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As NFL kickoff nears, we gathered 12 of our staffers to do a season-long fantasy football mock draft. We wanted this draft to be as applicable as possible to our readers, so we used these settings:
- 12 teams
- 1 QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE, 2 flex, 9 bench
- Full-point PPR
- No Tight End Premium or Superflex
- No third-round reversal
- 4-point passing touchdowns
- 4-hour clock
If your settings are a bit different, don’t worry! Our rankings platform gives you the ability to enter your league’s settings before generating a customizable set of rankings specific to your league. League size, scoring settings, and roster details all impact where players should be ranked, and our new platform gives you full customization abilities. We realize every league is unique, and believe your rankings should reflect that same level of detail.
The Results
The Setup
Before doing this mock draft, we asked ourselves: “How will this bring value to the customer?” Simply looking at a draft board or having our staff explain every pick isn’t beneficial. So after completing the draft, we asked just three questions of each drafter.
- What draft strategy, if any, did you use?
- What was your favorite pick?
- What was your least favorite pick?
While it’s important to go into a draft with a strategy, every draft is different. Players go earlier and later than expected, and positional runs can force a change in strategy. By explaining our draft strategies, you’ll get a chance to see what worked, what didn’t, and when drafters needed to pivot.
The favorite picks give us an opportunity to showcase where players slid and how to capitalize on that falling value.
And let's face it; we’re not perfect. Even the best of the best can look back on their draft with a tinge of regret. Highlighting where we went wrong can hopefully give you the chance to learn from our mistakes.
Let’s dive in!
What draft strategy, if any, did you use?
Alfredo Brown (1.01) - There is so much uncertainty in the middle and later rounds of fantasy drafts, so I wanted to ensure that I had premium players at positions that would provide my team with the most stability. In the first three rounds, I went with safe players that have elite upside: Justin Jefferson (1.01), Patrick Mahomes II (2.12), and Chris Olave (3.01). With eleven running backs being drafted between picks 3 and 21, the draft board pushed me toward a Zero-RB strategy. Running back is the most replaceable position in fantasy football, so I decided to create a foundation of No. 1 receivers on my roster: Jefferson, Olave, Drake London, and DJ Moore. I finally drafted a running back with the last pick of the sixth round and went on to draft four more in a row: Dalvin Cook, Cam Akers, Antonio Gibson, Samaje Perine, and Kendre Miller. As for tight end, I was last in the league to draft a starter - in fact, three other teams drafted their second tight end before I drafted Gerald Everett and Juwan Johnson with back-to-back picks at the 12.12 and 13.01.
Jay Stein (1.02) - I went with a late-round quarterback draft strategy, as I was the 10th team to select my first quarterback. A late-round quarterback strategy tries to maximize value across all positions. With only one starting quarterback required, the depth at the position allows for potential steals in the later rounds. The goal would be to secure elite running backs, wide receivers, and tight ends by focusing on non-quarterbacks in the early rounds. Running backs were flying off the board early, so I went with what I viewed as some value at the wide receiver and tight end positions to build my foundation. And I still was able to grab a high-end/foundational quarterback in Trevor Lawrence after waiting to take a quarterback until the back of the 6th round.
Jeff Bell (1.03) - Zag when others zig. Wide receiver valuation is different in 2023 than in any previous year. Consider in 2022, 13 of the first 23 picks were running backs. In this exercise, RB13 went off the board at 31. It may not seem like a huge difference, but it affects ADP in the first three rounds for players drawing early picks. Drawing pick three, the choice usually narrows to Christian McCaffrey, Tyreek Hill, or Cooper Kupp. Opting for McCaffrey, I leaned into value at the running back position with a robust build featuring an elite upside quarterback. That left me chasing wide receiver, where I opted for youth and ambiguous situations later in the draft.
Daniel Harms (1.04) - Seeing Cooper Kupp at the fourth pick is as close to an auto-pick as it gets for me. Between my first and second picks, seven running backs went off the board, so I adopted a Hero-RB strategy. Najee Harris was the high-volume back I built my team around (I’m higher on him this season than most); I targeted high-upside wide receivers with elite ceilings in the first four rounds to have a good foundation for points each week. Seeing that three wide receivers were required to start each week, I felt that was essential to the build. After adding a top-tier tight-end talent, I rounded back on running back and began adding a combination of high-upside/handcuff players to round out the rest of my team.
Nick Whalen (1.05) - The early parts of redraft are about creating a solid foundation for a fantasy team. I wanted to grab at least one dependable running back early because I want volume and didn't want to gamble on the time-share running backs. Then my focus was to bulk draft wide receivers with an eye toward value and punt the tight end position. I was elated to end up with Austin Ekeler, Derrick Henry, and Travis Etienne after four rounds. These three backs set a high floor for my team and took a lot of pressure off the rest of the draft. I drafted four wide receivers by the end of Round 8 to continue to raise the floor of my team. The punting-tight-end strategy allowed me to secure the rest of my team, and I was still able to grab David Njoku in Round 11 and Cole Kmet in Round 13.
Dave Kluge (1.06) - After drafting Travis Kelce in Round 1 and seeing eight running backs go off the board before my second pick, I was in a prime situation to deploy a Zero RB strategy. Typically, I’d like to add an elite quarterback to a Zero RB build, but wide receiver value kept falling. Instead of having a sure thing at quarterback, I doubled my chances of finding an elite option by selecting Tua Tagovailoa and Daniel Jones in the 10th and 12th rounds. After securing the TE1, a handful of elite receiver options, and two good bets at quarterback, I closed out my draft by selecting as many injury-away running backs as possible. A risky strategy, no doubt, but my team is set up for a very high ceiling if any of those late-round running backs pan out.
