I wanted to start this article off by saying thank you to those who helped make it possible. Instead of using a mock draft simulator, I asked for volunteers from across the Fantasy Football Community. I wanted an authentic mock draft so it would better represent a real-world draft. A huge thank you to: @EagleDanFF, @matthodical1, @beemercleaner, @FFDudeistPriest, @jonothanweber82, @onlysandro, @jgalt93, @DrewDodsonNFL, @ffb_bbq, @HammerJacks1, and @Mr_Eby. Make sure you give each of them a follow.
I’m going to walk you through my thought process and why I made the decisions I did by reading the draft board. We did a 10 round mock with PPR scoring and the following roster settings:Â
1 QB, 1 SF, 2 RB, 2 WR, 1 TE, 2 FLX, 1 BENCH.Â
First Round – 1.09 (9 Overall) Dalvin Cook RB MIN
Second Round – 2.04 (16 Overall) Miles Sanders RB PHI
When it comes to Superflex leagues, I like to leave the first two rounds with a QB and an RB. With three QBs and one WR going in the first eight picks, I was able to snag Dalvin Cook at 1.09. He’s one of a handful of RBs that have a shot at being the RB1 overall, and someone I’m happy to build my team around. I was extremely surprised at the lack of QBs taken at this point in the draft, and I couldn’t pass up getting one of my favorite players this season, Miles Sanders, as my RB2. The feeling I got from the draft room was QB was being waited on, and I had a list of 9 guys I was comfortable as my QB1. Instead of my normal strategy, I adapted to the room and took what the board gave me.
Third Round – 3.09 (33 Overall) Deshaun Watson RB HOU
Fourth Round – 4.04 (40 Overall) Robert Woods WR LAR
The gamble paid off, as I was able to land the severely disrespected Deshaun Watson in the late third round. I have Watson as my QB4 overall and the top option in my second tier of QBs. Losing DeAndre Hopkins will hurt for sure, but Houston added Brandin Cooks, Randall Cobb, and capable pass-catching back David Johnson to help soften the blow. Watson is talented enough to lose Hopkins still firmly wind up as a QB1. Going into the fourth round I was expecting to grab another QB, but not a single one went since my last pick, so I gambled again and took Robert Woods. He’s a back end WR1 with upside for more, and with the depth at the position, I expect to have value later in the draft to build a solid corps around him.
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Fifth Round – 5.09 (57 Overall) Drew Brees QB NO
Sixth Round – 6.04 (64 Overall) Tyler Lockett WR SEAÂ
Seventh Round – 7.09 (81 Overall) AJ Green WR CIN
Only one additional QB came off the board by the time it got back to me, so I paired Watson with the uber reliable Drew Brees. He’s getting up there in age, but I wanted some stability in my QB2 with Watson having some risk this season. The value that seems to be in every single draft is at the WR position, and it was here in the sixth and seventh rounds. I was able to snag Tyler Lockett and AJ Green as my WR2 and first flex. I’ll gladly take a WR corp of Woods, Lockett, and Green to pair with my one-two punch of Cook and Sanders at RB. In every draft I’ve done this offseason there has been an insane value at WR in the middle rounds. There is no reason to take WR early this year.Â
Eighth Round – 8.04 (88 Overall) Tarik Cohen RB CHI
Ninth Round – 9.09 (104 Overall) Gardner Minshew QB JAX
Tenth Round – 10.04 (111 Overall) Hunter Henry TE LAC
Cohen is the type of player I LOVE to have as a flex. He’s got a solid floor in PPR averaging close to seven targets a game and has a high ceiling with his play-making ability. I always make sure to get a solid QB3 in Superflex, and Minshew is someone I’m targeting everywhere. I would be more than happy to plug him in for Watson or Brees in the case of injury or ineffectiveness. Jacksonville’s defense is horrid and Minshew has weapons, I have a feeling Minshew will be Bortles 2.0 with some prime garbage time production. I tend to wait on TE and was more than happy to take Henry in the 10th. He was ranked as the TE8 in points per game and total points last year, and with another year removed from injury still has room to improve.Â
SummaryÂ
QB: D. Watson, SF: D. Brees, RB: D. Cook, M. Sanders, WR: R. Woods, T. Lockett, TE:H. Henry, FLX: A.J. Green, T. Cohen, BENCH: G. MinshewÂ
Although I veered from my normal Superflex strategy of having two QBs and two RBs through four rounds, the value was too good to pass up. The ability to stay fluid and change on the fly is key to successful drafting. You should have a plan A, B, C, and be willing to change at the drop of a dime. Value is king in fantasy football, and successful drafters can recognize and maximize value. Mocking is an extremely important exercise to try different strategies to prepare you for draft day. See the link below for the entire draft board and let me know if you think I made any mistakes along the way.
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