Fourteen Team Dynasty League Mock Draft

For the latest mock draft, I used fanspeak.com On the Clock mock draft simulator to draft a team in a fourteen team league using a dynasty league format. The need to focus on drafting youth is much more important in larger dynasty league than in smaller dynasty formats. After the original draft, the league will begin having annual rookie drafts. However, there are only so many rookies that will make an impact. If you are one of the last teams in the draft order in one of these rookie drafts, the chances are very high of ending up with a player who may never see the field. Some people join dynasty leagues and draft the best available players in order to win early. This is not a very good idea in larger leagues. You might win early, but once your winning streak is over it is not going to come back for a very long time.
Using an online random number generator I was given the fifth overall draft pick in my mock draft. The full results of this draft can be found by going to https://fanspeak.com/fantasyotc/share.php?d=155205062ba92a2ed369d5b638fbde7b. The strategy behind this draft was simple. Get the best young players I can. Once I had enough young guys at the positions I could draft older, more established players just in case problems would arise with my main players during the season.

Demaryius Thomas is the best wide receiver to own in dynasty leagues.

By the time my first pick came up, many of the running backs I would have wanted this early in the draft were gone. I had to decide whether to take Le’Veon Bell or go with a wide receiver. I decided to take the more sure bet in this case. I choose Demaryius Thomas. Thomas is the best wide receiver in the NFL for dynasty league formats. Not only is he a stud, but he is only 26 years old. He still has about five years of spectacular production ahead of him.
I then went with Zac Stacy. Stacy is going into his second year in the league. Next to Eddie Lacy, there was not a single running back that was more productive than Stacy during the second half of the 2013 season. There is talk he may end up handing a few carries over to Tre Mason. I would argue this is probably not a bad thing for dynasty league purposes. Stacy is not a very big back. He will definitely be the main guy in St. Louis, but if one wants a full career of productivity out of him they are going to have to understand that giving a back of his size 300 carries a season is not a good idea.
I then took Randall Cobb. Cobb is coming off a 20134 injury, however prior to that injury he was one of the best in the NFL. Any time a wide receiver has an elite quarterback throwing him the ball he is going to put up some points. Fantasy owners are really high on Jordy Nelson, however Randall Cobb is the real Packers’ wide out to own for now and later.

RGIII matured a lot last season despite performing poorly. The lessons he learned in 2013 can only help him in the future.

In round four I was hoping to get Jordan Cameron. I was going to follow that pick up by getting a quality young quarterback. Unfortunately two picks before I was on the clock and Cameron was gone. I really did not see another tight end I was interested in so I just decided to skip ahead and grab my quarterback. I really wanted Robert Griffin III and I was very happy to get him. RGIII was a stud in his rookie season. Injuries hurt his 2013 season and he is coming at a great value in 2014 fantasy draft. The injury was a good teaching tool for the young running quarterback. Last season he was much more willing to just run out of bounds than fight for the extra yard. This will help him stay around for a much longer time.
I then chose Reggie Bush. It is hard to believe Bush is already 29. It seems like just yesterday Mario Williams was being picked before him in the NFL Draft. However, the reason it is hard to believe he is pushing 30 is that he plays young. Bush has not had the wear and tear put on his body that backs of the same age have had. This is because he was mostly used as a receiver and change of pace back when he was in New Orleans. It appears Bush is not slowing down any time soon. Since I plan on drafting another very young running back, I had no problem taking Bush now for my starting roster. Please note: I have officially deviated with my original plan at this point.
I may have deviated a bit, but in the sixth round I definitely got back on track. I selected Carlos Hyde. Eventually the great Frank Gore will have to hang up his cleats. When that happens there will be a number of running backs competing for his spot. Carlos Hyde has the best chance of being the next in line to carry the rock for the 49ers. Rodgers is still young and has not taken the same beating the others have. Lattimore has a long career of injury and the rest are no more than life-long backups. Hyde is an excellent dynasty league choice. This pick also started a run of drafting very young sleepers for me.
I then took another rookie with my next pick. I choose Sammy Watkins. Sammy Watkins was the most NFL-ready offensive player in the 2014 draft. Both players have landed in great situations for their long term success. Watkins has NFL size and talent; but more importantly he be number one wide outs on their teams by the end of this season. The best way to learn something is to go out and do it not. Not only is he going to be forced to play wide receiver at the professional level, but Watkings is going to have to step up as the leader of that position for the Bills at an early age.
In the eighth round I took my tight end. I grabbed Tyler Eifert. Eifert showed a lot of great things in his rookie season. He should be able to build on that performance this season. He definitely has more value in dynasty leagues than in redraft leagues because at the moment he is sharing time with Jermaine Gresham.

