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It’s never too early for a mock draft, and the team at Rotoballer mocked a startup dynasty league. These results will certainly change throughout the offseason as free agency and the NFL draft come and go, but it’s always a great idea to find out player values as the offseason progresses.
This league’s starting lineup is 1QB, 2RB, 3WR, 1TE, 1FLEX. All 20 rounds will be dissected and analyzed; you can start with Round 1 here.
Let’s take a look at the reaches, values and other selections from Rounds 7-10.
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Early 2018 Mock Dynasty Draft
Rounds 7-10 Team-by-Team Recap
Picks 7.01, 8.12, 9.01, 10.12 Steve Halupka
John Brown, John Ross, Mike Williams, Jamaal Williams
I knew heading into these rounds I needed to stock up on wide receivers as I only had two in the first six rounds. Adding unproven youth in John Ross and Mike Williams can be risky, but both are talented players that were first-round NFL draft picks for a reason. John Brown has missed time in each of the last three seasons with hamstring and issues stemming from his sickle-cell trait, but has game-breaking speed (4.34 40 time). Now that he's with a quarterback in Joe Flacco that can take advantage of his deep speed, fantasy owners could see a repeat of his 2015 season with over 1,000 yards and seven touchdowns. Admittedly, he’s a bit of a reach to start round seven. I also wanted to continue to add young running backs with some upside, so adding Williams, who I think is the best Packers running back they have on roster was fine at the end of round 10.
Picks 7.02, 8.11, 9.02, 10.11 Charlie Kleinheksel
Duke Johnson, Drew Brees, Zay Jones, Alex Collins
Charlie did a great job plugging his hole at running back in the mid rounds with the additions of Duke Johnson and Alex Collins. Duke Johnson was extremely valuable in PPR leagues this past year catching 74 passes for 693 yards and three touchdowns, good for fourth in the NFL last season. He should continue to be a part of the Browns offense in 2018, but fantasy owners should not expect Johnson to see more than 200 touches in a season barring any injuries. Collins burst onto the scene midway through 2017 and should continue to be the lead back in Baltimore. Drew Brees is a fair quarterback value as Tom Brady went just a few selections after the Brees pick. He has a few more productive years left for sure. Zay Jones has some upside as a speculative fifth wide receiver in the middle rounds. This was a solid haul for Charlie to help fill in the RB2 slot on his roster and find a quarterback for the next few seasons.
Picks 7.03, 8.10, 9.03, 10.10 Addison Hayes
Tevin Coleman, Larry Fitzgerald, Tom Brady, Eric Decker
Tevin Coleman will be 25 as a potential free agent in the 2019 season where he could see a huge increase in value heading into that season if he winds up as the feature back with a new team. He is a good value in the start of the seventh round and will provide every week Flex appeal. Tom Brady, Eric Decker and Larry Fitzgerald are near the end of their respective careers, but two out of the three can be every week starts for Addison in 2018. He was able to fill his roster with three stud wide receivers early on in Hopkins, Hill and Jeffery, so I expected him to load up on running backs in the mid rounds, but the values on Fitzgerald and Brady must have been too good to pass up.
Picks 7.04, 8.09, 9.04, 10.09 Pierre Camus
Dede Westbrook, O.J. Howard, Robby Anderson, Marcus Mariota
It looks like Blake Bortles will be the quarterback for the near future in Jacksonville, which will cap Dede Westbrook’s weekly production, but he will be a WR3 or flex on bye weeks for Pierre in 2018. OJ Howard will be a hot name in fantasy circles and is worth the selection at the end of the eighth round as tight ends were starting to fly off the board. The gifted, but troubled Robby Anderson is worth the risk in round nine, but other players like Chris Godwin or Julian Edelman were certainly more intriguing as a selection here. As one of the last owners to take a starting quarterback, Pierre could have done much worse than Marcus Mariota in the 10th round. Under new offensive coordinator Matt LeFleur, Mariota should be able to shine. Besides the Anderson pick in round nine, this was a good haul for Pierre.
Picks 7.05, 8.08, 9.05, 10.08 Aaron Schillinger
Isaiah Crowell, Jordan Reed, Cam Newton, Jimmy Graham
It’s surprising that Aaron didn’t load up on a young wide receiver in round seven instead of adding to his stable of running backs with Isaiah Crowell. Crowell's landing spot in New York doesn't do much for his stock, but it's an intriguing pick if he bounces back. Aaron was bold in only selecting one quarterback throughout his mock, but selecting “Superman” as your one dynasty quarterback isn’t bad at all. The combination of Jordan Reed and Jimmy Graham should give Aaron some stability at the position for the next few seasons. As Graham joins Green Bay, it remains to be seen if he can recapture the fantasy glory of the past. If that does occur, Graham will have more value than Reed who is one concussion away from potentially ending his career. Overall, a good haul, but could have used some extra firepower at wide receiver to fill out the some of the depth at the position.
