Check 1-2. Check 1-2. Testing. Testing. Is this thing on…?

No really, is it? I ask, because I often wonder how many people actually read the write-up of the experts mock draft in fantasy magazines or whether most people treat it like the Playboy centerfold and just rush to the pretty picture with all the good stuff; in this case, the bright, shiny colors with names of players equivalent to the young woman’s biographical information and “turn-ons & turn-offs.”

So to buck that trend, we’re going to give you something a little more interesting than the usual write-up. Sure, you’ll get the picks and pans and the potential ADP impact moving forward, but Fantasy Alarm wants you to experience this draft as you would your home league draft. Just because the participants are members of the industry, it doesn’t mean that we aren’t subjected to some of the nonsense that you end up dealing with when you sit down for what is usually the biggest day of your season. So without further ado, let’s get to it.

The 2014 Fantasy Football Draft Guide is HERE!! 210 pages of system breakdowns, offensive line breakdowns, injury reports, 30 proven winning strategies and of course over 550 players ranked. Sign up for a new DraftKings account to get the guide, the NFL in-season Assistant GM and all of our daily fantasy football tools for FREE!!!

The Players

While player knowledge and an understanding of draft trends are vital to your success, don’t underestimate the power of knowing your opponents. Knowing who you are drafting against and what their tendencies are can prove to be invaluable when deciding on whether or not you have to reach for a player you want or whether you can sit back and wait another round or two. With that, we assembled quite the cast of characters for this event.

Representing the Fantasy Alarm home office, we have Commander-in-Chief Jeff Mans, his trusty cohort Ted Schuster, the Oracle himself, Ray Flowers and, of course, yours truly. Joining us were Corey Parson, the man who makes the magic happen over at SiriusXM Fantasy Sports RadioKFFL’s finest Tim HeaneyJake Ciely from RotoExperts and FantasyPros.com, the incomparable Bob Harris from Football Diehards, the mythical genius that is Steve Gardner from USA TodayStacie Stern from Head2Head Sports and TheFantasyFootballGirl.com’s Liz Loza, two women whose knowledge of the game, both real and fantasy, regularly tells the boys club to suck it, and rounding out the field, one lucky stalker…er…I mean…fan of the Fantasy Alarm family who got a rare opportunity to dance with the big boys and girls, Mark Malecki. It is truly hard to imagine assembling a better group for this.

The Rules

12-team PPR starting 1 QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, 1 Flex (RB/WR), 1 TE, 1 K, 1 DEF with 5 bench spots

Pretty standard stuff, yes, but always make sure that everyone in the league is well aware of the rules at the time of the draft or the chat room turns into an Abbot and Costello Who’s on First routine much like how we began. We had Ted playing the role of Abbot, Stacie was forced into the Costello role (my fault) and by the time everyone finished chiming in on the nonsense, I wanted to punch everyone in the PPR. But we worked it all out and as Jackie Gleason used to say, “And awaaaaaay we go!”

The Draft

Normally, experts drafts tend to be a little on the dry side. We can appreciate the seriousness with which most of us take our jobs, but more often than not, the conversation tends to hover around the “nice pick” or “good value there” rhetoric. Not the case here. Well, we had a few of those, but with craft beers, margaritas and a cure for glaucoma seemingly in play, the chat room got a little ornery to say the least. For the record, neither “dropping the hammer” nor “eating the bones” meant what I thought they meant, I never want to borrow Jeff’s rain jacket, beer pong is much more fun than being in an airport bathroom and “more” is not a good safe-word.

Now as for the fantasy football aspect, let’s do some quick round summations, highlight a few picks and notes some trends, but overall, our collective genius allows out picks to speak for themselves.

