during that span.

6.08 - Dan Yanotchko (Team 2): BenJarvus Green-Ellis, RB, Cincinnati Bengals

The Law Firm failed to score double-digit touchdowns for the first time in three seasons, but he set career highs in carries (278), rushing yards (1,094) and receptions (22) last season. Less than a dynamic back, Green-Ellis and Shonn Greene were the only backs in the league to reach the 1,000-yard milestone with an average of less than 4.00 yards per carry.

With the Bengals drafting Gio Bernard with the 36th overall pick in this year's draft, it's unlikely that Green-Ellis rushes for 1,000 yards for a second straight year. Going forward, Bernard should see an increased role at the expense of BJGE.

6.09 - Dan Yanotchko (Team 1): Danny Amendola, WR, New England Patriots

In his six seasons in New England, Wes Welker had 110 receptions or more five times. That is three more than any player in the history of the NFL.

Provided he stays healthy for a full season, Amendola should come close to that total this season and in future years. That said, Amendola has struggled with durability over the past couple of seasons.

6.10 - Kevin Hanson (Team 1): Stevie Johnson, WR, Buffalo Bills

Since breaking out three seasons ago, Johnson has been remarkably consistent. He has finished each of those seasons with 76-82 receptions and 1,004-1,073 yards per season.

With a rookie quarterback, there may be some risk of falling short of those numbers in 2013. Then again, he reached those numbers with The Amish Rifle getting him the ball the past three seasons.

6.11 - Brendan Donahue (Team 1): Antonio Brown, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers

After breaking out in 2011 with 1,108 yards, Brown had a disappointing season in 2012. Not only did he miss three games last year, but his average yards per game (60.5) and per reception (11.9) dropped from 69.3 and 16.1, respectively.

With 60 Minutes departing via free agency, however, Brown will have the opportunity to have a bounce-back season and take a step forward in 2013. On a positive note, he averaged a career-high 5.1 receptions per game and caught five touchdown passes.

Brown will turn 27 years old before the start of the 2013 season.

6.12 - Sean Beazley (Team 1): Jason Witten, TE, Dallas Cowboys

Not only did Witten record a career-high 110 receptions last year, but it was the single-season record for tight ends.

Over the past six seasons, Witten has had four 1,000-yard seasons and a minimum of 942 yards during that span. During that stretch, he has averaged 92 receptions for 1,018 yards and five touchdowns. The 31-year-old tight end has finished with more than five touchdowns only once in the past five years.

- Continue to Round 7

View the other rounds of the mock draft:

Our Dynasty Fantasy Rankings: Quarterbacks | Running Backs | Wide Receivers | Tight Ends

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Fantasy Football Dynasty Mock Draft: Round 5 Complete

Thu, 16 May 2013 19:34:26 -0400

Since starting our new dynasty fantasy football mock draft last week, we have now completed Round 5.

Here are the results from this round:

5.01 - Sean Beazley (Team 1): Jordy Nelson, WR, Green Bay Packers

After a breakout season in 2011, Nelson dealt with injuries that lead to an off year in 2012. He finished the season with 49 receptions for 745 yards and seven touchdowns in 12 games.

While he may never approach the 15 touchdowns he had in 2011 again, Nelson should have a bounce-back season if he can stay healthy. Not only does he have the league's best quarterback (and an improved running game), but the team let Greg Jennings walk via free agency and Donald Driver retired.

5.02 - Brendan Donahue (Team 1): Tom Brady, QB, New England Patriots

So far, Brendan has drafted two quarterbacks for his three teams and both signal-callers are in their mid-thirties. I'm not opposed to that strategy.

In re-draft leagues, both quarterbacks would be selected earlier than they have been taken in this dynasty mock and they have a few elite years left. Although they are the fifth and seventh quarterback selected in this mock, they are both in the top three of my re-draft quarterback rankings.

Later in this draft, he can draft a younger quarterback with some upside for these teams.

5.03 - Kevin Hanson (Team 1): Steven Jackson, RB, Atlanta Falcons

Based on this league/mock format, this team now has its starting running backs (Martin and McFadden), wide receivers (Thomas and White) and flex (S-Jax).

Of course, Jackson is at the tail end of his career playing for the postseason success that has eluded him in St. Louis. In the Falcons' high-powered passing offense, he should have an opportunity to score double-digit touchdowns for the first time since 2006.

Facing fewer eight-men fronts this season, Jackson should be able to rush for 1,000-plus yards in his ninth consecutive season.

5.04 - Dan Yanotchko (Team 1): Matt Ryan, QB, Atlanta Falcons

With the trio of Julio Jones, Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez back and an improved running game behind Steven Jackson, Ryan just might improve upon last year's career numbers.

Ryan, who will turn 28 this month, shattered his previous career highs with 422 completions, 615 pass attempts, 68.6 completion percentage, 4,719 yards and 32 touchdowns in 2012.

5.05 - Dan Yanotchko (Team 2): T.Y. Hilton, WR, Indianapolis Colts

Although I like his upside, there are plenty of wide receivers that I would prefer to have over Hilton at this spot.

The small (5-9, 183) but explosive playmaker had an impressive rookie season with 50 receptions for 861 yards and seven touchdowns. Only Jacksonville's Justin Blackmon had more receiving yards (865) than Hilton last season.

In addition, Hilton gets the opportunity to play with one of the best young quarterbacks in the league.

5.06 - Brendan Donahue (Team 2): Marques Colston, WR, New Orleans Saints

With Colston, fantasy owners get a highly productive and consistent receiver. He finished with 83 receptions for 1,154 yards, which ranked 13th in the league, and eight touchdowns and only 10 receivers scored more fantasy points than Colston in 2012.

Since entering the league as a seventh-round rookie in 2006, Colston has 1,000-plus receiving yards in six of seven seasons. The only exception was his injury-shortened 2008 campaign, but he was on pace for another 1,000-yard season that year.

Colston has caught 58 touchdowns in 102 career games, which is an average of 9.1 per 16 games. Only Arizona's Larry Fitzgerald (59) has more touchdowns than Colston during that span.

5.07 - Kevin Hanson (Team 2): Eric Decker, WR, Denver Broncos

Along with Demaryius Thomas, Decker had a career season last year: 85 receptions (on 123 targets) for 1,064 yards and 13 touchdowns.

With the addition of Wes Welker to the team's receiving corps to replace Brandon Stokley, Decker will likely see less targets over the next year or two. The trio of Welker (175), Thomas (141) and Decker (123) had a total of 439 targets last year. While I expect that overall number to decrease, I don't expect the number to drop to 322 (total of Stokley, Thomas and Decker last year). I see the total to be split somewhere in the middle (around 380 targets) as the tight ends get a few less targets as well.

In other words, I don't see as big of a short-term drop in targets as some others may project. Longer term, the 26-year-old wideout has the size and talent to record several more 1,000-yard seasons in his career.

5.08 - Sean Beazley (Team 2): Justin Blackmon, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars

After being drafted, things did not go so well for Blackmon as he was arrested for DUI, held out longer than any other first-round pick and exceeded 50 receiving yards in only one of his first nine NFL games. During that nine-game stretch, Blackmon had a total of 250 yards.

Then things turned around for Blackmon, who had 38 receptions for 615 yards and four touchdowns in the team's final seven games of the season. Not only did he have a monster 236-yard game, but he had more than 50 yards in six of those seven games.

Despite the positive momentum that he built toward the end of last season, Blackmon will serve a four-game suspension to begin the 2013 season for the violating the league's substance-abuse policy. Even worse from a dynasty standpoint, the next violation could force him to miss a full season.

5.09 - Sean Beazley (Team 3): Darren Sproles, RB, New Orleans Saints

Srpoles missed three games last season, which contributed to lower overall numbers from the previous season. In his two years in The Big Easy, Sproles has a 16-game average of 1,227 YFS, 9.4 TDs and 88.9 receptions.

Although he has only 691 career touches (384 carries and 307 receptions), the 5-foot-6 back turns 30 years next month.

5.10 - Brendan Donahue (Team 3): Matthew Stafford, QB, Detroit Lions

Even though he threw it an NFL-record 727 times last year, Stafford surprisingly saw his touchdown total drop by more than half to 20 last season.

That said, the former No. 1 overall pick has thrown for more than 10,000 yards over the past two seasons combined, has the league's best receiver on his team and just turned 25 years old.

5.11 - Kevin Hanson (Team 3): Dwayne Bowe, WR, Kansas City Chiefs

Last season, Bowe fell short of 1,000 yards for the first time in three seasons and he missed three games. With horrendous quarterback play, Bowe averaged roughly 10 fewer yards per game (61.6) than he did in 2011 (72.4) or 2010 (72.6). In addition, he set a career low with three touchdowns. With a new coaching staff and quarterback, those numbers should improve.

5.12 - Dan Yanotchko (Team 3): Torrey Smith, WR, Baltimore Ravens

Smith has the skill set to be more productive than his numbers would indicate. While many expected a breakout season last year, his numbers were nearly identical year over year. He finished with 49 receptions (50 in 2011) for 855 yards (841) and eight (seven) touchdowns.

Perhaps Smith will break out this year; or perhaps his production will be eerily similar to his 2012 (and 2011) numbers.

- Continue to Round 6

See past rounds:

Our Dynasty Fantasy Rankings: Quarterbacks | Running Backs | Wide Receivers | Tight Ends

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2014 NFL Mock Draft Updated: Jadeveon Clowney still the No. 1 pick

Tue, 14 May 2013 05:55:58 -0400

Although the 2014 NFL Draft is nearly a year away, we have updated our 2014 NFL mock draft. With our next update, we will add a second round to our mock.

For now, here is how we see the first round shaking out:

1. Oakland Raiders (draft history) - Jadeveon Clowney, DE, South Carolina

The nation's top high school recruit as a senior, Clowney would have likely been the No. 1 overall pick if he were eligible for the 2013 NFL draft. Provided the Raiders don't select a potential franchise quarterback here, Clowney should be a lock to go first overall in 2014.

