Now, if you’re a listener of The Fantasy Football Fellas or follow me on twitter (@kyleFFfellas), then you probably already know that I’m one of what feels like the few people still left out there who prefer standard scoring over PPR. Don’t get me wrong, I love mixing up scoring types and league formats, but while some will point to standard scoring as “being a thing of the past,” I think one of the main reasons PPR scoring was created is often overlooked. PPR started to work it’s way into fantasy football to help offset what has since become a thing of the past, the true “bell cow” running back.
Now, the standard versus PPR debate is probably served best in a separate discussion, but if you clicked on this baby, hopefully, you’re still part of the #standardscoringsquadron who believes there is still a place in the world for this type of scoring. And yes, I’m trying to make this hashtag a thing, so feel free to use it!
Anyway, I’ll hop down off the soapbox for now and get to the main event! We all love mock drafts, and the best way to test out new strategies is by doing as many of them as possible. In my option, the best way do this is with the Mock Draft Simulator right here at FantasyPros! For this article, I’ll take you through my thought process pick by pick as I make them. No hindsight or summaries, just my thought process and some key stats that led me to make each selection. Enjoy!
Scoring and Roster Construction: Standard (non-PPR) – one QB, two RBs, two WRs, one TE, one flex (RB/WR/TE), and six bench spots.
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1.11 – Joe Mixon (RB – CIN)
At the 11th pick, eight RBs had already come off the board along with Michael Thomas and Davante Adams. That leaves two of my top three WRs still on the board, but with the short turn, I might be able to sneak one through. For me, Mixon is an easy selection. Regardless of scoring format, the RB position tends to dry up quickly, and Mixon is the last guy in my second tier of RBs.
2.02 – Julio Jones (WR – ATL)
Well, I mentioned that two of my top three WRs were available with my previous pick, and one made it through. I know that standard scoring takes a bit of value away from the WRs, but Jones is a monster, regardless. With five straight seasons of 1,400(!) receiving yards, it’s hard to find a player as consistent as Jones. So far, I like my RB/WR start.
3.11 – Leonard Fournette (RB – JAC)
It’s a long time between picks when you have a pick at the back of the draft, but I was pleasantly surprised to find Fournette sitting here for me at #35 overall. With the top three TEs all going in Round 2, I think we’ll continue to see nice value at RB and WR in Round 3. As far as Fournette, I know the negatives with him, and chances are he’s a 13-game-per-season-type player. Despite how grim things look at the end of 2018, Jacksonville did very little this offseason to show me they’re going to start sharing the work, however. I think he’s a likely contender to be in the top five in rushing attempts in 2019. I really love the value here.
4.02 – Devonta Freeman (RB – ATL)
Even with the short turn, I didn’t expect Freeman to make it back to me at 38th overall. Freeman is my third RB selection in the first four rounds, but the best remaining RBs on the board after him are Lindsay, Carson, and Guice. Even with the long turn, I like my chances better of finding someone I like at WR in Round 5 than an RB.
5.11 – Cooper Kupp (WR – LAR)
Kupp hasn’t gotten talked about a lot this offseason, but coming off the injury, fantasy owners who draft earlier could be in a tough spot with him. When everything is even, I think Kupp is the WR to own on the Rams, but after coming off a torn ACL in Week 10 last year, there could be questions about his availability early on. Kupp was on fire last season before the injury, scoring six TDs in the seven full games he played. If he can be 100% by Week 1, he’ll be a very solid WR2 in 2019.
6.02 – Alshon Jeffrey (WR – PHI)
Don’t get me wrong, I like Jeffery this season. I think he’ll be a solid WR2 and, based on how I’ve structured this team so far, he’s a nice piece to have with the potential question marks around Cooper Kupp. The thing that stings is seeing Calvin Ridley still on the board, though. Now I didn’t mind drafting two Falcons with Jones and Freeman, but a third might be a little too much. I guess I feel like I have to settle for Jeffrey here, but Jeffrey was WR26 last season even with missing three games. Based on current ADP, I think he’s a nice value.
