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, two wide receivers, tight end, a flex (running back, wide receiver or tight end) and six bench spots. This is a 15-round draft instead of the usual 16. There is also a superflex position (QB/WR/RB/TE).
Here is a SUPERFLEX, TE PREMIUM mock. (See also: Scenario No. 1, Scenario No. 2, Scenario 3, Scenario 4, Scenario 5, Scenario 6, Scenario 7, Scenario 8, Scenario 9, Scenario 10, Scenario 11, Scenario 12, 16-team scenario, superflex scenario, 10-team scenario and a unique format scenario.)
I have the seventh overall pick; let’s see how it all works out. In this format, I am playing in a point-per-reception league (PPR), which means that every reception is worth a point — except for tight ends, who get 1.5 points per reception.
You can see the entire draft by clicking here.
Here is my roster:
Round 1, Pick 7: Travis Kelce, TE, Kansas City Chiefs
Round 2, Pick 6: Dak Prescott, QB, Dallas Cowboys
Round 3, Pick 7: Justin Herbert, QB, Los Angeles Chargers
Round 4, Pick 6: J.K. Dobbins, RB, Baltimore Ravens
Round 5, Pick 7: Mark Andrews, TE, Baltimore Ravens
Round 6, Pick 6: Logan Thomas, TE, Washington Football Team
Round 7, Pick 7: Kareem Hunt, RB, Cleveland Browns
Round 8, Pick 6: Javonte Williams, RB, Denver Broncos
Round 9, Pick 7: Deebo Samuel, WR, San Francisco 49ers
Round 10, Pick 6: Mike Williams, WR, Los Angeles Chargers
Round 11, Pick 7: Zack Moss, RB, Buffalo Bills
Round 12, Pick 6: Gus Edwards, RB, Baltimore Ravens
Round 13, Pick 7: Irv Smith Jr., TE, Minnesota Vikings
Round 14, Pick 6: Jameis Winston, QB, New Orleans Saints
Round 15, Pick 7: Mecole Hardman, WR, Kansas City Chiefs
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.
So some people hate kickers in fantasy football and that’s OK. A way to get around that is to just eliminate them from fantasy. And if the kickers go, let’s take team defenses with them so they are not lonely. I mean, kickers are people, too.
A format that is growing more and more popular in the industry is the superflex, TE premium leagues. Tight ends get an extra half point (or more in some leagues) per reception and you can start two quarterbacks as well. The draft will look completely different in these cases, so here is how I attacked this type of format.
With the seventh pick, I wanted either a top-four quarterback or the top tight end in Travis Kelce. I was shocked when both options were available for me. I opted to grab Kelce, as he is a cheat code in most cases and especially in this format. My slight gamble paid off, as Dak Prescott and Justin Herbert were still there for me in Round 2 and 3, respectively. Two of my top eight quarterbacks and the top tight end … almost couldn’t be going any better.
Then a funny thing happened. After selecting J.K. Dobbins in Round 4, my sixth- and seventh-ranked tight ends (Mark Andrews and Logan Thomas) were available in Rounds 5 and 6, respectively. With a ton of talent at wide receiver and running back still on the board and knowing I only had to start two backs and two receivers in this format, I went for the tight ends and secured either a huge advantage or some huge trade chips for later.
You must take a third quarterback in this format, so I went for it all and grabbed Jameis Winston with the hope that he wins the Saints job.
My backs and receivers are solid. My running back group is deep. Remember I only have to start two wide receivers, so Deebo Samuel and Mike Williams could be enough. Mecole Hardman is a dart throw of sorts with much boom-or-bust potential.
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.