Like a lot of fantasy footballers, I am a mock draft machine when it comes to my draft prep. I used to utilize Yahoo or ESPN mock draft lobbies, but those were only good for mapping out the first few rounds, assuming you didn’t get “that guy” taking Justin Tucker with the first overall pick. People would get bored after the first three or four rounds and leave, letting the algorithms Yahoo and ESPN have in place auto draft the rest.
Nothing against those sites, but it’s not realistic. Auto-drafted teams pick all their starters, then fill the bench. Most leagues won’t have QBs, TEs, and defenses taken super early, so it doesn’t give you a good feel for how a draft is going to play out.
Enter the FantasyPros Draft Simulator. Defenses and kickers were taken in the last round, and there were reaches for players, along with players who fell. You can customize league scoring settings, roster configurations, number of teams, and even whether you want to “draft against” experts. It was a new experience, and it’s incredibly beneficial and intuitive. I’d recommend everyone do it.
Mock draft vs. experts with our free fantasy football tools 
Last week I mocked from the third slot. Today I’m going to run through a quick draft from a middle draft position to see realistically what a team could look like. Those of you who pick your slots probably won’t be going with a middle slot, but for those that get assigned it, don’t dismay. The first round is as deep as it has been in years, which is why I’m perfectly happy if I get the eighth pick.
Round 1: Odell Beckham Jr.
DeAndre Hopkins is the consensus second receiver off the board after his career year in 2017, but I’ll take the guy averaging 14.3 points per game since he entered the league over the guy who averaged 11.24 over the same time frame. “But Brock Osweiler!!” doesn’t do it for me. Taking out the disastrous 2016 for Hopkins, he still only averages 12.53.
His career year last year was 14.25. Let that sink in — Hopkins’s career year is worse than Beckham’s average! A lot of people will want to take a running back early, but with how deep the top of this draft is, a guy who rivals Antonio Brown in per game fantasy output should be the pick here if you can.
Round 2: Davante Adams
I would have loved to go with Julio Jones if he wasn’t sniped in front of me, but here we are. In PPR, I’d be going Keenan Allen, and Devonta Freeman was almost the pick, but we’ll start with a slight Zero RB and go with the best bet for double-digit touchdowns at the wide receiver position. Adams had 117 targets in 14 games (a 133 pace) last season and put up 10 touchdowns with the awful Brett Hundley. With the best QB in the league coming back and Jordy Nelson in Oakland, Adams could easily replicate Nelson’s 150 targets he saw in his two healthy seasons before last season. A high floor and a 90-1,300-13 ceiling has me all in on Adams at pick #17.
Round 3: Joe Mixon
This was a dead zone area for me. Wasn’t in love with any of these players and most of the guys I was interested in could have been had in my next pick. I end up grabbing my first running back, Joe Mixon. ECR’s 27th ranked player at pick #33 presents a slight value. The question marks with Mixon come with the coaching staff (I have no idea how Marvin Lewis still has a job) and the offensive line, though first-round pick Billy Price bolstered the latter.
Price grades out as below average in pass protection, but we’re looking for the run game, and he is a definite improvement. Mixon flashed in the passing game last season, and his talent is undeniable. He’s riskier than most third-round picks, but he could be a bargain when it’s all said and done.
Round 4: Derrius Guice
“I’m happy with Guice, who some considered the best running back in the draft after Saquon Barkley. Samaje Perine looked horrible, and they invested a second-round pick in the rookie rusher. I have to believe they will feature him in the offense. Chris Thompson is a dynamic pass catcher out of the backfield, but as Michael Salfino noted for Yahoo, 86% of a running back’s expected value comes from first and second down and goal line work. Guice would seem to fill both of those roles for the Redskins, and he is one of my main targets as we start to get into the middle rounds.”
The above is what I wrote about Guice last week. In my early pick mock, I managed to snag Guice at pick #51, but there’s no chance he makes it to me at pick #56 here. As I said, he’s one of my primary targets in the middle rounds, and I’m happy to get him again.
Round 5: Russell Wilson
Taking a QB this early is something that I almost never do, but with some of my targets (Golden Tate, Mark Ingram) getting sniped in front of me and being completely out on the shown tight ends and the receivers in this range, I’ll take what should be everyone’s second-ranked quarterback. Wilson’s dual-threat ability has led him to finishes of QB1, QB11, QB3, and QB3 the last four seasons.
The QB11 finish in 2016 could scare some people off, but Wilson was hurt by an insanely low touchdown rate of 3.8%. If you put that season at his career average of 5.7%, he goes from 21 touchdowns to 31 and jumps from QB11 to QB4. There are very few QBs I’m willing to draft early, but Wilson is one of them.
