2015 Fantasy Football Mock Draft: 4-Round Simulation with Notable Picks

The NFL preseason is over, which means it's time to get going with your fantasy football league's draft if you want to be ready for Week 1.

If you did wait this long to select your team, you have the benefit of a full preseason's worth of action on which to base some of your draft decisions, assuming you were paying attention. Maybe a certain player caught your eye, or maybe a subtle injury occurred that went unnoticed by the rest of your league.

Let's look at a possible four-round mock draft and then highlight three notable picks who saw their value increase or decrease over the past week.

Round 1	Player	Position	Team	Bye
Round 2	Player	Position	Team	Bye
Round 3	Player	Position	Team	Bye
Round 4	Player	Position	Team	Bye
1	Adrian Peterson	RB	Minnesota Vikings	5
2	Eddie Lacy	RB	Green Bay Packers	7
3	Jamaal Charles	RB	Kansas City Chiefs	9
4	Le'Veon Bell	RB	Pittsburgh Steelers	11
5	Rob Gronkowski	TE	New England Patriots	4
6	Antonio Brown	WR	Pittsburgh Steelers	11
7	Marshawn Lynch	RB	Seattle Seahawks	9
8	C.J. Anderson	RB	Denver Broncos	7
9	Matt Forte	RB	Chicago Bears	7
10	Dez Bryant	WR	Dallas Cowboys	6
1	Andrew Luck	QB	Indianapolis Colts	10
2	Julio Jones	WR	Atlanta Falcons	10
3	Demaryius Thomas	WR	Denver Broncos	7
4	Randall Cobb	WR	Green Bay Packers	7
5	Jeremy Hill	RB	Cincinnati Bengals	7
6	Aaron Rodgers	QB	Green Bay Packers	7
7	Odell Beckham Jr.	WR	New York Giants	11
8	LeSean McCoy	RB	Buffalo Bills	8
9	DeMarco Murray	RB	Philadelphia Eagles	8
10	Calvin Johnson	WR	Detroit Lions	9
1	Justin Forsett	RB	Baltimore Ravens	9
2	A.J. Green	WR	Cincinnati Bengals	7
3	T.Y. Hilton	WR	Indianapolis Colts	10
4	Alshon Jeffery	WR	Chicago Bears	7
5	Frank Gore	RB	Indianapolis Colts	10
6	Lamar Miller	RB	Miami Dolphins	5
7	Mike Evans	WR	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	6
8	Brandin Cooks	WR	New Orleans Saints	11
9	Mark Ingram	RB	New Orleans Saints	11
10	Alfred Morris	RB	Washington Redskins	8
1	Jordan Matthews	WR	Philadelphia Eagles	8
2	Peyton Manning	QB	Denver Broncos	7
3	DeAndre Hopkins	WR	Houston Texans	9
4	Jimmy Graham	TE	Seattle Seahawks	9
5	Emmanuel Sanders	WR	Denver Broncos	7
6	Andre Johnson	WR	Indianapolis Colts	10
7	Russell Wilson	QB	Seattle Seahawks	9
8	Amari Cooper	WR	Oakland Raiders	10
9	Greg Olsen	TE	Carolina Panthers	5
10	Keenan Allen	WR	San Diego Chargers	10

Notable Picks

TE Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots (Round 1, Pick 5)

Tom Brady's overturned suspension Thursday impacts the Patriots significantly on the field, but also in the fantasy football realm.

Superstar tight end Rob Gronkowski is one of the key beneficiaries of Brady's early return.

Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

Even assuming Gronk would play four games with Pats backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, many fantasy owners were taking him in the first round. The 6'6", 265-pound matchup nightmare is not only the most talented tight end by a landslide, but he doesn't have a stud No. 1 wideout taking away tons of targets, a tempting combination for those drafting in the back half of the first round.

But now, with Brady back to start the regular season, Gronk's numbers should be sky-high and be worthy of a mid-first-round pick. If he stays healthy, expect 1,200 receiving yards and anywhere from 12 to 15 touchdowns.

RB Marshawn Lynch, Seattle Seahawks (Round 1, Pick 8)

Marshawn Lynch has been so dependable the past four seasons (at least 1,400 yards from scrimmage and 12 total touchdowns each year), it's hard to predict him falling off significantly.

Yes, Beast Mode is 29 and now eerily close to the dreaded 30-year-old barrier, but the main reason I'm predicting a slight dip in production is his circumstances.

Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

First, new Seahawks tight end Jimmy Graham is a deadly red-zone threat. He had 51 touchdown catches in a five-year tenure with the New Orleans Saints catching passes from Drew Brees. Seattle doesn't pass nearly as much as New Orleans, but it's a fair assumption that Russell Wilson will utilize Graham's size (6'6" and 265 pounds) and skills near the end zone, taking away a potential touchdown or two from Lynch.

Second, the Seahawks signed 34-year-old veteran running back Fred Jackson Friday to bolster its backfield depth after incumbent backup Robert Turbin suffered a severe high-ankle sprain Monday. Jackson is an ace pass protector and receiver, but also a strong runner. He'll be key in keeping Lynch, his friend and former teammate with the Buffalo Bills, fresh and healthy for the Seahawks' inevitable playoff run.

Lynch will put up very good numbers, just not top-five production.

RB Frank Gore, Indianapolis Colts (Round 3, Pick 5)

What's going on with all the Colts running backs?

Josh Robinson suffered a concussion August 29 in a preseason game against the St. Louis Rams. Indianapolis' next preseason game Thursday saw Vick Ballard injure his hamstring and Daniel "Boom" Herron hurt his shoulder.

All of a sudden, the support behind starting running back Frank Gore goes from "decent' to "terrible."

Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Now, Robinson should be good for Week 1, per the Herald-Bulletin's George Bremer. But Ballard and Herron were the presumed No. 2 and No. 3 backs on the depth chart, and the severity of their injuries hadn't been released as of Saturday evening.

For the time being, Gore's fantasy value receives a slight bump. The Colts offense will rely heavily on the passing attack, but the veteran ball-carrier is now the undisputed bell cow of the backfield.