NFL training camp is right around the corner for what should be the wildest and most unpredictable year of football in recent memory. COVID-19 is sure to have some impact on the upcoming season, and it’s never been more important to nail your draft in fantasy football. Fantasy football leagues are starting up across the nation, and you’d be foolish to go in without doing a mock draft or two beforehand.
Note that this draft was performed with the FantasyPros Mock Draft Simulator, and I held the 10th pick. This is a 12-team PPR draft with two running backs, two receivers, three flex spots, and no kickers or defense. Also, note that my picks are italicized and bolded.
Fantasy Football Mock Draft 1.0
Player Profiles
Fantasy Football Mock Draft 2.0: Pre-Training Camp
Round 1
1.01 – Christian McCaffrey
1.02 – Saquon Barkley
1.03 – Ezekiel Elliott
1.04 – Michael Thomas
1.05 – Alvin Kamara
1.06 – Dalvin Cook
1.07 – Derrick Henry
1.08 – DeAndre Hopkins
1.09 – Davante Adams
1.10 – Julio Jones
1.11 – Joe Mixon
1.12 – Tyreek Hill
We kick off this fantasy football mock draft with arguably the best receiver in football. Julio Jones will succumb to age one of these years, but he’s yet to show any signs of slowing down. Last year, the superstar receiver recorded 99 receptions for 1,394 yards and six touchdowns en route to finishing as the WR3 overall. He still has a great quarterback in Matt Ryan, and the Falcons should once again be one of the most pass-heavy teams in the league. Jones will get plenty of targets and should make the most of his opportunities.
Round 2
2.01 – Kenyan Drake
2.02 – Austin Ekeler
2.03 – Miles Sanders [Profile]
2.04 – Chris Godwin
2.05 – Aaron Jones
2.06 – Josh Jacobs
2.07 – Robert Woods
2.08 – Allen Robinson
2.09 – Nick Chubb
2.10 – Travis Kelce
2.11 – George Kittle
2.12 – Juju Smith-Schuster
Miles Sanders has a chance to be a fantasy football superstar as long as the Philadelphia Eagles don’t add another running back. He’s the clear-cut starter in a high-powered offense and is capable of making big plays as both a runner and a receiver. The Eagles still don’t have much in terms of proven pass-catchers, so he should receive a high target share. Boston Scott might eat into some of his snaps, but Sanders should be a legitimate RB1 throughout the season.
Round 3
3.01 – Kenny Golladay
3.02 – Mike Evans
3.03 – Clyde Edwards-Helaire
3.04 – Patrick Mahomes
3.05 – Lamar Jackson
3.06 – Calvin Ridley
3.07 – D.J. Moore
3.08 – Adam Thielen
3.09 – Amari Cooper
3.10 – Odell Beckham Jr.
3.11 – Zach Ertz
3.12 – Todd Gurley
I was hoping to get D.J. Moore, Adam Thielen, or Calvin Ridley with this pick, and naturally, they all went off the board right before I could get them. Instead, I took a high-risk, high-upside pick on Odell Beckham Jr. Everyone knows how good this guy could be, and receivers tend to do better during their second season in a new environment. If Beckham can stay healthy and develop a rapport with Baker Mayfield, this could be the steal of the draft.
Round 4
4.01 – Mark Andrews
4.02 – Keenan Allen
4.03 – Chris Carson
4.04 – Evan Engram
4.05 – Leonard Fournette
4.06 – Cooper Kupp
4.07 – Le’Veon Bell
4.08 – A.J. Brown
4.09 – James Conner
4.10 – Courtland Sutton
4.11 – Melvin Gordon
4.12 – D.J. Chark
Death, taxes, and Chris Carson being perennially underrated in fantasy football. The reigning RB12 struggled to hold onto the ball in 2019, but that seems to be a one-season fluke. Fumbles historically haven’t been an issue, so hopefully, that trend regresses to the norm. Even if it doesn’t, Carlos Hyde isn’t going to steal his job. The Seahawks want to run the ball early and often, and the presence of Russell Wilson ensures a lot of scoring opportunities. He doesn’t have the pass-catching upside to be an elite RB1, but nobody would be surprised if he ends up as a low-end RB1/high-end RB2.
Round 5
5.01 – David Johnson
5.02 – DeVante Parker
5.03 – D.K. Metcalf
5.04 – Terry McLaurin
5.05 – Tyler Lockett
5.06 – Cam Akers
5.07 – T.Y. Hilton
5.08 – Deshaun Watson
5.09 – A.J. Green
5.10 – David Montgomery [Profile]
5.11 – Julian Edelman
5.12 – Stefon Diggs
Volume trumps efficiency in fantasy football, and few backs are slated for a larger workload than David Montgomery. The former third-round pick has a three-down skillset and is essentially the only man in town. The Bears certainly won’t be a high-scoring offense by any stretch of the imagination, but volume alone ensures Montgomery will carry some fantasy value. Basically, he’s the perfect RB3 to have in your flex spot.
