It's never too early to start pondering your 2015 fantasy football roster by participating in mock drafts. This mock draft consisted of 12 teams and held the sixth pick. It includes a few players who could see increased roles this season, due to the fact that they have changed teams or other team members have departed during this season’s free agency period.
1.6 LeSean McCoy, Running Back, Buffalo Bills
The McCoy from fantasy seasons past should be the guy we see featured as the Bills’ workhorse this season. McCoy was not acquired in a free agency trade to time share with other backs, like he found himself doing last season with the Philadelphia Eagles. Look for McCoy to rebound in the 2015 fantasy season, while the other Bills’ backs mostly take a back seat.
2.7 Randall Cobb, Wide Receiver, Green Bay Packers
Cobb is exactly where his potential fantasy drafters want him for 2015. Should he have moved to a team with a sub-par quarterback, his fantasy value would have plummeted in 2015. Instead, he’s right back with Aaron Rodgers, where he should remain within the top-10 wide receivers for 2015.
3.6. Carlos Hyde, Running Back, San Francisco 49ers
Due to the free agency departure of former running back Frank Gore, this should be the season Hyde inherits the lead rushing role for the team. Even though the team picked up veteran free agent, Reggie Bush, he looks to play a role as a pass-catching back, versus the 49ers using Hyde to pound the ground. A bit of a risk here, but he could evolve into a solid RB2 if given the opportunity this season.
4.7 Tom Brady, Quarterback, New England Patriots
With four quarterbacks off the board by this point, Brady seemed like a solid investment versus selecting inconsistent guys like Cam Newton, Matthew Stafford or Matt Ryan in later rounds. Brady finished out 2014 strong and led his way through a Super Bowl Championship. With a healthy Rob Gronkowski to start the season off, Brady’s 2015 fantasy stock will be on the climb from where he was drafted last season.
5.6 Golden Tate, Wide Receiver, Detroit Lions
Surprisingly enough, Tate finished one spot (13th) ahead of fellow wideout Calvin Johnson in fantasy points last season. The dual wide receiver split in targets and catches looks to continue in 2015, and with how much Stafford throws the rock, Tate should be in for his fair share of receptions once again. The Lions will want to keep their star receiver Megatron healthy, so this is where Tate makes a fabulous compliment playing opposite of Calvin.
6.7 Antonio Gates, Tight End, San Diego Chargers
The veteran tight end just keeps on ticking as he finished second-overall amongst his position in 2014. Hauling in 12 touchdowns and 821 yards while remaining healthy should have Gates producing well once again in 2015 with quarterback Philip Rivers. He and Rivers have an awesome chemistry, so why not take advantage before one or both moves on in the near future.
7.6 Isaiah Crowell, Running Back, Cleveland Browns
Crowell finally was unleashed as the lead back for the Browns last season. For a partial season of role-sharing, Crowell still managed to put up 607 rushing yards and eight touchdowns, ranking 28th overall among his fellow running backs. The 22-year-old, bruising running back, who averaged 4.1 yards per carry last season, should find himself once again pounding the ground in 2015, making him a solid RB flex option.
8.7 Danny Woodhead, Running Back, San Diego Chargers
Provided he returns to the team in full health, Woodhead is great flex player at running back without Ryan Mathews in the picture. Losing Mathews to the Eagles during free agency, could see Woodhead serve as the featured back in San Diego in 2015. Additionally, during the course of his six-year career, he has maintained a very impressive 5.0 yards per carry.
9.6 Percy Harvin, Wide Receiver, Buffalo Bills
Harvin is a high-risk, high-reward player who at this point should be considered no more than a WR3 inching into 2015. If Harvin eventually finds his niche in Buffalo, he is capable of making some fantastic plays and is incredibly fast once the ball is in his hands. Draft him with the hope he embraces his new home, while rewarding plenty of fantasy points along the way.
10.7 Anquan Boldin, Wide Receiver, San Francisco 49ers
Boldin seems to fall to the bottom of the barrel when it comes to choosing fantasy wide receivers. However, those who selected him in late rounds last year benefited by having the 21st-ranked wideout on their fantasy team. Boldin managed 1,062 yards and five touchdowns in 2014 and his production, despite the addition of wide receiver Torrey Smith, should continue in 2015. Defenses will likely focus on shutting Smith down while Boldin tallies the receiving yards this season.
11.6 Buffalo Bills Defense
Reaching a bit early here, but it is good to have a solid defense, especially one that lead with 54 sacks last year and allowed the fourth-least total overall game points in 2014. The only issue here is we’ll need to swap out the Bills’ defense when the team faces Brady, drafted above, twice during the regular season. Can't have your own defense shutting down your quarterback, can you?
12.7 Joe Flacco, Quarterback, Baltimore Ravens
Flacco tends to get a bad rap when it comes to his fantasy status. However, the fact remains that Flacco finished 2014 as the 13th ranked quarterback who managed 27 touchdowns to only 12 interceptions. We could do worse for a backup fantasy quarterback approaching 2015.
13.6 Kenny Britt, Wide Receiver, St. Louis Rams
Purely receiver depth at this point, Britt may see some life breathed back into him with the addition of quarterback Nick Foles to the squad. If Foles stays healthy, he and Britt could make that sleeper combo others wish they had thought of drafting for their team.
14.7 Adam Vinatieri, Kicker, Indianapolis Colts
The Colts’ offense moves the ball tons as proven by Vinatieri’s 50 points after a touchdown attempts last season. He’ll continue to be a highly productive fantasy kicker in 2015.
15.6 DeAngelo Williams, Running Back, Pittsburgh Steelers
After nine seasons in Carolina, the Panthers called it quits with Williams, landing him to the free agency. Nonetheless, the Steelers must have seen some value in adding the 31-year-old running back moving into the short term. Williams may even get the lead carries for Le’Veon Bell who faces a two-to-four game suspension at the beginning of the 2015 season. Keeping that in mind, that may be reason enough to grab Williams nearing the end of your draft.
The full mock draft results can be viewed here at eDraft's custom mock draft simulator.