RADIO
RotoBaller's dynasty football staff got together recently to perform a mock draft before the NFL draft in order to get an idea of where player values lie.
We continue with our early dynasty mock draft series into rounds five and six with an overview of each team's roster near the midpoint of the draft.
If you missed the first couple of articles, you can read round one here round two here, and rounds three and four here.
Editor's Note: Our incredible team of writers won two writing awards and received 12 award nominations by the Fantasy Sports Writers Association. A big congrats to our very own Byron Lindeque (Golf) and Jordan McAbee (NASCAR) for both winning Writer Of The Year awards! Be sure to follow RotoBaller's analysis and advice all year long, and win more. Win More With RotoBaller!
Early 2018 Mock Dynasty Draft: Rounds 5-6
Steve Halupka
Odell Beckham Jr., Alvin Kamara, Christian McCaffrey, and Carlos Hyde
First things first, I am always jealous of the person that gets the number one overall pick in a Dynasty startup draft. Odell Beckham Jr. is still very easily my number one overall dynasty asset, and anyone that has him is very lucky. Anyone that has him can wait several rounds before touching another WR if they want to, and they will still be very well off at the WR position, depth-wise. Steve's team is no exception here, as he landed Alvin Kamara and Christian McCaffrey with his next two picks, which is an excellent one two punch at the position for dynasty leagues. McCaffrey has a very safe floor moving forward, and Kamara, whether he falls off or not, has huge potential. With the recent news of Carlos Hyde signing a three year deal with Cleveland, I believe he has a safe floor as an RB2. I have always been a fan of Hyde, and believe if he can stay healthy, he is easily a RB2 with upside, despite the retirement of future hall of famer, Joe Thomas. Let's see how the next rounds go and whether or not Steve will grab some receivers yet to compliment Beckham.
Rounds 5 and 6: Demaryius Thomas and Hunter Henry
With the recent news of Kirk Cousins heading to Minnesota, that could be bad news for Demaryius Thomas. There was hope for a bit that Cousins would head to Denver. Unfortunately that isn't the case, but Thomas does still offer some decent upside, in hopes of a breakout rookie QB, or Case Keenum being serviceable for the time being. Hunter Henry, I like a lot more here. I've been waiting for Antonio Gates to retire for this breakout, and 2017 showed us that Gates is just about finished. Henry's breakout is just around the corner, but I probably would have taken another WR here in Steve's case. I like receivers too much to feel good about Thomas as my WR2, let's see if some value comes to Steve in the next couple rounds at the WR position.
Charlie Kleinheksel
David Johnson, Rob Gronkowski, Jarvis Landry, and Golden Tate
Charlie has an excellent start here through four rounds. In a PPR league, David Johnson, Rob Gronkowski, Jarvis Landry, and Golden Tate are all excellent pieces. Johnson is a great based to build around at the RB position, making it easier to load up on receivers and wait a bit on taking more RBs. Landry and Tate in PPR are great, yes, Landry is still going to get plenty of targets in Cleveland. Tate is a very safe option as a number two WR in a 12 team PPR league. Gronkowski is always a bonus, regardless of the format. That difference maker at the tight end position and not having to worry about who to start every week is very comforting. News about the WWE doesn't worry me yet, Gronkowski is still the most valuable TE.
Round 5 and 6: Jordy Nelson and Robert Woods
With the recent news about Jordy Nelson being released from Green Bay, I don't like this pick. Granted, we did the draft prior to the craziness of free agency. On that same token, Sammy Watkins heading to Kansas City makes this Robert Woods pick even better. He's criminally underrated, and as the fourth WR on this team, he will make a week in and week out starter in the flex spot.
Addison Hayes
DeAndre Hopkins, Tyreek Hill, Alshon Jeffery, and Zach Ertz
This is one of my favorite ways to draft a dynasty team. Going heavy on the wide receivers is something that can't be overlooked in terms of value in dynasty leagues. DeAndre Hopkins is currently giving Odell Beckham a run for the 1.01 in startup dynasty leagues, and I love the pick here at the 1.03 spot. I'm not as big on Tyreek Hill or Alshon Jeffery, but Hill continues to produce and Jeffery should have a nice connection with Carson Wentz for a few years to come. Zach Ertz isn't ideal for someone that also spent an early pick on Jeffery, but the value is great. This is the perfect example of going 'Zero-RB', and will be interesting to see who Addison ends up with for his RBs.
