Mock Auction Draft

Goodbye, workplace productivity. Mock season has arrived.

Snake drafts can be fun but for hardcore fantasy players, auction drafts are a must. Nobody just falls in your lap in an auction draft. Everything is earned. You want Eddie Lacy, you better come with deep pockets.

In preparation for my auction draft in a few weeks, I hopped on Yahoo and joined a 12-team mock auction with a $200 budget. Here’s how it shook out.

Nominated Players

Player	Team	Position	Price
Adrian Peterson	Minnesota	RB	$65
Rob Gronkowski	New England	TE	$64
Le’Veon Bell	Pittsburgh	RB	$63
Antonio Brown	Pittsburgh	WR	$63
Jamaal Charles	Kansas City	RB	$62
Eddie Lacy	Green Bay	RB	$62
Marshawn Lynch	Seattle	RB	$61
Odell Beckham	New York (NFC)	WR	$56
DeMarco Murray	Philadelphia	RB	$56
Dez Bryant	Dallas	WR	$53
Julio Jones	Atlanta	WR	$50
Jordy Nelson	Green Bay	WR	$50

My First Pick: Le’Veon Bell, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers, $63 ($137 remaining)

Ding, ding, ding. Well I guess that’s how much the best player in fantasy costs. To be honest, I’m not concerned about Bell’s two-game suspension. I realize that conflicts with earlier advice I’ve given, but then I remembered last season when Bell led two of my teams to the championship (Sorry for the humblebrag). With Bell on your squad, losing in the title game is really the worst-case scenario.

The carnage Bell inflicts on a weekly basis is just too much to pass up. Here’s a guy who has a legitimate chance to be the first player since Marshall Faulk to go for 1,000 yards rushing and receiving while getting the vast majority of his team’s goal line chances. I know it’s insulting to other running backs, but 14 weeks of Bell is better than 16 weeks of almost anyone else. That’s why I jumped at the chance to own him for almost a third of my budget.

Imagine what Bell would have cost if he wasn’t suspended. $70? $75? $100? I’m glad I didn’t have to find out.

Nominated Players

Player	Team	Position	Price
Matt Forte	Chicago	RB	$49
Andrew Luck	Indianapolis	QB	$49
Calvin Johnson	Detroit	WR	$48
LeSean McCoy	Buffalo	RB	$48
Demaryius Thomas	Denver	WR	$48
Jeremy Hill	Cincinnati	RB	$45
C.J. Anderson	Denver	RB	$41
Aaron Rodgers	Green Bay	QB	$41
Randall Cobb	Green Bay	WR	$40
Jimmy Graham	Seattle	TE	$39
T.Y. Hilton	Indianapolis	WR	$39
A.J. Green	Cincinnati	WR	$38

My Second Pick: LeSean McCoy, RB, Buffalo Bills, $48 ($89 remaining)

If coaching doesn’t work out for Rex Ryan, I don’t think it’s too late for him to start a career in sales. He sold me.

Rex isn’t just hinting that Buffalo is going to be a run-first offense (I mean with Matt Cassel and Tyrod Taylor at quarterback, what else could it be?). He’s been jamming it down our throats. Let’s go to the tape.

August 5: “We’ll have probably the biggest playbook in the history of man in our running game.”

August 12: “Does [McCoy] have 1,000 receiving and 1,000 rushing? That’s a real possibility.”

I mean talk about subtle. Sammy Watkins and Robert Woods may as well take the year off. Who cares if Shady averages something awful like 3.5 yards per carry (which he won’t)? He’s a quarter-budget player on volume alone.

And here’s the X-factor. I always tell people, because I’m a shameless Tom Brady supporter (Deflating footballs to gain a competitive advantage? Come on guys, Tom wouldn’t do that.), never make a star like Brady mad. Denver’s a 7-point favorite? Okay, we’ll beat ‘em by 30. Everyone thinks we cheated? Okay, we’ll win the Super Bowl against the best defense of the last decade. Draft me in the sixth round? Guess I’m going to be a Hall of Famer.

I see that same look in Shady’s eyes. I hear it when he talks, the resentment bubbling inside him. After getting shipped out of Philadelphia and basically having Chip Kelly tell him he wasn’t good enough, McCoy has everything to prove this season. It’s him against the world. I don’t know if he’ll go for 2,000 yards or something insane like that, but I can guarantee you won’t see a lethargic, “just happy to be here” LeSean McCoy. He’s going to be running with purpose. And remember, at 27, he’s still in his prime.

