Drafts are fun. They are often the most enjoyable point of a fantasy season — other than perhaps hoisting the championship trophy! Mock drafts may not be quite as much fun, but they are still a good time. That’s why we’ve created our draft simulator that allows you to mock quickly — for free — in order to prepare for your fantasy football drafts.
Still, sometimes you want to practice drafting on the clock against real people, and that’s why we created our mock draft lobby. You can join a public draft to practice against other members of the FantasyPros community or customize your own private mock draft to share with your friends or followers. Either way, you should check out our mock draft lobby as you prepare for your fantasy football season.
Using this awesome multi-user draft tool, we’ve created a mock draft for our writers. We’ll be doing more of these moving forward. For this one, we’re mocking a redraft PPR league. There are 12 teams. Here’s a look at the roster settings:
- 1 QB
- 2 RB
- 3 WR
- 1 TE
- 1 TE/WR/RB
- 1 D/ST
- 6 Bench
Here’s how Draft Wizard rated the draft:
Here are the final rosters for each team:
And here’s a look at the full draft board:
We asked our writers a few questions related to their drafts. Here’s what they had to say.
What was your strategy and how do you feel your draft went?
“Starting unconventionally, I went Christian McCaffrey over Saquon Barkley with the first pick in the draft. From there, I wanted to get a feel for “filling in your roster,” and where value could be found in doing so. Everyone has that one person in their draft that has to get their starting lineup before any bench players. Passing up on a receiver until round five seemed daunting to think about, but the receiver position is deep this year and was only confirmed further in this draft. The WR25-WR45 range has a lot of potential to outperform their draft spot. I was pretty content with the end result of the draft, despite reaching on the Bears defense. I closed the draft out after that pick with a few high-ceiling, low-floor darts that might rise heavily in ADP later this summer.”
– Matt Giraldi (@Mgiraldi)
“I don’t really go into a draft with a predetermined strategy, however, I wanted to mix ‘safe’ players with some high risk/high reward guys. Drafting at the 1.12, I kicked off my draft with a safe player in Joe Mixon and the high risk/high reward player in Todd Gurley. I continued that stacking combination in the third and fourth round with back-to-back picks of Brandin Cooks as my safe player and Kerryon Johnson as my high-risk guy. I also always wait on QB, unfortunately, I got sniped by Mark Leipold in the 11th round when he took Devin Singletary — I panicked and was auto-drafted Philip Rivers when the clock ran out. Otherwise, I would have waited until the second to last round to get my QB, and looking at how the draft board went, I could have had Jared Goff, Jameis Winston, or Dak Prescott in that round and I would have been perfectly happy with that.”
– Geoff Lambert (@GeoffLambert77)
“Coming into this draft I had the same strategy I always use: Pick the best available player. For the most part, I stuck to that philosophy. I was very happy to get Melvin Gordon at eighth overall and then having Antonio Brown fall to me in the second round was a huge steal. After that start, I knew I had some flexibility. Being that it is a three-wide receiver PPR league, I decided to focus on the wide receiver position over the next few rounds. In rounds three, five and six I targeted wide receivers getting Amari Cooper, Jarvis Landry, and Tyler Boyd respectively. After stacking my wide receiver group, I turned my attention to the running back position. I grabbed Phillip Lindsay in round four and then got Jerrick McKinnon, Austin Ekeler, Dion Lewis, and Kalen Ballage to give me plenty of depth and upside on my bench. I went a little higher on tight end than I usually would picking Eric Ebron in the eighth round. I think his touchdown upside makes him well worth the pick. Lastly, I stuck to my usual strategy of waiting on quarterbacks and this time I got Carson Wentz in the 12th round which is probably my best value pick of the draft. To top it off, I added deep threat DeSean Jackson as well to give me a deadly duo in Philly.”
– Eli Berkovits (@PTTF_Eli)
“My overall goal of this mock draft was to get a feel for where players are going and for what positions I will be comfortable reaching for/waiting on come August. My strategy was to load up on wide receivers and running backs early on, which is as popular of a fantasy football strategy as there is these days. I started with Odell Beckham and JuJu Smith-Schuster from the 10-slot, so I was definitely going RB-RB with my next couple of picks. I wound up with Aaron Jones and Josh Jacobs, which I thought was fair value for each. Picking 10th I didn’t have the option of taking one of the ELITE running backs (although there were some solid options on the board still such as James Conner, Joe Mixon, and Le’Veon Bell). What I learned is that it’s doable to start WR-WR this year, although it’s risky if backs likes Jones and Jacobs don’t fall to me. Next mock draft I might try and stay more balanced early on.”
