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.
Details of today's mock draft:
- Scoring: Standard scoring (i.e., non-PPR scoring)
- # of Teams: 12
- Draft Slot: 9
- 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:
1.09 - 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 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 and rushing if he can stay healthy for a full season.
2.04 - Keenan Allen, WR, Los Angeles Chargers: Playing just eight games in 2015 and one game in 2016, Allen won the AP Comeback of the Year award as he posted career numbers (102/1,393/6) in a healthy 16-game campaign.
3.09 - Doug Baldwin, WR, Seattle Seahawks: Falling just shy of the 1,000-yard mark last season, Baldwin has 247/3,188/29 over the past three seasons and has finished as the WR7, WR10 and WR13, respectively, in standard-scoring formats over the past three seasons.
4.04 - 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.
5.09 - Mark Ingram, RB, New Orleans Saints: Even with rookie Alvin Kamara finishing as fantasy's RB4, Ingram set career highs in 2017 with 1,124 rushing yards, 12 touchdowns, 58 receptions and 416 receiving yards. Although he'll miss the first four games due to a PED suspension, that creates more fantasy appeal (to a certain degree) as there is a steep discount for his strong production from Weeks 5 to 16.
6.04 - Tom Brady, QB, New England Patriots: Recently turning 41, Brady has shown no signs of slowing down although Brady will be without Brandin Cooks, who was traded to L.A., and Julian Edelman (suspension) for the first four games. Finishing as fantasy's QB4, Brady threw for a league-high 4,577 yards in 2017 and he's a top-three quarterback for 2018.
7.09 - Emmanuel Sanders, WR, Denver Broncos: While Sanders missed four games, his 2017 numbers (47/555/2) were nearly half of his 2016 production (79/1,032/5). Before last season, Sanders had three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons and there is a reasonable chance that he approaches that level of production with Keenum under center.
8.04 - Isaiah Crowell, RB, New York Jets: Only 25 years old, Crowell signed a three-year deal in free agency with the Jets this offseason. With 850-plus rushing yards in each of the past two seasons, Crowell does not necessarily get an offensive upgrade with his new club, but I expect at least similar production in 2018.
9.09 - Chris Thompson, RB, Washington Redskins: Missing the final six games of the season, Thompson had 294 rushing yards, 39 catches for 510 yards and a total of six touchdowns through 10 games. Through Week 11 (his last game played), Thompson was the RB12 in fantasy football scoring.
10.04 - 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.
11.09 - 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 is a late-round value that could potentially return flex value.
12.04 - Jordan Reed, TE, Washington Redskins: If he ever puts together a 16-game season, Reed has the potential to lead all tight ends in fantasy points. Unfortunately, he has missed at least four games in four of his five NFL seasons including 10 missed games last season. In his healthiest season (14 games in 2015), Reed had a monster 87/952/11 line.
13.09 - 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, however, there is upside for Brown in 2018 and he has had a good training camp.
14.04 - Houston Texans D/ST
15.09 - Austin Ekeler, RB, Los Angeles Chargers: Finishing as a top-50 fantasy back in 2017, Ekeler has a reasonable chance to do so again as Melvin Gordon's backup. As a rookie, Ekeler had 539 YFS, 27 catches, 5.5 YPC and five TDs.
16.04 - Justin Tucker, K, Baltimore Ravens
- View full mock draft results here
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