It’s that most wonderful time of the year once again! The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and the NFL Draft is just under two weeks away! As the draft approaches, fantasy managers should be partaking in all of the goodness that mock drafting has to offer. The NFL season will be back in swing sooner than you realize, and it’s never too early to mock draft (for more on why, click here). Today, I’m sharing the results of a recent 12-team PPR Superflex draft I completed using our Mock Draft Simulator.
Superflex leagues are a blast, and they place a premium on the QB position because you can (and should) play two signal-callers every week. There are certainly values to be had in the later rounds, but there are 24 QBs that can be started on a given week with backups to be drafted as well. That leaves a limited player pool and forces managers to walk a line between selecting a QB too early and missing out on elite talent. Here is how my roster shook out in a recent mock draft .
Lineup construction: 1QB, 2RB, 2WR, TE, Flex, Superflex, six bench spots
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QUARTERBACK
Baker Mayfield (CLE) 3.04, Ben Roethlisberger (PIT) 5.04, Derek Carr (OAK) 12.09
By the time I got back to my third pick, I had selected Christian McCaffrey and Travis Kelce, and QBs were going quick. Baker was a good pick here with all of the available weapons at his disposal. After an impressive rookie season, the sky is the limit. He was the best QB available at 3.04, and I didn’t want to wait any longer to grab one. Big Ben may have lost Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell, but the future Hall of Famer can ball out with a still talented roster around him. I was happy to have Baker and Ben as my two starting QBs.
Derek Carr was a steal in the 12th round, as the three-time Pro-Bowler has been vastly undervalued heading into the season after a down year in 2018. Improvements in the offensive line, the running game, and the receiving corps will help him get back to his early career form. He’s been linked to trade rumors with the Giants and Seahawks, but he’ll be a valuable play on either of those teams.
RUNNING BACK
Christian McCaffrey (CAR) 1.04, Tarik Cohen (CHI) 6.09, Kenyan Drake (MIA) 9.04, Kareem Hunt (CLE) 10.09
As I already mentioned, QB is a premium position in Superflex formats, so taking Andrew Luck, Aaron Rodgers, or Patrick Mahomes with my first pick wouldn’t be crazy at all. This is a PPR format though, so I selected the guy who just broke the single-season reception mark for an RB last year. He won’t be facing much competition in the backfield and should see 100 or more targets once again.
Tarik Cohen seemed like a no-brainer as my second RB, and I was able to get him at the end of the sixth round. That’s good value for a PPR stud such as Cohen who finished last season with 1,169 scrimmage yards and eight total TDs, including 71 receptions and 725 receiving yards. With Jordan Howard in Philly and Mike Davis the only threat to steal work, Cohen should be a strong play.
Kenyan Drake is a boom-or-bust guy this season, but at least he’s not facing any competition from Frank Gore after Gore seriously drained Drake’s 2018 value. Miami has little offensive talent outside of Drake, so he should be the focal point of the offense. Kareem Hunt is a speculative add, but he’s a lottery ticket who I got in the 10th round. An RB1 his first two seasons and the rushing champ as a rookie, Hunt has incredible skills and a sky-high ceiling. He won’t play until Week 8, but the production (even for just half a season) is enticing.
WIDE RECEIVER
Adam Thielen (MIN) 4.09, Mike Williams (LAC) 7.04, Dante Pettis (SF) 8.09, Devin Funchess (IND) 11.04, Larry Fitzgerald (ARI) 13.04
Thielen trailed off at the end of the season after posting eight-straight 100-yard receiving games, but that’s what makes him such a nice pick in the fourth round. The guy totaled 90 catches or more over the last two years, including 113 receptions in 2018. His target share surely won’t diminish a ton from last year to this year.
Believe it or not, Mike Williams was a WR2 last year, and I love his upside to take another step forward in his third season. Dante Pettis is the Niners’ top wideout, and he’ll be playing with a healthy Jimmy Garropolo. He’s a quick slot man who should rack up his share of receptions, making him a good selection in a PPR league. Funchess has never been a reception-hog, but you don’t have to tell me twice that Andrew Luck’s WR2 is a profitable investment. He should draw a lot of targets in the red zone and make up for a lack of overall catches with double-digit TD grabs. Larry Fitzgerald is in his final season and has lost a step, but taking him in the 12th round is an absolute steal with 15 straight seasons of 100+ targets and three straight 100-reception seasons from 2015-2017.
TIGHT END
Travis Kelce (KC) 2.09, Jordan Reed (WAS) 14.09
I already had C-Mac on my squad and the trio of Luck, Rodgers, and Mahomes were off the board, so I went with a player who could easily go for 90-1,300-8 this season with my second-round pick. He’s a favorite target of Patrick Mahomes and one of the most athletic tight ends in the game who could turn into the team’s top option if Tyreek Hill faces any sort of suspension.
Jordan Reed has been one of the best TEs in the league on a per-game basis when healthy. He’s dealt with a litany of injuries in his career and never played a full 16-game season, but I have no problem grabbing him as my final pick based on the upside and the depleted Washington receiving corps.
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I finished with a grade of 87 based on projected scoring, and my roster was balanced at every position. I was satisfied with the results of this one, but feel free to let me know where I messed up and could have done better. Thanks for reading and happy mocking!
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Zachary Hanshew is a correspondent at FantasyPros. For more from Zachary, check out his archive and follow him @zakthemonster.
