RADIO
Anyone who has ever played fantasy for an extended period of time will tell you that the middle rounds of a draft make up the meat and potatoes of your team.
It's easy to win or lose your league based on your early round picks since those are your home run hitters. Rounds six through nine, though, can give you solid depth with the potential for breakout stars. This is especially true in a redraft league where strategies start to take shape as players fly off the board.
Here we'll be looking at those meaty middle rounds from our RotoBaller way-too-early PPR mock draft.
Round 6
6.01 LeGarrette Blount (RB, NE) - Andrew Lovell
6.02 Latavius Murray (RB, OAK) - Nathan Powell
6.03 Golden Tate (WR, DET) - Mike Beers
6.04 Tyler Eifert (TE, CIN) - Justin Klein
6.05 Corey Coleman (WR, CLE) - Anthony Aniano
6.06 Doug Martin (RB, TB) - Jason Bales
6.07 Paul Perkins (RB, NYG) - Pierre Camus
6.08 Brandon Marshall (WR, NYJ) - Jacob Valov
6.09 Andrew Luck (QB, IND) - Frankie Soler
6.10 Tyrell Williams (WR, SD) - Joe Sorensen
6.11 Theo Riddick (RB, DET) - Justin Bales
6.12 Randall Cobb (RB, GB) - Matt Terelle
The first two picks of round six were a pair of underrated running backs in LeGarrette Blount and Latavius Murray. Blount is unlikely to repeat his 2016 season but he's absolutely a great value pick that late in a draft. Same goes for Latavius although I have more faith in him duplicating his production in 2017. Wide receivers ran pretty thin early on so Golden Tate is definitely the best selection made on that front. Unfortunately, Brandon Coleman and Brandon Marshall were just about the best ones available at the back end of the round. Personally, I was happy to snag Andrew Luck as a starter. I felt like I wanted a big name QB at good value and Luck in the sixth certainly represents that for me.
Round 7
7.01 DeVante Parker (WR, MIA) - Matt Terelle
7.02 Terrelle Pryor (WR, CLE) - Justin Bales
7.03 Jonathan Stewart (RB, CAR) - Joe Sorensen
7.04 Matt Ryan (QB, ATL) - Frankie Soler
7.05 Derek Carr (QB, OAK) - Jacob Valov
7.06 Zach Ertz (TE, PHI) - Pierre Camus
7.07 Willie Snead (WR, NO) - Jason Bales
7.08 Eddie Lacy (RB, GB) - Anthony Aniano
7.09 Drew Brees (QB, NO) - Justin Klein
7.10 Jeremy Hill (RB, CIN) - Mike Beers
7.11 Jeremy Maclin (WR, KC) - Nathan Powell
7.12 DeSean Jackson (WR, WAS) - Andrew Lovell
Speaking of big name quarterbacks, I had to make a move I rarely ever do and select a second QB for trade bait. I just didn't like any of the other players available at their respective values here so I figured I might as well take the risky play. Some other drafters followed suit on the QB run with Derek Carr and Drew Brees coming off the board. There's always a chance that a fantasy season comes down to who ends up with the hottest quarterback. I'm never opposed to seeing star passers fly away in the middle rounds. Zach Ertz was another solid pick in round seven since tight ends are so flukey. Ertz is a bit of a step above the Camreon Brate and Coby Fleener class. Lastly, I think DeSean Jackson was the best value pick of the round. He's a player who can single handedly win you your week and the Redskins may be without Pierre Garcon in 2017. That should open up a decent amount of targets for D Jax to benefit from.
