J.J. McCarthy: With one of the league's best offensive instructures in place, McCarthy should hit the ground running (maybe literally, too) in his debut season after missing 2024 with a torn meniscus. Kevin O'Connell had Sam Darnold playing at an MVP-caliber level for much of the year, and the team has a good offensive line with a talented group of weapons (Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson, etc.). Given his plus athleticism and environment, there is plenty of upside for a season similar to Bo Nix's rookie campaign (ADP of QB20+ with a top-10 finish).
Aaron Jones Sr.: Playing a full 17-game slate in his first season as a Viking, Jones set a career high in rushing yards (1,138), attempts (255) and attempts per game (15.0). In addition, he exceeded 50 catches for the third time in the past four seasons and has averaged at least 2.7 receptions per game for six consecutive seasons. Given his age (turns 31 in December) and the addition of Jordan Mason, it's likely that the Vikings scale back his workload some, especially as a rusher, but he remains a solid RB2 in fantasy.
Jordan Mason: With Christian McCaffrey sidelined, Mason eclipsed the 100-yard rushing mark and finished as a top-eight fantasy running back in three of the first four weeks of the 2024 NFL season. Going into the 2025 season, he'll "back up" Aaron Jones, but (close to) a 50-50 workload split is possible and Mason has standalone flex value with contingent upside in the event of an injury to Jones.
Jordan Love: Both Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers created (what many would describe as unnecessary) drama towards the tail end of their Packer tenures, but they also provided the franchise with tremendous stability at the position for three decades. Packers coach Matt LaFleur has talked up Love's "complete command" of Green Bay's offense, but growing pains should be expected as the franchise transitions to its next era. The team loaded up on several Day 2 pass catchers (Luke Musgrave, Jayden Reed, Tucker Kraft, etc.) in the draft to help support his long-term growth.
Aaron Jones: Before last season, Jones had three consecutive seasons with double-digit touchdowns. That said, he set career highs in rushing yards (1,121) and receptions (59) in 2022. Transitioning from Aaron Rodgers to Jordan Love adds some uncertainty, but Jones has 47-plus receptions in four consecutive seasons and 1,459-plus YFS in three of his past four seasons. Jones is undervalued heading into the 2023 season.
A.J. Dillon: Whether fantasy managers roster Jones or not, Dillon has stand-alone fantasy value and has finished as a top-30 fantasy running back in back-to-back seasons. During that span, Dillon has 435 touches including 62 receptions on 80 targets for 2,092 yards from scrimmage and 14 total touchdowns.
Christian Watson: Watson missed three of the team's first nine games, and he played more than one-third of the team's offensive snaps in only one game (Week 1) during that stretch. From Weeks 10-18, however, Watson racked up 31/523/7 on 52 targets over eight games and added 61 rushing yards and a score. He was fantasy's WR7 during that span.
Romeo Doubs: Doubs missed four games in 2022, but the fourth-rounder finished his rookie season with 42 catches for 425 yards and three touchdowns. As he competes with second-round rookie Jayden Reed for targets behind Watson, Doubs has the upside to outperform his current ADP.
Luke Musgrave: With Robert Tonyan now in Chicago, it will be a pair of rookie tight ends — Musgrave and Tucker Kraft — that top the depth chart. Musgrave is an extremely athletic tight end that can be used to create mismatches against linebackers and safeties.
We will use a variety of scoring formats — point per reception (PPR), half-PPR, standard scoring and even 2-QB leagues — and league sizes. The goal is to provide you with 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.
Jefferson is an easy choice for me at 1.01. Not only has he improved his production in each successive season, but he brokeRandy Moss's record for receiving yards through a player's first three seasons. During those three seasons, he's racked up a total of 324 receptions for 4,825 yards and 25 touchdowns.
With Tyreek Hill setting career highs in targets, receptions and yards, it's not a surprise that Waddle's targets dropped to 117 (in 2022) from 140 (in 2021). That said, he was utilized further downfield as his ADOT jumped to 12.7 (from 7.0), per PFF, and he led the NFL in yards per reception (18.1). He finished as fantasy's WR7 overall and was 13th on a per-game basis (13.0).
