Tuesday, July 31, 2018

2018 Fantasy Football Mock Draft: 12 Teams, 10th Pick

As the saying goes, practice makes perfect. While we may not be able to draft a "perfect" fantasy football team, the more we practice, the better our teams will be.

Starting on July 7th, we began drafting (at least) one fantasy football team per day using the 2018 Fantasy Football Mock Draft Simulator and we will continue to do so up until the start of the 2018 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.

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Details of today's mock draft:
  • Scoring: Standard scoring (i.e., non-PPR scoring)
  • # of Teams: 12
  • Draft Slot: 10
  • Starters: QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, TE, Flex (RB/WR/TE), K, DST
  • Bench Size: 6

With that said, here are the results of today's mock draft:

1.10 - Julio Jones, WR, Atlanta Falcons: With 1,400-plus yards in each of the past four seasons, Jones has a total of 6,317 receiving yards during that four-year span. Only Antonio Brown (6,349) has more and both have more than 1,200 yards more than DeAndre Hopkins (5,063, third).

2.03 - Leonard Fournette, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars: Missing three games as a rookie, Fournette was less than 100 percent for several others but managed to finish as fantasy's RB8 (RB10 in PPR) in Jacksonville's run-first scheme. Down to his lowest weight (223 pounds) since high school, Fournette's drop in weight should help with explosiveness and durability. With the league's best defense and a run-first offensive philosophy, the workhorse back has a chance to lead the NFL in carries if he can stay healthy for a full season.

3.10 - Adam Thielen, WR, Minnesota Vikings: Thielen has only 10 touchdowns in his four NFL seasons, but the former UDFA built upon his breakout 2016 season to lead the team in targets (142), receptions (91) and receiving yards (1,276).

4.03 - Demaryius Thomas, WR, Denver Broncos: Thomas is coming off his worst season (83/949/5) since breaking out in 2012 -- Peyton Manning's first year in Denver. Signing Case Keenum may not return Thomas to the days of 90/1,400/10 numbers he posted from 2012 to 2014, but a bounce-back campaign to the tune of 85 catches and 1,100 yards seems reasonable with steadier quarterback play.

- MORE: 12 Undervalued Players Compared to Fantasy ADP

5.10 - Corey Davis, WR, Tennessee Titans: The fifth-overall pick in last year's draft, Davis has the tools to become a true No. 1 receiver in the league. Injuries slowed him down in his rookie campaign as he finished with a 34/375/0 (regular-season) line. Healthy and impressing during offseason workouts, Davis has the potential for a breakout 2018 season.

6.03 - Cam Newton, QB, Carolina Panthers: Since entering the league in 2011, Newton has finished as a top-four fantasy quarterback in all but two seasons (2014 and 2016). Of course, a huge part of his fantasy success is generated by his rushing production. Averaging 7.7 rushing scores per season, Newton has 100-plus rush attempts and 500-plus rushing yards every year except for 2016.

7.10 - Marshawn Lynch, RB, Oakland Raiders: After taking a year off, Lynch returned to the NFL and rushed for 891 yards and seven touchdowns and added 20 catches for 151 yards in 2017.

8.03 - Tevin Coleman, RB, Atlanta Falcons: Even if he's the 2 to Devonta Freeman in the team's 1-2 rushing attack, Coleman has finished as a top-24 running back and exceeded 900 yards from scrimmage each season with 19 total touchdowns since 2016.

9.10 - Rex Burkhead, RB, New England Patriots: Burkhead scored eight touchdowns (in 10 games) as he rushed for 264 yards and added 30 catches for 254 yards. I'm the exception to the rule, I suppose, but I actually prefer Burkhead over rookie Sony Michel.

10.03 - Trey Burton, TE, Chicago Bears: Burton had 23 catches for 248 yards and five touchdowns as the second tight end behind Zach Ertz for the Super Bowl champs last season. Burton has plenty of breakout potential in Matt Nagy's offense in Kansas City.

11.10 - Giovani Bernard, RB, Cincinnati Bengals: Joe Mixon missed a couple of games, but Bernard was highly productive down the stretch. In five December games, Bernard had 507 YFS, averaged 4.75 YPC with 24 receptions and two scores.

- MORE: 12 Undervalued Players Compared to Fantasy ADP

12.03 - George Kittle, TE, San Francisco 49ers: Ending the season with a bang, Kittle had four catches for 100 yards in Week 17 against the Rams and he finished his rookie campaign with 43/515/2. Among rookie tight ends, only New York's Evan Engram had more receptions or yards.

13.10 - Chris Ivory, RB, Buffalo Bills: Ivory averaged a career-low 3.4 YPC for Jacksonville last season and the 30-year-old back signed a two-year deal with Buffalo. With LeSean McCoy facing serious allegations, Ivory would be the first option if McCoy were to miss any time.

14.03 - Los Angeles Chargers D/ST

15.10 - Stephen Gostkowski, K, New England Patriots

16.03 - Tyrell Williams, WR, Los Angeles Chargers: With Keenan Allen out for virtually of 2016, Williams had a breakout season with 69 catches for 1,059 yards and seven touchdowns. With Allen healthy, Williams had 43/728/4 in 2017 — and that level of production is a more reasonable expectation barring an Allen injury in 2018.

- View full mock draft results here

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