March 17, 2017

Matt Terelle analyzes the rounds 7-10 of RotoBaller's fantasy football dynasty startup mock draft to determine which players may be overvalued or undervalued in 2017.

We continue our look at RotoBaller's Way Too Early Dynasty Mock Draft with a recap of rounds 7-10. We gathered 12 dynasty league experts and RotoBaller writers to conduct a week-long, email draft, MFL10-style, in order to evaluate early ADP values for dynasty leagues.

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

Ed. Note: For continual coverage of NFL free agency news and its fantasy impact, keep tuned to RotoBaller!

Round 7

With the wide receiver pool mostly dried up, many owners turned their heads towards bolstering their running back corps. This round included several well-known backs in the fantasy football community. Mark Ingram was a great value in the seventh round as he usually comes off the board two or three rounds higher in dynasty startups. C.J. Anderson and Spencer Ware could both be useful pieces if they are able to hold onto their feature back roles this year. Marcus Mariota and Russell Wilson, two younger quarterbacks, both went in this round and should be foundational pieces to build around for years.

Cameron Meredith and Tyrell Williams were free in dynasty last year. The two youngsters parlayed their breakout seasons into seventh round dynasty selections. Ameer Abdullah, if he can stay on the field, may end up being a steal in the seventh round. The problem is we still don't know whether he can play after injuries have cut both of his first two seasons short. Theo Riddick, Abdullah's satellite-back teammate, went two picks afterward. It will be interesting to see if Riddick's pass catching role changes when (if) Abdullah returns to full health.

All in all, this was a rather balanced round with two quarterbacks, six running backs, and four wide receivers coming off the board.

Round 8

Young wide receivers who still have a lot to prove were the theme of this round. Laquon Treadwell, Kevin White, and Breshad Perriman were all highly valued dynasty assets not that long ago, but injuries and ineffectiveness have caused their stock to drop. If one of those three is able to put together a strong season then he would be a steal in the eighth round.

Tom Brady and Drew Brees don't have many elite years left in the tank, but they both should be top-three quarterbacks for at least two more seasons. Pair one of them with a young, high upside signal caller later in the draft and you are all set at the position.

A couple players in this round saw their stock take a hit right after our mock draft was completed. Kenneth Dixon got suspended for four games and saw Danny Woodhead signed as a free agent, while Malcolm Mitchell will have to share targets with recently acquired Brandin Cooks in New England. Both Dixon and Mitchell were drafted before the news hit.

Round 9

A few interesting running backs came off the board this round. Free agent Eddie Lacy is still relatively young (26) and could be a steal depending on where he signs. Isaiah Crowell is one of my favorite mid-round running backs to target. He quietly had a solid season for a putrid Cleveland team last year and the restricted free agent should be a starter again next year, either in Cleveland or elsewhere.

I felt good about my Willie Snead selection back before Brandin Cooks was traded to New England. It's looking a whole lot better now that Snead is set to become Drew Brees' WR2 in the passing game. I doubt Snead will be lasting into the ninth round in startups much longer.

This round also saw a few veteran receivers looking to regain fantasy prominence. Injuries cost Eric Decker all but three games last season, but he was Mr. Reliable in the seasons before. Jeremy Maclin also dealt with injuries in 2016, but he's just one year removed from being a solid WR2 in fantasy. Both have a chance to outperform their draft position this year, although it remains to be seen who will be throwing the ball to Decker this year.

Round 10

Running backs were again popular in this round, with six coming off the board. Rookie D'Onta Foreman is still a bit of a mystery after he didn't run at the scouting combine last week. Depending on landing spot he could be a great value or a bust. Time will tell. Frankie surely has to hope that Washington doesn't add to their running back corps after taking Rob Kelley. Kelley is not considered to be extremely talented, but he saw the majority of Washington's carries last season.

It's kind of fitting that veteran former star running backs Jamaal Charles and Adrian Peterson went back-to-back after both were cut by their former teams on the same day. Both could end up as solid values if they prove they have another year or two left in the tank.

