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) 2-QB league
- # of Teams: 10
- Draft Slot: 1
- Starters: 2 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:
1.01 - Le'Veon Bell, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers: Bell won't report until after the preseason is over, but it "would be a shock" for him to miss regular-season games. Aside from his six-game 2015 season, the three-down workhorse has 1,200-plus rushing yards, 75-plus receptions and 600-plus receiving yards in three of his past four seasons. Especially in PPR, I prefer Bell over Todd Gurley.
2.10 - 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.
3.01 - Dalvin Cook, RB, Minnesota Vikings: Before having his rookie season cut short by a torn ACL, Cook carried the ball 74 times for 354 yards (4.78 YPC) and two touchdowns with 11 catches for 90 yards. His start was equivalent to 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.
4.10 - Adam Thielen, WR, Minnesota Vikings: Thielen built upon his breakout 2016 season to lead the team in targets (142), receptions (91) and receiving yards (1,276). Only Brown, Julio Jones, Allen and DeAndre Hopkins had more yards than Thielen last season.
5.01 - Zach Ertz, TE, Philadelphia Eagles: Along with Travis Kelce, Ertz is one of just two tight ends to have a minimum of 70 catches and 800 yards over each of the past three seasons. Only nine tight ends have one 70/800 season over the past three years and only four have multiple. In a very weak tight end group, Rob Gronkowski, Kelce and Ertz are in a tier by themselves atop the position.
6.10 - 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.
7.01 - JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers: Exceeding expectations as a rookie, Smith-Schuster had 41 catches for 686 yards and four touchdowns over his final seven regular-season games including three 100-yard games during that span. Even as the offense's third option behind Brown and Bell, he's poised for a bigger and better second season.
8.10 - Dion Lewis, RB, Tennessee Titans: With Lewis likely to be more involved on passing downs, Derrick Henry and Lewis should form a 1-2 punch for the Titans backfield. Lewis had 212 touches for the Patriots last season and finished as fantasy's RB12 (RB13 in PPR), but his week-to-week role should be even more secure in Tennessee.
9.01 - Marcus Mariota, QB, Tennessee Titans: After throwing 45 touchdowns to 19 interceptions in his first two seasons combined, Mariota threw more interceptions (career-high 15) than touchdowns (career-low 13). On a positive note, the dual-threat quarterback ran for 300-plus yards once again and set a career high with five rushing scores. With a new coaching staff in place, I expect better things for Mariota in 2018.
10.10 - Blake Bortles, QB, Jacksonville Jaguars: Despite five interceptions in the last two regular-season games, Bortles played extremely well down the stretch with multiple passing scores and 300-plus yards in three of the four games through Week 16. Over the past three seasons, Bortles has finished as the QB4 (2015), QB10 (2016) and QB13 (2017) and he has the potential to once again outperform his ADP.
11.01 - Tevin Coleman, RB, Atlanta Falcons: Even if he's the 2 to Devonta Freeman 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 with 19 total touchdowns since 2016.
12.10 - Carlos Hyde, RB, Cleveland Browns: Playing a full 16-game slate for the first time in his four NFL seasons, Hyde set career highs in yards from scrimmage (1,288) and receptions (59) but a career low in yards per carry (3.9). The Browns used a top-33 selection on Nick Chubb, but Hyde sits atop the team's depth chart and is likely to get the most work amongst the team's backs.
13.01 - 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 Davis, Matthews has the potential for another top-40 season and offers some late-round value.
14.10 - Eli Manning, QB, New York Giants: The Giants lacked (the threat of) a running game, had one of the league's worst offensive lines and their receiving corps was decimated by injuries. With healthy receivers, a stud rookie running back and an improved offensive line, Manning will have a chance to bounce back in 2018 after finishing outside the top-20 fantasy quarterbacks in back-to-back seasons.
15.01 - Giovani Bernard, RB, Cincinnati Bengals: Joe 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, especially in a PPR format.
16.10 - Baltimore Ravens D/ST
17.01 - Stephen Gostkowski, K, New England Patriots
- View full mock draft results here
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