Photo: USA Today Sports

From August 4th - 20th, six members of the Footballguys Staff, along with six highly regarded writers in the IDP fantasy football community, got together to complete a 12-team, 32-round, IDP mock draft with PPR scoring. Before the draft, each of the participants answered questions regarding strategies, players they coveted and how they plan to attack the draft. To top it off, Footballguys' Sigmund Bloom will provide an evaluation of each team's roster strengths and weaknesses, chronicling the strategies and decisions that were made by each participant.

The goal of this article is to give you a look into the minds of fantasy experts throughout the entire draft process. This includes preparation, decision making, and execution. What was their plan? Did they follow it? Why did they make the decisions they made? Some drafters had similar strategies and players of interest, but how they executed their plan and built their roster, varied from person to person.

We hope you will uncover or discover a strategy that might work for you in your draft(s) this year. Learn what players the experts are targeting and why. At Footballguys, when you win, we win! If we can help give you the tools and know-how to build a winning team, we've done our job.

LEAGUE PARAMETERS

• 12 teams
• 32 roster spots
• Starting Lineup
  • 1 quarterback
  • 2 running backs
  • 3 wide receivers
  • 1 tight end
  • 1 offensive flex (RB, WR, TE)
  • 2 defensive ends
  • 1 defensive tackle
  • 3 linebackers
  • 2 cornerbacks
  • 2 safeties
  • 2 defensive flex (either DT, LB, S or CB)

LEAGUE SCORING

• Offensive Players Only
• 4 points - Passing Touchdown
• 6 points - Rushing/Receiving Touchdown
• 1 point - every 25 Passing Yards
• 1 point - every 10 Rushing/Receiving Yards
• 1 point - Reception (QB, RB, WR)
• 2 points - Two-Point Conversion (rush, pass or receive)
• Defense scoring
  • 6 points - fumble recovery touchdown
  • 3 points - fumble recovery
  • 3 points - forced fumble
  • 6 points - interception for touchdown
  • 4 points - interception caught
  • 2 points - pass defensed
  • 6 points - blocked field goal or punt for touchdown
  • 6 points - block field goal, extra point or blocked punt
  • 2 points - tackle
  • 1 point - tackle assist
  • 5 points - sacked quarterback
  • 10 points - safety

DRAFT PARTICIPANTS

1. Justin Howe, Footballguys
2. James Brimacombe, Footballguys
3. Gary Davenport, FantasySharks
4. Heath Cummings, CBS Sports
5. Mark Wimer, Footballguys
6. Aaron Rudnicki, Footballguys
7. Mike Woellert, 4for4
8. Wally Spurlin, Pro Football Focus
9. Tommy Kislingbury, Dynasty League Football
10. John Norton, Footballguys
11. Eric Moody, FantasyPros
12. Daniel Simpkins, Footballguys

DRAFT GRID

View Grid

DRAFT SLOT 1

Justin Howe, Footballguys - Bio

Follow @JustinHoweFF

PRE-DRAFT QUESTIONS

1. What IDP position and/or player do you expect will be your first IDP pick and what round will you make that pick?

Hopefully, I'll be the first in on Deion Jones. I'm higher on him than any of my fellow Footballguys, per our staff rankings, so I hope he slips two or even three rounds below the Bobby Wagner/Luke Kuechly tier. In my eyes, there's little real difference among the top 10 linebackers, so getting that kind of discount could be huge. I'd much rather walk away from the middle rounds with something like Jamison Crowder + Jones than, say, Wagner + Jordy Nelson.

2. What is your strategy for selecting positional players in this draft? How do additional IDP players affect your strategy?

With the middle rounds clouded by (necessary) defensive picks, it's harder to stick to positional strategies. I'm not quite as able to chase 4-5 wide receivers between Rounds 5 and 10 - which is usually my sweet spot - if I've got unpredictable defensive needs cropping up left and right. Can only shove so many fingers into the dam and stay nimble. On offense, IDP drafts tend to be a little more about value than hard strategy.

3. Which two players at the DE position are you most interested in targeting as your first DE on your roster? Is there a particular trigger player that will prompt you to draft these players?

If the rest of the draft wants to punish Danielle Hunter for his down 2017, I'll jump. There's a chance I'll get a 3-4 round discount from his teammate Everson Griffen, which would be golden. Hunter underwhelmed last year in sack total, but put up huge pressure numbers. He has the talent and the peripherals to threaten 15 sacks a year. If I wind up punting on the big names, then I'm sure I'll target Cameron Heyward down the line. He's a versatile scorer with ever-present 12-sack potential.

