It may be the middle of July, but it is never too early to take a look at fantasy football mock drafts. This league was 12 teams with half point-per-reception (PPR) scoring. Instead of the standard two wide receivers, this league drafted three starters. No kickers are included.
*Denotes my selections
Round 1:
- Saquon Barkley, RB, NY Giants
- Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Dallas
- Christian McCaffrey, RB, Carolina
- Alvin Kamara, RB, New Orleans
- DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Houston
- Le’Veon Bell, RB, NY Jets
- David Johnson, RB, Arizona
- Todd Gurley, RB, LA Rams
- Joe Mixon, RB, Cincinnati
- Melvin Gordon, RB, LA Chargers
- Michael Thomas, WR, New Orleans
- Julio Jones, WR, Atlanta*
It is hard to go wrong with Julio Jones in fantasy. Despite the lack of touchdowns in recent years, Jones has consistently been a top ten receiver in fantasy. He has led the league in yards twice, and he has contributed 100 yards per game in five different seasons.
Round 2:
- JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR, Pittsburgh*
- Odell Beckham, WR, Cleveland
- Davante Adams, WR, Green Bay
- Antonio Brown, WR, Oakland
- Mike Evans, WR, Tampa Bay
- James Conner, RB, Pittsburgh
- TY Hilton, WR, Indianapolis
- Travis Kelce, TE, Kansas City
- Zach Ertz, TE, Philadelphia
- Damien Williams, RB, Kansas City
- Keenan Allen, WR, LA Chargers
- Dalvin Cook, RB, Minnesota
I double up on wide receivers here, but Smith-Schuster as the 13th pick? Yes, he has the highest of upsides due to being in a pass-happy offense and being the clear cut number one option pass catcher. Cleveland and Oakland have invested heavily in their running game, so Smith-Schuster is a solid pick here.
Round 3:
- Adam Thielen, WR, Minnesota
- George Kittle, TE, San Francisco
- Tyreek Hill, WR, Kansas City
- Nick Chubb, RB, Cleveland
- Amari Cooper, WR, Dallas
- Eric Ebron, TE, Indianapolis
- Josh Jacobs, RB, Oakland
- Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City
- Kerryon Johnson, RB, Detroit
- Aaron Jones, RB, Green Bay
- AJ Green, WR, Cincinnati
- Sony Michel, RB, New England*
Round 4:
- James White, RB, New England*
- Marlon Mack, RB, Indianapolis
- Julian Edelman, WR, New England
- Andrew Luck, QB, Indianapolis
- Brandin Cooks, WR, LA Rams
- Kenny Golladay, WR, Detroit
- Aaron Rodgers, QB, Green Bay
- Stefon Diggs, WR, Minnesota
- Cooper Kupp, WR, LA Rams
- Philip Lindsay, RB, Denver
- Leonard Fournette, RB, Jacksonville
- Robert Woods, WR, LA Rams
Picking up both Michel and White to be RB1 and RB2 is risky, but I am maximizing value from the New England offense as Michel will likely be the dominant force in the ground while White hauls in more passes due to the absence of Rob Gronkowski. Belichick might take some of the pressure off Tom Brady, enabling both Michel and White to have explosive fantasy seasons.
Round 5:
- Devonta Freeman, RB, Atlanta
- Chris Godwin, WR, Tampa Bay
- Tyler Boyd, WR, Cincinnati
- Alshon Jeffery, WR, Philadelphia
- Derrick Henry, RB, Tennessee
- Derrius Guice, RB, Washington
- Tyler Lockett, WR, Seattle
- Jared Cook, TE, New Orleans
- Calvin Ridley, WR, Atlanta
- Mark Ingram, RB, Baltimore
- David Montgomery, RB, Chicago
- DJ Moore, WR, Carolina*
Round 6:
- Chris Carson, RB, Seattle*
- Tarik Cohen, RB, Chicago
- Baker Mayfield, QB, Cleveland
- Jarvis Landry, WR, Cleveland
- Sammy Watkins, WR, Kansas City
- Kyler Murray, QB, Arizona
- Mike Williams, WR, LA Chargers
- Miles Sanders, RB, Philadelphia
- Russell Wilson, QB, Seattle
- Evan Engram, TE, NY Giants
- Drew Brees, QB, New Orleans
- Deshaun Watson, QB, Houston
I pick up another pair of young players in DJ Moore and Chris Carson. Moore is far-and-away the top WR in Carolina, and he should vastly improve in his second season. Carson is the lead back in a rushing unit that led the NFL in yards last season. After losing Doug Baldwin to retirement, the Seahawks might lean on the run even more, gifting another fruitful campaign for Carson.
Round 7:
- OJ Howard, TE, Tampa Bay
- Robby Anderson, WR, NY Jets
- Carson Wentz, QB, Philadelphia
- Quincy Enunwa, WR, NY Jets
- Christian Kirk, WR, Arizona
- Will Fuller, WR, Houston
- Sterling Shepard, WR, NY Giants
- Vance McDonald, TE, Pittsburgh
- Dante Pettis, WR, San Francisco
- Allen Robinson, WR, Chicago
- Hunter Henry, TE, LA Chargers
- Austin Ekeler, RB, LA Chargers*
Round 8:
- Keke Coutee, WR, Houston*
- Tom Brady, QB, New England
- Delanie Walker, TE, Tennessee
- Darrell Henderson, RB, LA Rams
- Larry Fitzgerald, WR, Arizona
- David Njoku, TE, Cleveland
- N’Keal Harry, WR, New England
- Rashaad Penny, RB, Seattle
- Adrian Peterson, RB, Washington
- Kenyan Drake, RB, Miami
- Tevin Coleman, RB, San Francisco
- Marvin Jones, WR, Detroit
Building your bench with young players trades guaranteed production for potential. Austin Ekeler is a must-draft in every league due to his production with or without Melvin Gordon. If Gordon were to hold out or be traded, Ekeler’s value would skyrocket. For Keke Coutee, he was heavily targeted at times in Houston. Working as the slot receiver, Coutee will be exposed to a high volume of targets, but he is the third receiver in the pecking order behind do-it-all DeAndre Hopkins and speedster Will Fuller. Coutee doesn’t have the red zone or deep threat pedigree of Hopkins and Fuller, but he should have a steady dose of targets between the 20s.
