Dustin Bradford/Getty ImagesFantasy football enthusiasts have spent the entire offseason examining the player pool and drafting until their eyes turn red. Yet plenty more players wait until the NFL preseason to start preparing Mark Andrews Jersey Ravens , and that's perfectly fine as well.Nearly four weeks remain until NFL's 2018 kickoff on September 6. Those serious about winning will spend some of those days poring over data, formulating their rankings and testing those valuations through mock drafts. After taking a few practice spins, they will get a sense of when to best land a quarterback (late) and when the running-back market dwindles (early).聽On Monday, I conducted a mock draft using FantasyPros' Draft Wizard simulation. I picked against 11 automated teams using expert rankings and composite average draft position (ADP) data, conducting the draft using the half-point-per-reception (PPR) scoring system.The random generator initially assigned me the second pick, but taking whoever is left between Todd Gurley and Le'Veon Bell is too easy. Another click yielded the seventh selection. That's a more challenging spot presenting multiple different paths.Before observing the mock draft results, here are my early 2018 rankings. But of course you're going to make your own, right?聽 聽 聽 聽Cheat Sheet:聽 聽 聽 聽 聽Mock Draft Results:QB: Philip Rivers, LAC (RD10, Pick 114)RB: Devonta Freeman, ATL (RD2, Pick 18)RB: Derrius Guice, WAS (RD5, Pick 55)WR: DeAndre Hopkins, HOU (RD1, Pick 7)WR: Stefon Diggs, MIN (RD3, Pick 31)WR: Demaryius Thomas, DEN (RD4, Pick 42)TE: Delanie Walker Youth Chad Thomas Jersey , TEN (RD7, Pick 79)FLEX: Dion Lewis, TEN (RD6, Pick 66)DST: Houston Texans (RD15, Pick 175)K: Jake Elliott, PHI (RD16, Pick 186)BN: Rex Burkhead, NE (RD8, Pick 90)BN: Kenny Stills, MIA (RD9, Pick 103)BN: Chris Carson, SEA (RD11, Pick 127)BN: D.J. Moore, CAR (RD12, Pick 138)BN: Jimmy Garoppolo, SF (RD13, Pick 151)BN: Geronimo Allison, GB (RD14, Pick 162)聽 聽 聽 聽Stefon Diggs showed flashes of superstar upside during his third season.Hannah Foslien/Getty ImagesThere are drafts when the competition repeatedly dashes your dreams and ruins your plans at the last possible moment. Then there are times like this mock where the stars keep aligning.DeAndre Hopkins, who drew an NFL-high 176 targets last season Giants Authentic Jerseys , recorded 551 yards and six touchdowns in six games started by Deshaun Watson. He's precisely the guy I wanted when drawing the seventh selection.This could be the last time Stefon Diggs is ever available as late as the third round. Before injuring his groin before Week 5, the Minnesota Vikings wideout began a breakout expedition with a pair of two-touchdown outings. Following an uneven return, he again caught fire by finding pay dirt in his final three regular-season contests.That was before accruing 207 yards and an iconic touchdown on 22 targets in a pair of postseason tilts. Look for the 24-year-old to usurp Adam Thielen as Minnesota's premier receiver.Demaryius Thomas in the fourth? Please and thank you. Although he snapped a five-year streak of 90 catches and 1,000 receiving yards, he still finished 21st among wideouts in half-PPR scoring. At this cost, I'm paying for his steady floor while anticipating improvement with better quarterback play from Case Keenum.All three receivers have a Week 10 bye, but that's a foolish reason to leave value on the board. There's plenty of time to find temporary replacements on the waiver wire. Give me the dominant trio for 14 or 15 (depending on when the fantasy playoffs end) other weeks.Most of my favorite picks would not have been possible against human competition. After loading up on receivers, I was ecstatic to see Derrius Guice waiting in the fifth. The Washington rookie has the talent and job opening to finish as a top-10 contributor, so preseason buzz should firmly entrench him into the third- and fourth-round territory.聽By the time you read this, it will also be too late to steal Rex Burkhead in the eighth round. His August helium has expanded in light of Sony Michel having fluid drained from his knees.The rookie is not guaranteed to be ready for Week 1:Jeff Howe @jeffphoweFurther details w/more clarity: Michel鈥檚 knee injury requires a procedure that鈥檚 expected to keep him out of preseason, and perhaps even into the start of the reg season, per 2 sources. So not a major sigh of relief, but the expectation is Michel should contribute this season.Burkhead was the 30th running back taken in this mock. Fantasy players, meanwhile, are now split on his status as a top-20 back:Yahoo Fantasy Sports @YahooFantasyWith Sony Michel out for a stretch, is a top-20 RB ranking too high for Rex Burkhead?Chris Carson's stock is also trending upward at the expense of a first-round pick. According to Gregg Bell of the News Tribune, the 2017 seventh-round pick is "clearly ahead" of Rashaad Penny. Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll continued to hype the 23-year-old running back, whom he called "remarkably fit" in his return from a broken leg."Remember, we've always talked about Chris as a very well-rounded player," Carroll said Youth Nick Nelson Jersey , "He can run, he can catch the football, he can run good routes in and out of the backfield, and he is a very equipped blocker. He's a very, very special guy for special teams, too.聽He does everything right, so he's an exciting part of our team."Carson will soar up draft boards if Carroll doesn't soon change his tune. Get him in the double-digit rounds while you can.This practice run also validated an approach everyone will all grow tired of hearing this month: Wait on quarterback. Philip Rivers, who has played every game since replacing Drew Brees in 2006, has exceeded 4,000 passing yards in nine of the last 10 years. He has averaged 29.8 touchdowns per season during that durable decade.Not bad for a 10th-round price tag. Although I'm not driving the Jimmy Garoppolo bandwagon, he happened to fall in this simulation. If he hadn't, I would have instead paired the Los Angeles Chargers veteran with Matt R LeBron James sprung to his feet and screamed along with thousands of delirious Cleveland fans.

