2011 NFL Fantasy Football PPR Mock Draft Results: 1st Round

The second player selected overall in our 10 team mock draft was a name that might surprise you if you’ve failed to pay attention to his situation in recent weeks. Ravens running back Ray Rice has catapulted to a legit top three selection in PPR leagues, and if something should happen to Arian Foster in the coming week, I wouldn’t be surprised if you saw Rice as the top selection in this scoring format. Rice is Baltimore’s goal line back, and while his offensive line is a work in progress, he should benefit from the teams’ addition for deep threat Lee Evans on the outside.

Mock Results – Overall | 1st RD | 2nd RD | 3rd RD | 4th RD | 5th RD |

1. Arian Foster (ADP 1.5)—Concern started to grow about Arian Foster’s hamstring after he missed the first week of the preseason, but Foster came back as strong as ever against the Saints with two touchdowns on five carries. Look to Foster as the true number one pick in all fantasy scoring formats this summer.

2. Ray Rice (ADP 2.7)—The Ravens offensive line is a work in progress as the team signed tackle Bryant McKinnie and are crossing their fingers he can play adequately this season. The addition of Lee Evans will help Rice as the team finally has a deep threat that has sound chemistry with Joe Flacco and now defenses won’t get away with cheating against the run and short passing game.

While it’s hard to look past Jamaal Charles and Adrian Peterson with the second overall pick, I can’t blame this fantasy owner for taking Rice as he should have a great year. Oh, and it can’t be said enough, but Rice will be the team's goal line running back this year, so make sure you tab him for 10 plus touchdowns.

3. Andre Johnson (ADP 6.2)—As is evidence from Andre Johnson’s ADP listing, the third overall selection is a little high but in this league style, Johnson is an absolute beast and the clear top receiver. If you believe in reverse drafting (taking running backs after the first few rounds), it makes sense to target this receiver, but I would use that strategy only if you have a pick lower than the top five selections this year. Peterson, Foster, McCoy, Rice and Charles are too talented to pass on especially in PPR scoring leagues.

4. Adrian Peterson (ADP 2.3)—While Adrian Peterson is probably the most gifted running back not mired in a holdout, he’s going to run behind arguably the worst offensive line in football. Hopefully, Donovan McNabb still has something left in the tank because it will be hard for Peterson to find running lanes if he has a rookie under center.

 5. Jamaal Charles (ADP 4.6)—The Chiefs have looked horrible in recent preseason games, but Jamaal Charles should still be one of the elite runners in fantasy football. Now in his fourth season, Charles should be ready to take on a larger role in the Chiefs offense, and that means he will give you added production from his 2010 numbers. True, he won’t have the easiest schedule to run against this year, but as a mid-round pick, Charles would be a great value at this point in your draft.

6. LeSean McCoy (ADP 5.3)—While the Eagles may have their struggles early in the season, LeSean McCoy is set to be a PPR beast as is evidenced from his seven receptions in the team's third preseason game. McCoy may have his occasional injuries to play through and Ronnie Brown may steal a few touchdowns, but this running back is too good to pass in the first round.

7. Michael Vick (ADP 9.0)—It’s time to be concerned about Michael Vick’s odds of lasting through a full season, as the Eagles offensive line has been shaky once again this preseason. Vick has been knocked around, and it’s advisable that you target Vince Young in the final rounds of your draft, if you should go with Vick, because you’re looking to him for big points. Young has the ability to run the same offense as Vick, but one advantage Vick had when coming to the Eagles is that he spent all his years in Atlanta running the West Coast Offense. Young doesn’t have that familiarity, but he will have better weapons around him in the passing game than he had in Tennessee.

8. Chris Johnson (ADP 7.2)—Speaking of players from Tennessee, Chris Johnson is likely to miss time into the regular season as contract talks are reportedly going slowly. Johnson wants to be one of the top paid players in the game and not just the highest paid running back. That said, at this point in the first round, you’re getting a player who could have been the number one overall pick if he wasn’t holding out, so look to Johnson as a value in the later part of the first round.

9. Calvin Johnson (ADP 10.2)—I love Calvin Johnson as the top receiver to target in standard scoring formats, but he just doesn’t rack up enough receptions to warrant his ADP in PPR leagues, at this time. That said, if you want to lock up Johnson because you want to target receivers early in the draft, or have a few runners in mind for the early part of the second round, it’s best to lock Johnson up at this point.

10. Aaron Rodgers (ADP 13.9)—For my money, Aaron Rodgers has been the top quarterback on my cheat sheet all summer. Vick has too many problems with health, and teams seemed to figure out how to slow him down at the end of last season. Rodgers has a great team around him and will likely have a better season than a year ago, with all his weapons back.