We finally held our first mock draft following the NFL Draft on Tuesday, and it was awesome to see where the rookies could be selected in Fantasy leagues this year. I was fired up for this 12-team, PPR mock draft, and I couldn't wait to make the first power move.
That happened with the third pick in Round 2. After selecting Julio Jones at No. 10 overall in Round 1, I pulled the trigger on the first rookie in Chiefs running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire.
Let's rock.
I'm excited about Edwards-Helaire in his rookie campaign, and I continue to move him up in my rankings. He's the No. 7 running back in PPR now, and he was the seventh running back off the board here behind Christian McCaffrey, Saquon Barkley, Ezekiel Elliott, Dalvin Cook, Alvin Kamara and Miles Sanders.
That might seem early to some of you, especially with Damien Williams still on the roster. But Chiefs coach Andy Reid has already said Edwards-Helaire reminds him of a better version of Brian Westbrook, and I'm expecting Edwards-Helaire to be a star. He's worth drafting in Round 2.
The next rookie selected was Colts running back Jonathan Taylor in Round 4, and I love that spot for him. Like Edwards-Helaire and Williams, Taylor will have to prove he's better than Marlon Mack. I expect that to happen, and I plan to buy plenty of stock in Taylor as a No. 2 Fantasy running back in all formats.
Two more rookie running backs were drafted in Round 5 with Detroit's D'Andre Swift and the Rams' Cam Akers. I like Akers slightly better than Swift, but this is the round I would draft both. I'm expecting Akers to beat out Darrell Henderson and Malcolm Brown as the best running back for the Rams, and Swift should prove to be better than Kerryon Johnson with the Lions.
I drafted the next rookie running back with Tampa Bay's Ke'Shawn Vaughn in Round 6, and I was thrilled to get him there. Vaughn will battle Ronald Jones for the starting spot in the Buccaneers' backfield, and I expect Vaughn to win because of his role in the passing game.
We finally started to see the rookie receivers get selected in Round 7 with Philadelphia's Jalen Reagor, and it was a surprise that he went ahead of Denver's Jerry Jeudy and Dallas' CeeDee Lamb, who were drafted in Round 8. I like Reagor a lot, but the only way you can draft him this high is if Alshon Jeffery (foot) is going to miss significant time early in the season. If Jeffery is ready for Week 1, Reagor is only worth drafting in Round 9 or later.
Along with Jeudy and Lamb, we also had Henry Ruggs III and Justin Jefferson come off the board in Round 8. I'm OK with Ruggs here, and he should be the No. 1 receiver for the Raiders. But this was too soon for Jefferson, even though he steps into a good role replacing the departed Stefon Diggs. Jefferson isn't going to produce on Diggs' level as a rookie, and he should be drafted in Round 10.
Those are the prominent rookies who will be drafted in most seasonal leagues, but they're not alone. Starting in Round 9, we still had rookie running backs drafted in Zack Moss (Buffalo), A.J. Dillon (Green Bay), Joshua Kelley (Chargers), Antonio Gibson (Washington), Anthony McFarland (Pittsburgh), Darrynton Evans (Tennessee) and Eno Benjamin (Arizona).
Moss and Dillon could be significant factors in their backfields right away, and I like Kelley and Evans as sleepers. I would not be surprised if Kelley replaces Melvin Gordon with the Chargers as the complementary rusher to Austin Ekeler. And Evans is the handcuff for Derrick Henry, who just had over 400 total touches in 2019, including the playoffs. If Henry were to miss any time due to injury, Evans would be a lottery ticket, which is why I drafted him in Round 13.
The other rookie receivers drafted were Laviska Shenault Jr. (Jacksonville), Denzel Mims (Jets), Brandon Aiyuk (49ers), Michael Pittman (Indianapolis), Tee Higgins (Cincinnati), K.J. Hamler (Denver) and Chase Claypool (Pittsburgh). Of this group, the only ones I have the most interest in for this season are Mims, Aiyuk and Pittman since they could be significant contributors right away. I also would have taken a flier on Antonio Gandy-Golden, who could be the No. 2 receiver in Washington as a rookie behind Terry McLaurin.
Aside from the running backs and receivers, the only other rookie drafted here was Bengals' quarterback Joe Burrow in Round 13. He's a high-end No. 2 quarterback to target in all leagues.
Take a look at all the rookies and see where they were drafted compared to the veterans. You might prefer the proven talents to the new toy in certain situations. Or, like me, you'll draft for upside whenever possible, including taking the chance on someone like Edwards-Helaire in Round 2.
In this league, all touchdowns are worth six points, and we award one point for every 10 yards rushing and receiving and one point for every 25 yards passing. We also award one point for every reception. We feature a starting lineup of QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, TE, FLEX (RB/WR/TE), K and DST. There also are six reserve spots for a 16-round draft.
Our draft order is as follows:
1. Heath Cummings, Senior Fantasy Writer
2. Ben Schragger, Podcast Producer
3. Adam Aizer, Podcast Host
4. Chris Towers, Senior Editor, Fantasy
5. Meron Berkson, CBS Sports HQ Producer
6. Andrew Baumhor, CBS Sports HQ Producer
7. Dave Richard, Senior Fantasy Writer
8. Jack Capotorto, CBS Sports HQ Producer
9. Ben Gretch, Fantasy Editor
10. Jamey Eisenberg, Senior Fantasy Writer
11. George Maselli, Fantasy Editor
12. R.J. White, NFL Editor
| Round 1 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Pos | Team | Player |
| 1 | R.J. White | |
| 2 | Adam Aizer | |
| R.J. White | ||
|---|---|---|
| Rd | Pk | Player |
| 1 | 1 | |
| Adam Aizer | ||
| Rd | Pk | Player |
| 1 | 2 | |
Which players are poised for breakouts, which sleepers do you need to jump on, and which busts should you avoid at all costs in your Fantasy football league? Visit SportsLine now to get early rankings, plus see which WR is going to come out of nowhere to crack the top 10, all from the model that out-performed experts big time last season.
