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Summer has flown by, the Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Conor McGregor fight is over and now many sports fans look toward the impending beginning of the NFL regular season, when the Kansas Chiefs travel to New England to face the Patriots on Thursday, September 7.
Here's a look at the first round of a recent mock draft to give you an idea of what a few people are thinking in the early going, as well as cheat sheets and strategies for each positional grouping.
Round 1 Mock
1. David Johnson (Arizona)
2. Le'Veon Bell (Pittsburgh)
3. Antonio Brown (Pittsburgh)
4. LeSean McCoy (Buffalo)
5. Jay Ajayi (Miami)
6. Julio Jones (Atlanta)
7. Odell Beckham Jr. (New York Giants)
8. Melvin Gordon (Los Angeles Chargers)
9. Mike Evans (Tampa Bay)
10. Devonta Freeman (Atlanta)
11. Brandin Cooks (New England)
12. A.J. Green (Cincinnati)
No shock with the first two picks, as the best players on the board went Nos. 1 and 2. However, a few surprising picks took place in this mock. Miami Dolphins running back Jay Ajayi went early, for example. He should be the engine that runs the Fins offense and will have plenty of opportunities to score, but it's interesting to see him go ahead of elite wideouts in Julio Jones and Odell Beckham Jr.
New England wide receiver Brandin Cooks also landed in the first round, perhaps because the fantasy player thinks he will get more targets and scoring opportunities with teammate Julian Edelman out for the season with a torn ACL, as reported on the league's official website.
Quarterback
1. Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay)
2. Tom Brady (New England)
3. Cam Newton (Carolina)
4. Drew Brees (New Orleans)
5. Matt Ryan (Atlanta)
6. Derek Carr (Oakland)
7. Kirk Cousins (Washington)
8. Marcus Mariota (Tennessee)
9. Carson Wentz (Philadelphia)
10. Russell Wilson (Seattle)
11. Andrew Luck (Indianapolis)
12. Ben Roethlisberger (Pittsburgh)
13. Jameis Winston (Tampa Bay)
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan and his team had a disappointing 2015 season, during which they started 5-0 and fell to 8-8. That dropped Ryan's fantasy stock quite a bit before the 2016 campaign, when players could have picked him in the later rounds.
If you were patient enough to wait for a quarterback that long and happened to take Ryan, then you were rewarded, as he won the NFL MVP thanks to 38 touchdown passes and 4,944 passing yards.
Even though some excellent quarterback options will go early, consider picking one in the later rounds.
Foe example, you could probably get Oakland Raiders signal-caller Derek Carr in the eighth or ninth round in a 12-team league, perhaps even a bit later. That's a great value for a player who may be leading one of the best offenses in football this year.
Running Back
1A. David Johnson (Arizona)
1B. Le'Veon Bell (Pittsburgh)
3. LeSean McCoy (Buffalo)
4. Jordan Howard (Chicago)
5. Devonta Freeman (Atlanta)
6. Christian McCaffrey (Carolina)
7. Leonard Fournette (Jacksonville)
8. DeMarco Murray (Tennessee)
9. Lamar Miller (Houston)
10. Melvin Gordon (Los Angeles Chargers)
11. Todd Gurley (Los Angeles Rams)
12. Jay Ajayi (Miami)
13. Dalvin Cook (Minnesota)
14. Ezekiel Elliott (Dallas)
15. Mike Gillislee (New England)
16. Bilal Powell (New York Jets)
17. Frank Gore (Indianapolis)
18. Joe Mixon (Cincinnati)
19. Isaiah Crowell (Cleveland)
20. Ty Montgomery (Green Bay)
21. Thomas Rawls (Seattle)
22. Marshawn Lynch (Oakland)
23. Carlos Hyde (San Francisco)
24. Kareem Hunt (Kansas City)
25. Ameer Abdullah (Detroit)
After Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott was given a six-game suspension to start the season, the gap between the Arizona Cardinals' David Johnson, the Pittsburgh Steelers' Le'Veon Bell and everyone else became quite large on the fantasy scale.
Naturally, if you're picking first or second overall, don't get cute and pick anyone but Johnson or Bell. They are the clear top two players, not only in their position but the top two fantasy performers in the NFL.
The question relates to which player has a better year, and the guess is Johnson simply because Bell has to compete with Antonio Brown and Martavis Bryant for touchdowns, while the Cardinal back is clearly the team's primary scorer.
