Fantasy draft season is truly upon us. Among the many tools we have here at FantasyPros to get you ready, is the Draft Wizard. Configure the Wizard with your league settings and then get to work. The Draft Wizard will guide you through your picks giving insights and suggestions at every step. For this draft, I took the 1.11 in a standard league. While standard leagues aren’t as popular these days they’re still good fun. It’s always interesting to see how much higher the running backs are valued with the lack of PPR scoring. The 1.11 isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but I really enjoy drafting near the turn and scooping up value.

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Mock Draft Picks: Standard League, No. 11 Pick

Pick 1.11: Justin Jefferson (WR – MIN)

Before I could make my first selection, nine running backs and Cooper Kupp were taken. At this point, it was a choice between Justin Jefferson and Saquon Barkley. While I’ll admit there is some risk with Barkley, Jefferson has the potential to be the WR1 this year. Kevin O’Connell looks to be a more pass-happy coach than Mike Zimmer was in Minnesota and with Jefferson being talked up as seeing more slot opportunities, he could really explode this season. In 2021 Jefferson was second in receiving yards, fourth in targets and fifth in standard fantasy points per game. 2022 is the year he can lead those categories.

Pick 2.02: Saquon Barkley (RB – NYG)

As I mentioned above, there is an element of danger in drafting Saquon Barkley. While he is two years removed from his ACL injury he is also still a member of the Giants, who have many questions to answer. What can’t be questioned however is the upside in selecting Barkley. The last time we really saw Barkley healthy was in 2019 when he played 13 games and was the RB6 in points per game with 14.8. Of the elite running backs, only Najee Harris has less competition in the running back room, as Matt Breida is the sole noteworthy name out of the other Giants RBs. Making sure I got a running back with one of my first two picks was a priority and Barkley feels like a great start.

Pick 3.11: Michael Pittman (WR – IND)

Why select just one young receiver penned for a breakout when you can select two? Pittman is the unquestioned WR1 on a Colts team that should see an upgrade in the passing game. Matt Ryan might be towards the twilight of his career but he’s a more confident quarterback than Carson Wentz and should be able to put his pass-catchers in far better positions to succeed. In 2021 Pittman was third at the position in route participation and the Colts haven’t added a lot to their receiving corps. It’s wheels up for Pittman in 2022.

Pick 4.02: Keenan Allen (WR – LAC)

At this point in the draft, it’s tricky to like the running backs around ADP. Many of them like David Montgomery and Antonio Gibson fit the types of players who have become running back dead zone disappointments. Both players face stiff competition for touches this year and if they’re not getting volume on the ground then they won’t pay off their ADP cost. Instead, I would rather take a wide receiver in this range. In standard, we won’t benefit from Allen seeing heavy quantities of receptions, but we will benefit from him being a part of one of the most electric offenses in the league.

Pick 5.11: J.K. Dobbins (RB – BAL)

The Ravens suffered a huge amount of injuries in 2021 and chief amongst them was the ACL injury that kept Dobbins from touching the field in his sophomore season. During drafts preceding Dobbins’s injury he was taken in the late second round of standard leagues. If Dobbins can return fully healthy by the end of training camp or even early into the season, we could see him truly shine. In Dobbins’s rookie season he was largely eased in with just 25 rushing attempts before the week eight bye. After that, he exploded with 6.0 yards per carry. With Gus Edwards not expected to be healthy enough to play early in the season Dobbins’s upside case is very high.

Pick 6.02: Darnell Mooney (WR – CHI)

The Bears’ offense might look quite thin, to say the least, but Darnell Mooney has now become the undoubted WR1 there and has a great rapport with Justin Fields. As Andrew Erickson notes in Mooney’s FantasyPros profile “Mooney finished the last four weeks of the season ninth in target share (27%) and fifth in route participation (95%)”. Taking Mooney here allowed me to make sure I filled my flex spot most weeks with a wide receiver instead of a running back. Whilst elite running backs can outscore wide receivers we’re still in an area of drafts where that doesn’t carry over. Through six rounds my receiver room looks very healthy.

