This article is part of our Payne's Perspective series.
This is the second of three mock drafts I participated in for fantasy footballs magazines this spring. Like the first, this was for the RotoWire magazine, though this was a non-PPR format (standard scoring). I had the 13th pick of 14 teams in a normal snake draft. Feel free to take issue with my picks and/or analysis in the comments section.
1. (13th) - Matt Forte - I was OK with this pick, though the addition of John Fox and subtraction of Mark Trestman likely hurt's Forte's value. Forte has been consistent as far as rushing yards go, posting at least 929 rushing yards in each of his last seven seasons. What really boosted his fantasy with Trestman as the head coach was all of the extra passes and resulting yardage he picked up. While there are other options, and it's not certain what Fox will do, there's a chance Forte gets more goal-line work this season.
2. (16th) - C.J. Anderson - In my last column I outlined why I look Anderson this season. He'll get work as both a rusher and receiver, and Peyton Manning has no qualms about handing the ball off at the goal line. The offense should be fine as long as Manning doesn't have a sharp decline in production. Reports from OTAs said his pass-blocking was excellent; that alone will assure he's on the field for the majority of snaps. There's nothing wrong with starting out WR/WR or RB/RB; you just may need
This is the second of three mock drafts I participated in for fantasy footballs magazines this spring. Like the first, this was for the RotoWire magazine, though this was a non-PPR format (standard scoring). I had the 13th pick of 14 teams in a normal snake draft. Feel free to take issue with my picks and/or analysis in the comments section.
1. (13th) - Matt Forte - I was OK with this pick, though the addition of John Fox and subtraction of Mark Trestman likely hurt's Forte's value. Forte has been consistent as far as rushing yards go, posting at least 929 rushing yards in each of his last seven seasons. What really boosted his fantasy with Trestman as the head coach was all of the extra passes and resulting yardage he picked up. While there are other options, and it's not certain what Fox will do, there's a chance Forte gets more goal-line work this season.
2. (16th) - C.J. Anderson - In my last column I outlined why I look Anderson this season. He'll get work as both a rusher and receiver, and Peyton Manning has no qualms about handing the ball off at the goal line. The offense should be fine as long as Manning doesn't have a sharp decline in production. Reports from OTAs said his pass-blocking was excellent; that alone will assure he's on the field for the majority of snaps. There's nothing wrong with starting out WR/WR or RB/RB; you just may need to adjust and load up with more lottery tickets with the other position later in the draft.
3. (41st) - T.J. Yeldon - I was on the Toby Gerhart bandwagon last season and am a little worried it may be deja vu all over against this season. However, Yeldon is a better talent than Gerhart, and it's likely the Jaguars used such a high pick on him to make him the workhorse. Yeldon doesn't have blazing speed but has enough size to break tackles and exhibited great vision running finding holes while he played at Alabama. There isn't much competition for touches outside of Denard Robinson, and the passing game should be a little better with the skilled position players all having a year of experience under their belt.
4. (44th) - Peyton Manning - I discussed a little in my last column how much Peyton has fallen in drafts especially consider he was a top-3 option at the position last season (along with Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers). He still has enough weapons, and it would be a big surprise if somehow the Broncos weren't one of the top offenses in the league once again.
5. (69th) - Charles Johnson - By this pick there were few options remaining on the board that have this kind of upside. Johnson is expected to be the Vikings' top wide receiver, and Norv Turner has made it sound as if he'll be a big part of the offense. Adrian Peterson will keep defenses honest, and as a result Johnson should see plenty of single coverage on early downs. Teddy Bridgewater should continue his development as a signal-caller, and the addition of Mike Wallace will open up things for Johnson over the middle. Truth be told, he should be available at least a round or two later in most standard, public leagues.
6. (73rd) - Kevin White - During the college season you'd be hard pressed to find anyone outside of West Virginia who was more a of White supporter than yours truly. White will line up opposite Alshon Jeffery, and there are few wide receivers in the league that have his combination of size (6-foot-3, 215) and speed (4.35 40 at the Combine). Say what you want about Jay Cutler, but the fact is he has a strong arm and should be able to deliver the ball to White vertically for a few long touchdowns.
7. (97th) - Eric Decker - The pick really depends on the development of Geno Smith as a passing quarterback. Smith has the best receiving corps he's ever had, and the addition of Brandon Marshall will make defenses respect the pass more. Decker quietly had just less than 1,000 receiving yards and has the advantage of playing a full season with Smith under center. The ceiling is limited here, but he's more than adequate as a third wide receiver or flex spot.
