Fantasy Football 2015: 2-Round Mock Draft and QB Rankings

Fantasy football drafts are the most important factor owners must knock out of the park to stand a chance in any league.

While trades, waiver-wire additions, handcuffs and many other strategies will come into play during the regular season, all of those things combined cannot overcome a poor base roster to start the year.

With the wealth of information available to owners these days, there's no excuse for going into a draft unprepared. It also means drafts might be more difficult than ever. To stem the tide, here's a look at a mock draft based on projections for a 12-team standard league and a closer examination of one of fantasy's most difficult positions: quarterback.

2-Round Mock Draft

Pick	Name	Pos./Team
1.01	Le'Veon Bell	RB, Pittsburgh Steelers
1.02	Adrian Peterson	RB, Minnesota Vikings
1.03	Jamaal Charles	RB, Kansas City Chiefs
1.04	Marshawn Lynch	RB, Seattle Seahawks
1.05	Antonio Brown	WR, Pittsburgh Steelers
1.06	CJ Anderson	RB, Denver Broncos
1.07	Dez Bryant	WR, Dallas Cowboys
1.08	DeMarco Murray	RB, Dallas Cowboys
1.09	Odell Beckham Jr.	WR, New York Giants
1.10	LeSean McCoy	RB, Buffalo Bills
1.11	Jeremy Hill	RB, Cincinnati Bengals
1.12	Demaryius Thomas	WR, Denver Broncos
2.01	Matt Forte	RB, Chicago Bears
2.02	Rob Gronkowski	TE, New England Patriots
2.03	Calvin Johnson	WR, Detroit Lions
2.04	Aaron Rodgers	QB, Green Bay Packers
2.05	A.J. Green	WR, Cincinnati Bengals
2.06	Julio Jones	WR, Atlanta Falcons
2.07	Andrew Luck	QB, Indianapolis Colts
2.08	Justin Forsett	RB, Baltimore Ravens
2.09	Jordy Nelson	WR, Green Bay Packers
2.10	Alshon Jeffery	WR, Chicago Bears
2.11	Lamar Miller	RB, Miami Dolphins
2.12	Mike Evans	WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Notable Picks

1.02. Adrian Peterson, RB, Minnesota Vikings

It's not easy to get behind the idea of picking Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson early, but it's one owners need to come to terms with. The nature of fantasy football necessitates such a risk.

Peterson showed up in one game last year and hasn't seen the field since. He's either fresh and ready to roll or rusty and will look rough. For a 30-year-old back with multiple touchdowns in every season dating back to 2007 before last year, owners don't have a choice.

Just six running backs scored more than 200 points last year. None of them is a sure thing to do so again given the nature of the position. In a way, Peterson's in a better situation than most after a year off. 

It helps that he returns to a team with a newfound balance, with sophomore Teddy Bridgewater under center and a reliable deep threat in Mike Wallace. Given the situation as a whole and Peterson's track record, owners cannot afford to pass on a potential 200 or more points.

1.11. Jeremy Hill, RB, Cincinnati Bengals

John Minchillo/Associated Press

It would be wise for owners to capitalize on one of fantasy's biggest sleepers before his average draft position rises too much.

Cincinnati Bengals running back Jeremy Hill carries an ADP of 1.12 right now, as owners seem to favor more recognizable names such as Matt Forte, C.J. Anderson and more.

It's a mistake. Hill was the 10th-highest-scoring back in fantasy last year as a rookie, and what folks forget is that he received more than 10 carries once over the course of his first six games while the coaching staff eased him into the pro level.

There aren't any training wheels this year. Hill exploded once the coaching staff decided to lean on him and put up gaudy numbers against any and all defenses, finishing with 1,124 yards and nine scores on a 5.1 per-carry average. He even ranked fifth on the team in targets.

Cincinnati didn't do anything to add competition in the backfield this offseason for a reason. Hill looks like a workhorse guaranteed to outplay his ADP.

QB Rankings

Rank	Name	Team
1	Aaron Rodgers	Green Bay Packers
2	Andrew Luck	Indianapolis Colts
3	Russell Wilson	Seattle Seahawks
4	Ben Roethlisberger	Pittsburgh Steelers
5	Peyton Manning	Denver Broncos
6	Drew Brees	New Orleans Saints
7	Tony Romo	Dallas Cowboys
8	Matt Ryan	Atlanta Falcons
9	Cam Newton	Carolina Panthers
10	Tom Brady	New England Patriots
11	Matthew Stafford	Detroit Lions
12	Ryan Tannehill	Miami Dolphins
13	Eli Manning	New York Giants
14	Philip Rivers	San Diego Chargers
15	Sam Bradford	Philadelphia Eagles
16	Teddy Bridgewater	Minnesota Vikings
17	Derek Carr	Oakland Raiders
18	Jameis Winston	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
19	Carson Palmer	Arizona Cardinals
20	Andy Dalton	Cincinnati Bengals

Notable High-Value QBs

12. Ryan Tannehill, Miami Dolphins

Lynne Sladky/Associated Press

In normal 12-team leagues, Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill carries an ADP of 9.06. 

Also a mistake.

It seems owners forgot Tannehill scored the ninth-most points at the position last year, ahead of names like Eli Manning and Tony Romo, two players who continue to come off the boards higher than him this summer.

Tannehill did his damage last year with a rather iffy supporting cast, completing 66.4 percent of his passes and tossing 27 scores. This year, he gets new additions such as reliable veteran Greg Jennings, proven deep threat Kenny Stills and high-profile rookie DeVante Parker.

It isn't easy to figure out where Tannehill peaks, but at a position where it's smarter to wait and find high-upside players, he's perhaps the best option of all.

13. Eli Manning, New York Giants

Frank Victores/Associated Press

Eli Manning was one of the nicer surprises last year, scoring the 10th-most points at the position.

Manning had two new things going for him. One was the new West Coast offense installed by offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo. Two was a guy by the name of Odell Beckham.

Both of those factors figure to help Manning even more this season. For one, Beckham played in only 12 games as a rookie. Two, another year in the pass-happy system means an improvement, and coach Tom Coughlin said the team continues to install more deep-pass looks this preseason.

"We've got a chance now for another week of practice, moving forward with installations and a chance to do some things with the ball down the field much more than we had right now," Coughlin said, per Tom Rock of Newsday.

Manning has monster upside in 2015 despite his name recognition. If owners want to wait on a quarterback while stocking up at other positions, the veteran going into his second year in a productive offense with one of the best receivers in the game looks like a great add.

All ADP info courtesy of Fantasy Football Calculator. All scoring info courtesy of ESPN standard leagues, as is points-against info and ownership stats as of August 17. Statistics courtesy of ESPN.