The Roto Arcade Fantasy Football Mock, RDs 3-4
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 3
Randall Cobb, WR, Green Bay Packers (PK25, WR8) - With Greg Jennings now out of the team picture, expect another leap in value from Cobb. He could easily deliver a 90-1100-10 fantasy line. (Note: This team considered taking a third-tier back at this spot, but didn't want to get shut out on the elite receivers, not in a PPR.) - Behrens 1
Steven Jackson, RB, Atlanta Falcons (PK26, RB16) - No player received a bigger upgrade in team context during the off-season. Jackson is now the featured back in an offense that ranked seventh in scoring last season (26.2 PPG) and eighth in total yardage (369.1). Michael Turner somehow managed to rush for 800 yards and 10 scores for Atlanta last season, and he was terrible. - Behrens 2
Cam Newton, QB, Carolina Panthers (PK27, QB3) – Newton has finished top 4 among QBs in fantasy points per game in each of his first two seasons, thanks to a QB-high 64 red zone rushes in that span (22 combined rushing TD). – Brandon 1
Russell Wilson, QB, Seattle Seahawks (PK28, QB4) – When Seattle opened things up for Wilson and started mixing in the read-option in the second half of the season, Wilson exploded – No. 1 fantasy QB over final eight weeks of '12. A year under his belt and with Percy Harvin added to the mix, I'm as bullish a Wilson supporter as you're gonna find. – Brandon 2
Jimmy Graham, TE, New Orleans Saints (PK29, TE1) – Given what's happened to Rob Gronkowski over the last 12 months or so, I now view Graham as a solo tier at this position. Keep grabbing those blue chips. – Scott 1
Demaryius Thomas, WR, Denver Broncos (PK30, WR8) – Thomas finally learned something about route-running last year (thanks, Peyton), and he might be a Top 5 talent at the position. The floor starts at 80-1200-8. The upside? I don't think 2012's monster haul will go down as Thomas's best NFL season. Yes, please. – Scott 2
Colin Kaepernick, QB, San Francisco 49ers (PK31, QB5) – With Dalton, an obsessed Niners fan picking behind me, there was absolutely no way St. Nick was going to survive Round 3. Many will remain skeptical about his high-end QB1 label, but recall he averaged over 26.0 fantasy points per game as a starter in standard formats last year. Add a full-offseason of prep as starter, his versatility and addition of Anquan Boldin and it's hard to imagine he'll finish outside QB top-7. – Brad 1
Danny Amendola, WR, New England Patriots (PK32, WR9) – Some will claim I pulled shoulder out of socket with this selection, but in a PPR setting, the slot machine will register shiny sevens. His injury downside is weighty, however, his situation is ripe for a 100-1100-6 campaign, especially if Hernandez/Gronk don't recover quickly. High-risk, high-reward. – Brad 2
Michael Crabtree, WR, San Francisco 49ers (PK33, WR10) – Over his final 12 games last season (including the playoffs and most of which came after Colin Kaepernick became the starter), Crabtree had 71 catches, 1,022 yards and 11 touchdowns. He averaged 10.5 targets over the final eight games, and Pro Football Focus graded him higher than A.J. Green and Brandon Marshall despite playing just 692 snaps (49th among WRs). There's top-five upside here. – Dalton 1
Andre Johnson, WR, Houston Texans (PK34, WR11) – I actually didn't love this pick, at all. Johnson had just seven red-zone targets last year and only one inside the five yard line, which has been a trend for years now, so his scoring upside is really limited. He's also a bit of an injury risk, but it's hard to pass on someone who just had 1,598 receiving yards with 112 catches in a PPR format at this stage of the draft. – Dalton 2
Victor Cruz, WR, New York Giants (PK35, WR12) – Best PPR receiver on the board. Combines consistency as a possession guy in the slot with long-ball explosiveness. That's a rare combination. Love this value. – Salfino 1
Stevan Ridley, RB, New England Patriots (PK36, RB17) – The Patriots play a lot of games with their running backs so the Ridley owner is sure to be disappointed many weeks. Ridley also is unlikely to contribute much in the passing game. But the numbers should add up to justify this selection. – Salfino 2
