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: Point-per-reception (PPR) scoring
- # of Teams: 12
- Draft Slot: 7
- 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:
1.07 - DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Houston Texans: While I debated Saquon Barkley here, I'm thrilled with how my running back group for this squad turned out. With a league-high 174 targets last season, Hopkins arguably has the highest floor among all receivers in the league. Hopkins already has three 1,200-yard seasons through his age-25 season.
2.06 - Dalvin Cook, RB, Minnesota Vikings: Before having his rookie season cut short by a torn ACL, the Florida State product carried the ball 74 times for 354 yards (4.78 YPC) and two touchdowns with 11 catches for 90 yards. Cook was on a 16-game pace of 1,776 yards from scrimmage, 44 catches and eight touchdowns. If he's able to stay healthy, Cook has top-five upside in what should be a run-heavy offense.
- MORE: Minnesota Vikings 2018 Fantasy Football Projections
3.07 - Stefon Diggs, WR, Minnesota Vikings: With 20 fewer receptions year over year, Diggs finished 2017 with 64 catches for 849 yards and a career-high eight touchdowns. Diggs has missed multiple games in each of his three NFL seasons, but he could improve upon his WR19 PPR season if he's able to stay healthy for a full season.
4.06 - Kenyan Drake, RB, Miami Dolphins: Over the final five games of the 2017 season, Drake ran for a league-high 444 yards on 91 carries (4.88 YPC) with two touchdowns and added 17 receptions for 150 yards. Additions to the running back room may keep Drake from reaching his December workload (21.6 touches per game), but he's likely to be the team's most productive back and is a solid RB2.
5.07 - 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.
- MORE: Michael Crabtree 2018 Fantasy Football Profile
6.06 - 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 Case Keenum under center.
7.07 - Rashaad Penny, RB, Seattle Seahawks: With good size (5-11, 220) and speed (4.46 forty), Penny could be used as a three-down back. Either way, I love his value in the seventh round.
8.06 - Mark Ingram, RB, New Orleans Saints: Speaking of values, Ingram is a still in Round 8. Even with rookie Alvin Kamara finishing as PPR's RB3, Ingram set career highs in 2017 with 1,124 rushing yards, 12 touchdowns, 58 receptions and 416 receiving yards. Playing full 16-game seasons in back-to-back years, Ingram has rushed for 1,000-plus yards and scored double-digit touchdowns in consecutive seasons. While he'll play 12 games, at most, this season, the suspension creates a massive discount for his Week 5 to 16 production level.
- MORE: New Orleans Saints 2018 Fantasy Football Projections
9.07 - Trey Burton, TE, Chicago Bears: Burton had 23 catches for 248 yards and five touchdowns as the second tight end behind Zach Ertz last season. Burton has plenty of breakout potential in the "U" role that Travis Kelce had in Matt Nagy's offense in Kansas City.
10.06 - Tarik Cohen, RB, Chicago Bears: The versatile back had 454 YFS in his first seven games and just 269 YFS over his final nine. That said, Cohen has the potential for a better second season with the offense that has seen Tyreek Hill thrive coming to Chicago.
11.07 - Matthew Stafford, QB, Detroit Lions: Not counting his QB15 finish in 2014, Stafford has finished as a top-12 fantasy quarterback in the other six of the past seven seasons. Part of that consistent production is aided by his durability (no missed games over past seven seasons) and the team's reliance on the passing game, but he actually set a seven-year low in pass attempts (565) in 2017. Even so, Stafford threw for 4,446 yards, a four-year high, and 29 touchdowns, tied for the third-most in his career.
12.06 - 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. Getting Stafford and Rivers so late, I'd play the matchups on a week-to-week basis.
13.07 - Tyrell Williams, WR, Los Angeles Chargers: With Keenan Allen out for virtually of 2016, Williams had a breakout season with 69 catches for 1,059 yards and seven touchdowns. With Allen healthy, Williams had 43/728/4 in 2017 — and that level of production is a more reasonable expectation barring an Allen injury in 2018.
14.06 - Los Angeles Chargers D/ST
15.07 - Jared Cook, TE, Oakland Raiders: Cook led the team in receiving yards (688) and 20-yard receptions (10) and finished second in receptions (54), but he had just two touchdowns. Finishing as a top-12 fantasy tight in PPR formats, Cook has top-10 upside should he generate a little more red-zone volume and success.
16.06 - Matt Bryant, K, Atlanta Falcons
- View full mock draft results here
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