4. Which two players at the LB position are you most interested in targeting as your first LB on your roster? Is there a particular trigger player that will prompt you to draft these players?

I've already discussed Jones and the value that I'll draw if he falls the way I expect. Once Wagner and Kuechly go, I'll put myself on the Jones Clock and take him two rounds later. If that doesn't work, I'll wait a round or two further and pounce on a sure-thing LB1 like Blake Martinez, who should absolutely dominate snaps with Jake Ryan out for the year.

5. Which two players at the S position are you most interested in targeting as your first S on your roster? Is there a particular trigger player that will prompt you to draft these players?

Just like at linebacker, I'm encouraged by the wide-spanning top tiers and the value that brings. I won't be the first to jump on a safety; rather, I'll wait 3-4 rounds and take Jordan Poyer and Jamal Adams back to back. Both carry big tackle upside, and Poyer showed as a 2017 starter that he's an elite playmaker on the ball.

6. Defensive tackle and cornerback are part of the starting lineup in this draft. How will address both of these positions?

I'll only draft one defensive tackle, I'm sure I'll play the waiver game if and when I need to. It's just too low-scoring and unpredictable a position to sink much draft capital into. If I walk away with only, say, Damon Harrison on roster, then I'll be fine with it. At cornerback, where there is a bevy of dynamic ballhawk types available up and down the draft, I'll likely draft 2-3. But I won't be doing it early - cornerback tackles aren't very sticky, especially with so many switching teams and schemes. Rather, I'll come away with two late-rounders with the potential to break up 15+ passes on the cheap.

7. Name two under the radar players you are targeting at linebacker? Explain why others should be targeting them.

K.J. Wright gets little IDP appreciation for his year-by-year consistency. Wagner is the force to chase in Seattle, of course, but Wright isn't that far behind him statistically over the last several years. To me, given all of the uncertainty in the low-LB2 tier, he's a top-20 asset. Barring injury, I won't need to juggle him one bit throughout the year. I'm also more interested than most in Tahir Whitehead. He's a talented, versatile guy that will see a full complement of snaps in Oakland's iffy rotation, and he'll likely play multiple positions.

8. Name two under the radar players you are targeting at defensive end? Explain why others should be targeting them.

Stephon Tuitt is a better real-life player than a fantasy one, but he's a dominant enough physical force to always assign him 55-tackle, 8-sack upside. Tuitt has yet to play a full NFL season, so his ADP should be depressed this year; he's a potential DE2 coming at DE3 cost (or lower). Similarly, I'm into Kansas City's Chris Jones, who's waffled in terms of numbers but showed the strength and athleticism of a much higher ceiling. Jones simply eviscerated the Eagles in Week 2 last year, with 4 tackles, 3 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles. Given his talent and motor, we should see that happen more often in 2018.

9. What's your approach to rookies, injured players, and/or suspended players that may not have a full workload to start the season?

There are usually noticeable gaps between the value tiers throughout every draft, and each questionable guy with big upside can settle down into one of them. For example: Mark Ingram carries an easy RB1 ceiling, but will miss the first four weeks. So, I bump him down to where the running back value starts to dry up, generally Round 5 or 6. That's when guys like Royce Freeman and Dion Lewis are gone, but similar floors like Lamar Miller and Carlos Hyde are the best remaining.

10. How many players at each position do you expect to have at each position at the conclusion of the draft?

2 QB - 5 RB - 7 WR - 3 TE - 3 DE - 1 DT - 6 LB - 2 CB - 3 S

11. What advice would you give to others who are competing in an IDP draft?

Don't allow name value to pull you off your value game. Don't chase a Von Miller or a Marcus Peters into no man's land just because you see such potential in their names. IDP prospects are, generally speaking, to be viewed even more closely and deliberately than offensive ones - they're less predictable, and their scoring is more dynamic. Create a precise list - or let the Footballguys create one for you - and stick to it like glue.

Draft selections

sigmund bloom's evaluation

Strengths

Todd Gurley and Joe Mixon could be the running back 1-2 combination that no one else in the league can match if Mixon hits, and Royce Freeman gives Justin the possibility of a third top 20 running back. Rob Gronkowski should easily lead the pack at tight end when he’s healthy. Julian Edelman came at a deep discount (11th round) because of his four-game suspension and should help Justin’s lack of a true fantasy WR1. Lavonte David and Deion Jones can match any linebacker 1-2 punch in this league.

Weaknesses

Juju Smith-Schuster and Marvin Jones are high variance wide receivers to have as a #1 and #2 for the first four weeks of the season while Edelman is out and leave Justin open to poor wide receiver scoring. Justin lacks a high impact scorer at defensive end with Carlos Dunlap as his #1 and Michael Bennett as his #2.

How He’ll Win It All

The Bengals offense returns to pre-2017 form and Joe Mixon enters the fantasy RB1 ranks. Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski trade off huge weeks leading the Patriots pass offense once Edelman returns from his suspension, and Gronkowski plays 14+ games. Juju Smith-Schuster, Tyler Lockett, and Jamison Crowder all post career-high numbers. Jamal Adams and Kevin Byard grow in their second and third years, respectively, and form the class of the safety position for IDP leagues.

DRAFT SLOT 2

James Brimacombe, Footballguys - Bio

Follow @JamesBrimacombe

PRE-DRAFT QUESTIONS

1. What IDP position and/or player do you expect will be your first IDP pick and what round will you make that pick?

You always have to start with a solid ILB who can rack up the tackles. I will be looking to see when one of Bobby Wagner, Luke Kuechly, or C.J. Mosley goes off the board and try to follow suit and draft one of the others.

2. What is your strategy for selecting positional players in this draft? How do additional IDP players affect your strategy?

Follow your league mates and see when trends and runs at the different positions happen. You don't always have to follow a run at a certain position as you can look to find value with another player.

3. Which two players at the DE position are you most interested in targeting as your first DE on your roster? Is there a particular trigger player that will prompt you to draft these players?

Joey Bosa would be the first name as I think he ranks higher than the rest as well. I also like Cameron Jordan as I think the Saints defense is one of the underrated defenses this year and have a strong all-around build which can lead to Jordan getting to the quarterback more than some of the other players at the position.

4. Which two players at the LB position are you most interested in targeting as your first LB on your roster? Is there a particular trigger player that will prompt you to draft these players?

Bobby Wagner and Luke Kuechly are the two studs that I would be excited to have either one on my roster. I think once I have my running backs and wide receivers that I am comfortable with, I will start looking at the IDP side of my team.

5. Which two players at the S position are you most interested in targeting as your first S on your roster? Is there a particular trigger player that will prompt you to draft these players?

Landon Collins for the Giants and Reshad Jones for the Dolphins both have big-play abilities and are tackling machines. I always look to see where I can get as many tackles from when drafting IDP players. I will look at this position after I am set with my starting LB and DE.

6. Defensive tackle and cornerback are part of the starting lineup in this draft. How will address both of these positions?

I will wait until the last few rounds to look for these players as they don't offer as much upside as some of the other positions.

7. Name two under the radar players you are targeting at linebacker? Explain why others should be targeting them.

I like Jordan Hicks for the Eagles as he is coming off a torn Achilles and can be had at a discount right now. The Eagles defensive line and secondary have so much talent and depth right now that there are going to be tackles forced into that linebacker role. Another target late at linebacker for me will be Preston Brown for the Bengals, once again it will be based on the discount and value that I can get him at late in drafts.

8. Name two under the radar players you are targeting at defensive end? Explain why others should be targeting them.

Cameron Heyward in Pittsburgh and Vic Beasley Jr in Atlanta, both guys have big-play upside and play for higher ranked defenses that often go overlooked.

9. What's your approach to rookies, injured players, and/or suspended players that may not have a full workload to start the season?

With IDP the waiver wire is usually your friend as the season goes. I don't feel like you have to reach for rookies or injured players as you will have plenty of opportunities to find replacement type of players as the weeks go by with players stepping up on their teams to fill in for an injured player.

10. How many players at each position do you expect to have at each position at the conclusion of the draft?

• 2 QB
• 6 RB
• 8 WR
• 3 TE
• 1 DT
• 2 DE
• 4 LB
• 3 CB
• 3 S

11. What advice would you give to others who are competing in an IDP draft?

Attack it like you would any other draft but also don't be afraid to be the one that starts to draft IDP players. Be aggressive in selecting the IDP players you want and start as early as Round 3 to do so.

DRAFT SELECTIONS

SIGMUND BLOOM'S EVALUATION

Strengths

James has the #1 quarterback (Aaron Rodgers) and the best running back trio (Bell/Howard/McKinnon). Aaron Donald, Mario Addison, and Jurrell Casey form a deep defensive end trio, assuming Donald breaks his holdout soon. Brandin Cooks, Keelan Cole, Will Fuller, and Robby Anderson build a ton of big-play upside into his wide receiver corps. Geno Atkins, arguably the #1 defensive tackle, came at a very cheap 21st round price.