8. (101st) - Jordan Cameron - Unless Rob Gronkowski falls out of the first round or Jimmy Graham falls past the second, it's unlikely that I'm going to take a tight end in the first half of any of my drafts. Cameron will finally have a legit quarterback throwing him the ball to him and should have the chance to display his athleticism and upside that we've heard about for years. If DeVante Parker's foot injury costs him any time, Cameron would likely become the main red-zone target considering his size.
9. (129th) - Devin Funchess - Funchess is such an intriguing rookie given his immense size and speed when taking that size into consideration. He has the ability to line up at every receiving position and could quickly become a favorite target of Cam Newton's. His stock will soar if Kelvin Benjamin's hamstring injury limits him at any point this season.
10. (133rd) - David Johnson - This was probably my favorite pick as far as upside and value. If you're not familiar with Johnson, he was selected in the third round (86th pick) and is the pride of Northern Iowa. Last season he recorded more than 2,000 yards from scrimmage and scored 19 touchdowns. His size (6-1, 224) makes him a candidate for goal-line work, and he should start the season seeing with about 10-15 touches as a complement to Andre Ellington. Don't forget his name in the later rounds of your drafts.
11. (157th) - Bills Defense - I'm a Bills fan, and it should be exciting to see what they can do with Rex Ryan as the head coach.
12. (161st) - Marcus Mariota - The intriguing part of Mariota's game is going to be his ability to gain bonus points with his rushing ability. His passing and wide receiving options? Not so good. Still, no one expected much out of Newton as a rookie and there's a chance that Mariota is more talented than Jameis Winston.
13. (189th) - Dan Carpenter - I'm a Bills fan. Seriously, though, Carpenter has hit 90.5 percent of his field goals since putting on a Bills uniform and nailed six kicks of 50-plus yards last season.
I'm not overly in love with this team. I'm comfortable with Manning as my quarterback and have three solid running backs to anchor my team. My wide receiving corps is suspect and this would the type of team I'd consider doing an early season trade to bolster it, dangling a running back as bait. I'd wait a few weeks on the chance my receivers come through rather than lose any value by dealing before the season starts.
NFL NEWS & NOTES
• If Todd Gurley is not only going to be ready for the start of Week 1 but the start of training camp, move him into the top-20 overall and maybe that's conservative. This season is going to be a change from drafting and crossing your fingers with Bishop Sankey in rounds three to five. Melvin Gordon, the aforementioned T.J. Yeldon and Gurley head a strong rookie running back class that will have a fantasy impact. Remember, most teams likely will use a committee approach, so true three-down backs are going to be rare.
• I'm not a lawyer, nor do I play one on TV, so I'm not going to act like I know what is going to happen in the Tom Brady case. It seems like no one outside of Brady actually testified to what actually went down on his behalf, and if you question most criminals or go to your local prison most of the guilty will profess their innocence, something that makes or benefits them the most. I'm likely biased being a Bills fan, but if you gave me 1:1 odds on the Patriots or the field winning the AFC East, I'd dump on a lot on the field. Look at recent history to show how dominant the Patriots have been in the division. But now, every game for the Patriots is a Super Bowl for their opponent, and they'll get their best game. Why Roger Goodell, who probably had his mind made up as to what he was going to do in the case, won't likely rule before this weekend, is beyond me.
• The running back battle between Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman in Atlanta is something to keep an eye on. The team may go to a more run-oriented offense this season and without Steven Jackson someone is going to get the bulk of the work. Freeman is the more experienced of the two and despite the praise by myself and other pundits as far as rookies go, don't forget the second-year players who have the upper hand on the offense and have a season of working with their teammates under their belt.
• The second running back battle between a rookie and a sophomore is in Tennessee. Bishop Sankey is typically getting drafted ahead of David Cobb, though that could easily change between now and the start of the season. Sankey was the highest taken rookie running back last season only to disappoint his owners as the recently released Shonn Greene ate into his early season work. A fifth-round pick isn't great evidence that Cobb is seen as the main running back but speaks to the fact that the Titans are looking to have Sankey insurance or another back to push him. This battle seems like it'll be some sort of committee to start the season, and I'd guess the goal-line work goes to Cobb given he's the bigger back of the two.
•James White is a nice end-game pick given that he could assume a third-down or any role for that matter in the Patriot offense. It's hard for me to get excited about LeGarrette Blount in any capacity, and year in and year out someone from the Patriots emerges whom we aren't expecting and becomes fantasy relevant. White is a fluid runner and capable receiver extremely adept at making defenders miss in the open field. Breaking tackles and his toughness are the areas that are questionable and could be his flaws this season.
