Roto Arcade Fantasy Football Mock, RDs 9-10: How the once mighty Richardson has fallen
A smorgasbord of curiosities went in Rounds 9-10. From Trent Richardson to Marvin Jones to LaDarius Green to Johnny Manziel, the later rounds were filled with plenty of uncertainties with upside. Our Mr. Irrelevant, Roy Helu, capped our exercise. What team is destined for fantasy glory? What team will fall flat on its face? Grade the draftees in the comments section below.
ICYMI: ROUNDS 1-2, ROUNDS 3-4, ROUNDS 5-6, ROUNDS 7-8
ROUND 9
Brandin Cooks, WR, NO — With Darren Sproles and Lance Moore out of the mix, the ex-Beaver will munch on the competition. Don't be shocked if he hauls in 70-plus receptions this year. (EVANS)
Devonta Freeman, RB, Atl — Steven Jackson once traversed Sherwood Forrest with Robin Hood. Dude is OLD. And Rodgers is more of a change of pace option. You think Freeman gets at least five starts? I say absolutely. (EVANS)
James Jones, WR, Oak — Big fish, small pond. He'll miss Aaron Rodgers in 15 seconds. But there's not much competition for the ball here. (PIANOWSKI)
Fred Jackson, RB, Buf — If he can sneak another 250 touches or so, he'll have flex appeal in most pools this fall. (PIANOWSKI)
Danny Woodhead, RB, SD — As you guys know, I'm not the world's biggest PPR fan. But those are the settings here so Woodhead is the pick. Dude caught 76 passes last year (BEHRENS)
Kyle Rudolph, TE, MIN — I'm a big believer in Rudolph's talent, plus I think Bridgewater is a clear upgrade at QB. Here's hoping Kyle finally gets his first 100-target season. (BEHRENS)
DeAndre Hopkins, WR, HOU — A big-time talent who posted 800-plus receiving yards as a rookie in tough circumstances. This is all about filling up my bench with breakout upside. (FUNSTON)
Bernard Pierce, RB, BAL — This is a handcuff for Rice, who could get hit with some kind of NFL suspension. As I stated above, Kubiak's influence should help the BAL running game get untracked. (FUNSTON)
Kenny Stills, WR, NO — Marques Colston is in my aforementioned admitted decline phase, and while Brandin Cooks may have a bright future, Stills produced the highest QB Rating to a single WR last year by a wide margin. His efficiency will drop no doubt, but his volume will increase even more. (DEL DON)
Aaron Dobson, WR, NE — Julian Edelman will be drafted earlier, but if Danny Amendola stays healthy, he’ll have far more competition for the slot spot than outside for Dobson, who has the most upside among all the NE WRs. (DEL DON)
Trent Richardson, RB, IND — Probably a dog but the Colts will try to avoid embarrassment by giving him significant volume in a good offense. Opportunity counts. (SALFINO)
Ladarius Green, TE, SD — A TENO (tight end in name only), criminally underused last year but one I expect to be heavily featured in 2014. More upside than the remaining wideouts. (SALFINO)
ROUND 10
Dennis Pitta, TE, BAL — On the other hand, if I'm wrong, I need a potential difference-maker at the position. A healthy Pitta should thrive in Gary Kubiak's offense. (SALFINO)
Markus Wheaton, WR, PIT — Betting on Ben Roethlisberger getting the ball to someone other than Antonio Brown and Wheaton is the favorite among the candidates for snaps. (SALFINO)
Danny Amendola, WR, NE — He's a star when healthy. Amendola is often not, but I thought he was worthy of a third round pick last year, so a gamble here is easy. (DEL DON)
Zach Ertz, TE, PHI — I wasn't planning on drafting a sceond TE, but I fully expect Ertz to be a huge producer in 2014 with DeSean Jackson gone in Philly, and it made sense considering I gambled on an injured Rob Gronkowski earlier. (DEL DON)
Tavon Austin, WR, STL — This is a dice roll, expecting the Rams to have a better idea of how to utilize his talents and Austin having a better understanding of the offense in Year 2. (FUNSTON)
Martellus Bennett, TE, CHI — Time for a TE, and Bennett, at a ripe 27 years old and in a pass-friendly offense, was the best still left on the board. (FUNSTON)
Jay Cutler, QB, CHI — This is basically an integrity of the mock selection. Cutty is at the controls of the NFC's top-scoring offense, throwing to two uncoverable WRs. (BEHRENS)
Seattle D/ST — In your hometown league, someone is drafting a D before Round 10. Seattle should be the first to go. And anyway, Evans took all the fun rookies. (BEHRENS)
Marvin Jones, WR, Cin — The four-TD game sticks out, but look at the zesty production the final five weeks (playoff loss included). Marvin won't be starvin'. (PIANOWSKI)
Carlos Hyde, RB, SF — Handcuffing is a weak play, that's why my other club didn't take Hyde. But if you can grab someone else's upside backup, good for you. (PIANOWSKI)
Johnny Manziel, QB, Cle — Perfect QB2 to RGIII. In fact, he could be RGIII 2012 revisted in an identical offense. Passing TDs may be small in number, but 700-plus rushing yards a strong possibility. (EVANS)
Roy Helu, RB, Was — The Butler, Alfred Morris, will do the dirty work on early downs, but Helu should beat out rookie Lache Seastrunk for passing down duties. Roughly 40-45 receptions are not out of the question in Jay Gruden's offense. (EVANS)