Round 8
8.01 Hunter Henry (TE, SD) - Andrew Lovell
8.02 Ameer Abdullah (RB, DET) - Nathan Powell
8.03 Delanie Walker (TE, TEN) - Mike Beers
8.04 Frank Gore (RB, IND) - Justin Klein
8.05 Adam Thielen (WR, MIN) - Anthony Aniano
8.06 Jamaal Charles (RB, KC) - Jason Bales
8.07 Cam Newton (QB, CAR) - Pierre Camus
8.08 Giovani Bernard (RB, CIN) - Jacob Valov
8.09 Rob Kelley (RB, WAS) - Frankie Soler
8.10 Rishard Matthews (WR, TEN) - Joe Sorensen
8.11 Dak Prescott (QB, DAL) - Justin Bales
8.12 Ty Montgomery (WR, GB) - Matt Terelle
This round right here might have the most winning picks of the draft. Guys like Frank Gore, Cam Newton, Rob Kelley, Delanie Walker, and Ameer Abdullah all have home run potential. I'm a fan of every single one of those picks, especially Frank Gore. Gore gets written off every single year yet he continues to produce at a consistent rate. He's going to end up as one of those rare running backs who is solid his entire career. My least favorite pick was Adam Thielen in round eight. I feel like he has the potential to be a big sleeper candidate who doesn't turn out to be a true fantasy asset. Stefon Diggs and Kyle Rudolph seem like the stronger pass-catchers in Minnesota. Throw in LaQuon Treadwell and Thielen could end up fourth in targets on the Vikings.
Round 9
9.01 Kirk Cousins (QB, WAS) - Matt Terelle
9.02 Derrick Henry (RB, TEN) - Justin Bales
9.03 Eric Decker (WR, NYJ) - Joe Sorensen
9.04 Kevin White (WR, CHI) - Frankie Soler
9.05 Cole Beasley (WR, DAL) - Jacob Valov
9.06 Jameis Winston (QB, TB) - Pierre Camus
9.07 Josh Doctston (WR, WAS) - Jason Bales
9.08 Ben Roethlisberger (QB, PIT) - Anthony Aniano
9.09 Isaiah Crowell (RB, CLE) - Justin Klein
9.10 Kenny Britt (WR, LA) - Mike Beers
9.11 Duke Johnson (RB, CLE) - Nathan Powell
9.12 Danny Woodhead (RB, SD) - Andrew Lovell
If round six was a weak round for wide receivers, round nine more than made up for it. Eric Decker may have some serious off-season injuries to repair but he has a huge opportunity to be a WR2 next year. The Jets could easily cut Brandon Marshall and bring in an upgraded veteran like Jay Cutler at QB. Kevin White also has a history of injuries but he's shown flashes of productivity on the field. There's a legitimate argument to be made that Kenny Britt was the most overlooked fantasy wide receiver in 2016. He had top-end WR3 production for most of the year but no one seemed to talk about him. I like that pick a lot this late in the draft.
Best Steals
Tyler Eifert (TE, CIN) #64 Overall
To be perfectly honest with you I'm not the biggest fan of Tyler Eifert given his quarterback and injury history. That being said, the sixth round definitely qualifies as a steal for a tight end who can match Jordan Reed in terms of touchdown production. When Eifert is on the field, he's one of the best TEs in football. If a hot quarterback can sway the outcome of a league, a hot tight end is the next best thing. There's going to be a lot of talk about where these upper tier tight ends should go heading into 2017. That alone makes Eifert worth considering even higher than round six.
Terrelle Pryor (WR, CLE) #74 Overall
DeSean Jackson wasn't the only steal in round seven; Terrelle Pryor absolutely makes the list. Pryor was locked in as a WR2 for a good chunk of the 2016 season and owners should expect similar production next year. There are certainly concerns with Cleveland's quarterback situation but I can't imagine them not upgrading the position. Whether it's a big name rookie or a veteran upgrade, it certainly can't get much worse for Pryor. Besides, think of all the other great wide receivers who have overcome quarterback issues. Guys like DeAndre Hopkins (Outside of this past season. Oof.) and Larry Fitzgerald outplay their signal caller all the time. Granted, Pryor isn't on that level just yet but it can most certainly be done.