Casual fans became aware of Clowney's talents on New Year's Day after his bone-crushing, fumble-forcing hit on Michigan's Vincent Smith in the Outback Bowl, but Clowney has lived up to the hype ever since he stepped on campus at South Carolina.

A physical freak, Clowney was one of six players tied for third in the nation with 13.0 sacks as a sophomore in 2012. In addition, only Georgia's Jarvis Jones (24.5) had more tackles for loss than Clowney (23.5), who was tied for second with Arizona State's Will Sutton.

The only team with fewer sacks than the Raiders (25) last season was the Jaguars (20).

2. Jacksonville Jaguars (draft history) - Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Louisville

As much as I was surprised that the Jaguars did not draft a quarterback in 2013, I was just as surprised that Arizona quarterback Matt Scott went undrafted. The Jags signed Scott as an undrafted free agent and it wouldn't surprise me if he ends the year as the team's starting quarterback.

Either way, I don't expect them to pass on a potential franchise signal-caller in this year's draft.

Bridgewater, the Big East Offensive Player of the Year, led the Cardinals to an 11-2 record and a win over the Florida Gators in the Sugar Bowl. At 6-3 and 218 pounds, the sophomore completed 68.5 percent of his pass attempts and finished with a 27:8 touchdown-to-interception ratio.

Johnny Football might get more hype in college football, but Bridgewater should be the first quarterback drafted assuming he declares early for the 2014 draft.

3. New York Jets (draft history) - Marqise Lee, WR, USC

It seemed possible that the Jets would draft a quarterback with one of their two first-round picks in 2013, but they used both on defense. Even though West Virginia's Geno Smith fell to them in the second round, the Jets lack weapons for Smith (or Mark Sanchez or David Garrard).

Lee, the Biletnikoff award winner, had a monster season. He led the nation in receptions (118), finished second in receiving yards (1,721) and scored 14 touchdowns.

Current Stanford head coach David Shaw had high praise for Lee saying that he is the best receiver he's seen since scouting Randy Moss.

4. Arizona Cardinals (draft history) - Taylor Lewan, OT, Michigan

Lewan surprised many when he decided to return to school for his senior season. Had he declared early for a draft that featured three offensive tackles selected with a top-four pick, Lewan might have been a top-five pick himself.

As a junior in 2012, he was a first-team AP All-American with Luke Joeckel. Lewan has the prototypical size (6-8 and 309 pounds) and athleticism to play left tackle at the next level.

5. San Diego Chargers (draft history) - Jake Matthews, OT, Texas A&M

The Chargers drafted their right tackle of the future in Alabama's D.J. Fluker in the first round and now they can address the blind side here.

Paired with Luke Joeckel as the bookend tackles protecting Johnny Football last year, Matthews will make the transition to the left side in 2013. The son of Hall-of-Famer Bruce Matthews, Matthews has a legitimate shot of being the first tackle off the board, but he should be a very high first-round pick either way.

- View the rest of this mock draft here

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Fantasy Football Dynasty Mock Draft: Round 4 Complete

Sun, 12 May 2013 22:27:04 -0400

4.01 - Dan Yanotchko (Team 3): Aaron Hernandez, TE, New England Patriots

Through three seasons, Hernandez, who turns 24 in November, has missed a total of 10 games including six of them last season and has yet to play in more than 14 games in any season. Although he had offseason shoulder surgery, he is expected to be ready for training camp.

If Hernandez can stay healthy, he has the potential to be a top-three fantasy tight end for a long time.

4.02 - Kevin Hanson (Team 3): Reggie Bush, RB, Detroit Lions

As a featured back with the Dolphins the past two seasons, Bush has averaged 1,036 rushing yards and 4.7 yards per carry during that span. While he should continue to get close to the approximately 220 carries per year he received in Miami, the biggest source of optimism for Bush owners will come from what he is likely to do in the passing game.

As a rookie with the Saints in 2006, Bush had 88 receptions for 742 yards. Unlikely to repeat those numbers, he should get many more receptions than the 35 catches he had last year. In an offense that throws it more than any team (ever), Bush, who signed a four-year deal with the Lions, could come close to 70 receptions again.

4.03 - Brendan Donahue (Team 3): Michael Crabtree, WR, San Francisco 49ers

The switch from Alex Smith to Colin Kaepernick seemed to make a world of difference for Crabtree, who was a top-10 pick in the 2009 NFL Draft. Before last season, he had never reached 900 receiving yards in a season. Crabtree broke out with career highs across the board last season: 85 receptions, 1,105 yards and nine touchdowns.

From Week 8 through the end of the regular season, Crabtree amassed 51 receptions for 737 yards and eight touchdowns. With his per-game averages over that span, he would have been on pace for a season with a stat line of 91/1310/14.

Although Crabtree is entering his fifth NFL season, he is only 25 years old (turns 26 on September 14th).

4.04 - Sean Beazley (Team 3): Robert Griffin III, QB, Washington Redskins

In dynasty leagues, Griffin III is my No. 2-ranked quarterback. To some degree, RG3's injury last year may be a blessing in disguise when it comes to his longevity as a quarterback.

Going forward, I would expect him to be smarter when it comes to taking hits as a runner. With world-class speed before the injury, he will still be one of the fastest players in the league even if he's not as fast post-rehab.

Although he finished 20th in the NFL in rushing last year with 815 yards, he has the ability to make all of the throws and should continue to develop into one of the league's best passing quarterbacks with experience.

4.05 - Sean Beazley (Team 2): Eddie Lacy, RB, Green Bay Packers

In the days leading up to the 2013 NFL Draft, SI's draft insider Tony Pauline tweeted that some teams believed UCLA's Johnathan Franklin was preferred over Alabama's Eddie Lacy. In typical Ted Thompson fashion, the Packers got bargain picks with both backs: Lacy at the end of Round 2 and Franklin in Round 4.

Although his toe fusion may have scared teams like the Steelers off Lacy, he should be productive at least for the next several years in a high-powered offense like the Packers. Unfortunately, the presence of another talented runner like Franklin means that Lacy is unlikely to be as productive as he could have been without another talented rookie on the roster.

4.06 - Kevin Hanson (Team 2): Montee Ball, RB, Denver Broncos

Broncos EVP John Elway gave Ball high praise recently saying that the rookie runner reminds him of Terrell Davis.

Like the Steelers, the Broncos passed on Lacy due to medical concerns. "We just were worried about Eddie Lacy's medical (report) and how long he could play, and we felt like we got a career back in Montee Ball."

The biggest concern with Ball was his heavy workload in college. With 924 career collegiate carries, Ball rushed for 5,140 yards and scored 77 touchdowns. He also had 59 receptions for 598 yards and six touchdowns as well.

4.07 - Brendan Donahue (Team 2): Drew Brees, QB, New Orleans Saints

Brees is currently tied with the rest of mankind combined when it comes to 5,000-yard passing seasons in the NFL. Both sides have three.

After setting the NFL single-season passing yardage record in 2011, Brees followed that up by becoming the first-ever quarterback to throw for more than 5,000 yards in back-to-back seasons last year.

As a 34-year-old quarterback, Brees may not have as many productive seasons left in his career as guys like Andrew Luck or Cam Newton, but he should be an elite fantasy quarterback for several more seasons.

4.08 - Dan Yanotchko (Team 2): Colin Kaepernick, QB, San Francisco 49ers

With a strong arm and tremendous athleticism for a quarterback, Kaepernick is a dual-threat quarterback that has the potential for a monster fantasy game in any given week.

In his first-ever playoff game as an example of his upside, Kaepernick threw for 263 yards and two touchdowns with one interception while also rushing for 181 yards and two scores. That is 30 points from his rushing stats alone and a total of 46 fantasy points.

4.09 - Dan Yanotchko (Team 1): Vincent Jackson, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

While most expected Jackson's numbers to drop with a move from San Diego to Tampa Bay, he actually had the best year of his career.

In his first season with the Bucs, Jackson, who turned 30 in January, set career highs in both receptions (72) and yards (1,384) and scored eight touchdowns. Not only did Jackson set career highs in receptions and yards last year, but he led the league in yards per reception (19.2).

4.10 - Kevin Hanson (Team 1): Roddy White, WR, Atlanta Falcons

Since 2007, White has been one of the most consistently productive receivers in the league. During that six-year span, he has had at least 83 receptions and 1,153 yards each season. He has averaged 94 receptions, 1,296 yards and eight touchdowns per year over that stretch.

Although he will turn 32 years old this year, he should have a few more very productive seasons. In addition, White has never missed a game in his eight-year career.

4.11 - Brendan Donahue (Team 1): Ryan Mathews, RB, San Diego Chargers

Before breaking his clavicle in the preseason last year, Mathews was going off the board within the first five picks in many drafts.

Not only did he miss four games due to a pair of broken clavicles, Mathews was disappointing when he was on the field last year. He averaged a career-low 3.8 yards per carry and scored only one touchdown in 12 games.

One of the major problems for Mathews (and quarterback Philip Rivers) was the team's poor offensive line play. While the Chargers drafted D.J. Fluker, a great run blocker, in the first round, they lost their best offensive lineman from last year in guard Louis Vasquez as well as left tackle Jared Gaither.

The talent warrants a higher pick, but the offensive line woes and durability concerns make this about the right spot for Mathews in dynasty leagues.

4.12 - Sean Beazley (Team 1): Le'Veon Bell, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers

Of all rookie running backs, I believe Bell steps into a situation that is most beneficial for his 2013 outlook . In other words, Bell is the highest-rated rookie in my re-draft running back rankings for 2013.

“He’s coming from a pro-style offense … so I expect him to get into the mix and be a factor,” Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley said of Bell (via the Detroit Free Press). “He looks like a workhorse back and I think those numbers indicate that he’s quite capable of carrying it a bunch. He’s not a guy that you’d shy away from giving it to him 30 times a game.”

