Sports. Honestly. Since 2011

Fantasy Football Mock Draft 2.0

Fantasy Football Mock Draft 2.0: With training camp around the corner, let's take a look at who you should draft in your leagues.

Mandatory minicamp is over but training camp is still a long way away. The past few months have brought quite a few changes to the fantasy football landscape, meaning it’s time for an updated mock draft. After all, it’s never too early to start getting ready to win your league and test out different draft strategies.

Note that this fantasy football mock draft was performed using the FantasyPros Mock Draft Simulator. I’ve listed every single pick in the draft, with my selections in bold. Also note that this was a one-quarterback, P.P.R. draft. Obviously, if your league uses a different scoring or lineup setting, you’ll want to switch up your strategy accordingly.

Fantasy Football Profiles

Fantasy Football Mock Draft 2.0 – The Long Wait for Training Camp

Round 1

1.01 – Christian McCaffrey
1.02 – Dalvin Cook
1.03 – Saquon Barkley
1.04 – Alvin Kamara
1.05 – Cam Akers
1.06 – Tyreek Hill
1.07 – Davante Adams
1.08 – Ezekiel Elliott
1.09 – Travis Kelce
1.10 – Derrick Henry
1.11 – Austin Ekeler
1.12 – Nick Chubb

Ezekiel Elliott might not be the player he once was, but he’s a lot better than he looked in 2020. After losing his superstar quarterback Week 5, Elliott had to make do with the underwhelming trio of Andy Dalton, Ben DiNucci, and Garrett Gilbert at quarterback while running behind a below-average offensive line. Fortunately, Dak is back and the offensive line should be pretty solid thanks to the return of left tackle Tyron Smith. Elliott still commands one of the highest snap shares in the league, which means plenty of touches and scoring opportunities in one of the NFL’s best offenses.

https://twitter.com/betonthegame/status/1407398023005605889

Round 2

2.01 – Jonathan Taylor
2.02 – Aaron Jones
2.03 – DeAndre Hopkins
2.04 – Stefon Diggs
2.05 – Calvin Ridley
2.06 – Michael Thomas
2.07 – A.J. Brown
2.08 – Keenan Allen
2.09 – D.K. Metcalf
2.10 – George Kittle
2.11 – Justin Jefferson
2.12 – Darren Waller

Fortune favors the bold as I passed on safer guys like Michael Thomas and Keenan Allen to go after a guy that could very well be the next big thing at wide receiver. Calvin Ridley already proved himself a great fantasy football asset, but the sky is the limit with Julio Jones in Tennessee. The former first-round pick averaged over 100 yards in games without Jones and his target share should be as secure as ever.

[pickup_prop id=”5581″]

Round 3

3.01 – Patrick Mahomes II
3.02 – Joe Mixon
3.03 – Antonio Gibson
3.04 – Najee Harris
3.05 – Allen Robinson
3.06 – Terry McLaurin
3.07 – D’Andre Swift
3.08 – Clyde Edwards-Helaire
3.09 – Josh Allen
3.10 – Amari Cooper
3.11 – Robert Woods
3.12 – Julio Jones

Last year at this point, the fantasy football community overwhelmingly overreacted to a rookie in the perfect landing spot. Clyde Edwards-Helaire didn’t manage to live up to the hype during his first year in the league, but that should change in year two. Andy Reid prefers deploying a three-down back but Kansas City didn’t bring in any offseason competition and the Chiefs desperately need a third option in the passing attack. This absurd amount of opportunity in this high-scoring offense means the former first-round pick has a clear path to a top-five finish.

Round 4

4.01 – David Montgomery
4.02 – Mike Evans
4.03 – Chris Godwin
4.04 – CeeDee Lamb
4.05 – Diontae Johnson
4.06 – J.K. Dobbins
4.07 – Mike Davis
4.08 – Kyle Pitts
4.09 – Adam Thielen
4.10 – D.J. Moore
4.11 – Cooper Kupp
4.12 – Miles Sanders

Sometimes, fantasy football is easy. As I’ve mentioned throughout the offseason, Diontae Johnson should have been one of the best receivers in football last year. By my data, he was the WR8 in expected fantasy points per game— and that’s including games where injuries forced an early exit. With the same quarterback and receivers coming back in 2021, Johnson’s high volume should return for one more season. And if you’re worried about the drops…