– Brendan Tuma (@toomuchtuma)
“My strategy for this draft was to target the best player available. I went in understanding that I may need to be aggressive to end up with a roster I was truly happy with. In the end, I was very happy with how the draft played out. I was able to land four of my top-15 running backs and two of my top-15 wide receivers. Creating a custom cheat sheet with the cheat sheet creator was a crucial step in making sure I did not miss out on any of my target players.”
– Raju Byfield (@FantasyContext)
“I knew that with the fourth-overall pick the decision would essentially be made for me, getting the last of the Big Four running backs. Personally, I would take Alvin Kamara first overall in a PPR draft, and I was thrilled to select him at 1.04. With his role continuing to grow in the Saints’ high-flying offense and ability to consistently score double-digit touchdowns, he’s not a guy whose value is entirely built on volume (shout out to Zeke Elliot). In the second round, you will always catch me going after the three-headed monster at tight end. It’s paramount that owners target that position in the second round because there’s value to be had elsewhere throughout the draft. I went with Ertz over Kittle because of his proven role in Doug Pederson’s offense, despite the reports of second-year tight end Dallas Goedert‘s emergence (who I made sure to select in the late rounds). I was more than satisfied with selecting T.Y. Hilton and Robert Woods over my next two picks, especially considering Woods is my highest-rated Rams’ WR. To get him in the fourth round after selecting Ertz in the second just goes to show that you can find quality value elsewhere in the draft while still securing the tight end position. The value presented itself even further in the fifth with PPR machine James White falling into my lap. I closed out the heart of my draft with Larry Fitzgerald in the sixth and Kamara’s backfield mate Latavius Murray in the seventh. That Saints’ backfield will continue to deploy two backs with Murray essentially filling the Mark Ingram role, and securing that entire backfield will pay dividends this season.”
– Rob Searles (@robbob17)
“I wanted to focus on tiers in this draft and make sure I had a good representation at each position of players I had rated in the top-two tiers. This was more of an issue at TE where I had only six in that ranking and this prompted me to take Evan Engram in the sixth round. I’m high on him as a rebound player, and there were only two TEs left in my top two tiers (with 16 picks until my next selection. I was comfortable taking Julio at 1.09 as I felt I had enough RBs left to snag a couple from the top two tiers and was okay nabbing Nick Chubb and Marlon Mack at 2.4 and 3.9, respectively.”
– Sheldon Curtis (@sheldon_curtis)
“Since this was a PPR draft, I targeted players projected with big-time opportunity shares. You can see this stamp all over my team and it began with David Johnson at 1.05. While he is coming off back-to-back down seasons, you really can’t blame the player for injuries (2017) and a bad offense (2018) — Mike McCoy can get a lot of the blame for Johnson’s 2018 woes, however. With the addition of Kyler Murray, young and explosive receivers, and Kliff Kingsbury’s air-raid philosophy, Johnson should be heavily involved in the offense, especially as a pass-catcher and is poised for a bounce-back year in 2019. If you look at the rest of my backs with the exception of late-round flier C.J. Anderson, Damien Williams, Kenyan Drake, and Karem Hunt all fit the profile of a three-down workhorse even though we haven’t seen it yet from Drake. Though he’s at least flashed as a receiver while finishing as the PPR RB14 while only averaging 7.5 carries per game last season. And while I understand you can knock me for Hunt considering the Nick Chubb factor, if he comes out of his suspension hot or Chubb suffers an injury, Hunt would bring ROS RB1 upside for a player I snagged in the 10th round. Many of my receivers and tight ends also fit the mold of high-target assets, especially my starters, whereas I did take a few high-variance boom/ bust risks in the mid-rounds just in case they pop — Tyreek Hil, Mecole Hardman, and D.K. Metcalf. I’m fine with taking risks in season-long redraft once most of my starter positions are filled out. If I have a regret, it is taking Andrew Luck at 6.8 due to the depth at the position. However, getting him at 6.8 is still roughly two rounds ahead of his fourth-round ADP. So it’s not that bad considering his overall QB1 upside in 2019.”