Round 5 and 6: Dez Bryant and Jamison Crowder
Personally, I would've been very inclined to take at least one RB with one of these picks, but Dez Bryant and Jamison Crowder is who went here. Both of these guys have a chance to bounce back on their perspective teams, but also have some question marks next to their names. I'm very curious to see what RBs end up on this team, but there are still some good PPR options out there, and that's what is great about the 'Zero-RB' strategy.
Pierre Camus
Todd Gurley, AJ Green, Saquon Barkley, and JuJu Smith-Schuster
Pierre's team is very well-rounded through the first four rounds. Todd Gurley is hard to argue against as a nice dynasty piece to build around, and rookie Saquon Barkley's value alone makes this pick great. The third round is a great place to get his value, so don't expect this to be the norm going forward. Barkley has been seen inside the top 12 of players in startup dynasty drafts recently, and the hype is real. Juju Smith-Schuster had an excellent rookie campaign, but truthfully I'm not a big fan of this pick. If he produces WR2 numbers, then fine. I'm not sold that JuJu is a safe or long-term dynasty option, and Ben Roethlisberger's future in the NFL makes me even more nervous. His ADP has gotten far too high for my liking, but the way owners are valuing him, this is nice value.
Round 5 and 6: Marvin Jones and Kenyan Drake
Marvin Jones was a very nice surprise for fantasy owners in 2017, and the fifth round is great value for someone who finished where he did last year. I'm not sold that Jones is a great long-term option, but you can't argue with his numbers last year. He should be a solid flex option, with obvious upside. Kenyan Drake isn't someone that I'm crazy about as a long-term option either, and I expect Miami to address the RB position in the 2018 NFL Draft.
Aaron Schillinger
Le'Veon Bell, Amari Cooper, Jay Ajayi, and Doug Baldwin
I like the way my team played out a lot, except for one pick. Le'Veon Bell is a hard one to argue against, even though I normally take the stud WR early on. Having said that, mock drafts are a great time to try out some different draft strategies and an important thing that fantasy football owners should be doing. Amary Cooper is someone that I normally expect to be gone by the end of the first round, so landing him at the 2.08 is great value. Jay Ajayi is the one pick that I will admit I let the clock run out on, and auto-drafted. Joe Mixon is the player I would've went we, and he went a few picks later. I expect Mixon to take a big step forward next year, and I have never been a fan of Ajayi. On the flip-side, we've all been wrong before, and there is a chance the Ajayi breaks out in Philadelphia next year. Doug Baldwin in the fourth round was great value, and is someone that hasn't been getting enough love recently.
Round 5 and 6: Mark Ingram and Cooper Kupp
I absolutely loved the value of Mark Ingram in the fifth round. He never gets enough love, and will be a great RB2 with upside. I'd more than likely be starting him over Ajayi, so the value here for Ingram made me feel a bit better. Cooper Kupp is someone that I was buying everywhere I could prior to the Sammy Watkins news, and him heading to the Chiefs makes this even sweeter. Kupp is a guy that I love as a very solid WR3 with upside for years to come.
Martin Konstantinov
Antonio Brown, Leonard Fournette, LeSean McCoy, and Russell Wilson
Martin has a very solid team here after drafting in the number six spot. Antonio Brown gets a fair amount of hate in the dynasty community, when guys like Beckham, Evans, Thomas, and Hopkins go before him in many dynasty drafts. If you're looking at dynasty in a 2-3 year window, Brown still makes an argument that is very hard to argue against as the number one receiver. Leonard Fournette and LeSean McCoy make a nice one two punch at the RB position, and despite McCoy getting up there in age, he continues to produce and is a nice RB2. Russell Wilson is a pick here that I can't condone. The fourth round is too early for me to take a QB in a 1QB league. Wilson may be a top 2-3 QB in dynasty, but this is too early for my liking.