Before last season, Jones had three consecutive seasons with double-digit touchdowns. That said, he set career highs in rushing yards (1,121) and receptions (59) in 2022. Transitioning from Aaron Rodgers to Jordan Love adds some uncertainty, but Jones has 47-plus receptions in four consecutive seasons and 1,459-plus YFS in three of his past four seasons. Maybe this is a bit early, but Jones is undervalued heading into the 2023 season.
Conner has missed multiple games in all six of his NFL seasons including four games in 2022. In his two years with the Cardinals, he has a total of 385 carries for 1,534 yards (3.98 YPC) and 22 touchdowns while adding 83 catches for 675 yards and four touchdowns. The good news is that he should dominate backfield touches, as long as he remains healthy, even if his number of scoring opportunities will likely be down (perhaps significantly).
Excluding his rookie season (2017), Williams has averaged at least 14.2 yards per reception every year. While he missed four games last year, his 4.8/68.8 per-game numbers in 2022 were nearly identical to his 2021 career highs (4.8/71.6). Per PFF, Williams averaged 1.93 yards per route run in 2022, and that was just shy of his 2021 career high (1.97). Within the team's new offense, Williams should be moved around more often including more opportunities from the slot.
Johnson has more than 85 catches and 140 targets while leading the team in receiving yards in three consecutive seasons. Despite scoring 15 touchdowns in the previous two seasons (2020-21), Johnson set the NFL record in 2022 for most receptions (86) without a touchdown. In other words, some positive touchdown regression should be expected.
What a difference a year (and a new coaching staff) made for Lawrence! The 2021 NFL Draft's top overall pick completed 66.3% of his pass attempts for 7.0 yards per attempt, while throwing 25 touchdowns and only seven interceptions in 2022. (That compares to 59.6%, 6.0 Y/A and 12:17 TD-INT ratio in 2021.) In fact, Lawrence improved considerably as the season progressed — 69.7% completion rate, 7.4 Y/A and a 15-to-two TD-INT ratio from Weeks 9-18. Bigger things could/should be in store for Lawrence in 2023, as Calvin Ridley joins Christian Kirk, coming off career numbers (84/1108/8 in 2022), Evan Engram, and Travis Etienne.
Fumbling issues plagued Gibson's 2021 season, and he was inefficient last season (3.66 YPC) with career lows in both touches (195) and yards from scrimmage (899). Gibson has a minimum of 36 catches in each season with a career-high 46 last year and coach Ron Rivera referred to him as a "matchup nightmare for the opponent." With J.D. McKissic no longer on the roster, Gibson expects his role to include "third-down back, end-of-game situation, end-of-half situation and things like that."
Chances are that Justin Fields will lead the Bears in rushing, but Herbert has been highly efficient — career 5.02 YPC on 232 carries — through his first two NFL seasons. Given the volume of rush attempts by Fields, it should come as no surprise that the Bears ranked last in the NFL in running back receptions and 31st in running back targets in 2022. Even if Herbert leads the Bears running backs in both rushing and receiving, which I currently project, it's possible that fantasy managers are left wanting a bit more.
While Engram missed 14 games in his first three seasons (2017-19), he has missed only two games over the past three years. He posted career highs in receptions (73), yards (766) and catch rate (74.5%) in 2022.
McKinnon had nearly as many targets (71) as carries (72) last season, and he was extremely effective as a receiver. He ended the year with 56 catches for 512 yards (9.1 Y/R) and nine of his 10 touchdowns were receiving scores. While I have projected McKinnon for considerably fewer touchdowns in 2023, he could be a solid bye-week fill-in for this team, at a minimum.
Miles Sanders played a full 17-game last season, but he's currently dealing with a hamstring injury and appeared in only 12 games in both 2020 and 2021. While Sanders should be ready to go before Week 1, Hubbard would likely handle the largest share of the workload in the event that Sanders were to miss any time, and he averaged 4.9 YPC last season.
