NFL free agency has shifted some things around in the fantasy football world. I put together the first five rounds of the 2014 mock draft a couple months ago and many of you had great suggestions on players who should have been ranked higher. I have taken the time out to take a look again at things and with some teams getting better or worse, some players have definitely moved up while others have slid down my rankings. I have only put together what the first couple rounds would look at now.
Round 1
1. Jamaal Charles, RB
2. Adrian Peterson, RB
3. LeSean McCoy, RB
4. Matt Forte, RB
5. Calvin Johnson, WR
6. Marshawn Lynch, RB
7. Peyton Manning, QB
8. Jimmy Graham, TE
9. Eddie Lacy, RB
10. Aaron Rodgers, QB
The biggest change from earlier this offseason is moving McCoy from the No. 2 spot to No. 3. The loss of DeSean Jackson hurts McCoy some as it takes an option away from the Philadelphia offense. Also, two Packers reach the top ten in Lacy and Rodgers. This combo could be very hard to stop all year in 2014.
Round 2
11. Le’Veon Bell, RB
12. Dez Bryant, WR
13. Demaryius Thomas, WR
14. Brandon Marshall, WR
15. A.J. Green, WR
16. Zac Stacy, RB
17. Alfred Morris, RB
18. Montee Ball, RB
19. Drew Brees, QB
20. DeMarco Murray, RB
The normal wide receivers go in this round with Bryant, Marshall and Green but also the additions of Bell and Stacy to the second round is a big jump. The St. Louis offense is going to be better in 2014 and Stacy was very good for fantasy owners even without Sam Bradford last season. He deserves this boost.
Round 3
21. Julio Jones, WR
22. Josh Gordon, WR
23. Jordy Nelson, WR
24. Wes Welker, WR
25. Antonio Brown, WR
26. Giovani Bernard, RB
27. Alshon Jeffery, WR
28. Andre Johnson, WR
29. Frank Gore, RB
30. Doug Martin, RB
The name that should jump up here would be Martin. My first mock draft had Martin in the first round. After looking at the Tampa Bay offense and a weak passing game still, I have dropped Martin down to this point. Bernard could be a PPR machine in Cincinnati that is a solid pick in this round.
Round 4
31. Rob Gronkowski, TE
32. Roddy White, WR
33. Arian Foster, RB
34. Andre Ellington, RB
35. C.J. Spiller, RB
36. Randall Cobb, WR
37. Pierre Garcon, WR
38. Matthew Stafford, QB
39. Ben Tate, RB
40. Keenan Allen, WR
Gronk leads off this round as the No. 2 tight end off the board. This round also sees Arian Foster and his old backup in Houston, Ben Tate. Foster’s value will depend on a lot on who is the quarterback with the Texans. Ellington has an expanded role in Arizona and could be up for a huge season.
Round 5
41. Vincent Jackson, WR
42. Julius Thomas, TE
43. Percy Harvin, WR
44. Larry Fitzgerald, WR
45. Cam Newton, QB
46. Andrew Luck, QB
47. Ryan Mathews, RB
48. Ray Rice, RB
49. Julian Edelman, WR
50. DeSean Jackson, WR
Two more quarterbacks left the board in the fifth round with Newton and Luck who are arguably in the top-five QBs for fantasy in 2014. DeSean Jackson arrives here as well with his new team where he could be a solid No. 2 receiver. The drop for Ray Rice continues here and this may still be too high.
The plan is to revisit this again after the draft to see if there are any big changes or rookies that need to be added to this list.