Rounds 2-3 of the No Credentials Fantasy Football Mock Draft

     Here’s rounds two and three of our mock draft. My friend Ethan was again along for the ride to have the final say on odd numbered teams, while I handled the even-numbered squads. If you missed Round 1 of the mock, click here.

Team 12, aka “Just Win Baby”

Pick 13 = Darren McFadden, RB, Raiders – He probably should be trusted more based off of his breakout last season. If healthy, has top-5 RB potential in PPR leagues.

Team 11, aka “Wandering Bear”

Pick 14 = Phillip Rivers, QB, Chargers – No Credentials is all in on Philip Rivers this year. If somehow you are able to draft him in the third round, there’s a good chance you will win your league.

Team 10, aka “Twinning”

Pick 15 = Calvin Johnson, WR, Lions – One of these years, Megatron is going to put up 120 receptions with 1,600 receiving yards. If Stafford stays healthy (admittedly, a huge if), 2011 could be the year.

Team 9, aka “Hair”

Pick 16 = Tom Brady, QB, Patriots – Ethan wanted to take Brady at 14 until I talked him into Rivers. Even 16 seems high to me, but ESPN’s Matthew Berry has Brady ranked at 11 on his big board.

Team 8, aka “YOU PLAY TO WIN THE GAME”

Pick 17 = Michael Turner, RB, Falcons – Ethan was about to have an aneurysm because Turner was still on the board, so we finally took him at 17. I’m really down on him this season. He’s had a decent three-year run, but excess weight is bound to get the best of him eventually. Turner’s stock is lowered considerably in PPR leagues, as his pass catching ability is somewhere between poor and horrendous.

FANTASY TIP 2.1 = KNOW WHAT YOUR LEAGUE’S SCORING RULES ARE – This sounds fairly straightforward, but you would be surprised how many people don’t know whether or not a passing touchdown is worth four or six points in their league. Understanding the scoring nuances of your league will allow you to adjust a player’s value accordingly going into the draft. Turner is a great example of this. He’s ranked in the top 10 right now on Yahoo!, but that ranking is based off of a non-PPR league. If you are playing in a PPR, don’t be the schmuck that drafts Michael Turner at #8.

Team 7, aka “Sponge Worthy”

Pick 18 = Drew Brees, QB, Saints – 22 interceptions last season was a major anomaly. New Orleans’ improved rushing attack should allow Brees to take better care of the ball.

Team 6, aka “F*** the Constitution”

Pick 19 = Frank Gore, RB, 49ers – Gore has this nasty habit of missing multiple games every year, but when he’s healthy there aren’t many runningbacks in PPR leagues. An improved offensive line gives Gore a shot at 2,000 total yards.

Team 5, aka “R.I.P. AIM”

Pick 20 = Steven Jackson, RB, Rams – Jackson is a solid back who has been the victim of being surrounded by shoddy talent the past three years. If Sam Bradford can take a step forward, Jackson could score double-digit touchdowns.

Team 4, aka “In My Time of Dying”

Pick 21 = Greg Jennings, WR, Packers – My favorite second tier wide receiver, Jennings will benefit greatly from the return of Jermichael Finley.

Team 3, aka “The Great White Hope”

Pick 22 = Peyton Hillis, RB, Browns – Ethan isn’t as scared of The Madden Curse as I am (check out my AFC North preview for more details).

Team 2, aka “We Support Your War on Terror”

Pick 23 = Peyton Manning, QB, Colts – Manning might be rusty the first game or two, but if he puts up numbers similar to his 2008 production (when he missed all of the preseason after having an infection in his knee), you’ll be happy at season’s end.

Team 1, aka “The Dark Knight”

Pick 24 = Reggie Wayne, WR, Colts – Wayne was a certified fantasy team assassin in 2009, but bounced back with over 100 catches last season.

Team 1, aka “The Butler”

Pick 25 = Miles Austin, WR, Cowboys – Miles managed to be productive even with Jon Kitna and Stephen McGee throwing him the ball last season, and Roy Williams lining up on the opposite side of the field. With a healthy Romo, and Dez Bryant as the full-time #2, expect big things. I should also note that I lobbied for my son to be named Miles, so you should take any No Credentials advice about him with a grain of salt.
Current Roster = RB Adrian Peterson, WR Reggie Wayne, WR Miles Austin

Team 2, aka “I Need a Post-Up Game”

Pick 26 = Hakeem Nicks, WR, Giants – I’m not all-in on the Nicks bandwagon, but he will have a chance to crack 90 receptions with the other Steve Smith out of town.
Current Roster = RB Jamaal Charles, QB Peyton Manning, WR Hakeem Nicks

