Fantasy Football 2012: Mock Simulation of 12-Team Draft When Holding No. 10 Slot

For the year-round thrill ride that is fantasy football, here's a dry run of draft expectations when holding the No. 10 slot in 12-team leagues (standard scoring), specifically working off CBSSports.com guru Dave Richard's Early Top 200 Rankings.

For for the sake of brevity, we'll stop at Round 14.

Round 1, Pick 10 overall: Motive—Best overall player

1st option: WR Calvin Johnson, Lions
2nd option: RB Chris Johnson, Titans
3rd option: RB Ryan Mathews, Chargers

Round 2, Pick 15 overall: Motive—Best running back, receiver or Matthew Stafford

1st option: QB Matthew Stafford, Lions
2nd option: RB Fred Jackson, Bills
3rd option: RB Darren McFadden, Raiders

Round 3, Pick 34 overall: Motive—Best running back or receiver

1st option: RB Beanie Wells, Cardinals
2nd option: RB DeMarco Murray, Cowboys
3rd option: WR Mike Wallace, Steelers

Round 4, Pick 39 overall: Motive—Best player available

1st option: WR Andre Johnson, Texans
2nd option: RB Roy Helu, Redskins
3rd option: WR Steve Smith, Panthers

Round 5, Pick 58: Motive—Best player available...preferably a running back

1st option: RB Trent Richardson, Bucs/Browns/Rams
2nd option: WR Dwayne Bowe, Chiefs
3rd option: WR Kenny Britt, Titans

Round 6, Pick 63 overall: Motive—Best player available

1st option: TE Aaron Hernandez, Patriots
2nd option: RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Bengals
3rd option: RB Mikel Leshoure, Lions

Round 7, Pick 82 overall: Motive—Best running back or receiver

1st option: RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Bengals
2nd option: WR Sidney Rice, Seahawks
3rd option: RB Jahvid Best, Lions

Round 8, Pick 87 overall: Motive—Best player available

1st option: RB Jahvid Best, Lions
2nd option: WR Reggie Wayne, Colts
3rd option: RB Pierre Thomas, Saints

Round 9, Pick 106 overall: Motive—Best high-end receiver

1st option: WR Malcom Floyd, Chargers
2nd option: TE Brandon Pettigrew, Lions
3rd option: WR Pierre Garcon, Redskins

Round 10, Pick 111 overall: Motive—Best high-end receiver

1st option: WR Eric Decker, Broncos
2nd option: WR Greg Little, Browns
3rd option: RB Ben Tate, Texans

Round 11, Pick 130: Motive—Best player available...preferably running back

1st option: RB Toby Gerhart, Vikings
2nd option: WR Greg Little, Browns
3rd option: QB Josh Freeman, Buccaneers

Round 12, Pick 135: Motive—Best quarterback, wide receiver or tight end

1st option: QB Josh Freeman, Buccaneers
2nd option: WR Austin Collie, Colts
3rd option: TE Dallas Clark, Free Agent

Round 13, Pick 154: Motive—Best defense available

1st option: D/ST Pittsburgh Steelers
2nd option: D/ST Philadelphia Eagles
3rd option: D/ST Seattle Seahawks

Round 14, Pick 159: Motive—Best backup tight end

1st option: TE Ed Dickson, Ravens
2nd option: TE Greg Olsen, Panthers
3rd option: TE Kyle Rudolph, Vikings

Breakdown

• I will always be a proponent of drafting running backs in Round 1, but who could argue with Calvin Johnson's value at No. 10? He may have just scratched the surface of his potential from a monster 2011 campaign. With Johnson (96 catches, 1,681 yards, 16 TDs last year) in the mix, though, I now feel more pressure to land a legitimate RB1 in Rounds 2 or 3.

• The only exception to grabbing a top-notch back in Round 2 came in the form of Lions QB Matthew Stafford...and I went for it. Bottom line: There is no downside to a QB-WR handcuff when both are elite assets.

• Wells is not my idyllic franchise back; on the flip side, he's also worth the risk of going for the Stafford/Johnson handcuff. Currently, Beanie ranks as my No. 13 tailback.

• There was no preconceived plan to draft three Lions—Calvin, Stafford and Jahvid Best. But it's imperative for owners to emphasize—and capitalize—on good value throughout the draft.

• Speaking of which...Andre Johnson at No. 39 is an absolute heist in standard-scoring leagues. Yes, he'll be 31 in July, but in his first three games last year—before the hamstring injuries started wreaking havoc—Johnson had per-game averages of seven catches for 95 yards and 0.66 touchdowns. That's not too far off the pace from his prodigious 20s.

• If Trent Richardson is potentially the most explosive rookie tailback since Adrian Peterson, doesn't it make sense to draft Richardson at Round 5—Peterson's pre-draft value five years ago? Regardless of whether he belongs to Cleveland, St. Louis or Tampa Bay, Richardson is an ideal RB2 in fantasy circles.

• Tight end Aaron Hernandez (79 catches, 910 yards, seven TDs in 2011) feels like a luxury pick at No. 63. Fingers crossed on Gronk's understudy finishing in the ballpark of last year's numbers.

• I targeted/landed four players in my first two Bleacher Report mocks—Calvin Johnson, Jahvid Best, Malcom Floyd and BenJarvus Green-Ellis—who has a great opportunity to put up sizable numbers with the Bengals. Cincy has a solid offensive line, and opposing defenses should have their hands full confronting Andy Dalton, Jermaine Gresham and receiver A.J. Green, a top-30 fantasy talent. The door is open for Green-Ellis to collect 1,200 total yards and nine touchdowns.

• There were no kickers taken in this exercise, prompting this response: That's why we have Rounds 15 and 16 of drafts. You don't reach for kickers. Ever!

Jay Clemons can be reached on Twitter, day or night, at @ATL_JayClemons.