Pick 7.11: Tom Brady (QB – TB)

By my seventh pick, nine quarterbacks are off the board, and all the rushing quarterbacks that look to have good offenses around them are long gone. While Brady doesn’t offer the rushing ability that others can, he still operates at a truly elite level. Last year’s QB1 Josh Allen, scored an average of 24.6 fantasy points and went over this number seven times. Tom Brady outscored that number nine times in total. Brady’s upside is almost as high as any QB and to get him at the back of this QB run gives me one of the last quarterbacks you can really feel comfortable with week in and week out.

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Pick 8.02: Chase Edmonds (RB –MIA)

This roster is looking slightly thin at running back but we’re in a great section of the draft to start targeting them. If you were concerned with the health of Dobbins then the best approach is to take a running back who will have a large workload early on. The Dolphins made Chase Edmonds a priority free agent signing and look set to turn over what could be a very creative running game to Edmonds.

Pick 9.11: Kadarius Toney (WR – NYG)

In 2021 Toney struggled for fitness but when healthy he flashed huge upside and had over 2.0 yards per route, a number that only 13 rookies have achieved since 2011. The upgrade in coaching from Joe Judge to Brian Daboll should be very noticeable. It leaves my roster with two Giants skill players which isn’t the most desirable position to be in, but if the Giants do surprise people then this roster will be looking good and we can always make a trade in the season. As my WR5 I’m not concerned about safety, I want upside and a player who can really break out, Toney is exactly that.

Pick 10.02: T.J. Hockenson (TE – DET)

Many in the fantasy community seem to be out on Hockenson after years of him never quite delivering on his promise, however, I for one am firmly back in at cost. Hockenson was heading towards a career year in 2021 before an injury derailed it. This was in spite of him scoring fewer touchdowns per game than usual. If the Detroit Lions are going to be frisky this year and play better across the board then I want to roll the dice on their players who have the potential to outperform their cost. At TE8 in this format, I believe Hockenson can get as high as TE4 on the season.

Pick 11.11: Brian Robinson (RB – WAS)

Antonio Gibson truthers were given a large warning of what was to come back in April when Washington drafted Robinson and since then the drumbeats have only gotten louder. Robinson looks set to see immediate usage early in the season and has a route to becoming the RB1 of a committee situation. While the Commanders will look shaky with Carson Wentz at the helm, they have a reasonable offensive line and a division that will see plenty of winnable matchups. Robinson rounds out my RB room nicely.

Pick 12.02: George Pickens (WR – PIT)

The Steelers know how to find good quality receivers in the draft and Pickens looks set to be the latest example after lighting up training camp and flashing in his preseason debut. While it’s fair to have concerns about the quarterback situation in Pittsburgh we’ve seen wide receivers overcome worse. Pickens feels like the type of receiver who could explode after the bye week as he earns even more targets. If one of my other receivers fails I still have confidence Pickens can fill a role.

Pick 13.11: Justin Fields (QB – CHI)

Typically I wouldn’t advocate taking two quarterbacks in a redraft league but in this case, the value on Fields felt strong. Picking him up allows me to potentially trade him if he becomes the next Konami-code QB, or move on from Brady if he struggles behind a backup center and without Rob Gronkowski. If Fields fails to light things up I’d have no problem dropping him early on.

Pick 14.02: Indianapolis Colts Defense

If you’re drafting early I would advocate for skipping out on picking up a defense and instead rostering an extra skill player who may see their value increase, but for this exercise, I’ve taken the Colts. According to Football Outsiders metric DVOA (Defense-adjusted Value Over Average), the Colts D has ranked top eight over the last two seasons. They aren’t a flashy unit but do have playmakers and a soft division where they might be able to explode.

Pick 15.11: Brandon McManus (K – DEN)

If you can’t draft Justin Tucker (who nearly always costs too much) then draft a kicker who is in favorable situations often. McManus finds himself now a part of a more dynamic and offensive team in Denver, who should score more points. I’m also a sucker for the idea of him kicking in thinner air helps him to score from bigger distances.

Roster Review

This team feels very strong to me. I have a real strength at wide receiver and if an undrafted running back flashes Week 1, then I can be aggressive with waiver bids. It’s possible that I would have opted for a different receiver instead of Keenan Allen, but that offense is too attractive to pass on. Do you agree with my thoughts? Let me know on Twitter @NFL_Tstrack. Start your draft preparations today with the Mock Draft Wizard.