Fantasy Football Xtreme was invited to participate in an early 2011 Expert Fantasy Football Mock Draft. This draft includes the following sites: FootballGuys.com, Fantasy Football Starters, ProFootballFocus.com, DraftSharks.com, JunkYardJake.com, LestersLegends.com, FanaticFantasyFootball.com, FantasyShrink.com, AllPurposeRoto.com, FantasyFootballTrader.com, GoAheadScore.com and of course FantasyFootballXtreme.com.

The line-up requirements include 1QB, 2RBs, 2WRs, 1Flex, 1TE, 1K, 1DST. The scoring for this mock is based on standard PPR scoring.

Through the first five rounds, our roster consists of: Aaron Rodgers, Jamaal Charles, Mark Ingram, Miles Austin and Brandon Lloyd. Check out the first five rounds below, which includes my analysis of each selection.

Round One

1.01 – Foster, Arian HOU RB

Pick by: Pro Football Focus

Smitty’s Take: Not much to say here other than AP and CJ2K also deserve consideration. I take Foster at 1.01 every time, though.

1.02 – Peterson, Adrian MIN RB

Pick by: Lester’s Legends

Smitty’s Take: One can’t argue with AP here, but I don’t trust that Vikings passing attack in 2011, and while Tennessee’s might not be much better, I grab CJ2K in the two spot if I’m drafting here.

1.03 - Johnson, Chris TEN RB

Pick by: Fanatic Fantasy Football

Smitty’s Take: I firmly believe he is capable of reproducing his 2009 stats.

1.04 – Charles, Jamaal KCC RB

Pick by: Fantasy Footall Xtreme

Smitty’s Take: Of course we had hoped CJ2K would slip, but Charles is a PPR beast and is the one player outside of the big three that could score just as much at season’s end. This was a no-brainer at the 1.04 in a PPR draft.

1.05 – Rice, Ray BAL RB

Pick by: FootballGuys

Smitty’s Take: Many still doubt Rice, but we think this is fine value. Hopefully that Ravens coaching staff doesn’t mess this one up and limit his carries in certain situations, because Rice needs his touches. If he gets them, watch out!

1.06 – McCoy, LeSean PHI RB

Pick by: Fantasy Shrink

Smitty’s Take: It’s tough to argue this selection in a PPR format, given how well McCoy did last year. I’d almost rather trade down in a PPR format and grab a guy like Darren McFadden at the very end of the first-round, but since this is a mock, and not an actual league, this was a fine pick.

1.07 – Johnson, Andre HOU WR

Pick by: All Purpose Roto

Smitty’s Take: Only Calvin Johnson deserves consideration over A.J. in a redraft PPR mock.

1.08 – Mendenhall, Rashard PIT RB

Pick by: Fantasy Football Starters

Smitty’s Take: This was a bit high for our taste, especially in a PPR format. You either love or doubt Mendy in 2011… here at FFX, we tend to doubt him, at least at this cost (especially in a PPR format). MJD was the runner to pick at this point in the draft, especially given this is a PPR format… other players we would have grabbed over Mendy include: Calvin Johnson, Darren McFadden, Roddy White and even Hakeem Nicks.

1.09 – Johnson, Calvin DET WR

Pick by: DraftSharks

Smitty’s Take: Calvin is only going to get better, so we love this value.

1.10 – Jones-Drew, Maurice JAC RB

Pick by: Fantasy Football Trader

Smitty’s Take: Even with some question marks surrounding MJD’s health, this was a bargain. The risk is much lower when you’re able to snag the little guy in the 1.08-1.11 range. Nice grab.

1.11 – White, Roddy ATL WR

Pick by: GO Ahead Score

Smitty’s Take: While we like McFadden here, it’s never a bad move to go WR/WR in a PPR when you have bookend, or close to bookend selections.

1.12 – Gore, Frank SFO RB

Pick by: Junkyard Jake

Smitty’s Take: While Gore’s situation is fantastic, and his line will produce, it’s time to stay away from Gore if you ask me. We could be jumping ship a year early, and that’s the risk you run when you play it safe with often-injured backs, but constant knee, ankle and foot injuries, now coupled with a season-ending hip fracture from last year, no thanks. Darren McFadden or a Hakeem Nicks look safer if you ask me.

Round Two

2.01 – Jackson, Steven STL RB

Pick by: Junkyard Jake

Smitty’s Take: Like with Gore, Steven Jackson is one of my favorite players to stay clear of in 2011. I’d grab him at near third-round value, but that’s about it. Since he won’t fall that far in almost any draft I participate in, I doubt I will own S-Jax in any league in 2011.

