Before you know it, it will be fantasy football draft time. 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. It is a 16-round snake draft.
Here is scenario No. 3. (See also: Scenario No. 1 and Scenario No. 2.)
I have the third 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 (0.5) point.
You can see the entire draft by clicking here.
Here is my roster:
Round 1, Pick 3: Derrick Henry, RB, Tennessee Titans
Round 2, Pick 10: Antonio Gibson, RB, Washington Football Team
Round 3, Pick 3: J.K. Dobbins, RB, Baltimore Ravens
Round 4, Pick 10: Robert Woods, WR, Los Angeles Rams
Round 5, Pick 3: Adam Thielen, WR, Minnesota Vikings
Round 6, Pick 10: Courtland Sutton, WR, Denver Broncos
Round 7, Pick 3: Deebo Samuel, WR, San Francisco 49ers
Round 8, Pick 10: Zack Moss, RB, Buffalo Bills
Round 9, Pick 3: Michael Carter, RB, New York Jets
Round 10, Pick 10: Noah Fant, TE, Denver Broncos
Round 11, Pick 3: Matthew Stafford, QB, Los Angeles Rams
Round 12, Pick 10: Ryan Tannehill, QB, Tennessee Titans
Round 13, Pick 3: Mecole Hardman, WR, Kansas City Chiefs
Round 14, Pick 10: Washington Football Team DST
Round 15, Pick 3: Justin Tucker, K, Baltimore Ravens
Round 16, Pick 10: Sony Michel, RB, New England Patriots
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 who 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 am boring, yes — three running backs in my top three picks. I will be shaking things up soon, but it’s such a huge advantage in leagues with a flex spot. I grabbed Antonio Gibson this time instead of Clyde Edwards-Helaire, but J.K. Dobbins will always be my pick in the third round whenever he is available.
I took wide receivers with my next four picks and I was still being able to grab Zack Moss as my fourth running back. That’s nice. Robert Woods, Adam Thielen, Deebo Samuel and Courtland Sutton form a solid receiver group, although it’s risky given their injury histories.
Noah Fant in the 10th round is nice work, but it makes me a tad Bronco-dependent with Sutton also on the team. However, I added Mecole Hardman later with the hope that he takes a step forward with Sammy Watkins now in Baltimore.
I waited on a quarterback until Rounds 11 and 12 and still got Matthew Stafford and Ryan Tannehill. That’s fantastic and shows how late you can get a starting quarterback in a redraft, one-QB league.
With my last pick, I grabbed Sony Michel as a why not pick. I expect Damien Harris to be the main back for the Patriots, but it’s New England, so who really knows?
So what do you think of this team? Let me know at @FansFantasy.
Please try a mock yourself as practice makes perfect. You can mock in minutes by clicking here.
Photo Credit: Kenya Allen/PressBox
Ken Zalis ranked No. 3 in FantasyPros’ 2019 Fantasy Football Draft Accuracy Rankings.