Twelve Team Dynasty League Mock Draft

Using fanspeak.com’s On the Clock mock draft simulator, I completed a twelve team draft for a dynasty league format. Dynasty league drafts are very important to prepare for. After the first draft of your league, you will only have the option to pick rookies in drafts in the years to come. Make a point to do some mock drafts for these leagues. If you mess up a dynasty league draft, you will regret it for years to come. Practice now at https://fanspeak.com/fantasyotc/.

My draft strategy going into this was to get youthful running backs and then get studs at other positions. Then I wanted to fill my bench with young players at those other positions such as quarterback and wide receiver to give them time to develop. Young running backs are the most likely to contribute right away, whereas it takes a couple years to develop a young wide out or quarterback.

I was award the ninth overall pick in the draft by an online random number generator. I was hoping to grab a running back in the first round. However, when my pick came up all the younger ones were gone. Since my strategy was to go with youth at that position I decided to wait until the second and grab Jimmy Graham. With the way Graham performs it is so hard to argue he is not a first round pick in all fantasy formats.

Doug Martin is looking for a big bounce back season in 2014, and will hopeful continue to develop into a top running back.

Following this I choose Doug Martin. Martin is coming off an injury, but he is still entering his third year. With Lovie Smith in charge of the Bucs, Martin is sure to develop in the same way Matt Forte did when the head coach was in Chicago. Martin may not be a top choice for a number one running back, but in a dynasty league it is hard to complain about him.

In the third I grabbed Peyton Manning. I was not planning on taking a quarterback this high, but the wide receivers and running backs just did not appeal to me. It is hard to turn down a guy who threw for over 5,000 yards and fifty touchdowns. His age is the only concern. By taking Manning it mean I will definitely need to spend a decent pick to grab a young quarterback. For a player of Peyton’s caliber, this is a sacrifice I am willing to make.

After taking Manning in the third I decided to grab Victor Cruz in the fourth. Cruz had a down year in 213 due to Eli Manning horrible performance. However, Cruz still put up decent numbers considering the circumstances. The wide receiver is only 27 years old, so he still has a number of year left in the tank. Eli has more options now which will benefit Cruz because defenses will not be able to focus all of their attention on him. This very well could be a bounce back year.

I then took Trent Richardson. A lot of people are down on Richardson following last season. Remember though this is a dynasty league. He was only a second year back in 2013. In addition to being so young, he was also forced to move half way through the season. It is very hard to expect a guy, and a young one at that, to come into a brand new system and learn it in a matter of day. He may not return to the level of play he put out in his rookie year in 2014, but at some point he will.

My next pick was spent on an oldie but goodie. Young wide receivers who have performed very well were gone at this point. I needed a wide receiver who could produce immediately. I had to go with Larry Fitzgerald. Like Cruz, Fitz had a down year in 2014. However, if it was anyone else, any fantasy owner would have been pleased with his ten touchdowns. Unfortunately, we have come to expect better from Larry. No matter what, he is a good second wide receiver and can even be considered a low end to moderate first wide receiver depending if you think he will return to form.

Do not be afraid to take an older player like Larry Fitzgerald in dynasty leagues, he can make you competitive immediately.

Remember how I said I knew I was going to have to draft a young quarterback pretty high because of Manning? Well, that is what I did in the sixth round. I was target Robert Griffin III, but he was selected shortly before I was on the clock. Instead, I grabbed Russell Wilson. Not a bad long term option.

Next I went with the best available wide receiver. I took Roddy White. Taking White, Fitzgerald, and Cruz in a dynasty league may not seem like the smartest decision, but it give me chance to be competitive right away. This was all a part of my original strategy, so the ages of these guys did not bother me. I just knew my next wide receivers had to be very young.

My eighth round choice was easy. I took Cordarrelle Patterson. I was targeting Patterson logn before this. I even debated taking him ahead of Roddy White because of his age. However, I figured I could probably get both of them if I took White first. Patterson showed a lot of potential in his first NFL season. By having him on my bench I can give him time to develop his talents more. Not only do I get a strong bench player, but I also get a future starter.

Next I took Kelvin Benjamin. He is going to take a little while to develop into the player the Panthers know he can become. I am willing to wait on him. He has all the physical attributes of the modern day star wide receiver. He just needs work on the mental aspect of the game which will require some time. Once he gets used to the pace of the NFL, he is going to be a stud.

I then took Charles Sims. Sims is the rookie running back for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. I decided to take him because something may or may not happen to Doug Martin. If something does happen to Martin, I want the guy taking his spot in the roster. Both of Martin’s backups performed nicely last season. An insurance policy is never a bad thing to have.

At this point I really do not have a backup running back. I do not have a single back that could fill in when the Bucs have their bye week. I wanted a guy who would be able to enter my starting lineup and make me some points. This meant I would not be able to go with some rookie or younger guy who may or may not play. I needed a player who would be on the field. I decided to go with Maurice Jones-Drew. MJD has performed well in the past and he will at least see some playing time this year with the Oakland Raiders. At this point he was the best option for me.

I spent my twelfth round pick on my defense. I did not want to pick one too late and get stuck with a low caliber defense. Team defense is a starting position and I want the most points on the board this season and for the years to come. Therefore I wanted the best defense with the most long term potential. This seems to be the St. Louis Rams. The Rams have loaded up on the defensive side of the ball during the past few NFL drafts. Best of all, so far all of the young guys they have taken are turning out to be some pretty good ball players.

MJD may be in the twilight of his career, but if you have long term options at running back, he is a nice addition to your dynasty roster.

I then took E.J. Manuel. Both Peyton Manning and Russell Wilson have a bye in the fourth week of the season. At this point, I liked all of my players to much to decide which one I would want to drop in order to start a quarterback this week. I also like Manuel’s long term potential. The Bills have really focused on getting young wide receivers through the draft which can only benefit the second year quarterback.

With my final pick I choose Blair Walsh. I wanted a young kicker so I would not have to worry about finding one in the upcoming year. With the way the league has changed, it seems like a kicker can put up just as many fantasy points as a running back ranked from 25 to 15. That is just too many points to risk on picking on up off the waiver wire each week. Walsh is 24 years old and is just one year removed from being the highest scoring kicker in the league. This choice is pretty easy.

If you would like to see the results from the entire draft go to https://fanspeak.com/fantasyotc/share.php?d=83148cab36bac407fb5975056e71f9d2. At the end of the twelve team dynasty league mock draft my team looked like this…

Peyton Manning is the number one guy at the position for 2014.

• QB: Peyton Manning
• RB: Doug Martin
• RB: Trent Richardson
• WR: Victor Cruz
• WR: Larry Fitzgerald
• TE: Jimmy Graham
• FLEX: Roddy White
• K: Blair Walsh
• DEF: Rams
• BENCH: Russell Wilson
• BENCH: Cordarrelle Patterson
• BENCH: Kelvin Benjamin
• BENCH: Charles Sims
• BENCH: Maurice Jones-Drew
• BENCH: E.J. Manuel

I actually like this team. I feel it has a lot of potential to be very good the first few seasons. After all my older players have declined or retire, I still have some talent on my bench that I will only get better with time. This is the type of draft that is ideal for dynasty leagues. A lot of owner will just draft the best lineup and not worry about the future. Others will go with the younger roster they can piece together and will not care about this year. Neither one of these strategies is very good. The objective in dynasty leagues is to be competitive each and every year. A mix of young and old players is necessary to ensure success. Older player tend to outperform younger ones, but the younger one will eventually develop into the stars of the future. However, there is always the chance the young guys will never live up to their potential. I feel this team has a good mix to keep me competitive at all times.