– Anthony Cervino (@therealnflguru)
“One of the biggest traps I feel people can fall into with fantasy drafts is entering with a planned strategy and staying rigid with it as the draft goes on. I’ve felt while it’s definitely necessary to do pre-draft research and know some of the players you want to draft — and those you don’t — it’s best to remain flexible and adjust as things play out. While I would generally say that I planned on targeting two top wide receivers early on, I was happy to pick Travis Kelce when he was available in the middle of the second round. After picking Kelce, I saw value again with Adam Thielen available in the third round and again with Kenny Golladay in the fourth. While I would have been more inclined to pick my first RB — with Phillip Lindsay, Derrick Henry and Josh Jacobs, among others, still on the board — I liked Golladay’s upside at pick No. 43, and thought it helped establish my wideouts as perhaps the best in the entire draft. I later filled the void at RB with picks of Sony Michel and Tevin Coleman who I felt would get the touches necessary to make up for some of the value lost by not going for an RB earlier. Grabbing Baker Mayfield in the ninth allowed me to fill out the rest of my roster with more established players and after going WR/TE early, I wanted to fill out my RB depth with a known quantity like LeSean McCoy along with some upside in D’Onta Foreman. I think staying flexible helped and if the FantasyPros draft grade was any indication (1st out of the 12 with a 96/100 grade), I had perhaps the best draft in the league.”
– Brian Rzeppa (@brianrzeppa)
“My strategy from the second draft position was to lead with an elite running back before building a solid WR group to take advantage of the 3WR PPR format of the draft. I was very happy with my starting receiver grouping of Keenan Allen, A.J. Green (currently a bargain in drafts), and Sammy Watkins. Tarik Cohen provides a strong pass-catching RB to pair with Saquon Barkley and Lamar Miller provides depth or a nice flex option if Corey Davis can’t begin to realize some of his immense potential in year three. My bench features some upside in Valdez-Scantling who will play in two-receiver sets for Green Bay this season and DeVante Parker. Jaylen Samuels showed his value late last season and Alexander Mattison plays behind the rarely-healthy Dalvin Cook. Marqise Lee rounded out the bench as a cheap source of receptions.”
– Justin Mackey
“I didn’t enter the draft with a set strategy. I just wanted to draft the highest players on my board while accounting for positional need. Usually, when I go WR in the first round, I end up going WR in the second because all of the reliable, elite RBs are gone. I was very pleased to see Le’Veon Bell make it back me. Leaving the first two rounds with one of each gave me much-needed flexibility in round three, where I typically target Adam Thielen or Stefon Diggs, both of whom were gone before my pick. I don’t love Devonta Freeman, but he was the correct pick there. After that, I largely got the players I wanted. I made a few calculated decisions, particularly taking Christian Kirk over Tevin Coleman in round six. As it turned out, Coleman went the very next pick. I was never getting both of them. I was very tempted to take Pat Mahomes rounds three and four, but I refrained. I’m glad I did, snagging Kyler Murray, who I project to be a top-five fantasy QB, in the 10th round. Overall, I am very pleased with my team and absolutely certain that when real drafts roll around late August, I will never be able to draft a team this good.”
– Jason Katz (@jasonkatz13)
“I never come in with a set strategy except to let the draft come to me in the first few rounds and then adjust from there. With RBs going early and often, I was pleasantly surprised to see Michael Thomas at 1.11, so I was thrilled to get an elite combination of high floor and high ceiling. There were still enough RB1 candidates left that I felt comfortable grabbing any of Mixon, Bell, and Conner in round two. Conner was my top choice and he was still there. After that, I kept pounding RB and WR as not optimal TE value fell to me and QBs were all sliding. I was able to grab Aaron Rodgers way later than expected (almost got Deshaun Watson), and I stop feeling comfortable at TE after about the Jared Cook range, so picking him where I did was perfect. Late rounds consisted of high-upside RBs since I only had two locked-in starters, hoping that one or two hit.”
– Mark Leipold (@LeipoldNFL)
What was the biggest reach of the draft?
