Monday, August 27, 2018

2018 Fantasy Football Mock Draft: 12 Teams, 3rd 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: 3
  • Starters: QB, 2 RB, 2 WR, TE, Flex (RB/WR/TE), K, DST
  • Bench Size: 6

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

1.03 - David Johnson, RB, Arizona Cardinals: Missing all but part of Week 1 last year, Johnson is two seasons removed from 2,118 yards from scrimmage, 80 catches and 20 touchdowns. The ambitious goals he set for himself in 2017 -- 1,000 rushing yards and 1,000 receiving yards -- remain his goals for 2018. The order may be debatable, but Johnson is a top-four fantasy back along side Todd Gurley, Le'Veon Bell and Ezekiel Elliott.

2.10 - Jordan Howard, RB, Chicago Bears: A top-10 fantasy back in both seasons to start his career, Howard has rushed for 1,100-plus yards in back-to-back seasons. Through his first two seasons with the Bears, Howard has a franchise-high 2,435 rushing yards. Some have concerns about Howard's ability as a receiver, but apparently new coach Matt Nagy does not belong to that group."

3.03 - T.Y. Hilton, WR, Indianapolis Colts: Failing to reach the 1,000-yard mark for the first time since his rookie season, the new offense and return of Andrew Luck bodes well for Hilton, who led the NFL with 1,448 receiving yards in 2016. While he likely won't lead the league in receiving yards again, a bounce-back season should be in the cards for Hilton.

4.10 - 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.

5.03 - 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 in his debut season with the Patriots. Even though the Patriots used a first-round pick on Sony Michel, Burkhead currently has been my highest-ranked Patriots running back all summer.

6.10 - Michael Crabtree, WR, Baltimore Ravens: As part of a 1-2 punch with Amari Cooper in Oakland, Crabtree now becomes his team's clear No. 1 wideout. Over the past three seasons, Crabtree has 25 touchdowns -- eight-plus in each of the past three seasons.

7.03 - Carson Wentz, QB, Philadelphia Eagles: Missing the final three (regular-season) games, Wentz avoided the active/PUP list and appears likely to be under center for Week 1 even though Wentz himself said "[i]t's gonna be close." Before last year's injury, Wentz threw 33 touchdowns to only seven interceptions in 13 games and trailed only Russell Wilson in fantasy points scored (through Week 14). With good health in 2018, Wentz has top-five upside.

8.10 - Robby Anderson, WR, New York Jets: While his legal matters may now be resolved, Anderson could face league discipline from his off-field issues. In terms of on-field production, however, he had a career season (63/941/7) and was especially productive from Weeks 7 to 13. During that six-game span, Anderson had 100-plus yards and/or a touchdown every week and posted a 31/525/6 line.

9.03 - Delanie Walker, TE, Tennessee Titans: Extending his streak of 800-yard seasons to four, Walker finished as fantasy's TE7 in his age-33 season. The veteran tight end has finished as a top-12 fantasy tight end in all five of his seasons with the Titans and should do so again.

10.10 - Evan Engram, TE, New York Giants: Rookie tight ends typically struggle, but Engram had a highly productive rookie season (64/722/6, TE5). Based on talent, Engram could take another step forward in 2018, but he may not see as much volume (115 targets) in 2018 with better health from Odell Beckham and the team's receivers along with the addition of rookie Saquon Barkley.

11.03 - Giovani Bernard, RB, CIncinnati Bengals: Joe Mixon missed a couple of December games, but Bernard was highly productive down the stretch. Gio had 507 YFS, averaged 4.75 YPC with 24 receptions and two scores across five December games. Gio offers late-round value as a back that could return flex value.

12.10 - John Brown, WR, Baltimore Ravens: Since his breakout 2015 season (65/1,003/7), Brown has 60 catches for 816 yards and five touchdowns in 25 games over the past two seasons. If his health cooperates, there is upside for Brown in 2018.

13.03 - Philadelphia Eagles D/ST

14.10 - Frank Gore, RB, Miami Dolphins: Returning home to Miami, the 35-year-old Gore has been incredibly durable -- seven consecutive 16-game seasons. Remarkably consistent, Gore has finished as a top-20 fantasy running back every season except for his rookie campaign, although he has averaged less than 4.0 YPC in each of the past three seasons. Listed as the co-starter with Kenyan Drake, it's possible that the veteran back once again exceeds expectations.

15.03 - Greg Zuerlein, K, Los Angeles Rams

- View full mock draft results here

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