Fantasy Football: Our first mock draft of 2016

Antonio Brown was the No. 1 overall pick, but where did the running backs go in the first round? What about Cam Newton and Rob Gronkowski? Jamey Eisenberg looks at our first mock draft of the year.

Here's your Fantasy Football assignment, should you should choose to accept it. You have the No. 1 overall pick in a standard league, and your choice is to draft a running back or a receiver. What do you do?

For me, the choice is easy based on what we've seen over the past couple of seasons. Running backs continue to prove how fragile they are, with teams preferring to use committees, while the elite receivers are thriving. Will Brinson, one of our NFL writers at CBS Sports, held the No. 1 spot in our first 2016 mock draft, and he made the right selection with Antonio Brown.

Other owners took a different route in the first round with five running backs coming off the board, which is fine, but I thought a couple of owners made mistakes in the Top 5 by passing on Odell Beckham and Julio Jones for Todd Gurley and Le'Veon Bell. It really comes down to personal preference if you want a running back with your first pick, but I would rather draft the elite receivers ahead of the running backs because they are safer and just as good. I would also draft Rob Gronkowski in the Top 5, and our video host Ryan Bass did that here at No. 3 overall.

We'll cover this topic plenty during the offseason, but go back to 2015 when running backs like Bell, Jamaal Charles, Eddie Lacy, C.J. Anderson, Marshawn Lynch and DeMarco Murray were either injured or busts, but you had success with mid- to late-round picks or free agents in Devonta Freeman, Doug Martin, David Johnson, Chris Ivory and Darren McFadden, among others. The running back position just isn't the same, and you shouldn't risk your first-round pick on someone who can fail.

One thing we didn't see in the first two rounds is a quarterback being drafted, and I hope that's a trend.

Cam Newton didn't get selected until the third round, and Aaron Rodgers and Andrew Luck lasted until Round 5. I've been saying this for years that you don't have to draft a quarterback early to have success, and guys like Newton, Blake Bortles and Carson Palmer proved that again in 2015. The same will happen this season, so let a quarterback fall to you instead of reaching for one.

I was looking forward to seeing where the injured players would get drafted, and Charles (torn ACL), Dez Bryant (foot) and Jordy Nelson (torn ACL) still went in the first round. Those guys warrant being drafted there, especially Bryant and Nelson. Kelvin Benjamin (torn ACL) also was drafted in Round 4, which is great value.

And we included rookies in this draft even though we have no idea where they will be playing in advance of the NFL Draft in April. The prominent guys were Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott in Round 4, Alabama running back Derrick Henry in Round 5 and Ole Miss receiver Laquon Treadwell in Round 5. Their Fantasy value will be determined by their NFL teams, but Elliot and Henry can certainly upgrade the running back position, with Treadwell another potential elite receiver.

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 feature a starting lineup of QB, 2 RB, 2 WR, TE, K, DST and a FLEX (RB/WR/TE). There will also be six reserve spots for a 15-round draft.

Our draft order is as follows:

1. Will Brinson, NFL Writer
2. Jeff Tobin, Director of Editorial
3. Ryan Bass, Video Host
4. Dave Richard, Senior Fantasy Writer
5. Chris Towers, Fantasy Writer
6. Nick Kostos, SportsLine Analyst
7. Meron Berkson, Producer
8. Joe Polito, Social Media Coordinator
9. Jamey Eisenberg, Senior Fantasy Writer
10. Heath Cummings, Senior Fantasy Writer
11. Matthew Coca, College Football Analyst
12. Adam Aizer, Podcast Host