2.02 – Nicks, Hakeem NYG WR

Pick by: GO Ahead Score

Smitty’s Take: Nicks is capable of scoring as many fantasy points as any of the receivers drafted above him.

2.03 – McFadden, Darren OAK RB

Pick by: Fantasy Football Trader

Smitty’s Take: Given I would consider grabbing McFadden as early as 1.08 this year, of course I love this value.

2.04 – Forte, Matt CHI RB

Pick by: DraftSharks

Smitty’s Take: This value is about right in a PPR. There are many reasons to doubt Forte in 2011, but there are just as many reasons to like him. Forte’s real value is in the later second-round, but again, he should earn his value right here at season’s end.

2.05 – Wayne, Reggie IND WR

Pick by: Fantasy Football Starters

Smitty’s Take: I honestly think Wayne has one more great year left. I don’t think I would have grabbed him this high, with receivers like Larry Fitzgerald, Mike Wallace, Greg Jennings and Dwayne Bowe still on the board, but I agree with anyone that suggests that most are jumping ship a bit too early with the wide receiver. Trade him in dynasty formats if you can, but consider him a fine WR2 if you should be so lucky to grab him at that kind of value. Again, we like Wayne, but this is a touch high for our taste.

2.06 – Jackson, Vincent SDC WR

Pick by: All Purpose Roto

Smitty’s Take: Strong upside, but of course he comes with as much risk as upside. Safter grabs include: Greg Jennings, Mike Wallace, Dwayne Bowe and even Larry Fitzgerald.

2.07 – Wallace, Mike PIT WR

Pick by: Fantasy Shrink

Smitty’s Take: Capable of being a top 5WR this year – easy.

2.08 – Fitzgerald, Larry ARI WR

Pick by: FootballGuys

Smitty’s Take: One of the most undervalued fantasy wide receivers entering 2011. I know, he doesn’t have a QB, but that could change. Even if it didn’t, Calvin Johnson has been surviving for years on inconsistency at the position. Fitz will be fine without a QB, and a top 1-3 fantasy WR if AZ in fact finds him an elite passer soon.

2.09 – Rodgers, Aaron GBP QB

Pick by: Fantasy Footall Xtreme

Smitty’s Take: Drafting a QB early is one of the most debated strategies in fantasy football. Some will argue drafting a QB like Rodgers is not a good plan of attack when other QBs are falling late, but that isn’t always the case, as some RBs and WRs also fall. For example, if we went WR/QB in the 2nd- and 3rd-rounds instead of QB/WR, we would have ended up with Drew Brees and Greg Jennings instead of what we ended up with, which was Aaron Rodgers and Miles Austin. An argument can be made for either duo. The one thing we will add is that Tom Brady fell extremely far to 5.03, which could be the steal of this mock draft. That said, I doubt Brady falls that far in most 2011 drafts… if he starts to, you can bet one of my favorite strategies of 2011 will be to draft Brady in the 4.05-5.03 range and clean-up on RBs and WRs in rounds 1-4. We are plenty happy with our Rodgers selection here at 2.09 — How can anyone argue against taking quite arguably fantasy football’s number one scorer at the bottom of the second-round.

2.10 – Jackson, DeSean PHI WR

Pick by: Fanatic Fantasy Football

Smitty’s Take: While it’s hard to argue against Jackson’s 2010 stats, we don’t trust him in 2011, not over receivers like Greg Jennings, Dwayne Bowe, Mike Williams or even Miles Austin.

2.11 – Turner, Michael ATL RB

Pick by: Lester’s Legends

Smitty’s Take: In a PPR, we would let Turner fall to the third-round before we select him. This pick could workout well for this owner, as he clearly landed a true fantasy WR1 in the third-round (in Dwayne Bowe).

2.12 – Jennings, Greg GBP WR

Pick by: Pro Football Focus

Smitty’s Take: Tough to argue this pick. This value seems about right.

Round Three

3.01 – Vick, Michael PHI QB

Pick by: Pro Football Focus

Smitty’s Take: As I said with our Rodgers pick, how can anyone argue against taking arguably the top scoring fantasy player in the game? Rodgers and Vick are easily capable of leading any league in scoring.

3.02 – Bowe, Dwayne KCC WR

Pick by: Lester’s Legends

Smitty’s Take: Bowe easily has second-round value, so getting Bowe in the third-round is more than solid.

