2015 Fantasy Football Mock Draft: Ideal Scenarios, Selections for 12-Team League

Now that dress rehearsals have concluded following Week 3 of the NFL preseason, football fans can use the last week of the exhibition phase to make final preparations for their fantasy drafts.

Different but similar to how all 32 teams will be agonizing over decisions while trimming their rosters to 53 players, fantasy owners are going to be on the clock faced with difficult dilemmas of their own. Building the perfect team is what everyone prepares for, but strategy changes once the countdown starts.

Below is an overview of a hypothetical 12-team fantasy draft for four rounds, followed by some more detailed analysis and rationale for the picks.

Round 1	Position	Player	Team
Round 2	Position	Player	Team
Round 3	Position	Player	Team
Round 4	Position	Player	Team
1	RB	Marshawn Lynch	Seattle Seahawks
2	RB	Jamaal Charles	Kansas City Chiefs
3	RB	Matt Forte	Chicago Bears
4	RB	Adrian Peterson	Minnesota Vikings
5	RB	Le'Veon Bell	Pittsburgh Steelers
6	RB	LeSean McCoy	Buffalo Bills
7	RB	DeMarco Murray	Philadelphia Eagles
8	RB	Eddie Lacy	Green Bay Packers
9	WR	Julio Jones	Atlanta Falcons
10	WR	Randall Cobb	Green Bay Packers
11	QB	Andrew Luck	Indianapolis Colts
12	QB	Aaron Rodgers	Green Bay Packers
13	WR	Dez Bryant	Dallas Cowboys
14	WR	Demaryius Thomas	Denver Broncos
15	RB	Lamar Miller	Miami Dolphins
16	RB	Jonathan Stewart	Carolina Panthers
17	WR	Antonio Brown	Pittsburgh Steelers
18	TE	Rob Gronkowski	New England Patriots
19	WR	Calvin Johnson	Detroit Lions
20	WR	A.J. Green	Cincinnati Bengals
21	QB	Russell Wilson	Seattle Seahawks
22	WR	Odell Beckham Jr.	New York Giants
23	QB	Peyton Manning	Denver Broncos
24	WR	T.Y. Hilton	Indianapolis Colts
25	WR	Jeremy Maclin	Kansas City Chiefs
26	WR	DeAndre Hopkins	Houston Texans
27	RB	Carlos Hyde	San Francisco 49ers
28	WR	Mike Evans	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
29	RB	Justin Forsett	Baltimore Ravens
30	TE	Jimmy Graham	Seattle Seahawks
31	RB	C.J. Anderson	Denver Broncos
32	RB	Andre Ellington	Arizona Cardinals
33	RB	Alfred Morris	Washington
34	WR	Golden Tate	Detroit Lions
35	RB	Jeremy Hill	Cincinnati Bengals
36	RB	Mark Ingram	New Orleans Saints
37	TE	Greg Olsen	Carolina Panthers
38	WR	Jordan Matthews	Philadelphia Eagles
39	WR	Emmanuel Sanders	Denver Broncos
40	QB	Ben Roethlisberger	Pittsburgh Steelers
41	QB	Drew Brees	New Orleans Saints
42	QB	Tony Romo	Dallas Cowboys
43	WR	Brandin Cooks	New Orleans Saints
44	TE	Travis Kelce	Kansas City Chiefs
45	WR	DeSean Jackson	Washington
46	QB	Matt Ryan	Atlanta Falcons
47	RB	Rashad Jennings	New York Giants
48	WR	Sammy Watkins	Buffalo Bills

Picking up at least one stellar running back is vital to the foundation of a fantasy team. This is ideally done within the opening two rounds, but those in a snake draft format often get the first shot at the top-tier wideouts and quarterbacks.

The NFL has become such a pass-crazy league, mandating depth at wide receiver and increasing the prominence of tight ends in fantasy drafts. Although QBs can be had at strong value in later rounds, it's never a bad investment to take a plunge toward the beginning on a durable, elite-level signal-caller.

Let's take a brief look at each team chosen in the mock.

Team 1: "Beast Mode" Activated

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This owner tabs a known commodity, a workhorse back and a Super Bowl champion in Marshawn Lynch of the Seattle Seahawks to kick off the draft. Seattle has a run-first mentality on offense and nary a capable backup, which means Lynch is all but guaranteed a big year if he remains healthy.

Next the direction shifts to two versatile receivers in T.Y. Hilton and Jeremy Maclin. Both are coming off career years, can make things happen in space, are solid deep threats and ought to be the top targets on their respective teams. Not a bad haul.