Round by Round
Round 1
Pick	Team	Player
1	Brinson	Antonio Brown, WR, PIT
2	Tobin	Todd Gurley, RB, STL
3	Bass	Rob Gronkowski, TE, NE
4	Richard	Le'Veon Bell, RB, PIT
5	Towers	Odell Beckham, WR, NYG
6	Kostos	Julio Jones, WR, ATL
7	Berkson	Adrian Peterson, RB, MIN
8	Polito	DeAndre Hopkins, WR, HOU
9	Eisenberg	Dez Bryant, WR, DAL
10	Cummings	David Johnson, RB, ARI
11	Coca	Jamaal Charles, RB, KC
12	Aizer	Jordy Nelson, WR, GB
Round 2
Pick	Team	Player
13	Aizer	LeSean McCoy, RB, BUF
14	Coca	Demaryius Thomas, WR, DEN
15	Cummings	A.J. Green, WR, CIN
16	Eisenberg	Thomas Rawls, RB, SEA
17	Polito	Devonta Freeman, RB, ATL
18	Berkson	Alshon Jeffery, WR, CHI
19	Kostos	Allen Robinson, WR, JAC
20	Towers	Doug Martin, RB, TB
21	Richard	Brandon Marshall, WR, NYJ
22	Bass	Amari Cooper, WR, OAK
23	Tobin	T.Y. Hilton, WR, IND
24	Brinson	Carlos Hyde, RB, SF
Round 3
Pick	Team	Player
25	Brinson	Mike Evans, WR, TB
26	Tobin	Brandin Cooks, WR, NO
27	Bass	Cam Newton, QB, CAR
28	Richard	Mark Ingram, RB, NO
29	Towers	Sammy Watkins, WR, BUF
30	Kostos	Jeremy Hill, RB, CIN
31	Berkson	Julian Edelman, WR, NE
32	Polito	Matt Forte, RB, CHI
33	Eisenberg	Jeremy Langford, RB, CHI
34	Cummings	DeMarco Murray, RB, PHI
35	Coca	Keenan Allen, WR, SD
36	Aizer	Michael Floyd, WR, ARI
Round 4
Pick	Team	Player
37	Aizer	T.J. Yeldon, RB, JAC
38	Coca	Jordan Reed, TE, WAS
39	Cummings	Ezekiel Elliott, ROOKIE
40	Eisenberg	Martavis Bryant, WR, PIT
41	Polito	Tyler Eifert, TE, CIN
42	Berkson	Latavius Murray, RB, OAK
43	Kostos	Randall Cobb, WR, GB
44	Towers	Lamar Miller, RB, MIA
45	Richard	Jonathan Stewart, RB, CAR
46	Bass	Kelvin Benjamin, WR, CAR
47	Tobin	Eddie Lacy, RB, GB
48	Brinson	Jarvis Landry, WR, MIA
Round 5
Pick	Team	Player
49	Brinson	Greg Olsen, TE, CAR
50	Tobin	John Brown, WR, ARI
51	Bass	C.J. Anderson, RB, DEN
52	Richard	Emmanuel Sanders, WR, DEN
53	Towers	Allen Hurns, WR, JAC
54	Kostos	Derrick Henry, ROOKIE
55	Berkson	Eric Decker, WR, NYJ
56	Polito	Aaron Rodgers, QB, GB
57	Eisenberg	Dion Lewis, RB, NE
58	Cummings	Laquon Treadwell, ROOKIE
59	Coca	Jeremy Maclin, WR, KC
60	Aizer	Andrew Luck, QB, IND
Round 6
Pick	Team	Player
61	Aizer	Doug Baldwin, WR, SEA
62	Coca	Tom Brady, QB, NE
63	Cummings	Larry Fitzgerald, WR, ARI
64	Eisenberg	Golden Tate, WR, DET
65	Polito	DeVante Parker, WR, MIA
66	Berkson	Jordan Matthews, WR, PHI
67	Kostos	Melvin Gordon, RB, SD
68	Towers	Gary Barnidge, TE, CLE
69	Richard	Ben Roethlisberger, QB, PIT
70	Bass	Chris Ivory, RB, NYJ
71	Tobin	Darren McFadden, RB, DAL
72	Brinson	Giovani Bernard, RB, CIN
Round 7
Pick	Team	Player
73	Brinson	Duke Johnson, RB, CLE
74	Tobin	Jay Ajayi, RB, MIA
75	Bass	Kevin White, WR, CHI
76	Richard	Dorial Green-Beckham, WR, TEN
77	Towers	Matt Jones, RB, WAS
78	Kostos	Corey Coleman, ROOKIE
79	Berkson	Russell Wilson, QB, SEA
80	Polito	Danny Woodhead, RB, SD
81	Eisenberg	Ameer Abdullah, RB, DET
82	Cummings	Travis Kelce, TE, KC
83	Coca	Michael Thomas, ROOKIE
84	Aizer	Rashad Jennings, RB, NYG
Round 8
Pick	Team	Player
85	Aizer	Buck Allen, RB, BAL
86	Coca	Arian Foster, RB, HOU
87	Cummings	DeSean Jackson, WR, WAS
88	Eisenberg	Steve Smith, WR, BAL
89	Polito	Stefon Diggs, WR, MIN
