Last week, we asked our writers to provide a one-round mock draft for 2019 PPR redraft leagues. This week, we’re focusing on you dynasty league owners preparing for your startup drafts. Our writers teamed up to provide you a two-round dynasty startup mock for a 1QB, PPR, 12-team league.

Check out our free dynasty mock draft simulator to prepare for your startup leagues

Round 1

1) Saquon Barkley (RB – NYG)
“All Saquon Barkley did in his first professional season was make the Pro Bowl, win Offensive Rookie of the Year, join an elite club of first-year running backs to accumulate 2,000 all-purpose yards, and finish as the PPR RB1. In fact, Barkley showed a consistency not often seen in rookie backs as he finished with 20 or more PPR points in 12 of 16 games and only finished one contest under 10 fantasy points (9.6) the entire season. The Penn State alum had both an impressive opportunity share (80%) and target share (21%) in his inaugural season. In better news, that volume should hold steady and could even increase with superstar wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. being dealt to Cleveland. This trade, along with other questionable front office moves, almost guarantee the Giants will be awful this year. Give me an elite, workhorse running back (even on a porous team) any day of the week. Actually, give me the back on the bad team with plenty of opportunity to rack up the garbage time receptions. Barkley is the unquestioned number one pick in any single quarterback league, dynasty or redraft.”
– Josh Brickner (@joshbrickner)

2) Odell Beckham Jr. (WR – CLE)
“We know receivers have a longer shelf life than running backs but in dynasty you need to mix the short term with the long term. With so much year to year volatility, it’s hard to truly know who will be good three to four years from now. Beckham gives me the best of both worlds. An elite option to help me win now that the odds say will be relevant longer than any running back I can take here. DeAndre Hopkins is certainly a stud, but Beckham is more Antonio Brown than any other receiver. Since he came into the league he’s averaged 20.6 PPG, besting the 17.76 Hopkins has put up in that same time frame by nearly three whole points. And this was all with a washed up Eli Manning! Going to the Browns he’ll be paired with one of the game’s best young QBs in an exciting up-tempo offense for the next several years. Getting my top player on the board with the second pick isn’t all that surprising, but it’s one I’m happy with nonetheless.”
– Ryan Melosi (@rtmelos)

3) DeAndre Hopkins (WR – HOU)
“In 2018, DeAndre Hopkins set career highs for both receptions and receiving yards. His 11 receiving touchdowns were the fifth most in the NFL last year. At just 26 years old, Nuk has been about as consistent as they come over the last four seasons, despite some less than stellar options at quarterback (outside of Deshaun Watson). Of course, over the last two seasons, Hopkins has averaged 21.09 PPR PPG with Watson and 20.52 PPR PPG in the eight games without Watson. He’s the model of consistency. Hopkins did not have a single game last season where he failed to score under 12.4 PPR points. He’s definitely in the conversation as the top-overall dynasty asset.”
– Matt Giraldi (@Mgiraldi)

4) Ezekiel Elliott (RB – DAL)
“It wasn’t too difficult a decision to grab Zeke here. He’s only 23 years old and is one of the best pure rushers in the game. In two seasons where he played at least 15 games, he led the NFL in rushing. In his shortened 2017 season when he played just 10 games, he nearly cracked 1,000 yards and still finished as an RB1 in both standard and PPR formats. Elliott plays on a team with a great offensive line that is committed to running the football. The addition of Randle Cobb in the slot and the second-year ascension of Michael Gallup paired with the brilliance of Amari Cooper will force defenses to honor the pass and open up even more room for an already dangerous Elliott.”
– Zak Hanshew (@ZaktheMonster)

5) Christian McCaffrey (RB – CAR)
“In a full PPR league, it is hard to decide between going with the running back in the first round or a wide receiver in the first round, but McCaffrey is one of the most versatile players in the NFL. Last year, he had only 219 rushing attempts, but turned those into 1,098 rushing yards and seven touchdowns. That would normally not be enough production to warrant RB1 status in any scoring format. Where he makes up for the meager rushing production for an RB1 is he also had 107 receptions for 867 yards and six receiving touchdowns. There is no reason to believe that McCaffrey will not be a big part of both their rushing and passing attack again this year. I would expect similar production for the third-year back, we may not have seen his best season yet. He turns 23 years old this year and the sky is the limit for him in an offense that will feature his versatility. He is a great first-round pick in any format, but PPR makes him even more valuable with his high reception totals icing on the cake to all his other solid numbers.”
– Derek Lofland (@DerekLofland)

