May fantasy mock draft: Round 2

It felt good banging out a first-round fantasy mock draft with Aaron Kadkhodai from The Microcosm last week. So good, in fact, that I just had to extend the mock into the second round.

Mocking the real NFL Draft was fun and a good way to kill some time during the offseason. But with this year’s draft in the books and the calender turned over to May, all football fans’ eyes are focused intently on the upcoming NFL and fantasy seasons.

All that means is there will be more fantasy mock drafts than any one man can consume during the next few months, leading up to everyone’s real fantasy draft(s) and the start of the 2008 season. And you know we are here for you, from now until your draft, to help you consume as much fantasy knowledge as possible.

With all that being said, hit the jump to see the results from round 2 of May’s fantasy mock draft.

May fantasy mock draft

So I realize the last two months or so have been all about the NFL Draft. And that is fine and all, but it is about time to get back to the good stuff: fantasy mock drafts.

Aaron Kadkhodai from The Microcosm joined me with the even-numbered picks in this mock draft. Take a second to head over to his blog for all kinds of content, mostly humorous. I even do a little side blogging over there with some Hell’s Kitchen recaps and other random goodies.

The last time I put out a mock, it felt a little rusty and off-the-mark. Now that free agency and the NFL Draft are behind us, I am feeling much better about this mock draft. See if you agree after the jump.

Early fantasy mock draft

Maybe the NFL withdrawl is getting to me early this year. I rolled out an early NFL mock draft over the last month or so, and now the fantasy mock draft bug is biting at me.

Sometimes, you just gotta go with the flow. A number of other blogs/sites have been rolling out fantasy mock drafts already, so I figure it is time to try my hand at this. Granted, most fantasy leagues will not start drafting until August, so this is subject to change over the next few months.

With change in mind, this fantasy mock draft will get updated every month as we approach the 2008 season. Change will happen via free agency and the 2008 NFL draft among other things.

But as much as things change, some things do remain the same: Like the guy at the top of this fantasy mock draft. This mock is for a standard 12-team league with six points for every touchdown (even passing touchdowns). Hit the jump to see the entire first round.

Five fantasy football tools to use in 2008

Maybe your New Year’s resolution is to lose weight, hit the gym more often or stop biting your fingernails. Maybe you want to save more money this year, implement a household conservation plan or study harder.

Or maybe you decided that it is time to win more often in all of your fantasy football leagues. Hey, to each his own.

If the latter is the case and you want to add it to your self-improvement list for this year and beyond, there are five essential tools across the internets that all fantasy footballers should employ. Hit the jump to learn more about these tools.

Rate my team

I am participating in a blogger fantasy football league this season, and we all know the 2007 NFL season is right around the corner (a week from today, to be exact!). The following bloggers are joining me in this venture:

1. NFLGuru.net
2. Curveballs for Jesus
3. This Just In
4. The Hazean
5. FantasyFootballGoat
6. FanProphet
7. The NFL Minute
8. TINO Sports Page
9. FF Librarian
10. MWC Football
11. MyFantasyLineup.com
12. Signal to Noise

As you can see, I had the 4th pick in the draft and decided to take a chance on Seattle runningback Shaun Alexander. It seems the foot injury and Madden Curse are behind Alexander, and he could be due for a bounce-back season.

Here is how the rest of my draft shook out:

1. Shaun Alexander, RB
2. Thomas Jones, RB
3. Drew Brees, QB

Frank Gore out a month

By: Blaine Clancy 

The No. 3 pick in every fantasy football draft this year will be an exciting one. So many good backs will be available at No. 3, but who should the owner take? With Larry Johnson’s holdout, the choice seemed pretty easy: Frank Gore of the 49ers.

Well, the choice seemed easy until last night. Gore broke a bone in his right hand, also known as his ball-carrying hand, which is the same hand that led the league in fumbles lost last season (five). The injury, which Gore sustained during a non-contact drill during training camp, should sideline him for about a month, which will cause him to miss the majority of the preseason. 

Fantasy Spin

While I would not jump off the Frank Gore bandwagon just yet, this injury does cause a little bit of concern. Gore has a long history of injury. He tore ligaments in both knees during his college days at Miami. In his first year with the 49ers, Gore went under the knife to repair a torn labrum in each of his shoulders. 

Fantasy owners are advised to closely monitor his progress. If reports surface that he is on track to return in the upcoming weeks, do not hesitate to pull the trigger on selecting him No. 3 overall. However, if four weeks turns into six weeks, this injury could continue to plague him throughout the season and fantasy owners might want to look elsewhere when drafting.

Haze keeper preview: Doogie

In lieu of the weekly Wednesday Top-10 lists, The Hazean will be rolling out keeper previews for each Haze owner over the next few weeks. Keeper declaration deadlines start this Friday.

Go here to see all the teams and keeper declaration deadlines.

Doogie won the 2006 Haze Championship and gets the honor of declaring his keepers first. Doogie’s deadline to declare the first two keepers is midnight on July 27, 2007.

He also owns the No. 12 spot in the first round of the Haze serpentine draft.

Owner profile

Name: Brent “Doogie” Bergeron
Career record: 22 – 31 – 1
2006 Highlight: Winning the Haze League for the first time with the help of Steven Jackson and Brian Westbrook

Haze keeper rules in a nutshell

Each Haze owner gets the opportunity to keep two players in the round the player was originally drafted for the first season. Every subsequent season the player is kept, he moves up one round in the draft.

Since this is the first keeper season for Haze, all keepers will be kept in the round originally drafted.

The Hazean’s blogger mock draft is over

Sadly, The 2007 Hazean blogger mock draft is over. TINO Sports Page made his selection, the 12th pick in the second round, this morning:

Finality

Time to sum up the mock draft:

First round

1. LaDainian Tomlinson, RB, Chargers [TINO Sports Page]
2. Steven Jackson, RB, Rams [The Hazean]
3. Joseph Addai, RB, Colts [MWC Football]
4. Larry Johnson, RB, Chiefs [Blaine Clancy]
5. Frank Gore, RB, 49ers [Fantasy Football Librarian]
6. Brian Westbrook, RB, Eagles [Curveballs for Jesus]
7. Peyton Manning, QB, Colts [Next Gen Pro Football]
8. Laurence Maroney, RB, Patriots [Cheesesteaks & Stuff]
9. Carson Palmer, QB, Bengals [Signal to Noise]
10. Travis Henry, RB, Broncos [NFL Minute]
11. Rudi Johnson, RB, Bengals [FanProphet]
12. Willie Parker, RB, Steelers [The Extrapolater]

Second round

1. Shaun Alexander, RB, Seahawks [The Extrapolater]
2. Willis McGahee, RB, Ravens [FanProphet]
3. Reggie Bush, RB, Saints [NFL Minute]
4. Maurice Jones-Drew, RB, Jaguars [Signal to Noise]
5. Deuce McAllister, RB, Saints [Cheesesteaks & Stuff]
6. Ronnie Brown, RB, Dolphins [Next Gen Pro Football]
7. Drew Brees, QB, Saints [Curveballs for Jesus]
8. Cedric Benson, RB, Bears [Fantasy Football Librarian]
9. Steve Smith, WR, Panthers [The NFL Guru]
10. Thomas Jones, RB, Jets [MWC Football]
11. Chad Johnson, WR, Bengals [The Hazean]
12. Marvin Harrison, WR, Colts [TINO Sports Page]

Thanks again to all the great bloggers who contributed to this year’s mock draft! Please show some love by visiting their sites.