For the first time of the 2019 fantasy football season, I invited my twitter followers to partake in a mock draft (05/24) Thankfully, nine of them stepped to the plate in the season’s first PPR mock.
Although I have yet to release any rankings, I believe I drafted a lot of value and put together a very good team.
My Team
As you can see above, at least in my eyes, I drafted an excellent team, especially this early in the fantasy football season.
With the first two selections, I grabbed two running backs. For the past three years, these two have been amongst my favorites. Every year heading into every draft, I make Melvin Gordon my target. However, something happens at the draft that makes me change my mind. This year, I am not letting that happen.
Last year, my strategy was to grab Melvin Gordon and Michael Thomas. The duo would have been amongst any leagues best. However, I failed to grab the duo in any league I participated in. This is a way too early spoiler for all fantasy football players. If you can draft Melvin Gordon and Michael Thomas, you will win your league this season. These two players are not only great football players, but some of the most consistent and durable players.
However, I was unable to grab Thomas, but I must say, I was still ecstatic to see a second Top 10 running back still on the board. Joe Mixon is an incredible RB2 and I would have been comfortable with him as my RB1. There is no reason Mixon should be falling past halfway through the second round this season. Consequently, I expect big things from this Cincinnati running back.
After that, I grabbed five consecutive pass catchers. I began this run by drafting Zach Ertz in the third round. This made me very happy as Ertz is my top ranked TE. Next, I followed up with Amari Cooper, Calvin Ridley, Allen Robinson, and Sterling Shepard.
I am not sure how four of my favorite second tier wide receivers all fell to me in rounds 4- 7, but I will not complain. Cooper gave us a preview of his dominance in his short term with Dallas. Ridley will come back improved and still lines up across from Julio Jones, which ultimately puts the second best defensive back on him. Robinson was my steal of the draft. I took Ridley in front of him only because I love his upside, but Robinson is good enough, like the other two, to be a WR1 this season. Then wrapping up my pass catcher stretch, I nabbed the new #1 target for the Giants, Sterling Shepard. This was a risky pick, but I am a fan of his upside this season and I think he will score as a WR2 by the season’s end.
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I followed up my receiving stretch with a string of running backs, using the next three of my four picks on the position. Lamar Miller is a serviceable running back who only increases in value in a PPR league. Jordan Howard will be the most undervalued selections in a lot of drafts this season. Sure, the backfield in Philadelphia is a mess, but I think Howard will prove he’s the best running back they have in several years. Then Dion Lewis, who has lost a lot of value recently, is still a good pick in the 11th round, in my opinion.
The picks before and after Lewis are when I filled my quarterback position. I drafted the first two picks of the 2016 draft, but in a different order. It is still amazing to me that I could get Wentz in the 10th round as the 9th quarterback off the board, even with his injuries.
I guess you could say Carson Wentz is “my guy”. In both of my only two dynasty leagues, Wentz is my starting quarterback. Also, and in his first three seasons, I have owned him in more than 50% of my leagues. There are not many quarterbacks as skilled as Wentz and I believe he will rebound well. Jared Goff fit perfectly in the 12th, rounding out my quarterback position.
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In the 13th I drafted Tyrell Williams, a less exciting WR2 option in Oakland. Finally, with my three remaining picks, I am sure I left looking like a Ravens fan as my last three picks were the Baltimore defense, Justin Tucker, and Hayden Hurst.
I typically would not draft a defense and kicker before my fill the last of my skill positions. However, I knew nobody would take Hurst so I pulled the trigger on the kicker I have owned in all of my leagues since 2014 and a typical defensive selection in every fantasy football league.
Hurst is an interesting pick, but I figured I would take a backup TE so I could talk about him. He was a first round pick last year for a reason. Hurst is one of the biggest yet most athletic receivers in the NFL and if he can create a bond with Lamar Jackson over the offseason, I believe he will be the top option in Harbaugh’s offense. There is no TE with a ceiling higher than Hurst a pure, low risk, high upside selection is usually how I like to finish off any fantasy football draft.
Notable Selections during the Mock Draft
Top 5 Favorite Picks (That weren’t my own)
- Josh Jacobs in the 3rd
- Kenyan Drake in the 7th
- Ronald Jones at 11.6 (I wanted him at 11.7)
- Deebo Samuel in the 14th
- Andrew Luck in the 5th
Least 5 Favorite Picks
- George Kittle at 3.5 (ahead of Ertz)
- Odell Beckham the 2nd WR
- Derrick Henry in the 4th
- Jaylen Samuels in the 12th
- Mark Ingram in the 5th
Favorite Core (Not including my own)
Pick #4: Alvin Kamara, Patrick Mahomes, Josh Jacobs, AJ Green, Sony Michel, Tyreek Hill, OJ Howard, and DK Metcalf.
Thank you for reading. For more Fantasy football content, including mock drafts, be sure to check out Full Press Coverage.
– Kyle Senra is the managing editor for the Full Press Fantasy Sports. He covers the NFL. Like and follow on Follow @nyama_ks Follow @FPC_FF and Facebook.
– Gavin Frick is a writer for Full Press Coverage. He covers the NFL. Like and follow on Follow @thespurfrick Follow @FPC_NFL and Facebook.
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