“Tyler Lockett at 4.06. I know I’m relatively lonely on this train, but that price tag for a receiver playing in such a run-dominant offense is way too steep for me. Seattle’s 427 pass attempts in Brian Schottenheimer’s first season as the offensive coordinator last year were the fewest in a single season in the NFL since 2013. In a game that’s built on accumulating as many statistics as possible, the odds are stacked against you when you simply don’t get much of an opportunity. No one should be targeting receivers that are stuck playing in historically unfriendly pass offenses.”
– Rob Searles (@robbob17)
Allen Robinson at 5.09 was probably my biggest reach in retrospect, but his upside in that offense is tremendous. Some will say that Chicago spreads the ball around, but I feel like that was partly due to Robinson getting up to speed with a new offense and continuing to recover from his knee injury. That being said, there’s a decent chance I could have drafted him a bit later.”
– Sheldon Curtis (@sheldon_curtis)
“My biggest reaches of the draft were Tyreek Hill and Mecole Hardman. For Hill, I’ve seen his ADP fluctuate throughout the offseason. It’s been as low as the double-digit rounds and most-recently as high as the fourth round. While grabbing him at 7.05 appears high considering the unknowns, we do know that he is not being charged by the authorities, which could lighten his impending and probable ban from the NFL. Drafting him in the seventh round has his projected games missed built in. For Hardman, I believe he will hold value with or without Hill in the lineup because of the Sammy Watkins factor, who historically is difficult to trust to remain healthy. However, even if Hill and Watkins are on the field, one of Kansas City’s deficiencies through the years has been a lack of depth at wide receiver, and even more importantly, a lack of a presence at WR3. Although Hardman’s value would peak if one of the aforementioned starters are out for a long time period, he will still have his explosive weeks playing in Andy Reid’s high-octane aerial attack.”
– Anthony Cervino (@therealnflguru)
“After kicking off my draft with four selections before addressing the running back position, I knew that I would have to use the later rounds to find value and potential upside. Though he finished as the 27th ranked (PPR) RB in 2018, picking Nyheim Hines as the 91st pick (8.6) was probably my biggest reach of the day. Marlon Mack is likely to take most of the touches in the Indianapolis backfield, and though Hines has upside as a pass-catcher — especially in PPR formats — his upside is very limited behind Mack. With options like Royce Freeman, Darrell Henderson, Jordan Howard, and Austin Ekeler still on the board, it would have likely been more worthwhile to look for a backfield with a closer to equal timeshare.”
– Brian Rzeppa (@brianrzeppa)
“Derrius Guice at 5.03. Adrian Peterson will open the season getting the bulk of the work in Washington, and there is no guarantee Guice will be able to supplant him this season. Add to this the availability of stronger options such as James White, Mark Ingram, and Chris Carson, it just seemed a little early to gamble on Guice.”
– Justin Mackey
“Corey Davis at 6.11. Davis carries a late ninth-round ADP. At this point, Marcus Mariota is what he is and the Tennessee offense is not producing a WR1 or even a WR2. Davis is entering his third year so I’m not ready to close the book on him just yet, but I don’t think his ceiling is anywhere near as high as many of the players taken around him and after him.”
– Jason Katz (@jasonkatz13)
“I was a bit surprised to see Kyler Murray drafted as the QB6. While this is redraft, a lot of the trends that emerge in redraft circles each year stem from the hype players get from the dynasty community. Murray has been a Superflex and 2QB dynasty darling for 2019 rookie drafts. He has also received a lot of hype this offseason for his dual-threat abilities and the spoils that will bring for his fantasy scoring. I just don’t see it, though, in 2019 at least. At least not enough to warrant taking him ahead of seasoned veteran signal callers like Carson Wentz and Dak Prescott.”
– Matt Giraldi (@Mgiraldi)
“If we excluded the auto-drafted Philip Rivers pick, my biggest reach wasn’t until the later rounds with Donte Moncrief in the 10th with the more popular Steelers’ WR James Washington still on the board. I think Moncrief will start the season as the No. 2 WR for the Steelers, and while he may eventually be replaced by Washington he was worth the risk as my WR5.”
