Adam Abshier

Article / Updated 01-03-2024

When you are approaching the end of your fantasy football season, if it has gone well, you may be in contention to make the playoffs. If that's the case, congratulations! Bragging rights are what this game is all about, and you are one step closer to achieving the ultimate prize. If not, don't feel bad. There's always next year, and most leagues include a consolation playoff so you can at least one up a few of your friends or co-workers — even if your season didn't go as planned. No matter how your season ended, you need to know how fantasy football playoffs work, so you can pursue a league championship. Credit: ©iStockphoto.com/zentilia Fantasy football playoff trophies await league winners. Fantasy football playoff rules and structure Generally, the teams with the best records will make the playoffs. In some leagues with divisions, that may not be the case. In leagues without divisions, the teams with the best records will advance to the playoffs. Leagues that include divisions will usually have two or three divisions and operate like the NFL to determine which teams make the playoffs. The team with the best record in the division will advance, even if it doesn't have one of the best overall records league-wide. In leagues with divisions, there will usually be one or two wildcard teams that will earn their positions from win/loss records among the rest of the non-division winners. Division winners always have a higher seed than wild card teams. The team with the best record will be the 1st seed in the playoffs. If your league has divisions, this team would have, coincidentally, won its division as well. Another divisional winner with the next best record will be the 2nd seed, and so on. If your league does not have divisions, the remaining seeds will be determined by overall win/loss records. In the event that two or more teams have identical win/loss records at the end of the fantasy football regular season, a tie-breaking system will determine their position. Most leagues use a standard tie-breaking system, and it goes as follows: Overall points scored Head-to-head record Division record Overall points against Coin flip Fantasy football playoff formats In a standard league, four teams will make the playoffs. In this case, the 1st seed will play the 4th seed, and the 2nd seed will play the 3rd seed. The winners of these two matchups will go on to the next week to play for the league championship; the losers will play for 3rd place. In some deeper leagues with 12 or more teams, 6 teams can make the playoffs, introducing the need for bye weeks. Bye weeks act similar to the NFL playoff bye weeks. The 1st and 2nd seeded teams will not have to play the 1st round; instead they automatically advance to the 2nd round and will play the winners of the 1st round. The consolation playoffs work similar to the regular playoffs in seeding and bracket style. In most leagues, the fantasy playoffs will begin week 13 or 14 of the NFL season. Standard leagues (four team playoffs) will use the following two weeks for the playoffs, and larger leagues with six teams may continue playing all the way through week 17. However, most leagues omit week 17 (and some even week 16) to prevent unfair play from NFL teams resting players for their real playoffs. Nobody wants to have their playoffs ruined by a resting player. For example, if Peyton Manning is on your team and has dominated the entire season, your fantasy football championship can be decided by having to scramble for a backup quarterback (QB) because Manning is resting during week 17. To best prepare for the fantasy football playoffs, be sure to read your league rules to understand how the playoffs are set up. Ask your commissioner if you have any questions such as the number of teams that can qualify, the playoff schedule, rules around wavier picks and trading, and so on. Strategies for winning fantasy football playoffs If you have made the playoffs, you will need to continue to monitor and adjust your lineup carefully if you want to win your league's championship. Weekly matchups, weather, and players on teams actually fighting for real playoff spots (or not) should be considered now more than ever. Late in the season, teams that play in the north will be playing in the cold and perhaps snow so certain positions should be chosen with caution. Games played with precipitation and/or extreme cold favor the running game, whereas games played in good weather or domes generally favor passing and kicking. Some players thrive in bad weather, though, so an in-depth knowledge of your own players will prove to be an advantage either way. You'll also want to familiarize yourself with your league's playoff rules if you haven't already. Many league's final trade deadlines are during this week, and it could be your last chance to really strengthen up your roster for a championship run. You could also try picking up free-agent players you think your opponent may want, to prevent them from filling holes in their lineup that may arise come playoff time. Finally, just continue to do what got yourself in this position. Don't overthink your decisions and just continue with the players that got you here, barring injury or other player circumstance. If you need to make starting roster adjustments, hopefully you have made good moves throughout the season and have viable bench players to replace any player that is inactive or consistently infective. Roster depth cannot be underestimated come playoff time so you should be actively trying to improve your team the entire season.

