Another day, another mock draft. This one was an auction, which is less popular than serpentine drafts over most of the fantasy sports landscape but still a lot of fun nonetheless.
If you're a veteran auction manger or you're looking for a new challenge, the best advice I can offer is to listen to the old hair metal band White Lion ... and "Wait." Let the rest of the owners in your draft run through their cash like Montgomery Brewster in the underrated flick "Brewster's Millions," because I promise that you'll be able to land ridiculous bargains in the latter portion of the auction. Of course, you should also have a list of players you're willing to spend your auction dollars on and make a run at those players during the first half of the draft.
Alright, here's how this squad ended up and a few notes on how I compiled it pick by pick. Enjoy.
Adrian Peterson, RB, Vikings ($41): I wanted to spend a good portion of the budget on at least one elite running back, but I didn't want to spend more than $50-plus dollars if at all possible. Peterson might be 31, but he's a special athlete who doesn't fall under the same negative trends of past runners at his age. It's difficult to envision a scenario where A.P. isn't a top-10 choice.
Jarvis Landry, WR, Dolphins ($35): I engaged in a huge bidding war on Landry, which is the reason for his higher-than-normal price. After missing out on a few other wide receivers I wanted (and having plenty of money to spend as a result), I had no problem spending on the talented wideout from Miami. He's a good bet to haul in 90-plus passes from Ryan Tannehill under new coach Adam Gase.
Devonta Freeman, RB, Falcons ($30): I am not a huge fan of Freeman as a No. 1 fantasy runner, but I couldn't let him come off the board for less than $30. When I pushed his value to that mark, however, the bidding stopped and I wound up with him as a No. 2 back (ESPN's Mike Clay is laughing right now, I guarantee it). Regardless, I don't mind Freeman as the second back on this roster.
Sammy Watkins, WR, Bills ($26): Watkins is a favorite of mine among wideouts, alongside T.Y. Hilton (who I missed out on, like an idiot). I like the value here, because I can see the Clemson product emerging into a top-10 fantasy player at his position this season. Over the final weeks of the 2015 campaign, there were few fantasy receivers in the league who were better than Watkins.
Golden Tate, WR, Lions ($14):Marvin Jones is getting a lot of hype, and it's warranted when you consider his price and ADP. Still, I like Tate to lead the Lions in targets, catches and receiving yards with Calvin Johnson out of the mix. When you look at the numbers he put up without Megatron over the last two seasons, well, there's room for optimism when it comes to the Golden Domer.
DeMarco Murray, RB, Titans ($12): Since I landed Peterson and Freeman earlier in the drafts, I was able to sit back and wait on the third, fourth and fifth runners for this roster. While Murray seems destined to see some sort of shared workload with Derrick Henry, I still see him as the team's lead back. If their "exotic smashmouth" attack works, Murray will push for RB2 value.
Drew Brees, QB, Saints ($9): See folks, you can wait on a quarterback in an auction just the same as a standard snake draft. There was a lot of value to be had at the position, and Brees was one of them for a bargain $9. While he is a little long in the tooth, older signal-callers don't suffer the same statistical fate as most aging running backs. Drew should put up a solid season.
T.J. Yeldon, RB, Jaguars ($4) Yeldon lost a lot of his luster when the Jaguars went out and signed Chris Ivory during the offseason, but I landed him for a mere four bucks as this roster's No. 4 fantasy running back. I don't see him being a regular flex starter with Peterson, Freeman and Murray ahead of him on this team's depth chart, but Yeldon does make for a nice bye-week option.
Jordan Matthews, WR, Eagles ($2): I'm not a huge fan of Matthews (he's just outside of my top-30 wide receivers), but I'll take him all day long for a pair of George Washingtons. While he was inconsistent overall, the Eagles wideout did put up some tremendous totals in the second half of last season. He's also scored a combined 16 times over his first two years in the league.
Zach Ertz, TE, Eagles ($1): I lost out on Coby Fleener late in the auction, and with no real elite options left at the position, I figured I'd take a pair of young tight ends with upside and hope for the best. Ertz figures to be this roster's No. 1 option, and he's a good bet to see more than his share of opportunities under new head coach Doug Pederson. Think Travis Kelce numbers.
Ladarius Green, TE, Steelers ($1): I loved Green's addition in Pittsburgh when it happened, but all this talk of concussions, headaches and maybe even retirement has me bummed out. Still, he was worth a flier for one dollar with the hopes that the news sounds worse than it is. If he can get out on the gridiron, Green would be a virtual lock to catch 60-70 passes from Ben Roethlisberger.
Vincent Jackson, WR, Buccaneers ($1): When you're in the late stage of an auction, you throw out bids and hope for the best. Jackson was a late, one dollar roll of the dice.
Jordan Howard, RB, Bears ($1): When I lost out of Tevin Coleman late in the auction, I threw out a $1 flier on Howard in what figures to be a fluid backfield situation in the Windy City.
Steven Hauschka, K, Seahawks ($1): Does any kicker not named Stephen Gostkowski warrant more than a $1 bid? I didn't think so. Thus, I landed Hauschka for one buck.
Michael Fabiano is an award-winning fantasy football analyst on NFL.com and NFL Network and a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association (FSWA) Hall of Fame. Have a burning question on anything fantasy related? Tweet it to _**@MichaelFabiano**_ or send a question via **Facebook**!