So at this point, you probably notice that I’m down to $89. Jesse, you just spent more than half your budget on two players, what are you doing??? Trust me, guys. It’s all part of the plan. Yahoo gives you 15 roster spots to fill, but really, you’re only paying for six or seven guys. If you’re spending more than $2 on any of your bench players, you’re just throwing money away.

Nominated Players

Player	Team	Position	Price
Alshon Jeffery	Chicago	WR	$37
Mike Evans	Tampa Bay	WR	$36
Melvin Gordon	San Diego	RB	$36
Justin Forsett	Baltimore	RB	$35
Todd Gurley	St. Louis	RB	$35
Kelvin Benjamin	Carolina	WR	$34
DeAndre Hopkins	Houston	WR	$30
Drew Brees	New Orleans	QB	$29
Frank Gore	Indianapolis	RB	$29
Emmanuel Sanders	Denver	WR	$29
Russell Wilson	Seattle	QB	$29
Mark Ingram	New Orleans	RB	$27

My Third Pick: DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Houston Texans, $30 ($59 remaining)

My choice to go all in on running backs (a strategy I completely stand by given its talent scarcity in relation to other positions) basically guaranteed that I wouldn’t have enough money for a top-level wide receiver like Antonio Brown or Dez Bryant. So instead, I went with a high-upside second-tier receiver in DeAndre Hopkins.

With Arian Foster (groin surgery) out for a good chunk of the season, the Texans really have two options: they can crawl down the field in two-yard increments with Alfred Blue or they can stretch the field vertically by peppering Hopkins with as many targets as possible.

Assuming Bill O’Brien doesn’t go maverick by putting J.J. Watt at tight end full-time (Can you imagine?), funneling the offense through Hopkins is the safest bet. Sure Andre Johnson isn’t around to keep defenders off him, but on volume alone, Hopkins is worth at least $30.

Nominated Players

Player	Team	Position	Price
Andre Johnson	Indianapolis	WR	$27
Peyton Manning	Denver	QB	$27
DeSean Jackson	Washington	WR	$25
Jordan Matthews	Philadelphia	WR	$25
Lamar Miller	Miami	RB	$25
Brandin Cooks	New Orleans	WR	$24
Travis Kelce	Kansas City	TE	$24
Latavius Murray	Oakland	RB	$24
Brandon Marshall	New York (AFC)	RB	$23
Ben Roethlisberger	Pittsburgh	QB	$22
Alfred Morris	Washington	RB	$21
Greg Olsen	Carolina	TE	$21

My Fourth Pick: DeSean Jackson, WR, Washington Redskins, $25 ($34 remaining)

Jackson had kind of a bizarre stat line last season. Fifty-six catches is pretty low for a guy who reeled in almost 1,200 receiving yards. That puts Jackson firmly in the boom or bust category. But after watching Pierre Garcon drop a 60-yard touchdown in the Redskins’ first preseason game on a pass I could have caught, D-Jax is clearly the best weapon at Robert Griffin’s disposal. And at 25 bucks, I didn’t have to break the bank for him. I’m confident the 28-year-old can still bring it.

Nominated Players

Player	Team	Position	Price
Golden Tate	Detroit	WR	$20
Sammy Watkins	Buffalo	WR	$20
Andre Ellington	Arizona	RB	$19
Carlos Hyde	San Francisco	RB	$19
Julian Edelman	New England	WR	$17
Jonathan Stewart	Carolina	RB	$17
Keenan Allen	San Diego	WR	$16
Amari Cooper	Oakland	WR	$16
Rashad Jennings	New York (NFC)	RB	$15
Cam Newton	Carolina	QB	$15
Matt Ryan	Atlanta	QB	$15
Joique Bell	Detroit	RB	$12

My Fifth Pick: Tony Romo, QB, Dallas Cowboys, $3 ($31 remaining)

YES!!! Is it weird that this is the pick I’m most excited about? No, no it isn’t.

When people ask my approach to fantasy drafts, here’s what I tell them. First round: draft a running back. Second round: running back or wide receiver. Third or fourth round: same exercise. Fifth round: if there’s a quarterback you love (Russell Wilson, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, whatever), go for it. If not, fill up your flex spot and keep waiting. I guess that’s a long-winded way of saying I almost always wait on quarterbacks.

I’m honestly not sure how I got Romo for only three bucks but I’m sure glad it happened. I really put all my eggs into the “get a quarterback for cheap” basket. Ben Roethlisberger, a guy I nabbed last year for only a few bucks, went for a surprisingly pricy $22. Matt Ryan, another dude I was hoping would fall into the $5-10 range, was scooped up for $15.