Maclin provides reason for optimism in discussing his chemistry with QB Alex Smith, per ESPN.com's Adam Teicher (h/t CBS Sports.com's Michael Hurcomb):

"

I think me and Alex are off to a great start. I think our comfort level with each other is pretty high. It kind of feels like this is not our first rodeo. I think we've hooked up a lot in practice on timing, on plays where he is just kind of throwing the ball and trusting me to make the play and stuff like that. I think we want to continue to get better, but I think we’re off to a great, great start.

"

Although Team 1 forgoes the quarterback spot for now, Round 5 or 6 figures to offer a nice bargain in the form of someone such as Cam Newton or Sam Bradford. Newton is an ideal pairing with Greg Olsen, though an RB2 should also be paramount.

Team 2: AFC West Is Best

Jamaal Charles may not be the biggest ball-carrier in the NFL, but he makes up for it with tremendous speed and quickness. The Kansas City Chiefs cornerstone is also a threat as a pass-catcher, which is all the better with a game-managing QB in Alex Smith often looking for checkdowns.

Legendary field general Peyton Manning is a bold choice in the second round. If he can avoid being too banged up in 2015, though, he figures to light up the scoreboard time and again as per usual.

A couple of wise choices follow in DeAndre Hopkins—the Houston Texans' clear No. 1 receiver whose targets will increase in RB Arian Foster's absence—and Rashad Jennings. Injuries stopped Jennings from making an impact with the New York Giants in 2014, so this owner feels he'll bounce back and be a dependable RB2.

Team 3: Nowhere to Hyde

Following the exit of head coach Jim Harbaugh and running back Frank Gore, as well as sudden retirements from key players, the San Francisco 49ers are in a precarious position entering 2015. Look for Carlos Hyde to pound the rock in an effort to take pressure off Colin Kaepernick.

Bleacher Report's Ian Wharton trusts in Hyde and shows off one example of the former Ohio State star's burst:

In case that savvy third-round fantasy selection doesn't work out, Team 3's owner did well to land Matt Forte, who had 1,846 yards from scrimmage in 2014.

This owner doesn't believe Giants stud Odell Beckham Jr. will have a sophomore slump. Beckham is entering his second year in a system he was unstoppable in as a rookie after all. Fantasy faith also implies Atlanta Falcons three-time Pro Bowler Matt Ryan delivers big under new play-caller Kyle Shanahan and a better rushing attack to complement him.

Team 4: The Outliers

This squad's playful moniker applies in different ways to the players involved. Team 4's owner will be most pleased with the concoction that's been created by the following quartet.

Adrian Peterson is simply the most gifted running back in recent memory. Mike Evans probably shouldn't have been able to transition from an air-raid college offense to instant NFL success, but that's what a 6'5", 231-pound frame and 4.53-second 40-yard dash speed can do for oneself.

Seahawks signal-caller Russell Wilson is the epitome of a dual threat who is shorter than 6'0" and slid to the third round in the 2012 NFL draft but has proved to be among the best at his position. That's why he garners early fantasy consideration despite Seattle's aforementioned heavy reliance on Lynch.

Then, of course, Washington's DeSean Jackson dropped to the middle of the second round in his draft class, mostly because of a rather slender frame (5'10", 178 lbs). Jackson's world-class speed translated to 20.9 yards per catch and 1,169 yards receiving last season.

Team 5: Kings of the North

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Something about Game of Thrones and the gridiron seem to go well together, especially because of the fantasy elements incorporated into the popular HBO TV show.

Team 5 puts the AFC North's talent pool to good use. Despite a two-game suspension to start the season, Le'Veon Bell will still salvage a great year if his 2,215 total yards from a year ago serve as any indication.

Another back in the division trying to follow up a breakout campaign is Baltimore's Justin Forsett. Cincinnati star A.J. Green is entering a contract year and will most certainly be on his A-game in anticipation of a big payday.

Since Kansas City doesn't have a clear-cut No. 2 wideout yet, Team 5 is smart to jump on the Travis Kelce bandwagon. All the club needs is a QB—perhaps the overlooked Bengals leader who counts on Green often in Andy Dalton.

Team 6: The Real McCoy

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A shocking trade saw LeSean McCoy migrate from Philadelphia to Buffalo this offseason. Given Bills coach Rex Ryan's penchant for grounding and pounding, one can bet McCoy will have plenty of touches to help debut starting QB Tyrod Taylor.

Detroit's Calvin Johnson and new Seahawk Jimmy Graham may be the biggest physical freaks at their respective positions in the NFL. Team 6 has to be loving that.

Graham's departure from New Orleans dwindled down elite QB Drew Brees' supporting cast even further. While that diminishes Brees' own fantasy value, his prospective leading receiver in Brandin Cooks should see his stock soar on fantasy draft day.