 

Round 1

1. TheFFGirl - LeSean McCoy RB, PHI

2. The Fantasy Executive - Jamaal Charles RB, KAN

3. wellhung - Adrian Peterson RB, MIN

4. @Tim_Heaney - Eddie Lacy RB, GNB

5. Bender - Matt Forte RB, CHI

6. Big Sexy - Calvin Johnson WR, DET

7. Head2Head Sports - DeMarco Murray RB, DAL

8. Jake Ciely (@allinkid) - Jimmy Graham TE, NOR

9. @footballdiehard - Giovani Bernard RB, CIN

10. Second to None - Brandon Marshall WR, CHI

11. RayFlowers - Le'Veon Bell RB, PIT

12. Character Zero - Demaryius Thomas WR, DEN

No real surprises here, as eight of the 12 picks were running backs with Megatron, Brandon Marshall and Demaryius Thomas representing the receivers and Jimmy Graham as the lone tight end. I like to think that I spared the draft room an earful by refusing to let Matt Forte reach Mans at the sixth pick. I wasn’t doing it to be nice. I was just trying to pay it forward as Heaney stuck it to me when he stole Eddie Lacy from me the pick before.

Round 2

1. Character Zero - A.J. Green WR, CIN

2. RayFlowers - Dez Bryant WR, DAL

3. Second to None - Julio Jones WR, ATL

4. @footballdiehard - Julius Thomas TE, DEN

5. Jake Ciely (@allinkid) - Montee Ball RB, DEN

6. Head2Head Sports - Marshawn Lynch RB, SEA

7. Big Sexy - Zac Stacy RB, STL

8. Bender - Jordy Nelson WR, GNB

9. @Tim_Heaney - Arian Foster RB, HOU

10. wellhung - Peyton Manning QB, DEN

11. The Fantasy Executive - Antonio Brown WR, PIT

12. TheFFGirl - Alshon Jeffery WR, CHI

Gardner kicked it off with a masterful double-tap of elite WR talent, taking A.J. Green right after finishing the first round with Demaryius. This is a move I highly recommend for those drafting at the wheel, as the receivers have become the biggest point-producers recently. More running backs and high-end wideouts went here and we also saw Julius Thomas as the second tight end off the board and Malecki taking a page out of the Flowers Book of Drafting at the FSTA (Fantasy Sports Trade Association) with a selection of Peyton Manning, our first QB off the board.

 

Round 3

1. TheFFGirl - Andre Ellington RB, ARI

2. The Fantasy Executive - Michael Crabtree WR, SFO

3. wellhung - Alfred Morris RB, WAS

4. @Tim_Heaney - Larry Fitzgerald WR, ARI

5. Bender - Keenan Allen WR, SDG

6. Big Sexy - Randall Cobb WR, GNB

7. Head2Head Sports - Cordarrelle Patterson WR, MIN

8. Jake Ciely (@allinkid) - Reggie Bush RB, DET

9. @footballdiehard - Pierre Garcon WR, WAS

10. Second to None - Doug Martin RB, TAM

11. RayFlowers - Victor Cruz WR, NYG

12. Character Zero - C.J. Spiller RB, BUF

Still no surprises here as the draft was going exactly as you thought it should go. Seven of the 12 picks were receivers (kudos to Stacie for a very underrated pick of Cordarelle Patterson) and the rest were running backs. To show you how and why Gardner’s method of two high-end receivers at the wheel worked, he then doubled up on running backs with C.J. Spiller and….

Round 4

1. Character Zero - Toby Gerhart RB, JAC

2. RayFlowers - Joique Bell RB, DET

3. Second to None - Vincent Jackson WR, TAM

4. @footballdiehard - Shane Vereen RB, NWE

5. Jake Ciely (@allinkid) - Andre Johnson WR, HOU

6. Head2Head Sports - T Y Hilton WR, IND

7. Big Sexy - Drew Brees QB, NOR

8. Bender - Aaron Rodgers QB, GNB

9. @Tim_Heaney - Wes Welker WR, DEN

10. wellhung - Josh Gordon WR, CLE

11. The Fantasy Executive - DeSean Jackson WR, WAS

12. TheFFGirl - Percy Harvin WR, SEA

Toby Gerhart. As much as we love Fred Jackson, the guy is 117 years old this season and Spiller should see the majority of work finally. Not to mention, it’s a PPR league. Spiller matched up with Gerhart who is the No. 1 back in Jacksonville becomes a solid tandem when you have two of the best wideouts in the game on your roster. As for the rest of the round, it was more of the same receiver-heavy drafting with Jeff and me tapping into the quarterback pool to grab Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers. I can’t speak for Jeff, but that was early for me for a QB given the potential point production from the remaining running backs and wide receivers, I’ll happily take the elite passer.

