Real-life football is finally here, which means fantasy football mock draft season is in full swing. One of the best things about mock drafting is that there is no long-term commitment to this team, so you’re free to try out different strategies and see if you like the result. This time around, I targeted wide receivers early to see if their additional value would be enough to offset the relatively underwhelming performances of the late-round running backs.
Note that this fantasy football mock draft was performed in Sleeper with half-PPR scoring, two flex spots, and no defense or kickers. All picks from this draft are listed, with my selections in bold.
Fantasy Football Mock Draft 3.0 – A Modified Zero RB
First Round
1.01 – Christian McCaffrey
1.02 – Tyreek Hill
1.03 – CeeDee Lamb
1.04 – Justin Jefferson
1.05 – Amon-Ra St. Brown
1.06 – Ja’Marr Chase
1.07 – Bijan Robinson
1.08 – Breece Hall
1.09 – Puka Nacua
1.10 – A.J. Brown
1.11 – Jahmyr Gibbs
1.12 – Jonathan Taylor
Selecting Puka Nacua over A.J. Brown is a bit of a risk, but it’s hard to ignore just how good the Rams fifth-round pick was as a rookie. Starting in all 17 games, the wideout finished as the WR4 while hauling in 105 receptions for 1,486 yards and six touchdowns on 160 targets. Cooper Kupp’s absence inflated Nacua’s stats to a certain degree, but we all know that targets are earned in the fantasy football world. Day 3 draft capital be damned, the sky is the limit with the BYU product.
Puka Nacua picking up where he left offpic.twitter.com/QGX3uD6tMz
— Underdog NFL (@Underdog__NFL) July 28, 2024
Second Round
2.01 – Kyren Williams
2.02 – Saquon Barkley
2.03 – Garrett Wilson
2.04 – Marvin Harrison
2.05 – Drake London
2.06 – Josh Allen
2.07 – Davante Adams
2.08 – Travis Etienne
2.09 – Derrick Henry
2.10 – Brandon Aiyuk
2.11 – DeVon Achane
2.12 – Chris Olave
We return to the well of young receivers in the second round of this fantasy football mock draft. Rookie receivers normally don’t go this early in drafts, but most rookies aren’t as good as Marvin Harrison. The closest thing to a “can’t miss” prospect since Ja’Marr Chase and Julio Jones, Harrison should immediately climb a wide-open Cardinals depth chart and establish himself as the top option for a reliable quarterback in Kyler Murray. Harrison is the ninth receiver off the board, but he has the talent to easily end the year as a top-five fantasy option at the position.
Third Round
3.01 – Josh Jacobs
3.02 – Sam LaPorta
3.03 – Isiah Pacheco
3.04 – Nico Collins
3.05 – Deebo Samuel
3.06 – Mike Evans
3.07 – Michael Pittman
3.08 – Travis Kelce
3.09 – D.J. Moore
3.10 – Malik Nabers
3.11 – Patrick Mahomes
3.12 – Jalen Hurts
D.J. Moore fills the first flex spot in this fantasy football mock draft and is one of my favorite values in the league. The wide receiver thrived during his first season with Justin Fields, putting up a WR6 finish in one of the most run-heavy offenses in football. Now, the former first-round pick gets one of the best quarterback prospects in recent memory, and the uptick in volume should be enough to offset the added target competition with Keenan Allen and first-round pick Rome Odunze now in the picture.
Fourth Round
4.01 – Rachaad White
4.02 – D.K. Metcalf
4.03 – Jaylen Waddle
4.04 – Lamar Jackson
4.05 – Stefon Diggs
4.06 – Joe Mixon
4.07 – DeVonta Smith
4.08 – James Cook
4.09 – Cooper Kupp
4.10 – Dalton Kincaid
4.11 – Kenneth Walker
4.12 – Mark Andrews
With three potential WR1’s already on the roster, it’s time to address the quarterback position in this fantasy football mock draft. Lamar Jackson is one of the best real-life quarterbacks in the league, and the two-time MVP is arguably even more dangerous in fantasy. Traditional scoring turns rushing quarterbacks into glorified cheat codes, and Jackson is easily the most elusive running quarterback in the league. He should have no trouble moving the ball through the air or on the ground, making him a locked-and-loaded weekly start with matchup-winning upside.
