2014 Fantasy Football Mock Draft, 1.0: Dan Yanotchko (Team 2)
Mock Draft Start Date: Monday, May 12th
Mock Draft End Date: Saturday, May 24th
Scoring: This mock draft is based on re-draft leagues (2014 season only). 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.
With the 2014 NFL Draft now behind us, we have wasted no time in starting a new fantasy football mock draft.
In this mock draft, four of our site's contributors (Kevin Hanson, Brendan Donahue, Dan Yanotchko and Sean Beazley) will each draft for three teams per round and the mock will run for 10 rounds.
Mock By Contributor: Kevin Hanson | Brendan Donahue | Sean Beazley | Dan Yanotchko
Here are all the picks from Dan Yanotchko - Team 2:
1.05 - Dan Yanotchko (Team 2): Eddie Lacy, RB, Green Bay Packers
With this pick, it comes down to personal preference as I'd prefer Matt Forte over Lacy, but they are my RB4 and RB5, respectively. Personally, I would have taken Lacy here (and Forte at No. 4) as I did in my one-man mock.
One of my preseason bold predictions in 2013 was that Lacy would lead the NFL in rushing touchdowns. While he didn't and that doesn't seem as bold a year later, I think there is a strong chance that Lacy rushes for double-digit touchdowns once again.
Lacy had a monster rookie season: 1,178 rushing yards and 11 TDs plus 35 receptions for 257 yards. From Week 5 through their playoff loss, Lacy had 11 games with 20-plus carries as the Packers were committed to the run with or without Aaron Rodgers under center. Provided Rodgers stays healthy for a full 2014 season, I think Lacy's numbers will be even better in Year 2.
2.08 - Dan Yanotchko (Team 2): Ryan Mathews, RB, San Diego Chargers
Although he was on the sidelines for part of the team's two playoff games, Mathews played a full 16-game season for the first time in his career. In the process, he rushed for a career-high 1,255 yards on 285 carries.
With six 100-yard games (and one 99-yard game) in an 11-game stretch starting in Week 6, Mathews was one of three running backs to gain over 1,000 yards on the ground during that stretch along with McCoy and Eddie Lacy.
There are still a couple of running backs that I'd prefer over Mathews at this point in the mock. Not only will Danny Woodhead get his share of touches, but the Chargers added an upgrade over Ronnie Brown by signing Donald Brown in free agency.
3.05 - Dan Yanotchko (Team 2): Keenan Allen, WR, San Diego Chargers
Allen became just the second rookie receiver to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark over the past seven seasons as he finished with 71 receptions for a team-high 1,046 yards and eight touchdowns. As good as Allen was in 2013, he had only three catches for 30 yards in the first three games of his career. In other words, I would expect better full-season numbers from Allen in 2014 than we saw in 2013.
4.08 - Dan Yanotchko (Team 2): Michael Crabtree, WR, San Francisco 49ers
An Achilles injury in May kept Crabtree from building upon his 2012 breakout season. Assuming good health in 2014, I would expect numbers comparable to his 2012 season: 85 receptions for 1,105 yards and nine touchdowns.
5.05 - Dan Yanotchko (Team 2): Matthew Stafford, QB, Detroit Lions
One of a handful 5,000-yard passers in NFL history, Stafford seems set up for his best opportunity to duplicate that feat. In addition to elite pass-catching weapons of Calvin Johnson, Reggie Bush and Joique Bell already on the roster, the Lions added Golden Tate via free agency as well as Eric Ebron with the 10th-overall pick in the 2014 draft.
6.08 - Dan Yanotchko (Team 2): Jordan Cameron, TE, Cleveland Browns
It was a tale of two halves for Cameron. In the first half of the season, Cameron finished with 49 receptions for 596 yards and six touchdowns. While he had a huge Week 14 vs. the Patriots (9/121/1), the second half was a huge disappointment overall: 31/321/1. From Weeks 9 to 16, Week 14 was the only week he had more than four fantasy points.
With Josh Gordon potentially facing a season-long ban, however, it should open up the opportunities for Cameron. Cameron has plenty of upside if he is able to produce consistently throughout the whole season this year.
FanDuel MLB: Win the $1 MILLION top prize in FanDuel's DFBC
7.05 - Dan Yanotchko (Team 2): Fred Jackson, RB, Buffalo Bills
Entering last season as an after-thought following C.J. Spiller's breakout season, Jackson delivered for fantasy owners that got him late. Tied with Ryan Mathews, Jackson finished for 10th in fantasy points among running backs last season.
Will Jackson get 1,283 YFS and 10 touchdowns again this season? I doubt it. But then again, who expected that type of production from him last year? While a fantasy owner shouldn't expect too much from a 33-year-old running back, Jackson has made a career out of outperforming expectations.
8.08 - Dan Yanotchko (Team 2): Cecil Shorts, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars
It appears that Justin Blackmon won't play at all for the Jaguars in 2014. While the Jags drafted a pair of second-round rookies (Marqise Lee and Allen Robinson), Shorts will most likely be the team's most productive receiver in 2014.
After a breakout season in 2012 (55/979/7), Shorts had 66 receptions for 777 yards (only 11.8 Y/R) and three touchdowns. He missed the final three games of the year and is recovering from the sports hernia surgery he had in December.
9.05 - Dan Yanotchko (Team 2): Danny Amendola, WR, New England Patriots
While Amendola had a few big games including the season opener (10/104 vs. BUF), but the biggest concern with Amendola is his durability and he missed several games last season as well. Even when he was on the field, he was less productive than I had expected he'd be. In fact, he had only three games with more than five receptions last year.
10.08 - Dan Yanotchko (Team 2): Jarrett Boykin, WR, Green Bay Packers
In the Packers offense, there is always potential for the team's No. 3 wide receiver to be productive and Boykin was last year. In his second season, Boykin had 49 catches for 681 yards and three touchdowns. My biggest concern with Boykin is that the Packers drafted Fresno State's Davante Adams in the second round.
- See Yanotchko's other two teams: Team 1 - Team 3
2014 Fantasy Football rankings from Kevin Hanson:
- 2014 Fantasy Football QB rankings
- 2014 Fantasy Football RB rankings
- 2014 Fantasy Football WR rankings
- 2014 Fantasy Football TE rankings
