Starting on June 10th, we began drafting (at least) one fantasy football team per day using the 2017 Fantasy Football Mock Draft Simulator and we will continue to do so up until the start of the 2017 NFL season.
Each day, we will switch things up -- e.g., PPR vs. standard scoring, league size, draft slot, 2-QB leagues, auction leagues, etc.
In addition, we will centralize links to our daily fantasy football mock drafts for an easy way to keep track of our mock drafts.
Details of today's mock draft:
- Scoring: Standard scoring (i.e., not PPR scoring)
- # of Teams: 10
- Draft Slot: 4
- Starters: QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, TE, Flex (RB/WR/TE), K, DST
- Bench Size: 6
1.04 - Julio Jones, WR, Atlanta Falcons: With 1,400-plus yards in each of the past three seasons, Jones has averaged more than 100 yards per game in four consecutive seasons. A clear-cut top-three fantasy wide receiver, the only concern is his relative lack of touchdowns -- 40 career TDs on 497 receptions and 777 targets -- despite his elite combination of size and speed.
2.07 - Dez Bryant, WR, Dallas Cowboys: Even though no team called a pass on a lower percentage of their plays, Bryant is a dominant presence in the red zone. Dez has a league-high 52 receiving touchdowns (in 70 games) over the past five seasons.
3.04 - Leonard Fournette, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars: Fournette is a back with a rare combination of size, power and speed and the Jags should make him their workhorse sooner rather than later. Given their strong defense (and poor quarterback play), the Jags are likely to shift to a run-heavy approach.
4.07 - Demaryius Thomas, WR, Denver Broncos: Thomas set five-year lows across the board: 90 receptions, 1,083 yards and five touchdowns; not bad for "five-year lows." Before last season, he had averaged 100/1,447/10 in his previous four seasons. It's reasonable to expect an improvement over last year's numbers even if he doesn't return to a 100/1,400/10 level of production.
5.04 - Carlos Hyde, RB, San Francisco 49ers: Through the first four rounds, I have three receivers among my top-10 fantasy wide receivers. The plan here was to load up on the RB2/RB3 types for depth. Through three NFL seasons, Hyde has played 34 of 48 games and missed multiple games each season. Despite concerns earlier in the offseason about how he may fit in Shanahan's offense, Hyde will enter the season as the team's lead back and has plenty of upside, health permitting.
6.07 - Ameer Abdullah, RB, Detroit Lions: After missing all but two games last season due to a Lisfranc injury, Abdullah goes into the 2017 season as the Lions starting running back. On a per-touch basis, Abdullah was off to a good start last year -- 18/101 (5.6 YPC) rushing and 5/57/1 (11.4 Y/R) receiving -- and there is definitely some fantasy breakout potential in 2017.
7.04 - Tevin Coleman, RB, Atlanta Falcons: Once again, Coleman has missed multiple games, but he showed his big-play ability when he was on the field. While Devonta Freeman will continue to lead the backfield in usage and production, Coleman had double-digit touches in 11 of his 13 games last year and finished the season as a top-20 fantasy running back.
8.07 - Adrian Peterson, RB, New Orleans Saints: Mark Ingram may have a higher salary and be listed as the "starter," but it wouldn't be much of a surprise if Peterson emerged as the leader in terms of workload split (and production) in that duo. With double-digit rushing scores every year he's played at least four games, the ceiling for AP is through the roof in the high-powered, Drew Brees-led offense.
9.04 - Danny Woodhead, RB, Baltimore Ravens: Missing the majority of the 2014 and 2016 seasons, Woodhead has played just 21 games over the past three years. While more valuable in PPR formats, Woodhead has finished as a top-24 fantasy running back (standard scoring) in each of his past three full seasons. Given the season-ending injury to Kenneth Dixon, it's possible that Woodhead extends that streak if he can stay healthy.
10.07 - Thomas Rawls, RB, Seattle Seahawks: If Rawls can stay healthy, it wouldn't surprise me if he has some big games despite the free-agent signing of Eddie Lacy. Over the past two seasons, Rawls has five 100-yard rushing games -- only eight players have more -- despite getting 10-plus carries in only 12 games over that two-year span.
11.04 - Zach Ertz, TE, Philadelphia Eagles: Over the past two seasons, Ertz has a minimum of 75 catches and 816 yards each season and he once again closed the season strong. Over his final five games last season, Ertz caught 40 of 54 targets for 443 yards and three touchdowns. Even though the Eagles have added Alshon Jeffery (and Torrey Smith) to the receiving corps, trading away Jordan Matthews is a positive for Ertz's fantasy outlook.
12.07 - Marcus Mariota, QB, Tennessee Titans: Finishing as fantasy's QB12 in 2016, Mariota threw for 3,426 yards, 26 touchdowns and nine interceptions while also running a little more often (60/349/2). Given the team's offseason investments to put an improved supporting cast around Mariota, 2017 should be even better — perhaps much better — for this ascending dual-threat quarterback.
13.04 - Hunter Henry, TE, Los Angeles Chargers: Henry finished his rookie campaign with 36/478/8 and he was especially productive during a four-game stretch early in the season (18/290/3 from Weeks 3 to 6). Even with Antonio Gates back, it's likely that Henry leads the position group in targets and production.
14.07 - Houston Texans DST
15.04 - Robby Anderson, WR, New York Jets: Productive last year (42/587/2), Anderson had a five-game stretch where he exceeded 60 receiving yards four times. Moving into the No. 1 receiver role due to roster moves and/or injury, Anderson could finish as a top-50 fantasy wide receiver this season.
16.07 - Cairo Santos, K, Kansas City Chiefs
- View full mock draft results here
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