Round 6
6.01 – Marquise Brown
6.02 – Dak Prescott
6.03 – Will Fuller
6.04 – Jonathan Taylor
6.05 – Jarvis Landry
6.06 – Tyler Boyd
6.07 – Tyler Higbee
6.08 – Devin Singletary
6.09 – Michael Gallup
6.10 – Deebo Samuel
6.11 – Darren Waller
6.12 – Marvin Jones
I felt good about my team to this point, so I decided to swing for the fences with Will Fuller. With DeAndre Hopkins out of town, someone is going to have to step up in Houston. In this shortened offseason, I bet on Will Fuller being that guy. Watson and Fuller already have an established rapport, and Fuller tends to be relevant when he’s actually on the field. Keeping him on the field has been an issue, but he has the chance to dramatically outplay his ADP if he can overcome his injury woes.
Round 7
7.01 – Kareem Hunt
7.02 – Kyler Murray
7.03 – Brandin Cooks
7.04 – Mark Ingram
7.05 – Tarik Cohen
7.06 – Russell Wilson
7.07 – Raheem Mostert
7.08 – Rob Gronkowski
7.09 – Matt Breida
7.10 – Diontae Johnson
7.11 – Christian Kirk
7.12 – Darius Slayton
Diontae Johnson isn’t getting the same hype as other second-year receivers, but Pittsburgh’s former third-round pick has the talent and opportunity to succeed in 2020. Ben Roethlisberger is coming back, and Juju Smith-Schuster can’t receive all of those targets. Johnson found a way to be fantasy-relevant with Mason Rudolph and Devlin Hodges, so he should find a way to make it work with a future Hall of Famer. Some are worried about James Washington stealing targets, but I am not one of them. Washington has had every opportunity to earn a consistent role in this passing attack, and he’s fallen short every time. It’s hard to see that changing in 2020.
Round 8
8.01 – CeeDee Lamb
8.02 – James White
8.03 – Ronald Jones [Profile]
8.04 – Josh Allen
8.05 – Sterling Shepard
8.06 – Hunter Henry
8.07 – Breshad Perriman
8.08 – Emmanuel Sanders
8.09 – Jamison Crowder
8.10 – Justin Jefferson
8.11 – John Brown
8.12 – Carson Wentz
Running back production has more to do with situation and opportunity than it does the actual runner. Last year, Ronald Jones was actually pretty effective on the ground. However, Jameis Winston’s penchant for turnovers forced every game to become a shootout, which erased Tampa Bay’s ability to run the ball. That shouldn’t be an issue with Tom Brady calling the shots, and this high-powered offense should lead to plenty of scoring opportunities. The Buccaneers did add Ke’Shawn Vaughn in the draft, but I’m not worried about a third-round rookie stealing the starting job in a shortened offseason.
Round 9
9.01 – D’Andre Swift
9.02 – Mike Williams
9.03 – Tom Brady
9.04 – Anthony Miller
9.05 – Jerry Jeudy
9.06 – Austin Hooper
9.07 – Drew Brees
9.08 – Henry Ruggs
9.09 – Hayden Hurst
9.10 – Derrius Guice
9.11 – Preston Williams
9.12 – Matt Ryan
Ron Rivera loves to use his running backs, and Derrius Guice has tons of opportunity in front of him. The oft-injured running back is immensely talented and has a clear path to 200 carries if he can actually stay on his feet. The only other competition for carries is the corpse of Adrian Peterson, an equally-injured Bryce Love, and Antonio Gibson, a rookie with only 33 carries to his name. Washington’s underwhelming offense means that he doesn’t possess superstar upside, but you’d be hard-pressed to find a higher workload at this point in the draft.
Round 10
10.01 – Damien Williams
10.02 – Ke’Shawn Vaughn
10.03 – Matthew Stafford
10.04 – J.K. Dobbins
10.05 – Kerryon Johnson
10.06 – Sony Michel
10.07 – Jordan Howard
10.08 – N’Keal Harry
10.09 – Robby Anderson
10.10 – Tevin Coleman
10.11 – Jalen Reagor
10.12 – Phillip Lindsay
There is no reason to draft quarterbacks early when you can find someone like Matthew Stafford in the 10th round. Stafford was one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL last year, as first-year offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell actually let Stafford attack the deep portion of the field. Blessed with a fantastic receiver duo in Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones, Stafford was the QB4 on a per-game basis before going down with a back injury. He should be a stud every time he’s on the field, and the quarterback market is so deep that I can just pivot to somebody else if he gets hurt again.
Round 11
11.01 – Brandon Aiyuk
11.02 – Darrell Henderson
11.03 – Latavius Murray
11.04 – Curtis Samuel
11.05 – Golden Tate
11.06 – Mecole Hardman
11.07 – Jared Cook
11.08 – Marlon Mack
11.09 – Alexander Mattison
11.10 – Blake Jarwin [Profile]
11.11 – Dede Westbrook
11.12 – Zack Moss
As the biggest Blake Jarwin truther in the world, this pick was a no-brainer for me. As I explained in an earlier post, Jarwin is in a unique position to succeed in the upcoming season. Jason Witten and his 83 targets are gone, and there’s nobody left to take them. CeeDee Lamb will probably inherit most of Randall Cobb’s vacated targets, and the team believed in Jarwin enough to hand out a lucrative extension. Jarwin should be more efficient with his targets than Witten was, and Mike McCarthy’s pass-heavy nature probably means that there will be more targets to go around.
Round 12
12.01 – Antonio Gibson
12.02 – Nyheim Hines
12.03 – Boston Scott
12.04 – Chris Thompson
12.05 – Tony Pollard
12.06 – DeSean Jackson
12.07 – Duke Johnson
12.08 – Mike Gesicki
12.09 – Noah Fant
12.10 – Alshon Jeffery
12.11 – Justin Jackson
12.12 – T.J. Hockenson
Boston Scott is more than just a Miles Sanders handcuff. As previously mentioned, Philadelphia’s backfield is dangerously thin at the moment. Scott is going to see some playing time and had some fantasy relevance in 2018, even with Sanders stealing the show down the stretch. If Sanders does get hurt, however, Scott is a week-in, week-out start that should have RB1 upside.
Round 13
13.01 – Chase Edmonds
13.02 – Adrian Peterson
13.03 – A.J. Dillon
13.04 – Royce Freeman
13.05 – Anthony McFarland
13.06 – Darrynton Evans
13.07 – Jamaal Williams
13.08 – Devonta Freeman
13.09 – Aaron Rodgers
13.10 – Hunter Renfrow
13.11 – Giovani Bernard
13.12 – Carlos Hyde
As a rookie, Hunter Renfrow quietly averaged 2.39 yards per route, 18th-best in the NFL. Yards per route tends to be a sticky stat, and this number wasn’t artificially inflated by one or two big plays. If you take away his longest play of the year, he still would’ve averaged an impressive 2.14 yards per route. Derek Carr loves throwing short, and Renfrow makes his living in the underneath part of the field. The Raiders added tons of weapons in the offseason, so Renfrow probably won’t be a 100-target guy. However, he could easily lead the team in targets and should be pretty efficient with his opportunities.
Round 14
14.01 – Damien Harris
14.02 – Rashaad Penny
14.03 – Chris Herndon
14.04 – Mike Boone
14.05 – Joshua Kelley
14.06 – Ryquell Armstead
14.07 – Malcolm Brown
14.08 – Lynn Bowden
14.09 – Jaylen Samuels
14.10 – Jalen Richard
14.11 – Justice Hill
14.12 – Dallas Goedert
Did anyone see their fantasy stock fall more over the past season than Chris Herndon? The New York Jets tight end had an explosive finish to 2018, but essentially missed all of 2019 with injury and suspension. He’s back on his feet this year, and he’s in position to have a great season. Jamison Crowder is the only receiver on the roster with an established connection with Sam Darnold, and continuity will matter more than ever this offseason. If he can pick up where he left off in 2018, Herndon should be a fantasy-relevant tight end more often than not.
Round 15
15.01 – Ito Smith
15.02 – Dion Lewis
15.03 – Daniel Jones
15.04 – Gus Edwards
15.05 – Jonnu Smith
15.06 – Michael Pittman
15.07 – Jerick McKinnon
15.08 – Jack Doyle
15.09 – Benny Snell
15.10 – Rex Burkhead
15.11 – Sammy Watkins
15.12 – Cam Newton
We close out this fantasy football mock draft with running back Rex Burkhead. Sony Michel has a foot injury, and the Patriots just re-structured Burkhead’s contract. Nobody wants to touch New England’s backfield in fantasy, especially since this offense probably won’t be the same high-powered juggernaut from years past. However, he’s the best all-around back on the team and will get opportunities, especially if Michel starts the year on the Physically Unable to Perform list. And no, I’m not worried about Damien Harris winning the starting job.
Fantasy Football Mock Draft 1.0
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