Fifth Round
5.01 – Tank Dell
5.02 – C.J. Stroud
5.03 – George Pickens
5.04 – Trey McBride
5.05 – Keenan Allen
5.06 – Alvin Kamara
5.07 – Zay Flowers
5.08 – Aaron Jones
5.09 – Kyle Pitts
5.10 – Anthony Richardson
5.11 – Amari Cooper
5.12 – Christian Kirk
Kyle Pitts recorded 1,000 yards as a rookie, something very few tight ends can say. He’s struggled to recapture that form, as poor quarterback play and Arthur Smith’s frustrating usage limited his ceiling. Fortunately, both Smith and quarterback Desmond Ridder are gone, so it should be wheels up for the former top-five pick in 2024. Kirk Cousins is not afraid to target tight ends in the passing game, so don’t be surprised if Pitts finally starts living up to his pre-draft hype.
Kirk Cousins hits Kyle Pitts over the middle… ZIP! #atlanta #falcons #trainingcamp pic.twitter.com/yRHkkLpazw
— Sizzle (@SizzleHybrid) August 2, 2024
Sixth Round
6.01 – James Conner
6.02 – Tee Higgins
6.03 – Terry McLaurin
6.04 – Rhamondre Stevenson
6.05 – D’Andre Swift
6.06 – George Kittle
6.07 – Joe Burrow
6.08 – Jayden Reed
6.09 – Jordan Addison
6.10 – Dak Prescott
6.11 – David Montgomery
6.12 – Xavier Worthy
We’ve avoided running backs up until this point of the fantasy football mock draft, but the value here is too good to ignore. Volume is king in fantasy football, and Rhamondre Stevenson has a clear path to a high workload. The recently-paid Stevenson faces no real competition in the New England backfield and should see a sizable percentage of the rushing and receiving work. While the Patriots probably won’t score too many points, the volume alone gives him an RB2 floor as long as he stays healthy. In the sixth round, you take that every single time.
Seventh Round
7.01 – Zamir White
7.02 – Jonathon Brooks
7.03 – Rashee Rice
7.04 – Tony Pollard
7.05 – Kyler Murray
7.06 – Evan Engram
7.07 – Rome Odunze
7.08 – Najee Harris
7.09 – Chris Godwin
7.10 – Hollywood Brown
7.11 – Brock Bowers
7.12 – Calvin Ridley
The final flex spot in this fantasy football mock draft belongs to Chris Godwin. As mentioned before, Godwin is one of the best values in fantasy football and should easily outplay his ADP. The wideout should thrive in the slot, and quarterback Baker Mayfield knows how to get the ball into the hands of his best playmakers. Godwin won’t surpass Mike Evans as the top option in this passing attack, but there are enough targets for both players to be fantasy-relevant in 2024.
Eighth Round
8.01 – David Njoku
8.02 – Raheem Mostert
8.03 – Zack Moss
8.04 – Nick Chubb
8.05 – Jordan Love
8.06 – DeAndre Hopkins
8.7 – Austin Ekeler
8.8 – Ladd McConkey
8.9 – Caleb Williams
8.10 – Diontae Johnson
8.12 – Brock Purdy
They say patience is a virtue, and we’re testing that theory in the eighth round of the fantasy football mock draft. Nick Chubb suffered a gruesome knee injury early in the 2023 season, and he’s still not back on the field. Chances are, Chubb will miss the first four weeks of the season while on the Physically Unable to Perform list. However, he will return eventually, and once he does, he could be a week-in, week-out top-five running back. Chubb is one of the most talented players in the league and the Browns roster is good enough to bring out the best in the former second-round pick. This pick has a lot of risk, but the upside alone justifies an investment in the eighth round.
Ninth Round
9.01 – Javonte Williams
9.02 – Jaylen Warren
9.03 – Christian Watson
9.04 – Keon Coleman
9.05 – Jake Ferguson
9.06 – Trey Benson
9.07 – Jaxon Smith-Njigba
9.08 – Tua Tagovailoa
9.09 – Devin Singletary
9.10 – Dallas Goedert
9.11 – Brian Robinson
9.12 – Tyjae Spears
Chase volume and hope efficiency follows. The New York Giants will likely have one of the worst offenses in football, which clearly isn’t great for fantasy. However, these touches still have to go somewhere, and Singletary is the last reliable starting running back on the board. The former third-round pick played well during his lone season in Houston, and if he can bring that same efficiency to the Big Apple, he could be a great value at this point in the draft.
10th Round
10.01 – Javonte Williams
10.02 – Gus Edwards
10.03 – Ezekiel Elliott
10.04 – Courtland Sutton
10.05 – T.J. Hockenson
10.06 – Jayden Daniels
10.07 – Jared Goff
10.08 – Adonai Mitchell
10.09 – Dalton Schultz
10.10 – Justin Herbert
10.11 – Trevor Lawrence
10.12 – Tyler Lockett
It’s time to bet on talent. The Denver Broncos appear to be fantasy football poison, as they’re going into the season with a rookie quarterback and not much else beyond Courtland Sutton. The wide receiver might not replicate his 10-touchdown season with Bo Nix slinging the ball, but the targets will be there, especially with Jerry Jeudy out of town. Sutton lacks the same upside as the other receivers on this roster, but he’s a good bye-week flex play with starting potential in case injuries strike.