Team 7: Cowboys and Eagles and Gronks, Oh My

The Eagles made headlines by stealing reigning NFL rushing champion DeMarco Murray from NFC East rival Dallas. The good news for Team 7's fantasy owner, though? He can feel comfortable putting Murray and Cowboys QB Tony Romo on the same side in fantasy.

A second-round choice of New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski is rather bold. One big positive is Gronkowski stayed on the field in 2014 and posted the second 1,000-yard season of his young career.

Going in on Gronk means C.J. Anderson is Team 7's RB2. Anderson helped transform the Broncos' offensive identity when Manning struggled last year, and there aren't many better picks to be had in that spot.

Team 8: Packer Power

Eddie Lacy packs a punch when he makes contact with defenders. The Green Bay bruiser has rushed for over 1,000 yards in each of his first two seasons and has 77 receptions in that span. He's definitely a good choice at eighth overall.

All Steelers wideout Antonio Brown did in 2014 was lead all of football in receiving yards. Look for him to continue feasting on opposing secondaries. A fast start is likelier because of the four-game suspension of teammate Martavis Bryant.

Arizona's suspect offensive line is a valid concern for those daring enough to draft Andre Ellington. No one can deny the big-play ability and upside Ellington flashed as a rookie in 2013, though, when he averaged 5.5 yards per carry.

Team 8 is counting on Brees to carry the load for the Saints. If their defense doesn't improve, at least Brees will still be throwing a lot in playing from behind.

Team 9: J Work

Often reserved for a made jump shot in basketball, Team 9's nickname applies in its first two picks of Falcons star Julio Jones and Carolina Panthers RB Jonathan Stewart.

Jones is among the top pass-catchers to invest in for keeper leagues in particular. He's a mere 26 years old and is guaranteed to play with Ryan for the foreseeable future. As for Stewart, he healed up at long last to help push Carolina to the most recent NFC South title and is a premier talent when healthy.

Among the elite QBs, Ben Roethlisberger gets some of the least acclaim. That suits Team 9 just fine as Big Ben falls into place in the third round of fantasy.

The flier on Alfred Morris depends on him as the centerpiece of Washington's offense with Kirk Cousins taking over the show for Robert Griffin III. Cousins has a 2-7 record as starter, so it wouldn't be a surprise to see Morris be the bell cow.

Team 10: The 2-for-1 Specials

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Golden Tate and Emmanuel Sanders aren't the best receivers on their respective teams. They're darn good, though, and benefit from Johnson and Demaryius Thomas attracting double coverage. That inflates their fantasy value to the WR1 level.

And now that Jordy Nelson is down for the year with a torn ACL, Randall Cobb is the proverbial man in Green Bay's high-octane passing attack triggered by Aaron Rodgers. Cobb likely would have been second fiddle to Nelson if the latter hadn't suffered an injury.

Looking at Lamar Miller's resume on the surface, he appears to be an RB2. He was no better than that last year en route to two 100-yard rushing games, but the Miami Dolphins could well take the next step in 2015 with Miller enjoying his best season yet.

Team 11: Make Your Own Luck

The first quarterback off the board is Indianapolis Colts face of the franchise Andrew Luck. Armed with a plethora of new weapons in Andre Johnson, Phillip Dorsett and Duron Carter to go with incumbents Hilton and Donte Moncrief, how is Luck going to be stopped?

Even lackluster pass protection won't matter as much for Luck as most others. He has deceptive speed and plenty of size to absorb punishment in the pocket. With such a loaded supporting cast, Luck can get the ball out of his hands and to his playmakers in space more easily as well.

Jordan Matthews appears to be in line for a No. 1 receiver role in Philadelphia, while Jeremy Hill figures to cement himself above Giovani Bernard as the Bengals' top back. And, of course, Demaryius Thomas will be Manning's go-to man in the Mile High City.

Team 12: Mr. Rodgers' Neighborhood

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Until Aaron Rodgers ceases to play like arguably the game's best QB, Green Bay can't be dismissed to repeat as NFC North winners despite a subpar defense. Rodgers will elevate the play of those around him in Nelson's absence and keep the Packers offense operating smoothly.

One has to love Dez Bryant's chances of thriving again in 2015 after leading the league in receiving touchdowns last season and getting paid in July. A less reliable running game means Romo will air it out to Bryant, as he shakes off the "non-catch" against Green Bay in the postseason.

Despite missing three games this last season, Mark Ingram registered 964 yards rushing and established himself in a feature role in New Orleans. Brees' depleted receiving corps boosts Ingram's fantasy value, meaning Team 12 gets great value in Round 3.

The Bills' passing attack is a wild card with Taylor's tenure getting underway. After being outperformed as a rookie by fellow high first-round picks in Evans and Beckham, don't be surprised if Sammy Watkins goes off in 2015 and ascends to WR1 status in the process.