Fantasy News & Analysis

Fantasy football mock drafts: Lessons from a dynasty startup

TAMPA, FL - JANUARY 1: Wide receiver Mike Evans #13 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers scores the game-winning touchdown catch over Cornerback James Bradberry #24 of the Carolina Panthers at Raymond James Stadium on January 1, 2017 in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers defeated the Panthers 17 to 16. (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images)

As the post-draft dust settles and rookie values begin to crystallize, it makes for a great time of year to take a look at average draft position in dynasty leagues. Rookie fever is at (or near) its peak, which is always an interesting dynamic to observe when they are thrown into a draft queue with established veterans before having taken so much as a preseason snap, let alone a regular-season one. In addition to newcomers, it’s important to keep tabs on veteran players who saw their value change as a result of the draft for potential buy or sell opportunities.

The PFF Fantasy staff just completed a 12-team, 20-round, full-PPR dynasty mock draft, our first post-draft dynasty mock of the year. Below, I highlighted some of the picks and trends that stood out to me.

Round 1

1.01 1 Joey Cartolano Evans, Mike TBB WR
1.02 2 Brandon Marianne Lee Beckham, Odell NYG WR
1.03 3 Jon Moore Cooper, Amari OAK WR
1.04 4 Michael Moore Brown, Antonio PIT WR
1.05 5 Jeff Ratcliffe Elliott, Ezekiel DAL RB
1.06 6 Dan Schneier Johnson, David ARI RB
1.07 7 Mike Castiglione Bell, Le'Veon PIT RB
1.08 8 Daniel Kelley Jones, Julio ATL WR
1.09 9 Scott Barrett Thomas, Michael NOS WR
1.10 10 Pat Thorman Green, A.J. CIN WR
1.11 11 Tyler Loechner Hopkins, DeAndre HOU WR
1.12 12 Walton Spurlin Gordon, Melvin LAC RB

The top of the draft went exactly as expected, with a receiver-heavy first round that also included the “Big Three” running backs. With the first pick, I considered taking Odell Beckham Jr., but the discrepancies in the age and current performance of the quarterbacks in question steered me toward Evans, who is coming off the fifth-highest-graded wide receiver season of the PFF era. As if that isn’t impressive enough, he did it at the tender age of 23. Evans has been a fantasy producer since the moment he stepped on an NFL field. Tampa is loading up around him and Jameis Winston, but he is still the lead dog for the ascending franchise quarterback. The presence of DeSean Jackson and O.J. Howard should help free up coverage and enable Evans to be more efficient on a per-target basis, which has been the one knock on him thus far in his career.

At first glance, 1.03 may seem high for Amari Cooper, but his age, quarterback situation, and rock-solid floor make him a safer long-term pick than the running backs or some of the older wide receivers. Cooper is one of nine wideouts ever to eclipse 1,000 yards receiving in each of his first two seasons in the league (a list that also includes Evans, Beckham, and later-in-the-first-round A.J. Green). While I would probably take a few of the receivers that went later in the round ahead of them, the three running backs went in the order I would take them in. At age 21 with a mega-season already under his belt, Elliott is clearly the premier back to own in dynasty. I prefer Bell’s talent to Johnson’s in a vacuum, but when factoring in injury and suspension risk, Johnson gets the slight nod for me (they both turned 25 in the last six months).

Round 2

2.01 13 Walton Spurlin Freeman, Devonta ATL RB
2.02 14 Tyler Loechner Hilton, T.Y. IND WR
2.03 15 Pat Thorman Robinson, Allen JAC WR
2.04 16 Scott Barrett Watkins, Sammy BUF WR
2.05 17 Daniel Kelley Gurley, Todd LAR RB
2.06 18 Mike Castiglione Howard, Jordan CHI RB
2.07 19 Dan Schneier Cooks, Brandin NEP WR
2.08 20 Jeff Ratcliffe Davis, Corey TEN WR
2.09 21 Michael Moore Fournette, Leonard JAC RB
2.10 22 Jon Moore McCaffrey, Christian CAR RB
2.11 23 Brandon Marianne Lee Bryant, Dez DAL WR
2.12 24 Joey Cartolano Jeffery, Alshon PHI WR

I firmly believe in a wide receiver-centric approach to dynasty startups, but round two was more running back-heavy than the first. Walton taking back-to-back running backs at the turn seems bold to me, especially when there is no consensus No. 4 back behind the big three. Gordon is definitely in that discussion, but I’d feel a lot better about pairing him with an elite wide receiver than Freeman if I had to wait another two rounds for my next pick.