3.03 – Mathews, Ryan SDC RB

Pick by: Fanatic Fantasy Football

Smitty’s Take: While Mathews could breakout in 2011, this is a bit high for my taste. I think Mathews HAS TO produce elite numbers to earn this kind of value. Again, he could earn it, but if I’m taking Mathews in 2011, I’m grabbing him at a draft slot where he can explode from his draft value.

3.04 – Austin, Miles DAL WR

Pick by: Fantasy Footall Xtreme

Smitty’s Take: I love Austin and I feel that he is one of the most undervalued receivers in fantasy football. He is a low-end fantasy WR1 at the cost of a low-end WR2. How quickly people forget that Austin was a top 1-3 overall wide receiver through much of the 2010 fantasy season. Austin is Romo’s top target, and Romo is back. These two have an untouchable rapport. When Romo went down after Week 6, so did Austin’s fantasy production. Dez Bryant will develop, sure, but he and Austin can co-exisit. Most forget how solid Austin was to start the season the 2010 season… He posted 10 receptions for 146 yards and 1TD in Week 1, he had 10 receptions for 142 yards in Week 2, and he pulled in 9 receptions for 166 and 1TD in his team’s fourth outing of the season – That’s 31 receptions for 474 yards and 2TDs through his team’s first four contests! Austin had such a strong start to the 2010 fantasy football season, even with a hit-and-miss type finish, he managed to finished in the top 10-14 overall for wide receivers in most scoring formats. That’s impressive. Don’t draft Austin in the second-round, that’s not my point… my point is, consider Austin a sleeper WR1 if you plan to wait until the third- to fourth-round to draft your first 2011 receiver.

3.05 – Brees, Drew NOS QB

Pick by: FootballGuys

Smitty’s Take: Great value, plain and simple.

3.06 – Hillis, Peyton CLE RB

Pick by: Fantasy Shrink

Smitty’s Take: Amazing value, plain and simple. Doubt Hillis all you want, but no one is suggesting that anyone draft him as a top 5RB. That doesn’t mean he can’t finish as one, so given this cost, what is not to like?

3.07 – Williams, Mike TBB WR

Pick by: All Purpose Roto

Smitty’s Take: Williams is a beast-in-the-making. He will only get better.

3.08 – Manning, Peyton IND QB

Pick by: Fantasy Football Starters

Smitty’s Take: Solid selection. You can’t go wrong with landing a top 4QB in the third-round in 2011.

3.09 – Welker, Wes NEP WR

Pick by: DraftSharks

Smitty’s Take: One of the last potential WR1s. Yes, Welker has WR1 upside. He is one year removed from his ACL surgery and this isn’t a dynasty league. He could easily pull in 90-100 balls in 2011 and be a steal of most drafts in 2011.

3.10 – Rivers, Philip SDC QB

Pick by: Fantasy Football Trader

Smitty’s Take: For some reason Rivers is never considered a tier one QB, but he always delivers. Rivers is always a quietly-had bargain and should easily outperform this draft value in 2011.

3.11 – Bradshaw, Ahmad NYG RB

Pick by: GO Ahead Score

Smitty’s Take: Bradshaw could certainly explode in 2011, especially if he does end up elsewhere (which is to be determined based on how the NFL rule changes shake out)… but that said, this is way too early for our taste given the options left on the board. At this value, Bradshaw has to explode in 2011 to earn the draft value. Bradshaw won’t be drafted by us in 2011 unless we can grab him much later.

3.12 – Maclin, Jeremy PHI WR

Pick by: Junkyard Jake

Smitty’s Take: I admit I don’t give Maclin enough respect, but I can see him being a major disappointment in 2011 if he continuously gets drafted this high.

Round Four

4.01 – Moreno, Knowshon DEN RB

Pick by: Junkyard Jake

Smitty’s Take: Solid value in the 4th-round, as Moreno could easily outperform this draft value in 2011.

4.02 – Best, Jahvid DET RB

Pick by: GO Ahead Score

Smitty’s Take: I was really hoping Best would fall to us in the fourth-round. Best could really turn out to be this year’s Arian Foster. The drafting of Mikel LeShoure wasn’t exactly what Jahvid Best believers were hoping for, but Best can’t handle 25 carries a game, so drafting a back-up rusher was inevitable for the Lions. Best has “elite” upside, and I’m talking top 5RB upside in PPR formats. Before enduring a lingering toe injury, Best scored 5 total touchdowns through weeks 1 and 2 last season (In Week 2 alone against the Eagles, he posted 78 yards rushing, 9 receptions for 154 yards receiving and 3 total scores). Watch some Youtube clips on Best in those two match-ups and you will be very tempted to count on him as your RB2 in 2011. DeAngelo Williams responded well to the drafting of Jonathan Stewart (at least initially), and look what Arian Foster did with Ben Tate in his rear view… Don’t doubt Best because of LeShoure, it could prove to be a painful mistake come season’s end.

