Dynasty leagues are starting to take over the world of fantasy football. These formats enable league owners to feel somewhat of a responsibility to their rosters over the course of a longer period of time. In addition, they become more dedicated with the annual NFL draft in Radio City Music Hall and find themselves acting the part of a arm-chair general manager.
In fact, I have started to take to the dynasty format more in recent seasons. I personally believe that it takes more football intelligence and understanding than standard re-draft leagues.
On that note, let's take a look at eDraft's initial 2013 fantasy football dynasty mock draft.
Note: Selections made based on dynasty rankings from My Fantasy League and utilized under the preface of a 12-team league. For the purposes of this mock, I will be selecting fourth overall in the initial round.
1. Doug Martin, Running Back, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Martin finished his rookie season as the No. 2 overall fantasy running back in non-PPR leagues. He was directly behind Adrian Peterson with 16.08 points per outing. Needless to say, those of us who bought high on Martin as a rookie were extremely happy. The 24-year-old running back now takes over as the top dynasty option in the league, especially with Peterson being four years his elder.
2. Demaryius Thomas, Wide Receiver, Denver Broncos
At just 25-year-old, Thomas is coming off one of the best fantasy performances for a wide receiver in the NFL this past season. He put up 94 receptions for 1,434 yards and 10 scores in his first full 16-game slate. Those are numbers that will either remain the same or increase in the coming years. In terms of Thomas being a dynasty option after Peyton Manning retires, he has a young strong-armed quarterback in the form of Brock Osweiler to get him the ball. In addition, Eric Decker is set to be a free agent following the '13 season and will likely be looking for No. 1 wide receiver money. The targets will definitely be there for Thomas in 2013 and further into the future.
3. Johnathan Franklin, Running Back, Green Bay Packers
Why not? For the first time in his NFL career Aaron Rodgers actually has a solid group of young running backs behind him. That group isn't led by Eddie Lacy, who was selected two rounds prior to Franklin. Instead, it is led by a better all-around three-down running back in the form of this UCLA product. He will be a dynamic performer in 2013 and beyond. There is no reason to believe that Franklin won't be able to tally a minimum of 17 rush attempts per outing this upcoming season. Moving forward, you can expect him to gain the necessary touches to be a true RB1 option.
4. Colin Kaepernick, Quarterback, San Francisco 49ers
Expanded out to an entire 16-game schedule, Kaepernick would have been the No. 1 overall fantasy quarterback this past season. Of course this takes into account the ridiculous numbers that he put up in San Francisco's postseason run to the Super Bowl. Some say that the sample size isn't there to spend a higher-round pick on Kaepernick, but that argument really doesn't hold any ground to me. If you have watched any tape of his from last season, you fully understand that he is the real deal. Others indicate that the loss of Michael Crabtree to injury will hurt Kaepernick in 2013. While that is true, Anquan Boldin, Vernon Davis, Mario Manningam, Vance McDonald and Quinton Patton are more than able to hold down the fort. Kaepernick will be a top-five fantasy quarterback in 2013. At just 25-year-old, he is one of the few truly elite dynasty quarterback options.
5. Aaron Hernandez, Tight End, New England Patriots
Hernandez had a major drop off in production this past season. He missed six games due to injury, caught 28 less passes and went from No. 3 in fantasy production to No. 16. Those aren't numbers indicative is someone worthy of a fifth-round pick in any type of fantasy football league. It is, however, important to note that Hernandez recorded eight targets per outing in 2012 and will be a solid TE1 option if he is healthy this season. Moving forward, he equates to being one of the better fantasy options. Getting him in the fifth round represents both value and need here.
6. Lamar Miller, Running Back, Miami Dolphins
This former fourth-round pick is now being tasked to take over for Reggie Bush as the Dolphins primary running back. He averaged nearly five yards per rush as a rookie in 2012, a number that makes him a solid under-the-radar RB1 option in re-draft leagues. If Miller maintains that average and tallies about 15 attempts per game, you are looking at nearly 1,200 yards rushing. That's on the low end of the spectrum.
7. Dwayne Bowe, Wide Receiver, Kansas City Chiefs
I really want to see what Bowe does with a decent quarterback throwing him the ball. He had a down season with Matt Cassel and Brady Quinn throwing him the ball last season. That being said, Bowe is still only 28-year-old and is one year removed from tallying nearly 1,200 receiving yards. New quarterback Alex Smith should do Bowe wonders. I am expecting a 1,000-plus yard season from him in 2013.
8. Josh Gordon, Wide Receiver, Cleveland Browns
Gordon was a surprising fantasy performer as a rookie in 2012. He tallied over 800 receiving yards and averaged 16.1 yards per attempt. He did so after getting a late start in the offseason conditioning program after getting selected in the supplemental draft. While Gordon won't be a great option in PPR re-draft leagues, he would be a coup in the eighth round of dynasty drafts.
9. T.Y. Hilton, Wide Receiver, Indianapolis Colts
Once Hilton takes over for Reggie Wayne as the Colts No. 1 wide receiver, he will jump on to the scene as a WR1 option in all league format. The former third-round pick gained nearly 900 yards and scored seven touchdowns, even though he was stuck behind Wayne and Donnie Avery on the Colts depth chart. With Avery departing for Kansas City, expect Hilton to approach 1,000 yards in 2013.
10. Tony Romo, Quarterback, Dallas Cowboys
At this point in the draft, you want to be able to acquire proven players who could be put on the trade block. Romo is one of the most underrated fantasy quarterbacks in the league. He ranked eighth among quarterbacks in fantasy points last season despite throwing a league-high 19 interceptions. At the very least, Romo is a great backup option should Kaepernick get injured, or when he is on bye.
Rest of The Roster
11. Mark Ingram, Running Back, New Orleans Saints
12. Vance McDonald, Tight End, San Francisco 49ers
13. Andy Dalton, Quarterback, Cincinnati Bengals
14. San Francisco 49ers Defense
15. Bernard Pierce, Running Back, Baltimore Ravens
16. Alshon Jeffery, Wide Receiver, Chicago Bears
17. Isaiah Pead, Running Back, St. Louis Rams
18. Owen Daniels, Tight End, Houston Texans
19. Brian Quick, Wide Receiver, St. Louis Rams
20. Phil Dawson, Kicker, San Francisco 49ers