The first three rookies also came off the board with Davis, Fournette, and McCaffrey being selected with successive picks in the back half of the round. Given the immense value that the 1.01 pick commands in trades, I’m OK with targeting the top rookies in that range. That is also the order I would have those three in, although I would have gone with Joe Mixon over McCaffrey.

Round 3

3.01 25 Joey Cartolano Gronkowski, Rob NEP TE
3.02 26 Brandon Marianne Lee Reed, Jordan WAS TE
3.03 27 Jon Moore Coleman, Corey CLE WR
3.04 28 Michael Moore Mixon, Joe CIN RB
3.05 29 Jeff Ratcliffe Landry, Jarvis MIA WR
3.06 30 Dan Schneier Allen, Keenan LAC WR
3.07 31 Mike Castiglione Nelson, Jordy GBP WR
3.08 32 Daniel Kelley Williams, Mike LAC WR
3.09 33 Scott Barrett Baldwin, Doug SEA WR
3.10 34 Pat Thorman Diggs, Stefon MIN WR
3.11 35 Tyler Loechner Ajayi, Jay MIA RB
3.12 36 Walton Spurlin Thomas, Demaryius DEN WR

The value of Rob Gronkowski is one of the trickiest player prices to gauge in dynasty given his large range of outcomes. Having just turned 28 in May, the runway is getting shorter for him in terms of bounce-back time if he continues to suffer serious injuries. Still, if he were healthier, he’d be a first-round dynasty lock, which makes him a worthwhile risk in the third round. Jordan Reed, an injury-prone tight end himself, went with the very next pick.

Mixon came off the board shortly after, followed by another run on receivers that included fellow rookie Mike Williams and his new teammate Keenan Allen. Williams took a lot of heat during the draft process for his separation skills and subsequently his crowded landing spot, but I think both concerns are overblown. Even when he’s been on the field, Allen hasn’t averaged more than 10.8 yards per receptions since his rookie year in 2013, and Tyrell Williams is an undrafted free agent who was forced into volume last year. The Clemson product should have no problem taking over the other Williams’ role as the primary deep threat, and the rookie has more red-zone chops to work with. PFF correspondent Eliot Crist had an excellent writeup on how Williams dominates despite a perceived lack of separation. Phillip Rivers gives his receivers chances to make plays, which fits the No. 7 overall pick’s style perfectly.

