Before you know it, it will be fantasy football draft time. During the next month or so, 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 three starting running backs within the first four rounds. It is a tried-and-true strategy, which has done me well for 20-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. It is a 16-round snake draft.
Here is scenario No. 9. (See also: Scenario No. 1, Scenario No. 2, Scenario 3, Scenario 4, Scenario 5, Scenario 6, Scenario 7, Scenario 8, 16-team scenario, superflex scenario, 10-team scenario and a unique format scenario.)
I have the ninth overall pick; let’s see how it all works out. In this format, I am playing in a half-point-per-reception league (half-PPR), which means that every reception is worth a half-point.
You can see the entire draft by clicking here.
Here is my roster:
Round 1, Pick 9: Aaron Jones, RB, Green Bay Packers
Round 2, Pick 4: Antonio Gibson, RB, Washington Football Team
Round 3, Pick 9: D’Andre Swift, RB, Detroit Lions
Round 4, Pick 4: T.J. Hockenson, TE, Detroit Lions
Round 5, Pick 9: Ja’Marr Chase, WR, Cincinnati Bengals
Round 6, Pick 4: Brandon Aiyuk, WR, San Francisco 49ers
Round 7, Pick 9: Javonte Williams, RB, Denver Broncos
Round 8, Pick 4: Damien Harris, RB, New England Patriots
Round 9, Pick 9: Joe Burrow, QB, Cincinnati Bengals
Round 10, Pick 4: Tom Brady, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Round 11, Pick 9: Darnell Mooney, WR, Chicago Bears
Round 12, Pick 4: Russell Gage, WR, Atlanta Falcons
Round 13, Pick 9: Tampa Bay Buccaneers DST
Round 14, Pick 4: Jalen Reagor, WR, Philadelphia Eagles
Round 15, Pick 9: Harrison Butker, K, Kansas City Chiefs
Round 16, Pick 4: Emmanuel Sanders, WR, Buffalo Bills
Some Observations:
My overall strategy in a half-PPR league is to treat it like a PPR league. You get a slight bonus for players who are double-digit TD players, but not enough to overhaul the rankings a bunch. Derrick Henry-type players may get an uptick in this format, for example.
Boring … this team is boring, but it’s a playoff team!
I started with my RB-RB-RB process, passing on Travis Kelce with the ninth overall pick for Aaron Jones. Now that Aaron Rodgers is back with Green Bay, Jones should be in for a top-10 year at the running back position.
Grabbing Antonio Gibson and D’Andre Swift with my next two picks gives me the top running back group in the league. I was still able to add Javonte Williams and Damien Harris to the group later on. So I should be set at running back and have some trade chips later.
Selecting T.J. Hockenson in the fourth was a maybe a reach, but I wanted a top-five tight end and it was not going to happen if I waited.
At wide receiver, the group lacks that true star WR1, but it’s deep with rising rookies and second-year talents. Ja’Marr Chase, Brandon Aiyuk, Darnell Mooney, Russell Gage, Jalen Reagor and Emmanuel Sanders should all get plenty of looks in their respective offenses. I only need two of the six to be solid … the waiver wire will be very important and I may need to spend up if a wide receiver comes out of nowhere to be a star.
I waited on quarterback and still was able to grab Joe Burrow and Tom Brady. I see nothing wrong with that at all.
So what do you think of this team? Let me know at @FansFantasy.
Please try a mock yourself as practice makes perfect. You can mock in minutes by clicking here.
Ken Zalis ranked No. 3 in FantasyPros’ 2019 Fantasy Football Draft Accuracy Rankings.