The Roto Arcade Fantasy Football Mock, RDs 1-2
When Mr. Irrelevant, Justice Cunningham, had his name called Saturday, the fantasy football mock season officially got underway. To kick off Yahoo!'s festivities, we'll mock two rounds per day Tuesday-Friday (12-teams, PPR scoring) to help you get educated on which players will be valued/undervalued when the bulk of the draft season begins in August. Please declare a winner and/or express your general disdain for our 'stupidity' in the comments section below.
ROUND 1
Adrian Peterson, RB, Minnesota Vikings (PK1, RB1) – Is there even an argument for anyone else? Only a lunatic contrarian would veer away from the game's best back, coming off an all-time season. – Behrens 1
Arian Foster, RB, Houston Texans (PK2, RB2) – There really shouldn't be much debate with the top two picks in 2013. Foster gave us over 1,600 scrimmage yards last season with 17 scores, and he was terrific in the playoffs. – Behrens 2
Doug Martin, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (PK3, RB3) – Lands No. 3 here after finishing behind only Peterson and Foster in terms of RB fantasy points as a rookie. And in PPR leagues, only Peterson was better out of the backfield. – Brandon 1
LeSean McCoy, RB, Philadelphia Eagles (PK4, RB4) – Every indication is that Chip Kelly will deploy a run-heavy system in Philly, so McCoy, with his versatility and elusiveness, should be put to good use. Plus, he's still only 24 years old – plenty of tread left on the tires. – Brandon 2
Ray Rice, RB, Baltimore Ravens (PK5, RB5) – Page me when he has a bad season (okay, Tweet me, or Facebook me, or text me, maybe). Even in an ordinary campaign for Rice, we saw double-digit touchdowns, 61 receptions, and one absolute clowning of the San Diego Chargers. Welcome to the huddle. – Pianow 1
C.J. Spiller, RB, Buffalo Bills (PK6, RB6) – It was painful to be 0-for-Spiller last year; that will not happen in 2013, even if it's mock-only. I know Calvin Johnson looks appealing in this spot, but the running back roundup is more critical in PPR, and Spiller's 6.0 YPC also moves the needle. – Pianow 2
Jamaal Charles, RB, Kansas City Chiefs (PK7, RB7) – Stock the sacramental wine, the JC of KC is about to deliver holy numbers. In Andy Reid's pass-happy offense, McCoy averaged 55 receptions per year over four seasons. Rookie Knile Davis should wrest away 8-10 carries/game, but expect Charles to rack 1,500 total yards, many of those coming through the air. – Brad 1
Trent Richardson, RB, Cleveland Browns (PK8, RB8) – T-Pain posted uneven totals in a season marred by poor run-blocking and tender ribs that forced him to sleep standing up. Despite the discomfort, he still managed to register the seventh-best RB line in PPR settings. A step forward is entirely possible. – Brad 2
Calvin Johnson, WR, Detroit Lions (PK9, WR1) – He just set the single season record for receiving yards, including a ridiculous 1,197 over the final eight games. Johnson scored 28 touchdowns over the previous two seasons, so last year's five feel like a fluke. He also had 122 catches, which works pretty well in a PPR format. – Dalton 1
Marshawn Lynch, RB, Seattle Seahawks (PK10, RB9) – Has scored 25 touchdowns over his past 28 games and is in a terrific situation in Seattle. Still in the prime of his career, Lynch's 58 broken tackles last season were second only to Adrian Peterson (64). Beast mode. – Dalton 2
Alfred Morris, RB, Washington Redskins (PK11, RB10) – Maybe he catches more dumps now as the Redskins seek to protect RGIII. The success of this pick hinges on RGIII remaining a dangerous running threat in 2013. We're guessing this early, but reports to date on his ACL recovery are beyond encouraging. – Salfino 1
Aaron Rodgers, QB, Green Bay Packers (PK12, QB1) – Money in the bank at quarterback. Maybe he doesn't finish the season No. 1. But he has a very high floor and as high a ceiling as anyone when you factor in his propensity for rushing scores, too. – Salfino 2
ROUND 2