11th Round
11.01 – Blake Corum
11.02 – Jerome Ford
11.03 – Romeo Doubs
11.04 – Pat Freiermuth
11.05 – Cole Kmet
11.06 – Zach Charbonnet
11.07 – Khalil Shakir
11.08 – Curtis Samuel
11.09 – Chase Brown
11.10 – Luke Musgrave
11.11 – Jakobi Meyers
11.12 – Xavier Legette
Chase Brown fell to the 11th round of this fantasy football mock draft, and he might just be my favorite pick so far. Zack Moss is the bigger name, but all practice reports indicate that Brown is the better player. This makes sense, as Moss had a good half-season with the Indianapolis Colts but has otherwise been an unremarkable talent during his four years in the league. Brown is younger and has more familiarity with the offense, so he should earn a sizable workload in one of the league’s better offenses.
12th Round
12.01 – Matthew Stafford
12.02 – Rashid Shaheed
12.03 – Kirk Cousins
12.04 – Chuba Hubbard
12.05 – Mike Williams
12.06 – Taysom Hill
12.07 – Jerry Jeudy
12.08 – Kendre Miller
12.09 – Aaron Rodgers
12.10 – Rico Dowdle
12.11 – Joshua Palmer
12.12 – Jaylen Wright
Second-round pick Jonathon Brooks is the future of Carolina’s backfield, but he might not be the present. The Texas product is still recovering from a torn ACL and probably won’t be ready for the start of the season. Even if he is, you shouldn’t expect him to hit the ground running after missing OTA’s, minicamp, training camp, and (probably) the preseason. Chuba Hubbard is not a special talent, but he’s clearly the second-best running back on this team who should have roughly half a season of flex-level production before Brooks claims the starting job.
13th Round
13.01 – Troy Franklin
13.02 – Josh Downs
13.03 – J.K. Dobbins
13.04 – MarShawn Lloyd
13.05 – Baker Mayfield
13.06 – Gabe Davis
13.07 – Ty Chandler
13.08 – Brandin Cooks
13.09 – Ricky Pearsall
13.10 – Antonio Gibson
13.11 – Dontayvion Wicks
13.12 – Jahan Dotson
Every player selected at this point in the fantasy football mock draft is far more likely to be a miss than a hit, so you might as well reach for the stars. Ricky Pearsall doesn’t have the best prospect profile the world has ever seen, but it’s hard to ignore first-round draft capital this late in a fantasy draft. While he’s currently buried behind Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel, he could have a clear path to playing time if the 49ers trade one of their two star wideouts.
14th Round
14.01 – Tyler Allgeier
14.02 – Deshaun Watson
14.03 – Jaleel McLaughlin
14.04 – Kimani Vidal
14.05 – Quentin Johnston
14.06 – Braelon Allen
14.07 – Ben Sinnott
14.08 – Ray Davis
14.09 – Ja’Lynn Polk
14.10 – Hunter Henry
14.11 – Cade Otton
14.12 – Will Levis
In all likelihood, Kimani Vidal will not be the Chargers starting running back in 2024. However, this is a wide-open competition and Gus Edwards and J.K. Dobbins aren’t exactly the second coming of Barry Sanders. Jim Harbaugh wants to run the ball early and often, which means Vidal might only need to beat out one of the former Ravens to carry some fantasy relevance. At this point in the fantasy football mock draft, the minuscule risk easily justifies the potential reward.
15th Round
15.01 – Elijah Mitchell
15.02 – Roman Wilson
15.03 – Tyrone Tracy
15.04 – Dameon Pierce
15.05 – Bucky Irving
15.06 – Khalil Herbert
15.07 – Roschon Johnson
15.08 – Clyde Edwards-Helaire
15.09 – Isaiah Likely
15.10 – Austin Estime
15.11 – Tyler Conklin
15.12 – Darnell Mooney
We wrap up this fantasy football mock draft with perhaps the only tight end handcuff in football. Isaiah Likely is an above-average receiving tight end stuck behind one of the game’s most reliable options in Mark Andrews. Perhaps Likely earns a larger role this year with no proven third option in the passing attack, or perhaps we’ll need to wait for an injury to see what he can do. Either way, he’s a fine 15th-round selection, especially considering the potential stack with Lamar Jackson.
Main Photo: Kiyoshi Mio – USA Today Sports
