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. 11.  (See also: Mock 1Mock 2Mock 3Mock 4Mock 5Mock 6Mock 7Mock 8, Mock 9 and Mock 10.)

I have the 10th 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 11: Miles Sanders, RB, Philadelphia Eagles

Round 2, Pick 2: Kenyan Drake, RB, Arizona Cardinals

Round 3, Pick 11: James Conner, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers

Round 4, Pick 2: Leonard Fournette, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars

Round 5, Pick 11: Tyler Boyd, WR, Cincinnati Bengals

Round 6, Pick 2: Michael Gallup, WR, Dallas Cowboys

Round 7, Pick 11: Diontae Johnson, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers

Round 8, Pick 2: J.K. Dobbins, RB, Baltimore Ravens

Round 9, Pick 11: Emmanuel Sanders, WR, New Orleans Saints

Round 10, Pick 2: Golden Tate, WR, New York Giants

Round 11, Pick 11: Allen Lazard, WR, Green Bay Packers

Round 12, Pick 2: Tom Brady, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Round 13, Pick 11: Anthony McFarland Jr., RB, Pittsburgh Steelers

Round 14, Pick 2: Mike Gesicki, TE, Miami Dolphins

Round 15, Pick 11: Harrison Butker, K, Kansas City Chiefs

Round 16, Pick 2: Los Angeles Rams DST

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 a boost in this format, for example.

Running backs go in a blink of an eye in fantasy drafts. Just when you think you can pass on a back and grab one with your next pick, boom, they are gone.

If you have been following along, you know I love to go running back early and often. In fact, I took four in a row in this mock. I just could not pass on Leonard Fournette in the fourth round. I could have gone tight end with Mark Andrews or Zach Ertz, but I like to find the value in drafts. Tight end in the fourth just does not scream value.

Even with the strategy of going running back early and often, I was able to draft high-volume pass catchers, a veteran quarterback and a young tight end for this squad.

Tyler Boyd and Michael Gallup are technically WR2’s on their respective teams, but would it really shock anyone if they were the top pass catchers for Cincinnati and Dallas? Diontae Johnson as my WR3 is solid. I almost passed on him and grabbed Christian Kirk, but I just couldn’t pull that lever when I was on the clock. Adding solid vets like Golden Tate and Emmanuel Sanders brings stability to my receiving corps. I wanted to go young and considered Justin Jefferson and Jalen Reagor, but you go with the vets in 2020.

At quarterback and tight end, I waited again. Tom Brady should be in a high-powered offense in Tampa. Plus if Tampa Tom is DONE, you’ll find quarterbacks like Ben Roethlisberger and Daniel Jones on the waiver wire. Yes, that is how deep quarterback is in 2020.

At tight end, Mike Gesicki and T.J. Hockenson were both available in the 14th round, so if you pass on tight end early, relax and take one of the upstart second-year pros.

Overall, I love the depth at running back and receiver.

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.

Photo Credit: Kenya Allen/PressBox


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Ken Zalis ranked No. 3 in FantasyPros’ 2019 Fantasy Football Draft Accuracy Rankings.

Ken Zalis

See all posts by Ken Zalis. Follow Ken Zalis on Twitter at @fansfantasy