Half of the picks so far have been running backs, the other half predominantly wide receivers. A small sample of tight ends have gone but the third round of 17 approaches, will any teams look to make a gamble or will there be more consolidation of the major positions later on in the draft?
Pick 33: The Edinburgh Knights Select Ezekiel Elliott, Running Back, Dallas
Average Per Game: 14.8 Points
Last Year Rank Position: 7th
Last Year Rank NFL: 34th
Edinburgh take a second running back with a small risk with Ezekiel Elliott. The trend has continued for the Dallas running back, having socred less and less fantasy points season on season and there will be concerns with a weaker offensive line and the emergence last season of Tony Pollard. There is still magic though from the one player that needs feeding and there is still that hope with a poor division, he can still deliver strong numbers. The issue though facing someone like him will be no 20+ point games after week 10.
Pick 34: The Galway Tribesmen Select Nick Chubb, Running Back, Cleveland
Points Last Year: 215.3 Points
Average Per Game: 15.4 Points
Last Year Rank Position: 13th
Last Year Rank NFL: 60th
Cleveland have the best running back group in the league with the trio of Nick Chubb, Kareem Hunt and D'Ernest Johnson but the drawback from having such a good group is percentage of ball. Last season Nick Chubb only was able to carry 55% of the team's runs and that showed in numbers that felt very reliant at times on needing a touchdown to reach the next level. He has all the ability to break out and be a top ten, if not top five running back, as a third rounder for Galway, this is a good choice.
Pick 35: The Barry Islanders Select J.K. Dobbins, Running Back, Baltimore
Average Per Game: 0.0 Points
Last Year Rank Position: N/A
Last Year Rank NFL: N/A
The Barry Islanders once again are hoping their running back contingency remains injury free, selecting a J.K. Dobbins who missed the whole of last season due to a nasty ACL tear. Dobbins' rookie season in 2020 was strong though, leading the league in yards per carry but with the caveat that Lamar Jackson and his style of quarterbacking strongly enters J.K territory. The run game began to stutter later into the 2021 season and the return should help allay those fears, and score some decent points.
Pick 36: The London Steelers Select Josh Jacobs, Running Back, Las Vegas
Points Last Year: 226.0 Points
Average Per Game: 15.1 Points
Last Year Rank Position: 12th
Last Year Rank NFL: 53rd
Josh Jacobs was truly a dependable running back option last season, despite the two missed games early on, he only had one performance all season below 10 points. Granted, he didn't have a single performance over 25 either, but a high ceiling, low floor isn't a bad thing to have in a running back, let alone a RB2 for the London Steelers. The only concern will be around rushing touches this season, with the looming threat of three elite catchers turning the Raiders into a pass first offence.
Pick 37: The Dundee Spinners Select Michael Pittman Jr., Wide Receiver, Indianapolis
Points Last Year: 238.6 Points
Average Per Game: 14.0 Points
Last Year Rank Position: 17th
Last Year Rank NFL: 42nd
Moving into the number one role at Indianapolis, Dundee get a very servicable wide receiver good for around 6 catches a game. While there are concerns that the scheme last year prevented Pittman from reaching the end zone, there's more than enough to love on a solid set of hands. Most notable of these will be the new quarterback in Matt Ryan jumping into the team which should help open out opportunities. Concerning though for Dundee is that their first 3 picks have all been wide receivers.
Pick 38: The Cork City Rebels Select Terry McLaurin, Wide Receiver, Washington
Points Last Year: 213.5 Points
Average Per Game: 12.6 Points
Last Year Rank Position: 25th
Last Year Rank NFL: 61st
Reliant on his performances last year, the same will ring true for the new Commanders along with the Cork City Rebels. Unchained, Terry McLaurin is more than capable of finding a 30+ point game but when boxed out by the opponents, there was a 5 game stretch where double digits couldn't be breached. It might be different with Carson Wentz now at quarterback, giving a more rounded view to getting open and available and on top of that, only 4 career drops. He just needs to get open to be a coup for the Rebels.