Article / Updated 08-28-2023

So, you want to join a keeper league but you are not quite sure about how it works, the keeper league rules, or if it's for you? If this sounds about right, keep reading. Keeper leagues offer fantasy football owners the opportunity to keep a certain amount of players from year to year. Retaining players helps maintain continuity with each team and offers a new interesting dynamic for fantasy football. Keeper leagues bring new and exciting gameplay and lets owners "build" a team over the course of many seasons. If you play your cards right, you can create a winning tradition and become a dynasty in your league for years to come. Sometimes the season may not go as you planned, and keeper leagues open up a new dimension to strategy that traditional leagues simply do not offer. If it becomes clear that your team is not going to be competing for trophies, the best you could do in a traditional league is be a good sport and try to play the spoiler role, or win your consolation playoffs. In keeper leagues, you could instead focus on how to make your team better for future seasons. You could trade off one of your older, more productive veterans to teams competing for the playoffs, for one of their younger rising stars. There are many different ways to approach and be successful in a keeper league; keeping both the present and future in mind is always important. How keeper leagues work Keeper leagues work virtually the same as a normal fantasy league, except that each team gets to keep a certain number of players from year to year. Each fantasy owner will get to select which players they get to keep, and teams will keep the same number of players in most cases. In the first season, the draft is performed as any other fantasy draft would be. Depending on the league rules, typically five to ten players are kept from each team, and all other available players, plus any rookies, will be available for the next available draft. In the extreme, dynasty leagues offer a chance for fantasy owners to keep all of the players from last season, and only rookies are drafted. There are many different ways to implement keeper leagues — and no single correct way. Discuss the idea with your fellow league members, and decide what works best for you. Common keeper league rules In addition to keeping players from year to year, fantasy football keeper leagues can offer a wide array of other options and rules. Stipulations on keeping a player are commonly based on his tenure, total team tenure, draft position, or player salary, among other criteria in certain leagues. Player tenure is a concept that means a player can only be kept for a fixed number of seasons before he has to be released back into the free agent pool to be redrafted. For example, a league might have rules that simply state "All teams can keep up to five players, but no player can be kept for more than four seasons in a row." Team tenure is a concept that increases cost the longer a certain player is on the team. Instead of being allowed a fixed number of players, a team is allowed a fixed number of seasons during which they could keep any combination of players. For example, if the fixed number was ten seasons, you could keep one player ten years in a row, or ten players for one year, or any combination in between. Draft position is a way of associating cost with the player whom is being kept. Generally, if you keep a player who was drafted in the first round of last season, you will have to give up your first-round pick of this seasons draft. Some leagues even stipulate that certain top-tier rounds cannot be kept, or have a high cost associated with them in auction leagues, particularly for keeping a highly drafted player year after year. Player salary, for these purposes, has to do with a player's auction value, not his actual personal salary. The cost may continue to rise for every season an individual player is kept without being released back into free agency. If a player is purchased for $5, that cost might double every season he is kept, making it impractical to keep players for several years. In addition to these concepts, leagues may want to implement certain guidelines and rules for trading players. At times, teams may have wildly different goals, some trying to win now, some trying to build for the future, and this all must be kept in mind when regulating trades. Some leagues may have some form of a salary cap, preventing teams from having too many protected, high-value players simultaneously. However, auction leagues might simply rise the cost associated with these players. Other leagues might discourage giving up on the current season by having a draft lottery, making it not guaranteed you will get a high pick next season if your team performed badly in the previous season. Some leagues may be more forgiving and offer the lowest ranked competitors the highest draft picks the following season. Tips/strategy for managing a keeper team League rules can be among the most important factors in deciding strategy for your fantasy football keeper league. How many players start at each position, scoring modifications, and rules for keeping players are some of the more important factors in managing your keeper league season after season. You should get to know your leagues rules and any scoring modifications, so you can make wise choices on which players to pick up and which to drop for the long haul of a keeper league. You'll also want to keep players from year to year based on their past performances and projected performances for future seasons. A young star running back could be the mainstay of your team for several years, but if you see production or opportunity drop, along with rising age, the value for keeping that particular player may not be there after many years. You will have to weigh your options among your returning players and decide which ones are most important to you. To help strengthen your team, you could always try initiating trades with other members in your league. There are many situations where a trade can help both teams in keeper leagues. One side might benefit in the current season, while the other may be in better shape for the future. Some fantasy owners might even intentionally pick up mostly younger players in the hopes that they culminate into a squad of fantasy superstars one day. Others may value experience and opportunity more, and attempt to be competitive every year. The choice is yours.