Montee Ball, RB, Denver Broncos (PK13, RB11) – A reach. But I see double-digit touchdowns in this offense and none of the remaining backs offered that kind of upside. You have to reach at RB in this draft slot, unfortunately. – Salfino 2
David Wilson, RB, New York Giants (PK14, RB12) – Provides the allure of being the feature back plus 50-catch upside in PPR with explosiveness, too. Rushing touchdowns are likely going to be a problem. But there should be plenty of scoring opportunities in a good Giants' offense. – Salfino 1
Dez Bryant, WR, Dallas Cowboys (PK15, WR2) – Had 50 catches for 879 yards and 10 touchdowns over the final eight games last season, as the light bulb finally went on. Still just 24 years old, he showed toughness playing through a badly broken finger down the stretch. Got 10.0 YPT last season and has the best chance of any WR of finishing ahead of Calvin Johnson in 2013. – Dalton 2
Matt Forte, RB, Chicago Bears (PK16, RB13) – Has averaged 1,512 yards from scrimmage over the past three seasons despite missing five games. Forte isn't a big scorer but gets a boost in PPR format. He should thrive in new HC Marc Trestman's system. – Dalton 1
Maurice Jones-Drew, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars (PK17, RB14) – Four months from now this will be an incredible value pick. The Oompah Loompah, recovering from a Lisfranc sprain, recently expressed he'll be full speed by June. In a contract year and with Denard Robinson expected to help ease the burden, MJD should storm back with a vengeance. A top-five campaign isn't out of the question. – Brad 2
Reggie Bush, RB, Detroit Lions (PK18, RB15) – Jim Schwartz's declaration Bush could catch upwards of 80 passes this year is 100-percent pure fantasy porn. Yes, he'll yield goal-line work to Mikel LeShoure, but 1,200-1,400 total yards and 5-7 TDs combined with his contribution in receptions would push him inside the RB top-10. Essentially, he's Detroit's Sproles. – Brad 1
A.J. Green, WR, Cincinnati Bengals (PK19, WR3) – I can't imagine any possible downside to this stud, who's coming off a dynamite 97-1350-11 season as a sophomore. They feed him the ball between the 20s and at the goal line, and Andy Dalton should be ready for more downfield responsibility in 2013. – Scott 2
Brandon Marshall, WR, Chicago Bears (PK20, WR4) – He was reunited with Jay Cutler in 2012 and it felt so good: a monster 118-1508-11 season and a silly 192 targets. Even if Marshall is bitten some by the regression bug, he's one of the most bankable PPR options on the outside. – Scott 1
Julio Jones, WR, Atlanta Falcons (RD2, PK21, WR5) – We don't talk about that magical third-year breakout phenomenon for receivers anymore because times have changed and players get thrown into the fire earlier. But the athletic freak Jones is all arrows up coming off a Year 2 in the NFL in which he went for 1,200 yards and 10 TDs. – Brandon 2
Percy Harvin, WR, Seattle Seahawks (RD2, PK22, WR6) – Harvin led WR in catches (60) over the first eight games of '12, and he's heading to a team in Seattle that found another gear on offense with the read-option, averaging 34 PPG over the final nine games of the season. The possibilities for Harvin playing alongside Russell Wilson seem endless. – Brandon 1
Larry Fitzgerald, WR, Arizona Cardinals (RD2, PK23, WR7) – Arizona has a credible quarterback (Carson Palmer) directing a Bruce Arians offense, with Fitz as the primary receiving threat. Don't bet against him going 100-1200-10 this season. By the time we're drafting for keeps in August, Fitz will be going higher than this. – Behrens 2
Drew Brees, QB, New Orleans Saints (RD2, PK24, QB2) – Drew Brees, QB, New Orleans Saints - Yeah, sure, OK. I'll pair the game's best running back (AP) with fantasy's top quarterback. Brees has topped 5,000 passing yards and 40 TDs in each of the last two seasons, and there's no obvious reason to expect a decline this year. (And even if he does decline, the numbers will still be sick.) – Behrens 1
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