– Geoff Lambert (@GeoffLambert77)
“I always do my best to avoid reaching on a player, but I think I reached a little on Austin Ekeler. I picked him with the eighth pick of the ninth round, handcuffing him to Melvin Gordon. I thought it was a necessary move given Gordon’s injury history, but I would’ve liked to have waited until the 10th round or later. Unfortunately, running backs were flying off the board and I had to go for it in round nine.”
– Eli Berkovits (@PTTF_Eli)
“I’m not sure whether or not I reached on Damien Harris in the 10th round. He has become a popular sleeper in best ball drafts that could make us all look silly a few months from now. The reach for Harris optimism is that Sony Michel has been sidelined from spring practices with a knee injury. However, the most recent report on Michel has been positive. Patriots running backs always carry high risk but also a great reward. The 10th round felt like a fair value for a running back that could wind up with a healthy amount of touches in a good offense. In previous years taking the cheapest New England running back has been a winning strategy.”
– Brendan Tuma (@toomuchtuma)
“Kenyan Drake in the fourth round was the biggest surprise early. However, DeDe Westbrook in the seventh was even more surprising. With the addition of Chris Conley, the return of Marqise Lee, and the expected continued emergence of D.J. Chark, DeDe may not even be third on his own team in targets. Seeing him drafted before players like N’Keal Harry, Sterling Shepard, Golden Tate, Tyreek Hill, and Will Fuller was a bit of a shock.”
– Raju Byfield (@FantasyContext)
“I was surprised to see Phillip Lindsay go in the early fourth round. Lindsay, who benefitted from random chance last year at Royce Freeman‘s expense (Lindsay had a lot more yards blocked for him than Freeman), doesn’t profile as an every-down RB due to his size, whereas Freeman does. Lindsay has a lot of downside at the cost spent to acquire him. In that same range, there are directions I’d rather go, whether it’s higher upside (e.g., David Montgomery, Derrius Guice), safer touch volume (e.g., Tarik Cohen, Mark Ingram), or even a better offense (e.g., Sony Michel). Lindsay is a hard fade for me at his current cost, given the risk factors from touch volume, offensive scoring opportunities, etc.”
– Mark Leipold (@LeipoldNFL)
What was the best value of the draft?
“Travis Kelce at 2.07. In PPR leagues, Kelce should never get past the turn at 12. The dropoff at tight end is far too great to ignore, and Kelce is in a tier of his own. As the No. 1 target for Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid, Kelce should be viewed as a top-five WIDE RECEIVER in 2019. Obtaining positional scarcity is the quickest way to tilt your roster in your favor, and there’s no greater outlier than Kelce. Selecting him in the back half of round two is getting away with highway robbery in broad daylight.”
– Rob Searles (@robbob17)
“I like Fournette at 3.01 as I feel that a perfect storm really messed up his season last year, and I’m more than happy to have nabbed Marlon Mack at 3.09 as I love his role in a great offense, and he finished strong last year.”
– Sheldon Curtis (@sheldon_curtis)
“My biggest value of the draft has to be Delanie Walker. Although he is entering his age-35 season and is coming off of a severe ankle injury, Walker was one of the most durable and consistent options at tight end available. Aside from last season in which he only played one game and his 2006 rookie campaign in which he only appeared in seven games, Walker has never played in fewer than 14 games in a season. What’s more, since joining the Titans in 2013, Walker has finished as a PPR TE1 (TE11, TE8, TE2, TE5, TE4) in each of the five seasons leading up to his injury-shortened 2018 campaign, which includes three top-five finishes in that time span. As my Mr. Irrelevent, Walker is a no-risk no-brainer.”
– Anthony Cervino (@therealnflguru)
“The No. 4 tight end in PPR leagues in 2017, Delanie Walker‘s 2018 came to a close during Week 1 after he suffered a brutal injury to his ankle that knocked him out for the season. Turning 35 years old before the regular season kicks off, there are many that doubt Walker’s ability to bounce back. Even with any doubts in mind, Anthony made a great pick in selecting Walker at 15.05. Even if he doesn’t return to full health, it’s hard to imagine that each of the 17 tight ends selected above him in the mock draft will be more valuable. With an ADP of 122, the selection of Walker with the 173rd pick represents a very low-risk, potentially high-reward selection.”