Rounds 4-6

4.01 37 Walton Spurlin Pryor, Terrelle WAS WR
4.02 38 Tyler Loechner Luck, Andrew IND QB
4.03 39 Pat Thorman Henry, Derrick TEN RB
4.04 40 Scott Barrett Cook, Dalvin MIN RB
4.05 41 Daniel Kelley Rodgers, Aaron GBP QB
4.06 42 Mike Castiglione Moncrief, Donte IND WR
4.07 43 Dan Schneier Kelce, Travis KCC TE
4.08 44 Jeff Ratcliffe Adams, Davante GBP WR
4.09 45 Michael Moore Sanders, Emmanuel DEN WR
4.10 46 Jon Moore Henry, Hunter LAC TE
4.11 47 Brandon Marianne Lee McCoy, LeSean BUF RB
4.12 48 Joey Cartolano Parker, DeVante MIA WR
5.01 49 Joey Cartolano Miller, Lamar HOU RB
5.02 50 Brandon Marianne Lee Crowder, Jamison WAS WR
5.03 51 Jon Moore Hill, Tyreek KCC WR
5.04 52 Michael Moore Crabtree, Michael OAK WR
5.05 53 Jeff Ratcliffe Eifert, Tyler CIN TE
5.06 54 Dan Schneier Wilson, Russell SEA QB
5.07 55 Mike Castiglione Mariota, Marcus TEN QB
5.08 56 Daniel Kelley Hunt, Kareem KCC RB
5.09 57 Scott Barrett Bryant, Martavis PIT WR
5.10 58 Pat Thorman Crowell, Isaiah CLE RB
5.11 59 Tyler Loechner Coleman, Tevin ATL RB
5.12 60 Walton Spurlin Carr, Derek OAK QB
6.01 61 Walton Spurlin Newton, Cam CAR QB
6.02 62 Tyler Loechner Doctson, Josh WAS WR
6.03 63 Pat Thorman Murray, DeMarco TEN RB
6.04 64 Scott Barrett Tate, Golden DET WR
6.05 65 Daniel Kelley Ross, John CIN WR
6.06 66 Mike Castiglione White, Kevin CHI WR
6.07 67 Dan Schneier Dixon, Kenneth BAL RB
6.08 68 Jeff Ratcliffe Winston, Jameis TBB QB
6.09 69 Michael Moore Olsen, Greg CAR TE
6.10 70 Jon Moore Matthews, Jordan PHI WR
6.11 71 Brandon Marianne Lee Hyde, Carlos SFO RB
6.12 72 Joey Cartolano Cobb, Randall GBP WR

Walton paired his two running backs with two wide receivers at the third-fourth turn, and I love his pick of Terrelle Pryor in Washington, even if it is just on a one-year deal. Our own Pat Thorman wrote about how much opportunity there is for Pryor to be a target monster this year, and Kirk Cousins is easily the best quarterback he has ever played with. I’d bet on his value being higher this time next year. Round 4 also saw our first two quarterbacks come off the board in Andrew Luck and Aaron Rodgers. While I agree they should be the first two signal-callers taken, I value the guaranteed elite production of Rodgers more than I do the additional years of age with Luck.

Three tight ends were taken in the higher end of this range: Travis Kelce, Hunter Henry, and Tyler Eifert. Kelce’s value seems right here, but I probably would have looked elsewhere than Henry and Eifert given the remaining wide receiver value on the board. Despite plus per-reception efficiency, Henry’s aggregate fantasy production was largely touchdown-dependent last year, and Eifert has proven to be a significant injury risk despite admittedly stellar numbers when he has been on the field. I like both players, but there are tight ends I have valued similarly to be had in subsequent rounds when receiver and running back thin out. Greg Olsen went more than a full round later at 6.09, which seems like better value.

Scott swung for the fences with Martavis Bryant at 5.09, a risk that could pay off in huge ways if the dynamic Bryant can keep himself clean off the field. For similar reasons to my love for Walton’s Pryor pick, I also think Josh Doctson was a great selection for Tyler at 6.02. A consensus top-four rookie pick last year, Doctson barely got on the field due to nagging lower body injuries, but is reportedly looking healthy and stands to benefit just as much as Pryor from the available targets in Washington. He is one of my favorite buy-lows of the offseason.

