The best players still available after first round of 2018 NFL Draft

Fear not those football fans who are none too pleased with what their respective team did in the first round of the NFL Draft. Worry not fantasy footballers who are terrified that Dak Prescott will not be a viable fantasy option this year because the Cowboys have no receivers. There is still a glimmer of hope for all your wildest dreams to come true.

Yes, we still have SIX MORE ROUNDS!

Without further ado, here are the best players still available at each position and some random thoughts of mine regarding landing spots, fantasy value, etc.

Quarterback

• Mason Rudolph, Oklahoma State
• Kyle Lauletta, Richmond

It’s very, very likely that neither of these guys will see any action their rookie years but they still could have fantasy relevance down the line for those in dynasty leagues. The Giants, Patriots, Saints and Steelers could all address their backup quarterback position and even so could the Bengals (sorry Andy Dalton, it’s time to move on).

Running Back

• Derrius Guice, LSU
• Ronald Jones II, Southern California
• Nick Chubb, Georgia
• Kerryon Johnson, Auburn
• John Kelly, Tennessee
• Nyheim Hines, North Carolina State
• Mark Walton, Miami
• Royce Freeman, Oregon
• Josh Adams, Notre Dame

Guice is honestly the biggest surprise here given that three running backs went in the first. While Saquon Barkley and Sony Michel make sense in the first, Rashaad Penny was quite surprising going to Seattle at 27 overall. If you believe what Clark says, Chubb is going to make whatever team drafts him very, very happy.

With the Browns holding two of the top three picks in the second, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them snag a running back. Also the Colts now have a billion second round picks and have a big time need at running back. All these guys have the potential to be fantasy relevant and I’ll be very curious to see where they end up.

Wide Receiver

• Courtland Sutton, SMU
• Christian Kirk, Texas A&M
• Anthony Miller, Memphis
• James Washington, Oklahoma State
• D.J. Chark, LSU
• Dante Pettis, Washington
• Michael Gallup, Colorado State
• Equanimeous St. Brown, Notre Dame
• DaeSean Hamilton, Penn State
• Deon Cain, Clemson

There are a TON of wide receivers still available and there are plenty of teams that could fill the need. Sutton has already been connected to Dallas a couple of times now so don’t be surprised if that marriage happens. I’m excited to see where Kirk and Washington end up as both guys have the potential to be big time players in the NFL.

Fantasy wise, I’m tempering my expectations for the entire position in general as it’s been a couple years now since we’ve seen a rookie wide receiver make an impact on the fantasy stage. Will that change this year? Fingers crossed.

Tight End

• Dallas Goedert, South Dakota State
• Mike Gesicki, Penn State
• Mark Andrews, Oklahoma
• Ian Thomas, Indiana

Ravens got their guy, but my top tight ends are still on the board. Teams like the Dolphins, Colts, Titans or Jaguars could all use a tight end and they’ll have their pick of the litter.

Defensive Line

• Maurice Hurst, Michigan
• Harrison Phillips, Stanford
• Nathan Shepherd, Fort Hays State
• Rasheem Green, USC
• B.J. Hill, North Carolina State
• Derrick Nnadi, Florida State
• Tim Settle, Virginia Tech
• Da’Shawn Hand, Alabama

Edge Defender

• Harold Landry, Boston College
• Sam Hubbard, Ohio State
• Lorenzo Carter, Georgia
• Josh Sweat, Florida State
• Arden Key, LSU
• Uchenna Nwosu, USC
• Duke Ejiofor, Wake Forest
• Kemoko Turay, Rutgers

A lot of impact front four guys still available. Hurst and Landry headline the group as first round talents who’ve fallen given medical concerns. If they fall to the right team, they could quickly become one of the bigger steals of the draft if they can get healthy and return to their collegiate dominance.

Linebacker

• Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, Oklahoma
• Malik Jefferson, Texas
• Fred Warner, BYU
• Darius Leonard, South Carolina State
• Jerome Baker, Ohio State
• Josey Jewell, Iowa

The big names are off the board but there are certainly players here who can still ball.

Cornerbacks

• Josh Jackson, Iowa
• Isaiah Oliver, Colorado
• Carlton Davis, Auburn
• Donte Jackson, LSU
• M.J. Stewart, North Carolina
• Duke Dawson, Florida
• Quenton Meeks, Stanford
• Anthony Averett, Alabama
• Holton Hill, Texas

Safeties

• Ronnie Harrison, Alabama
• Justin Reid, Stanford
• Jessie Bates III, Wake Forest
• Kyzir White, West Virginia
• DeShon Elliott, Texas

A bunch of top names still available in the secondary. I LOVE Isaiah Oliver out of Colorado and am currently hoping the Patriots take him with their first second round pick. But he, Josh Jackson and Carlton Davis could all have an impact at the cornerback position, while Harrison and Reid are likely day one starters for whichever team drafts them.

All and all, fret not fantasy and football fans. There are plenty of top names still on this list and there are plenty of excellent landing spots for them still available.

If Derrius Guice ends up in Indy, you can bet I’m over drafting him.