Round 9:
- Royce Freeman, RB, Denver
- Bears D/ST
- Courtland Sutton, WR, Denver
- DeSean Jackson, WR, Philadelphia
- Marquez Valdes-Scantling, WR, Green Bay
- Kareem Hunt, RB, Cleveland
- DK Metcalf, WR, Seattle
- Golden Tate, WR, NY Giants
- Latavius Murray, RB, New Orleans
- Lamar Miller, RB, Houston
- James Washington, WR, Pittsburgh
- Dede Westbrook, WR, Jacksonville*
Round 10:
- Mark Andrews, TE, Baltimore*
- Jordan Howard, RB, Philadelphia
- Devin Funchess, WR, Indianapolis
- Austin Hooper, TE, Atlanta
- Rams D/ST
- Mecole Hardman, WR, Kansas City
- Anthony Miller, WR, Chicago
- Matt Ryan, QB, Atlanta
- Jesse James, TE, Detroit
- Corey Davis, WR, Tennessee
- Trey Burton, TE, Chicago
- D’Onta Foreman, RB, Houston
I continue to fill out my bench with high upside players, and I am able to nab a tight end. Dede Westbrook should be the number one target for Nick Foles in Jacksonville. The Jaguars are run-heavy, but any WR1 should be snatched up. Mark Andrews had a fairly productive rookie season, and he could experience an even better sophomore season due to chemistry development with Lamar Jackson. Jackson has shown a tendency to target bigger targets, and no Raven offers size like Andrews.
Round 11:
- Curtis Samuel, WR, Carolina
- Jerick McKinnon, RB, San Francisco
- Donte Mocrief, WR, Pittsburgh
- Ted Ginn, WR, New Orleans
- Marquise Brown, WR, Baltimore
- Patriots D/ST
- Parris Campbell, WR, Indianapolis
- Carlos Hyde, RB, Kansas City
- Noah Fant, TE, Denver
- TJ Hockenson, TE, Detroit
- Chargers D/ST
- Deebo Samuel, WR, San Francisco*
Round 12:
- Chris Herndon, TE, NY Jets*
- Tyrell Williams, WR, Oakland
- Dion Lewis, RB, Tennessee
- Vikings D/ST
- Emmanuel Sanders, WR, Denver
- Kalen Ballage, RB, Miami
- Greg Olsen, TE, Carolina
- Damien Harris, RB, New England
- LeSean McCoy, RB, Buffalo
- Tre’Quan Smith, WR, New Orleans
- Geronimo Allison, WR, Green Bay
- Nyheim Hines, RB, Indianapolis
Rinse, wash, repeat. Deebo Samuel and Chris Herndon offer significant potential. Samuel could easily establish himself as WR1 in San Francisco and be the second most-utilized passing weapon in the offense. For Herndon, his value is depleted due to a four-week suspension, but upon his return, he will certainly be high in the Jets’ pecking order of targets. These are two low-risk, potentially high-reward players who will be stashed on my bench.
Round 13:
- Jaguars D/ST
- DeVante Parker, WR, Miami
- Kirk Cousins, QB, Minnesota
- Ben Roethlisberger, QB, Pittsburgh
- Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore
- Cam Newton, QB, Carolina
- Ravens D/ST
- Jimmy Graham, TE, Green Bay
- Cowboys D/ST
- Texans D/ST
- Ronald Jones, RB, Tampa Bay
- Jimmy Garoppolo, QB, San Francisco*
Waiting until Round 13 for a quarterback paid off as Jimmy Garoppolo falls into my lap. The 49ers have all sorts of weapons to use, and they should have an incredibly effective offense in 2019. Garoppolo will have the likes of George Kittle, Marquise Goodwin, Deebo Samuel, and others to do damage with down the field.
Round 14:
- Packers D/ST*
- Chris Thompson, RB, Washington
- Adam Humphries, WR, Tennessee
- Jared Goff, QB, LA Rams
- Sam Darnold, QB, NY Jets
- Albert Wilson, WR, Miami
- Eagles D/ST
- Jordan Reed, TE, Washington
- Jets D/ST
- Broncos D/ST
- Philip Rivers, QB, LA Chargers
- Devin Singletary, RB, Buffalo
Always wait for defenses! The Packers are boom-or-bust in terms of defenses due to the variety of acquisitions they made over the summer. There’s a chance they produce like a top five defense, but realistically speaking, this is a streamer option. Matchups are critical with every defense.
Roster recap:
QB-Jimmy Garoppolo
RB1-Sony Michel
RB2-James White
WR1-Julio Jones
WR2-JuJu Smith-Schuster
WR3-DJ Moore
TE-Mark Andrews
FLEX-Chris Carson
D/ST-Green Bay
Bench-Austin Ekeler
Bench-Keke Coutee
Bench-Dede Westbrook
Bench-Deebo Samuel
Bench-Chris Herndon