The Ravens won't be as run-heavy as they have historically been, but Edwards has averaged 5.2 yards per carry on his 501 carries since entering the league in 2018. Especially if J.K. Dobbins were to miss any time, Edwards would have quite a bit of upside and immediately become an RB2.
Higbee set career highs in targets (108, fourth-most among TEs) and receptions (72, fifth) in 2022. While Cooper Kupp missed nearly half of the season, Higbee's per-game numbers were actually better with Kupp (4.9/43 on 7.2 targets) than without Kupp (3.5/29 on 5.4 targets). At a position where volume is inconsistent outside of the elite options, there is value in the consistency of Higbee's volume.
Jordan Love: Both Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers created (what many would describe as unnecessary) drama towards the tail end of their Packer tenures, but they also provided the franchise with tremendous stability at the position for three decades. Packers coach Matt LaFleur has talked up Love's "complete command" of Green Bay's offense, but growing pains should be expected as the franchise transitions to its next era. The team loaded up on several Day 2 pass catchers (Luke Musgrave, Jayden Reed, Tucker Kraft, etc.) in the draft to help support his growth.
Aaron Jones: Before last season, Jones had three consecutive seasons with double-digit touchdowns. That said, he set career highs in rushing yards (1,121) and receptions (59) in 2022. Transitioning from Aaron Rodgers to Jordan Love adds some uncertainty, but Jones has 47-plus receptions in four consecutive seasons and 1,459-plus YFS in three of his past four seasons. Jones is undervalued heading into the 2023 season.
A.J. Dillon: Whether fantasy managers roster Jones or not, Dillon has stand-alone fantasy value and has finished as a top-30 fantasy running back in back-to-back seasons. During that span, Dillon has 435 touches including 62 receptions on 80 targets for 2,092 yards from scrimmage and 14 total touchdowns.
Christian Watson: Watson missed three of the team's first nine games, and he played more than one-third of the team's offensive snaps in only one game (Week 1) during that stretch. From Weeks 10-18, however, Watson racked up 31/523/7 on 52 targets over eight games and added 61 rushing yards and a score. He was fantasy's WR7 during that span.
Romeo Doubs: Doubs missed four games in 2022, but the fourth-rounder finished his rookie season with 42 catches for 425 yards and three touchdowns. As he competes with second-round rookie Jayden Reed for targets behind Watson, Doubs has the upside to outperform his current ADP.
Luke Musgrave: With Robert Tonyan now in Chicago, it will be a pair of rookie tight ends — Musgrave and Tucker Kraft — that top the depth chart. Musgrave is an extremely athletic tight end that can be used to create mismatches against linebackers and safeties.
Aaron Rodgers: While the reigning NFL MVP is back in Green Bay in 2022, the team's top playmaker isn't. Rodgers finished last season as fantasy's QB5, but Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs and Sammy Watkins won't make up for the loss of a difference maker like Davante Adams (and Marquez Valdez-Scantling).
Aaron Jones: A career-low four rushing touchdowns combined with a career-high six receiving touchdowns last season extended Jones' streak of double-digit touchdowns to three seasons. That said, Jones set three-year lows in touches (223), scrimmage yards (1,190) and touchdowns (10) in 2021. Even so, Jones still finished as a top-12 fantasy running back last season after a pair of top-five seasons the two years before.
A.J. Dillon: With Jamaal Williams off to Detroit, Dillon finished as fantasy's RB23 in half-PPR scoring formats in 2021. While he played two more games than Jones, his touches (221) and scrimmage yards (1,116) were nearly identical to Jones (223, 1,190) last season. Matt LaFleur recently referred to Jones and Dillon as "1A and 1A."
Allen Lazard: Lazard set career highs in receptions (40), yards (513) and touchdowns (eight) in 2021. While he has missed eight games over the past two seasons, he'll easily set new career highs in catches and yards as long as his health cooperates in 2022.
Christian Watson: The son of a former NFL safety, Watson makes the jump from the FCS to catching passes from Aaron Rodgers. Watson's combination of size (6' 4", 208 pounds) and speed (4.36 40-yard dash) is intriguing and he has the potential to emerge as a more useful fantasy option as the season progresses.