Round 5

1. TheFFGirl - Trent Richardson RB, IND

2. The Fantasy Executive - Pierre Thomas RB, NOR

3. wellhung - Jeremy Maclin WR, PHI

4. @Tim_Heaney - Ryan Mathews RB, SDG

5. Bender - Darren McFadden RB, OAK

6. Big Sexy - Julian Edelman WR, NWE

7. Head2Head Sports - Matthew Stafford QB, DET

8. Jake Ciely (@allinkid) - Roddy White WR, ATL

9. @footballdiehard - Michael Floyd WR, ARI

10. Second to None - Frank Gore RB, SFO

11. RayFlowers - Rob Gronkowski TE, NWE

12. Character Zero - Bishop Sankey RB, TEN

I would say that Liz bought the first fantasy turd of the draft with her selection of Trent Richardson, but considering I suffered a severe brain cramp and took Darren McFadden, who am I to say anything? Mans gets good value with Julian Edelman in a PPR, Bob Harris makes a nice pick with Michael Floyd and the Oracle prognosticates that Rob Gronkowski is a worthy selection in the fifth round.

Round 6

1. Character Zero - Vernon Davis TE, SFO

2. RayFlowers - Mike Wallace WR, MIA

3. Second to None - Chris Johnson RB, NYJ

4. @footballdiehard - Kendall Wright WR, TEN

5. Jake Ciely (@allinkid) - Rashad Jennings RB, NYG

6. Head2Head Sports - Terrance Williams WR, DAL

7. Big Sexy - Ben Tate RB, CLE

8. Bender - Marques Colston WR, NOR

9. @Tim_Heaney - Jason Witten TE, DAL

10. wellhung - Knowshon Moreno RB, MIA

11. The Fantasy Executive - Greg Olsen TE, CAR

12. TheFFGirl - Kyle Rudolph TE, MIN

Well, if you’re wondering when the first tight end run begins, look no further. Gardner seemed confident that Vernon Davis would work out his contract holdout problems and took him with the first pick of the round and after a series of more running backs and wide receivers, three of the final four picks in the round were tight ends. Jason WittenGreg Olsen and Kyle Rudolph should all fare well in a PPR format. What was that fourth pick, you ask? THAT was the fantasy turd of the draft as Malecki timed out making a decision and saddled himself with Knowshon Moreno.

Round 7

1. TheFFGirl - Andrew Luck QB, IND

2. The Fantasy Executive - Riley Cooper WR, PHI

3. wellhung - Jordan Cameron TE, CLE

4. @Tim_Heaney - Robert Griffin III QB, WAS

5. Bender - Steven Jackson RB, ATL

6. Big Sexy - Ray Rice RB, BAL

7. Head2Head Sports - Stevan Ridley RB, NWE

8. Jake Ciely (@allinkid) - Torrey Smith WR, BAL

9. @footballdiehard - Danny Woodhead RB, SDG

10. Second to None - Cam Newton QB, CAR

11. RayFlowers - Terrance West RB, CLE

12. Character Zero - Nick Foles QB, PHI

And here come the quarterbacks. Fantasy experts always say that you wait on the position because of its enormous depth. Well, the wait is apparently over in the seventh round as four more QBs come off the board along with the likes of some third-tier receivers, some suspect running backs and one upside play in Terrance West. The running back position has some lousy depth to it, so this is where it seems that you should start making those ‘hit-or-miss but at least I have depth on my roster’ picks.

