2013 Fantasy Football Mock Draft - Point-Per-Reception (PPR) Scoring
Scoring: This mock draft is based on re-draft leagues (2013 season only). Passing touchdowns are worth
four points while rushing and receiving touchdowns are worth six points. In addition, one point is earned per
25 passing yards, 10 rushing yards and 10 receiving yards plus one point per reception.
For this mock draft, four EDSFootball.com contributors will draft for three teams per round.
We will draft 15 rounds and I will include commentary for each of the 180 picks. This draft will only include QBs, RBs, WRs and TEs — no DEF/K.
This is a slow draft that is conducted offline, but picks/rounds of the draft will be posted as they are completed.
After breaking out in 2011 with 1,108 yards, Brown had a disappointing season in 2012. Not only did he miss three games last year, but his average yards per game (60.5) and per reception (11.9) dropped from 69.3 and 16.1, respectively.
With 60 Minutes departing via free agency, however, Brown will have the opportunity to have a bounce-back season and take a step forward in 2013. On a positive note, he averaged a career-high 5.1 receptions per game and caught five touchdown passes.
After a breakout season in 2011, Nelson dealt with injuries that lead to an off year in 2012. He finished the season with 49 receptions for 745 yards and seven touchdowns in 12 games.
While he may never approach the 15 touchdowns he had in 2011 again, Nelson should have a bounce-back season if he can stay healthy. Not only does he have the league's best quarterback (and an improved running game), but the team let Greg Jennings walk via free agency and Donald Driver retired.
Especially in PPR formats, Vereen has the potential to have a breakout season as the Pats move him all over the formation to try to create mismatches.
Now part of the Chargers backfield, Danny Woodhead finished as the 28th most productive fantasy running back last year. Much of his workload could find its way to Vereen, who had 162 yards from scrimmage, seven receptions and three touchdowns in two playoff games for the Patriots last year.
After being released by the Giants earlier this offseason, Bradshaw landed with the Colts, where he should see the largest share of touches in Pep Hamilton's offense (provided he stays healthy). While dealing with lower-leg injuries for most of his career, Bradshaw has two 1,000-yard seasons in the past three years.
Panthers quarterback Cam Newton started the season slowly, but he came on strong and finished tied for fourth among quarterbacks in fantasy points. In his first eight games, Newton had a six-to-eight TD-to-INT ratio, but that ratio improved with 13 touchdowns to only four interceptions in the second half.
While he finished with fewer passing yards and scored fewer touchdowns in his second NFL season than he did as a rookie, he rushed for a career-high 741 yards and still scored eight rushing touchdowns.
One of the concerns with Newton is that the team, which already had a relatively weak receiving corps, did not add a big-time or rookie receiver this offseason opposite Steve Smith, who recently turned 34 years old.
5.06 - Brendan Donahue (Team 2): Chris Ivory, RB, New York Jets
After being buried on the depth chart in New Orleans, Ivory will have the opportunity to break out with the Jets this year. Provided he stays healthy, that is. Plenty question Ivory's durability.
Only 25 years old, the Jets traded a fourth-round pick for Ivory and then gave him a three-year contract. Ivory has 256 career carries for 1,307 yards, which is an average of 5.1 yards per carry, and eight touchdowns.
While he only has three career receptions, he has a shot to rush for 1,200 yards and double-digit touchdowns in 2013 if he stays healthy.
Although his toe fusion may have scared teams like the Steelers, Lacy should be productive at least for the next several years in a high-powered offense like the Packers. In camp and the preseason so far, Lacy has clearly been the most impressive running back on the roster.
Excluding a relatively slow start in Weeks 1 and 2, Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning posted nine 300-yard games and a 34-to-8 touchdown-to-interception ratio in the final 14 weeks. He finished second in the NFL in passer rating (105.8) and threw for 4,659 yards and 37 touchdowns, both of which were the second-highest totals of his illustrious career.
Peyton had a pair of stud receivers in Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker at his disposal as both finished with 85-plus receptions, 1,000-plus yards and double-digit touchdowns this past season. While both receivers are back, the team's receiving corps will be even better in 2013 with the addition of Wes Welker.
5.09 - Sean Beazley (Team 3): Jason Witten, TE, Dallas Cowboys
Especially in a PPR league, Witten is a huge value at this spot. Witten set the tight end record for most receptions (110) in a season last year, and he had his fourth 1,000-yard season in the past six years. During that span, he has had at least 942 yards each season although he has averaged only five touchdowns per season.
After throwing for 5,235 yards in 2011, Brady fell short of that total last year with 4,827 yards, the fourth-highest in the league in 2012. Brady threw 34 touchdowns and eight interceptions while rushing for another four touchdowns.
With the exception of Week 13, Brady threw for 300-plus yards and/or scored two-plus touchdowns every week last season. In other words, he had double-digit fantasy points in all 16 games last season.
Five Patriots had more than 235 receiving yards last year and four of them are no longer on the team. The one still on the roster, tight end Rob Gronkowski, has had five surgeries since last November and is likely to miss (at least) the opener. Some reports project Gronk to return in Week 3. In other words, Brady will likely be without all five of the team's leading receivers from 2012 in Week 1.
Brady has been highly productive with a group of no-name receivers so he can still be a top-five fantasy quarterback, but that is less of a lock than it has been in the past.
5.11 - Brendan Donahue (Team 3): Matt Ryan, QB, Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta's Matt Ryan took a big step forward with his development in 2012. Ryan, who signed a big extension this offseason, posted many career highs last year (previous highs in parenthesis): 68.6 completion percentage (62.5 percent), 4,719 passing yards (4,177) and 32 passing touchdowns (29).
The Falcons have arguably the league's top wide receiver duo in Julio Jones and Roddy White plus tight end Tony Gonzalez, who posted four-year highs with the Falcons last year, is going to play at least one more season.
5.12 - Dan Yanotchko (Team 3): Daryl Richardson, RB, St. Louis Rams
Averaging 4.8 yards per carry last season, Richardson will be the team's starting running back as coach Jeff Fisher has announced. Dan goes with back-to-back Rams here ...
