2014 Fantasy Football Mock Draft — 2-QB League: Round 3

Scoring: This mock draft is based on 2-QB fantasy football leagues (i.e., each team starts two quarterbacks) and uses standard (i.e., non-PPR) scoring. Passing touchdowns are worth four points while rushing and receiving touchdowns are worth six points. In addition, one point is earned per 25 passing yards, 10 rushing yards and 10 receiving yards.

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Mock Draft Start Date: Saturday, August 16
Mock Draft End Date: Sunday, August 31

Four of our site's contributors — Kevin Hanson, Brendan Donahue, Sean Beazley and Dan Yanotchko — will make picks for three teams of this 12-team mock. The mock will go 12 rounds with no kickers or team defenses selected.

Although this is a slow draft, we will post picks as they occur, along with comments from Kevin Hanson, as opposed to waiting for the entire mock draft to be completed.

More Rounds: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Teams

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Here are Round 3 results:

3.01 - Dan Yanotchko (Team 1): Alshon Jeffery, WR, Chicago Bears

Jeffery broke out in a big way in 2013. Along with Josh Gordon, Jeffery was one of only two players to record multiple 200-yard receiving games last year and he also set his franchise's single-game record for most receiving yards.

With career highs across the board, Jeffery finished with 89 receptions for a team-high 1,421 yards and seven touchdowns and added 105 rushing yards. The only receiver with more yards from scrimmage than Jeffery (1,526) was Gordon (1,734).

As one-half of the league's best wide receiver duo, Jeffery is protected by the fact that opposing defenses will focus on slowing down the receiver opposite him (Marshall) as much (or more) as they will focus on Jeffery himself. Even though Marshall is ranked just ahead of Jeffery, both receivers are stud WR1's in terms of fantasy outlook.

3.02 - Brendan Donahue (Team 1): Jordy Nelson, WR, Green Bay Packers

The loss of Aaron Rodgers for a huge chunk of the season had an adverse affect on Nelson's season, but he still managed to finish as the 11th-highest scoring fantasy receiver in 2013. Nelson had 85 receptions for 1,314 yards and eight touchdowns, but he had a line of 49/810/7 in the nine games that Rodgers started and finished. In other words, his yardage and touchdown totals would have likely been even higher had Rodgers had never broken his collarbone.

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Since his breakout season (2011), Nelson has averaged 73 receptions for 1,208 yards and 11 touchdowns per 16 games. Along with Megatron and Dez, Nelson is one of only three wide receivers with at least 3,000 yards and 30 touchdowns over the past three seasons combined.

3.03 - Kevin Hanson (Team 1): Arian Foster, RB, Houston Texans

Over the three-year span from 2010 to 2012, no player had more yards from scrimmage (5,702) or touchdowns (47) than Foster. That said, Foster (back surgery) missed the more than half of last season and has battled an assortment of ailments over the past couple of years including a hamstring issue earlier in training camp this month.

Foster is the 11th running back off the board — and my 11th-ranked running back — but he has top-five upside if, a big if, he can stay healthy.

3.04 - Sean Beazley (Team 1): Antonio Brown, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers

Brown became the second receiver in franchise history to finish with triple-digit receptions (110) and was only two shy of tying the club record. Only Josh Gordon had more receiving yards than Brown (1,499), who also scored a career-high eight touchdowns.

Perhaps the most amazing part of Brown's huge success in 2013 was his consistency. Brown had a minimum of five receptions and 50 yards in all 16 games last season. No other player has ever done that in all 16 games of a season.

3.05 - Sean Beazley (Team 2): Andre Ellington, RB, Arizona Cardinals

Although coach Bruce Arians exaggerated Ellington's 2014 workload of "25-30 touches per game") earlier this offseason, it's clear that the plan is allocate the vast majority of backfield's workload to Ellington. Extremely productive on a per-touch basis as a rookie, Ellington gained 652 yards on 118 carries (5.5 yards per carry) and added 39 receptions for 371 yards and four total touchdowns.