Article / Updated 10-29-2019

If you are looking to up your fantasy game, auction draft leagues are a great place to start. Auction leagues offer a unique challenge in fantasy football, where players are nominated and bid on, as opposed to standard leagues where teams take turns drafting players. It will certainly spice up your draft and create a new and interesting strategy throughout the fantasy season. Auction league definition — how it works Auction leagues work virtually the same as standard leagues except for the way in which players are drafted. Instead of each team taking its turn to draft a player, each team will take turns nominating a player to be bid on. In standard auction leagues teams will have a fixed draft budget, starting at 200 points. In many cases these points are assigned a monetary value, and the draft is essentially conducted like a real auction. After a player has been nominated to be drafted, teams can begin to place bids on the player. The team with the highest bid will win the player, and the amount bid will be deducted from that team's budget. This will continue on until every team has a full roster of players. Generally each team is restricted to a maximum bid for an individual player. The maximum bid is determined by taking each team's remaining budget and subtracting the number of empty slots available on each roster. In other words, if you have 15 roster spots and 200 draft points available and you bid 41 points on Adrian Peterson in the first round and win the bid, you will have 14 roster spots and 159 available points, making your next maximum bid 145. Common auction league rules Auction leagues come in a wide variety of rules and regulations. Standard leagues will generally have a 200 point budget for the draft and a 100 point budget for picking up free agents. When these points are gone, no more transactions can be made, so bid with caution. For simplicity sake, some leagues will revert to a non-auction league format after the draft has concluded, where the salary cap and player values no longer apply. Other leagues may take it one step further, however, and have a total salary cap for the entire season. In this format the points used for the draft and for free agent acquisition are the same. This can create some wildly varying strategies as some teams will use their entire budget in the draft, and others will save some budget to make room for free agents on the rise throughout the season. Auction leagues are commonly combined with keeper leagues as well. Generally teams will have a separate budget for keeper players only. Common options also include having fixed increase of cost for each year a player is kept. For example, a league may stipulate that for every year a player is kept his cost will increase 5 points. So for example, if you got a player for 12 points and wanted to keep him, the following year he would cost you 17, and if you kept him again the season after that his point value would be 22, and so on. Another option, which isn't as popular, is holding teams accountable for dropping players. In this format if you drop a player you will lose his (fantasy) salary off of your remaining salary cap. In other words, if you draft a player for 10 points and then drop him, you will lose those 10 points off of your total salary cap for the remainder of the season. Strategy for managing an auction league team Managing an auction league team will be largely the same as any other fantasy team after the draft. The key points are to be well prepared before the draft so you have a good gauge on player values, and to maintain flexibility in your roster, whether it be through solid backup players, or from having available free agent points to pick up any available players on the rise. Because of the limitations on how many transactions you might be able to make, teams will generally take a more cautious approach trading and picking up free agents in auction leagues. In standard leagues it is common for teams to make free agent waiver pickups week by week, picking up a player or defense with a good matchup. That strategy is much more expensive in this format and could result in a team not being able to make critical changes late in the year if a problem arises within their roster. Free agent waiver pickups are handled in a completely different way than in standard leagues as well. Instead of there being a waiver priority (based on team rankings in reverse order), all teams have an equal chance at getting any available free agents. It simply comes down to whom has the highest bid, so again, having a good knowledge of player value can be paramount to your success.

