With the unofficial start of the fantasy football season just days away, it’s time to see updated trends in average draft position (ADP) and to do another mock draft. That is why it’s time to do a half-point PPR mock draft and see what team you can build from the middle positions. You can use our free mock draft tool to complete infinite mock drafts as you prepare for your fantasy football draft.

For this mock draft, I decided to pick from the sixth position. The middle rounds used to be rounds people feared in previous years as it is unlikely you get great value. However, as you will see with the team below, there is a significant advantage to being in the middle and avoiding a big run on players.

Other fantasy football mock drafts:

• 12-team, 1QB, full-PPR, late pick
• Analyst half-PPR mock draft
• 12-team, 1QB, full-PPR, early pick
• Andrew Erickson’s Live PPR Mock Draft
• 12-team, 1QB, full-PPR
• Analyst full-PPR mock draft

I used the FantasyPros Mock Draft simulator for this mock draft. If you are planning on drafting in the coming days or weeks, then make sure you are using this to try mocking your league settings from different positions. That way, you can get a great idea of where players are falling and you can test different roster constructions.

The results of my mock from the sixth position are below.

Q: What did you learn from this draft?

I was slightly surprised to see five running backs come off the board in the first five picks. I would say this is going to be unusual, but not outside the realm of possibilities in your drafts this summer. If these five running backs come off the board in the first five picks, going wide receiver seems to be the smart play. Fantasy analysts will make the case for Mixon or Cook, but there is slightly more risk to taking them here than Cooper Kupp.

I was also surprised to see the value of quarterbacks be lower than expected. Only one quarterback going before Round 5, and being able to select someone like Tom Brady was a surprise to me. There has been a slight fall in ADP in quarterbacks in recent weeks, but this draft suggests there is a fading of the position to a small degree.

To see Kyler Murray fall as late as Round 8 was a real shock. Also, seeing Tom Brady fall to as low as Round 10. If the board breaks this way in a real draft, waiting on those two quarterbacks allows you to build a really solid team of starters. Those that took Allen in Round 2, or the quarterbacks in Round 5, will be disappointed to see Murray and Brady fall so late.

Lastly, it was interesting to see only five tight ends come off in the first seven rounds. It is a position that continues to get faded once you miss out on the elite guys. Taking a tight end in the middle rounds could be a quick way of passing up some elite value in the middle rounds at other positions. Therefore, make sure you are aware of this and set your tiers accordingly.

Q: What area(s) of your draft are you happy with?

The wide receiver room is the star of this draft. To walk away with Cooper Kupp, Tyreek Hill, Michael Thomas, Tyler Lockett, and Jakobi Meyers is a real coup. This wide receiver group is the best in the draft and gives plenty of depth and options to cover bye weeks.

Then there is the quarterback room. To get Tom Brady in the 10th and have Derek Carr as my backup puts me in a really strong position at that position. I have Tom Brady at similar numbers to last year, so to get someone who finished as QB3, but with the most game-winning weeks out of any QB last season, in the 10th round, meant I could fill other areas. This move allowed me to end up with very strong flex options and bench options, rather than reaching for somebody who is likely to finish behind Brady in 2022.

There is also solid strength in the tight ends drafted. Goedert will challenge for a top-five tight end finish and Hunter Henry so late gives this team a tight end touchdown threat in bye weeks in the flex.

Q: What area(s) of your draft would you have liked to improve?

The running back group is not as strong as I would have liked, but it is deep. To get Leonard Fournette, Josh Jacobs, J.K. Dobbins, Miles Sanders, and Nyheim Hines is a decent effort. However, drafting from the No. 6 spot, you would hope to get one of those top five guys and hope one slips down the board to you.

There are some in this spot that would have reached for Dalvin Cook or Joe Mixon. There is some merit to that approach. And it would be the quickest way to improve this room. However, with the way Leonard Fournette finished the season, and the fact that Ronald Jones left for Kansas City, there is a hope he will be just as productive as Cook and Mixon.

Q: What lesson did you learn from today’s mock that you will apply to future drafts you partake in?

The lesson learned in this draft is to be prepared to pivot to value if the players you were targeting get taken before you and the players in your draft reach. Last month, in the value-based drafting strategy guide in the FantasyPros Draft Kit, there is a lot of mention about letting the draft come to you and taking the value as it falls to you. Selecting Kupp here at the 1.06, getting Tom Brady in Round 10, as well as getting players like J.K Dobbins, Hunter Henry, and Tyler Lockett below ADP, shows you can build a really strong team if you don’t walk in with a preconceived plan.

It would have been very simple to reach for Cook or Mixon, or to reach for Joe Burrow or Russell Wilson over someone like Brady, or to reach for mid-tiered wide receiver talent when there was an edge at running back. However, if you know how to find value, and remain agile, you can end up with a much better team. Therefore, don’t panic if there is a run at a position. Don’t reach if the value isn’t there. Because, whilst you might think your team will be stronger as a result, it will really just be a lot weaker. Don’t let the FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) take over and put you on tilt. Search for value, execute your tiers, and find value in the middle to late rounds whilst your league-mates are scrambling around trying to fill the last roster spots with useful players.

This draft was just an excellent reminder that drafting for value, as opposed to drafting for need, will yield better results. Even if it feels weird doing it at the time. Just wait until the end and trust the process. You will be pleasantly surprised by the results.

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Adam Murfet is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Murf, check out his archive and follow him @Murf_NFL.