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:
- Draft Slot:
- 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 - Saquon Barkley, RB, New York Giants: Over the past two years, a rookie running back -- Ezekiel Elliott (2016) and Kareem Hunt (2017) -- has led the NFL in rushing. Could Barkley extend the rookie streak to three straight? Arguably the most talented back to enter the league in years, Barkley has a rare combination of size (233 pounds) and athleticism (4.4 forty and 41-inch vertical) with elite college production (3,801 YFS and 43 TDs over past two seasons).
2.06 - 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. From Weeks 11 to 17, Allen was absolutely dominant with five 100-yard games during that seven-game span. No player had more receptions (58) or receiving yards (797) and only Antonio Brown (six) scored more touchdowns (five) than Allen over that stretch.
3.07 - Jerick McKinnon, RB, San Francisco 49ers: Given a large free-agent contract, McKinnon finally gets an opportunity to be a team's lead back. Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee wrote: "The over/under on [McKinnon's] 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.
4.06 - 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.
5.07 - Rex Burkhead, RB, New England Patriots: Burkhead scored eight touchdowns (in 10 games) as he rushed for 264 yards and added 30 catches for 254 yards in his debut season with the Patriots. He's a high-upside RB3 for this team.
6.06 - Corey Davis, WR, Tennessee Titans: The fifth-overall pick in last year's draft, Davis has the tools to become a true No. 1 receiver in the league. Injuries slowed him down in his rookie campaign as he finished with a 34/375/0 (regular-season) line, but the potential exists for a breakout 2018 season.
7.07 - Drew Brees, QB, New Orleans Saints: After throwing more than 625 pass attempts in each of the previous seven seasons, Brees threw it only 536 times for 4,334 yards and 23 touchdowns, both of which were lows of his 12 seasons in New Orleans. Even so, his 4,334 passing yards still ranked fourth in the NFL behind Tom Brady (4,577), Philip Rivers (4,515) and Matthew Stafford (4,446).
8.06 - Chris Carson, RB, Seattle Seahawks: A sleeper pick in 2017, Carson was off to a promising start, but he missed the final 12 games. Even though the Seahawks drafting Rashaad Penny in the first round has held some back from touting Carson as a breakout candidate in 2018, the second-year back has sat atop the team's depth chart since the start of camp.
9.07 - Peyton Barber, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Tampa's leading rusher in 2017, Barber had 335 rushing yards (15th-most in the NFL) on 78 carries (4.29 YPC) from Weeks 13 to 17. Even though the Bucs used a high second-round pick on Ronald Jones, it's Barber -- not Jones -- that will enter the season as the team's starter. Coach Dirk Koetter recently said: "He's doing everything he should be doing right now, and I think if we went out there and gave it to Peyton 20 times, we'd like what he does. But we're not going to do that in a preseason game.''
10.06 - Trey Burton, TE, Chicago Bears: With 23 catches for 248 yards and five touchdowns for the Eagles last season, Burton has plenty of breakout potential in Matt Nagy's offense in Kansas City. In response to a 600-yard over/under mailbag question, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune calls the over a "lock" and writes that Burton "certainly could challenge" the franchise TE single-season yardage record (Martellus Bennett, 916 in 2014).
11.07 - Giovani Bernard, RB, Cincinnati Bengals: 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 offers late-round value as a back that could return flex value.
12.06 - 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.
13.07 - Chris Godwin, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: When opportunities presented themselves, Godwin capitalized and posted a 26/442/1 (17.0 Y/R) second-half line with 68-plus yards in three of his final four games. Making "a lot of plays everyday," Godwin could once again see his role expand as the season progresses, but it may not be until 2019 that we see a breakout from Godwin.
14.06 - Jordan Wilkins, RB, Indianapolis Colts: Especially if Marlon Mack misses time to begin the season, the fifth-round rookie out of Mississippi should be able to carve out an early-down role in what could be a committee backfield.
15.07 - New Orleans D/ST
16.06 - Wil Lutz, K, New Orleans Saints
- View full mock draft results here
Complete your own mock drafts for free on our Fantasy Football Mock Draft Simulator page.
Check out more of our content:
