Fantasy Football Mock '16, RDs 7-8: Dixon sparks rookie RB run

Fantasy football drafting in May? Heck ya! Are you itching to mock? Deep down you are. And we are too. With the NFL Draft in the books, we recently participated in a 12-team, .5 PPR, with a FLEX, exercise to whet your whistle. Wake up from your pigskin coma, fantasy freaks. The 2016 fantasy football season is officially underway. Let the "expert" derision begin.

SEE ROUNDS 1-2 HERE; ROUNDS 3-4 HERE; ROUNDS 5-6 HERE

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ROUND 7

Pick 73: Kevin White, Chi, WR33 – A first-round talent with oodles of upside as my flex/on my bench? Bring it on. (Liz Loza 1)

Pick 74: Frank Gore, Ind, RB29 – He may be 32 and slowing down (averaged 3.7 YPC in 2015), but he's still got volume on his side. A low-end RB1 last year, the Inconvenient Truth is a convenient value given his current ADP. (Loza 2)

Pick 75: Buck Allen, Bal, RB30 – Expect him to lead the team in carries with Justin Forsett soon to turn 31, but Kenneth Dixon admittedly also looms. (Dalton Del Don 1)

Pick 76: Marvin Jones, Det, WR34 – Is looking at the biggest opportunity of his career now in Detroit and with Calvin Johnson retired. (DDD 2)

Pick 77: Josh Doctson, Was, WR35 – Doctson is the rookie receiver who found the best landing spot on draft day by far; I expect him to make a run at 1000 yards and 8-10 TDs. He has both size and downfield ability. (Andy Behrens 1)

Pick 78: Giovani Bernard, Cin, RB31 – Gio has a well-established role in Cincinnati, and it works for this mock's settings (partial PPR). He'll get his usual ~1100 scrimmage yards with 40-plus catches. (Behrens 2)

Pick 79: DeSean Jackson, Was, WR36 – He’s a trick-or-treat type of player, but he still gets behind defenses, and I have mad respect for Jay Gruden, play designer. I’m also not worried about Kirk Cousins turning into a pumpkin. (Scott Pianowski 1)

Pick 80: Ladarius Green, Pit, TE7 – Free at last, ready to spread his wings on what could easily be the NFL’s best offense. Ben Roethlisberger always had a rapport with Heath Miller, a solid player — now he gets to tool around with someone much younger and more athletic. Get your popcorn ready. (Pianow 2)

Pick 81: Dorial Green-Beckham, Ten, WR37 – In an otherwise anemic environment, he flourished down the stretch posting two 100-yard games in his last four. Adding Rishard Matthews and DeMarco Murray along with Marcus Mariota's likely advancements could unlock DGB's top-20 potential. (Brad Evans 1)

Pick 82: Markus Wheaton, Pit, WR38 – Future dispensary pitchman Martavis Bryant is suspended for the season, paving the way for Wheaton to carve out a major role. His 28-476-4 output from Weeks 11-17 was the 11th-best. Consider him a bankable WR3. (Evans 2)

Pick 83: Tyler Lockett, Sea, WR39 – More than just a dynamic return guy, he flashed his electric receiving skills down the stretch in '15, finishing as a top 30 fantasy WR from Week 7-17 - in his second year, his role is only going to expand. (Brandon Funston 1)

Pick 84: Donte Moncrief, Ind, WR40 – The Indy offense is looking for a do-over after the debacle that was '15 - but one of the positives to emerge from the ashes was that Moncrief developed into a legit weapon for Andrew Luck, and should be a major part of what should be an improved offense in '16. (Funston 2)

ROUND 8

Pick 85: Ameer Abdullah, Det, RB32 – He was one of the bigger disappointments from the '15 rookie class, but the Lions remain committed to him and Joique Bell is out of the picture - with a year of experience and more playing time coming his way, easily worth doubling down for the RB30 price tag. (Funston 2)

Pick 86: Kenneth Dixon, Bal, RB33 – I love the squat bowling bowl types at RB, especially ones that can run strong between the tackles and adeptly handle passes out of the backfield - I think Ravens OC Marc Trestman is going to love him, too. (Funston 1)

Pick 87: Jordan Howard, Chi, RB34 – Jeremy Langford ranked No. 77 in yards after contact and No. 80 in tackles avoided per attempt per Pro Football Focus last year. Howard is a between-the-tackles grinder who should eventually overtake the incumbent on early-down/goal-line work. (Evans 2)

Pick 88: Paul Perkins, NYG, RB35 – No FBS-level back forced more missed tackles than Perkins did with the Bruins last year. He's an explosive, tough runner who offers tremendous upside in an otherwise lackluster backfield. Rashad Jennings is the Giants frontrunner, for now, but Perkins' fresher legs will inevitably take over. (Evans 1)

Pick 89: Duke Johnson, Cle, RB36 – With a PPR component in this mock, I love landing someone who could easily catch 80 passes. (Pianow 2)

Pick 90: Karlos Williams, Buf, RB37 – I hate handcuffing, I hate handcuffing, I hate handcuffing. But Williams has enough upside that I’ll make an exception here. And the only time I will consider a handcuff is when there doesn’t appear to be a threat in the No. 3 spot. Buffalo’s backfield applies. (Pianow 1)

Pick 91: Willie Snead, NO, WR41 – All he did last season was catch 69 balls for 984 yards. He's a circle-of-trust receiver for Drew Brees. (Behrens 2)

Pick 92: Coby Fleener, NO, TE8– No, he doesn't exactly have the best hands in the business. But the Saints didn't pay $36 million ($18 million guaranteed) for a decoy. Fleener has a shot at 70 receptions. (Behrens 1)

Pick 93: Gary Barnidge, Cle, TE9 – Coming off a season in which he went for 1,043 yards with nine TDs with shaky QB play. (DDD 2)

Pick 94: Carson Palmer, Ari, QB7 – This is the earliest I'd ever draft a QB, and Palmer is a risk at age 36, but he got 8.7 YPA last year and was an MVP candidate. (DDD 1)

Pick 95: Derrick Henry, Ten, RB38 – Not convinced Murray has enough juice to last through midseason. Henry is everything Mularkey loves: exotic and smashmouth. Floor = 600 rushing yards and 4 TDs. (Loza 2)

Pick 96: Tom Brady, NE, QB8 – I'll draft him for Week 5 @ CLE alone. In "Angry Tom" I trust. (Loza 1)

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