7.11 – Rashaad Penny (RB – SEA)
This is actually a pretty tough pick here at #83 overall. There are a couple WRs I like a lot in Robby Anderson and Mike Williams still on the board, but I think I’ll take the shot on one of them making it back to me on the quick turn. As far as taking Penny here, I still believe in Chris Carson this season, but I feel really good about my team so far, so I’m comfortable taking the chance on Penny. If he ends up being the starting RB in Seattle at any point this season, there is a lot of upside.
8.02 – Mike Williams (WR – LAC)
And there he is, Mike Williams at #85 overall. The TD to target ratio from last year is concerning, but I do expect Williams to be worked into the offense a bit more as he enters his third season. I actually think the 10 TDs in 2018 is repeatable, and in a standard scoring league the catches aren’t as important, but I’d still like to see closer to 850 yards this season to help build a more solid week-to-week floor.
9.11 – Jared Cook (TE – NO)
With eight TEs already off the board, I think Cook is a nice value here in the late ninth round. I think fantasy owners should give up the dream that the “Saints’ Jimmy Graham” numbers will ever return, but Cook has shown to be a solid fantasy contributor over the past two seasons. I don’t expect him to be top five again like he was in 2018, but I think finishing inside the top eight is a reasonable expectation.
10.2 – James Washington (WR – PIT)
One of my favorite sleeper candidates in 2019, Washington is a player I expect more people to catch onto as we get closer to August. With Antonio Brown and his 168 targets from 2018 now in Oakland, these targets will clearly need to go somewhere. Washington didn’t do much his rookie season, but that’s nothing new for the Steelers, who traditionally bring young WRs along a little slower. I love the upside here.
11.11 – DaeSean Hamilton (WR – DEN)
Hamilton is another guy that I think is flying under the radar at the moment. Similarly to Washington, Hamilton should be in line to be the WR2 in his offense in his sophomore season. However, unlike Washington, Hamilton is in an offense that might only be able to support one viable fantasy option at WR. It’s clearly a flyer at #131 overall, but I think there’s a chance Hamilton could even be the top target in Denver.
12.02 – Jared Goff (QB – LAR)
Apparently, I’m going to own a lot of Goff this season. Based on this simulation, only 11 QBs were off the board and I was the last team to take one. Goff isn’t “sexy,” so he seems to fall further than he should. I agree he doesn’t have “top-five upside,” but I think he’s a safe bet to finish inside the top 10 this season.
13.11 – Kalen Ballage (RB – MIA)
With my final pick of the draft, I’m going to take another flyer at RB. I only had four to this point but with three of those picks coming in the first four rounds, I didn’t feel like I needed one, but Ballage felt like a nice lotto ticket here. Drake only had double-digit carries five times over 16 games and Ballage had 12 carries in two of his last three games. We’ll see who the new regime thinks is the starter, but as a flyer with my last pick, I’m fine with it.
Favorite Pick: Leonard Fournette (3.11) – As I mentioned, I loved the value at #35 overall. Fournette was still on the board after other RBs such as Marlon Mack, Kerryon Johnson, Josh Jacobs, and Aaron Jones were already drafted. I get that’s not a slam dunk, but I’ll take Fournette over all of those guys.
Least Favorite Pick: Jared Cook (9.11) – I didn’t hate this pick, I just didn’t love it. Maybe it’s because he’s a TE, and rarely are you going to feel good about drafting one outside of the top three.
Conclusion
I loved how this team turned out. I often like my teams more when I wait on both QB and TE, and based on the starters I was able to get at RB along with the depth I built at the WR position, I like this team a lot. Like with many drafts this year, I think the decision to take a TE in Round 2 or 3 is going to be a big one for fantasy owners. The opportunity didn’t really present itself to me this time based on what was on the board when I was picking, but overall I can live with missing out on one of the big three if I’m able to get value like this in Round 3 and 4.
Projected Starting Lineup
QB: Jared Goff
RB: Joe Mixon
RB: Leonard Fournette
WR: Julio Jones
WR: Cooper Kupp
TE: Jared Cook
Flex: Devonta Freeman
Bench: Rashaad Penny, Kalen Ballage, Alshon Jeffery, Mike Williams, James Washington, DaeSean Hamilton
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Kyle August is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Kyle, check out his archive and follow him @kyleFFfellas.