Step by Step / Updated 03-27-2016

To participate in a mock FF draft, you simply need to visit a website that offers fantasy mock drafts, sign in, and join a room. The sign-in process can be as simple as choosing a room and a team name to distinguish yourself from the other participants. What type of draft room you should choose will depend on what type of league you are planning on or have joined already. You will want to have a mock draft room that is similar to your league in number of teams, rounds, and other variables such as PPR (Points Per Reception). Many host sites are available to practice mock drafts, so decide which one works best for you and get started. Following are six popular sites.

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

If you're looking to contend for a championship in your league this year, you need to go above and beyond in your preparation. In addition to following these fantasy football research tips, consider participating in mock drafts to help you understand potential scenarios of how your draft could play out. Check out the following basics of the fantasy football mock draft, as well as how to use what you learn to your best advantage. What is a mock draft? A mock draft is a term used in reference to the simulation of a sports league draft, or in this case, for a fantasy football league draft. The simulated exercise is, in essence, a way to practice a real draft for a fantasy football league. This is an attractive option for avid players who want to have a good feel on what type of value each player has, and when they might be taken in the draft. Savvy fantasy football players monitor the results of these drafts to get a better feel on when a certain player should be taken, or to gauge overall depth at certain positions. How to join a mock draft It's very simple to participate in mock draft. Major fantasy football hosting sites like NFL, ESPN, and Yahoo! will run mock drafts for free. Follow these steps to participate: Sign into your account on a major fantasy football site’s mock draft lobby (see a list of the top 6 fantasy football mock draft sites). Find a mock draft that has the same number of teams as your league. Find for a mock draft that has the correct draft type (snake vs. auction). Find a mock draft that has your pick selection slot available. Select a mock draft, sign-up, and launch the fantasy football mock draft simulator. By selecting a mock draft that has your slot available, the same draft type, and the same number of teams, you will create a more realistic scenario of your actual draft. Testing out different strategies and participating in mock drafts can have a tremendous impact on how well you fare in your real fantasy draft. It will give you a good feel on how late you could possibly take certain players, and which positions are in abundance or which are lacking options. For example, if you rank all of the starting quarterbacks, you may decide there are a few tiers of quality. Perhaps 6 "elite" quarterbacks, 12 "good" quarterbacks, and the other 14 are lesser known or undesirable. You clearly want to have one of those "good" or better quarterbacks as your starter, but what is good value? If you think the 6 "elite" quarterbacks have an equal chance of performing well, then clearly the one that's selected last would be the best value. You could probably get him in the 2nd or 3rd round in most scenarios, whereas the likely equally competent quarterback that was selected 1st among quarterbacks (likely 1st round), would be lesser value, because you had to use a higher pick to get him. You would do this with every position and decide which positions have more or less depth, and would naturally focus on positions with less depth, because the positions with an abundance are likely to be available later on, and the ones without will go more quickly. You also have to keep in mind the individual players' average draft position, because certain players may not fall into this generic mold. Calvin Johnson, for example, is a rare specimen that any savvy fantasy owner would covet. Even though there might be dozens of great wide receivers available, rest assured, someone will take him in the 1st round. The format of your league will largely determine what type of players will be selected and when. If your league requires two starting running backs, then it is a good idea to pick two of them up relatively early in the draft. If you only start one, then you could probably get better value in a different position. And, if it's two plus a flex position that includes running backs, you might want to consider taking three running backs early. In PPR (Points Per Reception) formats, a running back that catches the ball 60+ times a season (like Darren Sproles) is much more valuable than in non-PPR formats, but wide receivers overall will be even more valuable. Any scoring modifications in your league must be in your consideration. You'll also need to keep in mind your opponent's selection, and a mock draft is a great place to practice this. If another fantasy owner has selected two running backs, and two wide receivers in the first four rounds, you know they're likely to select a quarterback or tight end next. If you can get into the mind of your opponent and know what they will likely be selecting, you have put yourself at a great advantage. You could even conspire to pick the player you think they want and force them into a bad position and/or an advantageous trade for yourself. Practicing all of these strategies together in your mock drafts will make you feel more confident and ensure that you get good value for your picks in your real fantasy draft.

