Fantasy Football Mock Draft 2019: 5-Round, 10-team projection, version 1.0
Round 1
123. . RB. Team 1. Ezekiel Elliott. 1. player
Ezekiel Elliott is everything fans expect out of Saquon Barkley this year but in a much greater situation. Many fantasy football Analysts have Barkley as the end all, be all top choice this season. However, Elliott has earned that instead.
Elliott is in an offense that involves a Pro Bowl quarterback and wide receiver while also having an all-around better offensive line than the New York Giants. Subsequently, he will not have to face packed boxes nearly as much as Barkley and Giants, which not only gives him the edge for overall true football numbers but also the edge to be the first pick in the draft.
player. 31. . RB. Team 2. Saquon Barkley. 2
Zeke may have had an edge on Barkley, but no one else in this draft can bring what the Giants back brings to the table. The Giants running back had a rookie fantasy year for the ages, leading all players at the position with 385.8 points. Eli Manning used him as his backup plan, which means that will only continue.
The only thing to be cautious of is that the box will be packed even more than last season with Odell Beckham Jr. gone from the team. Select Barkley without hesitation as 400 touches is certainly within his reach.
. RB. Team 3. Christian McCaffrey. 3. player. 87
The breakout of Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey last season should have been expected even more by fantasy enthusiasts than possibly any other player. CMC finished second at the running position in points by just 0.3, scoring 385.5 points. The PPR machine that McCaffrey has proved to be will only become more productive this season as he is clearly Cam Newton’s favorite receiver. He is a serious threat for a 1,000-rushing/1,000-receiving yard season this year.
15. . RB. Team 4. Alvin Kamara. 4. player
With Mark Ingram gone, Alvin Kamara is going to get even more touches than in his first two seasons. Kamara is possibly the best overall running back in football but has split time two years straight with Mark Ingram. While Latavius Murray was brought in to replace Ingram, he is not nearly as effective as the new Baltimore Raven. In the games with Ingram inactive due to suspension in 2018, Kamara put up totals of 43.1, 17.9, 34 and 41.1. He managed to finish with 354.2 points and can even up those numbers this season.
13. . RB. Team 5. Melvin Gordon. 5. player
12, 12, 14. These three numbers are the total amount of touchdowns that Melvin Gordon has scored in each of the past three seasons. While injuries have hurt Gordon in two of the past three seasons, those have been freak injuries. Gordon is as sturdy of a running back as you can get in the entire draft due to the volume he will receive year in and year out. He scored 275.6 points last season in just 12 games. He is among the leagues’ best.
. RB. Team 6. Le'Veon Bell. 6. player. 30
A lot of fantasy owners are going to come to this decision from last year and want nothing to do with the New York Jets’ bell cow. That is completely understandable as many owners used a first or second overall choice on him and he never touched the field. But now, Le’Veon Bell is on the Jets and is a guarantee to play. In the Adam Gase offense, he will be exploited to the best of his abilities. Bell remains a first-round choice by a landslide.
32. . RB. Team 7. David Johnson. 7. player
Last season was a tough one for the Arizona Cardinals. There was so much hope as David Johnson was back from an injury that left him on the sidelines all year in 2017 and he was back to go for his hopeful 1,000/1,000 season. Instead, the entire Cardinals team was horrible, leading them to the worst record in football. Now, a new head coach and an exciting new quarterback in Kyler Murray can change all of that. Johnson is worth your first round selection.
WR. Team 8. DeAndre Hopkins. 8. player. 10.
WR1 in your draft must be the best wide receiver in the NFL, DeAndre Hopkins. Hopkins finished first when it comes to points at the position in 2018, scoring 333.5 points. With Deshaun Watson as his QB, Hopkins is untouchable when it comes to the top WR spot in Fantasy. If you miss out on the leagues best RBs, do not sweat it too much. Nuk is a fine option in the first round.
WR. Team 9. Davante Adams. 9. player. 49.
Being Aaron Rodgers’ top option pays off big time. Two seasons ago, Jordy Nelson finished second among all wide receivers in points. One season ago? Davante Adams grabbed the same No. 2spot. With 329.6 points in his first full season as the top option with a healthy Rodgers, Adams dominated. And what is even scarier is Rodgers went out of his way this offseason to say that Adams needs more targets than a year ago. Adams is a locked-in first round pick.
Todd Gurley. 10. player. 51. . RB. Team 10
There has not been a better fantasy pick in the past two seasons than Rams running back Todd Gurley. In 2017, Gurley led all running backs in scoring with 383.3 points, 40+ more than the next best. Last season, Gurley finished in third at the position with 372.1 and missed two games in the meantime.
The fear for 2019 is his health that took a turn for the worst at the end of last season. Questions were raised as to what was wrong with Gurley and his trainer let it be known he has an “arthritic component to his knee”. The hope is that this will not be a problem and, until Gurley’s health is a confirmed issue, Gurley remains a first-round pick.