Rookie wide receiver Carlos Henderson has shot up many draft boards and could prove to be a great pickup in the tenth round, depending on which NFL team drafts him. Some dynasty players are valuing him as the third-best rookie wide receiver after Corey Davis and Mike Williams. If Dak Prescott is able to replicate his rookie season you are going to be seeing him mentioned as a top-five dynasty quarterback at this time next year, making him a steal in the 10th round.

Count me among the Devontae Booker believers. I think he's more talented than C.J. Anderson and it's only a matter of time before the former overtakes the latter. Booker wasn't terrific in his rookie season, but he showed some pass-catching chops and should play better if Denver is able to improve their offensive line.

Best Picks

Mark Ingram (RB, NO) #74 overall

Ingram should still have a few useful years left and has shown over the past few years that he has high touchdown upside while also being able to catch a few passes along the way.

New Orleans has one of the top offenses in the league which puts them in the red zone all the time. Ingram, as the team's goal line back, should be able to fall out of bed and score at least seven or eight touchdowns most seasons. Getting a talented starting running back in the seventh round is a solid value.

Drew Brees (QB, NO) #94 overall

Brees is getting up there in age, but he should still have another couple years worth of elite production in the tank. During those years, his owner Charlie will have a championship-level quarterback headlining his roster, which will allow him to focus his energy on uncovering overlooked running backs and receivers instead of worrying about his QB1.

The same could be said for Tom Brady, but Brees went a few picks later so he earns the nod here.

Willie Snead (WR, NO) #103 overall

Through sheer luck, Snead was available in the ninth round of this draft. We completed this round just before Brandin Cooks was traded to New England. Cooks' absence opens up a lot of targets for Snead to soak up in New Orleans.

Expect Snead's value to come up a round or two in dynasty startup drafts going forward as he should be operating as Drew Brees' WR2 this upcoming season.

Brandon Marshall (WR, NYG) #110 overall

Similar to Snead above, Marshall was employed by the Jets when this round went down. Moving from the Jets to the Giants gives Marshall a huge uptick in projected fantasy production this season. Marshall will benefit from all the attention opposing defenses pay to Odell Beckham, Jr., which should leave him in single coverage on most of his routes. Expect Marshall to slide in as New York's top red zone pass catcher right off the bat.

Biggest Reaches

John Brown (WR, ARI) #75 overall

I'll start by saying that I've always been a big fan of Brown and spent most of last offseason trying to buy him in dynasty formats. That being said, Brown's stock took a hit in 2016. The speedy wide receiver dealt with health concerns stemming from sickle-cell issues. The Cardinals claim they have solved the issue, but time will only tell.

Add in the fact that Carson Palmer's arm looks shot and Brown went a little too high for my liking here. He has a good chance to bounce back this season, but he likely would have been available a round or two later.

Latavius Murray (RB, FA) #92 overall

Murray is a bit of a wild card as the former Raider is still looking for work after becoming a free agent for the first time in his career. Much of Murray's production last year was a result of him playing for a great offense which constantly put him in position to receive carries in the red zone.

Murray could wind up signing with another strong offense, but he's most likely ticketed for a part time role in a committee no matter which team ends up signing him.

Tyler Boyd (WR, CIN) #108 overall

I haven't been very bullish on Boyd since he entered the NFL last season and his rookie season didn't do much to change my mind. Perhaps most telling was Boyd's inability to take advantage of the late-season injuries to A.J. Green and Tyler Eifert. The way I see it if Boyd didn't become a difference maker for the Bengals back then, he isn't likely to do much with Green and Eifert back at full health this season.

Conclusion

Let's take a closer look at the numbers. Of the 48 players selected in the seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth rounds of RotoBaller's dynasty startup mock draft, 19 were wide receivers, 19 were running backs, six were quarterbacks and four were tight ends.

As mentioned earlier, several players in these rounds had their values drastically affected by free agency and trades soon after the mock draft was completed. Free agency rolls on, and the NFL draft is still a huge unknown, so a lot can change between now and the start of the season.

Be sure to follow along with the rest of our round-by-round analysis throughout the week.