👉 TAP TO SAVE 30% WITH CODE NEW
X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Compare Any Players
24x7 News and Alerts

RotoBaller Standard Mock Draft Analysis - Rounds 2-3

We continue our look at RotoBaller's Standard Mock 2.0 with a recap of rounds 2-3. We recently gathered 12 RotoBaller experts writers to conduct a week-long, email draft, MFL10-style, in order to evaluate ADP values and draft strategies in standard scoring fantasy football leagues.

If you didn't catch it earlier, start here with our first round analysis. We're breaking down every round, continuing with the second and third rounds in this article.

Note: All references to ADP come from www.fantasyfootballcalculator.com and are based off a 12-team, standard league.

Featured Promo: Looking for some more fantasy football action? Adopt a dynasty orphan team over at FFPC. Sign up today and get $25 off any FFPC league. Sign Up Now!

 

Round 2 Recap

The round kicked off with Aaron Rodgers going first, the first quarterback to come off the board. After the selection of Rodgers, the round was dominated by running backs and wide receivers. Amari Cooper and Jordy Nelson going back-to-back is a wonderful juxtaposition. Cooper is the young gun being drafted on the potential of what he could become while Nelson is the grizzled veteran, trying to show that he still has plenty of gas left in the tank. Both are solid picks and it really just depends on your roster-building preference. Devonta Freeman at 2.04 kicked off a run of six straight running backs. Getting Freeman in the second round is a great value as he generally is coming off boards in the middle of the first round.

DeMarco Murray should serve as Tennessee's lead back for another season while Jordan Howard is locked into an every down role. He may regress from his super-efficient 2016 season but workload alone keeps him in the second round. Todd Gurley is a popular second round running back who may benefit from Sammy Watkins taking defensive attention away from the running game. Three more receivers finished off the second round in Dez Bryant, T.Y. Hilton, and Brandin Cooks. Bryant, and the Cowboys, should be forced to pass much more often than they did in 2016 as they had one of the easiest schedules last year and a much tougher slate of opponents in 2017. When Bryant is healthy, he's one of the most dominant touchdown-scorers in the league. Hilton causes some concern because of the uncertainty surrounding Andrew Luck's shoulder. Of course, if Luck starts the season then the late second round is a great value for Hilton. Cooks should continue his boom-bust ways with the Patriots. Pair him with a steady, consistent WR1 like Antonio Brown or Odell Beckham in the first round and you are set at the receiver position.

Best Pick:

Devonta Freeman (RB, ATL) - Freeman, as mentioned earlier, usually comes off boards in the first round after the big three running backs, LeSean McCoy, and Melvin Gordon. Freeman finished 2015 as the number one overall running back in fantasy and is in line for another big season for the Falcons.

Biggest Reach:

Aaron Rodgers (QB, GB) - Rodgers in the second round is in line with his ADP date but I'm simply not a fan of taking quarterbacks early in fantasy drafts. That being said, he provides a big advantage over any other quarterback available, especially with Andrew Luck's health looking shaky. If taking a quarterback early and not having to worry about the position all season is your cup of tea, Rodgers is the cream of the crop.

 

Round 3 Recap

Round three provided plenty of variety. In all, two quarterbacks, two tight ends, four wide receivers, and four running backs come off the board. DeAndre Hopkins looks to bounce back after disappointing in 2016. He will have either Tom Savage or Deshaun Watson throwing to him in 2017, an upgrade over the departed Brock Osweiler. Travis Kelce was the second tight end off the board after Gronk went in the first. Kelce is coming off a career year which saw him finish as the TE1 in fantasy. With Jeremy Maclin gone, Kelce should see all the targets he can handle. Of course, those targets are coming from the arm of Alex Smith so Kelce's touchdown scoring upside is capped.

Veteran signal callers Tom Brady and Drew Brees went within two picks of one another. While they are getting up there in age, there's nothing to suggest they don't have at least one more elite fantasy season left in those arms. Isaiah Crowell has RB1 upside as he will run behind one of the top offensive lines in football. Jordan Reed's selection came despite the news of him fighting a lingering toe issue. If healthy, he can push Gronk for the distinction of being the top overall tight end in fantasy. Sammy Watkins was still a Buffalo Bill when @fs_mati selected him. Since then he's seen his ADP tumble into the fourth round. He's still a value as he will play for new coach Sean McVay, who's much more pass oriented than the Bills ever were while Watkins was there.

