Fleaflicker Mock Draft - Strategy from the #1 Spot

One of the great features on FleaFlicker is the instant ability to dive right into a mock draft. Pick your league size and scoring system and you are immediately thrown into the draft room. You are randomly assigned a draft spot and the whole process moves very quickly, 

I am going to be mocking from different positions in drafts to give you a feel for how the draft may flow and how I constructed my team from different spots in the order. I’ll let you in on the decisions I faced and why I made my choices. 

I started at the top here with the first overall pick. The obvious luxury is you get whoever you want with the first pick, but it’s not necessarily the easiest decision. You then have to wait a while between turns thereafter, but when you are up, it’s a cool feeling to bang out back to back picks. Some may feel frustrated by the seemingly tedious wait between choices, but you also get the chance to select first in the odd-numbered rounds. 

The King's Fleaflicker Draft

Round One: While most of the Fantasy community is taking Saquon Barkley first, I went with Christian McCaffrey No. 1 overall. Barkley will likely face a lot of defensive attention this season as opponents try to challenge the Giants to throw the ball instead of letting the superstar RB beat them. McCaffrey will likely play the same role on offense that he did last season. 

Round Two: Damien Williams was the best RB left on the board. He is going to be the lead RB in the best offense in the NFL. I have him valued as a back-end RB1 this season. I took him over Kerryon Johnson. Aaron Jones was also available but I was not considering him. 

Round Three: I needed a WR now and Adam Thielen was one of the true WR1s still left, so he was may pick. Antonio Brown went next and then Amari Cooper six picks after I tabbed Brown. 

Round Four: I was looking for a second WR and Calvin Ridley fit the bill perfectly, I expect him to have a true breakthrough season with more consistency. Cooper Kupp was the next WR off the board nine picks later. If he was not on the way back from a major injury he would have received stronger consideration. 

Round Five: Mark Ingram gets the call as my flex. He is being somewhat underrated as he gets his first true opportunity to be a featured back. David Montgomery was the next RB taken at 5/10 but I am concerned about him being involved in a true committee in Chicago. 

Round Six: Tyler Boyd could actually operate as a WR2 for me as he builds on a breakthrough campaign and will be the No. 1 WR for the Bengals early in the schedule. A.J. Green could miss three months or more, so Boyd’s time at the top of the depth chart could possibly last awhile. I took him over less reliable types like Alshon Jeffery and Josh Gordon. 

Round Seven: QBs were starting to fly away and I wanted one of my top-rated guys even if I had to reach for him. Ben Roethlisberger is way underrated this year, I probably could have waited a few rounds longer to get him, but I wanted to secure my fifth-ranked passer. Roethlisberger is coming off one of his best seasons ever and has survived and succeeded when losing top targets before. 

Round Eight: This is a pivotal season for Corey Davis and the Titans are going to feed him the ball a lot. The talent and opportunity will be there and you should take maybe this final chance to see if he can truly tap into his considerable potential this season. I passed on Christian Kirk and Dante Pettis, so Davis better reward me well, or he never gets drafted again. 

Round Nine: Kalen Ballage is another player that is ending up on a lot of my teams. Even if he splits time at the beginning of the season he could still be Miami’s preferred runner near the goal line. He does have more than just inside rushing chops, as evidenced by a 75-yard TD run late last season. He may emerge as Miami’s best threat on offense. Considering the likes of Jordan Howard and LeSean McCoy were other alternatives at this point, I was only too happy to bet on the upside of Ballage. 

Round 10: Tyrell Williams is one of my favorite WR picks in the double-figure rounds. With Antonio Brown likely commanding a hefty amount of defensive attention, he can now get his chance to produce more regularly as a starter. I easily wanted him over the likes of John Brown and Kenny Stills, as those boom or bust/uninspiring types were now starting to permeate the board. I did strongly consider Jamison Crowder, who may be very productive out of the slot this year for the Jets, but Williams should score more. 

Late Rounds: I took Devin Singletary in the 11th because he can at least earn part of a timeshare as a rookie. Then I dived in deeper in the Oakland pool. Derek Carr (12th) has his best supporting cast ever. I waited much too long for my TE in Round 13, and tabbed Darren Waller, who hopefully will build on all the preseason buzz. With the first pick of the last round, I was able to get the best kicker in Fantasy Football, Justin Tucker. I was in a position to grab the top player at the position and seized the opportunity, Kickers can win weeks for you when some other players on your squad let you down.

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