Finishing fifth in the country in rushing (1,793 yards), Bell (382 carries) carried the rock more than any other collegiate back. A big back (6-2, 230 pounds), Bell has the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield for a back his size as evidenced by his 67 receptions over the past two seasons and get the goal-line touches.

- Continue to Round 5

- Go back to Round 3

Our Dynasty Fantasy Rankings: Quarterbacks | Running Backs | Wide Receivers | Tight Ends

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Fantasy Football Dynasty Mock Draft: Round 3 Complete

Sun, 12 May 2013 08:44:08 -0400

Earlier in the week, we began a new 2013 fantasy football dynasty mock draft and we have posted the results of Round 1 and Round 2.

We have completed Round 3 and here are those results:

3.01 - Sean Beazley (Team 1): Cam Newton, QB, Carolina Panthers

Through his first two seasons, Newton has a total of 1,447 rushing yards for 22 touchdowns. While I think the eight touchdowns he scored in 2012 will be closer to his norm than the 14 he scored as a rookie, he would be an RB2 based on his rushing production alone in 2012. Only 22 running backs had more total fantasy points than Newton would have had from his rushing stats.

Newton, who turns 24 this weekend, threw for 7,920 yards, 40 touchdowns and 29 interceptions in those two seasons as well. I'm surprised the Panthers did not add a receiver with an early pick in the draft.

While there are a few other quarterbacks with the ability to generate a lot of points of rushing statistics, Newton has the size (6-5, 248) to make you feel more comfortable about his durability.

3.02 - Brendan Donahue (Team 1): Matt Forte, RB, Chicago Bears

Forte is a solid pick. He's my RB12 in dynasty leagues and the 15th running back off the board.

Although he set his career highs as a rookie with 1,715 yards from scrimmage and 12 total touchdowns, Forte has had five straight seasons with 1,400-plus YFS. If it weren't for a knee injury that forced him out of the final four games of 2011, he might have reached 2,000 YFS. (He was on pace for 1,983 that year.)

3.03 - Kevin Hanson (Team 1): Darren McFadden, RB, Oakland Raiders

It seems like McFadden has been in the league for a long time (and that he can't stay healthy). While the durability issues concern me, you may be surprised to know that McFadden is only 25 years old. (He's actually 12 days younger than C.J. Spiller.)

Back to the durability concerns, he has yet to play in more than 13 games in any of his five seasons.

When healthy, however, he has big-time talent as he showed in 2010 and 2011. While last year was disappointing, the team's offense will no longer be using a zone-blocking scheme and move back to a system that will play to McFadden's strengths.

At this point, I'm willing to roll the dice on McFadden as the 16th running back off the board. If he ever shakes the durability issues, he'll be a steal.

3.04 - Dan Yanotchko (Team 1): Andre Johnson, WR, Houston Texans

It appears that Dan is in win-now mode with team. It's the second time in a row for this team that he took a player better for re-draft leagues than dynasty leagues.

When healthy (i.e., playing a full 16-game season), Johnson, who turns 32 this summer, is 3-for-3 in 1,500-yard seasons over the past five years. Of course, that also means that he hasn't played a full season in two of the past five years.

Although Johnson had at least eight touchdowns from 2007 to 2010, he has a total of only six scores in 23 games over the past two years.

3.05 - Dan Yanotchko (Team 2): Victor Cruz, WR, New York Giants

Since emerging from relative obscurity in 2011, Cruz followed up his franchise-record season (1,536 yards) with another 1,000-yard campaign (1,096 yards). In addition, he set career highs in receptions (86) and touchdowns (10) last year.

Cruz has yet to sign his RFA tender or reach common ground on a new deal with the G-Men, but it's expected that he will and he has many years of strong production and salsa dancing in front of him.

3.06 - Brendan Donahue (Team 2): Percy Harvin, WR, Minnesota Vikings

As dangerous as Harvin was last season in Minnesota's offense, it's scary to think how much better he can be with the Seahawks now that he has a competent quarterback under center.

Before being sidelined for the rest of the season with injury, no receiver had more receptions (62) than Harvin through nine games. During that span, he had 677 receiving yards, 96 rushing yards and five touchdowns (three receiving, one rushing and one as a returner).

3.07 - Kevin Hanson (Team 2): Larry Fitzgerald, WR, Arizona Cardinals

If he weren't going to turn 30 years old in August, Fitzgerald should go even higher in dynasty drafts.

The Cardinals were one of the most disappointing teams in the NFL last year after losing 11 of their 12 final games last year. Not only was their quarterback play atrocious, but their offensive line allowed a league-worst 58 sacks.

The team has taken some steps to improve in both areas with the addition of Jonathan Cooper in the first round and by acquiring Carson Palmer via trade.

Just two seasons ago, Fitzgerald had 1,411 receiving yards with Kevin Kolb and John Skelton throwing him the ball. It wouldn't surprise me if he comes close to those numbers this year and in the next few years as well.

3.08 - Sean Beazley (Team 2): DeMarco Murray, RB, Dallas Cowboys

With Murray, you get a player with a similar outlook as McFadden: talented but injury-prone. If Murray stays healthy, something he has yet to do, he has the potential to put up some big numbers in the Cowboys' offense.

He has played in 23 games over the past two seasons and has accumulated 1,560 rushing yards on 325 carries and 430 receiving yards on 60 receptions.

Adding Travis Frederick, the top center in the draft (albeit a round or two earlier than expected), should help protect Tony Romo and improve the running game. While the team drafted Joseph Randle to replace Felix Jones, Randle recently hand thumb surgery and likely won't get the cast off until training camp.

3.09 - Sean Beazley (Team 3): Giovani Bernard, RB, Cincinnati Bengals

For the first time in five decades, there were no running backs selected in the first round of an NFL draft. Selected 37th overall, Bernard was the first of five running backs off the board in the second round this year.

Not the biggest back (5-9, 202 pounds), Bernard is elusive with good vision, but he can run with power as well. In addition, he is an excellent receiver out of the backfield. In two seasons with the Tar Heels, Bernard ran for 1,200-plus yards and finished with double-digit touchdowns and 45-plus receptions both years.

With a 1,000-yard rusher already on the roster (BenJarvus Green-Ellis), Bernard might not get the same kind of opportunity that other rookie rushers could get this year. That said, he should still be one of the most productive rookie runners in the league and he's my top-rated rookie running back in dynasty leagues.

3.10 - Brendan Donahue (Team 3): Lamar Miller, RB, Miami Dolphins

With the game-breaking speed to take it to the house on any given play, Miller appears to be the favorite to take over as the team's featured back with the offseason departure of Reggie Bush. In limited work (51 carries), Miller averaged just shy of five yards per carry.

That said, Miller has yet to be a featured back in the NFL and Mike Gillislee, their fifth-round pick this year, could get (many) more touches than many currently project.

3.11 - Kevin Hanson (Team 3): Hakeem Nicks, WR, New York Giants

Missing three games and never 100 percent due to his foot last season, Nicks set career lows with 692 yards and three touchdowns. In his previous two seasons, he had a total of 155 receptions for 2,244 yards and 18 touchdowns.

Assuming he can stay healthy in 2013 (and beyond), however, Nicks should bounce back next season (and beyond). Nicks just turned 25 years old this offseason.

3.12 - Dan Yanotchko (Team 3): Andrew Luck, QB, Indianapolis Colts

Luck set the rookie record for most passing yards (4,374) in a season and scored a total of 28 touchdowns (23 passing and five rushing) last year. He has all of the physical tools and intangibles to potentially develop into one of the top two or three fantasy quarterbacks down the line.

In Bruce Arian's vertical passing attack, Luck threw a lot of interceptions (19), but I would expect that number to drop considerably in his second season. Although he has a new offensive coordinator, Luck is familiar with Pep Hamilton's offense from his days at Stanford.

- Continue to Round 4

- Go back to Round 2

Our Dynasty Fantasy Rankings: Quarterbacks | Running Backs | Wide Receivers | Tight Ends

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2013 NFL Division Winner Polls Set Up

Sat, 11 May 2013 16:52:36 -0400

With the NFL Draft and majority of free-agency moves behind us, we have set up division-winner polls for all eight NFL divisions.

Some of the divisions (AFC East and AFC West, as examples) seem to have clear-cut favorites to win them; others should be heavily contested including the NFC West.

Just a few seasons ago, it was clearly the worst division in football. With a losing record (7-9), the Seahawks won the division in 2010.

Over the past two seasons, however, the San Francisco 49ers have won the division each year with a combined record of 24-7-1 over that span. After losing in the NFC Championship Game two seasons ago, they advanced to Super Bowl XLVII but came up short.

Going into the 2013 season, they are the preseason favorites to win it all based on their odds (6/1) from bovada.lv.

Based on the odds, the team from the NFC to give the 49ers the biggest run for their money is the Seahawks, who have 9/1 odds to win Super Bowl XLVIII.

Both teams have elite and physical defenses, strong running games and talented pocket passers with the athleticism to make plays as a runner.

In a division with arguably the two best teams in football, who will win the NFC West?

[Vote on our other division-winner polls here.]

Fantasy Football Dynasty Mock Draft: Round 2 Complete

Sat, 11 May 2013 06:40:45 -0400

We recently posted Round 1 of our new fantasy football dynasty mock and now Round 2 is in the books.

Here are the results of Round 2:

2.01 - Dan Yanotchko (Team 3): Alfred Morris, RB, Washington Redskins

Alfred Morris is a perfect Terrell Davis-type fit in Mike Shanahan's offense. That said, I will always reserve a bit (or lot) of skepticism when Shanahan is involved.

As a rookie, the former sixth-round pick out of Florida Atlantic rushed for a franchise-record 1,613 yards and 11 touchdowns, both of which ranked second in the NFL.

Shanahan did not shy away from giving Morris a huge workload as he finished with 335 carries and he was tied with Houston's Arian Foster for most 20-carry games (10).

2.02 - Kevin Hanson (Team 3): Marshawn Lynch, RB, Seattle Seahawks

This pick came down to Marshawn Lynch vs. Julio Jones for me. My thought was that I would get a more talented wide receiver (than running back) with my third pick (3.07) so I went with Lynch.