Rounds 7-10

7.01 73 Joey Cartolano Ryan, Matt ATL QB
7.02 74 Brandon Marianne Lee Prescott, Dak DAL QB
7.03 75 Jon Moore Perkins, Paul NYG RB
7.04 76 Michael Moore Brees, Drew NOS QB
7.05 77 Jeff Ratcliffe Perriman, Breshad BAL WR
7.06 78 Dan Schneier Abdullah, Ameer DET RB
7.07 79 Mike Castiglione Kamara, Alvin NOS RB
7.08 80 Daniel Kelley Snead, Willie NOS WR
7.09 81 Scott Barrett Benjamin, Kelvin CAR WR
7.10 82 Pat Thorman Howard, O.J. TBB TE
7.11 83 Tyler Loechner Ware, Spencer KCC RB
7.12 84 Walton Spurlin Graham, Jimmy SEA TE
8.01 85 Walton Spurlin Edelman, Julian NEP WR
8.02 86 Tyler Loechner Prosise, C.J. SEA RB
8.03 87 Pat Thorman Ingram, Mark NOS RB
8.04 88 Scott Barrett Anderson, C.J. DEN RB
8.05 89 Daniel Kelley Njoku, David CLE TE
8.06 90 Mike Castiglione Ebron, Eric DET TE
8.07 91 Dan Schneier Engram, Evan NYG TE
8.08 92 Jeff Ratcliffe Perine, Samaje WAS RB
8.09 93 Michael Moore Riddick, Theo DET RB
8.10 94 Jon Moore Montgomery, Ty GBP RB
8.11 95 Brandon Marianne Lee Meredith, Cameron CHI WR
8.12 96 Joey Cartolano Lynch, Marshawn OAK RB
9.01 97 Joey Cartolano Smith-Schuster, JuJu PIT WR
9.02 98 Brandon Marianne Lee Shepard, Sterling NYG WR
9.03 99 Jon Moore Fuller, Will HOU WR
9.04 100 Michael Moore Lockett, Tyler SEA WR
9.05 101 Jeff Ratcliffe Treadwell, Laquon MIN WR
9.06 102 Dan Schneier Lacy, Eddie SEA RB
9.07 103 Mike Castiglione Gillislee, Mike NEP RB
9.08 104 Daniel Kelley Kelley, Rob WAS RB
9.09 105 Scott Barrett Brown, John ARI WR
9.10 106 Pat Thorman Britt, Kenny CLE WR
9.11 107 Tyler Loechner Ertz, Zach PHI TE
9.12 108 Walton Spurlin Fitzgerald, Larry ARI WR
10.01 109 Walton Spurlin Powell, Bilal NYJ RB
10.02 110 Tyler Loechner Williams, Tyrell LAC WR
10.03 111 Pat Thorman Decker, Eric NYJ WR
10.04 112 Scott Barrett Jackson, DeSean TBB WR
10.05 113 Daniel Kelley Johnson, Duke CLE RB
10.06 114 Mike Castiglione Matthews, Rishard TEN WR
10.07 115 Dan Schneier Mitchell, Malcolm NEP WR
10.08 116 Jeff Ratcliffe Williams, Jamaal GBP RB
10.09 117 Michael Moore Martin, Doug TBB RB
10.10 118 Jon Moore Foreman, D'Onta HOU RB
10.11 119 Brandon Marianne Lee Woodhead, Danny BAL RB
10.12 120 Joey Cartolano Williams, Joe SFO RB

These rounds were running back- and tight end-heavy as we saw the secondary tier(s) of rookies start to come off the board in earnest. The top three rookie tight ends (Howard, Engram, Njoku) all were selected between 7.10 and 8.07, showing how closely valued they are in dynasty circles. Other rookies taken in this range included Alvin Kamara, Samaje Perine, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Jamaal Williams, D’Onta Foreman, and Joe Williams. Especially in this full-PPR format, I think Kamara is a great value. The Saints gave up a second-rounder next year to get him in the third this year, and he projects to immediately step into a-passing down role that has consistently produced monster PPR seasons for those who have occupied it.

There were also a bevy of sophomores that went in these rounds, including Paul Perkins, C.J. Prosise, Sterling Shepard, Laquon Treadwell, and Malcolm Mitchell. Second-year players who didn’t thrive as rookies make for some of the best “buy” opportunities in dynasty on annual basis. Of that group, the value that stands out to me is Prosise. A converted college receiver, Prosise shined in brief stints last year, and is now flying under the radar following the Eddie Lacy signing. The second-year back is easily the best passing-down option in Seattle’s backfield and should see an expanded, multi-dimensional role if he can stay healthy. I was happy to grab Marshawn Lynch running behind PFF’s fifth-highest-graded run-blocking offensive line at 8.12 after going receiver-heavy early. That is a small price to pay for what looks like at least one if not two years of near-RB1 production.