Round 6: Dion Lewis
Michael Crabtree and Sammy Watkins are almost entirely off my board. Receivers on new teams scare me to begin with, and having Joe Flacco as your QB or a thousand other offensive weapons on your roster to compete with aren’t something I’m looking for here. Dion Lewis admittedly has Derrick Henry to contend with in the backfield, but I can’t imagine the Titans gave him a contract not to use him. Last season in New England he was third in YPC, 10th in breakaway runs (15 yards or more) rate, sixth in evaded tackles, and third in juke rate. He isn’t much of a downfield threat out of the backfield, but with how elusive he is he can pick up plenty of YAC on dump offs.
Round 7: DeVante Parker
Is this finally the year for Parker? With Jarvis Landry’s 161 targets gone and Ryan Tannehill back, Parker has not only the floor with the volume he should receive, but his talent and body size (6’3, 215) give him much more upside than a guy like Emmanuel Sanders. Mike Tagliere wrote a full break down for a more in-depth look at Parker if you’re interested.
Robby Anderson is another player I like here, but with some offseason issues a suspension could be looming, and I’m not willing to take the risk if I’m drafting today.
Round 8: Kelvin Benjamin
Benjamin had a rough season last year after being traded from the Panthers to the Bills, but he’s a guy I’m perfectly happy with to rotate through my WR3 slot. It’s not so much that I’m a believer in his talent or the talent of whatever QB will be throwing to him, but the situation is ripe for fantasy success. There’s not much on the depth chart behind Benjamin other than Zay Jones (who was downright dreadful) and with a possible LeSean McCoy suspension looming, there could be even more opportunity opening up for him. It’s not a sexy pick, but one I’m not unhappy to make.
Round 9: Jamaal Williams
I’ll flat out say that Williams did not impress me at all last season. Before the Aaron Jones suspension, I was all in on him everywhere. However, with the Jones suspension being something we have to live with, Williams will be the head honcho for the first two weeks of the season.
The worst case scenario is he’s a volume-based RB2 for the first couple weeks of the season. The best case scenario is he comes out strong and takes hold of the job. The RB1 in an Aaron Rodgers offense is extremely valuable, and it is something I’m willing to gamble on in the ninth round.
Round 10: C.J. Anderson
Though Ron Rivera and Norv Turner have made a point to say they’ll get Christian McCaffrey more rushing attempts this year, he’s more of a receiving threat than a three-down back. Enter Anderson. Jonathan Stewart managed to rack up 207 touches a season ago, and there’s no reason Anderson, who is a better back than Stewart at this point in their respective careers, should not manage to grab a similar amount. He’s burned fantasy owners in the past, but we’re not going to get a stud here, and he is in line to get a good amount of work, with the possibility of much more should McCaffrey go down.
Round 11: Tyler Lockett
Looking over my roster, I’ve realized a big flaw with my draft so far: my bench, outside of Jamaal Williams, is all floor. Tyler Lockett changes that some. He’s not going to be the most consistent player on the roster, but he’s flashed big-play ability in the past, and Doug Baldwin is the only other receiving option left with the departure of Paul Richardson and Jimmy Graham. Wilson’s touchdowns have to come from somewhere, so why can’t they be from Lockett?
Round 12: George Kittle
I’m a “wait on tight end” guy, and the 6’4, 247-pound, 4.52 40 running freak is as good as it gets this late. Coming in at 16th in points per target, there’s no real reason to believe he’ll do anything other than improve with Jimmy Garoppolo locked in as the full-time starter. Even if he does falter, however, this is such a late round pick that you’re losing virtually nothing. Pick up another tight end and move on.
Round 13: Kenny Golladay
Like with Tyler Lockett, we’re going for upside at the back end of the bench. Golladay was surprisingly 13th in points per target last season, and with Matthew Stafford poised to throw the ball a ton, there could be some standalone value for Golladay. If Marvin Jones were to get hurt, he’d instantly slide into that role and become an every-week WR2. This is a complete dart throw, but one that could pay dividends with some luck.
Rounds 14/15: Defense and Kicker
Some players like to draft lotto tickets here, and if you’re drafting early, that’s an excellent idea. But for most, this is where you take your defense and your kicker. For kicker, grab one on a high-scoring offense. For defenses, it’s not a bad idea to look at the schedule and get out ahead of the streamers and find a good Week 1 or 2 matchup.
We all know the eight spot in the draft isn’t the most ideal, but looking at the roster, I think I came out okay. Starting with a slight Zero RB in the first two rounds makes the receiving corps stacked, and there’s plenty of talent in the running back position. Grabbing a top QB isn’t something that I usually do, but that’s another position I can expect elite production out of every week.
The one thing I’d do over with this draft is going for some higher upside guys through Rounds 8-10, but ultimately my goal in every season is to make the playoffs and see what happens. The randomness of H2H leagues means any team can win once you get there. This squad certainly would set me on the right path.
You can try out the Draft Simulator here, and feel free to share with me. I’d love to see what you can come up with from the eighth slot.
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Ryan Melosi is a correspondent at FantasyPros. For more from Ryan, check out his archive and follow him @RTMelosi.