I considered both Keenan Allen and Allen Robinson with my pick in the third. I actually like Keenan more but Robinson had the higher ADP at the time. The gamble paid off as I wound up still getting Keenan Allen in the fourth. Doug Baldwin is rock solid in the third round. Annually undervalued, he's a WR1 going as a WR2 in fantasy drafts. The round ended with two rookie running backs, Christian McCaffrey and Joe Mixon. McCaffrey is a better bet in PPR leagues but he should be useful in standard leagues, as well. Don't fear training camp reports that Jeremy Hill will be the Bengals' starter. Head coach Marvin Lewis is known for making rookies earn their way into starting roles on his teams. More concerning for Mixon is whether the Bengals can cobble together a passable offensive line.

Best Pick:

Doug Baldwin (WR, SEA) - Baldwin is consistently going off the board in third rounds of fantasy drafts, so he wasn't an extraordinary value at pick 3.09. What he is, however, is an extremely consistent wide receiver with WR1 upside in a round littered with potential land mines at the position. Outside of Baldwin, basically every wide receiver coming off draft boards in the third has some type of blemish, whether it be questionable quarterback play for DeAndre Hopkins and Allen Robinson, or a traditionally poor offense and a new team for Sammy Watkins. Baldwin is the safest pick here.

Biggest Reach:

Allen Robinson (WR, JAC) - I wound up drafting Robinson a full round earlier than his ADP. That being said, I believe in his talent and do believe that he will bounce back following a disastrous 2016 season. Sure, Blake Bortles is bad, but he was at the helm in 2015 when Robinson went bananas with 14 touchdowns. The Jaguars plan to run more with first round rookie Leonard Fournette in the fold, which should help increase Bortles' and Robinson's efficiency. That being said, I prefer Keenan Allen to Robinson this season. As mentioned above, I had a feeling I could wait on Keenan based on the ADP stats on MyFantasyLeague and still get him in the fourth round, which I did.

 

More Fantasy Football Mock Drafts and Analysis




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Compare Any Players
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Nolan Arenado

Hits Two Homers, Drives in Five on Monday
Brandon Lowe

Stays Hot in Monday's Blowout Win Over Nationals
Kyle Schwarber

Goes Deep Twice on Monday in Win Over Cubs
Tucker Kraft

Worth Buying Low in Dynasty Leagues?
Jackson Holliday

Not Expected to Come Off Injured List This Week
Jakobi Meyers

the Jaguars Receiver to Target in Dynasty Leagues?
Tage Thompson

Reaches 40 Goals
Jayden Higgins

Is Jayden Higgins a Year 2 Breakout Candidate?
Mavrik Bourque

has a Hat Trick on Monday
Sam LaPorta

a Buy-Low Target Coming Off of Injury
D'Andre Swift

Is it Time to Trade D'Andre Swift in Dynasty Leagues?
Patrick Cantlay

Finding Form Heading to RBC Heritage
Ludvig Aberg

Continues Playing Well Heading to RBC Heritage
Ryan Mountcastle

Orioles Place Ryan Mountcastle on 60-Day Injured List With Foot Fracture
Dru Smith

Ruled Out Against Hornets on Tuesday
Pelle Larsson

Considered Questionable for Tuesday
Simone Fontecchio

Slated to Suit Up Against Hornets
Nikola Jović

Nikola Jovic Unavailable for Tuesday
Frank Nazar

Good to Go Monday
Luka Dončić

Luka Doncic to be Re-Evaluated on Tuesday
Brandon Hagel

Misses Monday's Action
Radek Faksa

Michael Bunting, Radek Faksa Rejoin Stars Lineup Monday
MIN

Wild Resting Several Key Players Monday
Jared McCann

to Miss Kraken's Last Three Games
Jonathan Quick

to Make Final NHL Appearance Monday
Leon Draisaitl

Returns to Practice
Merrill Kelly

to Make his Season Debut on Tuesday
Tatsuya Imai

Going on 15-Day Injured List With Arm Fatigue
CFB

Tramell Jones Jr. Outperforms Aaron Philo During Florida's Spring Scrimmage
Jeremy Peña

Jeremy Pena Lands on 10-Day Injured List With Hamstring Strain
CFB

Keelon Russell Flashes in Alabama's Spring Game
Ty Gibbs

Holds off the Field for His First Cup Series Victory at Bristol
Ryan Blaney

Earns His First Runner-Up Finish at Bristol
Kyle Larson

Dominant Performance At Bristol Falls Short of Victory
Tyler Reddick

Matches his Career-Best Finish at Bristol
Alex Bowman

Crashes Early at Bristol in Return From Injury
NFL

Relatively Unproven Jadarian Price Could Shine in a Featured Role
NFL

Chris Bell a High-Risk/High-Reward Gamble
DeVonta Smith

Shakeup in Philadelphia Could Lead to a DeVonta Smith Breakout
Derik Queen

has 30-Point, 22-Rebound Season Finale
Woody Marks

Likely to Settle into a Complementary Role
Ryan Nembhard

Sets Rookie Assist Record
Carlos Ulberg

Is The New Light Heavyweight Champion
Cade Cunningham

Records 14 Assists Sunday
Jiří Procházka

Jiri Prochazka Suffers First-Round Knockout Loss
NFL

Should Eli Stowers Be the First Tight End Selected in Dynasty Rookie Drafts?
Milwaukee Bucks