Round 8

1. Character Zero - Sammy Watkins WR, BUF

2. RayFlowers - Tony Romo QB, DAL

3. Second to None - Carlos Hyde RB, SFO

4. @footballdiehard - Matt Ryan QB, ATL

5. Jake Ciely (@allinkid) - Eric Decker WR, NYJ

6. Head2Head Sports - Charles Clay TE, MIA

7. Big Sexy - Reggie Wayne WR, IND

8. Bender - Eric Ebron TE, DET

9. @Tim_Heaney - Hakeem Nicks WR, IND

10. wellhung - Fred Jackson RB, BUF

11. The Fantasy Executive - Bernard Pierce RB, BAL

12. TheFFGirl - Emmanuel Sanders WR, DEN

My first reach of the draft here, as I let myself get distracted by the chat room discussion of Corey’s selection of Riley Cooper and Bob Harris’ thoughts on Danny Woodhead’s stock photo. I ran out of time and panicked, taking Eric Ebron in the eighth. I think the guy is primed for a monster year, but in truth, he probably could have been had three rounds later unless the Oracle wanted to mess with my mind. Picks I love in this round include: Emmanuel SandersHakeem Nicks and Carlos Hyde.

Round 9

1. TheFFGirl - Lamar Miller RB, MIA

2. The Fantasy Executive - Colin Kaepernick QB, SFO

3. wellhung - Tom Brady QB, NWE

4. @Tim_Heaney - Golden Tate WR, DET

5. Bender - Marvin Jones WR, CIN

6. Big Sexy - Ladarius Green TE, SDG

7. Head2Head Sports - Anquan Boldin WR, SFO

8. Jake Ciely (@allinkid) - Cecil Shorts III WR, JAC

9. @footballdiehard - Ahmad Bradshaw RB, IND

10. Second to None - Dennis Pitta TE, BAL

11. RayFlowers - Jeremy Hill RB, CIN

12. Character Zero - DeAngelo Williams RB, CAR

Seeing Tom Brady fall this far is a little mind-boggling for me still, but that’s the way it goes. Some real nice upside picks here at the receiver position with Golden TateAnquan Boldin, and yes, my pick of Marvin Jones as well. Love the Ahmad Bradshaw pick this late. Considering he just has to beat out Trent Richardson and Vick Ballard, this could be a steal. Note how far he falls in your home league.

Round 10

1. Character Zero - Jonathan Stewart RB, CAR

2. RayFlowers - Maurice Jones-Drew RB, OAK

3. Second to None - Kelvin Benjamin WR, CAR

4. @footballdiehard - Zach Ertz TE, PHI

5. Jake Ciely (@allinkid) - Jay Cutler QB, CHI

6. Head2Head Sports - Christine Michael RB, SEA

7. Big Sexy - Brandin Cooks WR, NOR

8. Bender - Devonta Freeman RB, ATL

9. @Tim_Heaney - Tre Mason RB, STL

10. wellhung - Andy Dalton QB, CIN

11. The Fantasy Executive - Aaron Dobson WR, NWE

12. TheFFGirl - Darren Sproles RB, PHI

Ted gets some nice potential with Kelvin Benjamin here, but the two best picks of the round could be from me and Stacie here. She took Christine Michael, who is expected to see a significant increase in touches in Seattle and I grabbed Devonta Freeman. In part because I drafted Steven Jackson, but I believe Freeman could be starting for the Falcons by mid-season.

Round 11

1. TheFFGirl - DeAndre Hopkins WR, HOU

2. The Fantasy Executive - Khiry Robinson RB, NOR

3. wellhung - Chris Ivory RB, NYJ

4. @Tim_Heaney - Rueben Randle WR, NYG

5. Bender - David Wilson RB, NYG

6. Big Sexy - Dwayne Bowe WR, KAN

7. Head2Head Sports - Odell Beckham Jr. WR, NYG

8. Jake Ciely (@allinkid) - Russell Wilson QB, SEA

9. @footballdiehard - Greg Jennings WR, MIN

10. Second to None - Markus Wheaton WR, PIT

11. RayFlowers - James Jones WR, OAK

12. Character Zero - Brian Hartline WR, MIA

I like my potential upside if David Wilson stays healthy this year, Heaney makes a nice pick in Reuben Randle and Ted gets a great guy in Markus Wheaton, but the pick in this round that caught my eye…and not in a good way…is Ray’s selection of James Jones. You would have thought my berating him for the same selection at the FSTA draft would have been enough to deter him, but he goes back to that crap-well one more time here. Sorry folks, if there was ever a guy who was strictly a product of the guy throwing him the ball, it’s Jones. Good thing it’s Round 11, Ray.

