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Midseason Fantasy Football Mock: Can DeAndre Hopkins, Alshon Jeffery pick it up?

With Jay Cutler back, will Alshon Jeffery get back in the end zone?
With Jay Cutler back, will Alshon Jeffery get back in the end zone?

Fantasy football values constantly evolve. Now that we’ve reached the midway point, how has the overall landscape changed? In this .5 PPR, 12-team mock exercise, the Yahoo Fantasy crew pushes the reset button on 2016. Check out our Round 1-3 picks here, and roll along with Rounds 4-6, below.

Each team will be required to draft at least one quarterback, one running back, one receiver and one tight end. The other two roster spots are flex spots, to be filled by RB, WR or TE. Pay keen attention to how the players line up at their specific positions.

ROUND 4

DeAndre Hopkins, Hou, WR16 – I know, I know, Brock Osweiler is a Nightmare on Elm Street, but the schedule lightens up significantly. Let’s trust the talent a little bit. (Scott Pianowski)

Kelvin Benjamin, Car, WR17 – With Carolina’s young, horrendous secondary, Carolina might have to press the pace more than usual. Benjamin isn’t an efficiency ace, but there’s nothing wrong with his counting stats. (Pianow)

Alshon Jeffery, Chi, WR18The return of Jay Cutler should help. Jeffrey’s targets this season have been way lower than expected. (Dalton Del Don)

Jarvis Landry, Mia, WR19He’s due for some touchdown regression at some point. (DDD)

Terrelle Pryor, Cle, WR20 Remarkable transition to WR, he’s seen 25.9% of the targets share. On a team with a horrid defense, he’s a dependable WR2. (Brad Evans)

Doug Martin, TB, RB17Admittedly, this team would have to reach for ‘Quizz Rodgers to secure TB backfield, but Martin is worth the risk considering the second-easiest remainig schedule. (Evans)

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Matt Forte, NYJ, RB18 Forte is healthy and coming off a 34-touch, 154-yard, 2-touchdown game. He’s the man in the Jets backfield; Powell is merely a supporting player. (Andy Behrens)

Demaryius Thomas, Den, WR21Thomas has found the end-zone in four of his last five games, plus he’s seen back-to-back double-digit target totals. (Behrens)

Jimmy Graham, Sea, TE3I’m as suprised as anyone by how healthy he looks coming back from micro-fracture knee surgery – only Greg Olsen has more targets, catches and yards per game over the past 5 weeks than Graham at the TE position. (Brandon Funston)

Andrew Luck, Ind, QB4Despite the team around him being mostly a trainwreck, he’s still managed to clock a top 5 fantasy PPG average through seven weeks. (Funston)

Jeremy Hill, Cin, RB 19 Don’t love the bum shoulder, but his nose for the end zone can’t be denied. (Liz Loza)

Jordy Nelson, GB, WR22OK, I’ll bite. After a statistically hot start Nelson’s production has slowed over the past two weeks, but the team’s next three matchups are soft enough to get him back on track. (Loza)

Matt Ryan has been a major fantasy profit thus far
Matt Ryan has been a major fantasy profit thus far

ROUND 5

Matt Ryan, QB5, AtlIce’s bounce-back season continues and I want to be a part of it… especially vs. SF in Week 15. (Loza)

Jordan Reed, TE4, Was – The concussion issues have me worried, and I thought about going Delanie here, but it’s not like Walker is the picture of perfect health. Reed’s talent was too much to pass on, especially knowing I could sub in Vernon Davis in a pinch. (Loza)

Delanie Walker, TE5, Ten QB Mariota’s security blanket caught 94 passes en route to a top 5 fantasy TE finish in ’15, and he’s back in the top 5 through the first two months of ’16. (Funston)

Randall Cobb, WR23, GB After an abysmal start to ’16 (and entire ’15, for that matter), has stepped up “big league” in past three weeks with league-high 37 targets, 27 catches, and 6th-most fantasy points at WR in that span. (Funston)