Weaknesses

That same wide receiver corps is a risk to roll snake eyes in any given week relying on boom/bust deep threats. OJ Howard and David Njoku will both arrive in the TE1 ranks eventually, but if it’s not this year, James will be among the league’s worst scorers at tight end. Rodgers gives an advantage at quarterback, but with Wilson, Brees, and Brady lasting until the 13th round, his fourth-round price tag seems steep.

How He’ll Win It All

Aaron Rodgers, Jordan Howard, and LeVeon Bell put up career-high numbers, while Jerick McKinnon, Zach Brown and Will Fuller stay healthy. Brandin Cooks is treated like a true #1 and one of Keelan Cole and Robby Anderson pick up where they left off last year. Aaron Donald reports before Week 1 with a new deal and creates more disruption than ever lining up next to Ndamukong Suh.

DRAFT SLOT 3

Gary Davenport, FantasySharks

Gary Davenport is the IDP Senior Staff Writer at Fantasy Sharks, an IDP Writer at Rotoworld and a Contributing Author and Associate Editor at Football Diehards. A seven-time Fantasy Sports Writers Association Awards Finalist, Gary was named that organization's Football Writer of the Year in 2017.

Follow @IDPSharks

PRE-DRAFT QUESTIONS

1. What IDP position and/or player do you expect will be your first IDP pick and what round will you make that pick?

In an industry league like this, it's less likely that a team will reach for IDPs earlier than I'd expect. Even so, I probably won't be a trend-setter in that regard. I'd like to be able to get a top-five (or so) linebacker and lineman a round or two after the big names come off the board, but so long as I have one of my top 8-10 players at each spot I can live with that.

2. What is your strategy for selecting positional players in this draft? How do additional IDP players affect your strategy?

My first five IDPs in most scoring systems are almost always some combination of three linebackers and two linemen, although the order they get taken in varies. The cornerback requirement here is a non-issue for me (I'll wait until the final two rounds), but with a DT required it's a position where you can get a nice little edge with a dependable weekly starter. I'm willing to pay ta bit of a premium for that.

3. Which two players at the DE position are you most interested in targeting as your first DE on your roster? Is there a particular trigger player that will prompt you to draft these players?

As I said, I'd like to have a top-five DE anchoring my team at that spot, and if I can get away with rostering one without paying retail all the better. In that regard I seem to be winding up with a lot of shares of Everson Griffen this year (I'm higher on him than most). When the second-tier linemen start going (Campbell, Lawrence, etc.) that's the sign that it's time to hit the DE spot if you haven't already. The pool of talent is deeper there than a year ago, but it's still shallow relative to LB and the secondary.

4. Which two players at the LB position are you most interested in targeting as your first LB on your roster? Is there a particular trigger player that will prompt you to draft these players?

Blake Martinez (Green Bay) and Alec Ogletree (New York) have the upside to crash the elite tier but at a lower price in many drafts—even if this doesn't wind up being one of them. The key at linebacker is pretty simple—if you aren't willing to be aggressive and target a Luke Kuechly or CJ Mosley, you'd better not get caught on the outside of the run at the position that's going to come after those guys are taken.

5. Which two players at the S position are you most interested in targeting as your first S on your roster? Is there a particular trigger player that will prompt you to draft these players?

This is all a matter of what's there when I finally get around to addressing the back end. I'll freely admit that I usually wind up with speculative picks at safety. Some work out great. Others I wind up cutting loose in Week 3. But there are going to be startable options emerge at the position on the waiver wire at that spot, and I'm much more interested in shoring up my linemen and LB corps than spending draft capital on Landon Collins or Reshad Jones.

6. Defensive tackle and cornerback are part of the starting lineup in this draft. How will address both of these positions?

As I mentioned earlier, in a 12-team league I'm willing to pay a bit of a premium for a dependable big man. Like Snacks Harrison a lot in that regard—ceiling isn't great, but he's a consistent tackle producer who tends to be slept on a little because of his lack of big plays.

7. Name two under the radar players you are targeting at linebacker? Explain why others should be targeting them.

- Anthony Hitchens (Chiefs): Top 20 upside in the middle of a bad defense, but coming off draft boards as an LB3 or even LB4 in some leagues.

- Deone Bucannon (Cardinals): He's expected to practice soon and is the best linebacker on Arizona's roster from an IDP perspective by a fair margin. His ADP may climb as we near Week 1, but right now he's undervalued.

