Many years ago, I invited a girl over to my apartment for dinner. I announced that we were going to eat lasagna, which I had never made before. Suffice it to say, that was the last night I went out with that girl or attempted (and failed) to cook lasagna.
Preparing your draft without a few mocks is the start of a failed plan. Thankfully, Yahoo has you covered, with fantasy football mock drafts launching every few minutes. And Yahoo staff is leading by example by summarizing our own mocks in a variety of league formats.
Our final mock of the draft season featured Yahoo’s standard setup – a 10-team league with 0.5 PPR ratings and starting lineups consisting of 1 QB, 2 RB, 2 WR, 1 TE, 1 Flex, 1 K, and 1 D. We brought in some heavy hitters for this one. Here’s the full list of participants in order of their draft slot:
1. Pranav Rajaram, Yahoo Fantasy Contributor
2. Jason Klabacha, Head of Yahoo Fantasy Content
3. Katie Braun, Social Editor at Yahoo Fantasy
4. Andy Behrens, Yahoo Fantasy analyst
5. Dalton Del Don, Yahoo Fantasy Analyst
6. Kate Magdziuk, Yahoo Fantasy Editor
7. Tera Roberts, Yahoo Fantasy Contributor
8. Mo Castillo, senior editor for Yahoo Fantasy
9. Dan Titus, Yahoo Fantasy Analyst
10. Fred Zinkie, Yahoo Fantasy Contributor
The draft board for each round
Here are some key takeaways from this draft. Full results for each team are below.
Rushers sneak back into the first rounds
Smart drafters have learned that wide receivers are the most attractive options at any point in the draft. For example, stars like Brandon Aiyuk and DeVonta Smith were selected in Round 5, and potential 1,000-yard men Chris Godwin and Calvin Ridley were still available in Round 8. To save some roster space for mid-round receivers, this talented group of drafters selected 10 running backs in the first two rounds.
Of course, I could argue that I’d rather have Nico Collins or Chris Olave (round 3 picks) than round 2 rushers like De’Von Achane or Isiah Pacheco, but I could make the same argument at any point in the draft. Unless your league allows you to start more than three receivers, you need to draft at least one early RB.
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Who needs a training camp?
Despite having little time left until Week 1, this group of drafters didn’t let the messy contract situations surrounding CeeDee Lamb, Ja’Marr Chase and Brandon Aiyuk deter them. None of these men caught a pass in training camp, as Lamb has completely withdrawn his presence. Still, Lamb and Chase were both top-five picks, and Aiyuk was taken 41st off the list. It will be interesting to see if these players’ ADPs start to drop if they aren’t signed by Labor Day weekend.
Injury discounts at WR
Jordan Addison, DeAndre Hopkins and Hollywood Brown are all battling injuries that put Week 1 in jeopardy. Their potential absence early in the season was reflected in their draft price, as they were each selected between picks 110-115. Managers should line up to buy this drop in 10-team leagues, as they likely won’t need the services of these guys until they have an offseason in October and beyond. They are less attractive in deeper formats, like 12-team leagues where managers can start four WRs.
The QB run begins in round 4
The author of this line started Round 4 with Josh Allen before Jalen Hurts, Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson were selected in the following seven picks. By the end of Round 5, 70% of teams had chosen their starting quarterback. Looking back, I don’t regret being the first manager to dive into the passer pool. Allen should give me an edge over my competition, and in a weak league, Najee Harris, Chris Godwin, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Devin Singletary are still competing for my flex spot.
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Tight End is common in shallow leagues
Although the pool of attractive tight ends eventually depletes in leagues with 12 or more teams, there are plenty of options in 10-team formats. Travis Kelce was selected 27th by Tera Roberts, and I followed her lead and took Sam LaPorta 30th. In hindsight, I could have waited.
Dalton Kincaid, who could lead the Bills in catches, held out almost until the end of the 6th round. Kyle Pitts and Jake Ferguson, who are excellent options, were drafted in the 8th round. Other managers waited even longer, grabbing Evan Engram and David Njoku in the 9th round.
Catching up with split backfields
It’s worth evaluating the latest opinions on the league’s troubled backfields.
In the eyes of fantasy managers, Chase Brown (Round 7) is taking a cut from Zack Moss (Round 10). I’m not sure Brown has done enough to earn that edge, and Moss could be a value pick in late August, just like Brown was a month ago.
The two Titans, Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears, made no difference. Both players were selected in Round 9.
Jaylen Warren’s hamstring injury created a two-round gap between him and Najee Harris. The Steelers don’t expect Warren to miss much time, making him a more attractive option, especially if those players start the season on the bench anyway.
Nobody knows what to make of Nick Chubb, who exudes positive vibes but will miss at least the first four games of the regular season after allegedly being put on the PUP list on Monday. He and fellow tight end Jerome Ford both fell in the 11th round – the PUP list was announced after the mock draft. Both players should be valuable at different points in the season, as the Browns should have a good running game.
The Cowboys led the NFL in scoring last year, but all of their running backs were still on the board when Round 11 began. Rico Dowdle was selected a few picks ahead of Ezekiel Elliott, and similar to Cleveland, there’s a scenario here where some managers get a lot of value out of a late pick.
Brian Robinson Jr. was selected two rounds ahead of teammate Austin Ekeler. I imagine there is an even bigger gap between the two commanders, as Robinson is much younger and was more effective last season. Additionally, Ekeler’s value largely depends on speedy QB Jayden Daniels missing rushing opportunities and relying on his safety stats instead.
The Chargers backfield was underrated by this group. Although it is widely believed that Los Angeles will rely heavily on the running game, Gus Edwards remained on the board until the 11th round, while JK Dobbins and Kimani Vidal were not drafted at all. In hindsight, this backfield deserved more attention.
Making progress with kickers and defenders
Drafting kickers and defensemen in the middle rounds is rightly frowned upon in fantasy circles, but there are reasons not to wait until the final two rounds to make these selections. Whether we like it or not, a kicker and defenseman are in our starting lineup every week, while many of the players we select in the later rounds spend the majority of the season on the bench or on the waivers list.
Andy Behrens, smarter than he looks, jumped two rounds and took his preferred options (Brandon Aubrey, Jets defense) in rounds 12-13. There’s little difference between the RBs and WRs selected in the last four rounds, and Andy arguably lost no value at other positions by selecting a kicker and defense early. Dalton Del Don, good at thinking outside the box, was the first manager to draft a defense (49ers), and Jason Klabacha is probably glad he took Justin Tucker in round 14 instead of waiting for someone like Matt Gay, selected in the last round.
As promised, here are the full results for each team:
