Before you know it, it will be fantasy football draft time. During the next few weeks, I will be conducting several mock drafts. During the drafts, I will pick in all 12 positions, with all sorts of scenarios.
As a rule, I prefer to draft two starting running backs within the first four rounds. It is a tried-and-true strategy, which has done me well for 25-plus years. The mock drafts I do will all assume 12 teams are in the league (unless otherwise noted) with the following positions: quarterback, two running backs, three wide receivers, tight end, a flex (running back, wide receiver or tight end), kicker, team defense and six bench spots. So, it is a 16-round snake draft.
Here is scenario No. 2. (See Also: No. 1 pick)
I have the second overall pick; let’s see how it all works out. In this format, we are playing in a half-point-per-reception league (Half-PPR), meaning every reception is worth a half-point.
You can see the entire draft by clicking here.
Here is my roster:
Round 1, Pick 2: Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Detroit Lions
Round 2, Pick 11: Chris Olave, WR, New Orleans Saints
Round 3, Pick 2: DeVonta Smith, WR, Philadelphia Eagles
Round 4, Pick 11: Ladd McConkey, WR, Los Angeles Chargers
Round 5, Pick 2: D’Andre Smith, RB, Chicago
Round 6, Pick 11: Michael Wilson, WR, Arizona Cardinals
Round 7, Pick 2: Jaylen Warren, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers
Round 8, Pick 11: Kyle Pitts, TE, Atlanta Falcons
Round 9, Pick 2: Blake Corum, RB, Los Angeles Rams
Round 10, Pick 11: Jonah Coleman, RB, Denver Broncos
Round 11, Pick 2: Denzel Boston, WR, Cleveland Browns
Round 12, Pick 11: Antonio Williams, WR, Washington Commanders
Round 13, Pick 2: Brandon Aubrey, K, Dallas Cowboys
Round 14, Pick 11: Denver Broncos Defense
Round 15, Pick 2: Bo Nix, QB, Denver Broncos
Round 16, Pick 11: Jaylin Noel, WR, Houston Texans
Some observations:
As far as the board goes, the second pick is similar to the first pick. It comes down to a choice of who is left between Bijan Robinson, Jahmyr Gibbs and Ja’Marr Chase. All three make sense. With Chase going at No. 1, I went Gibbs at No. 2. Going running back here assures me of a bell-cow back. You can’t assume who would be there at the turn of the second and third rounds. I toyed with Puka Nucua, but I couldn’t pass on a back.
From there, I let the board fall to me. I didn’t love my running back options in Round 2. Kyren Williams, Chase Brown and Omarion Hampton were all gone, so I loaded up on receivers for a few rounds. I was still able to get a top-12 back in the fifth round to give me a nice tandem.
Kyle Pitts will always be a scary pick in the fantasy world, but Round 8 for a top-10 tight end is awesome value. I took some risks along the way in this draft with some rookie receivers since my top four receivers look super solid to me.
Did I mention you can wait, wait some more and then when it’s truly uncomfortable wait again for a QB? Bo Nix in Round 15? Giddyup. There are plenty of quarterbacks in the free-agent market as well.
What do you think? Let me know by leaving a comment or contacting me on Twitter @KZfansfantasy.
You can sign up for a free mock draft simulator by clicking here. Practice makes perfect!
Photo Credit: Colin Murphy/PressBox