6) Alvin Kamara (RB – NO)
“Through the first four games last season, during Mark Ingram’s four-game suspension, Alvin Kamara averaged 34 FPG. To put in perspective how good that was, Patrick Mahomes led all players last season in FPG and he put up 26.1 per game. I get it, that pace is unsustainable over a 16-game season and the Saints signed Latvius Murray to fill the Mark Ingram role. However, Murray is not Mark Ingram. He isn’t as good of a pass catcher, he isn’t as athletic, nor is he as good a runner. When you couple that with the fact that Drew Brees isn’t getting any younger and that the offense has become more run-centric the past few seasons, Kamara was an easy pick for me at 1.06.”
– Geoff Lambert (@GeoffLambert77)

7) Davante Adams (WR – GB)
“It’s always nice when you can tie a receiver to one of the best quarterbacks to ever play football. Davante Adams is just that, and at 26 years old he’s the perfect first-rounder in a dynasty startup. Adams is one of the most exciting floor/ceiling fantasy plays we’ve seen in quite some time. He scored a touchdown in 12-of-16 games last year. In the four contests he didn’t find the end zone Adams totaled at least 81 yards. In fact, he went over 119 yards in three of those four games. Rodgers is constantly looking for his “go-to-guy” when in trouble as evidenced by his great rapport with Jordy Nelson for all those years. He now has that rapport with Adams. As for the icing on the cake, it’s not as if the offense could get any less creative with Matt LaFleur replacing Mike McCarthy. It’s entirely possible we haven’t seen the best of Adams yet.”
– Brendan Tuma (@toomuchtuma)

8) Michael Thomas (WR – NO)
“Happy to see Thomas still on the board here as he brings the consistency that fantasy owners covet and is still just 26 years old. Thomas has put up top-10 PPR totals in each of his three seasons with the Saints. Having Drew Brees back for another season will allow Thomas to once again flourish in 2019. He has averaged 139 targets per season and caught an average of 107 passes per season with 23 regular season touchdowns. It’s also encouraging that Thomas saw a career high 28 red zone looks last season and will once again be a main red zone threat for Brees this season.”
– Walt Spurlin (@Waltonspurlin)

9) Todd Gurley (RB – LAR)
“Gurley is still a top dynasty league option. The reports of arthritis in his knee have not revealed the extent and thickness and will not stop him from continuing to be an RB1. Gurley will likely see a change of pace back brought in to spell him but will remain the lead back for the Rams. What his workload will amount to ultimately comes down to a pain tolerance issue. Gurley has not lost his explosion, as evidenced by his 19.8 MPH clocked speed during the Super Bowl, and will be given all the touches the coaching staff believes he can handle. What we will likely see in addition to a CoP back addition is Gurley only practicing once a week in order to lessen the wear and tear on his knee. His knee may prevent him from being an elite back at the age of 30, but he has more than a few RB1 years left in the tank.”
– Raju Byfield (@FantasyContext)

10) JuJu Smith-Schuster (WR – PIT)
“I like to begin my startup draft taking a player in the first round that can be the core of my dynasty squad for more than a few years. Smith-Schuster will be 22 years old for most of the 2019 season. Already a top-five WR, in addition to being anointed the new WR1 on his own team, Smith-Schuster is the youngest player among the top-tier WR talent. While I prefer to take WRs to start my dynasty teams, if I’m selecting in the top half, I usually take an RB to capitalize on the top-heavy talent at the position. However, closer to the turn, I’m in my comfort zone. I can get one of my highest-ranked WRs (that is usually a bit contrary to the prevailing rankings) and still get an RB1 at the top of the second round. That leaves me feeling really good about taking the best values to fall to me in the next couple of rounds.”
– Jeremy Browand (@DFF_Madman)

11) Tyreek Hill (WR – KC)
“Arguably the most explosive player in the NFL. Prior to last season, the argument could be made that he didn’t get enough usage to be relied upon. Pat Mahomes’ insane abilities and Andy Reid’s opening of the playbook has changed that. Hill had 13 touchdowns last season, but we know that he can score and make things happen. It was his usage that is encouraging going forward. He saw 10+ targets in six games last season compared to only once in 2017. I don’t see a regression in Pat Mahomes second year of starting. These two seem to have a great chemistry and Hill’s numbers should only get better in the foreseeable future.”
– Jamy Bechler (@WinningDFS101)

12) Melvin Gordon (RB – LAC)
“I took the Liz Lemon approach to my picks and tried to have it all by drafting a pairing of young studs in their prime. Although perhaps a tad too dependent on his surroundings, Gordon shattered his previous career high of 3.9 YPC with 5.1 in 2018. That’s a vital step for a workhorse who has averaged 1,457 yards and 12 touchdowns in the last three seasons. While the health is a bit worrisome — he has only once played a 16-game season since entering the NFL in 2015 — the Chargers star still offers a relatively stable floor to start my squad.”
– Andrew Gould (@andrewgould4)