Romeo Doubs: A fourth-round pick out of Nevada, Doubs has impressed early in training camp, as ESPN's Rob Demovsky writes the rookie "looks NFL-ready" and was "star" early on in training camp practices. In addition, Aaron Rodgers talked about how expectations are "not going to be the standard for a normal rookie" with Doubs. There is an opportunity for Doubs to considerably exceed expectations as a rookie.
Robert Tonyan: Missing more than half of 2021, Tonyan's per-game targets remained nearly identical compared to 2020. That said, his catch rate plummeted from 88.1% (2020) to 62.1% (2021) and touchdown regression hit hard. After scoring 11 times (1 TD per 4.7 receptions) in 2020, he converted only two of his 18 catches into touchdowns last season. Given that Davante Adams is now in Vegas, there is some upside from his mid-tier TE2 ADP.
Aaron Rodgers: While the reigning NFL MVP is back in Green Bay in 2022, the team's top playmaker isn't. Rodgers finished last season as fantasy's QB5, but Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs and Sammy Watkins won't make up for the loss of a difference maker like Davante Adams (and Marquez Valdez-Scantling).
Aaron Jones: A career-low four rushing touchdowns combined with a career-high six receiving touchdowns last season extended Jones' streak of double-digit touchdowns to three seasons. That said, Jones set three-year lows in touches (223), scrimmage yards (1,190) and touchdowns (10) in 2021. Even so, Jones still finished as a top-12 fantasy running back last season after a pair of top-five seasons the two years before.
A.J. Dillon: With Jamaal Williams off to Detroit, Dillon finished as fantasy's RB23 in half-PPR scoring formats in 2021. While he played two more games than Jones, his touches (221) and scrimmage yards (1,116) were nearly identical to Jones (223, 1,190) last season.
Allen Lazard: Lazard set career highs in receptions (40), yards (513) and touchdowns (eight) in 2021. While he has missed eight games over the past two seasons, he'll easily set new career highs in catches and yards if his health cooperates in 2022.
Christian Watson: The son of a former NFL safety, Watson makes the jump from the FCS to catching passes from Aaron Rodgers. Watson's combination of size (6' 4", 208 pounds) and speed (4.36 40-yard dash) is intriguing with the potential to emerge as a useful fantasy option as the season progresses. Watson has opened training camp on the PUP list, following offseason knee surgery.
Romeo Doubs: A fourth-round pick out of Nevada, Doubs has impressed early in training camp, as ESPN's Rob Demovsky writes the rookie "looks NFL-ready" and was "star" of the second day of practice. There could be an opportunity for Doubs to exceed expectations as a rookie.
Robert Tonyan: Missing more than half of 2021, Tonyan's per-game targets remained nearly identical compared to 2020. That said, his catch rate plummeted from 88.1% (2020) to 62.1% (2021) and touchdown regression hit hard. After scoring 11 times (1 TD per 4.7 receptions) in 2020, he converted only two of his 18 catches into touchdowns last season. Given that Davante Adams is now in Vegas, there is some upside from his mid-tier TE2 ADP.
Prediction we missed: Re-signing Aaron Jones is too big of a risk.
Even if Jones' numbers aren't quite what they were last season, his importance to the offense should not have been underestimated. He is so versatile in the running game and passing game. He already has four touchdown catches (a career high) and has four games with four or more receptions this season. Re-signing him went against the Packers' history of not paying running backs big money, but so far it has worked out. -- Rob Demovsky
The Packers have now won six straight since their ugly Week 1 defeat to Saints, but this still doesn't feel like a team firing on all cylinders. Green Bay was badly outgained by a middling Washington squad that could have scored one of the biggest upsets of the season had it executed better in the red zone. The Packers deserve credit for getting those big stops in close, of course, but Matt LaFleur's group will need to be better when the competition stiffens. That comes Thursday with a road matchup against the undefeated Cardinals -- a challenge that becomes far more imposing if Davante Adams (reserve/COVID-19 list) is unable to suit up.
