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. 9. (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)
I have the ninth 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 9: Christian McCaffrey, RB, San Francisco 49ers
Round 2, Pick 4: Chase Brown, RB, Cincinnati Bengals
Round 3, Pick 9: Zay Flowers, WR, Baltimore Ravens
Round 4, Pick 4: Ladd McConkey, WR, Los Angeles Chargers
Round 5, Pick 9: Bucky Irving, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Round 6, Pick 4: Jadarian Price, RB, Seattle Seahawks
Round 7, Pick 9: Chris Godwin, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Round 8, Pick 4: Makai Lemon, WR, Philadelphia Eagles
Round 9, Pick 9: Deebo Samuel, WR, San Francisco 49ers
Round 10, Pick 4: Matthew Golden, WR, Green Bay Packers
Round 11, Pick 9: Dak Prescott, QB, Dallas Cowboys
Round 12, Pick 4: Houston Texas Defense
Round 13, Pick 9: Brandon Aubrey, K, Dallas Cowboys
Round 14, Pick 4: Sean Tucker, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Round 15, Pick 9: Jordan Love, QB, Green Bay Packers
Round 16, Pick 4: Brenton Strange, TE, Jacksonville Jaguars
Some observations:
You should see some of the same picks in this draft and when I had the eighth pick. Christian McCaffrey and Chase Brown fell to me in the first and second rounds, so I love that start.
Zay Flowers and a healthy Ladd McConkey are just fine with me as my top two receivers, but I needed some depth at the position. As such, I picked Chris Godwin, Makai Lemon, Deebo Samuel and Matthew Golden in Rounds 7-10. It’s a deep drop, but there’s some upside here and the early work from training camps are very positive. There are risks with McConkey, Godwin and Samuel. They all have had some injury issues in the past.
The later you wait for quarterback, the more you double dip at the position. Dak Prescott and Jordan Love will work out just fine in a one-QB league.
If you do not draft Brock Bowers, Trey McBride, Colston Loveland or Tyler Warren, just punt tight end as I did here and grab an upside tight end late!
The analysis on this team says I have top players at RB1, RB2, Flex, DEF and K. WR, TE and QB are the question marks. I feel a “B-” grade is a tad unfair.
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 Allen/PressBox