RADIO
Now that the preseason is officially over, I have delivered my annual exercise that I have been doing since the 1990s, the one-man mock draft.
In this article, I attempt to sit in the draft chairs of all participants in a 12-team PPR league with four points for a TD pass. Starting skill position requirements are for 1 QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE and 1 FLEX spot.
The picks are tied heavily on my own rankings, which are available here and are part of the RotoBaller Fantasy Football Season Pass. The selections were based off needs and value as I went along, while also experimenting with a few different roster builds. Some picks may not jibe with ADPS or consensus ranks, but these selections are from my pure perspectives.
Round One
- Christian McCaffrey: The easy selection. Enter the draft room and start queueing up players for your projected second and third picks.
- Dalvin Cook: He will always be at least a minor injury concern, but no one may have more pure upside as a runner.
- Alvin Kamara: Now that Jameis Winston is confirmed as the QB for the Saints, any significant concerns have been erased.
- Derrick Henry: He will not quite match last year’s numbers through 16 games, but he has led the NFL in rushing yards and TDs in each of the last two years and there are no reasons to expect a significant fall-off.
- Ezekiel Elliott: Look for the TD runs to get back to double figures as a finisher for the NFC’s best offense. A total of 12-plus is within range.
- Aaron Jones: Still should rush for 9 to 11 TDs and may catch a few more passes this season.
- Austin Ekeler: He will not be a goal-line runner, but could total 10 TDs from scrimmage with the big reception totals. Not a Kamara, but still great at what he does.
- Travis Kelce: You get Top 5 WR type production as the thinnest position in fantasy football with Kelce. You can target the best available RB or an elite WR with your second pick if you are daring enough to go with the zero RB theory.
- Jonathan Taylor: If he catches more passes, keep in mind he finished second in the league in yards after the catch per reception last season.
- Nick Chubb: He rushed for 12 TDs in 12 games last season and the Browns will remain a primary run team.
- Tyreek Hill: This is the point of the first round where you can start thinking about grabbing a top WR as a top RB target can still be available on the turn.
- Davante Adams: If you want to take Adams over Hill I won’t have a debate with you. Either way I am leaning to an elite WR at the end of the first round.
Round Two
- Antonio Gibson: Emerged as a strong rushing TD producer as a rookie and Washington offense will be better this year, ensuring more scoring runs while it is possible that he catches more passes.
- Joe Mixon: Has performed admirably for bad Bengals teams before, now can be the TD finisher on a good offense.
- Najee Harris: If he makes good on the billing, Harris is in the first round next year, but that ranking has to be earned, we just cannot hand it to him yet as a rookie. If you pick late in the first round and can land Harris to pair with your RB1, your draft has started off well.
- Saquon Barkley: If I did not have concerns about his recovery, Barkley would be the third overall pick, and I have not landed him in any drafts so far by ranking him outside my Top 15 overall.
- Stefon Diggs: Once the Top 13 RBs are off the board, it’s time to start going after the best WRs available.
- DeAndre Hopkins: He is not considered an exciting pick by some among the elite WRs, but that’s because he is so safe. Don’t let Hopkins slip by.
- Calvin Ridley: Kyle Pitts will not cut into his production, as Ridley rose to prominence with Julio Jones in the picture.
- DK Metcalf: He is still developing as a route runner and contested catch artist. Dare we say he has more upside than we have seen already?
- Justin Jefferson: Much of the same offensively in Minnesota. That means another superb year for Jefferson.
- Terry McLaurin: Could have his best season so far working with his best QB yet.
- Allen Robinson: There is actually more of a ceiling for him when Justin Fields takes over.
- A.J. Brown: You have to wait awhile when picking first overall, but there should still be top-shelf WRs left by your second pick.
Round Three
- James Robinson: May not be a Top 10 RB this year as he could see a slight volume decrease, but you have to like Robinson a lot as a RB2.
- Darren Waller: The clear second TE off the board. More durable and a better TD producer than George Kittle.
- Keenan Allen: A luxury if you can somehow land Allen as a WR2, but will often go as a WR1 in many drafts. He is the last of the surefire WR1 types.
- George Kittle: He will go off the board shortly after Waller as a reactionary pick in many drafts.
- David Montgomery: Played great down the stretch last season, and if you say the schedule was soft I submit that a good player is supposed to perform well in such matchups.
- Chris Carson: You will see him taken in the fourth round in some drafts, but he plays at a RB1 level frequently and I am not concerned about his projected workload. Still finished as RB13 in terms of average Fantasy Points Per Game at RB last season.
- Clyde Edwards-Helaire: RB is a secondary playmaking option in the Chiefs offense, but there is upside in his second year with a normal preseason and a year in the books behind him.
- D’Andre Swift: Volume will be there, but so will a lot of defensive attention and health is an issue as the season approaches, so understandable if you want to pivot to another RB here.
- Robert Woods: Should be the top fantasy option from an instantly upgraded Rams passing game.
- CeeDee Lamb: He will end up as a WR1 on some fantasy teams that start out with two RBs.
- Amari Cooper: Caught a career-best 92 passes with 1,114 yards last season, and that was with Dak Prescott missing 11 games.
- Chris Godwin: Maybe not the ideal WR1 he was projected to be before last year, but a fine WR2 pick.
Round Four
- Mike Davis: Versatile and has earned the opportunity to finally become a clear starter.
- Tyler Lockett: Should be more steady this year as Seahawks fix high percentage passing game issues from second half of last year.
- Cooper Kupp: There is some excitement for a very good year for both top Rams WRs as they work with Matthew Stafford.
- Diontae Johnson: A fine WR2 pick who fits ideally with how Ben Roethlisberger operates now.
- Gus Edwards: Takes over as the lead guy for the NFL’s top rushing offense, and will produce well even with Lamar Jackson in the picture.
- Mike Evans: Like Godwin, a very good WR2 pick by this point.
- D.J. Moore: Coming off two consecutive 1,100 yard seasons with shaky QB play.
- Patrick Mahomes: I will personally not take a QB this early, but he fits this team build here as the WR2 can wait until the next round. Fitting the QBs in earlier than my true approach to show where I would consider them if I chose to make the move for an elite guy.
- Miles Sanders: He would rank higher if we could rely on him more as a short-yardage runner.
- Josh Jacobs: Seems like most fantasy players “settle” for Jacobs at this point, but he did rush for 12 TDs last season.
- Tee Higgins: Should be the best of the three top Cincinnati WRs as he showed a lot of promise in what was a challenging year for rookies.
- Brandon Aiyuk: A very good WR2 pick, set for a breakout year.
Round Five:
- Jerry Jeudy
- Javonte Williams
- Josh Allen
- JuJu Smith-Schuster
- Adam Thielen
- Kyler Murray
- Mark Andrews
- Chase Edmonds
- Trey Sermon
- Kyle Pitts
- Darrell Henderson
- Julio Jones
Round Six
- Michael Carter
- Damien Harris
- Odell Beckham Jr.
- Corey Davis
- Ja'Marr Chase
- Aaron Rodgers
- T.J. Hockenson
- Myles Gaskin
- Russell Wilson
- Deebo Samuel
- Melvin Gordon
- Lamar Jackson
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