National Football League

Fantasy Fox: Mock-draft simulation when holding No. 6 slot

Published Jun. 23, 2014 11:53 a.m. ET

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That aside, in a real draft, Peyton Manning (5,477 yards passing, 55 TDs last year -- both single-season NFL records) would most likely be the choice in Round 1. It's a sensible move, even with Broncos staring at four dates witht the NFC West this season.

On the flip side, Doug Martin is still the same stud who crushed the opposition for 1,926 total yards (1,454 rushing) and 12 touchdowns as a rookie in 2012. And last we checked, he didn't suffer any devastating knee or ankle or Lisfranc (mid-foot sprain) injuries last year, before going down in Week 7.

The only caveat: If you're going to spend a high pick on Martin ... prioritize the handcuff act of taking rookie Charles Sims in the latter rounds.

There are genuine concerns with Lynch, as well: Backups Christine Michael and Robert Turbin are ready for expanded roles within the Seattle offense, thus decreasing Lynch's chances of replicating last year's stellar tallies with touches (337), touchdowns (14) or total yards (1,573).

Tough call between the running backs ... but Lynch (39 TDs from 2011-13) gets the nod, especially since Martin could be available in Round 2.

Which brings us to this: There is no clear line of demarcation separating Brandon Marshall (100 catches, 164 targets, 1,295 yards, 12 TDs last year) and Dez Bryant (93 catches, 159 targets, 1,249 yards, 13 TDs) ... but there are tiebreakers for the 2014 season:

On the flip side, it's hard to nail down a concrete Average Draft Position (ADP) figure for Spiller at this time. Some prominent Web sites have him pegged as a top-five tailback for 2014, while others have him as barely a top-60 overall pick for the August drafts.

For now, we're taking the middle ground on a potential superstar who finally has a rock-solid receiving corps in Buffalo (Sammy Watkins, Robert Woods, Mike Williams, Marquise Goodwin, T.J. Graham).

Last month, I had Jennings (1,025 total yards, six TDs) ranked as the No. 20 tailback ... but he has the potential to leap another 3-4 slots by mid-August. After all, the new Giants rusher averaged 112 total yards and one TD against the Cowboys, Redskins and Eagles in 2013.

Of course, if I hadn't grabbed Griffin (3,692 total yards, 16 TDs last year -- 13 starts) at No. 54, I likely would have waited until Round 8 to pluck either Ben Roethlisberger, Andy Dalton or Nick Foles from the board.

This speaks to the absurd depth at quarterback in the fantasy realm. Griffin tallied 300 yards and/or three touchdowns in eight of his first 10 games last year ... and yet, the 'buzz factor' surrounding him, as a potential fantasy savior in 2014, is considerably less than the 2012 regular season or 2013 preseason.

BREAKDOWN: If Kendall Wright (94 catches, 1,079 yards last year) played in a bigger media market or had more consistent quarterbacking with the Titans, perhaps he'd be an easy pick for Rounds 6 or 7.

Instead, Denarius Moore (my 35th-ranked wide receiver) represents a luxury value pick, or a start/trade-worthy placeholder until we're faced with a bye-week, roster-spot dilemma involving kickers, tight ends or defense/special teams.

Jay Clemons can be reached on Twitter, day or night, at @ATL_JayClemons.

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