Before you know it, it will be fantasy football draft time, we hope! During the next month or so, I will be conducting several mock drafts. During the drafts, I will pick in all 12 positions, with all sorts of scenarios.
As a rule, I prefer to draft three starting running backs within the first four rounds. It is a tried-and-true strategy, which has done me well for 20-plus years. The mock drafts I do will all assume 12 teams are in the league (unless otherwise noted) with the following positions: quarterback, two running backs, three wide receivers, tight end, a flex (running back, wide receiver or tight end), kicker, team defense and six bench spots. Therefore, it is a 16-round snake draft.
Here is scenario No. 7. (See also: Mock 1, Mock 2, Mock 3, Mock 4, Mock 5 and Mock 6.)
I have the seventh overall pick; let’s see how it all works out. In this format, I am playing in a half point-per-reception league (0.5 PPR), which means that every reception is worth a half-point.
You can see the entire draft by clicking here.
Here is my roster:
Round 1, Pick 7: Derrick Henry, RB, Tennessee Titans
Round 2, Pick 6: Austin Ekeler, RB, Los Angeles Chargers
Round 3, Pick 7: George Kittle, TE, San Francisco 49ers
Round 4, Pick 6: A.J. Brown, WR, Tennessee Titans
Round 5, Pick 7: David Montgomery, RB, Chicago Bears
Round 6, Pick 6: Jarvis Landry, WR, Cleveland Browns
Round 7, Pick 7: Marvin Jones, WR, Detroit Lions
Round 8, Pick 6: Derrius Guice, RB, Washington
Round 9, Pick 7: Jamison Crowder, WR, New York Jets
Round 10, Pick 6: Matthew Stafford, QB, Detroit Lions
Round 11, Pick 7: Drew Brees, QB, New Orleans Saints
Round 12, Pick 6: Michael Pittman Jr., WR, Indianapolis Colts
Round 13, Pick 7: Buffalo Bills DST
Round 14, Pick 6: Justin Tucker, K, Baltimore Ravens
Round 15, Pick 7: Parris Campbell, WR, Indianapolis Colts
Round 16, Pick 6: Darrynton Evans, RB, Tennessee Titans
Some Observations:
My overall strategy in a half-PPR league is to treat it like a PPR league. You get a slight bonus for players that are double-digit touchdown players, but not enough to overhaul the rankings a bunch. Derrick Henry-type players may get an uptick in this format for example.
I started RB/RB. Austin Ekeler has some questions and I have seen some discussion that he could be a fantasy fade/bust, but he had stand-alone value even when Melvin Gordon was in the lineup last year, so I see no reason he couldn’t be a solid RB2 this season.
In Round 3, I stayed true to one of my rules: If Travis Kelce or George Kittle is available in Round 3, you draft them. So I did.
With picks 4 through 7, I wanted more running back depth, but the value of the board was at wide receiver. A.J. Brown was too good to pass up in the fourth. I like David Montgomery, as the volume should be there. Jarvis Landry and Marvin Jones continue to be highly undervalued, so I like my WR room.
In Round 8, I went 100 percent upside with RB Derrius Guice. If he stays healthy, this works out great and he is a steal. If he gets hurt, he was my RB4, so I will survive.
I grabbed upside quarterbacks Matthew Stafford and Drew Brees in Rounds 10 and 11. You can always wait on QB in this type of redraft leagues.
I took some WR depth along the way and handcuffed my No. 1 pick in the final round.
Overall, I would be happy to go into a league with this team.
What do you think of this team? Let me know at @FansFantasy on Twitter.
Please try a mock yourself as practice makes perfect. You can mock in minutes by clicking here.
Ken Zalis ranked No. 3 in FantasyPros’ 2019 Fantasy Football Draft Accuracy Rankings.