As we enter full scale fantasy football draft season, it's important to use as many resources as possible to help you come up with a contending roster. Whether it's standard, dynasty, PPR-heavy or IDP, the more knowledge you gain heading into the draft, the better prepared you will be.
That's where eDraft and our tools come into play. Partnering with Fantasy Pros, we have included a mock draft simulator for our readers. The simulator takes into account ADP (average draft position) to give you guys/gals an understanding of where specific players are being drafted. More than that, it enables you to acquire an understanding of how a real draft will play out.
That's how this mock fantasy team was created. In our second version, we go away from the grain and attempt to find value at running back later in the draft after initially picking up one of the top players at that position.
This specific simulator had us picking at No. 5 overall.
1. Marshawn Lynch, Running Back, Seattle Seahawks
Grabbing Lynch at the fifth spot would be a no-brainer. The All-Pro is averaging over 1,600 total yards and 14-plus touchdowns in his three full seasons with Seattle, compiling a top-four running back ranking each season. Most people recommend waiting until the second round to nab a running back if you are selecting near the middle of the first round. That's only applicable when one of the top backs isn't on the board. Based on Lynch's previous production and what we are looking at this year, there's no reason to believe that Lynch won't be among the most productive fantasy running backs again.
2. A.J. Green, Wide Receiver, Cincinnati Bengals
It's important for a receiver to have an elite quarterback in order to put up elite fantasy numbers. That's one of the primary reasons the likes of Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders were upper-echelon options for Peyton Manning and the Broncos last season. Green tends to buck the trend here. Dealing with Andy Dalton's dreadful performance and nagging injuries, Green was still able to put up over 1,000 yards and six scores last season. That was enough for him to rank as a back end WR2. Now fully healthy and with a history of previous success, Green should revert back to 2013 form where he finished as the No. 4 fantasy receiver. Nabbing him with the 19th pick could be a steal.
3. Jimmy Graham, Tight End, Seattle Seahawks
If Graham falls to Round 3 in your draft, there shouldn't be a reason you take more than one minute making the pick. As to where the tight end position has been a crap shoot over the past couple seasons, Graham has been one constant. He's finished as a top-four fantasy tight end in each of the past four years, compiling a No. 1 ranking in both 2012 and 2014. Now moving on to the Seattle Seahawks, there is no reason to believe Graham's production will dip. While Seattle's offense is run-based in comparison to New Orleans pass-first attack, Graham will act as Russell Wilson's primary red-zone receiving target. As to where Graham's targets (average of 130-plus over the past four seasons) will decrease, his touchdowns (46 during the same span) should increase. That makes this Pro Bowler a dominant fantasy option for the Seahawks in 2015.
4. Andre Johnson, Wide Receiver, Indianapolis Colts
Johnson recorded 85 receptions for 936 yards with the Houston Texans last season. He did so with the likes of Ryan Mallett, Ryan Fitzpatrick and Tom Savage tossing him the rock. Imagine what the 33-year-old receiver will do as a starter in the Colts offense with Andrew Luck under center. While Frank Gore will help create more balance on this offense, there's no reason to believe Johnson won't be able to put up over 1,100 yards and near the double-digit touchdown plateau. Even if he doesn't come close to putting up the average of 160-plus targets he saw in his final three seasons with the Texans, he should come close to tallying the same reception numbers with more touchdowns. Clearly a solid WR2 option.
5. Andre Ellington, Running Back, Arizona Cardinals
If you are going to take a running back early (like mostly everyone), the best strategy might be to wait on a RB2 later in the draft to accumulate more assets and value. In this specific mock, everything worked out perfectly. As you can see below, I decided to go with a string of three consecutive running backs to compete for roles as my RB2 and FLEX options based on weekly matchups. This gives me a ton of flexibility. Even with David Johnson in the mix with Arizona, Ellington is someone to seriously consider as a bottom-end RB2 or top-end FLEX option. Through two seasons, Ellington is averaging over five yards per touch and 42.5 receptions per season. Even if Johnson takes over Arizona's primary ball-carrier duties, Ellington will put up enough numbers in the passing game to justify picking him this high.
6. C.J. Spiller, Running Back, New Orleans Saints
Giving up some ground yardage for the possibility of hitting a goldmine in PPR leagues. Spiller has a chance to be an absolute beast in his first season with the Saints. Mixing plus-level receiving ability with a Saints offensive attack that places a lot of importance on receiving skills out of the backfield is a recipe for success heading into 2015. Now take into account how Sean Payton likes to use his running backs, and it's likely Spiller will get enough touches to make an impact. The issue with going strict PPR as a RB2 option is that you need to find a way to create competition for that spot. We do that below.
7. Giovani Bernard, Running Back, Cincinnati Bengals
Jeremy Hill will demand most of the attention in Cincinnati this year, which means most people will indicate that Bernard is nothing more than a handcuff option. I beg to differ. There's a reason Bernard is averaging over 77 total yards per game and 50 receptions per season thus far in his career. The touches will definitely be there, especially if offensive coordinator Hue Jackson continues to commit to creating more balance on offense. Even with between 10-12 touches per game, Bernard makes for a decent FLEX option.
The Rest
8. Torrey Smith, Wide Receiver, San Francisco 49ers
9. Eli Manning, Quarterback, New York Giants
10. Kyle Rudolph, Tight End, Minnesota Vikings
11. Teddy Bridgewater, Quarterback, Minnesota Vikings
12. Pierre Garcon, Wide Receiver, Washington Redskins
13. Delanie Walker, Tight End, Tennessee Titans
14. Baltimore Ravens, Defense/Special Teams
15. Cody Parkey, Kicker, Philadelphia Eagles