Rounds 11-15

11.01 121 Joey Cartolano McNichols, Jeremy TBB RB
11.02 122 Brandon Marianne Lee Thielen, Adam MIN WR
11.03 123 Jon Moore Godwin, Chris TBB WR
11.04 124 Michael Moore Jones, Zay BUF WR
11.05 125 Jeff Ratcliffe Samuel, Curtis CAR WR
11.06 126 Dan Schneier Henderson, Carlos DEN WR
11.07 127 Mike Castiglione Mack, Marlon IND RB
11.08 128 Daniel Kelley Taylor, Taywan TEN WR
11.09 129 Scott Barrett Walker, Delanie TEN TE
11.10 130 Pat Thorman Williams, Jonathan BUF RB
11.11 131 Tyler Loechner Rawls, Thomas SEA RB
11.12 132 Walton Spurlin Charles, Jamaal DEN RB
12.01 133 Walton Spurlin Austin, Tavon LAR WR
12.02 134 Tyler Loechner Stills, Kenny MIA WR
12.03 135 Pat Thorman Wallace, Mike BAL WR
12.04 136 Scott Barrett Brady, Tom NEP QB
12.05 137 Daniel Kelley Green, Ladarius FA TE
12.06 138 Mike Castiglione Cousins, Kirk WAS QB
12.07 139 Dan Schneier Kupp, Cooper LAR WR
12.08 140 Jeff Ratcliffe Hooper, Austin ATL TE
12.09 141 Michael Moore Doyle, Jack IND TE
12.10 142 Jon Moore Boyd, Tyler CIN WR
12.11 143 Brandon Marianne Lee Wentz, Carson PHI QB
12.12 144 Joey Cartolano Funchess, Devin CAR WR
13.01 145 Joey Cartolano Bennett, Martellus GBP TE
13.02 146 Brandon Marianne Lee Rudolph, Kyle MIN TE
13.03 147 Jon Moore Conner, James PIT RB
13.04 148 Michael Moore Stafford, Matthew DET QB
13.05 149 Jeff Ratcliffe Lee, Marqise JAC WR
13.06 150 Dan Schneier Stewart, ArDarius NYJ WR
13.07 151 Mike Castiglione Westbrook, Dede JAC WR
13.08 152 Daniel Kelley Blount, LeGarrette PHI RB
13.09 153 Scott Barrett Fleener, Coby NOS TE
13.10 154 Pat Thorman Roethlisberger, Ben PIT QB
13.11 155 Tyler Loechner Maclin, Jeremy KCC WR
13.12 156 Walton Spurlin Thomas, Julius MIA TE
14.01 157 Walton Spurlin Nelson, J.J. ARI WR
14.02 158 Tyler Loechner Booker, Devontae DEN RB
14.03 159 Pat Thorman Marshall, Brandon NYG WR
14.04 160 Scott Barrett Rivers, Philip LAC QB
14.05 161 Daniel Kelley Mahomes, Patrick KCC QB
14.06 162 Mike Castiglione Lewis, Dion NEP RB
14.07 163 Dan Schneier Jones, Marvin DET WR
14.08 164 Jeff Ratcliffe White, James NEP RB
14.09 165 Michael Moore Garcon, Pierre SFO WR
14.10 166 Jon Moore Allen, Dwayne NEP TE
14.11 167 Brandon Marianne Lee Richard, Jalen OAK RB
14.12 168 Joey Cartolano Yeldon, T.J. JAC RB
15.01 169 Joey Cartolano Gore, Frank IND RB
15.02 170 Brandon Marianne Lee Murray, Latavius MIN RB
15.03 171 Jon Moore Dalton, Andy CIN QB
15.04 172 Michael Moore Sproles, Darren PHI RB
15.05 173 Jeff Ratcliffe Watson, Deshaun HOU QB
15.06 174 Dan Schneier Taylor, Tyrod BUF QB
15.07 175 Mike Castiglione Gordon, Josh CLE WR
15.08 176 Daniel Kelley Fiedorowicz, C.J. HOU TE
15.09 177 Scott Barrett Peterson, Adrian NOS RB
15.10 178 Pat Thorman Golladay, Kenny DET WR
15.11 179 Tyler Loechner Richardson, Paul SEA WR
15.12 180 Walton Spurlin West, Terrance BAL RB