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

Good preparation for your live fantasy football draft could be the difference between a championship run, and a season to forget. You don't want to select a player who's recently retired, injured in the preseason, or traded to a bad situation. Getting the latest information the day of your draft can be paramount to your success. After all of your preparation, make sure that you are equipped to execute on draft day — whether the draft is online or in-person. Online draft versus in-person draft Your fantasy draft can be a slightly different experience, depending on whether it is done online or in-person. Online drafts will happen at a certain time and date, determined shortly after the league was created. Every participant will either need to submit an updated list of their player rankings or be signed in on the league's host website during this time to make picks of their own. An automatic timer will count down, giving each participant roughly 1–2 minutes to make a selection. If they have not made a selection within this time, they will pick a player predetermined by their personalized list of player rankings. If you cannot participate in the online draft, you want to be sure to update your list of player rankings before the draft takes place. Live drafts can take place whenever the participants agree to meet and have the draft. The commissioner of the league then will need to manually enter the results of the draft sometime before the NFL regular season begins. An in-person draft will usually include a group of people that already know each other, either co-workers or friends. It's common for people to pool their resources, comparing and evaluating each other's notes and rankings. Other times, people may want to be more discreet with their draft intentions to keep some of their sleeper picks a secret. There's also always the possibility of having an absentee fantasy owner. Usually this situation is dealt with by having the fantasy owner submit a list of player rankings before the draft or to maintain contact over the phone or Internet to make selections. What you need for a live FF draft To have an in-person draft, one of the participants will either need to bring a draft board or use online software to track all of the player selections. A wide array of draft boards can be purchased on the Internet, though a do-it-yourself method with a blank white poster and a felt-tipped pen works just as well. All participants will want to bring a pencil or pen and a list of player rankings. You can do this by ranking all players in the same group, or separate them by position. As players are selected, you can strike their names out, indicating they are no longer available. This will help prevent fantasy owners from selecting players that have already been taken. You can also keep a tally of which players and positions you have selected to see how your starting line-up might look. Essentials for hosting a live fantasy football draft party If you are in charge of hosting a live fantasy football draft party this year, there are certain must-haves to ensure all of the participants enjoy the experience. Remember these four things: Fantasy football draft kit – These kits typically include a draft board and player labels. This allows league members to select a player, grab the player's sticker, and place the sticker on the draft board under the team name. Online draft software – It’s important to have a computer nearby where the commissioner (or a friend of the league) can enter picks into the system as the draft progresses. This makes for easy transition of your live picks to the online platform that will host your league (NFL, ESPN, Yahoo, and so on). Helpful printouts – While it's each member’s responsibility to bring his or her own preparation and research materials, it’s great to provide everyone with a blank roster list. This will help participants keep track of their own picks and make you look like a good host that cares about the league! Refreshments and entertainment – Providing snacks, refreshments, or entertainment after the draft is a good way for everyone to enjoy themselves! Benefits of an in-person draft An in-person draft is much more of a social experience than an online draft. You will likely get a better feel on how some of your competitors will approach the draft and perhaps even certain players they favor. It's easier to monitor and track how other fantasy owners are making selections and how depth at certain positions is holding up throughout the draft. In-person drafts are generally more casual and at a more relaxed pace than online drafts, allowing you to make more informed and thought-out decisions. While online drafts can be exciting, in-person drafts offer much more in terms of satisfaction. Getting to know your opponents and have bragging rights among them is what this game is all about.

