Fantasy Football Info: 12-Team July NFL Mock Draft Cheat Sheet

Fantasy-Info-July-12-Team-NFL-Mock-Draft-Standard-Leagues" title="View Fantasy Info- July 12 Team NFL Mock Draft Standard Leagues on Scribd">Fantasy Info- July 12 Team NFL Mock Draft Standard Leagues

In this July 12-team mock draft for standard leagues I was slated to draft seventh overall. It is always interesting to see how the culture of an Internet draft is as opposed to a live draft, where everyone meets at a house or pizza parlor and drafts.

This mock draft was 12 teams, as noted before, and went a full 16 rounds. Every year in July, I always feel like I've missed a player or two, as I'm a bit rusty at this time of year for fantasy football drafts.

It's one thing to have a bounce of guys ranked on paper and another to actually pull the trigger on a player you have ranked as the 19th-best receiver. Or do you draft the guy you really like at the 25th overall receiver?

In mock drafts, as in real drafts, we all find out who we personally feel will be a player we want on our respective teams.

Last month, I selected one player from every round of the draft and talked about them. For this standard mock draft, I will do the same for the first 10 rounds again.

First Round:  Bears Running Back Matt Forte

I was surprised when Matt Forte dropped all the way to me at the seventh overall pick in this draft. I have rarely seen Forte drafted anywhere lower then fourth in most mock drafts and in just about any fantasy format.

This season is an interesting one, as there are about nine or 10 runners after "All Day" Adrian Peterson that could go at any time between second and tenth overall. This is the first time I've seen the first round move this way in a while.

My feeling on the reasoning for this is because the 2007 fantasy football season was a very bad one for running backs. Then in 2008, we had a bunch of rookie running backs taken in the first and second round of the NFL draft. With this movement in the league, it brought on a surge in young breakout talent that came onto the fantasy football scene.

Not to also add that Michael Turner had a huge year in his first season as a starter, LT had a down year, and Fred Taylor finally left Jacksonville, leaving MJD on his own.

With all this movement, all I can tell you is be ready for a player you didn't expect at this point of the draft to possibly come your way in 2009.

Second Round: Patriots Quarterback Tom Brady

Tom Brady was the first pick in the second round and the first quarterback to be selected in the draft as well. This pick also surprised me, as most mock drafts I've seen so far tend to have Drew Brees going hands down as the first quarterback for this season.

With that being said, I do believe Brady is ready to bounce back from his knee injury and lead the Patriots back to the Super Bowl. However, I do believe he will probably hit a stretch in the season when his knee gets a little tired. In that stretch, it will be interesting to see how fantasy football teams hold up, as they will pay a high price to draft him.

Third Round: Lions Running Back Kevin Smith

Some people laugh at Kevin Smith for things he comes out and says every now and then in the press. But in my mind, this guy never says anything but positive hopes for his team for the future.

I like this running back and the heart he runs with on the field. While he's not a very explosive player, he does seem to be a consistent player, as he showed in the second half of his rookie season.

Fourth Round: Buccaneers Running Back Derrick Ward

Just a couple weeks ago the Buccaneers were saying Derrick Ward would be the "feature player" in their offense for the 2009 season. But last week, they came out and said that Earnest Graham was going to be the first-team back when camp got started.

So far, I've seen nothing but mixed words out of this new coaching staff in Tampa Bay. I'm beginning to lose any faith in what I hear, and I am growing more cautious about drafting players on this team.

A lot has changed in the organization from the players to the coaches to the front office. If you draft any Buccaneer players on your team this year, I would do it later than the fourth round.

Fifth Round: Bengals Wide Receiver Chad "Twitter" Ochocinco

In June, Chad Ochocinco actually had me believing that this would be the season that he would turn things around and get down to business on the Bengals.

Boy, oh boy, was I wrong.

Now, he is coming out with this new Twitter joke he is pulling to get himself back in the media.

This guy has totally lost touch with the game and has been about self promotion for a few too many years. At one time, it was a funny side note when he would do something. But now it seems that all he cares about is telling us that he knows people like Denzel Washington.