Round 11 was littered with rookies as seven of the 12 picks came from this year’s class. The secondary tier of rookie running backs went much faster in this draft than the secondary tier of receivers, leaving Chris Godwin, Zay Jones, Carlos Henderson, and Taywan Taylor to be scooped up at tremendous value. All four of those players have rookie draft ADPs in at least the second-round range of rookie drafts.

Pat gets a thumbs up from me for his selection of Jonathan Williams, who is now the clear-cut handcuff to LeSean McCoy. McCoy is good for a few games missed every year, and Buffalo is a run-heavy team regardless. Williams flashed big-time potential as a junior at Arkansas before an injury made him miss his senior year. In this part of the draft, he is exactly the type of potential high upside backup you want to be targeting. Along the same lines, Devin Funchess is a player that intrigues me as reports continue to swirl about Kelvin Benjamin’s conditioning. The 23-year-old could push Benjamin for more deep targets with a step forward in his third season.

There were some great quarterback values to be had in this range, including Tom Brady, Carson Wentz, Matthew Stafford, Ben Roethlisberger, Phillip Rivers, and rookie Patrick Mahomes. This serves as yet another reminder that if you miss on the elite tier of Luck and Rodgers, you are probably better off loading up at wide receiver and running back for a few rounds and waiting to get similar quarterback production further down the line. This is especially true in 10 and 12 team leagues.

Round 16-20

16.01 181 Walton Spurlin Burkhead, Rex NEP RB
16.02 182 Tyler Loechner Everett, Gerald LAR TE
16.03 183 Pat Thorman Witten, Jason DAL TE
16.04 184 Scott Barrett Brate, Cameron TBB TE
16.05 185 Daniel Kelley Enunwa, Quincy NYJ WR
16.06 186 Mike Castiglione Shaheen, Adam CHI TE
16.07 187 Dan Schneier Sanu, Mohamed ATL WR
16.08 188 Jeff Ratcliffe Jones, Aaron GBP RB
16.09 189 Michael Moore Bernard, Giovani CIN RB
16.10 190 Jon Moore Bortles, Blake JAC QB
16.11 191 Brandon Marianne Lee Ginn Jr., Ted NOS WR
16.12 192 Joey Cartolano Manning, Eli NYG QB
17.01 193 Joey Cartolano Hood, Elijah OAK RB
17.02 194 Brandon Marianne Lee Tannehill, Ryan MIA QB
17.03 195 Jon Moore Woods, Robert LAR WR
17.04 196 Michael Moore Butt, Jake DEN TE
17.05 197 Jeff Ratcliffe Williams, Chad ARI WR
17.06 198 Dan Schneier Gallman, Wayne NYG RB
17.07 199 Mike Castiglione Zamora, Ishmael OAK WR
17.08 200 Daniel Kelley Sims, Charles TBB RB
17.09 201 Scott Barrett Forte, Matt NYJ RB
17.10 202 Pat Thorman Garoppolo, Jimmy NEP QB
17.11 203 Tyler Loechner Gabriel, Taylor ATL WR
17.12 204 Walton Spurlin Reynolds, Josh LAR WR
18.01 205 Walton Spurlin Hill, Jeremy CIN RB
18.02 206 Tyler Loechner Goff, Jared LAR QB
18.03 207 Pat Thorman McKinnon, Jerick MIN RB
18.04 208 Scott Barrett Stewart, Jonathan CAR RB
18.05 209 Daniel Kelley Darboh, Amara SEA WR
18.06 210 Mike Castiglione Smallwood, Wendell PHI RB
18.07 211 Dan Schneier Pumphrey, Donnel PHI RB
18.08 212 Jeff Ratcliffe McGuire, Elijah NYJ RB
18.09 213 Michael Moore Kizer, DeShone CLE QB
18.10 214 Jon Moore Flacco, Joe BAL QB
18.11 215 Brandon Marianne Lee Vereen, Shane NYG RB
18.12 216 Joey Cartolano Hurns, Allen JAC WR
19.01 217 Joey Cartolano Dupre, Malachi GBP WR
19.02 218 Brandon Marianne Lee Rodgers, Jacquizz TBB RB
19.03 219 Jon Moore Washington, DeAndre OAK RB
19.04 220 Michael Moore Aiken, Kamar IND WR
19.05 221 Jeff Ratcliffe Carroo, Leonte MIA WR
19.06 222 Dan Schneier Smith, Torrey PHI WR
19.07 223 Mike Castiglione Dorsett, Phillip IND WR
19.08 224 Daniel Kelley Trubisky, Mitchell CHI QB
19.09 225 Scott Barrett Palmer, Carson ARI QB
19.10 226 Pat Thorman Williams, Maxx BAL TE
19.11 227 Tyler Loechner Cook, Jared OAK TE
19.12 228 Walton Spurlin Hodges, Bucky MIN TE
20.01 229 Walton Spurlin Conley, Chris KCC WR
20.02 230 Tyler Loechner Switzer, Ryan DAL WR
20.03 231 Pat Thorman Green-Beckham, Dorial PHI WR
20.04 232 Scott Barrett Swoope, Erik IND TE
20.05 233 Daniel Kelley Dunbar, Lance LAR RB
20.06 234 Mike Castiglione James, Jesse PIT TE
20.07 235 Dan Schneier Hollins, Mack PHI WR
20.08 236 Jeff Ratcliffe Hill, Brian ATL RB
20.09 237 Michael Moore Wright, Kendall CHI WR
20.10 238 Jon Moore Sharpe, Tajae TEN WR
20.11 239 Brandon Marianne Lee Beasley, Cole DAL WR
20.12 240 Joey Cartolano Moore, Chris BAL WR