90	Berkson	Delanie Walker, TE, TEN
91	Kostos	Blake Bortles, QB, JAC
92	Towers	Isaiah Crowell, RB, CLE
93	Richard	Josh Gordon, WR, CLE
94	Bass	Breshad Perriman, WR, BAL
95	Tobin	Carson Palmer, QB, ARI
96	Brinson	Charles Sims, RB, TB
Round 9
Pick	Team	Player
97	Brinson	Drew Brees, QB, NO
98	Tobin	Julius Thomas, TE, JAC
99	Bass	Karlos Williams, RB, BUF
100	Richard	Tyler Lockett, WR, SEA
101	Towers	Andre Ellington, RB, ARI
102	Kostos	Jimmy Graham, TE, SEA
103	Berkson	Frank Gore, RB, IND
104	Polito	Michael Crabtree, WR, OAK
105	Eisenberg	Zach Ertz, TE, PHI
106	Cummings	Tevin Coleman, RB, ATL
107	Coca	LeGarrette Blount, RB, NE
108	Aizer	Justin Forsett, RB, BAL
Round 10
Pick	Team	Player
109	Aizer	Donte Moncrief, WR, IND
110	Coca	Chiefs DST
111	Cummings	Tony Romo, QB, DAL
112	Eisenberg	Andy Dalton, QB, CIN
113	Polito	Broncos DST
114	Berkson	Vincent Jackson, WR, TB
115	Kostos	Ryan Mathews, RB, PHI
116	Towers	Phillip Dorsett, WR, IND
117	Richard	David Cobb, RB, TEN
118	Bass	Ronnie Hillman, RB, DEN
119	Tobin	Terrance Williams, WR, DAL
120	Brinson	Derek Carr, QB, OAK
Round 11
Pick	Team	Player
121	Brinson	Davante Adams, WR, GB
122	Tobin	Alfred Blue, RB, HOU
123	Bass	Seahawks DST
124	Richard	DeAngelo Williams, RB, PIT
125	Towers	Nelson Agholor, WR, PHI
126	Kostos	Braxton Miller, ROOKIE
127	Berkson	Calvin Johnson, WR, DET
128	Polito	James Starks, RB, GB
129	Eisenberg	Marvin Jones, WR, CIN
130	Cummings	Tavon Austin, WR, STL
131	Coca	Devontae Booker, ROOKIE
132	Aizer	Jerick McKinnon, RB, MIN
Round 12
Pick	Team	Player
133	Aizer	Texans DST
134	Coca	Anquan Boldin, WR, SF
135	Cummings	Matt Ryan, QB, ATL
136	Eisenberg	Theo Riddick, RB, DET
137	Polito	Willie Snead, WR, NO
138	Berkson	Eli Manning, QB, NYG
139	Kostos	Hunter Henry, ROOKIE
140	Towers	Tyrod Taylor, QB, BUF
141	Richard	Antonio Gates, TE, SD
142	Bass	Ryan Tannehill, QB, MIA
143	Tobin	Devin Funchess, WR, CAR
144	Brinson	Alfred Morris, RB, WAS
Round 13
Pick	Team	Player
145	Brinson	Chris Johnson, RB, ARI
146	Tobin	Travis Benjamin, WR, CLE
147	Bass	Eric Ebron, TE, DET
148	Richard	Khiry Robinson, RB, NO
149	Towers	Markus Wheaton, WR, PIT
150	Kostos	Marcus Mariota, QB, TEN
151	Berkson	Ted Ginn, WR, CAR
152	Polito	Kendall Wright, WR, TEN
153	Eisenberg	Jameis Winston, QB, TB
154	Cummings	Charcandrick West, RB, KC
155	Coca	Will Fuller, ROOKIE
156	Aizer	Austin Seferian-Jenkins, TE, TB
Round 14
Pick	Team	Player
157	Aizer	Victor Cruz, WR, NYG
158	Coca	Stephen Gostkowski, K, NE
159	Cummings	Panthers DST
160	Eisenberg	Cardinals DST
161	Polito	James White, RB, NE
162	Berkson	Bengals DST
163	Kostos	Vikings DST
164	Towers	Rams DST
165	Richard	Brandon McManus, K, DEN
166	Bass	Peyton Manning, QB, DEN
167	Tobin	Chris Boswell, K, PIT
168	Brinson	Patriots DST
Round 15
Pick	Team	Player
169	Brinson	Dan Bailey, K, DAL
170	Tobin	Steelers DST
171	Bass	Justin Tucker, K, BAL
172	Richard	Jets DST
173	Towers	Chandler Catanzaro, K, ARI
174	Kostos	Graham Gano, K, CAR
175	Berkson	Steven Hauschka, K, SEA
176	Polito	Adam Vinatieri, K, IND
177	Eisenberg	Mason Crosby, K, GB
178	Cummings	Cairo Santos, K, KC
179	Coca	Colin Kaepernick, QB, SF
180	Aizer	Cody Parkey, K, PHI