ROUND 4
Roddy White, WR, Atlanta Falcons (PK37, WR13) – Could be the Falcons best receiver in PPR. And he's the best value for sure. – Salfino 2
Aaron Hernandez, TE, New Engalnd Patriots (PK38, TE2) – Pretty much guaranteed at this point to be the Patriots leading receiver. He will pick up a lot of the slot work, assuming Amendola gets hurt like he always does. Even if he doesn't, I see a receptions total approaching 100. – Salfino 1
Chris Johnson, RB, Tennessee Titans (PK39, RB18) – Even while viewed as a bum last year, CJ totaled 1,475 yards. He's likely to cede goal-line carries to Shonn Greene, but the latter is generally terrible and not much of a threat to steal many touches. Johnson is still just 27 years old, and the addition of Chance Warmack and Andy Levitre should improve the offensive line, and a healthy Kenny Britt would open up space as well. – Dalton 2
Lamar Miller, RB, Miami Dolphins (PK40, RB19) – A total unknown, but he did get 4.9 YPC during limited work last season. With Reggie Bush gone and Daniel Thomas as his biggest competition, Miller is poised to be given the opportunity to be a workhorse. For what it's worth, Miami coaches have been effusive when praising him. But I could have just as easily selected Darren McFadden or DeMarco Murray with this pick. – Dalton 1
Darren Sproles, RB, New Orleans Saints (PK41, RB20) – Given the receptions-friendly format, the Pocket Rocket is a bargain buy at this point in the draft. His role within the league's most explosive offense is clearly defined. Most importantly for fantasy purposes, he's finished well-inside the RB Top-10 in consecutive seasons totaling 13 touchdowns while averaging 76.8 total yards and 5.5 receptions per game. – Brad 2
Dwayne Bowe, WR, Kansas City Chiefs (PK42, WR14) – Bowe underachieved greatly last year, the victim of an anemic offense spearheaded by QB clunkers Matt Cassel and Brady Quinn. Now with a semi-competent passer under center and the featured target in Andy Reid's pass-happy scheme, he could regain his previous dominance. Roughly 80 receptions for 1,100 yards and 7-9 TDs is entirely possible. – Brad 1
Hakeem Nicks, WR, New York Giants (PK43, WR15) – Last year's bum, sure, but it's been discounted here. Nicks is an easy Top 10 wideout when he's on the field. – Scott 2
Wes Welker, WR, Denver Broncos (PK44, WR16) – Always a PPR monster, we've heard that music for years. I don't worry too much about the other good wideout here; Denver doesn't throw that much to the backs and tight ends. There's enough Manning to go around. – Scott 1
DeMarco Murray, RB, Dallas Cowboys (PK45, RB21) – About as durable as a wet paper towel, which is the only reason he's lasted until Round 4. Murray has a career 1,990 yards from scrimmage on 384 touches. Compare that with Doug Martin, the No. 3 pick in this draft – 1,926 YFS on 368 touches last season. – Brandon 2
Darren McFadden, RB, Oakland Raiders (PK46, RB22) – Mercifully, Oakland has scrapped it's zone rush system that it inexplicably implemented last season. If McFadden can manage to stay healthy (yes, a big IF), the plan is to make him the center of the Raiders' offensive universe, affording him every opportunity to return to fantasy RB prominence. – Brandon 1
Reggie Wayne, WR, Indianapolis Colts (PK47, WR17) – And so begins a run of four boring, veteran selections. Wayne saw 195 targets last year, second most in the NFL, and he's tied to one of the game's best young QBs. Easy pick. – Behrens 2
Frank Gore, RB, San Francisco 49ers (PK48, RB23) – He's given us back-to-back 1,200-yard rushing seasons, he runs behind a terrific line, and hasn't missed a game due to injury over the past two years. Thought about Le'Veon Bell here (thrilled that he can't terrorize the Big Ten this year), but opted for the proven commodity, playing in the superior offense. I did not think about Ryan Mathews with this pick, because we're all rooting for Brad to take that plunge. – Behrens 1
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