2015 Fantasy Football Mock Draft: Round 3

Scoring: This mock draft is based on standard-scoring fantasy football leagues for the 2015 season only (i.e., not keeper or dynasty leagues). 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.

Mock Draft Start Date: Saturday, February 7th
Mock Draft End Date: Sunday, February 15th

Four of our site's contributors — Kevin Hanson, Brendan Donahue, Sean Beazley and Dan Yanotchko — will make picks for three teams of this 12-team mock. The mock will go 10 rounds with no kickers or team defenses selected.

Although this is a slow draft, we will post picks as they occur, along with comments from Kevin Hanson, as opposed to waiting for the entire mock draft to be completed.

More Rounds: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Teams | Positions

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Here are Round 3 results:

3.01 - Sean Beazley (Team 1): Aaron Rodgers, QB, Green Bay Packers

The best quarterback in football and reigning NFL Most Valuable Player, Rodgers was also the top-scoring fantasy quarterback as well. Becoming Green Bay's starting quarterback seven years ago, Rodgers has finished as either the No. 1 or No. 2 fantasy quarterback in six of those seven seasons with the lone exception being his injury-shortened (broken clavicle) 2013 campaign.

In his past four seasons, Rodgers has compiled a combined 139:25 TD-to-INT ratio with an average of 8.5 yards per attempt, 112.6 passer rating and 67.0 completion percentage. And although he hasn't rushed for 300-plus yards with four-plus touchdowns since 2010, Rodgers still is good for 250 yards and a couple of scores on the ground. While I typically wait on quarterback, I'd begin to consider taking Rodgers at the end of Round 2.

3.02 - Brendan Donahue (Team 1): Andrew Luck, QB, Indianapolis Colts

Luck threw for 4,761 yards and a league-leading 40 touchdowns, both of which were career highs, and his 40 TDs last season nearly equalled his total from his first two seasons combined (46 TDs). As T.Y. Hilton battled a hamstring injury over the final three games of the season, that coincided with Luck throwing for less than 200 yards in the final three regular-season games of the season. Otherwise, he was on pace for 5,000 yards for much of the year. Earlier in the season, however, Luck had the second-longest streak of 300-yard games (eight) in NFL history. Only Drew Brees (nine games, twice) has ever had a longer streak.

Like with Rodgers, Luck gets a boost from his mobility and he rushed for 263 yards and three touchdowns last year. Luck has rushed 62-64 times in all three seasons with at least 255 yards each year and a total of 12 touchdowns.

It wouldn't surprise me if Luck finishes as the highest-scoring fantasy quarterback in 2015, but either way, he and Rodgers are close and alone at the top of the best fantasy quarterback options in 2015.

3.03 - Kevin Hanson (Team 1): Mike Evans, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Evans started and finished slowly in terms of yardage, but he was one of three rookie receivers to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark last year. From Weeks 9 to 11, he gave us a glimpse of what we can expect when things really click as he posted a massive 21/458/5 line over that three-game stretch.

More than likely, the Bucs will use the first overall pick in the draft to select a quarterback so there is the potential for an early-season adjustment, but I expect to Evans to continue to take a step forward in 2015. And the 6-foot-5 receiver is already one of the league's best red-zone receivers as he scored 10 touchdowns over his final nine games as a rookie.

3.04 - Kevin Hanson (Team 2): Carlos Hyde, RB, San Francisco 49ers

With Frank Gore set to enter free agency, Hyde projects atop the 49ers depth chart at running back. With Gore ahead of him last year on the depth chart, Hyde had just 83 carries for 333 yards and four touchdowns as a rookie. Not only will the volume of his workload expand significantly, but I expect his effectiveness on a per-carry basis to increase from last year's 4.0 yards-per-carry average. And as a 235-pound back, Hyde has the potential to approach double-digit touchdowns as the team's primary back.

3.05 - Dan Yanotchko (Team 1): Tre Mason, RB, St. Louis Rams

One year after Zac Stacy got a huge workload down the stretch, Mason, the team's third-round pick in 2014, emerged as the team's lead back over the second half of the season. Mason didn't get his first carry until Week 6, but he averaged 18.11 touches per game from Week 9 on. His average of 67.56 rushing yards per game over that stretch would extrapolate to a full-season output of 1,081 rushing yards. Mason will enter the 2015 season as the team's lead back and has upside as a third-round pick in this mock.