Sammy Watkins was the best offensive player in the 2014 NFL Draft.

I followed up my Eifert pick by drafting another rookie. I took Kelvin Benjamin. Benjamin was definitely the best physical specimen at the wide receiver position, but is considered a very raw talent. However, he landed in the best situation out of any of the rookie wide receivers in the 2014 draft class. He not only will become a number one wide receiver by the end of the season, but he also has Cam Newton throwing him the ball. The Newton to Benjamin combination is set to become huge in the future. Now that I had a strong set of young talent that I would have to allow develop, I could focus on getting some veterans to help out in the immediate future.
I knew I wanted another wide receiver here. This time I took Jeremy Maclin. Maclin is going to be the number one wide receiver for the Eagles and everyone is expecting big things from him. At 26 year old, Maclin is still a great option in dynasty leagues. As long as the injury does not hamper the rest of his career, I got a get value here. He is going to be my flex player for 2014.
I took Steven Jackson in round eleven. Jackson is not a great player for dynasty league purposes; however this late in the draft there is no reason to shy away from him. If something were to happen to Stacy or Bush, Jackson would be the guy I throw in the starting lineup for the 2014 season.
Then I took Delanie Walker. As much as I like Tyler Eifert’s potential, I understand he will not make a huge impact this season. By drafting Walker, I am getting a quality tight end that I can start week in and week out during the 2014 season. Walker may not have been the most talked about player in fantasy football last season, but he was definitely a consistent asset that worked well for a spot start here and there. The consistency is what I need at this point.
In round thirteen I selected Knowshon Moreno. Moreno was an absolute stud in 2013. Unfortunately no one knows what to expect out of him now that he is a Dolphin. He is joining a very crowded backfield, which definitely hurts his value. The only saving grace to that is that he is the most talented and most proven of the running back group. He could do very well or he could be a total bust. At this point in the draft, I am not too concerned either way.
Then I had to draft my kicker. I took Blair Walsh. There were better kickers on the board at this point, but I wanted one that I could rely on for a number of years. At 24 year old, Walsh is an easy choice in dynasty league. I am surprised he is not ranked much higher for this league format.
Then I took the Steelers defense in the last round. The Steelers defense is always good. They have not been a top tier defense in a while, but they are consistent and are beginning to get more youth coming in.
My fourteen team dynasty league mock draft team ended up looking like this:

Reggie Bush‘s time with New Orleans has probably kept him fresher than most other 29 year old running backs.

QB: Robert Griffin III
RB: Zac Stacy
RB: Reggie Bush
WR: Demaryius Thomas
WR: Randall Cobb
TE: Delanie Walker
FLEX: Jeremy Maclin
K: Blair Walsh
DEF: Steelers
BENCH: Carlos Hyde
BENCH: Sammy Watkins
BENCH: Tyler Eifert
BENCH: Kelvin Benjamin
BENCH: Steven Jackson
BENCH: Knowshon Moreno

I like this team a lot. I can see being competitive right away; however I do not think I would win a championship at this point. I do see a lot of long term potential for this team. I believe that if I could hit it big with another young running or if Carlos Hyde turns into a stud, this team could be stacked for years. The thing with these young players is you just never know what to expect. There are a lot of ifs on this team. No matter what happens the roster is strong, but if something good happens with my young players, there would be a number of very strong years in my future.

If you would like to try your luck at drafting a dynasty league with fourteen teams go to https://fanspeak.com/fantasyotc/!