Doc Rivers Departs as Bucks Head Coach
Azamat Murzakanov

Suffers His First Loss
Dylan Harper

Suffers Thumb Injury in Finale
Paulo Costa

Wins Back-to-Back Fights
Immanuel Quickley

Leaves Finale with Hamstring Issue
Cooper Flagg

Exits Finale with Ankle Injury
Curtis Blaydes

Drops Decision At UFC 327
Josh Hokit

Remains Unbeaten
Chris Kreider

Posts Two Assists in Overtime Loss
Marco Rossi

Gives Canucks Rare Victory
Nico Hischier

Records 30th Three-Point Game
Adam Fantilli

Nets 24th Goal of the Season
Lane Hutson

Reaches Historic Record With Two Assists Sunday
Connor McMichael

Picks Up Three Points Sunday
Nick Suzuki

Reaches 100 Points This Year
Logan Thompson

Shuts Out the Penguins
Collin Sexton

Cleared to Play Sunday
Mark Williams

Sits Season Finale
Jalen Green

Out For Season Finale
LeBron James

Active for Season Finale
Draymond Green

Won't Play Sunday
Nikola Jokić

Nikola Jokic Will Play Vs. Spurs
Stephon Castle

Available For Season Finale
Devin Vassell

Ready for Regular-Season Finale
Victor Wembanyama

Ruled Out for Regular-Season Finale
Christian Yelich

Brewers Expecting "Bad News" on Christian Yelich
Charlie McAvoy

Among Bruins Players Resting Sunday
Thomas Chabot

Jake Sanderson, Thomas Chabot Resting Against Devils
Brady Tkachuk

Tim Stutzle Won't Play Sunday
Radko Gudas

Could Return Sunday
Quentin Johnston

Presented with Opportunity for More Volume
Travis Kelce

Worth Trading Ahead of Potential Retirement Tour
Jalen Coker

Does Jalen Coker Have Weekly Fantasy Appeal Going Forward?
DJ Moore

Is DJ Moore the Top Fantasy Receiver in Buffalo?
Derrick Henry

Still an RB1 in Fantasy Football?
Edwin Díaz

Dodgers Monitoring Edwin Diaz's Velocity
Jarquez Hunter

Can Jarquez Hunter Rebound from a Forgettable Rookie Season?
Ladd McConkey

Can Ladd McConkey Recapture Rookie-Season Magic?
Ryan Flournoy

Faces a Hard Path to Fantasy Relevance Despite Year 2 Flashes
Bryce Young

Entering Prove-it Territory
Devaughn Vele

Will Devaughn Vele See a Larger Role in Second Season with Saints?
Carson Hocevar

Is Carson Hocevar A Worthy DFS Option for Bristol Lineups?
NASCAR

Could Bubba Wallace Be A Solid DFS Option for Bristol Lineups?
Sam Antonacci

Slated to Make MLB Debut on Tuesday
Jonathan Taylor

Back to High-End RB1 Tier with QB Returning?
Mickey Moniak

has Multi-Homer Game in San Diego
Jeremy Peña

Jeremy Pena Leaves Early on Saturday With Knee Tightness
Noah Schultz

White Sox to Promote Top Pitching Prospect Noah Schultz
Tyler Soderstrom

Slugs Two Home Runs in Win Over Mets
Adley Rutschman

Placed on 10-Day Injured List With Ankle Inflammation
George Springer

Suffers Fractured Toe on Saturday
Gabriel Moreno

Likely Headed to Injured List
Juan Soto

Could Return for Next Homestand
Corbin Carroll

Officially Back in Saturday's Lineup
Max Muncy

Hits Three Homers, Including Walk-Off Blast
Carlos Ulberg

A Slight Underdog
Jiří Procházka

Jiri Prochazka Can Become UFC Champion Again
Paulo Costa

Makes his Light-Heavyweight Debut
Azamat Murzakanov

Looks To Remain Unbeaten
Josh Hokit

Looks To Remain Undefeated
Curtis Blaydes

A Favorite At UFC 327
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF