Yahoo Fantasy Football Mock, RDs 5-6: Lynch, Peterson get the call

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.

SEE ROUNDS 1-2 HERE
SEE ROUNDS 3-4 HERE

ROUND 5

49. Drew Brees, NO, QB3 – Not that Brees needs an explanation, but in case he did, that he’s been a top 6 fantasy QB for 11 straight seasons is pretty strong validation –Brandon Funston

50. Marshawn Lynch, Oak, RB19 – Beast-Mode should find Oakland’s O-line much more accommodating than what he had in front of him in his last days in Seattle – Raiders RBs averaged 4.7 YPC in ’16, and even a ho-hummer like Latavius Murray finished as a RB1 in Oakland’s catbird seat –Funston

51. Carlos Hyde, SF, RB20 – More durability would be nice, but found a way to be RB14 on a lousy team. I doubt he’s this cheap in August. –Scott Pianowski

52. Greg Olsen, Car, TE4 – Building a HOF resume. Last missed a game in 2007, absurd for a tight end. Rank last five years: 2, 4, 4, 7, 6. –Pianow

53. Isaiah Crowell, Cle, RB21 – Crowell averaged 4.8 YPC last season, he found the end-zone seven times, and nothing significant has changed in Cleveland’s backfield. Easy pick in the fifth. –Andy Behrens

54. Andrew Luck, Ind, QB4 – OK, the shoulder is a small concern. But he should be good to go by opening week, and he’s basically a lock for 4200 yards and 30-plus TDs. –Behrens

[Fantasy Football is open! Sign up now and start winning season early]

55. Ameer Abdullah, Det, RB22 – Curiously, the Lions did nothing to address their backfield in the draft. They clearly still believe in Abdullah. For the price, I guess I do too. –Liz Loza

56. Samaje Perine, Was, RB23 – I probably pulled the trigger a bit soon here, but thought Evans might snipe the rookie. Perine is a hammer who will soon own the goal line in Washington. –Loza

57. Tyler Eifert, Cin, TE5 – Investing in a player off back surgery is a risky proposition, but Eifert, when healthy, is a dominant force. Limited by myriad setbacks last year, he played only eight games. Still his 54-788-10 pace defines his top-five upside. –Brad Evans

58. Emmanuel Sanders, Den, WR26 – He isn’t the sexiest WR, but Sanders is a consistency king who’s a strong bet to once again land inside the position’s top-20. Unless Carlos Henderson and/or Jake Butt steal more targets than expected, Sanders should duplicate last year’s production (79-1032-5). –Evans

59. Dalvin Cook, Min, RB24 – Not the most impressive combine, but the rookie should enter the season as Minny’s clear lead back. –Dalton Del Don

60. Mike Gillislee, NE, RB25 – Takes over as New England’s “big back,” a role that led to the most rushing touchdowns in the NFL last year. –3D

ROUND 6

61. Eric Decker, NYJ, WR27 – Has scored at least 11 touchdowns in three of past five seasons and should see increased targets with Brandon Marshall gone. –3D

62. Brandon Marshall, NYG, WR28 – No longer his team’s WR1, but there’s gas left in the tank, and the Giants are relatively pass happy. –3D

63. Bilal Powell, NYJ, RB26 – The Jet posted supersonic totals during the fantasy playoffs churning out the second-best RB output Weeks 14-17 (138.0 typg, 5.1 ypc). Matt Forte is crusty and Todd Bowles knows it. I would be shocked if Powell didn’t command the heavy side of a 60-40 timeshare. –Evans

64. Cameron Meredith, Chi, WR29 – In fantasy points per target, the former college QB finished as a WR2 in 12-team formats. Alshon Jeffery commanded 7.8 targets per game in 2016, which means a workload uptick is very likely. If Mike Glennon is even semi-competent, Meredith crosses 1,000 yards with 6-8 TDs. –Evans

65. Willie Snead, NO, WR30 – A little Saints stack for me. In an offense that passes nearly 700 times per season there should be plenty of opportunities to go around. –Loza

66. Jimmy Graham, Sea, TE6 – The second best TE in fantasy last year, Graham was second in targets to Doug Baldwin, further establishing himself as a receiving weapon in Seattle’s offense. –Loza

67. Adrian Peterson, NO, RB27 – I’m willing to bet that Peterson and Ingram split touches more or less evenly, and that AP remains the more dangerous ball-carrier. At this price, it’s a reasonable risk. –Behrens

68. Ty Montgomery, GB, RB28 – Rookie Jamaal Williams could emerge as a threat, sure, but it’s clear enough that Montgomery will continue to occupy a key role. The man averaged 5.9 YPC on 77 attempts last season. –Behrens

69. Golden Tate, Det, WR31 – Make peace with the touchdowns; he has 99, 90, and 91 catches in his three Detroit seasons. –Pianow

70. Larry Fitzgerald, Ari, WR32 – I know we’re getting near a dangerous age, but geesh, he has 216 catches for 2238 yards and 15 scores the last two years. No one will outwork him. –Pianow

71. Delanie Walker, Ten, TE7 – Only Gronk and Greg Olsen have more combined fantasy points over the past three seasons, and Jason Witten, Olsen and Walker are the only TEs to have 60+ catches in each of the past four seasons –Funston

72. Tevin Coleman, Atl, RB29 – Counting postseason, Coleman had 14 TDs in 16 games in ’16, and also finished 2nd at RB in fantasy points per snap –Funston

Follow the Yahoo Fantasy crew on Twitter @YahooNoise, @LizLoza_FF, @BrandonFunston, @Scott_Pianowski, @AndyBehrens and @DaltonDelDon