Round 5

5.01 – Tyler Lockett
5.02 – Kenny Golladay
5.03 – Brandon Aiyuk
5.04 – Josh Jacobs
5.05 – Chris Carson
5.06 – Myles Gaskin
5.07 – Tee Higgins
5.08 – T.J. Hockenson
5.09 – Odell Beckham, Jr.
5.10 – Chase Edmonds
5.11 – Kyler Murray
5.12 – Juju Smith-Schuster

I missed out on the elite tight ends, which means that it was time to chase volume. T.J. Hockenson has the ideal combination of talent and opportunity and could very well be 2021’s breakout tight end. The talent speaks for itself, as the Iowa product is a former top-10 pick and has flashed great ability throughout his career. He’s currently on a team with absolutely no proven receivers and a defense probably incapable of stopping anybody. This should mean a significant volume of targets, which are hard to come by at the tight end position.

Round 6

6.01 – Robby Anderson
6.02 – Tyler Boyd
6.03 – Mark Andrews
6.04 – James Robinson
6.05 – Lamar Jackson
6.06 – D.J. Chark
6.07 – Courtland Sutton
6.08 – Ja’Marr Chase
6.09 – Chase Claypool
6.10 – Travis Etienne
6.11 – Brandin Cooks
6.12 – Will Fuller

I normally wait until the late rounds to address the quarterback position but Lamar Jackson in the sixth is just too good to pass up. We already published an in-depth profile of his upcoming season, so I’ll favor brevity here. Jackson came out of the gate slow last year but he was the QB2 in the second half of the season. That success should continue, as Baltimore added even more weapons to the passing game. This will prevent defenses from selling out to stop the run, which means he should maintain his game-breaking potential in 2021.

Round 7

7.01 – Kareem Hunt
7.02 – Dak Prescott
7.03 – Deebo Samuel
7.04 – Noah Fant
7.05 – Jerry Jeudy
7.06 – Jarvis Landry
7.07 – Russell Wilson
7.08 – Antonio Brown
7.09 – Raheem Mostert
7.10 – Justin Herbert
7.11 – Curtis Samuel
7.12 – Devonta Smith

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are going to have a fantastic offense and Antonio Brown is going to be a notable part of that success. The reigning Super Bowl champions are bringing back each and every one of their starters, which means what the team does in 2021 should be pretty similar to what they did in 2020. This is good news for Brown, as the wide receiver had 42 receptions for 452 yards and four touchdowns over the final seven games of the season. Brown was just as involved as Chris Godwin and Mike Evans, and there’s no reason to believe that will change in the upcoming season.

Round 8

8.01 – Dallas Goedert
8.02 – Laviska Shenault
8.03 – Melvin Gordon
8.04 – Michael Pittman
8.05 – Corey Davis
8.06 – Kenyan Drake
8.07 – Aaron Rodgers
8.08 – Javonte Williams
8.09 – Marquise Brown
8.10 – Devante Parker
8.11 – David Johnson
8.12 – Michael Gallup

Corey Davis was one of the NFL’s most efficient receivers last year and now he’s going to be the unquestioned top option for a team that will have to throw the ball a lot. Even if his efficiency regresses, the increase in volume should easily make up the difference. The former first-round pick might not ever live up to his pre-draft billing but he’s plenty good enough to be a reliable depth piece with top-24 upside. At this point in the draft, you can’t ask for much more than that.

Round 9

9.01 – Leonard Fournette
9.02 – Ronald Jones
9.03 – Jalen Hurts
9.04 – Tom Brady
9.05 – Ryan Tannehill
9.06 – Michael Carter
9.07 – Jaylen Waddle
9.08 – James Conner
9.09 – Logan Thomas
9.10 – Marvin Jones
9.11 – Parris Campbell
9.12 – Matthew Stafford

Either James Conner or Chase Edmonds will carry some fantasy football value this year, and my money is on James Conner. Everything we’ve seen from the Arizona Cardinals suggests they don’t trust Edmonds with a full workload, as evidenced by his one career carry within the five-yard line. This offense should score plenty of points and Conner should receive most of the red zone touches.

[pickup_prop id=”6266″]

Round 10

10.01 – Damien Harris
10.02 – Cole Beasley
10.03 – Zack Moss
10.04 – J.D. McKissic
10.05 – Gus Edwards
10.06 – Devin Singletary
10.07 – T.Y. Hilton
10.08 – Nyheim Hines
10.09 – A.J. Dillon
10.10 – Tarik Cohen
10.11 – Mike Williams
10.12 – Nelson Agholor

J.K. Dobbins will get more work but Gus Edwards is still a key part of the Baltimore Ravens rushing attack. The Ravens run the ball more than any team in the league and head coach Jim Harbaugh hasn’t utilized a three-down back since Ray Rice was at the top of his game. Edwards is one of the most efficient runners in the league, and you don’t pay a guy $4.5 million per year to ride the bench.

