Yahoo Fantasy Football Mock 2017, RDs 3-4: Mixon, McCaffrey come off the board
With most free agents signed and the NFL Draft in the books, it’s time for fantasy owners to get back in the saddle, Yahoo mouthpieces included. Below is our first mock of the season – 12-teams, .5 PPR, all positions must be filled. Peruse, follow and ridicule, self-proclaimed fantasy savant.
ROUND 3
25. Joe Mixon, Cin, RB13 – You don’t take a player with his baggage in Round 2 of the draft unless you plan on going all in – his talent is in the Fournette/McCaffrey class, and I expect him to lead the Cincy backfield from the get-go. –Brandon Funston
26. Christian McCaffrey, Car, RB14 – If there is something this guy can’t do, I have yet to see it – I’m expecting 12-15 electric touches a week, assuming Carolina can convince Cam to throw to his RB. –Funston
27. Doug Baldwin, Sea, WR13 – Yeah, he regressed all right, all the way down to WR10. Wanting to be great is a big chunk of the battle. Divine route runner. I’d take a team of Baldwins if I could. –Scott Pianowski
28. Todd Gurley, LAR, RB15 – Obviously last year was an abomination, but volume means a lot, and surrounding situation can only get better. –Pianow
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29. Brandin Cooks, NE, WR14 – OK, sure, this could definitely go sideways. But the Pats are extremely enthusiastic about Cooks, and he’s delivered back-to-back 1100-yard seasons. –Andy Behrens
30. C.J. Anderson, Den, RB16 – Anderson was one of a few similar RBs available here, but I was afraid all would be gone by Round 4. Devontae Booker didn’t exactly run away with the Denver job, did he? –Behrens
31. Donte Moncrief, Ind, WR15 – I like TDs. That’s Moncrief’s game. He scored 7 in 9 games last year. He’s money when healthy. –Liz Loza
32. Spencer Ware, KC, RB17 – Coach Reid raved about Ware last month. Kareem Hunt is a handcuff, not an immediate threat. –Loza
33. Aaron Rodgers, GB, QB1 – The late-round QB crowd would throw rotten cabbage at this pick, but Rodgers is as consistent as they come – high-floor selection. Hopefully, in the post-Olivia Munn era he reaches new heights. –Brad Evans
34. Travis Kelce, KC, TE1 – Over Gronk?! Absolutely. He’s yet to miss a game in his three-year career and finally crossed the 1,000-yard mark a season ago. When constructing a roster, I’ll take titanium over paper mache all day. –Evans
35. Rob Gronkowski, NE, TE2 – His durability concerns are certainly built into the price here, because Gronk is a first-round asset when on the field. –Dalton Del Don
36. Allen Robinson, Jax, WR16 – He’s one season removed from going 1,400/14 as a sophomore. Still just 23 years old. –3D
ROUND 4
37. Sammy Watkins, Buf, WR17 – The foot injury no doubt remains a concern, but there’s still a ton of upside here. –3D
38. Demaryius Thomas, Den, WR18 – Maybe lacks the ceiling of my previous two WRs picked at this stage, but his floor is certainly much higher. –3D
39. Terrelle Pryor, Was, WR19 – Last year’s breakout was just the tip of the iceberg for the converted QB. Going from Cleveland to pass-happy Washington could launch his career into the stratosphere. At a minimum I’m expecting 75-1100-7. –Evans
40. Keenan Allen, LAC, WR20 – A supposed “luxury” concert event promoted by Ja Rule is probably less risky. Allen is a dice roll as a WR1, but he should command double-digit targets with regularity. Fingers crossed his tendons remain intact. –Evans
41. Martavis Bryant, Pit, WR21 – A risk/reward pick for sure, but in May hopes are high. –Loza
42. Mark Ingram, NO, RB18 – Follow the money and you’ll see that the Saints’ backfield still belongs to Ingram. For now, at least. –Loza
43. Davante Adams, GB, WR22 – Do you like touchdowns? Do you like receivers tied to all-time QBs? Great, then you will no doubt accept this pick as reasonable. –Behrens
44. Tom Brady, NE, QB2 – Here’s a fun pairing of an elite QB and one of his featured receivers (Cooks). I didn’t see a no-doubt standout RB, so this team will wait a round. –Behrens
45. Jarvis Landry, Mia, WR23 – The touchdown column is annoying, no doubt. But his volume floor is so high, this feels like stealing near the end of the fourth round. Yeah, a boring pick. But value picks are often boring picks. –Pianow
46. Michael Crabtree, Oak, WR24 – He’s the bass player, Amari Cooper is the lead guitarist – but Crabtree keeps scoring the majority of the touchdowns. –Pianow
47. Tyreek Hill, KC, WR25 – Scored every 9.4 times he touched the ball in ’16 (9 TD/85 touches) and also added 3 return scores, which is to say it’s not too shocking to hear Andy Reid say that they need to give Hill the ball more in ’17. –Funston
48. Jordan Reed, Was, TE3 – Jay Gruden says the offense runs through Reed now, which should be sweet music to his fantasy owners’ ears – if he can hold up for at least 14 games, he’s a nice value here. –Funston
Follow the Yahoo Fantasy crew on Twitter @YahooNoise, @LizLoza_FF, @BrandonFunston, @Scott_Pianowski, @AndyBehrens and @DaltonDelDon
