Team previews. It’s something everyone in this industry does. Be it for fantasy or just general football. We recap what happened last year, point out what’s changed and project what will happen — that’s a team preview in a nutshell.
For me, and probably for many of you, it can be easliy summed up in one word…
Boring.
Raise your hand if you read team previews that are for any team other then your own? You may read a previews for teams that have some of your favorite dynasty players, but all-in-all, no one reads all 32 team previews.
That’s why I set out to do it a little different. Instead of doing boring team previews, we are going to do division previews in the form of a two-round fantasy mock draft. This will add a little intrugue and debate over the order in which I’ve put some of these players. Let me hear what you think of my NFC West Mock Draft preview on twitter @GeoffLambert77.
1.01 RB David Johnson (ARI)
The top spot in this division was a tough decision, but, based on the information I have at the time of this article (6/1/19), I’ll take the seemingly healthier of the two options between Johnson and Gurley.  David Johnson had a “terrible” year by all accounts, yet finished as the RB9 in PPR leagues last season…that’s his floor.
The Cardinals were a terrible offense last year. They fired their coach mid-season, had a rookie QB that they felt played so bad that they gave up on him after one year, they had the NFL’s worst record and picked first in the NFL draft…and David Johson was still the RB9.
David Johnson bounces back in a big way this year and his health gives him a slight edge over Gurley.
1.02 RB Todd Gurley (LAR)
1.03 TE George Kittle (SF)
1.04 WR Brandin Cooks (LAR)
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Choosing which of the three Rams WRs I was going to have first was not an easy task, but I ultimately went with Cooks for a couple of reasons; 1) He doesn’t have the health concern that comes with Cooper Kupp 2) He has four straight 1,000 yard seasons despite playing for three different teams over that span 3) While Woods is more consistent, he rarely gives you that game-winning week, Cooks is capable of being consistent and giving you a game-winning week a couple of times a year.
1.05 WR Robert Woods (LAR)
1.06 RB Chris Carson (SEA)
1.07 WR Dante Pettis (SF)
The 49ers offense should be much improved this year with Jimmy Garoppllo under center — the first time since Week 3 of the 2018 season. Pettis had an up and down rookie season but ended on a strong note with third-string QB Nick Mullens under center.
With Garoppolo back and healthy, he and Pettis should have plenty of time this offseason to build chemistry. Pettis is known for being an elite route runner and Garoppllo is a “timing” QB, in other words, a match made in heaven.
1.08 WR Cooper Kupp (LAR)
The third member of the Rams WR corps, Kupp likely would have been selected first among them if he wasn’t coming off an ACL injury. In only eight games in 2018, he had 40 receptions 566 yards and 6 TDs.
It’s the TDs that make Kupp so valuable. Despite missing eight full games, his six TDs were one more than Brandin Cooks and tied with Robert Woods for the team lead — and they both played 16 games compared to Kupp’s eight.
1.09 WR Tyler Lockett (SEA)
Tyler Lockett is an enigma in this division. I could break him down in two different ways. I could argue that he is a hyper-efficient receiver, with a Hall of Fame QB who, with the retirement of Doug Baldwin, should see a ton more volume in 2019.
Or, I could argue that Lockett is a player who’s usage in the Seahawks offense didn’t change last season even with Baldwin playing hurt and/or out of the lineup, making his 2018 the outlier and potentially unrepeatable. He had 70 targets, which is right in line with his career average, having never had fewer than 66 and never more than 71, thus making the 2019 season a year he could come crashing back to earth.
However you want  to spin it, Lockett is at worst the fifth best receiver in this division
1.10 RB Tevin Coleman (SF)
1.11 RB Jerrick McKinnon (SF)
Who is the No. 1 RB in San Francisco? No one knows the answer to that question — not even the running backs themselves. I think for the sake of this mock draft, McKinnon and Coleman are pretty much interchangeable. The fantasy world expects one of these two RBs to get the larger piece of the pie that will be cut three ways with Matt Breida thrown in the mix.
I’m on record saying I prefer Breida over both of these RBs, but it’s more about the value I’m getting with Breida as a much later draft pick. Truth be told, we won’t know anything about how this backfield shakes out until we get to the third or fourth week into the regular season.
1.12 QB Russell Wilson (SEA)
2.01 WR Christian Kirk (ARI)
Kirk had a solid rookie season despite playing only 12 games on the NFL’s worst team in the NFL’s worst offense. His 43 receptions on 68 targets for 590 yards and 3 TDs were enough to get the fantasy world excited about this kid, however, the Cardinals went out and drafted not one, not two, but three wide receivers in this year’s NFL draft.
This receiver corps is a log jam when you have Kirk, future Hall of Famer Larry Fitzgerald, former first-round pick Kevin White, 3rd round pick from 2017 Chad Williams, and the three rookies in Hakeem Butler, Andy Isabella, and KeeSean Johnson.
This team will be an interesting team to watch in training camp as these WRs battle for positions, but I give Kirk the inside track on at least one of the starting spots, and if he can remain healthy, he and Kyler Murray can be a good one-two combination for years to come.
2.02 QB Jared Goff (LAR)
2.03 QB Jimmy Garoppolo (SF)
2.04 QB Kyler Murray (ARI)
Murray rounds out a run of QBs here at the top of the second round, but his potential could put him above the other two if things go according to plan in Arizona. We have seen running rookie QBs have success in their first year in the NFL, guys like Cam Newton and DeShaun Watson come to mind. Murray could see similar success in an offense that should allow him to rack up yards on the ground.
Imagine being a defense and you have to worry about a 6-foot-6-inch WR on the outside (Butler), a future Hall of Famer in the slot (Fitzgerald), all-world running back in the backfield (David Johnson) and a running QB that will lineup in a spread formation shotgun 90 percent of the time and could take off on any given play. Sounds like a recipe for fantasy success to me.
2.05 RB Matt Breida (SF)
2.06 WR Deebo Samuel (SF)
2.07 RB Rashaad Penny (SEA)
An injury to Chris Carson in OTAs has given Penny a little more work this offseason and if he can impress, he may very well end up being the RB to own in Seattle. Penny showed flashes as a rookie, and as much as the Seahawks ran the ball last year, there should be plenty of carries to go around for both backs to be fantasy relevant.
2.08 WR D.K. Metcalf
2.09 RB Darrell Henderson (LAR)
Henderson is climbing rookie draft boards as the fear of Todd Gurley’s knee grows worse. With every negative Gurley news blurb, Henderson’s stock goes up. However, I think he won’t get as many touches as the Gurley haters would have you beleive, however, for an RB that averaged over eight yards per carry in college, he won’t need a lot of touches to be viable in fantasy. Henderson will be the ultimate Best Ball RB.
2.10 WR Larry Fitzgerald (ARI)
2.11 WR Hakeem Butler (ARI)
Butler and Isabella are interchangable at this point in the off-season. Yes, Isabella has the much higher draft capital, but Butler has the higher TD upside as a 6-foot-6 redzone monster. Push comes to shove, I think I’m drafting Butler over Isabella, but it’s close. Ultimately, I still prefer Christian Kirk to both of the rookies.
2.12 WR Andy Isabella (ARI)
Thank you for reading. Let me know what you think of the format by reaching out to me on twitter @GeoffLambert77.
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