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: 4
- 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:
1.04 - Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Dallas Cowboys: The rushing champion as a rookie, Elliott served a six-game suspension in 2017 but led the league in rushing yards per game (98.3) with a larger workload (24.2 carries per game) in his sophomore campaign. With limited weapons in the passing game, Elliott and the Cowboys will face many eight-men fronts, but the former Buckeye should get north of 300 carries with a chance for another rushing title.
- MORE: Dallas Cowboys 2018 Fantasy Football Projections
2.09 - Mike Evans, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Despite posting a career-low 1,001 yards last season, Evans has now begun his career with four consecutive 1,000-yard seasons. While the three-game suspension of Jameis Winston doesn't help his fantasy cause, Evans has 32 touchdowns and a pair of 12-score campaigns over his four NFL seasons.
3.04 - Jerick McKinnon, RB, San Francisco 49ers: Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee recently wrote: "The over/under on his catches for the season might be 73, the highest number that Devonta Freeman caught when Shanahan was coaching him with the Falcons." Running backs in Kyle Shanahan's offense typically flourish and McKinnon has a ton of upside this year.
4.09 - Demaryius Thomas, WR, Denver Broncos: DT is coming off his worst season (83/949/5) since breaking out in 2012. 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 90 catches and 1,200 yards seems reasonable with steadier quarterback play.
5.04 - Mark Ingram, RB, New Orleans Saints: To a certain degree, Ingram's four-game suspension creates more fantasy appeal. With Zeke and McKinnon holding down the RB1/RB2 spots in Weeks 1 to 4, I don't need Ingram, but I get Ingram's Week 5 to 16 production at a reduced cost.
6.09 - Tevin Coleman, RB, Atlanta Falcons: Even if he's the 2 in the team's 1-2 rushing attack, Coleman has finished as a top-24 running back and exceeded 900 yards from scrimmage in each of the past two seasons. The contract-year back has scored 19 total touchdowns since 2016.
7.04 - 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.
8.09 - Kyle Rudolph, TE, Minnesota Vikings: Rudolph's targets dropped year over year (132 to 81), but he still finished as fantasy's TE6 in 2017. He posted a 57/532/8 stat line last season and those numbers form a reasonable expectation for the upcoming season.
9.04 - Randall Cobb, WR, Green Bay Packers: Since exceeding 800-plus yards in his three healthy seasons from 2012 to 2015, Cobb has 600-something yards in back-to-back seasons. His 43.5 yards per game and 9.9 yards per catch were either the lowest of his career or since his rookie season. Given a secure WR2 role (with the release of Jordy Nelson this offseason), Cobb could bounce back provided that he and Aaron Rodgers can stay healthy.
10.09 - Kenny Golladay, WR, Detroit Lions: Golladay's best games were his first (4/69/2) and his last (2/80/1). Missing five games, the rookie totalled only 22/328/0 in his nine games from Weeks 2 to 16. That said, he's a strong candidate for a second-year breakout.
11.04 - Andrew Luck, QB, Indianapolis Colts: It appears Luck will be ready for Week 1. If so, Luck has finished as fantasy's QB4 (2013), QB2 (2014) and QB4 (2016) in his last three full seasons. If he can stay healthy for the full season, there is plenty of profit potential for those willing to roll the dice on Luck.
12.09 - Philip Rivers, QB, Los Angeles Chargers: Except for 2012 (21st) and 2016 (14th), Rivers has finished as a top-12 fantasy quarterback in the eight of his past 10 NFL seasons. Not only does he provide insurance for Luck, but I'd stream the two QBs based on matchups if this were a real team.
13.04 - James White, RB, New England Patriots: Better in PPR formats, I'd expect White to get 50-plus receptions for a third consecutive season. But he's still a decent 13th-round value in standard-scoring formats as well.
14.09 - New England Patriots D/ST
15.04 - Will Lutz, K, New Orleans Saints
- View full mock draft results here
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