Round 2

13) Mike Evans (WR – TB)
“Although I could have received a bigger short-term jolt by snagging Julio Jones, I instead went with someone five years his junior. While Evans has never quite entered that upper-echelon tier of superstar wideouts, he has exceeded 1,000 yards in each of his first five seasons while tallying 40 touchdowns. I sacrificed a bit of immediate value for long-term viability, but Evans is still a lower-end WR1 who should help me compete in 2019 and beyond.”
– Andrew Gould (@andrewgould4)

14) Julio Jones (WR – ATL)
“I know that it is extremely risky to draft a 30-year-old early in a dynasty draft, but I didn’t feel comfortable with any of the young guys left as being any more reliable than Julio. If Sarkisian was still the offensive coordinator, I would not be anywhere near Julio this early. But Dirk Koetter knows what he is doing offensively, and I still think Julio is the best wide receiver in the NFL. Good hands, good route runner, tough, and fast … Julio still has it. Injuries can be an issue with him but in the last nine games (when an “old” player should be wearing down), he had six games of 100+ yards and eight touchdowns. Everybody left on the board has question marks in my mind. With that being the case, I am going to go with my favorite player who also happens to be capable of putting up huge numbers on any given week.”
– Jamy Bechler (@WinningDFS101)

15) Nick Chubb (RB – CLE)
“After finally getting the start last season and making his predecessor Carlos Hyde obsolete, Chubb quickly became a three-down back, erasing Duke Johnson from the plan. Chubb led the league in yards after contact (YAC) for RBs and just scratched the surface of his potential. The Browns are an offense with more and greater weapons this season, with a scheme that is certain to create more space for Chubb to work. Sprinkle in added red-zone carries, forecast several more TDs, and we’re looking at the overall RB1 on a 16-game workload. Getting Chubb at this spot in a startup draft is a huge value.”
– Jeremy Browand (@DFF_Madman)

16) Joe Mixon (RB – CIN)
“Mixon seems like a steal at this point in the draft. I was actually considering him at ninth overall, so I am thrilled to land him here. An RB1 with an elite skill set, Mixon could take a major leap in year three. He averaged 104.5 yards from scrimmage per game, including 83.4 yards at a 4.9 clip on the ground. Mixon is at his best when he is not facing a stacked box (2.5 ypc), a problem he should not face too often in 2019 with a healthy AJ Green and Tyler Boyd. An explosive 228-pound back Mixon posted 20 carries of over 15 yards, good for second in the league. Mixon is an excellent target in the second round of dynasty startups.”
– Raju Byfield (@FantasyContext)

17) David Johnson (RB – ARI)
“I almost went with Le’Veon Bell here but ultimately just couldn’t pass on Johnson. It’s a bit of a roll of the dice with the quarterback situation still up in the air for the Cardinals and a new coaching staff. Despite the down season Arizona had in 2018 Johnson still managed to post top-10 totals in PPR scoring formats. He’s managed 50-plus receptions twice and has hauled in 11 career touchdown receptions. He needs to improve the 3.6 yards per carry he averaged last season, but I do like the 10 total touchdowns he put up. Last season new head coach Kliff Kingsbury saw his running backs at Texas Tech catch 63 passes so Johnson should be heavily involved in the passing game in 2019.”
– Walt Spurlin (@Waltonspurlin)

18) Dalvin Cook (RB – MIN)
“Cook had a frusturating 2018 season. He took longer than expected to recover from his ACL injury and even when he returned Cook lost playing time to Latavius Murray. He finished the season strong, however, with a 136-yard, two-TD performance in Week 15 being the highlight. Thus far this offseason things have gone really well for Cook’s fantasy value. The Vikings let Murray walk and have yet to bring in a “high-profile” replacement. That should mean the 23-year-old RB returns to the bell-cow status he had for the first few games of his rookie season. Additionally, the Vikings hired Gary Kubiak as an offensive adviser. His zone-running game should be a positive for Cook. He isn’t as safe as some of the backs being drafted before him, but there’s plenty of reason to think a big bounceback is coming.”
– Brendan Tuma (@toomuchtuma)

