The key to any fantasy football season is preparation. Whether you have the first overall pick or the last of the first round, having a sense of who will be available in each round is key.
I’ll be doing mock drafts throughout the summer while offering scenarios and feedback for each position, starting with the No. 1 pick. The point of these mocks is to prepare for the unexpected.
The mock drafts will assume that 12 teams are in the league with the following roster construction: quarterback, two running backs, two wide receivers, tight end, a flex (running back, wide receiver or tight end) defense, kicker and seven bench spots. It is a 16-round snake draft in a half-point-per-reception (half-PPR) league. We’ll mix in 10- and 16-team drafts at some point, as well as a Superflex, non-PPR and auction.
If you read my draft guide, you know I’m not a fan of drafting kickers and defense if it’s not necessary. I’d rather add a few running backs who could end up being a starter in the event of an injury. However, for the sake of this exercise, I’ll round out each draft by doing so. Remember, do not draft either before your final two picks!
Most important of all, be creative with your mock drafts. Don’t take the same players in every mock. Your favorite sleeper is probably someone else’s too.
The draft is just the start of the season. If you’re drafting early, work the waiver wire to your advantage if any major injuries arise. If you’re a fantasy nerd like me, turn on notifications from your favorite NFL insider for breaking news around the league. But the draft is where you build the foundation of your roster, and the goal is to have as deep a roster as possible.
Let’s get started with the first mock draft of the 2022 season.
Here is my roster:
Round 1, Pick 1: Christian McCaffrey, RB, Carolina Panthers
Round 2, Pick 12: Saquon Barkley, RB, New York Giants
Round 3, Pick 1: James Conner, RB, Arizona Cardinals
Round 4, Pick 12: Terry McLaurin, WR, Washington Commanders
Round 5, Pick 1: Courtland Sutton, WR, Denver Broncos
Round 6, Pick 12: Gabriel Davis, WR, Buffalo Bills
Round 7, Pick 1: Miles Sanders, RB, Philadelphia Eagles
Round 8, Pick 12: Dallas Goedert, TE, Philadelphia Eagles
Round 9, Pick 1: Russell Wilson, QB, Denver Broncos
Round 10, Pick 12: Alexander Mattison, RB, Minnesota Vikings
Round 11, Pick 1: Kenny Golladay, WR, New York Giants
Round 12, Pick 12: Marquez Valdes-Scantling, WR, Kansas City Chiefs
Round 13, Pick 1: Jameson Williams, WR, Detroit Lions
Round 14, Pick 12: Trevor Lawrence, QB, Jacksonville Jaguars
Round 15, Pick 1: Denver Broncos DST
Round 16, Pick 12: Brandon McManus, K, Denver Broncos
Observations:
There are two guys I feel confident about with the first overall pick, but as you can see, Christian McCaffrey is on the top of my draft board. He’s been hampered with injuries for much of the last two seasons, but when he’s on the field, he’s the top player in fantasy. His PPR finishes were RB1, RB3, RB4 and RB3 in the four games he saw extended action last season. Jonathan Taylor is the top player on many fantasy experts’ boards. You can’t go wrong with either as long as health is not a factor.
The downfall to picking first is waiting 23 picks to make your next selection. Most of the top running backs fly off the board by the time pick No. 24 rolls around. Fortunately, a former consensus top-five pick in Saquon Barkley was available. I’m a big advocate of starting your draft with three running backs. A trio of McCaffrey, Barkley and James Conner would give you an excellent core to your roster.
Landing Terry McLaurin and Courtland Sutton in the fourth and fifth rounds seems too good to be true. Both have the potential to finish top 10 at the wide receiver position with upgrades at quarterback.
Speaking of upgrade at quarterback, the Wilson-Sutton stack — for those who don’t know what stacking means, it’s pairing your quarterback and wide receiver — is one I’m very high on this season.
Dallas Goedert was Pro Football Focus’ second-highest-rated receiving tight end last season and should see even more volume with Zach Ertz out of the picture. There are a handful of tight ends you can get in the middle to late rounds if you don’t land one of the five top players. Goedert fits that bill.
I’m not thrilled about having six wide receivers and only five running backs, but that’s how the board fell. That’s why it’s important to grab as many backs as possible early in the draft. With that said, Miles Sanders is a solid fourth running back and Alexander Mattison vaults into a must-start in the event of a Dalvin Cook injury.
Gabriel Davis was terrific in the final weeks of the regular season and playoffs. Kenny Golladay was slowed down by injuries last season, but I expect him to bounce back nicely. The hope is that Marquez Valdes-Scantling becomes Patrick Mahomes’ No. 1 receiver after their overhaul at receiver. Jameson Williams could be an excellent stash once fully recovered from injury.
What do you think of this roster? Let’s discuss on Twitter @JoeSerp.
You can do your own mock draft in seconds by clicking here.
Photo Credit: Kenya Allen/PressBox