2014 Fantasy Football Mock Draft, 1.0: Dan Yanotchko (Team 3)
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 3:
1.12 - Dan Yanotchko (Team 3): A.J. Green, WR, Cincinnati Bengals
While he may not have the most upside out of the group of receivers immediately following Megatron, Green is perhaps the safest among that next tier of stud receivers and has the ability to dominate opposing defensive backs on any given Sunday.
Through his first three seasons, Green has 260 receptions for 3,833 yards and 29 touchdowns. In a three-year span to start a career, no player has had more receptions than Green (260) and only Randy Moss has more receiving yards (4,163) than Green (3,833). In each of his three seasons, Green's numbers have improved — 65/1,057/7 (2011), 97/1,350/11 (2012) and 98/1,426/11 (2013).
2.01 - Dan Yanotchko (Team 3): Le'Veon Bell, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers
In 13 games as a rookie, Bell got nearly 300 touches (244 carries and 45 receptions) and had 20-plus touches in all but two games. That said, Bell averaged only 3.52 yards per carry on the season. On a positive note, he averaged at least 4.0 YPC in four of his final five games after doing so only twice in his first eight games.
Even though the team added LeGarrette Blount, who was productive for the Patriots down the stretch, Bell should remain the team's workhorse back.
3.12 - Dan Yanotchko (Team 3): Bishop Sankey, RB, Tennessee Titans
Not only was Sankey the first running back selected in this year's draft, at a record-worst slot (54th overall), he has the best situation among all rookie rushers. Even if Shonn Greene did not have a second knee surgery in eight months, Sankey would top the team's depth chart. In addition, the Titans used their first-round pick (again) on the offensive line by selecting Michigan's Taylor Lewan with the 11th overall pick.
With little competition for touches in what should be a run-first offense, Sankey should lead all rookies in that category and come close to — or exceed — 300 touches on the year.
4.01 - Dan Yanotchko (Team 3): Ray Rice, RB, Baltimore Ravens
It's perhaps an understatement to say the past nine months have not gone well for Rice. Not only was he a disappointment on the field, but he was arrested for hitting his then-fiancee in an Atlantic City club. Believe it or not, they recently got married, coincidentally (or not-so-coincidentally) on the day after Rice was indicted on charges for aggravated assault.
After four straight seasons of rushing for more than 1,100 yards, Rice gained only 660 yards on his 214 carries, which averaged out to a career-low 3.1 yards per carry. He added 58 receptions for 321 yards, but both of those are lows during his time as a starter.
Even if Rice performs better when he's on the field, and it would be hard for him to be much worse, it's more than possible that Rice faces league discipline and misses some time.
5.12 - Dan Yanotchko (Team 3): Jeremy Maclin, WR, Philadelphia Eagles
After missing the entire 2013 season due to a torn ACL, Maclin re-signed with the Eagles on a one-year deal worth $5.5 million. Even though there are a few receivers I'd prefer over Maclin (including the guy Dan took at pick 6.01), he will be the team's No. 1 receiver now that Jackson has been released. In addition, he should set career highs in both receptions and yards provided that he can stay healthy.
6.01 - Dan Yanotchko (Team 3): Julian Edelman, WR, New England Patriots
Finishing 10th in the league in targets (151), Edelman's full-year numbers were 105 receptions, which was fourth-most in the NFL, for 1,056 yards and six touchdowns. That's more than he had in his first four NFL seasons combined (69/714/4).
In Edelman's final eight games counting both playoff games, he had a minimum of six receptions and 64 yards in every game. During that span, he racked up a stat line of 69/729/5. Purely to illustrate how productive he was over the past half-season, maintaining that pace for a full 16-game season would equate to a stat line of 138/1,458/10!
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7.12 - Dan Yanotchko (Team 3): Matt Ryan, QB, Atlanta Falcons
Expecting Ryan to bounce back this season, he was going to be a target for one of my three QB-less teams in Round 8. There are still several quarterbacks that I like on the board so I'm not terribly worried about Dan getting him here, but I do like the pick.
The key to Ryan's success next year will be improved health from his top two receivers — Julio Jones and Roddy White — especially with the retirement (I'm pretty sure) of tight end Tony Gonzalez. In the first five games of the year, Jones averaged 116.0 yards per game but he missed the rest of the season with a foot injury. (He should be ready to go for camp.) While White's health struggles limited him at the beginning of the year, he hit full stride in December with 502 yards in his final five games.
8.01 - Dan Yanotchko (Team 3): Greg Olsen, TE, Carolina Panthers
In the past two seasons, Olsen has 142 receptions for 1,659 yards and 11 touchdowns. While he lacks the upside of some tight ends still on the board, he's extemely safe and should be a lock for 70/800/5 or more.
Not only did Olsen lead the team in receiving across the board last season, but all of the wide receivers that had a reception last season for the Panthers are no longer on the roster. Even though the Panthers signed a few, as Richard Sherman would call them, mediocre receivers in free agency and drafted Kelvin Benjamin in the first round, Olsen should once again lead the team in receiving.
9.12 - Dan Yanotchko (Team 3): LeGarrette Blount, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers
A 1,000-yard rusher as a rookie in 2010, Blount finished last season strong. Even with a dud against the Broncos (six yards on five carries), Blount rushed 69 times for 437 yards — 6.33 YPC — and eight touchdowns. With this team, Dan also owns Le'Veon Bell as his RB1 so the selection of Blount provides him with some insurance.
10.01 - Dan Yanotchko (Team 3): Dwayne Bowe, WR, Kansas City Chiefs
With a new quarterback and new coach, Bowe set five-year lows in receptions (57) and yards (673) and a career low in yards per reception (11.8) last season. Over his past eight games counting their playoff loss, however, Bowe had 39 receptions for 521 yards and four touchdowns, which equates to a full-season pace of 78/1,042/8.
While he may not produce at the 78/1,042/8 level in 2014, I think he comes closer to those numbers than last year's stat line.
- See Yanotchko's other two teams: Team 1 - Team 2
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