3.06 - Dan Yanotchko (Team 2): DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Houston Texans

Hopkins was a personal favorite of Dan's last preseason and few experts in the industry were as high as him going into the 2014 season. Hopkins delivered with a 76/1,210/6 second-year stat line and he emerged as the team's most productive wide receiver. If there's any concern when it comes to Hopkins taking another step forward in Year 3, it's the team's less-than-inspiring quarterback play, but he's a strong WR2 option (WR13 in this mock) in fantasy leagues heading into 2015.



3.07 - Brendan Donahue (Team 2): Kelvin Benjamin, WR, Carolina Panthers

Along with Evans and Odell Beckham, Benjamin was one of three rookie 1,000-yard receivers in 2014. Like Evans, Benjamin is a big-bodied (6-5, 240) receiver that wins in the red zone. As a rookie, Benjamin was the focal point of the passing attack along with tight end Greg Olsen and he should only see his stream of targets increase in his sophomore campaign. That said, Benjamin will need to cut down on the drops as only Mohamed Sanu (14) had more drops than Benjamin (11) last season, according to PFF.

3.08 - Brendan Donahue (Team 3): Lamar Miller, RB, Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins coaching staff seemed reluctant to give Miller as much work as his fantasy owners would have liked, but Miller was highly productive on a per-touch basis (5.09 YPC, 7.24 Y/R). With more than 15 carries in only four games last season, Miller still managed to post his first-ever 1,000-yard season (1,099 rushing yards). In addition, Miller was very consistent throughout the season as he finished as a top-21 fantasy running back in 12 of 16 weeks. Assuming they don't add major competition at the position this offseason, Miller will be one of my favorite RB2 types entering 2015.

3.09 - Sean Beazley (Team 2): Justin Forsett, RB, Baltimore Ravens

Arguably the biggest surprise in fantasy football last season, Forsett scored more fantasy points than all but seven other running backs in 2014. Looking ahead to 2015, it's unclear what is in store for Forsett, who will become an unrestricted free agent in March. If the Ravens re-sign the 29-year-old Forsett, something the Ravens have indicated they'd like to do, and don't add significant competition via the draft and/or free agency, I could see Forsett flourishing in Marc Trestman's offense. With the uncertainty, however, there are some other running backs with more clarity in their 2015 roles that I'd prefer to draft at this point of the mock.

3.10 - Sean Beazley (Team 3): Giovani Bernard, RB, Cincinnati Bengals

More suited for a change-of-pace role, Bernard lost his role as the team's featured back to Jeremy Hill, but he should still have the opportunity to be productive as an RB2 in fantasy leagues. As an example, Hill carried the ball 22-plus times for 100-plus yards in the team's final three regular-season games. In those same games, Bernard finished as the weekly RB11, RB17 and RB13, respectively. As beat writer Paul Dehner Jr. wrote earlier this month, "... once settling into a complementary role the final three weeks, [Bernard] returned to explosive, multi-dimensional player the Bengals team envisioned."

3.11 - Kevin Hanson (Team 3): Alfred Morris, RB, Washington Redskins

Morris averaged a career-low 4.1 YPC last season, but he rushed 265 times for 1,074, also career lows, and eight touchdowns. Despite the shaky quarterback situation, Alf should benefit on a per-carry basis if RG3 is back as the starter with his athleticism putting additional strain on run defenses. Washington's offensive line struggled last year, but the team should add some reinforcements via the draft and/or free agency and the addition of Bill Callahan to the coaching staff is certainly a positive for the team's offensive line play and rushing attack overall.

3.12 - Dan Yanotchko (Team 3): Joique Bell, RB, Detroit Lions

Undergoing a couple of offseason surgeries, Bell expects to be available for the team's OTAs even if it's at less than 100 percent. Scoring the 14th-most fantasy points among running backs in 2014, Bell finished with 223 carries for 860 yards, both of which were career highs, as well as 34 receptions for 322 yards and eight total touchdowns. Even if Reggie Bush isn't cut this offseason, I'd expect Bell to once again lead the team in touches and production in 2015.

> Continue to Round 4 of our way-too-early fantasy football mock draft
> Go back to Round 2 of our way-too-early fantasy football mock draft


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