This portion of dynasty drafts is generally a wasteland, but it ends up being an interesting commentary on each of the respective drafters who are now targeting “their” guys, especially rookies. Elijah Hood is one of my favorite late-round rookie fliers this year. Already drawing positive reviews from the Oakland coaching staff, he has feature back size (and skills) and landed in a great offense. He is the easy choice for me if you are trying to handcuff Lynch long term.

Pat took eternal tease Jimmy Garoppolo at 17.10, but that pick could turn a mighty profit by this time next year. Given what he’s shown in limited action, there’s no doubt Garoppolo would be going several rounds higher if he had a clearer path to playing time, which should materialize one way or another in 2018. Depending on how they use Christian McCaffrey, I think Scott may have gotten a short-term steal at 18.04 in Jonathan Stewart, who still projects as the early-down bruiser and goal-line back for the Panthers. The 18th round is a paltry price to pay for even just one year of fantasy startability, and I’d bet on Stewart still holding flex value this year.

Two of my favorite dynasty stashes were taken in the final round: rookie Mack Hollins by Dan and sophomore Chris Moore by me. Hollins is on the older end of the prospect age spectrum, but at 6-foot-4 with 4.5 speed, he has a Mike Evans-esque physical profile. He only had 81 total college receptions, but he averaged a stellar 20.6 yards on those receptions, including two seasons with 8 receiving touchdowns. Praised as one of the better special-teams players in this class, Hollins should be able to make a 53-man roster that has no starting receivers under contract long term. Much has been made of the targets Mike Wallace and Breshad Perriman will be showered with, but the Ravens will need someone else to step up around Joe Flacco. Similar to Hollins, Moore was an excellent deep threat in college, averaging 19.3 yards on 119 career catches at Cincinnati. It won’t take much for him to push for targets on Baltimore’s thin depth chart.

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