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 a special scenario. (See also: Scenario No. 1, Scenario No. 2, Scenario 3, Scenario 4, Scenario 5, Scenario 6 and Scenario 7.)
A follower asked about his 16-team draft. He has the 10th pick and was wondering what that may look like. 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 10: Austin Ekeler, RB, Los Angeles Chargers
Round 2, Pick 7: Clyde Edwards-Helaire, RB, Kansas City Chiefs
Round 3, Pick 10: David Montgomery, RB, Chicago Bears
Round 4, Pick 7: Tyler Lockett, WR, Seattle Seahawks
Round 5, Pick 10: Robby Anderson, WR, Carolina Panthers
Round 6, Pick 7: Jarvis Landry, WR, Cleveland Browns
Round 7, Pick 10: Mike Williams, WR, Los Angeles Chargers
Round 8, Pick 7: Jalen Hurts, QB, Philadelphia Eagles
Round 9, Pick 10: Mike Gesicki, TE, Miami Dolphins
Round 10, Pick 7: Darrynton Evans, RB, Tennessee Titans
Round 11, Pick 10: San Francisco 49ers DST
Round 12, Pick 7: Harrison Butker, K, Kansas City Chiefs
Round 13, Pick 10: Adam Trautman, TE, New Orleans Saints
Round 14, Pick 7: Ryan Fitzpatrick, QB, Washington Football Team
Round 15, Pick 10: Amari Rodgers, WR, Green Bay Packers
Round 16, Pick 7: Wayne Gallman, RB, San Francisco 49ers
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.
It may be even more important than usual in a league of this size to go running back early. It gives you a huge advantage. Here I started RB-RB-RB and was lucky enough to grab three top-20 backs on my board. Depth is king. Injuries can happen at any time (see the Cam Akers news).
At wide receiver, I tried to go to some reliable options and then some flyers. Tyler Lockett, Robby Anderson and Jarvis Landry should be solid. I mixed in Mike Williams, who I expect a big year from. That should get the job done.
I waited on quarterback and tight end but still was able to grab Jalen Hurts and Ryan Fitzpatrick in Rounds 8 and 14. Mike Gesicki is serviceable at tight end. I can live with that.
Then I took some MY GUYS along the way. Darrynton Evans, Adam Trautman and Amari Rodgers are lottery-ticket-type players who could have huge roles on their teams. In Evans’ case, he is that one-play-away guy I like to draft.
Sixteen-team drafts are tough, but grabbing depth is still the name of the game.
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.
Ken Zalis ranked No. 3 in FantasyPros’ 2019 Fantasy Football Draft Accuracy Rankings.