NFL
Fantasy Football Mock Draft: Young Running Backs Rising
As OTAs progress toward training camp, we continue to gear up for peak drafting season. Which young runners went in the early rounds of our 12-team mock?

Round 3

Pick Team Selection Position
25 Blair Ames Adam Thielen WR13
26 Abe Schwadron Allen Robinson WR14
27 Akash Bhatia LeSean McCoy RB13
28 Joseph Redemann Amari Cooper WR15
29 Dale Redman Larry Fitzgerald WR16
30 Brandon Gdula Jerick McKinnon RB14
31 JJ Zacchariason Joe Mixon RB15
32 Austan Kas Jordan Howard RB16
33 Anthony Amico Rob Gronkowski TE1
34 Drew Crawford Travis Kelce TE2
35 Jim Sannes T.Y. Hilton WR17
36 Justin Freeman Derrius Guice RB17


Best Pick: Jerick McKinnon

Despite Adam Gase's annual praise for DeVante Parker, it's Jerick McKinnon who is the front-runner for the offseason's "Most-Hyped Player Award". McKinnon's fantasy draft stock soared after signing a four-year, $30 million contract to play for the San Francisco 49ers and offensive guru Kyle Shanahan.

As Anthony Amico points out, 49ers' running backs accumulated over 30 touch opportunities per game in Jimmy Garoppolo's 5 starts with the team. While Matt Breida is sure to push for 8 to 10 touches -- and, by all accounts, he has looked sharp in early practice sessions -- this is McKinnon's backfield to lose.

A SPARQ-community favorite coming out of Georgia Southern, McKinnon produced in limited chances when he was on the field for the Vikings, especially in the passing game, where he amassed 94 receptions over the last 2 seasons. With a usage spike on the way, the home run threat could outperform his RB14 draft slot.

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