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Dynasty Startup Mock Draft (2020 Fantasy Football)

Dynasty Startup Mock Draft (2020 Fantasy Football)

Dynasty startups are all the rage now, and for good reason. Every fantasy owner dreams of becoming a GM and running their team like an NFL franchise — the exact theme of a dynasty league. There is no greater thrill than chasing the next Christian McCaffery.

Dynasty leagues are a completely different animal compared to redraft leagues. While running backs are the king of redraft, wide receivers tend to rule in dynasty. Accordingly, my general strategy in dynasty leagues is to load up on wide receivers — and that’s exactly what I did in the below dynasty startup mock draft.

I used the FantasyPros Draft Simulator for this mock draft according to the following criteria:

  • 12 teams
  • Standard scoring
  • QB
  • 2RB
  • 3WR
  • TE
  • Flex
  • 6 bench spots

Let’s check out my squad and the thought-process behind each pick.

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1.10: Chris Godwin (WR – TB)
The God’s breakout last season felt inevitable, and I would be thrilled to have him serve as the anchor of my dynasty team for the next five-plus years. At just 24 years old, Godwin’s best football is yet to come — a crazy thought for a player coming off an 86-1,333-9 season in just 14 games. He is in the perfect situation in Tampa Bay with the vertically-minded Bruce Arians at head coach. Regardless of who is at quarterback for the Buccaneers, Godwin is a locked-in top-five wide receiver with legitimate upside to be the WR1.
Other players considered: Nick Chubb, Mike Evans

2.03: Joe Mixon (RB – CIN)
Passing on D.J. Moore here was extremely painful, but I couldn’t pass up on Joe Mixon in this spot given that I went receiver for my first pick. Mixon’s season-long stats are more solid than spectacular, but check out his rushing game log from Weeks 13 – 16 when the Bengals were actually a functional offense:

Week 13: 23-146-1
Week 14: 25-136-0
Week 15: 21-50-0
Week 16: 26-162-2

While the yardage and touchdowns are phenomenal, I’m even more excited about that usage — 95 rushing attempts in four weeks is truly elite. The 2020 Bengals with Joe Burrow at the helm will look nothing like the dumpster fire of 2019. Mixon’s dynasty arrow is trending up, and I could foresee him being a sure-fire first-round pick over the summer.
Other players considered: D.J. Moore, Josh Jacobs

3.10: Patrick Mahomes (QB – KC)
I typically prefer the late-round quarterback strategy, but dynasty leagues are a different beast. I have seen Mahomes go at the 1.01 spot in dynasty leagues, and the rest of the league does not bat an eyelash. I was thrilled to grab Mahomes at the end of the third round and secure my quarterback position for the next decade with the NFL’s best player. Elite quarterbacks see their value pushed up in dynasty leagues because of the position’s longevity — target quarterbacks earlier than you would in a typical re-draft or risk missing out on the studs.
Other players considered: Lamar Jackson, Austin Ekeler

4.03: D.J. Chark (WR – JAC)
Back to wide receiver I go with Baby Shark himself. Chark is coming off a 73-1,008-8 breakout despite shoddy quarterback play from Nick Foles and Gardner Minshew, capitalizing on the gifted physical tools that made him a second-round pick in 2018. Chark is just 23 years old and is the alpha of Jacksonville’s passing attack — he is the perfect WR2 complement to Chris Godwin.
Other players considered: Tyler Lockett, Michael Gallup

5.10: Chris Carson (RB – SEA)
The number of quality running backs is about to drop off a cliff, so I will get ahead of that run by snagging Chris Carson. Assuming the Seahawks don’t invest heavy draft capital into the running back position, Carson will once again lead the backfield with Rashaad Penny recovering from a serious knee injury. Carson has two straight 1,100-plus rushing-yard seasons and is a solid bet to improve on the seven rushing touchdowns he had last year. Pete Carroll loves to run the football, and Carson is a huge value at this point of the draft.
Other players considered: James Conner, Kenyan Drake

 6.03: Terry McLaurin (WR – WAS)
The wide receiver options are plentiful here, and I grab the best of the bunch in Terry McLaurin. I feel like McLaurin is going to be underrated all offseason — nobody wants to draft any Redskins — despite having arguably the greatest rookie wide receiver season, circumstances considered. McLaurin overcame the Case Keenum/Dwayne Haskins disaster and took the league by storm with a 58-919-7 receiving line. His route-running chops are ridiculous!

INSERT TWEET HERE.