I was starting to sweat a little at this point. Instead of a flex spot, Yahoo standard leagues make you start two running backs and three wide receivers. So I knew I’d have to spend at least another ten or fifteen bucks on a wide receiver. With $31 left, Peyton and Brees were out of the question. I nominated Romo for a buck, praying Fantasy Jesus would let me have this small victory. I don’t know if everyone was taking a bathroom break or what, but somehow I landed Romo for the price of a Taco Bell crunchwrap.

What’s not to like? Romo quietly posted the sixth-highest passer rating in NFL history last year while contributing 30-plus touchdowns for the third time in four years. With DeMarco Murray long gone and the unproven Joseph Randle here to take his place, Romo should easily set a new career-high in pass attempts.

Anyone notice a theme here? I love volume. Romo for $3 is a game-changer. And don’t worry about his health. The 35-year-old has the best offensive line in the league protecting him.

Nominated Players

Player	Team	Position	Price
Vincent Jackson	Tampa Bay	WR	$12
Jeremy Maclin	Kansas City	WR	$12
Roddy White	Atlanta	WR	$12
Martellus Bennett	Chicago	TE	$11
Eric Decker	New York (AFC)	WR	$11
Mike Wallace	Minnesota	WR	$10
Eli Manning	New York (NFC)	QB	$9
Joseph Randle	Dallas	RB	$9
C.J. Spiller	New Orleans	RB	$8
Julius Thomas	Jacksonville	TE	$8
LeGarrette Blount	New England	RB	$6
Anquan Boldin	San Francisco	WR	$6

My Sixth Pick: Amari Cooper, WR, Oakland Raiders, $16 ($15 remaining)

I know logic tells us rookies shouldn’t go for 1,000 yards. But if logic is our main compass, why did not one, not two, but three rookies (with a fourth knocking on the door at 982 yards) reach that threshold last season? No, it’s not because Odell Beckham, Mike Evans and Kelvin Benjamin are future Hall of Famers. It’s because that’s what the NFL is now: a passing league. Cooper, the best wide receiver in college last year, is just as talented as the three players I just named. Okay, Beckham’s a stretch, but definitely the other two.

Not that this helps your auction draft in any way, but on paper the Raiders offense actually looks passable: Cooper, Michael Crabtree, Latavius Murray and Derek Carr coming off a not-terrible rookie season. Anyway, I have $15 left. Let’s see what I can do with that.

Nominated Players

Player	Team	Position	Price
T.J. Yeldon	Jacksonville	RB	$6
Tom Brady	New England	QB	$5
Zach Ertz	Philadelphia	TE	$5
Matthew Stafford	Detroit	QB	$5
Jason Witten	Dallas	TE	$5
Marques Colston	New Orleans	WR	$4
Jarvis Landry	Miami	WR	$4
Philip Rivers	San Diego	QB	$4
Ryan Tannehill	Miami	QB	$4
Teddy Bridgewater	Minnesota	QB	$3
Chris Ivory	New York (AFC)	RB	$3
Tony Romo	Dallas	QB	$3

My Seventh Pick: Jason Witten, TE, Dallas Cowboys, $5 ($10 remaining)

My strategy on tight ends is pretty similar to how I approach quarterback. Unless it’s Rob Gronkowski or Jimmy Graham, I’m holding out as long as I can. Future Hall of Famer Jason Witten wasn’t great last year (64/703/5) but I think he’ll be more involved now that Murray is filling his face with cheesesteaks in Philadelphia. Martellus Bennett and Julius Thomas were both on my radar but didn’t fall within my price range.

Nominated Players

Player	Team	Position	Price
Seattle		DEF	$3
Ameer Abdullah	Detroit	QB	$2
Nelson Agholor	Philadelphia	WR	$2
Martavis Bryant	Pittsburgh	WR	$2
Jordan Cameron	Miami	TE	$2
Victor Cruz	New York (NFC)	WR	$2
Arian Foster	Houston	RB	$2
Charles Johnson	Minnesota	WR	$2
Doug Martin	Tampa Bay	RB	$2
Allen Robinson	Jacksonville	WR	$2
Steve Smith Sr.	Baltimore	WR	$2
Davante Adams	Green Bay	WR	$1

My Eighth Pick: Doug Martin, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, $2 ($8 remaining)

Martin has basically been a train wreck the last two years but maybe a clean bill of health will change that. And at that price, who cares? If he loses the starting job to Charles Sims or Bobby Rainey it probably won’t be within the first two weeks, and that’s all I need him for anyway with Bell returning in Week 3.