Wide Receiver
1. Antonio Brown (Pittsburgh)
2. Odell Beckham Jr. (New York Giants)
3. Julio Jones (Atlanta)
4. Mike Evans (Tampa Bay)
5. Michael Thomas (New Orleans)
6. Jordy Nelson (Green Bay)
7. A.J. Green (Cincinnati)
8. Terrelle Pryor (Washington)
9. Amari Cooper (Oakland)
10. T.Y. Hilton (Indianapolis)
11. DeAndre Hopkins (Houston)
12. Alshon Jeffery (Philadelphia)
13. Allen Robinson (Jacksonville)
14. Doug Baldwin (Seattle)
15. Demaryius Thomas (Denver)
16. Davante Adams (Green Bay)
17. Emmanuel Sanders (Denver)
18. Cameron Meredith (Chicago)
19. Dez Bryant (Dallas)
20. Stefon Diggs (Minnesota)
21. Keenan Allen (Los Angeles Chargers)
22. Donte Moncrief (Indianapolis)
23. Larry Fitzgerald (Arizona)
24. Kenny Britt (Cleveland)
25. Randall Cobb (Green Bay)
26. Tyrell Williams (Los Angeles Chargers)
27. Corey Davis (Tennessee)
28. Brandin Cooks (New England)
29. Jamison Crowder (Washington)
30. DeVante Parker (Miami)
31. Michael Crabtree (Oakland)
32. Rishard Matthews (Tennessee)
33. Jeremy Maclin (Baltimore)
34. Sammy Watkins (Los Angeles Rams)
35. Sterling Shepard (New York Giants)
36. Zay Jones (Buffalo)
37. Tyreek Hill (Kansas City)
There's a clear elite unit at the top of the wide receiver rankings, led by the Pittsburgh Steelers' Antonio Brown. However, don't be surprised if a few players outside that tier crash the party this year, such as the New Orleans Saints' Michael Thomas, Washington's Terrell Pryor or Oakland's Amari Cooper.
In regard to Thomas, all he did last year was catch 92 passes (while even missing a game) as the team's second wideout behind Cooks. Now the latter is in New England, and the former is Drew Brees' primary target. He should have an even better year during his sophomore campaign.
The elite wideouts should go in the middle of the first round. If you're picking then, consider taking a running back instead because the position doesn't have a ton of depth on paper this year. Then look toward some wideout with great potential a round or two later.
Tight End
1. Rob Gronkowski (New England)
2. Travis Kelce (Kansas City)
3. Greg Olsen (Carolina)
4. Jordan Reed (Washington)
5. Jimmy Graham (Seattle)
6. Zach Ertz (Philadelphia)
7. Martellus Bennett (Green Bay)
8. Tyler Eifert (Cincinnati)
9. Delanie Walker (Tennessee)
10. Kyle Rudolph (Minnesota)
11. Jack Doyle (Indianapolis)
12. Hunter Henry (Los Angeles Chargers)
13. Jared Cook (Oakland)
There's no need to reach for a tight end early when you can get consistent and steady production out of the position by waiting and picking a player who is the consistent beneficiary of targets, such as the Philadelphia Eagles' Zach Ertz or Minnesota Vikings' Kyle Rudolph.
Although players such as Rob Gronkowski and Jordan Reed are notable for their game-breaking athletic ability from the position, it might be best to hold off on picking either as you stockpile fantasy running backs and wide receivers to fill out your team.
Depth is crucial in fantasy football, especially when the bye weeks hit, so that might be a better strategy in the long term.
Kicker
1. Justin Tucker (Baltimore)
2. Stephen Gostkowski (New England)
3. Matt Bryant (Atlanta)
4. Dan Bailey (Dallas)
5. Mason Crosby (Green Bay)
6. Matt Prater (Detroit)
7. Chris Boswell (Pittsburgh)
8. Steven Hauschka (Buffalo)
9. Brandon McManus (Denver)
10. Caleb Sturgis (Philadelphia)
11. Nick Novak (Houston)
12. Adam Vinatieri (Indianapolis)
13. Cairo Santos (Kansas City)
Defense/Special Teams
1. Kansas City
2. Denver
3. Carolina
4. Minnesota
5. Houston
6. Seattle
7. Arizona
8. New England
9. New York Giants
10. Pittsburgh
11. Tennessee
12. Philadelphia
13. Baltimore
We're mashing the analysis for kicker and defense together for one reason only: There is no reason to pick either position until the end of drafts simply because they don't earn players nearly as many points as other positions, especially in point-per-reception leagues.
If you're in a 15-round draft, don't look at kicker or defense until the 14th round. Use your other draft selections to fill out the rest of your starting lineup and bench.
On the kicking side, focus on players who kick in domes or warmer climates, as the elements won't be a factor for most of their games. On defense, look toward units who face weak offenses on paper, such as the Tennessee Titans or New England Patriots.
Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com
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