Despite a lot of injuries on defense, they keep winning games. That defense will be challenged in a big way by the Cardinals this week. They might not have Davante Adams, which will hurt.
The first team to win six straight after losing the opener by at least 35 points, they head to desert for enticing matchup with Arizona -- which will mark the highest combined winning percentage (.929) of opponents in a post-September Thursday night game during Super Bowl era (since 1966). But pandemic is already putting a damper on showdown, All-Pro WR Davante Adams landing on COVID/reserve list Monday.
Trick or treat: A rash of positive COVID-19 tests has created a scare in Green Bay this week. Defensive coordinator Joe Barry will be out Thursday night and star wide receiver Davante Adams might miss the spotlight game at Arizona, too. The offense hasn't dazzled over the last two games but the Packers still have run their win streak to six. They visit Kansas City in Week 9, so we'll see how ready some of the Packers' young defenders are for the big stage.
Aaron Rodgers: While "his future [was] in Jeopardy," the offseason drama between Rodgers and the Packers front office is now fortunately behind us (at least until next offseason). The reigning and three-time MVP, Rodgers led the NFL in completion percentage (70.7%), passing touchdowns (48, 9.1%) and passer rating (121.5) last season. All of those were either career highs or the second-best of his Hall-of-Famer career. That said, it would be unrealistic to expect him to duplicate last year's 9.1 TD%, nearly double his rate from 2019 (4.6%) and much higher than his career average (6.3%).
Aaron Jones: One year after leading the NFL in touchdowns (19, 2019), Jones averaged a career-high 5.89 yards per touch for the league's top-scoring offense. Through four NFL seasons, Jones has averaged at least 5.5 yards per carry in three of them. Even though he missed two games and scored eight fewer touchdowns in 2020, he has finished as a top-five fantasy running back in consecutive seasons.
A.J. Dillon: With 21/124/2 against the Titans in Week 16, fantasy managers got a glimpse of what Dillon could do in a lead-back role. With Aaron Jones re-upping with the Packers, however, that won't happen as long as Jones is on the field. Unlike Jamaal Williams, who's now in Detroit, Dillon isn't much of a receiver out of the backfield, but his upside is through the roof if Jones were to miss any time.
Davante Adams: Not only did Adams miss two games in 2020, but he has missed multiple games in three of his past four seasons. Even so, the seven-year veteran led the NFL in receiving touchdowns (18) and yards per game (98.1) and also set a career high in receptions (115). With double-digit touchdowns in four of five seasons, Adams has a total of 58 scores in 71 games over that span. With Aaron Rodgers still playing at an MVP level, Adams moves back into the WR1 spot with the Rodgers drama behind us.
Randall Cobb: Naturally, Cobb is excited to reunite with Rodgers and the Packers. In his previous three seasons in Green Bay, however, Cobb averaged only 46.9 (2016), 43.5 (2017) and 42.6 (2018), respectively. That said, he's likely to rank second behind Adams among the team's receivers in target share.
Allen Lazard: Even if Lazard emerges as the team's second-most productive fantasy receiver after Davante Adams, he's unlikely to be a consistent fantasy performer.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling: A big play waiting to happen, Valdes-Scantling led the NFL in Y/R (20.9) last season and had a career high in yards (690) and touchdowns (six). On the other hand, MVS had five games with no catches and two games with only one catch despite Rodgers playing at an MVP level. Fantasy managers should expect some boom and bust weeks from MVS.
Amari Rodgers: Earlier this offseason, The Athletic's Matt Schneidman dubbed Rodgers as the team's breakout candidate for 2021. Coincidentally, Tee Martin (Rodgers' father) coached former (and again current) Packer receiver Randall Cobb at Kentucky. With Cobb returning to Green Bay, that almost certainly postpones that breakout until 2022.
Robert Tonyan: Entering 2020 with only 14 career receptions, Tonyan nearly scored as many touchdowns (12 counting the playoffs) as he had career receptions prior to last season. While teammate Davante Adams led the NFL with 18 touchdown receptions, Tonyan's 11 regular-season scores tied a position high with Travis Kelce.
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.