8. Name two under the radar players you are targeting at defensive end? Explain why others should be targeting them.

- Robert Quinn (Dolphins): I don't know that you can really call Quinn "under-the-radar," but it's not every day that defensive ends with a top-five ceiling fall into middling DE2 territory. For that price, I'll roll those dice 10 times out of 10.

- Mario Addison (Panthers): Addison's not going to pile up big tackle numbers, but he quietly amassed 11 sacks last year (a career-high) and had at least half a sack in all but three of his games. Consistency is a good thing.

9. What's your approach to rookies, injured players, and/or suspended players that may not have a full workload to start the season?

Depends on the player and the situation. If there's a guy with sky-high potential I can get late because he's a chowderhead who is suspended the first four games of the season (see Burfict, Vontaze) I'm willing to add them and figure out a Plan B for early in the year. But if a promising rookie is buried on a depth chart I'm generally not inclined to burn a spot on a "maybe."

10. How many players at each position do you expect to have at each position at the conclusion of the draft?

Off the top of my head—one tackle, three ends (one reserve spot), five or six linebackers (my flex will come from there), two corners, and three safeties (one reserve spot). If it's just five LB, either the DE or S position will get the extra spot. Not carrying a reserve CB. No way, no how. The waiver wire is my bench there.

11. What advice would you give to others who are competing in an IDP draft?

Relax. If you're an IDP veteran, then you have a good idea what you're doing. If you're a n00b, it's really not that complicated. Do your research, know your scoring, avail yourself of all the great IDP resources out there and get after it.

DRAFT SELECTIONS

SIGMUND BLOOM'S EVALUATION

Strengths

David Johnson and Devonta Freeman might be the best running back combination in the league, and adding Derrick Henry and Marshawn Lynch certainly gives Gary one of the best two running back quartets. Demarcus Lawrence and Yannick Ngakoue can hang with or surpass most teams DE1/DE2 and neither one cost a Top 100 pick. CJ Mosley, Sean Lee, and Anthony Hitchens is a rock-solid linebacker trio.

Weaknesses

Josh Gordon came at a discount, but if he isn’t cleared by the league, Gary only has two reliable starting wide receivers, with DeVante Parker and Danny Amendola as his #3 and #4 while Dez Bryant waits to sign somewhere, which is the cost of overspending on running back. The safety trio of Josh Jones, John Johnson, and Kenny Vaccaro might not a strong weekly option. Between Carson Wentz’s recovery and Dak Prescott adjusting to new targets, Gary could get off to a slow start at quarterback.

How He’ll Win It All

Wentz returns Week 1 and looks like his old self. Ngakoue adds the tackle base to his already impressive sack stats and resides among the elite fantasy defensive ends. Lee stays healthy and Hitchens becomes the leader of the Chiefs defense in tackles. Gordon gets cleared before Week 1 and shows his best form yet now that he’s sober and playing with a competent quarterback.

DRAFT SLOT 4

Heath Cummings, CBS Sports

Heath Cummings is a Senior Fantasy Football Writer for CBS Sports and an analyst on Fantasy Football Today. Before joining CBS Sports he was a staff writer for Footballguys and hosted a Fantasy Football show with Jeff Haseley on ESPN 1510 in Kansas City.

Follow @heathcummingssr

PRE-DRAFT QUESTIONS

1. What IDP position and/or player do you expect will be your first IDP pick and what round will you make that pick?

With Watt's injury risk and Mack's holdout I can't imagine I'll take a defensive player in the first four rounds. If Luke Kuechly is still there in the 5th I'l be tempted. LB is definitely the first position I plan on filling.

2. What is your strategy for selecting positional players in this draft? How do additional IDP players affect your strategy?

It doesn't really change much for me other than I'm even more likely to wait on quarterback. I will say, if there's an early run on defensive players I will be more likely to keep drafting offensive players.

3. Which two players at the DE position are you most interested in targeting as your first DE on your roster? Is there a particular trigger player that will prompt you to draft these players?

I would love it if Watt would fall because of injury risk. It's easy to forget just how awesome he was when he was right. Myles Garrett is another DE I'll be looking for but not until I've filled most of my skill positions and picked up a linebacker.

4. Which two players at the LB position are you most interested in targeting as your first LB on your roster? Is there a particular trigger player that will prompt you to draft these players?

Kuechly in the 5th or Bobby Wagner in the 6th. If linebackers go way earlier than I'm anticipating then Jarrad Davis is a guy I could see settling for once everyone else has a LB.

5. Which two players at the S position are you most interested in targeting as your first S on your roster? Is there a particular trigger player that will prompt you to draft these players?

I'm not going to focus on getting a safety early at all but I would be pretty happy to land