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.
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. I’m guilty of this myself, but I will try to go with different approaches in many of these mock drafts.
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 notifications on of 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.
We have reached the back half of our 12-team mock drafts, which is my preferred area to pick in. See also: No. 1 pick, No. 2 pick, No. 3 pick, No. 4 pick, No. 5 pick, No. 6 pick, No. 7 pick, No. 8 pick, Superflex, Standard
Let’s get started on my latest mock draft of the 2023 season.
Here is my roster:
Round 1, Pick 9: Cooper Kupp, WR, Los Angeles Rams
Round 2, Pick 4: Jonathan Taylor, RB, Indianapolis Colts
Round 3, Pick 9: Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Detroit Lions
Round 4, Pick 4: Calvin Ridley, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars
Round 5, Pick 9: Christian Watson, WR, Green Bay Packers
Round 6, Pick 4: Rachaad White, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Round 7, Pick 9: Dallas Goedert, TE, Philadelphia Eagles
Round 8, Pick 4: Jahan Dotson, WR, Washington Commanders
Round 9, Pick 9: Zay Flowers, WR, Baltimore Ravens
Round 10, Pick 4: Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Miami Dolphins
Round 11, Pick 9: Jeff Wilson, RB, Miami Dolphins
Round 12, Pick 4: Chuba Hubbard, RB, Carolina Panthers
Round 13, Pick 9: Zamir White, RB, Las Vegas Raiders
Round 14, Pick 4: Rondale Moore, WR, Arizona Cardinals
Round 15, Pick 9: Denver Broncos D/ST
Round 16, Pick 4: Jake Elliott, K, Philadelphia Eagles
Observations:
If you’ve been following along with my recent drafts, I’ve been going receiver-heavy and haven’t been impressed with my running back depth. I’ve stressed letting the board dictate your selections, but I’m going to make an effort to make this roster more well-rounded.
You can’t go wrong with any of the receivers being taken in the first round and it wasn’t long ago that Cooper Kupp was the best player in football not named Patrick Mahomes. Injuries cut his season in half a year ago, but he was putting up absurd numbers once again in a Rams offense that had few weapons otherwise. His hamstring injury does create some concern as this could linger into the season, but there’s no denying the talent when he’s on the field.
Jonathan Taylor has seen his stock fall as some worry he will sit out games in hopes of getting a new contract. Missing games hasn’t been beneficial to any other running backs in recent memory, so I’m not concerned. In fact, the latest news that the Colts have given Taylor permission to seek a trade makes me like the pick more.
I decided to double down at running back with the selection of rookie Jahmyr Gibbs with my next pick. Backs who have been taken in the first 15 picks of the NFL Draft have been extremely productive, and Gibbs’ abilities as a pass-catcher make him a fine fantasy option.
Calvin Ridley and Christian Watson have WR1 potential. Some are concerned about the time that Ridley has missed, but I envision a player who wants to get back to the elite level he established prior to stepping away for personal reasons in 2021. Watson has big-play potential, which we saw once healthy last year.
Balancing out this roster is Rachaad White and Dallas Goedert with consecutive picks. White is the lead back for Tampa Bay and gives me insurance should the Gibbs pick not live up to expectations. Goedert is often overlooked in the Eagles’ passing game with A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith garnering much of the attention, but Goedert is a threat in the middle of the field, as evidenced by his 13.8 yards per catch the last two seasons.
I added to that group of young receivers with the additions of Jahan Dotson and Zay Flowers. We saw just how special both players can be in the Commanders’ preseason win against the Ravens. Dotson led Washington in targets with seven, hauling in five passes for 76 yards. Flowers showed us why the Ravens took him in the first round, as he took a short pass for a touchdown. I’d be happy with either as WR2 or WR3, so getting them as my fourth and fifth options is great.
There are two Miami Dolphins who seem to be on all of my teams as of late in Tua Tagovailoa and Jeff Wilson. Tagovailoa is my ideal starter when waiting at the quarterback position. I love Wilson’s potential this year and I find myself moving him up my rankings daily. I like Wilson to finish as a top-15 RB this season.
I wrapped up the final picks with two handcuff running backs with Chuba Hubbard and Zamir White. Rondale Moore is one of my favorite dart throws in the final rounds. Someone other than Marquise Brown has to catch passes in Arizona.
This is championship team. It’s equally balanced and at no point did I need to reach at any position. Having three players at both running back and receiver is my ideal situation after six rounds, and then it’s all about maximizing value from there. I’ve found myself grabbing a tight end in the middle rounds to be beneficial while waiting until the double-digit rounds to find my quarterback. As we inch closer to the real thing in the upcoming weeks, this is the roster construction I’m looking for on all my fantasy teams.
What do you think of this roster? Let’s discuss on Twitter @JoeSerp.
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Photo Credit: Kenya Allen/PressBox