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, No. 9 pick, Superflex, Standard
Let’s get started on my latest mock draft of the 2023 season.
Here is my roster:
Round 1, Pick 10: Saquon Barkley, RB, New York Giants
Round 2, Pick 3: Derrick Henry, RB, Tennessee Titans
Round 3, Pick 10: DK Metcalf, WR, Seattle Seahawks
Round 4, Pick 3: Calvin Ridley, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars
Round 5, Pick 10: James Conner, RB, Arizona Cardinals
Round 6, Pick 3: Brandon Aiyuk, WR, San Francisco 49ers
Round 7, Pick 10: Jahan Dotson, WR, Washington Commanders
Round 8, Pick 3: Brian Robinson, RB, Washington Commanders
Round 9, Pick 10: Evan Engram, TE, Jacksonville Jaguars
Round 10, Pick 3: Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Miami Dolphins
Round 11, Pick 10: Jeff Wilson, RB, Miami Dolphins
Round 12, Pick 3: Darnell Mooney, WR, Chicago Bears
Round 13, Pick 10: Van Jefferson, WR, Los Angeles Rams
Round 14, Pick 3: Gus Edwards, RB, Baltimore Ravens
Round 15, Pick 10: Daniel Carlson, K, Las Vegas Raiders
Round 16, Pick 3: Pittsburgh Steelers D/ST
Observations:
The 10-12 spots are my ideal range to go with back-to-back picks at running back. Starting my team with Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry gives me two of the best the game has to offer at the position. Both see almost all the touches for their respective teams and it wouldn’t be a shock to anyone if either ends up being the top player in fantasy. Barring injury, I won’t have to worry about my starting running backs for the rest of the campaign.
The reason why I like going heavy on running backs in that situation is because the wide receiver talent is still plentiful in the next couple of rounds. DK Metcalf has been one of the most consistent players in fantasy since his arrival in the NFL, and Calvin Ridley offers major upside if he returns to the form we saw before his absence from football. Both are on teams with a lot of mouths to feed, but they are the top options for their quarterback.
James Conner isn’t a sexy pick, but he’s the ideal choice at the FLEX spot. He’s going to get a ton of volume and is one of few three-down backs you can land in this portion of a draft. Brandon Aiyuk is criminally underrated and is someone I’m hoping to get on as many teams as possible. He’s the No. 1 receiver in San Francisco, not Deebo Samuel.
A couple of Commanders have been targets of mine as of late and I happened to take them in consecutive rounds with the selections of Jahan Dotson and Brian Robinson. Both second-year players will see their roles expand in what should be a better offense with an upgrade at quarterback and offensive coordinator. Call me crazy — and this is coming from an Eagles fan — but I like the Commanders a lot this season.
The ninth and tenth rounds are my ideal range for my quarterback and tight end, and Evan Engram and Tua Tagovailoa have become my preferred picks. I have Engram as my TE4, 63rd overall, so landing him this late is one of my favorite values of the draft. Tagovailoa is another one of my favorites, as his ADP is lower because of the concussions he suffered last season. The concussions are a concern, but it’s hard to argue against the production we saw when Tagovailoa was healthy.
The next four picks are all about rounding out the roster. I know I’ve thrown around “favorite” a lot already in this piece, so I’ll use a different one for Jeff Wilson: “man crush.” The Dolphins have been linked to every running back this offseason, but if the roster remains as is, I’m all-in on Wilson. Darnell Mooney and Van Jefferson are No. 2 receivers with home-run speed who can be dart throws as FLEX plays when bye weeks come around. Those of us in Baltimore know how valuable Gus Edwards is to the Ravens.
I would love if this is one of my teams this season. Barkley is the ideal running back I like to build my team around, and landing another workhorse in Henry would give me the best duo in the league. I managed to get my QB and TE in the area I like to address those positions while Aiyuk, Dotson and Wilson are depth pieces I’m targeting often. This starting lineup is full of players who can all finish top five at their position and also has upside on the bench.
What do you think of this roster? Let’s discuss on Twitter @JoeSerp.
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Photo Credit: Kenya Allen/PressBox