3.06 - Kevin Hanson (Team 2): Tom Brady, QB, New England Patriots

It was an up-and-down season for Brady, whose production matched the presence (or absence) of tight end Rob Gronkowski. In the seven games that Gronkowski was active, Brady averaged 315 passing yards and 1.86 touchdown passes compared to averages of 237.56 yards and 1.33 touchdowns in games he missed.

All indications point toward Gronk being ready for the season opener, which is excellent news for Brady's fantasy outlook. Last season, four of the team's top-five receivers (in snap counts) were either rookies or a first-year free agent.



3.07 - Brendan Donahue (Team 2): Rob Gronkowski, TE, New England Patriots

With more surgeries than I can count on one hand over the past two seasons, the biggest concern for Gronkowski is durability. While it's not a slam dunk that Gronk will be active on Week 1, he has recently participated in 11-on-11 drills and has said that it's his goal to play in all 16 games.

Missing games to start and end last season, Gronk played in only seven games, but he averaged 84.6 yards per game and 15.2 yards per reception, both of which were career highs. More than anything, Gronkowski is a dominant force in the red zone as he has a total of 43 touchdowns in 50 career games.

3.08 - Dan Yanotchko (Team 2): Matt Ryan, QB, Atlanta Falcons

Poor offensive line play and injuries to the team's top-two receivers led to Ryan being sacked a career-worst 44 times with 17 interceptions. In spite of that, Ryan managed to throw for 4,515 yards, the second-most of his career.

Before missing the final 11 games with a foot injury, Julio Jones was having a career season with a league-leading 116.0 yards per game at the time. Meanwhile, Roddy White dealt with high-ankle sprain and knee injuries for a good portion of the season, but he hit his stride in the final month: 43/502/2 in five games in December. My 13th-ranked quarterback, Ryan was the ninth quarterback off the board in this mock so there are a few QBs that I'd prefer at this spot, but Ryan has some bounce-back potential with better health from Jones and White.

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

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While he won't add much at all as a receiver and his numbers overall dropped last season, Alf has averaged 1,444 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns over his first two seasons in the NFL. With the transition to a new coaching staff and offensive scheme, however, there are some concerns that Morris could see a modest decline in touches.

3.10 - Kevin Hanson (Team 3): Colin Kaepernick, QB, San Francisco 49ers

A fantasy disappointment in 2013, Kaepernick hit his stride down the stretch with three consecutive games of 20-plus fantasy points to close the season. (In fact, he has recently revealed that a foot injury slowed him early last year.)

One of four quarterbacks to rush for 500-plus yards last season, Kaepernick should have much more success as a passer in 2014. Not only will he have a healthy Michael Crabtree to start the season, but the team has added Stevie Johnson and Brandon Lloyd this offseason.

3.11 - Brendan Donahue (Team 3): Nick Foles, QB, Philadelphia Eagles

Entering the season as the team's backup, Foles did not throw his first pass until Week 4 against the Broncos. With a near flawless season, Foles did not throw his first interception until Week 14. Even though he threw only 317 passes, Foles finished the season with 27 touchdowns, eighth-most in the NFL, and just two interceptions.

While nobody will confuse Foles for Michael Vick, he did have success running the ball last season. Among quarterbacks, Foles ranked 10th in rush attempts (56) and 12th in rushing yards (225) while also scoring three touchdowns.

3.12 - Sean Beazley (Team 3): Doug Martin, RB Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Muscle Hamster had a disappointing sophomore campaign as a season-ending injury cut his season short after just six games. Even before the injury, however, Martin was not running the ball well as he averaged a yard less per carry (3.6) than he did as a rookie (4.6 YPC).

Even though Martin should easily lead the team's backs in touches, Tampa's coaching staff has made numerous comments about their intention to use a committee in the backfield. That said, Charles Sims, their third-round rookie running back, will miss most or all of the season with an ankle injury that required surgery.

> Continue to Round 4of 2-QB Fantasy Mock Draft
> Go back to Round 2 of 2-QB Fantasy Mock Draft

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