Not only does Lynch have back-to-back seasons with 1,200-plus rushing yards and double-digit touchdowns, he set a career highs with 1,590 rushing yards and 5.0 yards per carry last season. While he's not a dynamic receiver out of the backfield, he has at least 21 receptions in all three seasons he has spent in Seattle.

The addition of a dynamic player like Percy Harvin to the offense should help take some of the attention from defenses off Lynch and lead to more production per touch.

That said, adding Christine Michael in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft could also spell fewer touches for Lynch.

2.03 - Brendan Donahue (Team 3): Julio Jones, WR, Atlanta Falcons

Considering I was debating Jones and Lynch, it was little surprise that Brendan took Jones here.

While the start to his young two-year career may not be as impressive as A.J. Green's, Jones has 133 receptions for 2,157 yards and 18 touchdowns plus 86 receiving yards over the past two seasons combined.

With great size and game-breaking speed, Jones will eventually emerge as the team's primary receiver over Roddy White, who turns 32 this season. Last year, Jones ranked 20th in the NFL in targets (129), but the gap between Jones and White (143) narrowed considerably from Jones' rookie season.

2.04 - Sean Beazley (Team 3): Rob Gronkowski, TE, New England Patriots

Over the past five months, Gronkowski has had three surgeries on his forearm and there could be a fourth (and fifth) soon. Not only did he refracture his arm in his first game back from the initial fracture, but he developed an infection (insert punch line) in the arm as well. How well the infection has healed is to be determined ...

When healthy, Gronkowski is the most dominant tight end in the game. He has a total of 38 touchdowns in 42 career games and has the potential to string together a bunch of games with multiple touchdowns.

2.05 - Sean Beazley (Team 2): Jimmy Graham, TE, New Orleans Saints

Five total picks in the mock so far for Sean and zero running backs up to this point.

Graham had a solid but disappointing season in 2012 as injuries slowed him down. He finished the year with 85 receptions for 982 yards and nine touchdowns after posting a line of 99/1,310/11 in 2011. He will be fully recovered from his offseason wrist surgery before the start of the season and could post numbers closer to his 2011 (than 2012) line this year.

While Gronkowski and Graham are my top two tight ends in both re-draft and dynasty leagues, the gap between the two tight ends is greater in dynasty formats considering Gronk is more than three years younger.

2.06 - Kevin Hanson (Team 2): Stevan Ridley, RB, New England Patriots

Ridley, who turned 24 years old in January, had a breakout season with a career-high 1,263 yards and 12 touchdowns last year. While he only has nine career receptions, Ridley should continue to get a heavy workload and goal-line opportunities for the Pats.

His 290 carries were the eighth-most in franchise history and the most since Corey Dillion had 345 in 2004.

Like with Morris and Shanahan, there will always be some skepticism with Belichick and running back workloads.

2.07 - Brendan Donahue (Team 2): David Wilson, RB, New York Giants

While Andre Brown should have a prominent role as well, Wilson should be the team's featured back provided they don't bring back Ahmad Bradshaw.

As Bradshaw remains available via free agency, the Giants know him the best and appreciate his toughness. Should the price be reasonable, I wouldn't be surprised if the Giants bring back Bradshaw.

Averaging 5.0 yards per carry and 26.9 yards per kickoff, Wilson, who will turn 22 years old in June, has great quickness and explosiveness but he will need to protect the football and pass protect well to stay out of Tom Coughlin's doghouse.

2.08 - Dan Yanotchko (Team 2): Randall Cobb, WR, Green Bay Packers

Among my top-25 dynasty wide receivers, Cobb, who I rank at No. 10, is the youngest and will turn 23 years old in August.

In his second season, Cobb set career highs with 80 receptions, 954 receiving yards, 132 rushing yards and eight touchdowns.

With Greg Jennings in Minnesota and Donald Driver entering retirement, Cobb (plus Jordy Nelson and James Jones as well) should get a few more targets in the Packers' high-powered offense.

2.09 - Dan Yanotchko (Team 1): Maurice Jones-Drew, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars

Things could not have gone much worse for Jones-Drew last year. Not only did he not get the new contract before/after ending his holdout, but he suffered a lisfranc injury and missed the final 10 games of the season.

At this point, MJD is still in a walking boot and is scheduled to start running in May. That's the bad news, but he is expected to be full-go in June.

The good news is Pocket Hercules enters a contract year and "has set his sights on 2,000 yards this season," according to SI's Jim Trotter.

2.10 - Kevin Hanson (Team 1): Demaryius Thomas, WR, Denver Broncos

Thomas had a breakout season last year in his first with Peyton Manning. Even with the offseason addition of slot receiver Wes Welker, I don't expect a huge drop in targets for Thomas, who finished the year with 94 receptions for 1,434 yards and 10 touchdowns.

While he won't have Peyton throwing to him the rest of his career, the 25-year-old is a big and athletic receiver that should continue to get better.

2.11 - Brendan Donahue (Team 1): Brandon Marshall, WR, Chicago Bears

Reunited with Jay Cutler, things could not have gone much better for Brandon Marshall (and his fantasy owners) last year.

Not only was he the first 1,000-yard receiver for the Bears since Marty Booker in 2002, but Marshall set the single-season franchise record in both receiving yards (1,508) and receptions (118). Of the five receivers to finish with triple-digit receptions, Marshall was the only receiver to finish with double-digit touchdowns (11). In fact, Wes Welker was second in that group with six.

Turning 29 years old this spring, Marshall should still have a at least a few more seasons of elite-level production left in him.

2.12 - Sean Beazley (Team 1): Chris Johnson, RB, Tennessee Titans

When things are good for CJ2K, we've seen how good they could be. In the year he rushed for more than 2,000 yards, he set the single-season record for most yards from scrimmage (2,509).

Over the past couple of years, he has been much less productive than his record-setting campaign due in part to indecisive running and horrible interior offensive line play. The Titans significantly upgraded all three of their interior offensive line positions with Chance Warmack and Brian Schwenke in the draft and Andy Levitre in free agency.

With the offseason addition of Shonn Greene, who rushed for 1,000 yards last year, Johnson may come off the field at the goal line or see his overall touches decrease some.

- Continue to Round 3

- Go back to Round 1

Our Dynasty Fantasy Rankings: Quarterbacks | Running Backs | Wide Receivers | Tight Ends

To keep track of our updates: (1) follow us on Twitter, (2) LIKE us on Facebook and/or (3) add us to your Google+ circle.

Fantasy Football Dynasty Mock Draft: Round 1 Completed

Thu, 09 May 2013 07:35:55 -0400

Before the 2013 NFL Draft, we completed two fantasy football mock drafts (standard scoring first and then point-per-reception (PPR) scoring) for re-draft leagues.

With the draft behind us, we will do more re-draft mocks in the near future.

For the first time this offseason, however, we have begun a dynasty mock draft. With this mock, we will be making our picks via a slow draft, but I will update the picks (and add commentary) as they are made.

Scoring for this mock draft is standard scoring and a half-point per reception. Passing touchdowns are worth four points and rushing and receiving scores are worth six points. In addition, one point is earned for every 25 passing yards, 10 rushing yards and 10 receiving yards.

Like with our other mocks, four of our contributors will draft for three teams per round.

Here are the picks that have been made thus far in our fantasy football dynasty mock:

1.01 - Sean Beazley (Team 1): Calvin Johnson, WR, Detroit Lions

Johnson is the clear-cut No. 1 wide receiver regardless of scoring format (dynasty vs. re-draft, standard vs. PPR scoring, etc.). Without question, he should be the first wide receiver selected in this mock.

After becoming only the second receiver in NFL history to finish with at least 1,600 yards and 16 touchdowns in the same season in 2011, Megatron broke Jerry Rice's single-season receiving yards (1,964) record last year.

In his past 20 games counting the playoffs, he has five 200-yard games. Stated differently, he has 200-plus yards in one-quarter of his past 20 games.

With all that said, should he be the first player selected overall?

While I would personally take Adrian Peterson at this spot, I can see the logic in taking Johnson here.

Sean either takes him here or doesn't draft him. Ever. If he wants Megatron on his roster, he has to take him here.

Even though Peterson is a physical freak in his own right, he will turn 30 years old in less than 23 months. In addition, he is only 246 carries away from reaching 2,000 for his career. Those are numbers that worry me some (read: a lot) with a running back.

Meanwhile, the 27-year-old Johnson should have roughly five more dominant seasons and a few good ones on top of that. Turning 34 years old in the middle of last season, Reggie Wayne finished with 106 receptions and 1,355 yards.

A 1,300-yard rusher at 34 years old is not going to happen. Well, it has happened ... once. Only once and 30 years ago.

Back in 1983, Redskins running back John Riggins rushed for 1,347 yards at 34 years old. The next oldest to do it was Chicago's Walter Payton in 1986 at 32 years old.

1.02 - Brendan Donahue (Team 1): Adrian Peterson, RB, Minnesota Vikings

In re-draft leagues, Peterson is a no-brainer as the top running back (and top overall pick). As stated above, I would personally draft him first overall in this mock, but several owners may prefer a younger option at running back over Peterson.

Less than one year removed from a torn ACL, Peterson, the league's Most Valuable Player, nearly set the NFL single-season rushing record with the second-highest output of all-time (2,097 yards). In fact, almost 1,600 of those yards and 10 touchdowns came in the final 10 games of the season.

Shooting for 2,500 rushing yards this season, that goal seems somewhat less absurd after what he accomplished last year at less than 100 percent.

1.03 - Kevin Hanson (Team 1): Doug Martin, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Rookie running backs (in addition to quarterbacks) had a ton of success in 2012. While Alfred Morris ranked second in the league in rushing, it was actually Doug Martin that ranked second in yards from scrimmage among running backs.

Only Peterson (2,314) had more than rushing and receiving yards than The Muscle Hamster (1,926), a three-down back.

