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Drafting from No. 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12
Editor's note: Our latest pick-by-pick series was done prior to the third preseason games, when season-ending knee injuries to Julian Edelman, Spencer Ware and Cameron Meredith occurred. The goal of this series is to show you positions to draft in these spots as much as the players selected, so take that into account if those injured guys are listed here.
People get scared when a player holds out in training camp and I get it. He's not with his team working out and it's only natural to think he's more prone to a disappointing start or an early injury. I'm sure some may have even considered passing on Le'Veon Bell with the second pick. Don't.
Bell missed four games last year and still finished with 1,884 total yards and nine touchdowns. Even if there is a heightened injury risk, he has the ceiling to absorb it. The gap between Bell and the third running back, no matter who you think it is, is enormous. If you have a chance to draft Bell or David Johnson, you need to do it and not look back.
Here's the rest of my team from Pick No. 2:
- 1.2 Le'Veon Bell, RB, PIT
- 2.11 Todd Gurley, RB, LAR
- 3.2 Travis Kelce, TE, KC
- 4.11 Alshon Jeffery, WR, PHI
- 5.2 Larry Fitzgerald, WR, ARI
- 6.11 Russell Wilson, QB, SEA
- 7.2 Desean Jackson, WR, TB
- 8.11 Corey Coleman, WR, CLE
- 9.2 Adam Thielen, WR, MIN
- 10.11 Giovani Bernard, RB, CIN
- 11.2 Robby Anderson, WR, NYJ
- 12.11 C.J. Prosise, RB, SEA
- 13.2 Seahawks DST
- 14.11 Shane Vereen, RB, NYG
Favorite Pick: Robby Anderson
I can understand being scared of a terrible situation with the Jets, but Robby Anderson is a steal in Fantasy drafts. He has no legitimate competition for targets and this is a team that will have to throw the ball a lot as they chase the scoreboard.
If you just take the numbers he posted as a rookie and project them over 120 targets, you're looking at 65 catches for 903 yards and three touchdowns. That's No. 4 wide receiver production, but it's assuming no improvement from Anderson and an awful touchdown rate.
Even in that situation, Anderson is a good value at his current ADP.
Pick you might regret: Corey Coleman
I could have inserted Adam Thielen here too. Taking a pair of wide receivers at the 8/9 turn may have been a mistake. I still didn't have a backup running back at this point Over the next round Rex Burkhead, James White and Jonathan Stewart were taken. I don't love any of those three at that cost, but because of the way this draft went, they may have been a better pick.
This is just another reminder that ADP becomes far less important once you get this deep into the draft.
Player who could make or break your team: Todd Gurley
We saw Todd Gurley's ceiling in the second half of 2015. We saw his floor last year. I'm banking on 2017 being closer to the former than the latter.
The addition of Sammy Watkings and the maturation of Jared Goff could go a long way towards turning this into a competent NFL offense. Gurley has the potential to jump back into the top running backs this season. And if he doesn't hit that ceiling? The floor wasn't exactly unplayable.
Expect a more efficient Gurley with a higher usage in the passing game and another touchdown or two.