Pick 39: The Nottingham Sheriffs Select Diontae Johnson, Wide Receiver, Pittsburgh
Points Last Year: 274.4 Points
Average Per Game: 17.2 Points
Last Year Rank Position: 8th
Last Year Rank NFL: 24th
Nottingham and steals are going hand in hand. Diontae Johnson was the second most targeted wide receiver last season and created a season in which his worst scoring week was just 9.8 points. The fear is that with a new quarterback in either Kenny Pickett or Mitchell Trubisky that the targets will drop in favour of a more run-heavy push on Najee Harris but those worries should be unfounded with Johnson finding paydirt roughly once every two games. Watch out for Nottingham this season.
Pick 40: The Swansea Smelters Select Breece Hall, Running Back, New York Jets
Points Last Year: 0.0 Points
Average Per Game: 0.0 Points
Last Year Rank Position: N/A
Last Year Rank NFL: N/A
The first rookie comes off the board at 40 with Swansea taking a look at the former Iowa State rusher in Breece Hall. A second round pick by the Jets, there is a lot of promise in a back system with Michael Carter already there and should be a great upgrade in that regard. There is some scary promise too with him after he set a NCAA record 24 game streak of rushing in a touchdown. He can catch too after his time in college so the question with all rookies, how much time, how much responsibility?
Pick 41: The Birmingham Bulls Select Antonio Gibson, Running Back, Washington
Points Last Year: 229.1 Points
Average Per Game: 14.3 Points
Last Year Rank Position: 10th
Last Year Rank NFL: 48th
Antonio Gibson got plenty of time last season thanks in part to having Taylor Heinicke as his quarterback to take a number of carries into the 2021 season, namely averaging 16 per game. The premier rusher for the Commanders, Birmingham have got a shrewd bit of business done and will be looking at trying to build around this position. Two scary points though: There is a groin injury that is a little shaky and also that Washington drafted a third running back, so goal line rushes might be troublesome to come by.
Pick 42: The Belfast Giants Select Josh Allen, Quarterback, Buffalo
Points Last Year: 402.58 Points
Average Per Game: 23.7 Points
Last Year Rank Position: 1st
Last Year Rank NFL: 2nd
The first quarterback and for the last couple of years, the go-to when it comes to fantasy football. Josh Allen is the perfect blend of run and pass, putting up 42 combined touchdowns along with over 750 yards rushing last season. With capable weaponry such as Stefon Diggs and Gabriel Davis, it should be more of the same next season for a player whose only two bad games came from being out of sorts against Jacksonville and playing in a hurricane against New England. Belfast are sorted all season with this pick.
Pick 43: The Glasgow Pipers Select Mike Williams, Wide Receiver, Los Angeles Chargers
Points Last Year: 246.6 Points
Average Per Game: 15.4 Points
Last Year Rank Position: 12th
Last Year Rank NFL: 35th
Mike Williams started off 2021 hotter than an Australian summer, scoring over 20 points in 4 of his first 5 games. The hot and cold though would be intermittent from that point onwards, with Keenan Allen preferred as the number one target. Still decent though with the numbers in a very aggressive system for yardage, there should be plenty of deep options available for Mike WIlliams to sink his teeth into. Glasgow get a glass cannon which, if it goes off, could pay off massively in the long run.
Pick 44: The Newport Coal Miners Select DK Metcalf, Wide Receiver, Seattle
Points Last Year: 244.3 Points
Average Per Game: 14.4 Points
Last Year Rank Position: 14th
Last Year Rank NFL: 37th
DK Metcalf is a great wide receiver and his pick at 44 doesn't do the talent justice but when there is huge uncertainty at quarterback with Drew Lock currently locked in, you can only watch with concern for the numbers on how efficient he could be. Effeciency dropped last season when Russell Wilson went out with injury and Geno Smith took his place, seeing a top ten talent fall to 13th overall. It could be a lot further but this is where DK needs to prove he is more than just enhanced by the quarterback.
