2019 Yahoo Fantasy Football Mock Draft: Early look at top 50 picks
With the NFL draft in the rearview mirror, it’s time for some Fantasy Football drafting. We recently held a 10-team, five-round, Half-PPR mock to get things started.
The idea here isn’t to pick a team by addressing every position, but rather judge the top 50 players in fantasy as it stands today. We’ve broken up each round and delivered short analysis for each pick made.
[Join or create a 2019 Yahoo Fantasy Football league for free today]
ROUND 1: Top RBs fly off the board
Pick 1: Ezekiel Elliott — Zeke has led the NFL in rushing yards per game in each of his three seasons, plus he added a receiving dimension last year (77 REC). It's nearly a coin flip with Saquon, but I have (much) greater confidence in the Dallas offense. (Andy Behrens)
Pick 2: Saquon Barkley — As a rookie, Barkley led the NFL in yards from scrimmage (2,028) while catching 91 passes. He's simply as good as it gets at his position. The only worry here is the very real possibility that New York's offense takes a backward step without OBJ. (Behrens)
Pick 3: Alvin Kamara — His efficiency predictably dropped some with increased work, but fantasy owners will gladly make the trade when it came with 1,592 yards and 18 TDs in 15 games. Mark Ingram has left town as well. (Dalton Del Don)
Pick 4: Christian McCaffrey — The Panthers weren’t kidding when they said CMC was going to be a workhorse, as he totaled 316 touches (107 catches!). Carolina is loaded with young offensive weapons who should only improve (with hopefully a healthier Cam Newton), and a better offense is good news for Carolina’s feature back. (DDD)
Pick 5: Le’Veon Bell — Look at the one-year hiatus as a blessing: Body preservation. The Jets are one-sixteenth the offense he was immersed in with Pittsburgh, but Sam Darnold's strong finish to 2018 showed promise. Undoubtedly slated to be a focal point, he should again reach the 300-touch level. (Brad Evans)
Pick 6: David Johnson — Criminally misused early last season under Mike McCoy, DJ is sure to return to an elite level in Kliff Kingsbury's Air Raid. If Kyler Murray is as advertised, it's conceivable Johnson finishes with 80-100 receptions this season. Don't ding him too harshly for Arizona's o-line concerns. (Evans)
Pick 7: Melvin Gordon — Top-six in fantasy points per game in back-to-back seasons, Gordon's multi-faceted usage makes him one of the best floor plays at the position. (Liz Loza)
Pick 8: DeAndre Hopkins — A top-two fantasy producer for two consecutive seasons, nearly 50 percent of Nuk's looks have occurred in the end zone. He's the consensus No. 1 WR in fantasy rankings. (Loza)
Pick 9: James Conner — Got the keys to the offense last year and was RB7, what's not to like? What I don't like is this late draft slot, especially in a short, odd-rounded exercise. This is about as fair as Lakers-Kings 2002. (Scott Pianowski)
Pick 10: Davante Adams — Sometimes we throw out the baby with the bathwater when we explain away receiving touchdowns. Adams has 12, 10, and 13 spikes the last three years, and he has the trust of an elite QB who famously doesn’t trust everyone. Into an age-27 season, I’ll pay up. (Pianowski)
ROUND 2: TEs make early appearance
Pick 1: Todd Gurley — Nobody really knows what to do with Gurley, but he’s an easier pill to swallow in Round 2. And it wasn’t that long ago when he was considered the unfair piece in fantasy football. Maybe the strange collapse was mostly explained by injury. (Pianowski)
Pick 2: Joe Mixon — He claimed up to RB9 last year, doing it with projectable volume and high efficiency. It’s been a while since I’ve been all-in on any Bengals offense, but Mixon isn’t the problem here. (Pianowski)
Pick 3: Nick Chubb — Don't @ me about usage when Hunt is benched for the first eight games of the season. I'll take my chances and adjust midseason if necessary. After establishing the starting role, Chubb averaged over 100 scrimmage yards per game. He figures to build on that in 2019. (Loza)
Pick 4: Odell Beckham Jr. — The Browns are going to showcase their brightest star ... and Baker can actually deliver him the ball. (Loza)
Pick 5: Julio Jones — Conquering his TD allergy from 2017, Julio crossed the chalk eight times last season. That, combined with his league-leading 1,677 yards and 113 receptions cemented him as top-five fantasy royalty. Atlanta's o-line investment via the draft suggests he will at least match last season's productivity. (Evans)