There is also a small chance that the Redskins draft Tua Tagovailoa with the No. 2 Overall Pick, which would cause McLaurin’s value to skyrocket.
Other players considered: Marquise Brown, Curtis Samuel

7.10: Curtis Samuel (WR – CAR)
I did cartwheels when Samuel dropped to me at 7.10. Samuel was arguably the unluckiest wide receiver in the entire NFL last season — he had the biggest discrepancy between actual receiving yards and air yards among all wide receivers. Here is the top-five in that regard (air yards minus receiving yards):

Samuel left an astronomical 981 air yards on the turf last season, over 200 more than anyone else. With improved quarterback play, Samuel will be a fantasy stud.
Other players considered: Mecole Hardman, Raheem Mostert

8.03: Mecole Hardman (WR – KC)
Another easy pick for me as I get to pair Mecole Hardman with Patrick Mahomes. Depending on what the Chiefs decide to do with their WR2 situation (keep or cut Sammy Watkins), Hardman has the potential to blow up this offseason. Hardman is one of the fastest players in the NFL and is a threat to take it to the house every time he touches the football. I am salivating just thinking about this Mahomes/Hardman stack.
Other players considered: John Brown, Sterling Shepard

9.10: Damien Williams (RB – KC)
I missed a huge run on running backs here, as six of them flew off the board over the previous nine picks. The scarcity forces my hand as I grab Damien Williams here to be my RB3. Evaluating Damien Williams for dynasty is a difficult task, which is why the potential starting running back on the league’s most potent offense is available at the end of the ninth round. Though Williams will likely split carries with either Darwin Thompson or somebody currently outside the organization, there is a small chance that Andy Reid lets Williams lead the backfield after he diced up the 49ers in the Super Bowl. That upside makes him well worth this selection.
Other players considered: Diontae Johnson, Tarik Cohen

10.03: T.J. Hockenson (TE – DET)
It’s time to grab my tight end, and I’ll do so by taking the uber-talented T.J. Hockenson. I’m expecting a big year-two breakout out of Hockenson after he dealt with injuries and poor quarterback play in his rookie season. Tight ends take time to develop, and the former top-10 pick has all the tools necessary to become an elite tight end. Think George Kittle.
Other players considered: Dallas Goedert, Mike Gesicki

11.10: Tony Pollard
I was not overly excited by the draft board, so I grabbed arguably the league’s top handcuff running back in Tony Pollard. He won’t have much of a role while Ezekiel Elliott is healthy, but running backs get hurt more often than any other position. If something were to happen to Elliott, Pollard would instantly become an every-week fantasy RB1.
Other players considered: Ronald Jones, Latavius Murray

12.03: Jamaal Williams (RB – GB)
Same deal here with Williams, who would be a rock-solid RB1 if Aaron Jones were to miss any time. Jones will also be a free agent at the end of next season, which adds extra value to Williams in dynasty formats should Jones prove to be too costly for the Packers to keep.
Other players considered: Parris Campbell, James Washington

13.10: Ian Thomas (TE – CAR)
With Greg Olsen heading to Seattle, Ian Thomas is currently slated to be the Panthers starting tight end. Thomas showed well in his audition last season, demonstrating his talents with a 10 target and 5-57-1 line against the Falcons in Week 13. He has all the skills to take the starting job and run with it on a Panthers team that is looking toward the future.
Other players considered: Tyrell Williams, Chris Herndon

14.03: Allen Lazard (WR – GB)
I love this Lazard pick to close out my draft, and I have been gobbling him up for cheap all offseason. Lazard is a massive target with a six-foot-five frame that has the potential to be a dominating force in the red zone. The Packers are going to bring in new pass-catchers this offseason, either by the draft or free agency, but Lazard has carved out a role for himself in this offense. He is being priced as an afterthought.
Other players considered: Hunter Renfrow, Emmanuel Sanders

Summary
I am very fond of the way this mock draft turned out, and I would sign up for this dynasty team in a heartbeat. The FantasyPros mock draft wizard assigned me a very solid B+ grade with a fourth-place projection. Not too shabby.

I would argue that is a fair projection for this team in 2020, but the real value for my squad is in its long-term viability. A lot can change quickly fantasy football, but this team is in position to compete for the next five seasons.

Drafting a team that is ready to compete both now and in future years should be the goal of every dynasty owner, and that’s exactly what I accomplished in this mock draft. Every single draft pick has a dynasty arrow pointing up.

*One note – I avoided rookies in this mock draft simply because of the uncertainty surrounding their destinations. There is a lot of excitement surrounding the 2020 NFL Draft class, but their fantasy values will be determined more by situation than talent — let’s watch that unfold over the coming weeks and reassess after the NFL draft.

Jarad Evans is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Jarad, follow him on Twitter @jarad_evans.

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