The 2021 season is almost upon us. Many have drafted already, but many others have not. As such, it felt like a good time for another mock draft now that a lot of the dust has settled from the preseason. This time, I wanted to take a look at a Standard / Non-PPR format, so I set the parameters as follows:
- 12 teams, Non-PPR
- 1 QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE, 1 FLEX (RB/WR/TE), 1 DST, 1 K, 6 Bench slots
Using the FantasyPros Draft Wizard, I assigned myself the 7th pick in a snake draft (re-draft league) and drafted against all experts using composite ADP and a mix of pre-draft rankings. Below are the results by round, along with my thoughts and observations:
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1.07 – Ezekiel Elliott (RB – DAL)
My first pick basically came down to Zeke or Aaron Jones (RB – GB). In a PPR format, I probably would’ve opted for Jones, but I’m worried that AJ Dillon (RB – GB) might vulture some of his TD’s this year. So I went with Elliott, hoping that his weight loss and the return of Dak Prescott (QB – DAL) will elevate him back towards the top of the RB class.
2.06 – Najee Harris (RB – PIT)
I was pretty happy to find Harris still available at pick #18 as I think he’ll be a workhorse back for the Steelers this season. Rookies are never without risk, but the volume should be there for him.
3.07 – Mike Evans (WR – TB)
With my RB spots filled, I wanted to grab the top WR available with my 3rd pick. Evans can be a little inconsistent, but I love that he garnered 22% of the targets inside the red zone last season on the way to 13 TDs. Tampa’s offense should be high-powered again this year, so I’m banking on Evans seeing the end-zone a lot.
4.06 – Robert Woods (WR – LAR)
With the highs and lows that Evans can provide, I was looking for a bit more consistency at the position with my next pick and thus grabbed Woods. He’s been an extremely consistent option in recent years, hauling in 86, 90, and 90 passes the past 3 seasons. The only knock on him is he hasn’t historically scored a lot of touchdowns, but that may improve this year with Matthew Stafford (QB – LAR) at the helm rather than Jared Goff (QB – DET).
5.07 – Lamar Jackson (QB – BAL)
I don’t usually draft a QB this early, but there weren’t any WR’s, RB’s, or TE’s standing out to me on the board. So, I nabbed Lamar. With all of the injuries to the Ravens playmakers this off-season, Lamar may just have to run and run and run.
6.06 – Mark Andrews (TE – BAL)
Speaking of the Ravens, Andrews figures to see an immense target share this year, especially in the first month. With Rashod Bateman (WR – BAL) out until likely October, Marquise Brown (WR – BAL) nursing a sore hamstring, and J.K. Dobbins (RB – BAL) done for the year, the Ravens may not have a choice but to look for Andrews.
7.07 – Brandin Cooks (WR – HOU)
Cooks is another receiver who is often overlooked. He’s been over 1k yards receiving in all but 2 of his 7 seasons as a pro. The only exceptions were his rookie year – in which he missed 6 games – and 2019 – a year where he battled concussions. The Texans offense may not be very good in 2021, but Cooks is far and away their best receiver. He should produce good Fantasy numbers once again.
8.06 – Michael Carter (RB – NYJ)
Carter seems to end up on almost all of my teams. I just love the opportunity he has to break out, given his competition for touches on the Jets. He’s probably more valuable in a PPR league, but I still think he’ll see enough volume to be a solid RB3 / Flex option here.
9.07 – D.J. Chark (WR – JAC)
There was a run on Jaguars’ WRs in Round 9 with Laviska Shenault (WR – JAC) being the receiver drafted before Chark and Marvin Jones Jr. (WR – JAC) being the next receiver drafted after him. I like all 3 to a certain extent, but Chark here feels like a real value.
10.06 – Latavius Murray (RB – NO)
I wanted to grab another RB in this round, and Murray was the best available. I have my concerns about him amid rumors that he could lose the backup job to Tony Jones (RB – NO). He’s been productive the past few seasons for the Saints even when Alvin Kamara (RB – NO) has been healthy, though, and becomes a legit RB2 should Kamara miss time.
11.07 – Jalen Reagor (WR – PHI)
As I built out my bench, I wanted to nab guys with upside in the reserve rounds. Reagor had an injury-plagued / unproductive rookie season last year, but the Eagles were a bit of a mess. He was drafted in the first round for a reason, so if Philadelphia can find more offensive consistency this year, he has a great opportunity to emerge.
12.06 – Rashod Bateman (WR – BAL)
Bateman is another high upside guy who will, unfortunately, miss the beginning of the season after core-muscle surgery. He was impressing in camp before the injury though, so the hope here is that he can be a solid contributor during the 2nd half of the season.
13.07 – Rhamondre Stevenson (RB – NE)
Once again, I reached for the upside with this pick. Stevenson has had an impressive preseason, and with Sony Michel (RB – LAR) now in Los Angeles, the backfield in New England is a bit less crowded.
14.06 – Nelson Agholor (WR – NE)
I’m not super excited about Agholor but wanted to grab another veteran receiver after plucking a few youngsters in a row. He’s more likely to be usable early in the season should I need someone to plug an injury hole in the first few weeks.
15.07 – Justin Tucker (K – BAL)
Tucker’s typically one of the best Kickers in Fantasy Football, so I’ll gladly take him here.
16.06 – New England Patriots (DST – NE)
My last pick came down to which DST to draft. It was between the Pats and the New Orleans Saints (DST – NO), and I just have a feeling New England’s defense is going to be pretty good this year.
Overall, I felt the draft went pretty well as I have a nice mix of solid veterans and youth with upside. In hindsight, my one regret is not grabbing a third running back a little earlier to plug into my Flex spot. Carter may be usable there along with Chark, but my preference is a Top 30 RB for that position.
Draft Wizard Grade: 87 (B+)
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Scott Youngson is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Michael, check out his archive and follow him @FantasyMutant.