Pick 6: JuJu Smith-Schuster — Antonio Brown's ego size nearly matched his overall target share last season (26.7). With Brown in Oakland, there are 169 looks up for grabs. JuJu is in position to crack the WR top-five. It's silly to dwell on the increased double teams. Follow the volume. (Evans)
Pick 7: Travis Kelce — He's coming off a 150-103-1,336-10 monstrous season at a position that gets extremely weak fast, and Kelce is going to see even more work in 2019 with Tyreek Hill likely gone. (DDD)
Pick 8: George Kittle — He just set the NFL record in yardage by a tight end as a sophomore with second and third string quarterbacks throwing to him while also playing the final half of the season with fractured rib cartilage. Kittle now gets Jimmy Garoppolo back. It’s not often the steal of the draft occurs in Round 2, but so is the case here. (DDD)
Pick 9: Michael Thomas — Well, this was a gift. This team drafted Saquon in the first round, then snagged the NFL's reception leader (125) in the second. This will never happen for me when we're drafting for keeps in late-summer. (Behrens)
Pick 10: Antonio Brown — If you can forget Brown's bizarre offseason for a minute, let's recall that he remains a top-five every-route receiving talent. This price is fair, considering the QB downgrade. We can expect 150-plus targets, however. (Behrens)
ROUND 3: First rookie taken
Pick 1: Zach Ertz — Dalton's selection of George Kittle in Round 2 was purely a mean-spirited attack on me. He'd be the ideal pick here. Instead, I'll settle for the last of the top-tier tight ends, a guy who caught 116 balls last season. (Behrens)
Pick 2: Derrick Henry — Despite a minimal role as a receiver, Henry was the top fantasy scorer at his position by a mile over the season's final five weeks (625 rush, 8 TDs). He's the centerpiece of a somewhat sketchy offense; a clear challenger for the rushing title. (Behrens)
Pick 3: Damien Williams — He owns impressive workout metrics and is now the clear lead back on a team that consistently produces top-three fantasy RB numbers, and the position should be busier than ever with Tyreek Hill likely no longer in their plans. Williams is a top-10 RB on my board, but it doesn’t appear my colleagues agree. (DDD)
Pick 4: Dalvin Cook — Health has been a major problem but still 23 years old and primed to be given another opportunity of a big workload on a winning team that wants to run the ball heavily. Now is the time to buy Cook stock. (DDD)
Fantasy Draft Rankings: QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | DST | Kickers
Pick 5: Mike Evans — Tampa is indisputably a work in progress on defense, which is music to Evans' ears. Everyone in Fantasyland is gaga for Chris Godwin, but the consistent veteran is a sure-fire WR1 in 10-team exercises. Recall last year he ranked No. 1 in total air yards and No. 5 in contested catch rate. (Evans)
Pick 6: Keenan Allen — It's shocking to think Allen hasn't missed a game in two straight seasons. He's a high-volume receiver (29.2 TGT% in '18) who will again be a centerpiece on a likely playoff contender. Another 95-100 receptions, 1,200 yards, and 6-7 TDs are bankable. (Evans)
Pick 7: Josh Jacobs — The only running back selected in the first round of the NFL draft, Jacobs is a well-rounded talent who figures to see upwards of 17 touches per contest. (Loza)
Pick 8: Stefon Diggs — Hard to not like a player who is top-10 in contested catch rate and YAC. (Loza)
Pick 9: T.Y. Hilton — The 2019 Colts could be the 2018 Chiefs, with a superstar quarterback and all sorts of dynamic playmakers. Hilton’s touchdown upside pushes him down some, but he’s elite in the yardage column and is coming off his most efficient year. (Pianowski)
Pick 10: Marlon Mack — Again, it's a case of wanting to bet where coach Frank Reich and GM Chris Ballard are betting. I will have as many shares of this offense as I can get. (Pianowski)
ROUND 4: RB2s/WR2s aplenty
Pick 1: Adam Thielen — Imagine if the Vikings had an elite quarterback. Thielen is a route-running savant and a king of consistency; one of the safest places to park your money. (Pianowski)
Pick 2: Leonard Fournette — He can't even be four-net, it's 3.7-net over two seasons. But the Jacksonville defense is likely to have positive regression, and that meshes well with the offensive game plan — control the ball, don't overexpose Nick Foles, and let a gigantic offense line go to work. I like Fournette's setup more than I actually like him, but setup is a huge part of answering our fantasy questions. (Pianowski)