Round 5 and 6: CJ Anderson and Emmanuel Sanders
This might be my least favorite pair of players picked in the fifth and sixth rounds of this draft. CJ Anderson has never been high on my list of RBs, and with a future that is in question, I'm not a fan of this pick. Emmanuel Sanders has also been extremely disappointing over the past few seasons, and with the QB situation the way it is in Denver, I don't have much interest in Sanders for dynasty purposes anymore.
Kyle Richardson
Ezekiel Elliott, Dalvin Cook, TY Hilton, and Derrick Henry
Kyle is a fan of taking stud RBs early on, and that always makes for a team that is scary to play against. When you have Ezekiel Elliott, Dalvin Cook, and Derrick Henry starting week-in and week-out, you're looking at a ton of carries and volume. None of these guys are overly valuable in PPR leagues, but the volume you get from RBs such as these is great for fantasy. TY Hilton is just a year or so away from being a stud WR who was at the top of the league in receiving yards. The only concern moving forward is the health of Andrew Luck. Also, with Donte Moncrief heading to Jacksonville, we can hope that some of those TDs he grabbed in the red-zone, may fall into Hilton's hands.
Round 5 and 6: Sterling Shepard and DeVante Parker
After using three out of four of the first picks on RBs, you had to expect a few WRs to come next. I've always been a fan of taking more WRs in dynasty leagues due to the value they carry, but some of these later round WRs carry a lot of value as well. Sterling Shepard is a nice option as a number two WR. He may not perform up to what you'd want out of your WR2, but in this case, the stud RBs make up for it. DeVante Parker will need to break out this year, or the breakout may never come. Parker has left owners disappointed over the last few years, and with Landry out of Miami, this is do or die for Parker.
Adam Hall
Julio Jones, Davante Adams, Joe Mixon, and Josh Gordon
Davante Adams is definitely my favorite pick in Adam's team so far. He is a guy that I have been buying anywhere I can, and as the 17th player off the board, he is a great pick here to pair with Julio Jones. Joe Mixon is someone as I stated previously, like a lot. This is about where I'd expect him to get drafted, if not sooner. As the 2018 season approaches, I expect his price to continue to go up, and rightfully so. I've never been a huge fan of Josh Gordon, but a receiver with his upside in the fourth round is hard to ignore. Offenses will have to worry about Landry on the other side of the field, and Gordon will have a chance to be very good in 2018.
Round 5 and 6: Ty Montgomery and Josh Doctson
Adam's fifth and sixth round picks are up there with Martin's as some of my least favorite of this draft. Ty Montgomery was great last year while he stayed healthy, but with the emergence of Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams, this if a backfield I don't want to invest much in. I'd be happy to take whoever falls the furthers out of these three RBs, but this is too early for my liking. Josh Doctson is a great talent and someone that I was interested in buying into fairly heavily a year ago. With the recent news of Alex Smith and now Paul Richardson, there are just too many mouths to feed in this offense. I expect Doctson to be fairly low on the pecking order in this offense, and at this point in the draft I'd rather take a mid-level rookie or another WR on the board like Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods, or Nelson Agholor, all who were also available.
Wai Sallas
Kareem Hunt, Devonta Freeman, Stefon Diggs, and Corey Davis
Picking from the 1.09 spot, Wai has a nice well-rounded team so far through four rounds. Kareem Hunt and Devonta Freeman is a nice pair of RBs to build around, while I would've preferred going with a WR in one of these picks. Amari Cooper and Davante Adams were both available, and I would've loved to have one of those WRs paired with Hunt. Landing Stefon Diggs and Corey Davis in the next two rounds was very nice, and makes me feel a lot better about this team. With Kirk Cousins in Minnesota, I like Diggs even more. Corey Davis I still think could take some time to develop, but that Tennessee offense is looking good and Davis could have a nice role next year.