1.04 - Dan Yanotchko (Team 1): Arian Foster, RB, Houston Texans

Although Foster rushed for 1,424 yards last year, that was a moderate disappointment. Leading the league in carries (351), Foster finished sixth in the league in rushing and averaged a career-low 4.1 yards per carry in 2012. That said, he rushed for a season-high 15 scores.

A workhorse back, Foster has been relatively durable despite the workload and now has three straight seasons of 1,200-plus yards and double-digit touchdowns.

From a dynasty standpoint, however, Foster's cumulative workload in a short timeframe is my biggest concern. Over the past three seasons including the playoffs, Foster has 1,243 touches (1,061 carries and 182 receptions), which averages to nearly 415 touches per season.

1.05 - Dan Yanotchko (Team 2): Ray Rice, RB, Baltimore Ravens

Over the past three seasons, only Darren Sproles (220) has more receptions than Rice (200). The only player with more yards from scrimmage than Rice (5,465) during that span was Foster (5,702). Along with Peterson (5,062), only three backs have 5,000-plus YFS in the past three years.

With Rice, however, there is some concern with the presence of Bernard Pierce, a talented back in his own right.

1.06 - Brendan Donahue (Team 2): Trent Richardson, RB, Cleveland Browns

Had you told me there would be two 1,000-yard rookie running backs at the beginning of last season, I would have thought for sure that T-Rich would be one of them. He wasn't. Part of the problem was health, however, as Richardson dealt with injuries (ribs and knee) for much of the year.

In dynasty leagues, Richardson, who turns 23 in July, is my third-ranked running back behind only Peterson and Martin.

While he fell short of 1,000 yards (950) and averaged only 3.6 yards per carry, he scored 12 total touchdowns and was one of only seven backs with 50-plus receptions. Provided he stays relatively healthy during his sophomore campaign (and beyond), he has a legitimate shot to be a top-five fantasy back in 2013 (and beyond).

1.07 - Kevin Hanson (Team 2): LeSean McCoy, RB, Philadelphia Eagles

The 2012 season was a huge disappointment for McCoy (and the Eagles as well). Following a monster season of 1,309 rushing yards and a league-high 17 rushing touchdowns in 2011, McCoy set a career low with two rushing scores and missed four games due to a concussion last year.

As the team begins the Chip Kelly era, it will be interesting to see exactly how his offense translates to (and is modified for) the NFL. While I don't think we ever see 17 rushing touchdowns from McCoy again, he should finish with 1,600 to 1,800 yards from scrimmage and around 60 receptions this year.

Although McCoy is entering his fifth season, he won't turn 25 years old until July.

1.08 - Sean Beazley (Team 2): Aaron Rodgers, QB, Green Bay Packers

If I could have any quarterback in fantasy, my preference would be Rodgers. He's a lock to finish in the top three in fantasy points among players at the position. That said, I'd prefer to wait on quarterback in dynasty or re-draft leagues.

Despite the gaudy stats by some other quarterbacks, Rodgers has never thrown more than 552 pass attempts, which is a career high that he set last season. That ranked tenth in the NFL last year. Matthew Stafford threw it almost 200 more times than Rodgers. That said, ARod has an 84-to-14 touchdown-to-interception ratio in the past two seasons combined.

1.09 - Sean Beazley (Team 3): Dez Bryant, WR, Dallas Cowboys

Clearly, Sean has a different strategy than the other three drafters and it will interesting to see how the draft ultimately plays out. Up to this point, there have been six running backs selected (none by Sean) and three non-running backs (all drafted by Sean).

In his breakout season, it was pedal to the medal for Bryant from Week 4 on. In his final eight games last year, he had 50 receptions for 879 yards and 10 touchdowns. That final-half pace would have led to a season with a stat line of 100/1,758/20. While I don't expect those numbers for Bryant in 2013, he has said his goal is a 2,000-yard and 20-touchdown season.

Until my latest update, Bryant was my No. 2-ranked wide receiver in re-draft leagues, but I bumped A.J. Green up in front of him (see rankings). For me, it is more of a 2 and 2(a) with Green and Bryant in re-draft leagues.

From a longer-term perspective, however, I worry some about the other stuff interfering with Bryant's ability to live up to his potential. He has had some issues off the field (like getting banned from a mall) and plays with a reckless abandon, which could lead to more injuries. In my dynasty rankings, Bryant is behind Megatron, Green and Atlanta's Julio Jones.

1.10 - Brendan Donahue (Team 3): C.J. Spiller, RB, Buffalo Bills

One of the league's most dangerous backs, Spiller had a breakout season as he set career highs with 1,244 rushing yards, 43 receptions, 459 receiving yards and eight total touchdowns.

Along with Peterson, Spiller was the only running back to average at least six yards per carry last season (6.01). Even though he ranked 22nd in rush attempts (207), the former first-round pick ranked second in the league in runs of 20-plus yards (12) behind Peterson.

With a new coaching staff in place and Fred Jackson now 32 years old, Spiller should see a larger workload in 2013 and beyond.

1.11 - Kevin Hanson (Team 3): Jamaal Charles, RB, Kansas City Chiefs

When Brendan was on the clock, my thought was that I would the running back out of Spiller and Charles that he did not take.

Charles ran for 1,509 yards on 285 carries, both of which were career highs, last season. While I wouldn't expect Charles to see a repeat of the 285 carries under Andy Reid, I do expect him to get more than the 35 receptions he had last year. Overall, I wouldn't be surprised if he came close to the career high in YFS (1,935) he set back in 2010.

1.12 - Dan Yanotchko (Team 3): A.J. Green, WR, Cincinnati Bengals

Green has had about as good of a start to his young NFL career as any receiver has had.

The sky is the limit for the 24-year-old receiver, who has a total of 162 receptions for 2,407 yards and 18 touchdowns combined in his first two seasons. He even has another 91 yards rushing as well.

If both Spiller and Charles had been off the board before my previous pick, I would have selected Green.

- Continue to Round 2

Our Dynasty Fantasy Rankings: Quarterbacks | Running Backs | Wide Receivers | Tight Ends

To keep track of our updates: (1) follow us on Twitter, (2) LIKE us on Facebook and/or (3) add us to your Google+ circle.

Dynasty Fantasy Football Rankings Updated

Wed, 08 May 2013 07:23:34 -0400

Since the 2013 NFL Draft, we have updated our re-draft fantasy football rankings for the 2013 season for both standard-scoring and point-per-reception (PPR) formats.

We have now turned our attention to dynasty leagues and our initial dynasty rankings have been posted.

Throughout the offseason, we will continue to update both our re-draft and dynasty rankings, which you can view in our fantasy section.

Although we ranked 280-plus players, we will post our top five at each position below with the links to view the full position rankings as well.

Here are our quarterback dynasty rankings:

1. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers
2. Robert Griffin III, Washington Redskins
3. Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers
4. Andrew Luck, Indianapolis Colts
5. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints
- View all 51 quarterbacks ranked here

Here are our running back dynasty rankings:

1. Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings
2. Doug Martin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
3. Trent Richardson, Cleveland Browns
4. Arian Foster, Houston Texans
5. Ray Rice, Baltimore Ravens
- View all 80 running backs ranked here

Here are our wide receiver dynasty rankings:

1. Calvin Johnson, Detroit Lions
2. A.J. Green, Cincinnati Bengals
3. Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons
4. Dez Bryant, Dallas Cowboys
5. Demaryius Thomas, Denver Broncos
- View all 101 wide receivers ranked here

Here are our tight end dynasty rankings:

1. Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots
2. Jimmy Graham, New Orleans Saints
3. Aaron Hernandez, New England Patriots
4. Vernon Davis, San Francisco 49ers
5. Jason Witten, Dallas Cowboys
- View all 51 tight ends ranked here

If you're looking for our re-draft rankings for 2013, you can find them here.

In addition to updating our dynasty fantasy rankings, we have just started a dynasty mock draft and I will post the picks as they are made along with comments.

To keep track of our updates: (1) follow us on Twitter, (2) LIKE us on Facebook and/or (3) add us to your Google+ circle.

2014 NFL Mock Draft: Jadeveon Clowney to the Raiders

Wed, 01 May 2013 22:12:58 -0400

Since 1998 when Peyton Manning was selected with the first overall pick, 12 of the past 16 top overall draft picks have been quarterbacks.

If the top pick in the 2014 NFL Draft is someone other than a quarterback, it will mark the first time since Peyton entered the league that consecutive top picks were not quarterbacks.

While plenty will change over the next 51 weeks, here is how I see the first round next April:

1. Oakland Raiders (draft history) - Jadeveon Clowney, DE, South Carolina

The nation's top high school recruit as a senior, Clowney would have likely been the No. 1 overall pick if he were eligible for the 2013 NFL draft. Clowney became an instant national sensation on New Year's Day with his bone-crushing, fumble-forcing hit on Michigan's Vincent Smith in the Outback Bowl.

A physical freak, Clowney was one of six players tied for third in the nation with 13.0 sacks in 2012. In addition, only Georgia's Jarvis Jones (24.5) had more tackles for loss than Clowney (23.5), who was tied for second with Arizona State's Will Sutton.

The only team with fewer sacks than the Raiders (25) last season was the Jaguars (20).

2. Jacksonville Jaguars (draft history) - Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Louisville

As much as I was surprised that the Jaguars did not draft a quarterback in 2013, I was as surprised that Arizona quarterback Matt Scott went undrafted. The Jags signed Scott as an undrafted free agent and it wouldn't surprise me if Scott ends the year as the team's starting quarterback.

If not, however, I don't expect them to pass on a potential franchise signal-caller in this year's draft.

Johnny Football might get more hype, but Bridgewater has as much, if not more, of a chance to be the first quarterback drafted assuming he declares early for the 2014 draft.

3. New York Jets (draft history) - Marqise Lee, WR, USC

It seemed possible that the Jets would draft a quarterback with one of their two first-round picks in 2013, but they used both on defense. Although Geno Smith fell to them in the second round, the Jets lack weapons for Smith.

