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Midseason Fantasy Football Mock: David Johnson still the one

David Johnson, deservedly, tops the charts in the Yahoo midseason mock. (Getty)
David Johnson, deservedly, tops the charts in the Yahoo midseason mock. (Getty)

Fantasy football values constantly evolve. Now that we’ve reached the midway point, how has the overall landscape changed? In this .5 PPR, 12-team mock exercise, the Yahoo Fantasy crew pushes the reset button on 2016. How high did Spencer Ware climb? How far did Allen Robinson fall? Check out our Round 1-3 picks below.

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ROUND 1

David Johnson, Ari, RB1 – Touching the ball nearly 25 times per game, Johnson has emerged as Arizona’s number one offensive weapon. He’s a matchup proof stud with a multi-hyphenate skill set. (Liz Loza)

Le’Veon Bell, Pit, RB2 – I considered taking Zeke here, but with the Steelers leaning so heavily on Bell and considering he had the first three weeks of the season off, I had to tap the vet. (Loza)

Ezekiel Elliott, Dal, RB3 – Eze-E is who we thought he was (if not better): 150+ YFS in 4 straight games, and 11+ fantasy points in every contest. (Brandon Funston)

DeMarco Murray, Ten, RB4 – Exotic smashmouth suiting him much better than the vanilla schemes of Chip Kelly – he’s only 6% off his fantasy pace during his epic ’14 run in Big D. (Funston)

[Week 8 rankings: Overall | FLEX | QB | RB | WR | TE | DEF | K]

Julio Jones, Atl, WR1 – Julio is pretty clearly the league’s most physically dominant receiver, and his team’s offense is humming. He’s on pace for a legendary season. (Andy Behrens)

Lamar Miller, Hou, RB5 – You can’t argue with his workload or the yardage total. A few more touchdowns would be nice, but I guess you can’t have everything at Pick No. 6. (Behrens)

Antonio Brown, Pit, WR2 – Calmed fears with rock solid 7-106-0 line against New England. With Big Ben’s return possible after bye and several exploitable matchups remaining (Bal (twice), Cle (twice), Ind, Cin), he’s sure to battle for top fantasy WR honors rest of the way. (Brad Evans)

Spencer Ware, KC, RB6 – Ridiculous? You need to seek psychiatric help if you believe Jamaal Charles is going to overtake a RB on pace for 2,075 combined yards and averaging 7.1 yards per touch. It’s Ware’s gig rest of season folks. Deal with it. (Evans)

Odell Beckham Jr., NYG, WR3(Dalton Del Don) He’s off to a slow start but Beckham is a generational talent who will produce big numbers from here on out.

Mike Evans, TB, WR4 – He’s been targeted 75 times already and is on pace to finish with 1,453 yards and 16 touchdowns this season. (DDD)

A.J. Green, Cin, WR5No longer a shiny toy, so a little underrated. His positional rank since turning pro: 14, 4, 5, 23, 8, 2. It’s lovely when you can get upside and floor in the same selection. (Scott Pianowski)

T.Y. Hilton, Ind, WR6 Not just a deep threat; he can run everything in the tree. The only reliable downfield option Andrew Luck has, even if Moncrief comes back. (Pianow)

For the most part, Devonta Freeman has maintained a high fantasy profile in '16. (Getty)
For the most part, Devonta Freeman has maintained a high fantasy profile in ’16. (Getty)

ROUND 2

Devonta Freeman, Atl, RB7Was already having a bankable season, now Tevin Coleman is hurt. We had the floor, now we get some upside. (Pianow)

Melvin Gordon, SD, RB8 –I’ve railed about his putrid efficiency, but workload and goal-line ops are apparently going to float him along. (Pianow)

Jay Ajayi, Mia, RB9 – He broke 10 tackles Sunday and is the real deal. Running back is a position tough to fill, and Ajayi sure looks like a budding star. (DDD)

Rob Gronkowski, NE, TE1 – Tight end is yet another position tough to fill, and Gronk is so obviously the class of the position. (DDD)

Carlos Hyde, SF, RB10 – Shoulder setback merely a flesh wound. Expected to be back in uniform after San Fran’s bye and gets the pleasure of pounding New Orleans. Currently ranks top-10 in catch percentage, red-zone carries, evaded tackles and fantasy points per game. What he’s accomplished behind Niners’ offensive line and with garbage QBs is nothing short of astonishing. (Evans)