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

To help you get ready for your 2014 fantasy draft, the For Dummies team has created a 2014 mock draft. The draft consists of 12 teams drafting 15 rounds. The Dummies 2014 mock draft is based off of a standard scoring format, and each team will have 1 starting quarterback (QB), 2 starting running backs (RB), 2 starting wide receivers (WR), 1 starting tight end (TE), 1 flex position (RB, WR, or TE), 1 kicker (K), and 1 defensive and special teams (DST) for the starting roster. All other players will be reserve players. For simplicity the team names are "Team A," "Team B," and so on, so you can track how teams might conduct their draft strategies. Dummies 2014 Mock Draft Results Rounds 1–3 Pick # Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 1 LeSean McCoy (RB 1), (Team A) Julio Jones (WR 4), (Team L) Larry Fitzgerald (WR 8), (Team A) 2 Jamaal Charles (RB 2), (Team B) Alfred Morris (RB 9), (Team K) Reggie Bush (RB 14), (Team B) 3 Adrian Peterson (RB 3), (Team C) Zack Stacy (RB 10), (Team J) Monte Ball (RB 15), (Team C) 4 Marshawn Lynch (RB 4), (Team D) Le'Veon Bell (RB 11), (Team I) C.J. Spiller (RB 16), (Team D) 5 Matt Forte (RB 5), (Team E) Jimmy Graham (TE 1), (Team H) Andre Ellington (RB 17), (Team E) 6 Calvin Johnson (WR 1), (Team F) Aaron Rodgers (QB 2), (Team G) Andrew Luck (QB 4), (Team F) 7 Eddie Lacy (RB 6), (Team G) Giovani Bernard (RB 12), (Team F) Ray Rice (RB 18), (Team G) 8 Arian Foster (RB 7), (Team H) Brandon Marshall (WR 5), (Team E) Jordy Nelson (WR 9), (Team H) 9 Demaryius Thomas (WR 2), (Team I) Dez Bryant (WR 6), (Team D) Ryan Mathews (RB 19), (Team I) 10 Peyton Manning (QB 1), (Team J) Drew Brees (QB 3), (Team C) Pierre Garcon (WR 10), (Team J) 11 A.J. Green (WR 3), (Team K) Antonio Brown (WR 7), (Team B) Rob Gronkowski (TE 2), (Team K) 12 DeMarco Murray (RB 8), (Team L) Doug Martin (RB 13), (Team A) Julius Thomas (TE 3), (Team L) Dummies 2014 Mock Draft Results Rounds 4–6 Pick # Round 4 Round 5 Round 6 1 Frank Gore (RB 20), (Team L) Vernon Davis (TE 4), (Team A) Robert Griffin III (QB 6), (Team L) 2 Toby Gerhart (RB 21), (Team K) Torrey Smith (WR 17), (Team B) Cordarrelle Patterson (WR 24), (Team K) 3 Knowshon Moreno (RB 22), (Team J) DeSean Jackson (WR 18), (Team C) Ben Tate (RB 27), (Team J) 4 Alshon Jeffrey (WR 11), (Team I) Jordon Cameron (TE 5), (Team D) Colin Kaepernick (QB 7), (Team I) 5 Trent Richardson (RB 23), (Team H) Bishop Sankey (RB 24), (Team E) Shane Vereen (RB 28), (Team H) 6 Keenan Allen (WR 12), (Team G) Chris Johnson (RB 25), (Team F) Reggie Wayne (WR 25), (Team G) 7 Andre Johnson (WR 12), (Team F) Michael Crabtree (WR 19), (Team G) Jason Witten (TE 6), (Team F) 8 Randall Cobb (WR 13), (Team E) Roddy White (WR 20), (Team H) Tom Brady (QB 8), (Team E) 9 Wes Welker (WR 