Lee, the Biletnikoff award winner, had a monster season. He led the nation in receptions (118), finished second in receiving yards (1,721) and scored 14 touchdowns.

4. Arizona Cardinals (draft history) - Jake Matthews, OT, Texas A&M

5. San Diego Chargers (draft history) - Taylor Lewan, OT, Michigan

The Chargers drafted their right tackle of the future in Alabama's D.J. Fluker in the first round and now they address the blind side.

Along with Matthews, Lewan surprised many when he decided to return to school for his senior season. As a junior in 2012, he was a first-team AP All-American with Joeckel. Lewan has the prototypical size (6-8 and 309 pounds) and athleticism to play left tackle at the next level.

6. Tennessee Titans (draft history) - Johnny Manziel, QB, Texas A&M

The biggest knock on Manziel, from a draft perspective, is he's not, well, the biggest quarterback. With the success last season of Russell Wilson, who slipped to the third-round due to his height (5-10), Manziel has a shot of a being a first-rounder in 2014.

Manziel, the first freshman Heisman Trophy winner, is listed at 6-1 and 200 pounds, but he set the SEC record for most yards with 3,706 passing yards and 1,410 rushing yards. In fact, he led all players in rushing -- both yards and touchdowns (21) -- in the SEC.

The team's current mobile (but inconsistent) quarterback Jake Locker will be entering a walk year in 2014. With the team upgrading their interior offensive line in both free agency and the draft as well as adding an additional playmaker in Justin Hunter, Locker will need to step up in his third year to keep the team from possibly going in a different direction.

7. Buffalo Bills (draft history) - Anthony Barr, OLB, UCLA

A converted running back from his first two seasons at UCLA, Barr flourished as a pass-rusher and finished second in the nation in sacks (13.5) in 2012. In addition, he finished tied for seventh with Texas A&M's Damontre Moore in tackles for loss (21.0).

8. Cleveland Browns (draft history) - Tajh Boyd, QB, Clemson

With a new front office and coaching staff, the Browns may go in a different direction from Brandon Weeden, who was selected in the first round of the 2012 NFL draft by the previous regime.

Boyd, the ACC Player of the Year, made nice strides as a junior. His completion percentage increased to 67.2 percent (from 59.7 percent), his yards-per-attempt average increased to 9.12 (from 7.67) and his rating increased to 165.6 from 141.2.

- View the rest of our early 2014 NFL Mock Draft

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2013 Fantasy Football Rankings: Top 30 Rookie Wide Receivers (Re-Draft Leagues)

Sun, 28 Apr 2013 22:39:42 -0400

For the 2013 season only, here are my early rankings of rookie wide receivers in fantasy football:

1. Tavon Austin, St. Louis Rams

While he is a nice replacement in the slot for Danny Amendola, who signed with the Patriots this offseason, Austin is a much more explosive and versatile player than Amendola. He has the ability to make huge plays any time he touches the ball whether he is lined up in the slot or backfield and as a returner.

Not only is Austin explosive (4.34 forty at the combine), Austin is strong (14 reps of 225 pounds) despite his size (5-foot-9, 174 pounds) and durable (never missed a practice at West Virginia).

Last year, Austin had six 100-yard receiving games including 215 yards against Baylor. In addition, he had a 344-yard rushing game (on 21 carries) against Oklahoma on 11/17.

2. Cordarrelle Patterson, Minnesota Vikings

As a JUCO transfer, Patterson (6-2, 205) finished with 46 receptions for 778 yards and five touchdowns and was a first-team All-SEC selection in his first year at Tennessee. In addition, he set a school record with 1,858 all-purpose yards.

Extremely dangerous with the ball in the open field, Patterson is a boom-or-bust prospect as a receiver. His route-running is less than polished and there were numerous reports that he interviewed poorly throughout the draft process.

3. DeAndre Hopkins, Houston Texans

Lacking a viable weapon opposite Andre Johnson, the Texans used a first-round pick on a receiver for the first time since drafting Johnson in 2003. In fact, nine of their past ten first-round picks have been a defensive player. (The exception was left tackle Duane Brown in 2008.)

Not the fastest receiver in this draft class, Hopkins excels as a route-runner and has great hands. He had a monster season with 82 receptions for 1,405 yards and 18 touchdowns. In fact, Nuke scored in all but one game this season.

4. Keenan Allen, San Diego Chargers

A player that could have been a first-round choice, Allen slipped to the third round due to concerns about his knee injury that prevented him from working out at the combine and his school's pro day. When he worked out in April at his own personal pro day, he disappointed some by failing to run a sub-4.7 forty.

One of the players to whom Allen is most often compared is Anquan Boldin and Allen is a physical receiver with excellent hands. As a sophomore in 2011, Allen ranked ninth in the country with 1,343 yards on 98 receptions despite less-than-spectacular quarterback play.

5. Justin Hunter, Tennessee Titans

With the addition of Hunter, one would have to imagine that this will be Kenny Britt's last season with the Titans unless a team acquires him via trade before the final year of his rookie deal is up. Although he has plenty of talent, Britt has had a disproportionate share of off-the-field issues and has been more trouble than he's worth.

That said, Hunter will have to (potentially) compete with Britt, last year's first-round pick Kendall Wright and Nate Washington for snaps and targets.

Before tearing his ACL in 2011, Hunter had back-to-back games with more than 140 yards and a touchdown. One year removed from the injury, he wasn't as productive in 2012 as he had four 100-yard games and most of those came against inferior competition.

One of the most physically-gifted receivers in the draft, Hunter has a great combination of size (6-4, 196) and athleticism (4.44 40-yard dash and 39.5-inch vertical jump).

6. Robert Woods, Buffalo Bills

Going into the season, Woods was projected by many as a potential top-five pick, but he had a relatively disappointing season and was overshadowed on his own team by sophomore Marqise Lee, who won the Biletnikoff award.

Woods finished the year with 76 receptions for 846 yards and 11 touchdowns after putting up a line of 111-1,292-15 as a sophomore.

The Bills have added a number of receivers either through the draft or as undrafted free agents this weekend.

7. Markus Wheaton, Pittsburgh Steelers

Considering the free-agent loss of Mike Wallace to the Dolphins, Wheaton makes a ton of sense for the Steelers. Although he is not a big receiver, he has the speed and athleticism to take the top off of opposing defenses.

Wheaton had a productive career at Oregon State becoming the team's all-time leader in receptions (227) and he posted career highs across the board as a senior: 91 receptions for 1,244 yards and 11 touchdowns.

8. Aaron Dobson, New England Patriots

Dobson possesses good size (6-3, 204) and has excellent hands. As this chart shows, Dobson had zero drops last season on 92 targets.

Although he won't have the same problem at the NFL level, Marshall's quarterback play helped limit Dobson's production. He never finished with more than 57 receptions or 689 yards in any season.

9. Da'Rick Rogers, Buffalo Bills

Although he is physically gifted, the former five-star recruit was kicked off the Tennessee roster for failing multiple drug tests and spent the past year with Tennessee Tech. Undrafted due to his character concerns, he has the talent to be a top-five guy on this list provided he can stay out of trouble.

With a nice blend of size (6-2 1/2, 217 pounds) and athleticism (4.52 forty and 39.5-inch vertical), Rogers was a first-team All-SEC selection in 2011. That year, he finished with 67 receptions for 1,040 yards and nine touchdowns.

10. Stedman Bailey, St. Louis Rams

Not only did the Rams move up to draft Tavon Austin, but they drafted his teammate in the third round. While Austin deserves the attention he has received, Bailey deserves more than he has received.

Bailey had a huge season in 2012 with 114 receptions for 1,622 yards and 25 touchdowns. He had seven 100-yard games, which included three games with more than 200 yards. Against Baylor, he finished with 303 yards and five touchdowns.

Based on this chart, no receiver had more "clutch receptions" (touchdowns or first downs) than Bailey.

11. Quinton Patton, San Francisco 49ers

Patton (6-2 and 195 pounds) finished the season with 104 receptions for 1,392 yards, which ranked fifth in the country, and 13 touchdowns. He has back-to-back seasons with 1,200-plus yards and double-digit touchdowns.

At a minimum, I would expect Michael Crabtree, Anquan Boldin and Mario Manningham to get more targets than Patton in 2013. In addition, they used their first-round pick last year on receiver A.J. Jenkins, who should see much more action in his second season.

12. Terrence Williams, Dallas Cowboys

Williams gives the Cowboys another guy with a good combination of size and speed. At Baylor last season, Williams led the nation with 1,832 yards and scored 12 touchdowns.

With Dez Bryant, Miles Austin and Jason Witten all likely to get more targets than Williams, his upside as a rookie will be limited.

13. Aaron Mellette, Baltimore Ravens

Mellette is a big-bodied receiver (6-3, 217 pounds) with good hands that was highly productive at Elon. Over the past three seasons, Mellette has 296 receptions for 4,147 yards and 42 touchdowns.

Without question, Torrey Smith will get more targets than Mellette. After him, however, Mellette could emerge as the team's No. 2 receiver.

14. Chris Harper, Seattle Seahawks

Harper is a wide-bodied receiver (6-foot-1, 229 pounds) but faster (4.55 forty) than his body type would suggest. Like Keenan Allen, Harper has often been compared to Anquan Boldin.

15. Marquise Goodwin, Buffalo Bills

One of two rookie receivers drafted by the Bills on Day 2, Goodwin is a world-class athlete. In fact, he is a former Olympian (long jump) and he ran the fastest forty time among wide receivers at the combine this year. His hand times at the combine were sub-4.2.

His production at Texas did match his elite athleticism. Goodwin set career highs at Texas as a junior in 2011 with 33 receptions for 421 yards.

