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Fantasy football 2016 mock draft, Rounds 1-3: Lamar Miller cracks the top-five

Lamar Miller, first round fantasy asset. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
Lamar Miller, first round fantasy asset. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

National Draft Day is almost upon us, everyone. Time to get seriously serious about your prep. Beginning today, the Yahoo Sports fantasy crew is going to mock draft a 12-team, 12-round league for 2016. Consider this your answer key to the opening rounds. Assume a traditional one-QB, one-flex lineup with 0.5 PPR scoring. Let the mocking commence…

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ROUND 1

1. Antonio Brown, Pit, WR – Uncoverable. Mind-meld with elite quarterback. Needed more than ever. Obvious No. 1. –Scott Pianowski

2. Odell Beckham, NYG, WR – More exciting touchdown upside than Jones, but I won’t quibble if you prefer Julio here. –Pianowski

3. Julio Jones, Atl, WR – Had 136 catches and the second most receiving yards in NFL history last season. More TDs would be nice. –Dalton Del Don

4. David Johnson, Ari, RB – Short track record but possesses as much upside as any player in the league. –Del Don

5. Lamar Miller, Hou, RB – Out from underneath MIA’s oppressive thumb, Miller will finally receive 18-22 touch per game load — 2K total yards reachable. –Brad Evans

6. Ezekiel Elliott, Dal, RB – Fear the unknown, lose your league. Zeke is a complete RB running behind man-moving ogres. Could vie for RB1. –Evans

7. Todd Gurley, LA, RB – I’m getting the top player on my draft board at pick No. 7, which basically never happens. Only in a mock. –Andy Behrens

8. Adrian Peterson, Min, RB – If Lamar Miller outscores Peterson in half-PPR, I will buy Evans’ kids a pony. –Behrens

9. DeAndre Hopkins, Hou, WR – Nuk put up top-five FF numbers with Hoyer under center. He’s talented enough to drag Osweiler along too. –Liz Loza

10. A.J. Green, Cin, WR – With 150 targets up for grab in Cincy, Green figures to be a target hog. –Loza

11. Rob Gronkowski, NE, TE – 65 TDs in 80 career games, and back-to-back 1K yard campaigns. But playing 30 of 32 possible games the past two seasons is his most encouraging accomplishment. –Brandon Funston

12. Dez Bryant, Dal, WR – Should be a slam-dunk first rounder — he’s in his prime (27), feeling no ill effects from ’15 foot injury and averaged 91 catches, 1,312 and nearly 14 TDs in the three seasons prior. –Funston

Le'Veon Bell will spend three lonely weeks not helping fantasy owners in September. (Getty Images)
Le’Veon Bell will spend three lonely weeks not helping fantasy owners in September. (Getty Images)

ROUND 2

1. Jamaal Charles, KC, RB – Sure, significant risk here, but also so much potential reward. The good news is that he’s already been thrown heavily into the practice mix since coming off PUP. –Funston

2. Brandon Marshall, NYJ, WR – 32-year-old showing no signs of slowing down — in fact, ’15 was the best of his many great fantasy campaigns. –Funston

3. Mike Evans, TB, WR – Going Zero RB. Evans safe to see upwards of 130 targets. TDs should bounce back in 2016 too. –Loza

4. Le’Veon Bell, Pit, RB – Seeing the glass half-full. The extra time off will help him avoid any setbacks and return to health. –Loza

5. Keenan Allen, SD, WR – Allen caught 67 passes in just eight games prior to injury last season, and his QB attempted 661 throws. Great player, ideal fantasy setup. –Behrens

6. Allen Robinson, Jac, WR – Do I need to really defend the selection of a 1400-yard, 14-TD receiver in Round 2? Robinson is a monster. –Behrens

7. Jordy Nelson, GB, WR – Off the PUP and ready to rekindle magic with Rodgers. Year removed from godlike 98-1519-13. –Evans

8. Brandin Cooks, NO, WR – Will be receiving the rock in offense that consistently chucks it 600-plus times per year. Good bet to match last year’s WR12 output. –Evans

9. Devonta Freeman, Atl, RB – The No. 1 fantasy back last year is somehow commonly available here. –Del Don

10. Mark Ingram, NO, RB – Has the second-most carries inside the 5-yard line over past two years despite missing seven games. –Del Don

11. Amari Cooper, Oak, WR – Terrific rookie year despite light red-zone work, dings. I do like the roommate narrative. –Pianowski

12. T.Y. Hilton, Ind, WR – Home-run hitter fits nicely with high-volume Brown. Healthy Luck turns a sad song around. –Pianowski

Only in an
Only in an “experts” draft would Cam Newton fall this far. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)

ROUND 3

1. Sammy Watkins, Buf, WR – Looks far less risky than he was a month ago. Went bonkers in second half of 2015. –Pianowski

2. LeSean McCoy, Buf, RB – I’m obviously spending too much time with Stopa. Shady has shifted from upside pick to floor pick. –Pianowski

3. Thomas Rawls, Sea, RB – Definitely a gamble but the upside is that of a top-three fantasy back. –Del Don

4. Alshon Jeffery, Chi, WR – I’ve found him to be generally overvalued given injury risk but as the WR16 here, it felt about right. –Del Don

5. C.J. Anderson, Den, RB – Sure to be 18-20 touch per game centerpiece in Kubiak offense. Booker only threat. Strong ’15 playoff run says buy on the bear. –Evans

6. Demaryius Thomas, Den WR – Was WR13 with a deep-fried Peyton Manning as primary starter. Status won’t change with Sanchez/Siemian. –Evans

7. Doug Martin, TB, RB – Martin ranked second in the league in rushing last year and fifth in YPC (4.9), and he really has no business falling this far. You will never get this lucky in your hometown draft. –Behrens

8. Eric Decker, NYJ, WR – A weirdly consistent player last season. Decker found the end-zone in 12 of his 15 games, basically always seeing between seven and 12 targets. –Behrens

9. Eddie Lacy, GB, RB – His body and burst are back! –Loza

10. Randall Cobb, WR, GB – No longer hampered by injury and resuming his role as GB’s No. 2 WR, Cobb figures to rebound this fall. –Loza

11. Carlos Hyde, SF, RB – He’s a yards-after-contact stalwart looking at a huge workload in Chip Kelly’s system. Maintaining health and O-line improvement can shoot his stock to the moon. –Funston

12. Cam Newton, Car, QB – You can count on 500 rushing yards and about 8 rush TDs, and, with those towers in the passing game (Benjamin, Funchess, Olsen), another 30+ pass TDs likely. –Funston

Follow the Yahoo fantasy crew on Twitter: Brandon Funston, Brad Evans, Andy Behrens, Scott Pianowski, Dalton Del Don, Liz Loza