The NFL preseason is underway, and just like the players on the field, the key to any successful season is preparation.
The same can be said for fantasy football. 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 will be doing mock drafts throughout the summer, 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 will mix in 10- and 16-team drafts at some point as well as a Superflex draft.
If you read my draft guide, you know I am not a fan of drafting kickers and defense if it’s not necessary. I would rather add a few running backs who could end up being a starter in case of an injury. However, for the sake of this exercise, I will 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. Do not 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 are a fantasy nerd like me, make sure to 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.
We are into the back half of the first round at the 10th pick with a lot more fantasy analysis upcoming.
(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)
Here is my roster:
Round 1, Pick 10: Puka Nacua, WR, Los Angeles Rams
Round 2, Pick 3: De’Von Achane, RB, Miami Dolphins
Round 3, Pick 10: James Cook, RB, Buffalo Bills
Round 4, Pick 3: Mike Evans, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Round 5, Pick 10: Jameson Williams, WR, Detroit Lions
Round 6, Pick 3: Tony Pollard, RB, Tennessee Titans
Round 7, Pick 10: Jaylen Warren, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers
Round 8, Pick 3: Evan Engram, TE, Denver Broncos
Round 9, Pick 10: Justin Fields, QB, New York Jets
Round 10, Pick 3: Ray Davis, RB, Buffalo Bills
Round 11, Pick 10: Tyler Allgeier, RB, Atlanta Falcons
Round 12, Pick 3: Cedric Tillman, WR, Cleveland Browns
Round 13, Pick 10: Woody Marks, RB, Houston Texans
Round 14, Pick 3: Tahj Brooks, RB, Cincinnati Bengals
Round 15, Pick 10: Philadelphia Eagles D/St
Round 16, Pick 3: Harrison Butker, K, Kansas City Chiefs
Observations:
This was one of those drafts where players continued to fall and I was happy to scoop them up. The roster construction worked out perfectly, as I alternated wide receiver and running back in the early rounds. This is my ideal approach in the early rounds to balance a roster.
It started with Puka Nacua falling to the 10th pick. The uncertainty about Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (back) has Nacua falling in drafts, and I will gladly take him toward the end of the first round. I have faith in Sean McVay to keep the offense humming if Jimmy Garoppolo is leading the way.
If I do not land one of the first-round running backs, I am more than happy to make De’Von Achane the lead back on my fantasy team. He is the unquestioned starter and is heavily involved in the Dolphins’ passing game. He’s the perfect pick in the second round in half-PPR leagues.
The next two picks are players who continue to drop in the rankings for completely different reasons. James Cook’s holdout is scaring away some in the fantasy community. I am happy to take advantage of it. Once he ends the holdout or gets his contract, Cook will see his ADP rise again. Mike Evans is being disrespected, as many think this is the year Father Time wins. I am on the opposite end of the spectrum. With Chris Godwin likely to miss the majority of the season, I expect Evans to break Jerry Rice’s record with his 12th 1,000-yard season.
My next three choices are high-upside picks who continue to be overlooked. Jameson Williams finished as WR19 last season, but he has an ADP of WR24. He has the potential to finish as a top-15 wideout. Tony Pollard and Jaylen Warren are overlooked, but their pass-catching abilities make them ideal picks in the middle rounds. Pollard will see his ADP rise with Tyjae Spears banged up, but he is still ranked too low. Warren is being overshadowed because of the hype around rookie Kaleb Johnson, but Warren will handle the third-down role in addition to a sizable workload as a rusher.
The sweet spot for quarterback and tight end is in Rounds 8-9. There are five players at each position who have potential to outperform their current ADP. The duo I am targeting in this stage of the draft is Evan Engram and Justin Fields. Engram has been one of my favorite tight end targets in recent years, and I am expecting him to flourish under Sean Payton. Fields is being drafted as QB12, but his rushing ability gives him top-five upside. I would have been content with Brock Purdy and Mark Andrews here too.
The focus for the rest of the draft was adding as many handcuff running backs as possible. It is not often I draft two running backs from the same team, but Ray Davis is insurance if Cook does decide to take his holdout into the season. Tyler Allgeier is one of the few handcuffs I have no problem stashing on my roster all season long in the event Bijan Robinson misses time. Woody Marks and Tahj Brooks are effective in the passing game. Each is an injury away from significant playing time.
The end result is a well-rounded roster that fits my ideal mold in fantasy drafts. I want to exit the first two rounds with one back and one receiver. I want to keep attacking both positions until Rounds 8-10, where there is a plethora of quarterback and tight end options to choose from. You can find high-upside backs after that. This is one of the strongest rookie classes of running backs in recent memory, and I want as many of them as possible in the later rounds.
What do you think of this roster? Let’s discuss on Twitter @JoeSerp.
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Photo Credit: Kenya Allen/PressBox