Pick 3: Phillip Lindsay — Lindsay's wrist should be healed up by training camp, allowing the explosive RB to build on his 1,000+ yard and double-digit TD breakout season. (Loza)
Pick 4: A.J. Green — Forget the flash and lean into the facts. Green is one of the savviest route runners who consistently gets open and wins 50/50 balls. I'll take that floor in the fourth round all dang day. (Loza)
Pick 5: Amari Cooper — After his escape from Alcatraz (Oakland), Cooper regained his WR1 form with the Cowboys. From Week 8 on, he ranked WR9 in .5 PPR. Match that output over a full season in Big D and he'll turn a tidy value in Round 4. (Evans)
Pick 6: Sony Michel — Some view New England's backfield as crowded, especially with rookie Damien Harris aboard. However, Michel is likely to be the primary big back, a role which historically yields attractive fantasy results. Roughly 1,100 combined yards with 8-10 TDs is attainable. (Evans)
Pick 7: Devonta Freeman — He’s coming off a lost year, and it’s safe to worry about Freeman’s durability at this point, but that’s why he’s at this discount. A three-down back still in his prime in a strong offensive system that lost Tevin Coleman and added two offensive linemen in the first round of the draft, Freeman is a bounce-back target. (DDD)
Pick 8: Kerryon Johnson — Even if he’s not expected to be used as a true workhorse, Johnson was too exciting as a rookie to pass up here. (DDD)
Pick 9: Robert Woods — He's averaged 5.1 catches and 71.4 yards per game over the past two seasons for LA as a high-volume receiver in a terrific offense. Woods is a good bet to rank as a top-15 WR in a healthy season. (Behrens)
Pick 10: Brandin Cooks — As with Woods, Cooks is a bankable WR2 tied to an exceptional offense. He has produced four straight 1,000-yard seasons in three different systems, which is just silly. (Behrens)
ROUND 5: No quarterbacks make the cut
Pick 1: Aaron Jones — Jones might very well be a committee back, but he was the Pack's most efficient runner by far last season (5.5 YPC). (Behrens)
Pick 2: Kenny Golladay — I considered a splashy rookie here, but ultimately went with a more established (yet still developing) player coming off a terrific season. Golladay enters his third year having just delivered a WR2-ish campaign. (Behrens)
Pick 3: David Montgomery — The rookie appears to have a clear path to a bunch of touches in a Chicago backfield with little competition and a system that plans on winning with defense and hiding its quarterback. The team didn’t trade up for Montgomery (100 missed tackles last year) not to use him as a feature back. Bonus here for swooping Brad Evans. (DDD)
Pick 4: Chris Godwin — Crazy good talent, Godwin owns a career 9.0 YPT mark despite dealing with shaky QB play, and he’s only getting better. With DeSean Jackson and Adam Humphries gone, Godwin is going to see a ton of targets in Bruce Arians’ vertical offense. (DDD)
Pick 5: Derrius Guice — Dalton is a chump for stealing my precious Monty, but Guice is a suitable consolation prize. On track to be the power back on an ascending Washington offense, he's a borderline top-20 RB who should yield steady week-to-week results. (Evans)
Pick 6: Mark Ingram — Ingram is no spring chicken at 29, but he's slated to head up Baltimore's RBBC. Tied to a running QB and conservative system, he's in a great spot to exceed 1,200 total yards with 8-10 scores. (Evans)
Pick 7: Allen Robinson — Target share is a concern, but Robinson looked healthier as the year progressed. I think he'll deliver on 70+ catch season. (Loza)
Pick 8: Tyler Lockett — It took a minute, but Lockett finally broke out in 2018, improving his efficiency and posting top-12 fantasy numbers. With Doug Baldwin likely to retire, Lockett's role only figures to grow. (Loza)
Pick 9: Cooper Kupp — Obviously he’s off a torn ACL and we’ll need to follow up this summer. Kupp is generally seen as a glue guy, which might undershoot his upside — he was the WR2 through five games last year before the injuries came about. Sean McVay knows how to scheme Kupp into big plays, and Kupp — a workout and film wonk — is an immaculate route-runner. (Pianowski)
Pick 10: Julian Edelman — Stepping into a risky age-33 season, but there will be targets available. Can you hypnotize a player and make him believe every game is a playoff game? (Pianowski)
Follow the Yahoo fantasy football crew on Twitter: Brad Evans, Liz Loza, Andy Behrens, Scott Pianowski and Dalton Del Don