19) Patrick Mahomes (QB – KC)
“Okay, I was “that guy” that probably took a QB too high when I should have gone with a wide receiver here, but I just couldn’t pass up the chance to lock down my QB position for the next 10-to-12 years. Think about it, assuming health, I don’t have to worry about my QB position again until 2031, give or take a year. What other player still on the board at 2.07 can you say that about? Okay, maybe Baker Mayfield, but it’s a QB either way. Will my WR and RB depth suffer because I took a QB in the second? Absolutely. But locking down this position now means I don’t have to worry about it for the rest of the draft, so when that run on QBs happens in the later rounds, I can draft a few young, high-upside guys that have a chance to be stars.”
– Geoff Lambert (@GeoffLambert77)

20) Antonio Brown (WR – OAK)
“I had a number of directions I could have gone with this pick. I debated taking Green Bay Packers RB Aaron Jones, who was one of the best running backs in the NFL in the second half of the 2018 season. I also debated taking Minnesota Vikings WR Adam Thielen, who was a PPR monster last year. Both of those players have issues that may impact their value in 2019. Jones may not see the same usage in 2019 with a new coaching staff, and Thielen was not the same player in the second half of the season as he was in the first eight games. I am not sure if he will build on last season’s performance on a team that may run the ball more in 2019. I settled on Brown, who also has issues, mainly he plays on a terrible team with a head coach that has become a punchline. The upside to me is that they really do not have another superstar on the team and they will likely be behind big in the second half most weeks. Those two considerations make up for Jon Gruden calling the plays and QB Derek Carr being a less than stellar quarterback. I am not expecting great efficiency, but Brown has a chance to approach 175 to 200 targets this year and that was enough for me to take a gamble on him in the backend of the second round.”
– Derek Lofland (@DerekLofland)

21) Stefon Diggs (WR – MIN)
“I debated taking Amari Cooper over Diggs in this spot, and I may have done that if this were a standard league. The fact that the scoring is PPR ultimately led me to select Diggs. He had some crazy stretches last season where it seemed like he was targeted on every single play, and he recorded 54 receptions over the final eight games of the season — a full-season pace of 108 receptions, six more than his actual total of 102 in 2018. Diggs still hasn’t hit his peak after recording career highs in targets (149), receptions (102), receiving yards (1,021), and TDs (nine). He’ll turn 26 this year and still has a lot of great years ahead of him.”
– Zak Hanshew (@ZaktheMonster)

22) Keenan Allen (WR – LAC)
“Allen continues to be a discount in dynasty leagues. The most likely reason is a combination of obscure and random injuries throughout the years. Sure, there might also be a little bit of negative West Coast bias baked into his value, but when Allen plays, he produces. Over the last two seasons, Allen has averaged 99.5 receptions, 1,295 yards and six touchdowns. Per Pro Football Focus, Allen ranked sixth in the NFL in yards per route run last season (2.50). In 2017, Allen was third in the NFL in that category (2.77) and second in slot yards per route run. Just 40 days older than DeAndre Hopkins, Allen has a chance to remain as an elite WR option for the next three years. Not bad value at the end of the second round.”
– Matt Giraldi (@Mgiraldi)

23) Amari Cooper (WR – DAL)
“I heavily considered Travis Kelce here, and I’m still not sure I made the right pick, but I can’t get past the fact that the only players to have as many yards as Amari Cooper before their 25th birthday are Randy Moss, Larry Fitzgerald, Mike Evans, DeAndre Hopkins, Odell Beckham Jr. and Brandin Cooks. That’s it. That’s the list. I know as well as anyone that Cooper has been frustrating, and he will still be up and down after he was traded to Dallas, but after the trade through the end of the fantasy season he was the WR6 in PPR formats. I’m buying in with his historical comps and getting a full offseason to work with Dak Prescott and that offense.”
– Ryan Melosi (@rtmelos)

24) Travis Kelce (TE – KC)
“While I debated taking Adam Thielen with this selection, I decided to go with the best available player at one of the most challenging starting slots to fill. The tight end position in fantasy football was not just a dumpster fire during the 2018 season, but a burning trash receptacle full of human excrement… unless you owned Travis Kelce. Kelce not only finished as the PPR TE1 for the third straight season but finished as the 14th overall scorer among skill position players (no QBs) just ahead of WR9 Mike Evans. Meaning, you were essentially gaining a tremendous competitive advantage by starting a back-end WR1 at your tight end the entire season. Need another reason I selected the Cincy alum? He’s had an over 21% target share for the last three seasons (26.6% in 2018) and those numbers could actually increase. Tyreek Hill has seen an average of 22.1% of the team’s targets over the last two seasons (19.9%, 24.3%). Yet, if the despicable allegations against Hill prove true, he will no longer be a member of the Kansas City Chiefs. Thus, opening up even more volume for the best tight end in both fantasy and real football.”
– Josh Brickner (@joshbrickner)

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