14), (Team D) Percy Harvin (WR 21), (Team I) T.Y. Hilton (WR 26), (Team D) 10 Victor Cruz (WR 15), (Team C) Kendall Wright (WR 22), (Team J) Marques Colston (WR 27), (Team C) 11 Mathew Stafford (QB 5), (Team B) Rashad Jennings (RB 26), (Team K) Mike Wallace (WR 28), (Team B) 12 Vincent Jackson (WR 16), (Team A) Eric Decker (WR 23), (Team L) Russell Wilson (QB 9), (Team A) Dummies 2014 Mock Draft Results Rounds 7–9 Pick # Round 7 Round 8 Round 9 1 Steven Jackson (RB 29), (Team A) Michael Floyd (WR 33), (Team L) San Francisco DST (DST 2), (Team A) 2 Joique Bell (RB 30), (Team B) Jay Cutler (QB 12), (Team K) Golden Tate (WR 36), (Team B) 3 Dennis Pitta (TE 7), (Team C) Greg Olson (TE 8), (Team J) Carolina DST (DST 3), (Team C) 4 Tony Romo (QB 10), (Team D) Jordon Reed (TE 9), (Team I) Cincinnati DST (DST 4), (Team D) 5 Dwayne Bowe (WR 29), (Team E) Jeremy Maclin (WR 34), (Team H) St. Louis DST (DST 5), (Team E) 6 Steve Smith (WR 30), (Team F) Seattle DST (DST 1), (Team G) Denver DST (DST 6), (Team F) 7 Maurice Jones-Drew (RB 31), (Team G) Darren Sproles (RB 34), (Team F) Antonio Gates (TE 12), (Team G) 8 Cam Newton (QB 11), (Team H) Kyle Rudolph (TE 10), (Team E) Kansas City DST (DST 7), (Team H) 9 Fred Jackson (RB 32), (Team I) DeAngelo Williams (RB 35), (Team D) Arizona DST (DST 8), (Team I) 10 Tavon Austin (WR 31), (Team J) Pierre Thomas (RB 36), (Team C) New England DST (DST 9), (Team J) 11 Julian Edelman (WR 32), (Team K) Charles Clay (TE 11), (Team B) Cecil Shorts (WR 37), (Team K) 12 Darren McFadden (RB 33), (Team L) Emanuel Sanders (WR 35), (Team A) Cleveland DST (DST 10), (Team L) Dummies 2014 Mock Draft Results Rounds 10–12 Pick # Round 10 Round 11 Round 12 1 Rueben Randle (WR 38), (Team L) Devonta Freeman (RB 41), (Team A) Terrance West (RB 46), (Team L) 2 Stevan Ridley (RB 37), (Team K) Indianapolis DST (DST 11), (Team B) Johnny Manziel (QB 18), (Team K) 3 Terrance Williams (WR 39), (Team J) Sammy Watkins (WR 42), (Team C) Zack Ertz (TE 14), (Team J) 4 Bernard Pierce (RB 38), (Team I) David Wilson (RB 42), (Team D) Danny Amendola (WR 44), (Team I) 5 Riley Cooper (WR 40), (Team H) Lamar Miller (RB 43), (Team E) Benjarvus Green-Ellis (RB 47), (Team H) 6 Martellus Bennett (TE 13), (Team G) Hakeem Nicks (WR 43), (Team F) Greg Jennings (WR 45), (Team G) 7 Chris Ivory (RB 39), (Team F) Ahmad Bradshaw (RB 44), (Team G) Joe Flacco (QB 19), (Team F) 8 Matt Ryan (QB 13), (Team E) Eli Manning (QB 15), (Team H) Mike Evans (WR 46), (Team E) 9 Anquan Boldin (WR 41), (Team D) Andy Dalton (QB 16), (Team I) Ben Roethlisberger (QB 20), (Team D) 10 Danny Woodhead (RB 40), (Team C) Khiry Robinson (RB 45), (Team J) Eric Ebron (TE 15), (Team C) 11 Nick Foles (QB 14), (Team B) Baltimore DST (DST 12), (Team K) DeAndre Hopkins (WR 47), (Team B) 12 Philip Rivers (QB 15), (Team A) Sam