Team 3, aka “The High Life”

Pick 27 = Maurice Jones-Drew, RB, Jaguars – Ethan was adamant that this team should draft a third runningback at this point. I probably replaced him after this pick, but we’ll see how a team built around three backs will do.
Current Roster = RB Arian Foster, RB Peyton Hillis, RB Maurice Jones-Drew

Team 4, aka “Good Times Bad Times”

Pick 28 = Vincent Jackson, WR, Chargers – A full-year of Jackson (his first in the post-Tomlinson era) could be huge. I wouldn’t be shocked at all if he ends up as the most valuable receiver in fantasy. In retrospect, I would’ve signed off on him going at 21 instead of Jennings.
Current Roster = QB Michael Vick, WR Greg Jennings, WR Vincent Jackson

Team 5, aka “That’s My Quarterback (sniffle, sniffle)”

Pick 29 = Tony Romo, QB, Cowboys – The last of the elite fantasy quarterbacks (emphasis on fantasy) comes off the board.
Current Roster = RB Chris Johnson, RB Steven Jackson, QB Tony Romo

Team 6, aka “Job Security”

Pick 30 = Antonio Gates, TE, Chargers – When healthy, Gates is far and away the best tight end in the game. In retrospect, it would make more sense for a team with one of the elite seven QBs to draft him (as it’s much easier to come up with a runningback or wide receiver who emerges either late in the draft or off the waiver wire).
Current Roster = WR Andre Johnson, RB Frank Gore, TE Antonio Gates

Team 7, aka “60 Minutes”

Pick 31 = Mike Wallace, WR, Steelers – No Credentials hasn’t liked a Steelers’ wide receiver this much since Yancey Thigpen in 1995. I wrote during round 1 of the mock that I think Pittsburgh will run the ball more this season, but that won’t hurt Wallace at all. If anything, that will option up a few play-action fly patterns for Wallace to run.
Current Roster = RB Ray Rice, QB Drew Brees, WR Mike Wallace

Team 8, aka “Krayzee Eyez Killah”

Pick 32 = Dwayne Bowe, WR, Chiefs – I’m not crazy about Bowe this season (mostly due to his quarterback, read the AFC West preview for more details), but Bowe will go sometime in the third round in all drafts. You shouldn’t expect him to duplicate 2010’s touchdown total, but he could increase his receptions.
Current Roster = QB Aaron Rodgers, RB Michael Turner, WR Dwayne Bowe

Team 9, aka “The Enigma”

Pick 33 = Dez Bryant, WR, Cowboys – The first risky/reckless/hardcore homer pick of the No Credentials mock. As long as Bryant stays away from malls, Bryant is a lock to score 10 touchdowns (or more) this season.
Current Roster = RB LeSean McCoy, QB Tom Brady, WR Dez Bryant

FANTASY TIP 2.2 = ONE HOMER PICK IS OKAY, TWO OR MORE IS A PROBLEM – Having one guy off of your fantasy team is fine in my book, but two or more can frustrate the hell out of you. A couple of years ago I had one team that had Romo, Marion Barber (who I traded for), Jason Witten (who I also traded for), and Miles Austin (who I picked up off the free agent list after he torched Kansas City for 250 yards). Things were going just fine with this set-up until Dallas traveled to Green Bay, and those four players scored a combined 13 fantasy points. It was brutal. Not only did my real life favorite football team embarrass itself, it also caused my fantasy team to be an embarrassment. From then forward I vowed not to invest too heavily into the Cowboys.

Team 10, aka “Herbal Frontier”

Pick 34 = Ahmad Bradshaw, RB, Giants – I’m not crazy about Bradshaw, but he’s a solid PPR runningback who should continue to see the bulk of the carries as Brandon Jacobs continues to slow down.
Current Roster = WR Larry Fitzgerald, WR Calvin Johnson, RB Ahmad Bradshaw

Team 11, aka “Cougar Hunters”

Pick 35 = DeSean Jackson, WR, Eagles – The best home run hitter in the NFL, Jackson will have monster games and dud games throughout the season. Just know that going in before you take him.
Current Roster = WR Roddy White, QB Philip Rivers, WR DeSean Jackson

Team 12, aka “Ward Burton”

Pick 36 = Brandon Marshall, WR, Dolphins – I talked myself and Ethan into reaching on Marshall because I really believe that his head will be in the right place know that he’s properly medicated, but quarterback situation in Miami (barring a miracle trade to bring in Carson Palmer) will hurt his production. Marshall probably should’ve gone ten or fifteen picks later.
Current Roster = RB Rashard Mendenhall, RB Darren McFadden, WR Brandon Marshall