2016 Fantasy Football Mock Draft: 4-Round Simulation with Notable Picks

The 2016 NFL regular season is less than two weeks away, which means time is running out for fans to draft their fantasy football squads for the campaign ahead.

The temptation for some is to select a team at the earliest convenience since it's a way to signal the new season is nearly upon us. Waiting until the last minute is arguably the smarter way to go, though.

Those who have yet to fill out their rosters have the benefit of an entire preseason to make judgments about players. Some proven stars are carrying injuries, while others may be falling out of favor with their head coaches.

Below is a mock draft for the first four rounds, plus a few players who are generating a lot of buzz.

Fantasy Football Mock Draft

Pick	Player	Team
1	Adrian Peterson, RB	Minnesota Vikings
2	Antonio Brown, WR	Pittsburgh Steelers
3	Odell Beckham Jr., WR	New York Giants
4	Todd Gurley, RB	Los Angeles Rams
5	Ezekiel Elliott, RB	Dallas Cowboys
6	Julio Jones, WR	Atlanta Falcons
7	A.J. Green, WR	Cincinnati Bengals
8	DeAndre Hopkins, WR	Houston Texans
9	David Johnson, RB	Arizona Cardinals
10	Devonta Freeman, RB	Atlanta Falcons
11	Dez Bryant, WR	Dallas Cowboys
12	Rob Gronkowski, TE	New England Patriots

Pick	Player	Position
1	Le'Veon Bell, RB	Pittsburgh Steelers
2	Lamar Miller, RB	Houston Texans
3	Cam Newton, QB	Carolina Panthers
4	Allen Robinson, WR	Jacksonville Jaguars
5	Doug Martin, RB	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
6	LeSean McCoy, RB	Buffalo Bills
7	Eddie Lacy, RB	Green Bay Packers
8	Brandon Marshall, WR	New York Jets
9	Aaron Rodgers, QB	Green Bay Packers
10	Mark Ingram, RB	New Orleans Saints
11	Alshon Jeffery, WR	Chicago Bears
12	Demaryius Thomas, WR	Denver Broncos

Pick	Player	Position
1	Jamaal Charles, RB	Kansas City Chiefs
2	Thomas Rawls, RB	Seattle Seahawks
3	Brandin Cooks, WR	New Orleans Saints
4	Sammy Watkins, WR	Buffalo Bills
5	Jordy Nelson, WR	Green Bay Packers
6	Mike Evans, WR	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
7	Amari Cooper, WR	Oakland Raiders
8	Jonathan Stewart, RB	Carolina Panthers
9	Keenan Allen, WR	San Diego Chargers
10	Carlos Hyde, RB	San Francisco 49ers
11	C.J. Anderson, RB	Denver Broncos
12	Jeremy Hill, RB	Cincinnati Bengals

Pick	Player	Position
1	Russell Wilson, QB	Seattle Seahawks
2	Drew Brees, QB	New Orleans Saints
3	Jordan Reed, TE	Washington Redskins
4	Andrew Luck, QB	Indianapolis Colts
5	Greg Olsen, TE	Carolina Panthers
6	Matt Forte, RB	New York Jets
7	Latavius Murray, RB	Oakland Raiders
8	Carson Palmer, QB	Arizona Cardinals
9	Delanie Walker, TE	Tennessee Titans
10	DeMarco Murray, RB	Tennessee Titans
11	Blake Bortles, QB	Jacksonville Jaguars
12	Tyrod Taylor, QB	Buffalo Bills

Notable Picks

Adrian Peterson, RB, Minnesota Vikings

Andy Clayton-King/Associated Press

A week ago, projecting Adrian Peterson to be the No. 1 overall pick would've been crazy. He's 31 years old with a lot of wear and tear on his body and plays a position where few players are productive at an elite level beyond their late 20s and early 30s.

Then, quarterback Teddy Bridgewater suffered a season-ending injury during practice Tuesday. Yahoo Sports' Brad Evans tweeted Peterson will now be one of the Minnesota Vikings' most important players:

The Vikings announced Saturday they traded for Sam Bradford, which represents an obvious upgrade over Shaun Hill. Bradford has dealt with injury issues of his own, and he's coming off a year in which he ranked 24th among qualified QBs in Football Outsiders' DYAR (defense-adjusted yards above replacement).