Round 5 and 6: Devin Funchess and Evan Engram
After the breakout season from Devin Funchess and rookie TE Evan Engram in 2017, I like both of these picks a lot. I'm not sold on Funchess being a valid WR option moving forward, but as a WR3, he has great upside and could be a steal in the fifth round if he continues to put numbers up like he did last year. Engram has shown that he can be a great TE option for years to come. He is a weapon in the red-zone and is a great one to have on the field while most of the attention goes to Beckham. I wouldn't expect Engram to repeat his 2017 numbers, but he could get close, and should be a top five or so TE moving forward in dynasty.
Nathan Powell
Mike Evans, Brandin Cooks, Sammy Watkins, and Allen Robinson
Another great example of going with the 'Zero-RB' strategy. Mike Evans just a year ago was giving Beckham a run for the 1.01 spot in dynasty leagues, and is still petty easily inside the top seven or so in dynasty rankings. Brandin Cooks has been inconsistently consistent over the past few years, as weird as thought sounds. He continues to finish with strong numbers on the season, but week to week, he is tough to rely on. Sammy Watkins and Allen Robinson both have new homes in 2018, and getting both of these guys in the third and fourth round is excellent value. It will be interesting to see how Nathan does at the RB position after going heavy on the receivers early.
Round 5 and 6: Derrius Guice and Nick Chubb
Derrius Guice and Nick Chubb. Guice has been the consensus 1.02 in this year's rookie class behind Saquon Barkley, and rightfully so. This guy runs very hard, and has a lot of power behind him. Chubb and his Georgia counterpart Sony Michel have been switching places as the 1.03 and 1.04 in rookie drafts. After investing heavily in WRs, Nathan is going to need one or both of these rookies to land in a decent position and pan out very well for this strategy to pay off in this situation.
Matt Wispe
Michael Thomas, Keenan Allen, Adam Thielen, and Travis Kelce
Matt's team went heavy on the receivers and avoided RBs early on similar to Nathan, Charlie, and Adam. Michael Thomas at the 1.11 is great value, and Keenan Allen at the 2.02 is great as well. Both of these WRs have been as high as the top five in many rankings, and Matt will certainly have no issues at the WR position. Adam Thielen and Travis Kelce in the next two rounds was also great value, which is always hard to pass up in a dynasty draft. There will need to be a RB that he lands in the next few rounds for this strategy to pay off.
Round 5 and 6: Will Fuller and Sony Michel
Will Fuller had some ridiculous numbers in 2017 with Deshaun Watson. The TDs were coming like crazy, to a point where you can almost guarantee they won't be able to continue. I'm always a fan of buying the number two WR on the other side of the field as a stud WR like Hopkins. The fifth round is a little too high for Fuller, there were some RBs that I would've rather went with, like Tevin Coleman or Duke Johnson. Both of those guys are nice RBs to grab in PPR if you're going with the 'Zero-RB' strategy. Matt will need to hope that Sony Michel lands in a good position to produce in his rookie year, because at this point, he's Matt's RB1.
Mark Wemken
Melvin Gordon, Jordan Howard, Aaron Rodgers, and Lamar Miller
After starting the first two rounds with a couple nice stud RBs, Mark didn't do himself any favors with his next picks. Aaron Rodgers is a stud, don't get me wrong, but I'm not a fan of taking a QB this early in a 1QB league. Especially, after taking two RBs back to back. Allen Robinson is the guy I would have taken in this case, along with a few other lower end WRs. Lamar Miller isn't someone I'm interested in investing much in dynasty leagues, especially this early. After starting off with two nice pieces to build around, the third and fourth rounds were far from ideal for Mark.
Round 5 and 6: DeMarco Murray and Terrelle Pryor
As if the third and fourth rounds weren't bad enough, DeMarco Murray and Terrelle Pryor in the fifth and sixth might be even worse. Murray was just released by the Titans, and I was advocating to sell high on him almost two years ago. Pryor also was getting overvalued last year, and I was selling him anywhere I owned him as well. He was a huge appointment in 2018, and recently reports have shown that Pryor may return to Cleveland in 2018. There were several other options I would have taken with these two picks, but Mark will need to hope for a big bounce-back season out of Miller, Murray, and Pryor.