Bradford (QB 17), (Team L) Marvin Jones (WR 48), (Team A) Dummies 2014 Mock Draft Results Rounds 13–15 Pick # Round 13 Round 14 Round 15 1 Shonn Green (RB 48), (Team A) Stephen Gostkowski (K 1), (Team L) Tyler Eifert (TE 24), (Team A) 2 Tre Mason (RB 49), (Team B) New Orleans DST (DST 13), (Team K) Justin Tucker (K 4), (Team B) 3 James Jones (WR 49), (Team C) Miles Austin (WR 51), (Team J) Phil Dawson (K 5), (Team C) 4 Kelvin Benjamin (WR 50), (Team D) Carlos Hyde (RB 51), (Team I) Dan Bailey (K 6), (Team D) 5 Delanie Walker (TE 16), (Team E) Robert Woods (WR 52), (Team H) Mason Crosby (K 7), (Team E) 6 Dwayne Allen (TE 17), (Team F) Alex Smith (QB 22), (Team G) Kenny Stills (WR 54), (Team F) 7 Jeremy Hill (RB 50), (Team G) Matt Prater (K 2), (Team F) Adam Vinatieri (K 8), (Team G) 8 Health Miller (TE 18), (Team H) Brian Hartline (WR 53), (Team E) Shayne Graham (K 9), (Team H) 9 Ladarius Green (TE 19), (Team I) Justin Fauria (TE 22), (Team D) Sebastian Janikowski (K 10), (Team I) 10 Ryan Tannehill (QB 21), (Team J) Jake Locker (QB 23), (Team C) Nick Novak (K 11), (Team J) 11 Jared Cook (TE 20), (Team K) Timothy Wright (TE 23), (Team B) Blair Walsh (K 12), (Team K) 12 Coby Fleener (TE 21), Team L) Steven Hauschka (K 3), (Team A) Aaron Dobson (WR 55), (Team L) All teams have all needs covered with viable backups already in place. A league with a draft similar to this would be ready for the season afterward with no additional roster changes. All teams should have ended up with at least 2 QBs, 4 RBs, 4 WRs, 2 TEs, 1 K, and 1 DST, plus a few players to fill perceived needs. For example Team A ends up with their roster looking like this: QB: Russell Wilson RB: LeSean McCoy RB: Doug Martin WR: Larry Fitzgerald WR: Vincent Jackson TE: Vernon Davis FLEX: Steven Jackson K: Steven Houschka DST: San Francisco DST BN: Philip Rivers BN: Emanuel Sanders BN: Devonta Freeman BN: Marvin Jones BN: Shonn Green BN: Tyler Eifert This particular team went with a strong RB core and also should get very good production from the TE, K, and DST positions. Their weakness would be perhaps WR or QB with no elite fantasy player in those positions, but should be solid enough. This is why this team focused on drafting backups at those positions, taking both Emanuel Sanders and Philip Rivers a shade early for their projected roles. Devonta Freeman is relatively unknown but should be who replaces Steven Jackson should he fail to shine. This is a nice handcuff option for an aging player you might be unsure about. Others like Marvin Jones or Tyler Eifert have a nice upside, and Shonn Green has recently moved back to Tennessee where he will be competing with a rookie for the starting job. Either way he will probably feature as a goal line back and could emerge as a solid option for his TD potential alone.