Drew Brees, NO, QB1 – Late-round QB crowd would have a conniption fit with this selection, but Brees is doing what he always does, relentlessly dissect the opposition. With five home games and delectable road matchups against San Francisco, Carolina and Atlanta remaining, plentiful 300-yard, 3-TD games are likely. (Evans)

Brandon Marshall, NYJ, WR7 – As a multi-league Marshall owner, I can’t begin to tell you how happy I am that Fitz is back at the controls, flawed as he is. (Behrens)

Greg Olsen, Car, TE2 – Beyond Gronk and Olsen, the tight end position is a minefield. I see a significant drop-off. (Behrens)

LeSean McCoy, Buf, RB11 – Was No. 2 RB in fantasy points per game through Week 6 (read: before hammy tweak) – the injury is still a concern, but the plan, were this a real draft, would be to buy the backup (Gillislee) insurance later on. (Funston)

Dez Bryant, Dal, WR8 – Buying the talent here, and the hope that a bye week has done his knee good – still just 27, has ability to dominate his matchup like few can. (Funston)

Larry Fitzgerald, Ari, WR9 – Between John Brown’s health and Michael Floyd’s focus issues, Larry Fitzgerald is the team’s clear-cut No. 1 receiver. Putting the corps on his back each and every week, the vet is currently fantasy’s ninth most producing WR. (Loza)

Marvin Jones, Det, WR10 – Consistently producing in the red zone and averaging nearly 90 yards per contest, Jones offers week-to-week reliability. (Loza)

When on the field together, Brady and Blount have packed a solid 1-2 fantasy punch. (Getty)
When on the field together, Brady and Blount have packed a solid 1-2 fantasy punch. (Getty)

ROUND 3

LeGarrette Blount, NE, RB11 – WIth or without Brady under center, Blount has been a TD machine. While his ROS schedule isn’t kind, at over 20 totes per contest the volume can’t be overlooked. (Loza)

Tom Brady, NE, QB2 – With so many weapons and plenty to prove, Brady has been sterling since returning from suspension. No reason to believe it won’t continue. (Loza)

Mark Ingram, NO, RB12 – Is starting to percolate (3 TDs, 88.5 YPG in past 4) and rest-of-season schedule ranks among top 5 easiest at RB position. (Funston)

Brandin Cooks, NO, WR11 – Top WR in one of the top passing offenses in the league – is the No. 10 fantasy WR in ’16, and the No. 10 fantasy WR in the span from ’15 to present. (Funston)

Todd Gurley, LA, RB13 – Fine, so I’m the last resident of Gurley Island. At this stage, every back remaining has fleas. I’m a stubborn believer in Gurley’s talent, if not his situation. (Behrens)

Cam Newton, Car, QB3 – Cam is past his bye (no small thing in a mid-season draft), and he has several friendly matchups down the stretch: NO, Oak, SD, Was, Atl. And he’s still Cam. (Behrens)

Christine Michael, Sea, RB14 – Similar to Ware, the Seattle back owns the upper-hand over an August early-round pick (Thomas Rawls). Top-15 in juke rate, evaded tackles, fantasy points per game and touchdowns at the position, he should consistently churn our RB2 outputs at a minimum, though his fantasy playoff schedule is a bit intimidating (at GB, LA, Ari). (Evans)

Michael Crabtree, Oak, WR12 – The under-appreciated wideout has scored in four of seven games this season. A true king of consistency, he’s failed to reach double-digit fantasy points only once. And you have to like his fantasy playoff slate (at KC, at SD, Ind). Unquestionably, he’s no aberration. (Evans)

Amari Cooper, Oak, WR13 – Cooper’s touchdown production remains a problem, but it’s safe to say it will regress moving forward. (DDD)

Allen Robinson, Jac, WR14 – He’s been a total bum, but he has 55 targets on the year, and there’s reason to expect better production moving forward. (DDD)

Devontae Booker, Den, RB15 – Everyone knows a starting back in a Gary Kubiak offense is gold. And it sure sounds like C.J. Anderson could be out for a while. Let’s swing for the fences. (Pianow)

Doug Baldwin, Sea, WR15 – If Russell Wilson doesn’t return to complete health, this could get a little hairy. That said, Baldwin is still on a pace for 91 catches and 1147 yards, and the pesky bye is out of the way. (Pianow)