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. 5. (See Also: No. 1 pick, No. 2 pick, No. 3 pick, No. 4 pick)
I have the fifth 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 5: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Seattle Seahawks
Round 2, Pick 8: Derrick Henry, RB, Baltimore Ravens
Round 3, Pick 5: Kyren Williams, RB, Los Angeles Rams
Round 4, Pick 8: Garrett Wilson, WR, New York Jets
Round 5, Pick 5: Tyler Warren, TE, Indianapolis Colts
Round 6, Pick 8: Jadarian Price, RB, Seattle Seahawks
Round 7, Pick 5: Chris Godwin Jr., WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Round 8, Pick 8: Michael Wilson, WR, Arizona Cardinals
Round 9, Pick 5: Michael Pittman Jr., WR, Pittsburgh Steelers
Round 10, Pick 8: Stefon Diggs, WR, Free Agent
Round 11, Pick 5: Tyler Allgeier, RB, Arizona Cardinals
Round 12, Pick 8: Houston Texans Defense
Round 13, Pick 5: Brandon Aubrey, K, Dallas Cowboys
Round 14, Pick 8: Matthew Stafford, QB, Los Angeles Rams
Round 15, Pick 5: Deebo Samuel, WR, Free Agent
Round 16, Pick 8: Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs
Some observations:
I truly love this team. I will have to be creative in Week 11 with half of my team on a bye then, but I never worry about that during a draft. I build my teams with the best players at the time of my pick. We can work the rest out later.
Pick 5 comes down to Jaxon Smith-Njigba or Amon-Ra St. Brown, although in this draft running backs started coming off the board quicker than some other drafts. I do not think you can go wrong with either guy.
With backs going earlier in this draft, I doubled up at running back in Rounds 2 and 3 with Derrick Henry and Kyren Williams, who I just can’t stop drafting in the third round. I am glad I did, as backs flew off the board and I only took two more the rest of the way. So, I am a tad thin at running backs, but if Jadarian Price is a star rookie, I could be OK.
Lots of depth at receiver with this team, especially if Stefon Diggs and Deebo Samuel get into the right situations once they sign.
I took Tyler Warren at tight end in Round 5, passing up on a few backs (Bucky Irving and Quinshon Judkins, especially). Warren represents the last tight end who could truly lead his team in targets and receptions (behind Trey McBride, Brock Bowers and Colston Loveland). Yes, there was still value at tight end later, but the risk was worth it to me.
Matthew Stafford and Patrick Mahomes in Rounds 14 and 16? I usually will wait at quarterback, but never that late. However, there was so much left on the board in each round that I kept on waiting and waiting. Even if you don’t think he will ever be the Mahomes of several years ago, the Chiefs’ signal-caller is a no-brainer in Round 16.
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: Kenya AllenPressBox