When Indians outfielder Rajai Davis connected off Chicago Cubs reliever Aroldis Chapman for a tying home run in the eighth inning of Game 7 of the 2016 World Series, James came unglued and reacted the way he might after a monstrous dunk or back-breaking 3-pointer in the NBA Finals.

And while his fanatical response said a lot about James and his allegiance to the Indians, so did the tight, black T-shirt he wore on that unseasonably warm November night.

It said: ”Cleveland Or Nowhere.”

As the sports world waits to see where the three-time champion intends to play next season and beyond, there remains the real possibility that James could choose to stay in Cleveland, his hoops home for 11 of the past 15 years and where this Northeast Ohio son shares a unique and profound connection with fans who have followed him since his teens.

James has other options: Los Angeles (salary-cap space for another star, Magic Johnson in charge), Houston (a chance to play on a super team with MVP James Harden), Philadelphia (young stars Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid) Authentic Connor Williams Jersey , and maybe more.

But, as has always been the case for James, home will pull at his heart.

For the longest time, the perception was that once James ended Cleveland’s 52-year title drought in 2016, he would leave again as soon as he could. That doesn’t seem to be a slam dunk any longer.

By Friday, James is expected to make his first move and likely decline a $35.6 million contract option for next season with the Cavs, who are hoping their past loyalties to the 33-year-old and his own sentimental attachments – family, legacy – will keep him in Cleveland.

Unlike his free-agency forays in 2010 and 2014, James will not meet with prospective teams. He’s letting agent Rich Paul and his other representatives handle the business side of things as he vacations with family and makes up his mind.

Months ago, James’ connection with the Cavs seemed broken, hopeless. Last summer’s shocking trade of All-Star Kyrie Irving, the team’s failed attempt to integrate guard Isaiah Thomas, a lack of playmakers, assorted injuries and coach Tyronn Lue’s medical issues contributed to James appearing ready to pull up stakes again and pursue championships elsewhere.

But a funny thing happened on the way to the NBA Finals.

James was boosted by general manager Koby Altman’s drastic-and-dramatic roster overhaul at the trading deadline, and despite a lack of cohesion and Vegas odds makers labeling the Cavs as underdogs, Cleveland advanced to a fourth straight summer showdown with Golden State, surviving two Game 7s and sweeping the top-seeded Toronto Raptors along the way.

Of course, James did all the heavy lifting. He played in all 82 regular-season games and had perhaps his best postseason, averaging 34 points, 9.1 rebounds and 9.0 assists while making a pair of buzzer-beating shots and doing all he could in a Finals sweep that could have been much different if Cleveland had not lost Game 1 in overtime.

”He gave his heart and soul Mike Remmers Jersey Vikings , die-hard energy, commitment to this team, to this franchise, to the city, to Northeast Ohio,” Altman said last week after the Cavs drafted Alabama guard Collin Sexton, who quickly raised some eyebrows by choosing to wear No. 2, Irving’s number for six seasons with Cleveland. ”It was an historical year and probably one of the best postseason runs of all time. We’re very, very fortunate to have him here and what he gave to this franchise this year was nothing short of remarkable.

”We don’t take that for granted at all.”

And it’s why the Cavs haven’t surrendered from the fight to keep him.

Owner Dan Gilbert, whose relationship with James remains tricky if not rocky, has displayed a willingness to spend whatever’s necessary to keep his team championship competitive. That’s unlikely to change whether James extends his second stint with Cleveland.

In a recent Business Insider podcast, Gilbert referred to James as a ”partner,” an acknowledgment by the billionaire to what the superstar he once criticized means to his franchise.

The appeal for James to stay home is different now than it was eight years ago when he bolted for Miami. He’s more mature, with three children and a burgeoning business empire. His priorities, responsibilities and goals are different.

After the Warriors finished their Finals sweep of the Cavs, James revealed an injured right hand but an unchanged view of the next phase of his career.

”I will still continue to be in championship mode,” he said. ”When I decide what I’m going to do with my future, my family and the folks that have been with me for the last 20 years will have a say-so. Then it ultimately will come down to me.”

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