If you take Ochocinco this year, I hope it is at a point in the draft when you can stomach him acting up during the season and not getting it done. The point is, you better have some other good receivers on your team so that if you have this guy, you can afford him busting as he did in 2008.

Sixth Round: Texans Quarterback Matt Schaub

While some people seem to be down on Matt Schaub because of injuries, I believe he and the rest of the Texans offensive players are primed for a fine season. Houston's offensive line is now actually a pretty good one, and I believe that Schaub will stay healthy this year.

Now that the Texans have a running back that defenses have to respect, look for the passing lanes (especially downfield) to open up, as defenders have to account for Steve Slaton in the back field.

Seventh Round: Ravens Running Back Ray Rice

I've liked Ray Rice since his days in college, as he had lots of success. Last year, he showed us flashes of what he can bring to the table at this level, and he will be helped this year by maybe the league's best offensive line.

His value has also taken a boost, as Willis McGahee has had two more offseason knee surgeries and was also put behind Ray on the practice depth chart. What I found interesting about that information is that McGahee didn't put up a fight over it in the press, because he has never been shy about letting the media know when he is not happy. For him to say nothing of an argument over this shows me he too must be concerned about his knee's health right now.

My only problem with Rice at this point in time is that Le'Ron McClain is still heads away the clear runner for touchdowns inside the red zone. Unless Rice can snag away some of those touchdown opportunities, he will be limited to yardage and the occasional long touchdown run.

Eighth Round: Jaguars Wide Receiver Torry Holt

There are a lot of people in the fantasy football world that believe the old man is washed up and is done for fantasy. While I have not been a fan of Torry Holt for the past two seasons, I do believe he is primed for a solid season in 2009.

My reasoning for this is that Holt's supporting cast was a complete joke in St. Louis the past few seasons. The main joke was the offensive line and the management's failure to add depth through the draft and in free agency.

With poor offensive line protection, Marc Bulger was pounded on again and again by opposing defenders. To be honest, I'm surprised that Bulger made it through those seasons and is still in the league.

Anyway this year Holt has a completely different situation in Jacksonville, as the Jags have a good line and David Garrard has the ability to buy time with his legs—unlike the immobile Bulger. He is also on a team that will be committed to getting the football to him, and that is something you definitely couldn't say about the Rams last year.

Ninth Round: Saints Wide Receiver Lance Moore

This one was a shocker to me, and for some reason, I didn't draft this guy. How a receiver like this drops to the ninth round in a 12-team league is beyond me.

For one, he is on the Saints with Drew Brees, and he also had 10 touchdowns last year. Beyond that, the team came out last week and told the press that Lance Moore's shoulder is now at full health after offseason surgery.

While I don't fully believe that, as I've had shoulder surgery myself and it is never 100 percent the way it used to be after surgery, I do believe it won't be an issue for this season.

In the end, I would expect this guy to go somewhere in the sixth round as the real drafts kick off and we are all playing for keeps. If you snag this guy lower than that, consider it a gift.

Tenth Round: Giants Wide Receiver Domenik Hixon

I must admit that I haven't really thought much of this receiver until this month. But as the months have gone on, I keep seeing this name come up, and I can't help but believe he could fill a niche for this team.

The Giants need a receiver that is best suited for Eli Manning, and that receiver needs to be big and have the ability to catch balls inside the red zone. While many may not think a ton of Hixon in the football world, he might come out and have a fine season for the New York Giants in 2009.

Around this point of a 12-team draft, Hixon may very well be worth a role of the dice, as he will probably not start on your team at the beginning of the season.

More Fantasy Football Information Notes

That wraps up covering the rounds, as I only intended to break down one player from the first 10 rounds of the fantasy football draft. But I have one other quick hitter I wanted to touch on as well.

Michael Vick is drafted in the 15th round

My only issue with this one is why didn't this team wait until their final pick in the 16th round to get this guy?

I must admit, I was a little surprised to see Vick drafted in a fantasy football draft again, especially since we don't even know how long he is going to be out once the commissioner is done with him.

In the end, this was just a mock draft, and I'm sure this fantasy owner probably won't draft him when the bell sounds and it's for real.

Wishing you success in the 2009 fantasy football season.

Fantasy Football Information Writer Sean E. Douglas: fantasy-info.com