Team by Team
Adam Aizer
Rd.Pk	Player
1.12	Jordy Nelson, WR, GB
2.1	LeSean McCoy, RB, BUF
3.12	Michael Floyd, WR, ARI
4.1	T.J. Yeldon, RB, JAC
5.12	Andrew Luck, QB, IND
6.1	Doug Baldwin, WR, SEA
7.12	Rashad Jennings, RB, NYG
8.1	Buck Allen, RB, BAL
9.12	Justin Forsett, RB, BAL
10.1	Donte Moncrief, WR, IND
11.12	Jerick McKinnon, RB, MIN
12.1	Texans DST
13.12	Austin Seferian-Jenkins, TE, TB
14.1	Victor Cruz, WR, NYG
15.12	Cody Parkey, K, PHI
Ryan Bass
Rd.Pk	Player
1.3	Rob Gronkowski, TE, NE
2.10	Amari Cooper, WR, OAK
3.3	Cam Newton, QB, CAR
4.10	Kelvin Benjamin, WR, CAR
5.3	C.J. Anderson, RB, DEN
6.10	Chris Ivory, RB, NYJ
7.3	Kevin White, WR, CHI
8.10	Breshad Perriman, WR, BAL
9.3	Karlos Williams, RB, BUF
10.10	Ronnie Hillman, RB, DEN
11.3	Seahawks DST
12.10	Ryan Tannehill, QB, MIA
13.3	Eric Ebron, TE, DET
14.10	Peyton Manning, QB, DEN
15.3	Justin Tucker, K, BAL
Meron Berkson
Rd.Pk	Player
1.7	Adrian Peterson, RB, MIN
2.6	Alshon Jeffery, WR, CHI
3.7	Julian Edelman, WR, NE
4.6	Latavius Murray, RB, OAK
5.7	Eric Decker, WR, NYJ
6.6	Jordan Matthews, WR, PHI
7.7	Russell Wilson, QB, SEA
8.6	Delanie Walker, TE, TEN
9.7	Frank Gore, RB, IND
10.6	Vincent Jackson, WR, TB
11.7	Calvin Johnson, WR, DET
12.6	Eli Manning, QB, NYG
13.7	Ted Ginn, WR, CAR
14.6	Bengals DST
15.7	Steven Hauschka, K, SEA
Will Brinson
Rd.Pk	Player
1.1	Antonio Brown, WR, PIT
2.12	Carlos Hyde, RB, SF
3.1	Mike Evans, WR, TB
4.12	Jarvis Landry, WR, MIA
5.1	Greg Olsen, TE, CAR
6.12	Giovani Bernard, RB, CIN
7.1	Duke Johnson, RB, CLE
8.12	Charles Sims, RB, TB
9.1	Drew Brees, QB, NO
10.12	Derek Carr, QB, OAK
11.1	Davante Adams, WR, GB
12.12	Alfred Morris, RB, WAS
13.1	Chris Johnson, RB, ARI
14.12	Patriots DST
15.1	Dan Bailey, K, DAL
Matthew Coca
Rd.Pk	Player
1.11	Jamaal Charles, RB, KC
2.2	Demaryius Thomas, WR, DEN
3.11	Keenan Allen, WR, SD
4.2	Jordan Reed, TE, WAS
5.11	Jeremy Maclin, WR, KC
6.2	Tom Brady, QB, NE
7.11	Michael Thomas, ROOKIE
8.2	Arian Foster, RB, HOU
9.11	LeGarrette Blount, RB, NE
10.2	Chiefs DST
11.11	Devontae Booker, ROOKIE
12.2	Anquan Boldin, WR, SF
13.11	Will Fuller, ROOKIE
14.2	Stephen Gostkowski, K, NE
15.11	Colin Kaepernick, QB, SF
Heath Cummings
Rd.Pk	Player
1.10	David Johnson, RB, ARI
2.3	A.J. Green, WR, CIN
3.10	DeMarco Murray, RB, PHI
4.3	Ezekiel Elliott, ROOKIE
5.10	Laquon Treadwell, ROOKIE
6.3	Larry Fitzgerald, WR, ARI
7.10	Travis Kelce, TE, KC
8.3	DeSean Jackson, WR, WAS
9.10	Tevin Coleman, RB, ATL
10.3	Tony Romo, QB, DAL
11.10	Tavon Austin, WR, STL
12.3	Matt Ryan, QB, ATL
13.10	Charcandrick West, RB, KC
14.3	Panthers DST
