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: 14
- 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 - David Johnson, RB, Arizona Cardinals: Missing all but part of Week 1 last year, Johnson is two seasons removed from 2,118 yards from scrimmage, 80 catches and 20 touchdowns. The ambitious goals he set for himself in 2017 -- 1,000 rushing yards and 1,000 receiving yards -- remain his goals for 2018. The order may be debatable, but Johnson is a top-four fantasy back along side Todd Gurley, Le'Veon Bell and Ezekiel Elliott.
2.11 - Rob Gronkowski, TE, New England Patriots: Aside from his eight-game 2016 season, Gronk has 1,000-plus yards in three of the past four years and he has scored double-digit touchdowns in five seasons over his career. As long as he can stay on the field, he's a sure thing at a position with a lot of question marks.
3.04 - T.Y. Hilton, WR, Indianapolis Colts: Failing to reach the 1,000-yard mark for the first time since his rookie season, the new offense and return of Andrew Luck bodes well for Hilton, who led the NFL with 1,448 receiving yards in 2016.
4.11 - Golden Tate, WR, Detroit Lions: The eight-year veteran has spent half of his career in Detroit and he has 90-plus catches in each of those four seasons. In addition, he has 1,000-plus yards in three of four including back-to-back seasons.
5.04 - Chris Hogan, WR, New England Patriots: Hogan played only one regular-season game (Week 14) in the second half, but he posted a 33/438/5 slash line in his first eight games. During that span, he was the WR7 in standard-scoring formats with the 13th-most on a per-game basis. With Brandin Cooks now in L.A. and Julian Edelman suspended for four games, Hogan has a chance to get off to a hot start in 2018.
6.11 - 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. Going against the grain to a certain degree, I expect Burkhead to outproduce first-round rookie Sony Michel this season.
7.04 - Isaiah Crowell, RB, New York Jets: Only 25 years old, Crowell has 850-plus rushing yards in each of the past two seasons. The offseason move to the Jets isn't necessarily an upgrade, but Crowell is a solid RB3 in the seventh round.
8.11 - C.J. Anderson, RB, Carolina Panthers: Released by the Broncos this offseason, Anderson has a legitimate shot to lead the team in carries even though Christian McCaffrey should be the team's most productive fantasy running back.
9.04 - Rishard Matthews, WR, Tennessee Titans: After hauling in 945 yards and nine touchdowns in his first season with the Titans, Matthews posted a 53/795/4 season in 2017. While he will (or should) take a back seat to second-year receiver Corey Davis, Matthews has the potential for another top-40 season.
10.11 - Ty Montgomery, RB, Green Bay Packers: Before sustaining a Week 4 ribs injury, Montgomery had 59 touches (41 carries and 18 receptions), which was tied for eighth-most over the first three games of the season. It wouldn't be a surprise if he were to get a much larger workload than I currently project.
11.04 - 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. On my list of 12 Undervalued Players Compared to Fantasy ADP, Rivers has thrown for at least 4,286 yards and 28 touchdowns in each of the past five seasons.
12.11 - 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.
13.04 - Frank Gore, RB, Miami Dolphins: Returning home to Miami, the 35-year-old Gore has been incredibly durable -- seven consecutive 16-game seasons. Remarkably consistent, Gore has finished as a top-20 fantasy running back every season except for his rookie campaign, although he has averaged less than 4.0 YPC in each of the past three seasons. Listed as the "co-starter," Gore isn't an exciting fantasy option but one that could once again outperform his draft position.
14.11 - New Orleans Saints D/ST
15.04 - Alex Smith, QB, Washington Redskins: Setting career highs, Smith threw for 4,042 yards and 26 touchdowns while adding 355 rushing yards last season. Not only was 2017 the first time he finished as a top-12 fantasy quarterback, Smith finished as fantasy's QB3 last season. Now in Washington, he takes over for Kirk Cousins, who has finished as a top-eight fantasy quarterback in each of the past three seasons. Since Gruden coached Andy Dalton (QB5) in 2013, he's now coached a QB to a top-eight fantasy finish in four of the past five seasons.
16.11 - Dan Bailey, K, Dallas Cowboys
- View full mock draft results here
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