I try to keep my fantasy football anecdotes to a minimum. I know that nobody really cares how my teams did last year or last week. But in each of my handful of leagues last year, I wound up with the fifth or sixth pick without fail.

I was missing out on the "no-brainer" picks of third overall pick, and it's hard to argue against that. In 12-team PPR mock drafts, he's going second.

So is it really worthwhile to beat the drum that he should go one pick higher?

Probably not, but we all know that training camp stories will change things and that if you are gifted the first overall pick, you're going to over-analyze.

Let me help.

Lacy Isn't Even Efficient

Here's the thing. If you want an efficient runner, Lacy isn't your guy. That much is certain.

At numberFire, we have a metric called are good news bears for running backs in fantasy football.

That efficient offense is going to get him into position to score touchdowns, too.

Red Zone Potential

Yeah, but bust rates of fantasy backs, safety should definitely be factored into a first-round pick, and given the value of a top running back in fantasy football, Lacy makes sense as the first pick.

It's not foolproof, but it is a sensible, safe option, one that likely won't ruin your season.

And who knows? By August, some combination of Charles, Foster, Lynch, Peterson, Le'Veon Bell, Forte, DeMarco Murray, McCoy, and C.J. Anderson could shake Lacy down toward the bottom of the first round as opposed to the top of it.

If so, you could be getting one of the biggest values in all of fantasy football.