– Brian Rzeppa (@brianrzeppa)
“Hunter Henry at 7.10. He is healthy and poised for a huge season in a loaded Los Angeles attack. Getting him that late was a huge bargain. He is a major threat near the end zone and Keenan Allen and Mike Williams will draw plenty of attention away from him.”
– Justin Mackey
“I really wanted to say Patrick Mahomes because of how late he went, but when Aaron Rodgers and Deshaun Watson go round seven and Baker Mayfield goes round nine, it doesn’t even matter if Mahomes is the QB1 again — the opportunity cost becomes not worth it. Speaking of Mayfield, he is my pick at 9.06 as the best value. I was going to take him at 9.07. Mayfield has a sixth-round ADP, and I truly believe he will put up the type of numbers necessary to justify a third- or fourth-round pick on a quarterback. Brian was able to draft an early-round QB utilizing the late-round QB strategy.”
– Jason Katz (@jasonkatz13)
“Every running back selected in the ninth round. Want an argument for zero-RB this year? This round had the answer. Jordan Howard, Ronald Jones II, Darrell Henderson, Austin Ekeler, Carlos Hyde and Matt Breida. Most, if not all, of these running backs are considered handcuffs, yet all are in a position to be fantasy relevant at some point this season. The question for each is: How long is their relevancy?”
– Matt Giraldi (@Mgiraldi)
“Hands down my biggest value is Todd Gurley at 1.12. It really depends on what side of the fence you fall on that could make Gurley a value or a reach at the end of the first round. I’m on the side of the fence that even if Gurley has 75 percent of the workload he had last year, he is still a top-seven RB. In fact, if you take his PPR production from last season and calculate 75 percent of that, he slots in at RB7 in total points and in points per game. The lighter workload that’s expected this season will keep him fresher for the end of the season when I’ll need him the most.”
– Geoff Lambert (@GeoffLambert77)
“My top value pick has to be quarterback Carson Wentz. He fell all the way to the 12th round which is just absurd when you think about the fact that the last time he was healthy, he was unstoppable and on his way to an MVP award. Looking to 2019, he’s got plenty of weapons, two new running backs to take the pressure off him and is finally at 100% for the first time in two years. If you see Wentz available late in your draft, jump to make that pick. It could be the best move you make all year.”
– Eli Berkovits (@PTTF_Eli)
“Matt Giraldi began the third round by selecting Leonard Fournette, which was a pick I loved. Fournette certainly carries risk. Then again, all running backs do. The reason for Fournette’s depressed ADP this offseason is that he has spurned fantasy player so many times before. That shouldn’t deter you, however. We’re here to focus on the future and not the past. Coaches have talked up the 24-year-old LSU product all offseason, even suggesting he’ll be a big part of the passing game. That’s just talk of course, but it’s reassuring to hear those in Jacksonville speak good things about him. Once you pass the mid-second round there aren’t many RBs that possess the usage-upside of Fournette.”
– Brendan Tuma (@toomuchtuma)
“Derrius Guice in the fifth round appears to be the best value in the draft. Trailing in a close second is John Brown. Brown appears to be poised for the number one receiver role in Buffalo and could be an excellent flex option this season. As Robert Foster proved down the stretch, Josh Allen can coax fantasy production out of speed receivers who can run good routes. Brown was well on his way to a career year before the QB switch in Baltimore. He should be able to set new career highs this season now that he is a season removed from his health issues. John Brown projects as having a WR3-level floor.”
– Raju Byfield (@FantasyContext)
“Tyreek Hill if he has little to no suspension, of course. However, even though it requires me tooting my own horn, I am stunned that Alshon Jeffery fell to me at 6.02 (I only thought he was more likely to survive the turn than was Ridley at 5.11). Jeffery is coming off a solid WR2 season and entering a better situation in terms of projected efficiency in 2019, so to get him at a WR3 cost is very enticing. The true alpha dog in a potent offense is not generally available in this range of drafts, so I will own a lot of shares (his ADP is even lower than this). Miles Sanders could return excellent value from the eighth round, as I expect him to sieze the primary role on the aforementioned Eagles’ offense, which should provide strong fantasy value as a unit. I also think Deshaun Watson was a big steal, but QBs will generally go earlier in home league drafts than in industry drafts.”
– Mark Leipold (@LeipoldNFL)
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