The Bucs threw some shade Martin’s way by not picking up the fifth year of his rookie contract. Maybe that slight will give Martin the edge he needs to put the misery of the last two years behind him. Contract-year players are always worth watching. Money talks.

Nominated Players

Player	Team	Position	Price
Dwayne Allen	Indianapolis	TE	$1
Arizona		DEF	$1
Dan Bailey	Dallas	K	$1
Doug Baldwin	Seattle	WR	$1
Baltimore		DEF	$1
Connor Barth	Denver	K	$1
Giovani Bernard	Cincinnati	RB	$1
Dwayne Bowe	Cleveland	WR	$1
Sam Bradford	Philadelphia	QB	$1
John Brown	Arizona	WR	$1
Matt Bryant	Atlanta	K	$1
Buffalo		DEF	$1

My Ninth Pick: Tre Mason, RB, St. Louis Rams, $1 ($7 remaining)

Most of what I said about Martin can also be applied to Mason. I really only need him for the first two weeks when Bell’s out, which coincides perfectly with Todd Gurley’s recovery timetable. In all likelihood, the Rams are going to kick Mason to the curb when Gurley’s knee returns to full strength. Still, I think Mason was good enough as a rookie last year to warrant ownership as a handcuff.

Drafting Gurley was a big slap in Mason’s face and he’ll probably be playing with a big chip on his shoulder this year. For a buck, why not?

Nominated Players

Player	Team	Position	Price
Randy Bullock	Houston	K	$1
Carolina		DEF	$1
Dan Carpenter	Buffalo	K	$1
Charles Clay	Buffalo	TE	$1
Cleveland		DEF	$1
Tevin Coleman	Atlanta	RB	$1
Michael Crabtree	Oakland	WR	$1
Mason Crosby	Green Bay	K	$1
Isaiah Crowell	Cleveland	RB	$1
Jay Cutler	Chicago	QB	$1
Andy Dalton	Cincinnati	QB	$1
Owen Daniels	Denver	TE	$1

My Tenth Pick: Victor Cruz, WR, New York Giants, $2 ($5 remaining)

I know Cruz is coming off a serious leg injury. I’m also well aware that Beckham basically made him expendable last year, which is exactly what I wanted to talk about. See, riding another player’s coattails isn’t a deal breaker for me. I call it the sidekick theory.

I think it’s dangerous to rely too heavily on one receiver. Think about Randall Cobb and Jordy Nelson in Green Bay. I can’t help but believe both players would suffer without the other. Without Cobb, Nelson would probably face double coverage almost every trip down the field. Having both keeps the secondary honest and gives Cobb and Nelson more room to operate.

I think we could see this scenario play out to a certain degree in New York. With Beckham blanketed by the other team’s best defensive back most weeks, Cruz will have plenty of breathing room to make plays.

At this juncture of the draft, you know you’re not getting a 1,000-yard receiver. But you could do a lot worse than Cruz as an injury replacement or bye week fill-in.

Nominated Players

Player	Team	Position	Price
Vernon Davis	San Francisco	TE	$1
Phil Dawson	San Francisco	K	$1
Denver		DEF	$1
Detroit		DEF	$1
Larry Donnell	New York (NFC)	TE	$1
Tyler Eifert	Cincinnati	TE	$1
Larry Fitzgerald	Arizona	WR	$1
Joe Flacco	Baltimore	QB	$1
Coby Fleener	Indianapolis	TE	$1
Michael Floyd	Arizona	QB	$1
Nick Folk	New York (AFC)	K	$1
Devonta Freeman	Atlanta	RB	$1

My 11th Pick: Torrey Smith, WR, San Francisco 49ers, $1 ($4 remaining)

Smith doesn’t have a great set of hands, but he’s fast and seems to have a nose for the end zone. The boom or bust quality makes him tough to rely on, but at $1, there’s not much risk here. Who knows, maybe the change of scenery will do him some good after playing four years in Baltimore’s plain bagel offense.

Nominated Players

Player	Team	Position	Price
Pierre Garcon	Washington	RB	$1
Antonio Gates	San Diego	TE	$1
Stephen Gostkowski	New England	K	$1
Ladarius Green	San Diego	TE	$1
Green Bay		DEF	$1
Percy Harvin	Buffalo	WR	$1
Steven Hauschka	Seattle	K	$1
Josh Hill	New Orleans	TE	$1
Houston		DEF	$1
Indianapolis		DEF	$1
Duke Johnson	Cleveland	RB	$1
Stevie Johnson	San Diego	WR	$1

My 12th Pick: Jay Cutler, QB, Chicago Bears, $1 ($3 remaining)

Last week after Geno Smith got his clock cleaned, former Bears linebacker Lance Briggs went on record saying there were many times he wanted to punch Jay Cutler in the face. I won’t argue with that.