Rishard Matthews (WR, TEN) #94 Overall
Talk about overlooked wide receivers from 2016. Rishard Matthews was one of those players who, if you added late in the season, had playoff-making influence. There's almost a 100% chance the Titans add a fresh face at wide receiver whether it's through the draft or a free agency. Even with that in mind, Matthews is a steal in round eight. Marcus Mariota is turning out to be to a game-changing franchise quarterback in spite of a lack of weapons. In the event that Rishard Matthews ends up being the team's No. 2 wideout, Mariota should still be able to pepper him with targets given Tennessee's lack of offensive firepower.
Ben Roethlisberger (QB, PIT) #104 Overall
Shockingly, Ben Roethlisberger lasted all the way to round nine and was selected after Jameis Winston. Not sure what happened there so kudos for snagging him at such great value. There's a chance that our drafters were all on the same page regarding Big Ben. He's only played all 16 games twice in his career, missing as many as four due to injury. That said, he's still the most durable guy in the league so I usually don't let that factor into picking him. As far as quarterbacks go, this was by far the biggest steal of the draft.
Biggest Reaches
Paul Perkins (RB, NYG) #67 Overall
Before I get into why I think Paul Perkins is a reach, let me first say that I'm actually a big fan of the player for 2017. The reason it's a reach is because round six is still very much a "starters" round. You're still picking guys who can potentially start as early as week one or two. Granted, if the Giants cut Rashad Jennings or Shane Vereen, Perkins' value goes way up. But as of February, Perkins is still behind on the depth chart. I'd rather spend that pick on someone like Tyler Efiert or Golden Tate, two players who went before Perkins in the same round. With Eifert and Tate not only do you know what you're getting but you're also plugging those guys directly into your lineup at the start of the year.
DeVante Parker (WR, MIA) #73 overall
DeVante Parker is a bit of a cherry picking version of a "reach." Round seven was a pretty solid round so Parker just happens to be a victim of circumstance. Miami's offense is going to run through Jay Ajayi and Jarvis Landry in 2017 with an emphasis on the former. Parker is going to struggle for consistent targets and he hasn't done a good enough job to turn said targets into fantasy points. Having said all of that, he's still decent value in the seventh. I'd prefer him another round or two later though.
Ty Mongtomery (WR, GB) #96 Overall
The biggest reach in the ninth round came down to a toss up between Adam Thielen and Ty Montgomery. I mentioned my displeasure with the Thielen pick earlier, but Montgomery gets the edge in the reach category. Sure, Montgomery is likely to switch to running back full time but it's guaranteed that the Packers add another RB rather soon. The draft is the most likely scenario, targeting a guy like Dalvin Cook. Understandably, it's February so we're operating based on current roster construction. This is more of a forward thinking analysis of "biggest reach."
Jameis Winston (QB, TB) #102 Overall
This might be the biggest reach of the four for me. On paper, Jameis Winston in the ninth doesn't sound all that bad. Look a little further into who was still on the board, however, and a reaction of "what the?" is applicable. Ben Roethlisberger, Matthew Stafford, Marcus Mariota, and Philip Rivers were the next four quarterbacks taken. Throw in Winston and he's fifth on the list rankings wise for 2017. I suppose the link to taking Winston that high is expecting a big year based on the production of Mike Evans resulting in a leap over Mariota. Still, I'd much prefer the three proven guys plus Mariota.
Conclusion
Overall, rounds six through nine saw some solid picks for fantasy building blocks. Every round is going to have reaches and steals so that's to be expected. There were some great picks and some head-scratchers as well, but those picks could turn out much differently than expected once the season is underway.
This Way Too Early Mock Draft took place three months before the NFL Draft, so rookies were not a factor. Check back in for our Re-draft 2.0 later this Spring to see how things have changed. In the meantime, our Way Too Early Dynasty Draft will be out later this month, so stay tuned!