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Aaron Rodgers, QB6, GBNo, his efficiency isn’t exactly at peak levels and his receivers aren’t special. But with Lacy on IR, pass volume will be there. I’m still a big believer. (Behrens)

Julian Edelman, WR24, NE Edelman is coming off a 9-catch game and he’s seen double-digit targets in two of his last three. As ever, he’s a high-volume receiver in an upper-tier offense. (Behrens)

Emmanuel Sanders, WR25, Den He’s attracted the fifth-highest targets share (28.1%) among all WRs. Like the volume. Like the 91-catch pace. (Evans)

Jameis Winston, QB7, TBHave you seen his rest-of-season schedule? What a cakewalk! Seattle (Week 12) and Dallas (Week 15) his only tough matchups. (Evans)

Philip Rivers, QB8, SDHe’s on pace to throw for 4,612 yards and 30 touchdowns. Quarterback remains a deep position though. (DDD)

Travis Kelce, TE6, KCHe’s a disappointment but tight end is as shallow as ever. (DDD)

Kyle Rudolph, TE7, Min – We need Bradford to stay healthy, but otherwise this should be clear sailing. Rudolph is sixth in points per game at the position, handy in the red zone. (Pianow)

Coby Fleener, TE8, NO – A frustrating watch, but Brees and Payton will put him in regular positions to succeed. I considered Eifert here, didn’t want to take a leap of faith on the health. Perhaps a mistake. (Pianow)

What's the right answer in Tampa's backfield?
What's the right answer in Tampa's backfield?

ROUND 6

Matthew Stafford, QB9, Det – Life with Jim Bob Cooter agrees with him, and perhaps everyone in Detroit is more loose now that the ball doesn’t have to be forced to Calvin Johnson. (Pianow)

Russell Wilson, QB10, Sea – Not the same player without the mobility, everyone grasps this. But I’ll take an upside stab, knowing Wilson has given us some nifty second halves in the past. (Pianow)

Kirk Cousins, QB11, Was Proof how easy it is to fill the QB slot. (DDD)

Jacquizz Rodgers, RB20, TB – Has totaled 292 yards over the past two games. Obviously Doug Martin’s health is key. (DDD)

Tyler Eifert, TE9, Cin Snap/targets share only bound to increase down the homestrech. Believe he becomes focal point, delivers TE top-12 line. (Evans)

Hunter Henry, TE10, SD Gates’ presence muddies the waters, but will remain 5-7 TGT/G weapon for average D Chargers. (Evans)

[Week 8 rankings: Overall | FLEX | QB | RB | WR | TE | DEF | K]

Dennis Pitta, TE11, Bal – Gotta be honest, I don’t think I’d really take any tight end other than Gronk, Olsen or Reed in the first six rounds. This mock’s format forced my hand. Can’t argue with Pitta’s targets. (Behrens)

Isaiah Crowell, RB21, Cle – I’m a big believer. We’re near the halfway point and he’s giving us 5.2 YPC with four spikes and more catches than anyone expected. (Behrens)

Ben Roethlisberger, QB12, Pit – Out with a meniscus injury, but banking on his toughness to get him back on the field after his Week 8 bye, which is sounding more and more like a legit possibility. (Funston)

Tevin Coleman, RB22, Atl Leads qualified RBs in fantasy points per touch – expected to miss Week 8 with a tweaked hammy, but crossing fingers that that will be the extent of it. (Funston)

Tyrell Williams, WR26, SD In a WR corps that’s been decimated by injuries, Williams has emerged as Rivers’ most looked-to option. Not for nothing, over 21 percent of his targets have been in the red area of the field. (Loza)

Gary Barnidge, TE12, Cle His production is absolutely tied to Josh McCown being under center, but I’ll take a shot at the vet quarterback finishing out the season, resulting in a midseason spike for GB. (Loza)