I’ve never cared for Cutler but he did throw 28 touchdowns last year, which is pretty respectable. I’ll let him hold the clipboard until Romo’s bye week.

Nominated Players

Player	Team	Position	Price
Marvin Jones	Cincinnati	WR	$1
Colin Kaepernick	San Francisco	QB	$1
Kansas City		DEF	$1
Brandon LaFell	New England	WR	$1
Cody Latimer	Denver	WR	$1
Tre Mason	St. Louis	RB	$1
Ryan Mathews	Philadelphia	RB	$1
Miami		DEF	$1
Donte Moncrief	Indianapolis	WR	$1
New England		DEF	$1
Carson Palmer	Arizona	QB	$1
DeVante Parker	Miami	WR	$1

My 13th Pick: Antonio Gates, TE, San Diego Chargers, $1 ($2 remaining)

Gates was one of the league leaders in touchdowns last season but will miss the first four weeks due to a PED suspension. There’s a chance Ladarius Green could blow up and make Gates irrelevant, but I’m betting that won’t happen. Gates will be back in plenty of time for Witten’s bye in Week 6.

Nominated Players

Player	Team	Position	Price
Cody Parkey	Philadelphia	K	$1
Breshad Perriman	Baltimore	WR	$1
Philadelphia		DEF	$1
Matt Prater	Detroit	K	$1
Brian Quick	St. Louis	WR	$1
Rueben Randle	New York (NFC)	WR	$1
Jordan Reed	Washington	TE	$1
Eddie Royal	Chicago	WR	$1
Kyle Rudolph	Minnesota	TE	$1
San Francisco		DEF	$1
Austin Seferian-Jenkins	Tampa Bay	TE	$1
Torrey Smith	San Francisco	WR	$1

My 14th Pick: Denver D/ST, $1 ($1 remaining)

I needed a defense. Denver has a defense. There you go. This is typically about how much thought I put into fantasy defenses. I’ve seen people pay $3 and $4 for Seattle in past years. It’s just not worth it.

Nominated Players

Player	Team	Position	Price
Kenny Stills	Miami	WR	$1
St. Louis		DEF	$1
Caleb Sturgis	Miami	K	$1
Shaun Suisham	Pittsburgh	K	$1
Justin Tucker	Baltimore	K	$1
Shane Vereen	New York (NFC)	RB	$1
Adam Vinatieri	Indianapolis	K	$1
Delanie Walker	Tennessee	TE	$1
Kevin White	Chicago	WR	$1
Terrance Williams	Dallas	WR	$1
Jameis Winston	Tampa Bay	QB	$1
Kendall Wright	Tennessee	WR	$1

My Last Pick: Phil Dawson, K, San Francisco 49ers, $1 ($0 remaining)

What is Phil Dawson, like 60? Who cares? The guy’s still money from inside the 50 (19-of-22 last year). For the record, I am NOT on board with the NFL’s new PAT distance. It’s a solution to something that was never a problem. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

Other Stray Thoughts: Arian Foster went for $2. That’s going to be a bargain when he comes back four weeks ahead of schedule. When healthy, Foster is easily a $50 or $60 value. I stayed away from Jeremy Hill. It’s not that I don’t like him. I just think $45 is too much for a guy who’s probably not going to play much on third downs. I thought I could pull a fast one on people and grab Calvin Johnson for $40. His suggested value on Yahoo was in the high 30s. Needless to say, that did not come to fruition. I guess we can forget about the whole “Jimmy Graham’s going to Seattle and won’t be good anymore” narrative. Somebody paid almost $40 for that clown. Touchdown Tom went for a cool $5. That’s going to be a steal and a half when Brady wins his Deflategate suit (#freebrady). I can’t believe T.J. Yeldon went for only $6. I know it’s the Jaguars, but he should be an every-down back. Call it the Trent Richardson effect. One Alabama back stinks and suddenly they’re all busts. People forget Eddie Lacy and Mark Ingram went there too and turned out fine. I’m still kicking myself for not having enough money to bid on Ameer Abdullah. He’s literally better than Joique Bell in every way. If he’s not the starter by Week 4 or 5, Jim Caldwell needs to get his head checked. I guess nobody’s drinking the Tevin Coleman Kool-Aid. Only $1 for the guy who will probably lead the Falcons in carries this year? That seems like an oversight. $64 for Gronk. I like Gronk. Not that much though. Just a heads up, this mock was conducted on August 13. The draft results do not reflect any injuries that took place after that date.