15.10	Cairo Santos, K, KC
Jamey Eisenberg
Rd.Pk	Player
1.9	Dez Bryant, WR, DAL
2.4	Thomas Rawls, RB, SEA
3.9	Jeremy Langford, RB, CHI
4.4	Martavis Bryant, WR, PIT
5.9	Dion Lewis, RB, NE
6.4	Golden Tate, WR, DET
7.9	Ameer Abdullah, RB, DET
8.4	Steve Smith, WR, BAL
9.9	Zach Ertz, TE, PHI
10.4	Andy Dalton, QB, CIN
11.9	Marvin Jones, WR, CIN
12.4	Theo Riddick, RB, DET
13.9	Jameis Winston, QB, TB
14.4	Cardinals DST
15.9	Mason Crosby, K, GB
Nick Kostos
Rd.Pk	Player
1.6	Julio Jones, WR, ATL
2.7	Allen Robinson, WR, JAC
3.6	Jeremy Hill, RB, CIN
4.7	Randall Cobb, WR, GB
5.6	Derrick Henry, ROOKIE
6.7	Melvin Gordon, RB, SD
7.6	Corey Coleman, ROOKIE
8.7	Blake Bortles, QB, JAC
9.6	Jimmy Graham, TE, SEA
10.7	Ryan Mathews, RB, PHI
11.6	Braxton Miller, ROOKIE
12.7	Hunter Henry, ROOKIE
13.6	Marcus Mariota, QB, TEN
14.7	Vikings DST
15.6	Graham Gano, K, CAR
Joe Polito
Rd.Pk	Player
1.8	DeAndre Hopkins, WR, HOU
2.5	Devonta Freeman, RB, ATL
3.8	Matt Forte, RB, CHI
4.5	Tyler Eifert, TE, CIN
5.8	Aaron Rodgers, QB, GB
6.5	DeVante Parker, WR, MIA
7.8	Danny Woodhead, RB, SD
8.5	Stefon Diggs, WR, MIN
9.8	Michael Crabtree, WR, OAK
10.5	Broncos DST
11.8	James Starks, RB, GB
12.5	Willie Snead, WR, NO
13.8	Kendall Wright, WR, TEN
14.5	James White, RB, NE
15.8	Adam Vinatieri, K, IND
Dave Richard
Rd.Pk	Player
1.4	Le'Veon Bell, RB, PIT
2.9	Brandon Marshall, WR, NYJ
3.4	Mark Ingram, RB, NO
4.9	Jonathan Stewart, RB, CAR
5.4	Emmanuel Sanders, WR, DEN
6.9	Ben Roethlisberger, QB, PIT
7.4	Dorial Green-Beckham, WR, TEN
8.9	Josh Gordon, WR, CLE
9.4	Tyler Lockett, WR, SEA
10.9	David Cobb, RB, TEN
11.4	DeAngelo Williams, RB, PIT
12.9	Antonio Gates, TE, SD
13.4	Khiry Robinson, RB, NO
14.9	Brandon McManus, K, DEN
15.4	Jets DST
Jeffrey Tobin
Rd.Pk	Player
1.2	Todd Gurley, RB, STL
2.11	T.Y. Hilton, WR, IND
3.2	Brandin Cooks, WR, NO
4.11	Eddie Lacy, RB, GB
5.2	John Brown, WR, ARI
6.11	Darren McFadden, RB, DAL
7.2	Jay Ajayi, RB, MIA
8.11	Carson Palmer, QB, ARI
9.2	Julius Thomas, TE, JAC
10.11	Terrance Williams, WR, DAL
11.2	Alfred Blue, RB, HOU
12.11	Devin Funchess, WR, CAR
13.2	Travis Benjamin, WR, CLE
14.11	Chris Boswell, K, PIT
15.2	Steelers DST
Chris Towers
Rd.Pk	Player
1.5	Odell Beckham, WR, NYG
2.8	Doug Martin, RB, TB
3.5	Sammy Watkins, WR, BUF
4.8	Lamar Miller, RB, MIA
5.5	Allen Hurns, WR, JAC
6.8	Gary Barnidge, TE, CLE
7.5	Matt Jones, RB, WAS
8.8	Isaiah Crowell, RB, CLE
9.5	Andre Ellington, RB, ARI
10.8	Phillip Dorsett, WR, IND
11.5	Nelson Agholor, WR, PHI
12.8	Tyrod Taylor, QB, BUF
13.5	Markus Wheaton, WR, PIT
14.8	Rams DST
15.5	Chandler Catanzaro, K, ARI