Fantasy Football 2015: 4-Round Mock, Team Names to Consider Before Draft Day

If you have not drafted well through the first four rounds of your fantasy football draft, chances are your team is toast.

Sure, there is plenty of value to be found in the mid-to-late rounds, but you expect your first few picks to be the anchors for your team, bringing in the most points on a weekly basis. How many fantasy owners won their leagues after drafting Adrian Peterson in the first round?

Peterson is a perfect example of how even the surest thing can fall apart and cripple your team.

You want to handle the first few rounds of your draft with the utmost care. Sometimes bad luck happens, but don't blow your draft because you reached for a star too early. Save those for a little later.

Below is a four-round mock draft, followed by four players who could provide some extra value for your team in the event your top picks are busts.

Mock Draft

Pick	Player	Pos.	Team
Round 1
1	Adrian Peterson	RB	Minnesota Vikings
2	Jamaal Charles	RB	Kansas City Chiefs
3	Eddie Lacy	RB	Green Bay Packers
4	Le'Veon Bell	RB	Pittsburgh Steelers
5	Matt Forte	RB	Chicago Bears
6	Marshawn Lynch	RB	Seattle Seahawks
7	Antonio Brown	WR	Pittsburgh Steelers
8	C.J. Anderson	RB	Denver Broncos
9	Aaron Rodgers	QB	Green Bay Packers
10	DeMarco Murray	RB	Philadelphia Eagles
11	LeSean McCoy	RB	Buffalo Bills
12	Dez Bryant	WR	Dallas Cowboys
Round 2
13	Jeremy Hill	RB	Cincinnati Bengals
14	Demaryius Thomas	WR	Denver Broncos
15	Andrew Luck	QB	Indianapolis Colts
16	Odell Beckham Jr.	WR	New York Giants
17	Rob Gronkowski	TE	New England Patriots
18	Julio Jones	WR	Atlanta Falcons
19	A.J. Green	WR	Cincinnati Bengals
20	Calvin Johnson	WR	Detroit Lions
21	Alshon Jeffery	WR	Chicago Bears
22	T.Y. Hilton	WR	Indianapolis Colts
23	Mike Evans	WR	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
24	Alfred Morris	RB	Washington Redskins
Round 3
25	Russell Wilson	QB	Seattle Seahawks
26	Melvin Gordon	RB	San Diego Chargers
27	Frank Gore	RB	Indianapolis Colts
28	Lamar Miller	RB	Miami Dolphins
29	Emmanuel Sanders	WR	Denver Broncos
30	Frank Gore	RB	Indianapolis Colts
31	Latavius Murray	RB	Oakland Raiders
32	Brandin Cooks	WR	New Orleans Saints
33	Jordan Matthews	WR	Philadelphia Eagles
34	Andre Ellington	RB	Arizona Cardinals
35	Jonathan Stewart	RB	Carolina Panthers
36	Jimmy Graham	TE	Seattle Seahawks
Round 4
37	T.J. Yeldon	RB	Jacksonville Jaguars
38	DeAndre Hopkins	WR	Houston Texans
39	Andre Johnson	WR	Indianapolis Colts
40	Joseph Randle	RB	Dallas Cowboys
41	Ameer Abdullah	RB	Detroit Lions
42	Amari Cooper	WR	Oakland Raiders
43	Julian Edelman	WR	New England Patriots
44	Peyton Manning	QB	Denver Broncos
45	Ben Roethlisberger	QB	Pittsburgh Steelers
46	Keenan Allen	WR	San Diego Chargers
47	Golden Tate	WR	Detroit Lions
48	Greg Olsen	TE	Chicago Bears

Value Picks in Later Rounds

Nelson Agholor, WR, Philadelphia Eagles

Matt Rourke/Associated Press

Amari Cooper will in all likelihood be the first rookie wideout selected in your draft. However, don't be surprised if Nelson Agholor boasts the better fantasy numbers, at least in 2015.

The Philadelphia Eagles have to compensate for Jeremy Maclin's absence this year. That's 1,318 yards and 10 touchdowns they're not getting back.

While Agholor won't start the year as Philly's top target in the passing game, the team didn't select him in the first round of the draft so he could languish on the bench in his rookie season. It would appear the Eagles firmly view him as a key figure in their offense, per Mike Clay of Pro Football Focus:

In addition, offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur has been pleased with Agholor's progression in preseason, per the Eagles' official Twitter account:

While you worry about the health of Sam Bradford, the Eagles receivers still put together good numbers in 2014 with Mark Sanchez playing half the year.

Agholor should develop into a fringe WR1/above-average WR2 in his first season.

Jonas Gray, RB, New England Patriots

Charles Krupa/Associated Press

After nearly eight months, it would seem Jonas Gray is finally out of Bill Belichick's doghouse. The New England Patriots running back has 19 carries for 107 yards and a touchdown so far in the preseason.

"I try not to focus on last year," Gray said in June, per Andy Hart of Patriots Football Weekly. "I did take some things away from it. But I know this is a new year, clean slate. I’m looking forward to the opportunity."

With LeGarrette Blount suspended for the Patriots' season opener, Gray should have a great chance to impress Belichick all over again. Even if it isn't enough to unseat Blount as the top running back on the depth chart, he could prove why he deserves to get consistent touches throughout the year.

Gray could emerge as a solid flex option for your fantasy team.

Torrey Smith, WR, San Francisco 49ers

Ben Margot/Associated Press

Torrey Smith is the downfield threat the San Francisco 49ers have needed for years. Unfortunately, he arrives just as a mass exodus of players and personnel leave the 49ers in serious trouble for 2015.

You worry whether Colin Kaepernick's erratic nature might hinder Smith's fantasy value, but Joe Flacco was far from a pillar of consistency, either, and Smith was, for the most part, a solid WR2 for the Baltimore Ravens.

Smith should also have a starring role in San Francisco's passing game with Michael Crabtree gone and Anquan Boldin turning 35 in October.

Don't discount the notion the 49ers could be playing from behind a lot this season, either. That would mean taking more risks downfield to score quickly, which could then translate to big points for owners who started Smith.

Derek Carr, QB, Oakland Raiders

Tony Avelar/Associated Press

In general, it will be a good idea to wait on a quarterback in this year's draft since you can find really good options in the later rounds, allowing you to land quality players at more scarce positions. If you want to really take a gamble, you can bet on Derek Carr emerging as a QB1 in 2015 and wait really long to draft a quarterback.

Carr was the highest-scoring rookie quarterback last year, which admittedly isn't saying much. He finished 20th overall on NFL.com.

Carr should naturally progress in Year 2, and he now has a bona fide No. 1 wideout in Cooper. The Oakland Raiders also signed Michael Crabtree, who for all of his faults is still an upgrade over what they had last year.

If Carr was good enough to be a backup last year, he could flirt with QB1 status in 2015 when taking into account the factors listed above.

Potential Team Names

• T.J. Well Done
• Gurley You Can't Be Serious
• Steve Smith Senior Citizens
• Sgoreboard
• It's a Traepernick

If you have additional—and likely better—suggestions for team names, leave them in the comment section below.