Pick 45: The Bristol Buccaneers Select Brandin Cooks, Wide Receiver, Houston
Points Last Year: 231.8 Points
Average Per Game: 14.5 Points
Last Year Rank Position: 20th
Last Year Rank NFL: 47th
Brandin Cooks does not get enough credit for what he does in a fantasy setting, putting the quiet points together without the large volumes of touchdowns. The main focus of the Houston Texans, the Bristol Buccaneers have a sneaky option where the points should find their way into the bank without too much trouble. The one thing holding Brandin Cooks back however like the pick before is the quarterback situation. It's safe to say Davis Mills is not the greatest option, especially with eyes on a stacked class in next year's draft. A year to hold on for Cooks.
Pick 46: The Cardiff Dragons Select Marquise "Hollywood" Brown, Wide Receiver, Arizona
Points Last Year: 226.3 Points
Average Per Game: 14.1 Points
Last Year Rank Position: 22nd
Last Year Rank NFL: 52nd
With De'Andre Hopkins getting suspended for 6 games on a PED violation, the man they call Hollywood has to create some movie magic early to justify Cardiff's selection. A couple of nagging injuries weren't enough to derail a campaign where for Baltimore, he was a key target along with Mark Andrews and proved invaluable to the Ravens' attack. Maybe slightly more pass happy, the move is a like for like, but a hamstring has been a bit concerning to see in terms of an injury. Cardiff will hope he is clear before week one.
Pick 47: The Dublin Brewers Select Amon-Ra St. Brown, Wide Receiver, Detroit
Points Last Year: 227.3 Points
Average Per Game: 14.2 Points
Last Year Rank Position: 21st
Last Year Rank NFL: 51st
Early on for Amon-Ra, there wasn't much to cheer about, scoring just over 10 points for the first three games. In Detroit's last 6 games, he failed to score less than 15 points and only once dropped under 23 points. He is the defacto number one passing option for Jared Goff and while the scores weren't making much happen for the Lions, if the same form can be found for a full season, Amon-Ra could be the money pick in 2022 for Dublin. Watch this space this season.
Pick 48: The Aberdeen Oilers Select Patrick Mahomes, Quarterback, Kansas City
Points Last Year: 361.66 Points
Average Per Game: 21.3 Points
Last Year Rank Position: 4th
Last Year Rank NFL: 6th
Patrick Mahomes slowed a little last season but still remained one of the elite quarterbacks in fantasy with his backyard style of playing the game. Most teams found a way to counter the long option that made him so dangerous over the years and so Mahomes has worked out how to still pick the yards up. Travis Kelce will be the main target in play but it's a free for all at wide receiver. It is believed JuJu Smith-Schuster may be the best option there but with Mecole Hardman, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and rookie Skyy Moore, who will fill Tyreek Hill's Shoes?
Round three completed, and with many important positions starting to showcase releases, how do the statistics lie in regards to the rounds?
Round 3 By Position:
Wide Receiver: 8
Running Back: 6
Quarterback: 2
Wide Receiver: 8
Running Back: 6
Quarterback: 2
Round 3 By NFL Team:
Washington: 2
Dallas: 1
Cleveland: 1
Baltimore: 1
Las Vegas: 1
Indianapolis: 1
Pittsburgh: 1
New York Jets: 1
Buffalo: 1
Los Angeles Chargers: 1
Seattle: 1
Houston: 1
Arizona: 1
Detroit: 1
Kansas City: 1
Overall By Position:
Running Back: 22
Wide Receiver: 22
Tight End: 2
Quarterback: 2
Overall By NFL Team:
Cincinnati: 3
Los Angeles Chargers: 3
Minnesota: 2
Tampa Bay: 2
Los Angeles Rams: 2
Miami: 2
Carolina: 2
Indianapolis: 2
Pittsburgh: 2
Las Vegas: 2
Buffalo: 2
Detroit: 2
Dallas: 2
Arizona: 2
Baltimore: 2
Kansas City: 2
Washington: 2
Tennessee: 1
San Francisco: 1
New Orleans: 1
Denver: 1
Green Bay: 1
Chicago: 1
New York Giants: 1
Philadelphia: 1
Cleveland: 1
New York Jets: 1
Seattle: 1
Houston: 1
Round four of the draft of Fantasy Football as ESPN Intended will roughly take about two days to complete so make sure to check back in for more content. Artwork was illustrated by Althea Charlie. Quarterbacks are starting to go with Tight End's, the player grab continues!
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