Round 12

1. Character Zero - Philip Rivers QB, SDG

2. RayFlowers - Jordan Reed TE, WAS

3. Second to None - Charles Sims RB, TAM

4. @footballdiehard - Ben Roethlisberger QB, PIT

5. Jake Ciely (@allinkid) - Roy Helu RB, WAS

6. Head2Head Sports - Ryan Tannehill QB, MIA

7. Big Sexy - St. Louis Rams Def/ST, STL

8. Bender - Danny Amendola WR, NWE

9. @Tim_Heaney - Eli Manning QB, NYG

10. wellhung - Tavon Austin WR, STL

11. The Fantasy Executive - Johnny Manziel QB, CLE

12. TheFFGirl - Justin Hunter WR, TEN

Personally, I think drafting back-up quarterbacks is for the gutless, but I’m not in the majority here as five QBs come off the board including Johnny Football to Corey Parsons. Most interesting pick in this round though goes to Mans who took the Rams defense as the first defense off the board. Controversial pick? Not to me. It allowed me to grab the Seahawks in the next round.

Round 13

1. TheFFGirl - Ka'Deem Carey RB, CHI

2. The Fantasy Executive - Knile Davis RB, KAN

3. wellhung - Jared Cook TE, STL

4. @Tim_Heaney - Andre Williams RB, NYG

5. Bender - Seattle Seahawks Def/ST, SEA

6. Big Sexy - Jordan Matthews WR, PHI

7. Head2Head Sports - Mike Evans WR, TAM

8. Jake Ciely (@allinkid) - Doug Baldwin WR, SEA

9. @footballdiehard - Carolina Panthers Def/ST, CAR

10. Second to None - Mark Ingram RB, NOR

11. RayFlowers - Andre Brown RB, HOU

12. Character Zero - Cincinnati Bengals Def/ST, CIN

Andre Williams, Andre Brown and Mike Evans are my three favorite picks of this round. All three should be starting at some point his season and all three have the chance to be productive for owners.

Round 14

1. Character Zero - Jarrett Boykin WR, GNB

2. RayFlowers - Matt Prater K, DEN

3. Second to None - San Francisco 49ers Def/ST, SFO

4. @footballdiehard - Stephen Gostkowski K, NWE

5. Jake Ciely (@allinkid) - Denver Broncos Def/ST, DEN

6. Head2Head Sports - Arizona Cardinals Def/ST, ARI

7. Big Sexy - LeGarrette Blount RB, PIT

8. Bender - Rod Streater WR, OAK

9. @Tim_Heaney - Chicago Bears Def/ST, CHI

10. wellhung - Kansas City Chiefs Def/ST, KAN

11. The Fantasy Executive - Tampa Bay Buccaneers Def/ST, TAM

12. TheFFGirl - New England Patriots Def/ST, NWE

Lots of defenses

Round 15

1. TheFFGirl - Justin Tucker K, BAL

2. The Fantasy Executive - Dan Bailey K, DAL

3. wellhung - Phil Dawson K, SFO

4. @Tim_Heaney - Nick Novak K, SDG

5. Bender - Greg Zuerlein K, STL

6. Big Sexy - Blair Walsh K, MIN

7. Head2Head Sports - Matt Bryant K, ATL

8. Jake Ciely (@allinkid) - Steven Hauschka K, SEA

9. @footballdiehard - Dexter McCluster RB, TEN

10. Second to None - Alex Henery K, PHI

11. RayFlowers - Houston Texans Def/ST, HOU

12. Character Zero - Mason Crosby K, GNB

Tons of kickers

We at Fantasy Alarm would love to thank everyone who participated in our 2014 Experts Mock Draft. They did a tremendous job as usual and as expected, but all of them are also great people whom I enjoyed talking to and spending some time with at the draft. Well, I don’t know about this Malecki character, but everyone else for sure. If you don’t follow them on Twitter or at their websites, you’re missing out.

Hopefully you as the reader got a little something out of this write-up and draft as well. There were no crazy reaches and if we were to play this one out during the season, it looks like it would be a very well-balanced and competitive league. Mark the trends of the draft, highlight the values and use this information to help guide you to your own league championship.