The best way to become good at something is to practice. So, what should you do if you want to draft a better fantasy football team?
Practice, of course!
Leading up to the start of the 2021 NFL season, we will use the 2021 Fantasy Football Mock Draft Simulator (powered by FantasyPros) to complete fantasy football mock drafts.
We will use a variety of scoring formats -- PPR, half-PPR, standard scoring and even 2-QB leagues, league sizes and draft slots. The goal is to give you a good representation of the team that you may be able to construct given your league settings and the rationale of why we made the picks we did.
+ Our mocks will be tracked here: Fantasy Football Mock Drafts.
That said, nothing beats practicing yourself so (check out the simulator) and complete a mock in a matter of minutes.
Non-PPR Mock Draft: 12 Teams, 11th Pick
1.11 - Tyreek Hill, WR, Kansas City Chiefs
Few players at any position have as much upside as Hill to erupt for a massive performance in any given week. Setting a career high in touchdowns (17), Hill had 87 receptions for 1,276 yards and 13 carries for 123 yards in 2020.
2.02 - Joe Mixon, RB, Cincinnati Bengals
Mixon appeared in only six games in 2020 and he has now missed multiple games in three of his four NFL seasons. That said, Mixon had a minimum of 19 touches in the six games in which he appeared in 2020. Through Week 6, Mixon had more carries (119) than all running backs not named Derrick Henry (123) and was top 10 among running backs in targets (26). With Giovani Bernard now in Tampa, Mixon should be even more involved as a receiver.
More: Joe Mixon 2021 Fantasy Football Outlook
3.11 - Chris Carson, RB, Seattle Seahawks
Few teams want to establish the run more than the Seahawks so returning to Seattle on a two-year deal was Carson's ideal landing spot. Even though the Seahawks let Russell Wilson "cook" in the first half of the year, Carson performed as a weekly fantasy RB13 or better in four of the team's five games before their Week 6 bye. In fact, he was a top-five performer from Weeks 1 to 5. Coming out of the bye, Carson sustained a foot injury in Week 7 that kept him out of several games. Carson's physical running style lends itself to a greater propensity to get banged up, but he will likely be undervalued in fantasy drafts this summer.
More: 10 Undervalued Players in 2021 Fantasy Football Drafts
4.02 - Amari Cooper, WR, Dallas Cowboys
Cooper finished 2020 with a career-high 92 receptions for 1,114 yards and five touchdowns. It was his third consecutive 1,000-yard season and fifth of his career. In 41 games as a member of the Cowboys, Cooper has averaged 73.9 yards per game. Recovering from ankle surgery, Cooper is expected to return to practice after the Aug. 13th preseason game and play a few snaps before the regular season begins.
More: CeeDee Lamb 2021 Fantasy Football Outlook
5.11 - Mike Davis, RB, Atlanta Falcons
Filling in for a mostly-injured Christian McCaffrey in 2020, Davis performed as a top-15 (half-PPR) fantasy running back last season. With limited competition for running back touches, Davis will have at least flex appeal, especially with Arthur Smith (most recently OC in Tennessee) taking over as Atlanta's head coach.
6.02 - Tee Higgins, WR, Cincinnati Bengals
From Week 2 until Week 11 (Joe Burrow's knee injury), Higgins scored the 19th-most fantasy points (half-PPR scoring) amongst wide receivers. With the Bengals drafting Ja'Marr Chase over Penei Sewell, it took some steam out of Higgins' opportunity to build upon his strong rookie season. On the other hand, A.J. Green and his 104 targets (6.5/G) are no longer on the roster.
7.11 - Justin Herbert, QB, Los Angeles Chargers
The reigning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, Herbert had at least 300 passing yards and/or multiple touchdowns in 13 of his 15 starts as a rookie. Even with a new coaching staff in place for the upcoming season, the second-year quarterback should benefit from a more normal offseason as he enters the season already entrenched as the starter. Not to mention, the offense should be more QB-friendly in 2021. It wouldn't surprise me if he makes a sophomore leap that catapults him into the top five or so QBs.
More: Los Angeles Chargers 2022 NFL Mock Draft Roundup
8.02 - D.J. Chark, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars
Chark missed three games in 2020 and averaged 12.9 yards per game less than in 2019, but improved quarterback play with Trevor Lawrence makes Chark a bounce-back candidate for 2021. Two seasons ago, Chark had 73 catches for 1,008 yards and eight touchdowns in his age-23 season. Chark had surgery on a broken finger, but he is expected to be ready for Week 1.
9.11 - Kenyan Drake, RB, Las Vegas Raiders
As lead backs for their respective teams in 2020, the duo of Josh Jacobs and Drake combined for a massive 570 touches last season. Obviously, that number will drop significantly now that they share a backfield, even if the Raiders plan to use Drake in a variety of ways including at receiver. With Drake often going in Round 9 or later in fantasy football mock drafts, Drake is worth the risk as an RB4+ this late.
10.02 - Devin Singletary, RB, Buffalo Bills
Singletary followed up his rookie season with 687 rushing yards (4.4 YPC) and two touchdowns to go along with 38 catches for 269 yards. While I would prefer Zack Moss over Singletary, neither is much more than a flex option heading into 2021, but he adds some depth as my RB5.
More: Buffalo Bills 2021 Fantasy Football Projections
11.11 - T.Y. Hilton, WR, Indianapolis Colts
Considering the wide range (5-12 weeks), it's unclear how much time Carson Wentz (foot surgery) will miss. But when he's on the field, his mobility to extend plays and stronger arm (compared to Philip Rivers) should help the speedy Hilton post improved numbers from 2020.
12.02 - Noah Fant, TE, Denver Broncos
Playing at less than 100% in 2020, Fant averaged only 10.9 Y/R after averaging 14.1 in 2019. Fant's ADOT (7.6 to 6.7) and YAC/R (8.3 to 6.1) both declined year over year, but he also set career highs in receptions (62) and yards (673).
More: Denver Broncos 2022 NFL Mock Draft Roundup
13.11 - Adam Trautman, TE, New Orleans Saints
A breakout candidate set for an expanded role in year two, Trautman will be a popular sleeper pick at tight end. Not only are Jared Cook and Josh Hill no longer on the roster, but Emmanuel Sanders (82 targets) is also gone and Michael Thomas is likely to miss the start of the season following recent ankle surgery.
14.02 - Colts DST, Indianapolis Colts
15.11 - Greg Zuerlein, K, Dallas Cowboys
16.02 - Jalen Reagor, WR, Philadelphia Eagles
Selected one pick before Justin Jefferson (88/1,400/7) in the 2020 NFL Draft, Reagor's disappointing 2020 campaign (31/391/1) becomes even more pronounced. Durability (five missed games) and sub-par quarterback play didn't help, but Reagor's breakout potential makes him a high-upside last-round pick.
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