Fantasy football mock draft, Rounds 4-6: Golden Tate, other WRs, in high demand
National Draft Day is almost upon us, everyone. Time to get seriously serious about your prep. Beginning today, the Yahoo Sports fantasy crew is going to mock draft a 12-team, 12-round league for 2016. Consider this your answer key to the opening rounds. Assume a traditional one-QB, one-flex lineup with 0.5 PPR scoring. Let the mocking commence…
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ROUND 4
1. Jordan Reed, Was, TE – You worry about the injury history, but his prolific track record working with QB Cousins is too good to pass up here –Brandon Funston
2. Latavius Murray, Oak, RB – Like Hyde, set-up should put him in mix to be among carries leader –Funston
3. Matt Forte, NYJ, RB – Was hoping for Hyde. Will settle for Forte as my RB1. –Liz Loza
4. Donte Moncrief, Ind, WR– Moncrief led the Colts in TDs while Luck was healthy last year. Figures to dominate the red area of the field this year. –Loza
5. Doug Baldwin, Sea, WR – Even if the TDs dip in a big way, which seems likely, let’s not pretend Baldwin was completely TD-reliant in the big weeks last season. He caught 47 balls for 724 yards in his final eight games. He’s legit. –Andy Behrens
6. Golden Tate, Det, WR – Tate has given us back-to-back 90-catch seasons, and Calvin’s retirement leaves 150 targets up for grabs. –Behrens
7. Aaron Rodgers, GB, QB – Future HOFer who gets his favorite toy, Jordy Nelson, back. Just another top-five season … –Brad Evans
8. Jeremy Maclin, KC, WR – Always underappreciated due to Alex Smith, KC offense, but reliable 85-1200-8 source. –Evans
9. Julian Edelman, NE, WR – Obviously more valuable in full PPR but was on pace for 1,230 yards and 12 touchdowns last season. –Dalton Del Don
10. Michael Floyd, Ari, WR – Should emerge as the top option in an offense that’s the favorite to score the most points in the NFL. –DDD
11. Jarvis Landry, Mia, WR – Obviously a volume monster with low touchdowns, but given his usage, he’s been a little unlucky in the TD count. An unsexy discount has applied here. –Scott Pianowski
12. Kelvin Benjamin, Car, WR – He’s the type of player I’d only take at a notable discount, but this feels like the right area. Pretend he’s my fifth-round pick if you prefer. –Pianow
ROUND 5
1. Jeremy Langford, Chi, RB – Might be America’s most polarizing player. Langford has clearly made a bid for a featured job with a snappy camp. –Pianow
2. Greg Olsen, Car, TE – Tight end is a position where injuries are common. Olsen hasn’t missed a game since 2007. –Pianow
3. Jeremy Hill, Cin, RB – Scored 12 touchdowns during a highly disappointing sophomore campaign last season. –DDD
4. DeVante Parker, Mia, WR – Plenty of question marks but shooting for upside here. –DDD
5. Andrew Luck, Ind, QB – Vontae Davis’ injury only enhances worth. Bad D = more opportunities. Major rebound coming. –Evans
6. DeMarco Murray, Ten, RB – Likely to start year in 70-30 split with Henry. Wash away bitter taste. Think he finishes 1300 tyds, 7-9 TDs. –Evans
7. Larry Fitzgerald, Ari, WR – Are you guys really this bored with Fitz? He caught 109 balls last year and gained over 1200 yards. –Behrens
8. Ryan Mathews, Phi, RB – We all know the issues with Mathews, but they’re baked into his price. He’s the featured back in Philly and he averaged 5.0 YPC last season. –Behrens
9. John Brown, Ari, WR – Don’t love that he’s still in concussion protocol, but as my WR3 his upside was too go to pass on. –Loza
10. Melvin Gordon, SD, RB – Probably could have waited a round, but I’m high on Gordon and decided to go after my guy. –Loza
11. Russell Wilson, Sea, QB – He’s improved as a passer every season, and he’s coming off two straight top 3 QB campaigns –Funston
12. Tyler Lockett, Sea, WR – Elite take-it-to-the-house skills and Seattle will go out of its way to make sure he continues to see a workload increase –Funston
ROUND 6
1. Jonathan Stewart, Car, RB – As unquestioned featured RB, good bet to at least repeat ’15 numbers when he was No. 16 RB, so getting him at No. 23 here is a nice value –Funston
2. Jordan Matthews, Phi, WR – He posted WR 1 numbers from Weeks 9-17, and given the rest of Philly’s suspect WR corps, Matthews should be a target hog –Funston
3. Duke Johnson, Cle, RB – The most talented RB in a run-first offense as my flex? I’ll take it. –Loza
4. Rashad Jennings, NYG, RB – Expected to carry the load for the G-Men, Jennings will break down at some point, but is a steal this late. –Loza
5. Ben Roethlisberger, Pit, QB – Over the past two seasons, he’s averaging 317.5 yards and 1.9 TD passes per game. It helps in no small way that he’s tied to the league’s best receiver. –Behrens
6. Drew Brees, NO, QB – Brees has led the NFL in passing yards in four of the past five seasons, and he’s topped 30 TD passes in eight straight years. So that’s insane. –Behrens
7. Marvin Jones, Det, WR – Posted No. 2 contested catch rate among WRs last year. Could be RZ monster. –Evans
8. Michael Crabtree, Oak, WR – Crazy disrespected. Steady producer in multiple categories evidenced by 2015. –Evans
9. Allen Hurns, Jac, WR– He scored 10 touchdowns as a sophomore last season. –DDD
10. Sterling Shepard, NYG, WR – Should immediately be the No. 2 passing option on a team with a shaky RB situation. –DDD
11. Emmanuel Sanders, Den, WR – I realize the quarterback play could be a problem, but it was a problem last year, too, and Sanders was fine. And there isn’t a deep usage tree here. –Pianow
12. Travis Kelce, KC, TE – Has yet to deliver on full promise, but nothing wrong with low-hanging fruit at this spot. –Pianow
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