Picks 7.06, 8.07, 9.06, 10.07 Martin Konstantinov
Calvin Ridley, Kelvin Benjamin, Tyler Eifert, Tyrell Williams
Ridley is the first rookie wide receiver taken, which is a far departure from previous startup drafts where top receivers in a given class could have gone as early as round two or round three. Ridley will enter the NFL at over the age of 23 making him one of the older top rookie wide receivers in recent memory. Landing spot again will determine a lot in terms of his value in startup drafts, but he’s worth the risk in the middle of round seven. Kelvin Benjamin will probably start the season as Martin’s WR3, so being able to get that player in round eight is not a bad proposition at all. Tyler Eifert and Tyrell Williams seem like shots in the dark as this point as Eifert is expected to gone from Cincinnati and Williams might be losing playing time to Mike Williams in 2018 as well. Taking a younger tight end like David Njoku or George Kittle over Eifert would have made these four selections strong.
Picks 7.07, 8.06, 9.07, 10.06 Kyle Richardson
Marquise Goodwin, Nelson Agholor, Chris Godwin, Aaron Jones
Goodwin broke out in 2017 after he was the best option remaining in the San Francisco 49ers passing game for new quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. Goodwin was number five in the NFL in Air Yards with 776 on the season and in the 98th percentile in Speed Score according to PlayerProfiler, so his speed should continue to shine as he won’t turn 28 until after the midpoint of the 2018 season. He is a good value as an every week WR3 for 2018. The same can be said for Nelson Agholor who finally found his niche as a slot receiver in the NFL and flourished this past season in Philadelphia. His nine receiving touchdowns may regress in 2018, but Agholor should continue to be a consistent every week play. There is a ton of upside in the coming seasons for Chris Godwin as DeSean Jackson is phased out of Tampa and Godwin ascends next to Mike Evans as the top two receiving options for the Bucs. Adding Aaron Jones in the 10th round is worthy of a selection here as he may become the caddy for Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay, but he will have to beat out Jamaal Williams and potentially another back in the offseason. This was a great combination of picks by Kyle.
Picks 7.08, 8.05, 9.07, 10.05 Adam Hall
Carson Wentz, Jared Cook, Martavis Bryant, Dion Lewis
Wentz was the third quarterback selected in this startup draft and to be selected in the middle of the seventh round is a good value. The Eagles are set-up with weapons around Wentz for the foreseeable future and if Wentz can come back fully healthy after his ACL tear at the end of the 2017 season; Adam has his starting quarterback for potentially the next decade. Even though Carson Wentz was a good value in the seventh round, the selection of Jared Cook in the eighth round is just egregious. Names like Jordan Reed, David Njoku (10.3) and even George Kittle (12.6) were still on the board prior to Cook being selected. Even though this pick does seem like a reach, Cook did lead the Raiders in receiving last season with 687 yards, but only two touchdowns. Don’t expect that touchdown total to be as low next season, but his 687 yards might take a hit. My favorite pick out of the four from Adam is Dion Lewis. Lewis regained most of his game-breaking form in 2017 and should be a fantasy contributor in Tennessee for the next few seasons. Martavis Bryant will potentially get another shot outside of Pittsburgh in the near future, which makes him worthy of a mid-round selection. This section of four picks could have been stronger if a tight end was selected later on and Adam was able to pick up another running back in round eight.
Picks 7.09, 8.04, 9.09, 10.04 Wai Sallas
Chris Carson, Jared Goff, Julian Edelman, James White
It seems like every season there is a new starter in Seattle at the running back position. For 2018, Carson seems to have the inside track at the starting gig, but that remains to be seen. He was certainly the best running back during his time as a starter for the Seahawks, and if he can be the starter going forward, this could be a great pick near the end of the seventh round. While Jared Goff certainly showed vast improvement over this rookie season, this is too early for the young QB. There are values coming up later like Jimmy Garoppolo (13.4) and Jameis Winston (13.10) that make this pick look like a reach at best. Julian Edelman seems to be one of the forgotten men in this draft. He’s a PPR machine, with at least 92 catches over the last three seasons where he’s played 10 games or more. He’s a great value in round nine. James White’s role rarely changes for the Patriots. He’s going to see about 100 touches throughout the season, most of which will be receptions. If this pick was swapped with Wai’s 12th round pick of Devontae Booker, I would be all for it. Certainly some reaches in these middle rounds, but Wai was able to add some depth in positions of need.