One year after leading the NFL in touchdowns (19, 2019), Jones averaged a career-high 5.89 yards per touch for the league's top-scoring offense. Through four NFL seasons, Jones has averaged at least 5.5 yards per carry in three of them. Even though he missed two games and scored eight fewer touchdowns in 2020, he has finished as a top-five fantasy running back in consecutive seasons.
Ridley closed the season the same way he started it -- with 100-plus yards in four of five games. Along with Davante Adams (six) and Stefon Diggs (three), Ridley was one of three receivers to finish as a top-two weekly fantasy receiver at least three times in 2020. Ridley finished last season with 90 catches on 143 targets for 1,374 yards and nine touchdowns and is a top-four fantasy wide receiver in 2021 with Julio Jones in Tennessee.
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.
Although he set a career low in yards per game (62.9), Evans exceeded the 1,000-yard mark -- now seven consecutive seasons to begin his career -- and set a career high with 13 scores. The Bucs have franchise taggedChris Godwin and re-signed Antonio Brown, which could lead to more week-to-week inconsistency for all of the team's receivers. That said, there's tremendous upside with Evans as my WR3.
Filling in for a mostly-injured Christian McCaffrey in 2020, Davis performed as a top-15 (half-PPR) fantasy running back last season. Limited competition for running back touches makes Davis a back-end RB2/flex option in 2021 with Arthur Smith taking over as Atlanta's head coach.
While Murray played all 16 games, shoulder and leg injuries slowed him a bit down the stretch. Even so, he finished his sophomore campaign as fantasy's QB2 (and was QB1 after Week 16). When healthy, Murray scored more than 20 fantasy points and finished as a top-12 fantasy quarterback in 10 consecutive games to start the season. Heading into 2021, Murray will be a top-four option once again even if he hopes to run a little bit less.
Shenault Jr. played only 10 snaps in Week 9 and then missed the following two games. Outside of those three games, the rookie had a minimum of three receptions in every game. Over the final five games of the season, he had 25 catches (on 36 targets) for 246 yards and four touchdowns and added six carries for 31 yards and he was the WR16 (PPR scoring) over that stretch.
The former fourth-round pick out of Fordham has averaged 4.4 yards per carry and 7.2 yards per reception over his first three NFL seasons. With Kenyan Drake out and James Conner in, Edmonds' workload will almost certainly exceed the 150 touches he had in 2020. This eighth-round draft-day cost seems priced fairly close to his floor, but there is plenty of upside as well.
Williams' 2020 numbers were a bit disappointing (48/756/5) and he finished as a top-36 (half-PPR) weekly wide receiver in only four of 15 weeks played last year. Before that, however, Williams scored double-digit touchdowns in 2018 and led the NFL in yards per reception (20.4) in 2019, his only 1,000-yard season. Offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi has said that he'd "bet on nice numbers coming from [Williams] on the stat sheet, that's for sure."
While I prefer Moss over Devin Singletary, a concern for both is that Josh Allen has 25 rushing touchdowns over the past three seasons. That said, there is some breakout potential for Moss if he's able to stay healthy.
The fifth-year tight end saw a year-over-year dip in targets (60), receptions (44) and yards (521), but he did set a career high in touchdowns (five), though three were caught in one game. With Gerald Everett signing with Seattle and the team trading for Matthew Stafford, there is optimism for improved numbers from Higbee.
Callaway has generated some training camp buzz and has the potential to be the team's most productive receiver for as long as Michael Thomas (ankle) is out. Either way, he's an upside sleeper pick in the double-digit rounds.
Fun watching Marquez Callaway really take ownership of being the top dog at receiver right now. Playing with so much confidence.
The Cards will look to manufacture touches for their dynamic rookie. Playing only seven games over the past two collegiate seasons, Moore was uber-productive as a true freshman in 2018 (114/1258/12 receiving and 21/213/2 rushing). It's certainly possible that Moore performs as Arizona's second-best receiver.
A surprise first-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, Penny has failed to live up to his draft pedigree. On relatively limited touches, however, Penny has been efficient -- 5.1 YPC and 9.3 Y/R -- and Carson's violent running style could lead to a missed game (or several). While it's become a cliche, Penny enters 2021 in the best shape of his life.