Here are the next 15:

16. Ryan Swope, Arizona Cardinals
17. Charles Johnson, Green Bay Packers
18. Josh Boyce, New England Patriots
19. Kenny Stills, New Orleans Saints
20. Ace Sanders, Jacksonville Jaguars
21. Denard Robinson, Jacksonville Jaguars
22. Corey Fuller, Detroit Lions
23. Cobi Hamilton, Cincinnati Bengals
24. Tavarres King, Denver Broncos
25. Marquess Wilson, Chicago Bears
26. Brandon Kaufman, Buffalo Bills
27. Jasper Collins, Miami Dolphins
28. Connor Vernon, Oakland Raiders
29. Kenbrell Thompkins, New England Patriots
30. Justin Brown, Pittsburgh Steelers

More 2013 fantasy football rookie rankings: Quarterbacks | Running Backs | Tight Ends

Re-draft rankings for the 2013 season: Quarterbacks | Running Backs | Wide Receivers | Tight Ends

Note: I will be updating the re-draft rankings post-draft by Tuesday and will release my initial dynasty rankings by next weekend.

To keep track of our updates: (1) follow us on Twitter, (2) LIKE us on Facebook and/or (3) add us to your Google+ circle.

2013 Fantasy Football Rankings: Top 25 Rookie Running Backs (Re-Draft Leagues)

Sun, 28 Apr 2013 20:41:38 -0400

If recent trends are any indication, there won't be any 1,000-yard rookie rushers in 2013.

While it is purely a coincidence, the last six 1,000-yard rookie rushers have occurred in even-numbered years. There were two 1,000-yard rookies last year (Alfred Morris and Doug Martin), one in 2010 (LeGarrette Blount) and three in 2008 (Steve Slaton, Matt Forte and Chris Johnson) -- none in either 2009 or 2011.

Here are my early rookie running back rankings for the 2013 season only using standard scoring:

1. Le'Veon Bell, Pittsburgh Steelers

With Eddie Lacy still on the board, the Steelers passed on the Alabama running back and took a potential workhorse in Bell.

Now that Rashard Mendenhall is in Arizona, the main competition for Bell to get carries is Jonathan Dwyer, who is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in 2014. That said, the Steelers may be attempting to trade Dwyer based on a recent tweet from NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah.

2. Giovani Bernard, Cincinnati Bengals

With a 1,000-yard rusher already on the roster (BenJarvus Green-Ellis), Bernard might not get the same kind of opportunity that Bell could get. That said, he should still be one of the most productive rookie runners in the league.

3. Eddie Lacy, Green Bay Packers

Some mock drafts had Lacy going as high as 16th overall to the Rams, but he slipped to the second-to-last pick of the second round due to some medical concerns. In fact, Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazzette wrote that "one team source said the Steelers would not touch Lacy because his big toe had been fused."

For the national champions, Lacy rushed for 1,322 yards and 17 touchdowns last season and averaged 6.77 yards per carry in his three years with Alabama.

In an offense like Green Bay's, Lacy will help open up the team's high-powered passing game even more. In turn, the big back will face defenses that are unable to stack the box. Unfortunately for Lacy's fantasy owners, the Packers also drafted Johnathan Franklin in the fourth round.

If the Packers had drafted Lacy or Franklin (instead of both), that back would have been first on this list. The Packers got two backs more than capable of carrying the load, but they will each reduce the fantasy value of the other.

4. Montee Ball, Denver Broncos

When you rush for 1,830 yards and 22 touchdowns and it's a drop in your production, it's demonstrates how productive you were as a collegiate back. Ball finished with 5,140 rushing yards, 598 receiving yards and 83 total touchdowns in his career.

The school has produced a long history of uber-productive backs (Ron Dayne, P.J. Hill, John Clay, etc.) that have had limited success at the next level. Considering the short shelf life of NFL running backs, another concern is that Dayne (1,251) was the only Badger running back to have more career touches than Ball (983).

It's possible the Broncos will part ways with Willis McGahee, who turns 32 years old in October, Knowshon Moreno has struggled to stay healthy and Ronnie Hillman is a change-of-pace back. In other words, Ball may see a heavy workload in 2013.

5. Zac Stacy, St. Louis Rams

A productive runner at Vanderbilt, Stacy finished with back-to-back seasons of 1,100-plus yards and double-digit touchdowns. Throughout his four seasons in the SEC, Stacy averaged 5.41 yards per carry.

With Isaiah Pead and Daryl Richardson standing in his way of significant touches, the powerful back (216 pounds, 27 bench-press reps at combine) could find himself with a significant opportunity to produce as a rookie.

6. Johnathan Franklin, Green Bay Packers

In my mock draft, I projected that Franklin would be a Packer. That said, I thought it would have happened a couple of rounds earlier.

While the Packers get a bargain in the fourth round and it's a great (real) football move, Franklin and new teammate Eddie Lacy will diminish each other's possible fantasy impact, as noted earlier.

Although he's not as big of a back as Lacy, Franklin has the ability to do it all including running in between the tackles. As a senior, he set the Bruins' single-season rushing record with 1,734 yards, caught 33 passes for 323 yards and scored a total of 15 touchdowns.

7. Stepfan Taylor, Arizona Cardinals

Although he will have to compete for carries with Rashard Mendenhall, who had his most productive years with Bruce Arians in Pittsburgh, and Ryan Williams, who has struggled with durability, Taylor has the potential to eventually become a workhorse back for the Cardinals.

In the past three seasons, Taylor has rushed for 3,997 yards and 38 touchdowns to go along with 94 receptions for 935 yards and five touchdowns.

Like with the Packers, however, the Cardinals added another talented back in Clemson's Andre Ellington to compete for touches.

8. Knile Davis, Kansas City Chiefs

With Davis, there are major concerns with durability and ball security, but he has all of the physical tools. Despite weighing 227 pounds, Davis ran a 4.37 forty at the combine and benched 31 reps at the combine.

Back in 2010, Davis ran for 1,322 yards and 13 touchdowns and was a first-team All-SEC selection along with Marcus Lattimore. (Alabama's Mark Ingram and LSU's Stevan Ridley were second-team selections that year.)

9. Andre Ellington, Arizona Cardinals

Competing with Mendenhall, Williams and Taylor for carries, Ellington may not get the opportunities he would otherwise deserve. Although he's not a big back, he has rushed for more than 1,000 yards in each of the past two seasons. I like Ellington much more than his current situation.

10. Joseph Randle, Dallas Cowboys

With Felix Jones no longer on the roster, Randle should serve as the primary backup to DeMarco Murray, the team's injury-prone starter. Considering Murray's durability concerns, Randle may have the opportunity to get a few starts in 2013.

Randle has averaged 5.5 yards per carry in his career including a career-best 1,417 yards last season. He has rushed for 38 touchdowns in the past two years combined.

11. Christine Michael, Seattle Seahawks

Unfortunately for Michael, he ends up on a roster that has an established and highly productive back. Not only does Marshawn Lynch have back-to-back seasons with 1,200-plus yards and double-digit touchdowns, but he rushed for a career-high 1,590 yards last season.

Based on talent alone, Michael would have been a top-five candidate on this list had he landed somewhere else. And when I update my dynasty rankings, he won't be the 12th-ranked rookie running back, but his touches this season may be limited.

Spending most of last season in coach Kevin Sumlin's doghouse, Michael is a powerful and athletic rusher. The 220-pound back ran a 4.54 forty, posted a 43-inch vertical jump and did 27 reps at 225 pounds at the combine.

12. Latavius Murray, Oakland Raiders

Murray will compete for carries with Darren McFadden and Rashad Jennings. When McFadden is healthy, he is clearly the team's workhorse. That said, McFadden has yet to appear in more than 13 games in any season.

13. Mike Gillislee, Miami Dolphins

While Lamar Miller is expected to get the majority of carries for the Dolphins, Gillislee will be in the mix as well. A First-Team All-SEC selection last year, Gillislee is a patient runner that became Florida's first 1,000-yard rusher since 2004.

14. Marcus Lattimore, San Francisco 49ers

Despite two devastating injuries, Lattimore has handled his adversity with class and dignity and he has become one of my favorite players in this year's draft class. Before (and even after) the first injury, Lattimore was projected by most to be a first-round back.

Considering the stable of backs the 49ers have with Frank Gore, Kendall Hunter and LaMichael James, it's likely that Lattimore either begins the season on the PUP list or even injured reserve to allow him to focus on his rehabilitation process.

Lattimore has more value from a dynasty standpoint than he has in 2013 re-draft leagues. If he does see the field at all this season, however, he is a gifted back.

15. Kerwynn Williams, Indianapolis Colts

Williams isn't a big back, but he has excellent speed and is a good receiver out of the backfield. With Donald Brown and Vick Ballard also in the backfield, Williams could work his way into the rotation to see some snaps.

Here are the next 10:

16. Kenjon Barner, Carolina Panthers
17. Jawan Jamison, Washington Redskins
18. Michael Cox, New York Giants
19. Miguel Maysonet, Philadelphia Eagles
20. Chris Thompson, Washington Redskins
21. Mike James, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
22. Ray Graham, Houston Texans
23. Rex Burkhead, Cincinnati Bengals
24. Theo Riddick, Detroit Lions
25. Stephon Jefferson, Tennessee Titans

More 2013 fantasy football rookie rankings: Quarterbacks | Wide Receivers | Tight Ends

Re-draft rankings for the 2013 season: Quarterbacks | Running Backs | Wide Receivers | Tight Ends

Note: I will be updating the re-draft rankings post-draft by Tuesday and will release my initial dynasty rankings by next weekend.

To keep track of our updates: (1) follow us on Twitter, (2) LIKE us on Facebook and/or (3) add us to your Google+ circle.

2013 Fantasy Football Rankings: Top 12 Rookie Quarterbacks (Re-Draft Leagues)

Sun, 28 Apr 2013 19:36:24 -0400

Last year was an unprecented year for success of rookie quarterbacks. Five different rookies were their respective team's opening day starter. Three of those rookies finished in the top 11 in fantasy points for the season: Robert Griffin III (sixth), Andrew Luck (ninth) and Russell Wilson (11th).

