August is my favorite month of the year. The weather is nice, the water is cool and football is right around the corner. Not only is football right around the corner, but it is Fantasy Football Draft season! We here at lastwordonsports.com don’t feel like it is right to have to wait till August to do a mock draft. Why wait to pretend to draft guys, to play in our pretend football leagues? So we will do a 10-team PPR (Points Per Reception) mock draft. We will bring it to you one round at a time.
2015 Fantasy Football Mock Draft: A Little Early.
With the first pick in the 2015 LWOS Fantasy football draft…
Le’Veon Bell- This guy came on at the end of 2014 in a way no one expected. With his dynamic versatility, he single-handedly took fantasy teams to championships. If he gets you 92 yards rushing in a game, you can see he also had 126 yards receiving. Only four catches in your PPR league? Oh! No big deal because he had 211 yards rushing and three touchdowns. He can do it all and Big Ben loves him. I am a little concerned that he might be suspended for one game for his pot bust in the preseason of 2014, but for right now… This dude is a lock for the one spot.
Eric (Team 1)
Jamaal Charles- Most fantasy football minds going into 2014 were geared on three players as their consensus first three picks. Jamaal Charles is the only one of those three players that gave owners production worth that value. In an offense that has absolutely no vertical passing game, Charles is often the focal point of defenses’ attacks. This does not stop Charles. Only Andy Reid seems to be able to stop Charles. Charles only seems to lack in production from lack of carries. I am thinking that Reid will add some firepower to that offense in the 2015 draft. Any player taking the attention from Charles is good for him. This is this year’s safest pick.
Casey (Team 2)
DeMarco Murray- DeMarco Murray led the league in rushing in 2014. His patient, one-cut running style found to be a perfect fit with the big, bruising Dallas offensive line. He played all season for the first time since his junior year of college. Injuries always being the big concern for Murray, he silenced the critics. The contract situation in Dallas should be intriguing. No matter where Murray goes, he should produce very well.
Coach (Team 3)
Matt Forte– Coming off a solid 2014 campaign in which he caught 102 passes, Forte is a relatively safe choice at the top of the draft. New head coach John Fox represents a small degree of uncertainty. Although Forte’s value aside from his reception totals should be okay; the same might not be said for “Jake” Cutler. Also worth noting, Fox has tended to favor using multiple running backs in the past, a consistent trend dating back to his days as the Head Coach of the Carolina Panthers and the infamous fantasy season of Nick Goings in 2004. Keep an eye on any free agents or draft picks, but otherwise feel free to take Forte early.
Mike (Team 4)
Eddie Lacy- Lacy started off his 2014 campaign slow and many fantasy owners were disappointed with their first-round pick. However, in Green Bay’s final six games (including fantasy playoffs), he averaged 95.8 yards per game with four touchdowns and finished the season strong for both himself and fantasy owners. The slow start was more of a result of a lighter workload in the season’s early stages rather than the play of Lacy. As his workload increased, his numbers went up and he completed the year with 1,139 yards and nine scores. In 2014, the Packer back also brought a new dimension to his game by catching balls out the backfield. He ended with 42 receptions for 427 yards and added another four touchdowns catching the ball. With Bell, Charles, Murray and Forte already off the board, Lacy seems like the smart pick here with the hopes that he only improves during his third year in the NFL.
Nick (Team5)
Antonio Brown- Antonio Brown is electrifying. There is no other wide-out in the league that is as consistent as Antonio Brown. Big Ben looks his way often, as often as the offense dictates that he does so. The fact that Brown can score from anywhere on the field is a dream for fantasy owners. The fact that he always seems to be open is a dream come true for the Steelers. Brown is the one receiver in the game that seems to not have bad weeks, especially in PPR. Pass catchers don’t get anymore solid than Antonio Brown.
Wolf (Team 6)
Adrian Peterson- Regardless of where he plays, he’ll be an absolute animal. If he stays in Minnesota, then he will reap the benefits of playing with a much better QB in Teddy Bridgewater. If the unspeakable happens and he is traded to the Dallas Cowboys, he’ll absolutely wreck the league with that offensive line. He could easily be a top three pick, but is ushered to this position because of his transgressions.
Bowman (Team 7)
C.J. Anderson- Anderson’s arrival in the latter portion of the 2014 season either took you to the championship, or the guy who snagged him likely knocked you out. As a rookie, it is very difficult to learn an NFL system, making it hard to find immediate success. A running back in a Peyton Manning offense is as hard to adjust to, as any position in football outside the QB. The ability to make a split-second read on whether to stay and block, or run your route (or run a quick out, or chip and run, or find space and quickly look for a pass due to a blitz or….. You get it) is not an easy task. Not only did Anderson adapt and succeed at play recognition, but he had a knack for catching and running with the football as well. The arrival of Gary Kubiak only further adds to Anderson’s very high value. If Anderson has a great preseason, I see him moving in to the top 5 of most drafts.
Fabber (Team 8)
Marshawn Lynch- He’s a beast. Marshawn Lynch lived up to his nickname in the second half of 2014, averaging 94.6 yards per game on 5.1 per carry. This is especially impressive considering this is when the Seahawks faced their most difficult stretch of run defenses.This value is predicated on him staying a Seattle Seahawk. I don’t want to hurt his delicate sensibilities by writing to much about him. He’s all about that action, boss. I only drafted him so I won’t get fined.
Pissari (Team 9)
Dez Bryant- Dez Bryant takes physicality at the receiver position to a parallel universe. Dez is just as likely to see the ball on first and goal, at the one-yard line, as DeMarco Murray is. He is bigger, stronger and can catch better than anyone in the league that might be covering him at that time. The fact is, Dez Bryant might be the best receiver in football. He also has a strong immune system capable of fighting off the injury bug. Dez stays on the field. I like guys that love to play football. That is Dez Bryant. It wasn’t a catch……
Coppolla (Team 10)
That concludes round one of our WAY early 2015 LWOS mock draft. We are going to pick the best and worst picks of each round and discuss the reasoning behind them in articles coming very soon. We will be doing round two this week, and we will have that for you very soon.
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