Fantasy Football 2012: Mock-Draft Simulation When Holding the No. 7 Slot

For the year-round thrill ride that is fantasy football, here's a dry run of draft expectations when holding the No. 7 slot in 12-team leagues (standard scoring), working exclusively off of MockDraftCentral.com's current Average Draft Position (ADP) rankings. 

Round 1, Pick 7 overall: Motive—Best overall player

1st option: RB Chris Johnson, Titans

2nd option: RB Matt Forte, Bears

3rd option: RB Darren McFadden, Raiders 

Round 2, Pick 18 overall: Motive—Best player available

1st option: QB Matthew Stafford, Lions

2nd option: RB Darren McFadden, Raiders

3rd option: WR Roddy White, Falcons 

Round 3, Pick 31 overall: Motive—Best player available, preferably tailback

1st option: RB Jamaal Charles, Chiefs

2nd option: RB Fred Jackson, Bills

3rd option: RB Michael Turner, Falcons 

Round 4, Pick 42 overall: Motive—Best running back or receiver

1st option: RB Roy Helu, Redskins

2nd option: WR Dwayne Bowe, Chiefs

3rd option: WR Steve Smith, Panthers 

Round 5, Pick 55 overall: Motive—Best wide receiver available

1st option: WR Steve Johnson, Bills

2nd option: WR Jeremy Maclin, Eagles

3rd option: WR Pierre Garcon, Redskins 

Round 6, Pick 66 overall: Motive—Best player available

1st option: TE Aaron Hernandez, Patriots

2nd option: WR DeSean Jackson, Eagles

3rd option: RB Shonn Greene, Jets 

Round 7, Pick 79 overall: Motive—Best high-end talent, preferably receiver

1st option: WR Malcom Floyd, Chargers

2nd option: WR Sidney Rice, Seahawks

3rd option: WR Mike Williams, Buccaneers 

Round 8, Pick 90 overall: Motive—Best running back or receiver available

1st option: RB Jahvid Best, Lions

2nd option: RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Bengals

3rd option: RB Daniel Thomas, Dolphins 

Round 9, Pick 103 overall: Motive—Best wide receiver available

1st option: WR Eric Decker, Broncos

2nd option: WR Nate Washington, Titans

3rd option: WR Darrius Heyward-Bey, Raiders 

Round 10, Pick 114 overall: Motive—Best player available

1st option: WR Nate Washington, Titans

2nd option: WR Darrius Heyward-Bey, Raiders

3rd option: RB Evan Royster, Redskins 

Round 11, Pick 127: Motive—Best running back available

1st option: RB Evan Royster, Redskins

2nd option: RB Doug Martin, Buccaneers

3rd option: RB Pierre Thomas, Saints 

Round 12, Pick 138: Motive—Best defense available

1st option: D/ST Pittsburgh Steelers

2nd option: D/ST Green Bay Packers

3rd option: D/ST Chicago Bears 

Round 13, Pick 151: Motive—Best quarterback available

1st option: QB Andy Dalton, Bengals

2nd option: QB Joe Flacco, Ravens

3rd option: QB Josh Freeman, Buccaneers 

Round 14, Pick 162: Motive—Best kicker available

1st option: PK Mason Crosby, Packers

2nd option: PK Rob Bironas, Titans

3rd option: PK Matt Prater, Broncos 

Round 15, Pick 175: Motive—Best playmaking tight end available

1st option: TE Dustin Keller, Jets

2nd option: TE Coby Fleener, Colts

3rd option: TE Jared Cook, Titans 

Round 16, Pick 186: Motive—Best receiver with upside

1st option: WR Danario Alexander, Rams

2nd option: WR Jonathan Baldwin, Chiefs

3rd option: WR Austin Collie, Colts 

Breakdown

• Chris Johnson (1,465 total yards, 4 TD last year) currently ranks as my No. 8 overall player (and No. 5 running back). In a "down" year, Johnson still posted seven games of 100 total yards or more and recorded season highs in targets (79) and receptions (57). Seasonal targets: 1,817 total yards and 11 touchdowns.
• Adhering to the preferred model for standard-scoring drafts, I grabbed four top-21 running backs (Chris Johnson, Jamaal Charles, Roy Helu, Jahvid Best) in the first eight picks, before securing the high-end handcuff of Helu and Evan Royster later on. I fully expect the four primary backs to clear 1,200 total yards by season's end, health permitting.
• I currently have Fred Jackson ranked ahead of Jamaal Charles on my most recent Top 30 Running Backs list. But in situations where it's Round 3 or Round 4 and I already have a No. 1 tailback, I have the freedom to choose Charles ahead over F-Jax. Basically, I'll hedge on these backs on a case-by-case basis during the August drafts.
• Of the 15 mock-draft simulations I've held on The Fantasy Blog, this marks the first occasion where I reached for a tight end in the first six rounds (Aaron Hernandez) instead of opting for Brandon Pettigrew (83 catches, 777 yards, five TDs) sometime in the 120s. For a real draft, I would probably want the Stafford-Pettigrew QB-TE handcuff; but then again, 66 is a solid value for Hernandez, my third-ranked tight end.
• When looking at my five wide receivers (Steve Johnson, Malcom Floyd, Eric Decker, Nate Washington, Danario Alexander), it's a group that's noticeably devoid of a superstar. However, the entire quintet should post better numbers than last season, with Johnson, Decker, Floyd and Alexander having the capacity to level-jump in the receiver rankings (before next season). Bottom line: Johnson, Floyd and Nate Washington are currently in my top 25...and they'll be bigger names this time next summer.

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