Whereas it looked like Peterson's role was ever so slightly diminishing, the Vikings could be returning to the days where he'll have to carry the offense on his back. It's not as if he's showing any signs of slowing down. He carried the ball 327 times for 1,485 yards and 11 touchdowns last year.

Of course, few expected Marshawn Lynch's decline to be so abrupt. Like Peterson, he appeared to be a safe option among the elite fantasy running backs.

There's always the chance Father Time catches up with Peterson or he suffers a serious injury that keeps him out of action for a long time. But no player is devoid of risk completely, and Peterson's record speaks for itself.

A strong case could be made that Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown is a better option at No. 1 overall, but Bridgewater's injury makes Peterson an even more valued fantasy commodity.

Blake Bortles, QB, Jacksonville Jaguars

Kathy Willens/Associated Press

In terms of actual performance, the 2015 season was a mixed bag for Blake Bortles. He ranked 31st among qualified quarterbacks in completion percentage (58.6), and he threw the most interceptions (18) in the league.

Pro Football Focus graded Bortles the 18th-best quarterback (80.1), and he was 25th among QBs in Football Outsiders' DYAR.

As a fantasy performer, the Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback far exceeded expectations. His 316.12 points were fourth at his position in NFL.com standard leagues. The 18 interceptions hurt his value, but he also threw for 4,428 yards and 35 touchdowns and ran for 310 yards and two TDs.

A quarterback's development doesn't always happen in a consistent upward arc. Just because Bortles showed improvement from his first year to his second doesn't mean his third year will represent more progress.

Still, the pieces are there for Bortles to at least post numbers similar to 2015. Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns represent one of the better one-two wide receiver combos in the league, and they have a strong rapport with their quarterback.

In an August interview with CBSSports.com's Pete Prisco, Bortles discussed how he, Robinson and Hurns have all bonded during their time in the NFL:

"

We were together 24-7 the first three months we were in Jacksonville. It was me, him and Hurns. We threw together at high schools. We stayed together at the hotel. We ate dinner together before any of us found a house. We rode the bus over (to team facility) in the morning. We were together 24-7 and it really created good chemistry. That's how we started building our relationship. We felt comfortable off the field that when we were on we already had a relationship, one where I could say I don't like that or he could say he didn't like something to me. That was important.

"

Depending on where he falls in the draft, Bortles could be a solid value pick. You shouldn't select him ahead of Cam Newton, Russell Wilson or Aaron Rodgers, who has a healthy Jordy Nelson back. As the fourth or fifth quarterback off the board, Bortles would be a smart gamble based on his ceiling.

If you do walk away with Bortles as your QB1, make sure you also select a backup with a little less risk in the chance Bortles regresses and you need to bench him.

Demaryius Thomas, WR, Denver Broncos

David Zalubowski/Associated Press

For most wideouts, catching 105 passes for 1,304 yards and six touchdowns would be healthy production. For Demaryius Thomas, the 2015 season was a disappointment.

Six TD receptions were a relatively significant decline for a player who caught 10, 14 and 11 touchdowns between 2012 and 2014, respectively. Despite his talent, Thomas wasn't immune from the impact Peyton Manning and Brock Osweiler's inconsistency had on the passing game.

As a result, Thomas might be undervalued heading into the 2016 season. In ESPN.com leagues, he's the 16th wide receiver off the board on average.

There's no question the Broncos offense is in flux. The team will start Trevor Siemian, a 2015 seventh-round draft pick who has yet to throw a pass in an NFL regular-season game. His backup, Paxton Lynch, is a rookie who was largely thought of as more of a long-term project coming out of college.

Given that, it's easy to see why fantasy owners are lukewarm on Thomas' potential this year. Still, he has plenty to offer and should be at least a low-end WR1. He was the 12th-highest-scoring wide receiver in NFL.com standard leagues a year ago.

Thomas has averaged 1,446 yards a year since 2012, when Manning arrived in the Mile High City. Although his days as an elite fantasy wideout are likely gone, he's a safer option than some of the receivers going ahead of him, such as Sammy Watkins, Keenan Allen and Brandin Cooks.