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. 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.
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 that 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 are 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.
This is scenario No. 2 (See also: No. 1 pick). We’ll mix in 10- and 16-team drafts at some point, as well as a Superflex, non-PPR draft and auction.
Let’s get started with our second mock draft of the 2022 season.
Here is my roster:
Round 1, Pick 1: Christian McCaffrey, RB, Carolina Panthers
Round 2, Pick 12: Aaron Jones, RB, Green Bay Packers
Round 3, Pick 1: CeeDee Lamb, WR, Dallas Cowboys
Round 4, Pick 12: Travis Etienne, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars
Round 5, Pick 1: Brandin Cooks, WR, Houston Texans
Round 6, Pick 12: AJ Dillon, RB, Green Bay Packers
Round 7, Pick 1: Rashod Bateman, WR, Baltimore Ravens
Round 8, Pick 12: Melvin Gordon, RB, Denver Broncos
Round 9, Pick 1: T.J. Hockenson, TE, Detroit Lions
Round 10, Pick 12: Matthew Stafford, QB, Los Angeles Rams
Round 11, Pick 1: Tyler Allgeier, RB, Atlanta Falcons
Round 12, Pick 12: Jamaal Williams, RB, Detroit Lions
Round 13, Pick 1: Jamison Crowder, WR, Buffalo Bills
Round 14, Pick 12: Kenyan Drake, RB, Oakland Raiders
Round 15, Pick 1: Indianapolis Colts DST
Round 16, Pick 12: Jason Sanders, K, Miami Dolphins
Observations:
The only repeat pick from my first mock draft was landing Christian McCaffrey. McCaffrey is No. 1 on my draft board, but I can’t argue against Jonathan Taylor going first overall. As I noted in the previous mock, McCaffrey finished as RB1, RB3, RB4 and RB3 in the four games he saw extended action last season.
I like to go running back with my second- and third-round picks. Aaron Jones is an excellent pass catcher, so a one-two punch of him and McCaffrey is incredible. However, I did not want to reach for a third running back, as most of the top dogs were already off the board. CeeDee Lamb is in line for a monster season with Amari Cooper now in Cleveland and Michael Gallup recovering from a torn ACL.
You want pass-catching running backs in any type of PPR. Before a season-ending injury last year, Travis Etienne was expected to handle a lot of work out of the slot. Fellow Jaguars running back James Robinson is expected to miss the start of the season, which means the job is all Etienne’s out the gate. Etienne at the FLEX with the aforementioned backs is a dream scenario.
The next four picks all have potential to be season winners. Brandin Cooks is arguably the NFL’s most underappreciated receiver of the past five years. AJ Dillon has stand-alone value, and if Aaron Jones were to suffer an injury, Dillon would vault into a must-start each week.
Rashod Bateman takes over as the No. 1 receiver in a Ravens offense that has question marks behind Bateman after Marquise Brown trade. Both receivers are likely to finish in the top 15-20. Melvin Gordon showed last season that he’s not slowing down even if he’s splitting carries with Javonte Williams, and he too becomes a top play at running back if Williams misses time.
Rounds 9 and 10 are where I like to grab my quarterback and tight end, and it worked out beautifully in this mock. T.J. Hockenson has been TE7 the past two seasons and that is while missing the end of last season with a thumb injury. Matthew Stafford threw for 41 touchdowns last season, and the Rams added Allen Robinson this offseason to compliment Cooper Kupp. Another 40-touchdown campaign in his second season under Sean McVay is coming.
Three of my final four skill position players are running backs with Jamison Crowder as the fourth wide receiver. Tyler Allgeier is one of my favorite late-round backs to target as the Falcons have expressed a desire to lessen the load on Cordarrelle Patterson this season. Jamaal Williams and Kenyon Drake would take on feature roles if something were to happen to D’Andre Swift or Josh Jacobs. Crowder takes over for Cole Beasley, who finished with 82 receptions last season, in Buffalo’s high-octane offense.
This is my ideal roster setup after a draft. I want as many running backs as possible; four receivers, a quarterback and tight end in the middle rounds, and a defense and kicker to close out the draft. The running back depth allows for trades down the line in the event you need an upgrade at any position.
What do you think of this roster? Let’s discuss on Twitter @JoeSerp.
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Photo Credit: Kenya Allen/PressBox