4.03 – Colston, Marques NOS WR

Pick by: Fantasy Football Trader

Smitty’s Take: I worry about Colston’s long list of knee issues, and he has yet another surgery this off-season. This is decent value, though.

4.04 – Collie, Austin IND WR

Pick by: DraftSharks

Smitty’s Take: It’s tough to count on Collie, especially this high. He almost has to produce as an elite stud all year long (without missing games) to earn this kind of value.

4.05 – Blount, LeGarrette TBB RB

Pick by: Fantasy Football Starters

Smitty’s Take: Tough to doubt one of the best runners in the game when it comes to getting yards after contact.

4.06 – Bryant, Dez DAL WR

Pick by: All Purpose Roto

Smitty’s Take: I like Bryant, but I think he could disappoint in 2011 given all of the high expectations people have for him.

4.07 – Gates, Antonio SDC TE

Pick by: Fantasy Shrink

Smitty’s Take: Solid pick. Gates should easily earn this draft value in 2011.

4.08 – Finley, Jermichael GBP TE

Pick by: FootballGuys

Smitty’s Take: Finely should have a top 1-3 fantasy TE season in 2011. He could easily finish No. 1 for TEs at season’s end.

4.09 – Lloyd, Brandon DEN WR

Pick by: Fantasy Footall Xtreme

Smitty’s Take: Brandon Lloyd is starting to become one of my major sleeper candidates heading into 2011. He is extremely underrated right now given that he finished No. 2 out of all receivers last year in this scoring format. He is easily capable of putting up 1,200+ yards and 8-10 scores in 2011. It seems that most fantasy owners are forgetting what an incredible season Lloyd had last year… in 2010, the Bronco pulled in 77 receptions for 1,448 and 6TDs, and he had six 100-yard performances. Given that he has almost no competition for targets in 2011, and given Moreno should breakout a bit, Lloyd has sleeper written all over him in 2011. People will continue to doubt him all the way through Week 1, and beyond, so just grab him if the value is right (like 4.09) and let Lloyd defend your selection on the field.

4.10 – Greene, Shonn NYJ RB

Pick by: Fanatic Fantasy Football

Smitty’s Take: It’s tough to know how Greene will do in 2011, but this is a bit too high for me.

4.11 – Marshall, Brandon MIA WR

Pick by: Lester’s Legends

Smitty’s Take: Despite the risk, the upside is always present for Marshall.

4.12 – Clark, Dallas IND TE

Pick by: Pro Football Focus

Smitty’s Take: I’d rather attack other positions once Gates and Finley are off the board, as tight ends at this level could be available throughout the next handful of rounds.

Round Five

5.01 – Jones, Felix DAL RB

Pick by: Pro Football Focus

Smitty’s Take: I think Felix will start the season as the team’s starter, but Felix could disappoint come mid-season. This is a bit too high for my liking.

5.02 – Brady, Tom NEP QB

Pick by: Lester’s Legends

Smitty’s Take: This is arguably the steal of the draft. I wouldn’t take back my Aaron Rodgers selection even if I could, because Brady wouldn’t have made it to my 5.04 selection, but if you can land this kind of value in your upcoming draft, take full advantage. Brady has top 5 overall scoring upside. It will be interesting to see if this is an outlier, or if Brady will fall this far in most upcoming 2011 fantasy football drafts.

5.03 – Romo, Tony DAL QB

Pick by: Fanatic Fantasy Football

Smitty’s Take: While this isn’t exactly a steal at this point, Romo should earn this value at year’s end.

5.04 – Ingram, Mark NOS RB

Pick by: Fantasy Footall Xtreme

Smitty’s Take: Despite the threat of a RBBC in New Orleans in 2011, the upside is huge and the risk is minimal at this point (the 21st drafted runner of this draft). To earn his value at this draft slot, Ingram merely has to total 1,000 ru/rec yards and punch in 6-7 total touchdowns. I think he is capable of much more than that, so honestly, I feel Ingram could prove to be one of the bigger steals of this mock draft.

View Entire Draft Here

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