Round 11

11.01 – Darnell Mooney
11.02 – Phillip Lindsay
11.03 – Jalen Reagor
11.04 – Tony Pollard
11.05 – Latavius Murray
11.06 – Trey Sermon
11.07 – Jamaal Williams
11.08 – Mecole Hardman
11.09 – Jeff Wilson
11.10 – Darrell Henderson
11.11 – Sterling Shepard
11.12 – John Brown

Late-round picks are far more likely to bust, so you may as well shoot for the stars. Mecole Hardman is absolutely lethal with the ball in his hands but he hasn’t managed to be anything more than a glorified gadget player through this point in his career. However, the Chiefs need somebody to step up opposite Tyreek Hill and Hardman has league-winning potential if he actually learns how to play the wide receiver position.

Round 12

12.01 – Jonnu Smith
12.02 – Tyler Higbee
12.03 – Jamison Crowder
12.04 – Alexander Mattison
12.05 – Giovani Bernard
12.06 – Tevin Coleman
12.07 – Irv Smith
12.08 – Kadarius Toney
12.09 – Henry Ruggs III
12.10 – Sony Michel
12.11 – Robert Tonyan
12.12 – Rashaad Penny

Despite boasting an abundance of talent at the wide receiver position, Tampa Bay saw their running backs recording 118 targets last year. Tom Brady loves to check it down and Giovani Bernard is easily the best receiving back on this roster. Ronald Jones and Leonard Fournette are both superior runners, but Bernard should have an easy job winning the third-down role. That job has plenty of value in P.P.R. leagues; don’t forget, James White put up an RB1 finish with Tom Brady in 2018. That probably won’t happen with Bernard this year, but he should be a decent emergency play in P.P.R. leagues.

Round 13

13.01 – James White
13.02 – Salvon Ahmed
13.03 – Kenneth Gainwell
13.04 – Benny Snell
13.05 – Marlon Mack
13.06 – Darrel Williams
13.07 – Darrynton Evans
13.08 – Russell Gage
13.09 – Damien Williams
13.10 – Joshua Kelley
13.11 – Adam Trautman
13.12 – Ke’Shawn Vaughn

Russell Gage has an inside track to a starting job in a high-volume passing attack, which is more than enough to justify a 13th-round dart throw in this fantasy football mock draft. The former undrafted free agent showed some promise last year and has a very easy path to playing time in this offense. Much like Bernard, Gage doesn’t have league-winning potential but could easily be a reliable flex play throughout the season.

Round 14

14.01 – Matt Breida
14.02 – Justin Jackson
14.03 – Carlos Hyde
14.04 – La’Mical Perine
14.05 – Chuba Hubbard
14.06 – Mike Gesicki
14.07 – Javian Hawkins
14.08 – Boston Scott
14.09 – Elijah Mitchell
14.10 – Mark Ingram
14.11 – Jerick McKinnon
14.12 – Malcolm Brown

Don’t draft your own handcuffs in fantasy football— draft somebody else’s. Christian McCaffrey is the unquestioned RB1 if healthy and Chuba Hubbard is the only other reliable running back on the depth chart. Last year showed the Panthers will still run their rushing attack through a single back even if McCaffrey goes down, which means Hubbard is one rolled ankle away from winning your fantasy league.

Round 15

15.01 – Rashad Bateman
15.02 – Evan Engram
15.02 – Joe Burrow
15.04 – Hunter Henry
15.05 – Matt Ryan
15.06 – Kerryon Johnson
15.07 – Davis Mills
15.08 – Ty Johnson
15.09 – Elijah Moore
15.10 – Rob Gronkowski
15.11 – Rhamondre Stevenson
15.12 – Le’Veon Bell

Somebody is going to have to win the New York Jets starting running back job and I’m going after the guy with the lowest A.D.P. Ty Johnson is not a special talent but he doesn’t need to be to win the job. He already beat out La’Mical Perine last year, meaning all he has to do is be better than an ancient Tevin Coleman and a Day Three pick in Michael Carter. He could very well be the opening-day starter, which makes him a no-brainer with my last pick in the fantasy football mock draft.

Fantasy Football Profiles

Main Photo: Embed from Getty Images

Post Views: 18

Share:

More Posts

Send Us A Message