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.
One year after leading the NFL in touchdowns (19, 2019), Jones averaged a career-high 5.89 yards per touch for the league's top-scoring offense. Through four NFL seasons, Jones has averaged at least 5.5 yards per carry in three of them. Even though he missed two games and scored eight fewer touchdowns in 2020, he has finished as a top-five fantasy running back in consecutive seasons.
Ridley closed the season the same way he started it -- with 100-plus yards in four of five games. Along with Davante Adams (six) and Stefon Diggs (three), Ridley was one of three receivers to finish as a top-two weekly fantasy receiver at least three times in 2020. Ridley finished last season with 90 catches on 143 targets for 1,374 yards and nine touchdowns and is a top-four fantasy wide receiver in 2021 with Julio Jones in Tennessee.
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.
Godwin finished a disappointing 2020 campaign with a receiving line of 65/840/7 as he averaged 25.2 fewer yards per game than in 2019. An assortment of injuries (four missed games) and the presence of Antonio Brown (7.75 targets per game) interfered with Godwin's consistency last season. That could be frustrating again in 2021, but he gives me three receivers inside my top-16 PPR fantasy football wide receivers as starters for this roster.
Andrews missed a couple of games, but the third-year tight end led the team in YPG (50.1). The main concern with Andrews' outlook is that even if he gets the biggest slice of the pie, the team's passing offense averaged a league-low 171.2 yards per game in 2020.
Jacobs played 15 of 16 games, scored 12 touchdowns (compared to seven in 2019) and only Derrick Henry and Dalvin Cook had more touches than Jacobs (306) in 2020. The addition of Kenyan Drake to the backfield, however, should lead to fewer touches and especially fewer targets in 2021. While I'm not proactively targeting him in drafts, I think he's at least fairly valued here.
The former fourth-round pick out of Fordham has averaged 4.4 yards per carry and 7.2 yards per reception over his first three NFL seasons. With Kenyan Drake out and James Conner in, Edmonds' workload will almost certainly exceed the 150 touches he had in 2020. Given Edmonds' RB3/flex ADP, his draft-day cost seems priced fairly close to his floor, but there is plenty of upside as well.
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.
Joining the Cardinals on a one-year deal, Conner will steal some early-down carries from Edmonds and could potentially be in a fairly even split. If he can stay healthy and earn a larger role, there is plenty of upside for Conner as well (as Edmonds).
A fifth-round pick out of Tulane, Mooney had a highly productive rookie campaign (61/631/4). Earlier this offseason, coach Matt Nagy talked up Mooney by saying that he "has a rare element of speed, combined with route-running, hands and passion. And commitment." With the Bears trading Anthony Miller to the Texans, it only further boosts Mooney's outlook for 2021.
With the Falcons trading Julio Jones to Tennessee, Gage should rank second or third on the team in receiving behind Calvin Ridley and possibly rookie Kyle Pitts in 2021. Gage set career highs across the board in 2020 with 72 catches, 110 targets, 786 yards and four touchdowns.
McKissic ranked top three on the team in receptions (80), targets (110) and receiving yards (589) in 2020 and only Alvin Kamara (83) had more receptions among running backs. With a quarterback less likely to check down and Gibson's ability as a receiver (and potentially increased target share), there could be much fewer opportunities for McKissic in 2021.
A surprise first-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, Penny has failed to live up to his draft pedigree. On relatively limited touches, however, Penny has been efficient -- 5.1 YPC and 9.3 Y/R -- and Carson's violent running style could lead to a missed game (or several). While it's become a cliche, Penny enters 2021 in the best shape of his life.
Over the past two seasons at LSU (including 2019 with Panthers OC Joe Brady), Marshall scored a total of 23 touchdowns. Injury concerns led to his slide to the bottom of Round 2, but he should start immediately in three-wide sets with D.J. Moore and Anderson and all three of Moore, Anderson and Curtis Samuel finished as top-25 PPR receivers in 2020.