Picks 7.10, 8.03, 9.10, 10.03 Nathan Powell
Courtland Sutton, Corey Coleman, Andrew Luck, David Njoku
Sutton impressed at the combine with a 3-cone drill and broad jump that demonstrated just how of a quick and explosive athlete he can be. Sutton’s 6’3”, 218 pound frame screams top end NFL wide receiver, so landing spot will matter greatly in the upcoming NFL draft. This can be a strong selection if Sutton lands with the right team. If Corey Coleman can stay on the field for a full season, he could prove to be quite a valuable dynasty asset as the Browns, maybe, start to ascend. At just 24 years old when the 2018 season starts, Coleman has the deep speed to make defenses quiver in fear (ran a 4.42 40 yard dash), but needs more consistent QB play around him. The duo of Coleman and Sutton seem to be luxury picks at this point in the draft and could be great trade bait for Nathan later on. A round nine selection of Andrew Luck might be puzzling for some, but Nathan was able to grab Jameis Winston later on, making the gamble worth it. If Luck is able to come back to his pre-injury form, 40 combined touchdown seasons are within the realm of possibilities. The upside of David Njoku is certainly tantalizing, but again better quarterback play will be needed for him to be an every week fantasy starter, which Nathan is counting on. A selection of a Jack Doyle type later on in the draft could have gone a long way into easing some of the fears around starting Njoku every week. Overall, Nathan was able to add some valuable young pieces to his core of Evans, Cooks, Watkins and Robinson, but there is certainly a need left at running back after selecting just two in the first 10 rounds.
Picks 7.11, 8.02, 9.11, 10.02 Matt Wispe
Deshaun Watson, Theo Riddick, Chris Thompson, Tarik Cohen
In 2017, Watson produced one of the best stretches of any fantasy quarterback in recent memory throwing for at least three touchdowns and 225 yards in four straight games. This also included a five touchdown effort in a loss to the Chiefs in Week 5. Watson tore his ACL yet again, but if he can come back fully healthy prior to the start of training camp and remain healthy, he has the weapons to cement his status as a long term dynasty QB1. Theo Riddick has the most consistent role of any of the Lions running backs of the last few seasons. He will be the change of pace and third down back going forward, which is perfect for this format. Riddick has at least 53 receptions in each of the last three seasons which includes a season where he only played 10 games; he’s a great weekly floor play. Matt continued with the pass catching running backs by adding two of the best in Chris Thompson and Tarik Cohen. All three of these players are perfect for the PPR format and provide weekly safety with the potential for some blowup weeks. Matt should be able to pair of these backs, depending on matchup, with Sony Michel weekly. These were four picks that really helped Matt’s team come together into one of the more formidable one’s in the league.
Picks 7.12, 8.01, 9.12, 10.01 Mark Wemken
Marshawn Lynch, Kyle Rudolph, Michael Crabtree, Greg Olsen
The end is drawing ever closer for Marshawn Lynch, which is sad after he looked as good as ever in 2017. He was number one in the NFL in Juke Rate according to Player Profiler in 2017 which measures the number of evaded tackles per touch. Although we didn’t see a traditional “Beast Mode” type of season with just 891 yards on 207 carries, expect Lynch to return RB2 value in 2018 under Jon Gruden.. Rudolph was the sixth tight end selected in this startup mock ahead of players like OJ Howard and Jordan Reed. He is just 28 years old and coming off one of his most productive fantasy season of his career catching 57 balls and eight touchdowns. There seems to be an upgrade at quarterback coming for the Vikings, so Rudolph should continue to be productive for years to come. He’s a solid pick at the start of round eight. The hope is that Michael Crabtree can continue to be the red zone threat for the Ravens for the next few seasons as he’s scored no less than eight touchdowns in each season since coming to Oakland in 2015. If he can rebound and produce similar receiving yardage to his previous two seasons, he will be a locked and loaded WR2/3 for Mark. I’m a bit perplexed by the Greg Olsen selection at the start of round 10 and thought Mark would have selected a younger tight end to pair with the veteran Rudolph. Olsen may only have a year or two left, and if he isn’t a sure fire starter, I would have left him on the board. Mark is definitely playing to win-now with numerous veterans on his team.
For any dynasty-related questions or for more on this mock draft find me on Twitter @TheRealHalupka