Heading into the 2013 season, it seems unlikely that any fantasy quarterback finishes in the top 11 in fantasy points for the season.

That said, here are my top 12 rookie quarterbacks for fantasy football for 2013 only:

1. E.J. Manuel, Buffalo Bills

Manuel was the only first-round quarterback in this year's draft class, which ended a 12-year streak of multiple quarterbacks being selected in the first round. In fact, there was only one quarterback selected in each of the first three rounds. By comparison, there were seven drafted by Round 3 in each of the previous two draft classes.

Certainly not the most polished passer among rookies, Manuel was a two-year starter at Florida State and has as much upside as any of the other signal-callers with his size, athleticism and ability as a dual-threat quarterback.

Better from a long-term dynasty standpoint than in re-draft leagues, Manuel was compared to Cam Newton when he visited with new Browns head coach Rob Chudzinski, who was Newton's offensive coordinator in Carolina.

Few teams added as many weapons in the passing game as the Bills, who drafted Robert Woods (Round 2), Marquise Goodwin (Round 3) and added undrafted free agents Da'Rick Rodgers, an elite talent with as much baggage to match, and Brandon Kaufman.

Unrelated to his fantasy value, here's an interesting fact nonetheless about Manuel and his new team: Hall-of-Fame defensive end Bruce Smith is Manuel's godfather.

2. Geno Smith, New York Jets

When selected 39th overall and on the stage at Radio City Music Hall, Smith took a page out of Rex Ryan's book and said that the Jets will make the playoffs this year. In the excitement of the moment, I won't hold that statement against Smith, but it's unclear who will enter the season as the starter.

It's possible that the Jets will part ways with Mark Sanchez, who's days as The Sanchize seem numbered, before the start of the season. Then again, they still owe him $8 million guaranteed, which means that may happen next offseason instead.

Through the first five games of the college football season, it seemed possible (or even likely) that Smith would be the first player selected in the draft.

Leading the Mountaineers to a 5-0 start, Smith threw for just shy of 400 yards per game, 24 touchdowns and no interceptions during that span. After that point, however, the Mountaineers lost five of their final eight games and Smith threw 18 touchdowns and six interceptions during that span.

Despite being the most athletic quarterback in this year's draft class (sub-4.6 forty at combine), Smith never used his mobility to his full benefit at West Virginia. If he incorporates that aspect of his game to larger degree at the next level, which I doubt, it would increase his fantasy value going forward.

3. Matt Scott, Jacksonville Jaguars

The fact that Scott was undrafted was a bit of a surprise as he generated plenty of buzz throughout the draft process. Considering that he has Chad Henne and Blaine Gabbert, I believe in that order, ahead of him on the depth chart, there is the possibility that the dual-threat quarterback will become the team's starter at some point in the season.

Last year with the Wildcats, Scott threw for 3,620 yards, 27 touchdowns and 14 interceptions while also running for an additional 506 yards and six touchdowns.

4. Tyler Wilson, Oakland Raiders

Of the remaining quarterbacks in this year's rookie class, Wilson has the best shot to become his team's starter on opening day. The main competition for snaps is Matt Flynn, a player the Raiders acquired for a fifth-round pick, and Terrelle Pryor. That duo has only 171 career pass attempts -- Flynn (141) and Pryor (30).

5. Matt Barkley, Philadelphia Eagles

Slipping to the first pick of Day 3, Barkley will begin the 2013 season (at least) second on the team's depth chart after starting four years in college and high school. If he beats out Nick Foles to be the team's backup, he would then be a Michael Vick injury away from starting again.

6. Mike Glennon, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Since Josh Freeman enters the 2013 season as the unquestioned starter, Glennon is likely to spend the year as the under-study. That said, Freeman is in a walk year and depending on how consistently he performs this year, Glennon could find himself in a position to take over in 2014 and beyond.

7. Landry Jones, Pittsburgh Steelers

As a four-year starter at Oklahoma, Jones threw for 16,646 yards and 123 touchdowns during that span. Barring an injury to Ben Roethlisberger (and one that actually keeps Big Ben out of the lineup), Jones will spend all of 2013 holding a clipboard.

8. Ryan Nassib, New York Giants

Plenty of folks speculated that Nassib would go in the first round to play for his former coach Doug Marrone at Buffalo, however, Nassib lasted until the middle of the fourth round. Barring an injury to Eli Manning, Nassib is undraftable in all but the deepest of redraft fantasy leagues this year. Since Manning has played in 16 games for eight consecutive seasons, Nassib has even less of a shot to see the field than Jones will in Pittsburgh.

9. Tyler Bray, Kansas City Chiefs

Bray has as much arm talent as any quarterback in this year's draft class, but he lacks consistency and has struggled with decision making.

10. Zac Dysert, Denver Broncos

With Peyton Manning and possibly Brock Osweiler ahead of Dysert on the depth chart, he's unlikely to get any snaps in 2013. If he did manage to see the field, however, the Broncos have the best trio of receivers in the league.

11. Brad Sorensen, San Diego Chargers

Despite selecting offensive tackle D.J. Fluker in the first round, the Chargers offensive line is still need of upgrades in most spots. That said, Philip Rivers has not missed a game in the past seven seasons.

12. Sean Renfree, Atlanta Falcons

Like the other quarterbacks on the bottom half of this list, Renfree is unlikely to see the field barring injury. Matt Ryan has missed only two games (in 2009) in his NFL career.

More 2013 fantasy football rookie rankings: Running Backs | Wide Receivers | Tight Ends

Re-draft rankings for the 2013 season: Quarterbacks | Running Backs | Wide Receivers | Tight Ends

Note: I will be updating the re-draft rankings post-draft by Tuesday and will release my initial dynasty rankings by next weekend.

To keep track of our updates: (1) follow us on Twitter, (2) LIKE us on Facebook and/or (3) add us to your Google+ circle.

Steelers were scared off by Eddie Lacy's toe injury

Sun, 28 Apr 2013 16:49:19 -0400

Not only did the streak of first-round running backs end after five decades, ex-Alabama running back Eddie Lacy was not the first running back off the board.

In the previous two drafts, the first running back selected were ex-Alabama running backs: Trent Richardson (2012) and Mark Ingram (2011).

One team that appeared to be a good fit to select Lacy was the Steelers and the club indeed drafted a running back in the second round -- except it was a different back (Michigan State's Le'Veon Bell).

Per Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazzette, the Steelers were scared off by Lacy's toe -- not his hamstring. Bouchette wrote, "one team source said the Steelers would not touch Lacy because his big toe had been fused."

As the fourth running back drafted, Lacy was selected by the Packers with the 61st overall pick (see full results here).

In my rookie running back rankings, Lacy is my third-ranked fantasy running back for the 2013 season.

2013 NFL Mock Draft (Re-draft): Projecting Day 2 Picks

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 11:11:28 -0400

While the talent at the top of this year's draft class may not be as elite as in year's past, there is a lot of depth in this year's talent pool.

With several surprises in the first round, it has pushed plenty of talented players into Round 2.

From 2002 to 2012, there were two or more quarterbacks selected in the first round every draft. In many cases, the value of the position pushed up prospects like Jake Locker, Christian Ponder, etc. into the first round although they might not have been viewed as Day 1 talents.

Ending the streak this year, there was only quarterback selected in the first round and it was a surprise to many: Florida State's E.J. Manuel, who was selected by the Bills with the 16th overall pick.

As much as that was a surprise, it could lead to an even bigger tumble for quarterback Ryan Nassib, who was coached by Doug Marrone last year at Syracuse.

In my mock draft, I had projected that the Patriots would trade out of their pick (with the Jaguars, who would select Geno Smith). Unless the Jaguars trade down, I still expect that although they could certainly prefer Nassib or USC's Matt Barkley over Smith.

Here is my updated projection of how the two rounds of the draft will play out tonight:

33. Jacksonville Jaguars: Geno Smith, QB, West Virginia
34. San Francisco 49ers: Zach Ertz, TE, Stanford
35. Philadelphia Eagles: Jamar Taylor, CB, Boise State
36. Detroit Lions: Menelik Watson, OT, Florida State
37. Cincinnati Bengals: Jonathan Cyprien, S, Florida International
38. Arizona Cardinals: Eddie Lacy, RB, Alabama
39. New York Jets: Ryan Nassib, QB, Syracuse
40. Tennessee Titans: Tank Carradine, DE, Florida State
41. Buffalo Bills: Arthur Brown, LB, Kansas State
42. Oakland Raiders (via MIA): Matt Barkley, QB, USC
43. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Terron Armstead, OT, Arkansas-Pine Bluff
44. Carolina Panthers: Justin Hunter, WR, Tennessee
45. San Diego Chargers: Jesse Williams, DT, Alabama
46. Buffalo Bills (via STL): Keenan Allen, WR, Cal
47. Dallas Cowboys: Larry Warford, G, Kentucky
48. Pittsburgh Steelers: Johnthan Banks, CB, Mississippi State
49. New York Giants: Manti Te'o, LB, Notre Dame
50. Chicago Bears: Kevin Minter, LB, LSU
51. Washington Redskins: Jordan Poyer, CB, Oregon State
52. New England Patriots: Margus Hunt, DE, SMU
53. Cincinnati Bengals: Giovanni Bernard, RB, North Carolina
54. * Miami Dolphins: Robert Alford, CB, SE Louisiana
55. Green Bay Packers: Jonathan Franklin, RB, UCLA
56. Seattle Seahawks: Robert Woods, WR, USC
57. Houston Texans: D.J. Swearinger, S, South Carolina
58. Denver Broncos: Damontre Moore, DE/OLB, Texas A&M
59. New England Patriots: Logan Ryan, CB, Rutgers
60. Atlanta Falcons: Alex Okafor, DE, Texas
61. San Francisco 49ers: John Jenkins, DT, Georgia
62. Baltimore Ravens: Quinton Patton, WR, Louisiana Tech

* There is still a good chance that the Dolphins trade this pick to the Chiefs for Branden Albert.