Christian Williams (1.07) - After seeing the first few picks, I initially planned to attack with a robust running back mentality. Between my first and second-round picks, my strategy changed. With five running backs gone in the ten selections following my choice of Saquon Barkley, I pivoted to Jaylen Waddle and rolled with a value-based draft approach. That allowed me to balance my roster at the top of the draft, attacking every position before the seventh round concluded. After getting more sure things at each position, I could take upside shots on receivers and injury-away running backs to fill my bench.
Corey Spala (1.08) - The eighth draft slot seems to feel like no man's land. I wanted to fill my draft with potential volume. I know we want to have talented players, but fantasy football volume speaks, well, volumes. I was sniped on selections which made me panic just a little. I will call this the Adam Dunn strategy. This really means I took home run swings. I would love to see Zay Flowers (8.05) and Nico Collins (9.08) be their teams' WR1. I would love for Jordan Addison (7.08) to take on the role Adam Thielen leaves behind. I would love for Miles Sanders (6.05) to be the workhorse in Carolina's offense. I would love a lot of things. These four players were not my top-five options. I may strike out, but hopefully, I hit home runs.
Joey Wright (1.09) - I approach every redraft league relatively the same. Unique scoring aside, I will always draft the best player available and let my team unfold as the draft goes on, especially in the early rounds. Here I was able to secure my seventh overall player, Tyreek Hill, at the 1.08 draft position. This wasn’t a tremendous value by any means, but it’s always nice to get a discount, no matter how small. Taking Josh Jacobs in the second gave me a balance where I could truly pivot any way I wanted to go in the following rounds.
Zareh Kantzabedian (1.10) - Running backs with large target shares are generally drafted within the first two rounds of drafts, which is why I selected Rhamondre Stevenson in the second round as my RB1. After Stevenson, I pivoted to wide receivers. Drafting for a league with a points-per-reception scoring format prioritizes players on good offenses that receive high target volume. Wide receivers were a priority because this league requires that we start three wide receivers with two additional flex spots.
Phil Alexander (1.11) - After taking a running back with four out of my first five picks, I guess you can call my strategy Robust RB. I would argue I just did my best to let value fall to me and preferred the running backs on the board when my turn came to pick. The result is an admittedly risky roster construction in full-PPR scoring, but you should never be afraid to zig while most of your opponents zag, especially if your rankings tell you that you're getting the best player with each pick.
Kevin Coleman (1.12) - Drafting at 1.12 has its advantages and disadvantages. If you are sitting in the back half of that draft, you need to be fluid with your draft strategy and not be afraid to draft players above ADP. There is no guarantee if you wait, they will get back to you. That is one of the reasons that I drafted Lamar Jackson in the fourth, a little higher than ADP. Also, as the draft progressed, I aimed to take the best player available that had the most opportunity on their respective depth charts. Look for opportunity and volume with your picks, especially as you get into the later rounds. One player that stood out about my draft was getting Gus Edwards in the 13th round, who could see increased usage in that Baltimore Ravens offense in the receiving game and being the primary backup to JK Dobbins, who was noticeably absent from off-season OTAs.
What was your favorite pick?
Alfredo Brown (1.01) - Samaje Perine, at pick 9.01, as the RB34 off the board, was a great value. On October 2, Javonte Williams tore his ACL, LCL, and PCL. In 2021, J.K. Dobbins suffered a nearly identical injury, and it took him 13 months to return to the field - even when Dobbins finally got back into the lineup, he still didn't look to be 100%. If I'm able to draft the potential starting running back for a Sean Payton offense in the ninth round, I have to jump on that value.
Jay Stein (1.02) - Kyler Murray in the 14th round is my favorite pick. When Murray is healthy, he puts up differentiated fantasy points to the tune of 20+ points per game. That's in the same range as the very top of the quarterback position. Does Murray get back healthy from injury early enough in the season to matter for fantasy football? The Arizona Cardinals are not that great of a team this year, so do they sit Murray for the entire season to give them a better shot at a higher draft pick next year? There are many risks here, but I think risk/reward is worth it, potentially getting a guy that can put up similar points to Patrick Mahomes II, Josh Allen, or Jalen Hurts in the 14th round.
Jeff Bell (1.03) - Grabbing Calvin Ridley late in Round 4. Ridley has the upside to land as a clear fantasy WR1. It is risky, but in this type of build, him realizing that the upside becomes a weekly anchor to build the rest of the receiver room around.
Daniel Harms (1.04) - Justin Herbert is entering his fourth year in the NFL, will have the best offensive line and array of weapons he’s ever had, and enters his first season with an offensive coordinator that will allow him to throw the ball down the field. I’m all in on Herbert this season; getting him in the fifth round was later than I expected as well. I was able to pair him with Keenan Allen as my third wide receiver too, which was the cherry on top. I think Herbert can have a top-four quarterback finish this season.
Nick Whalen (1.05) - Joe Burrow was too good of a value to pass up at 5.05 pick and the seventh quarterback off the board. Burrow has finished fourth and seventh in the past two seasons in fantasy, which aligns with my stability strategy early in drafts. While rushing quarterbacks are the new cheat code, Burrow just continues to produce in an efficient way, as he's been in the top two in completion percentage in each of the last two seasons. After the stability of my team is established, I take big chances in the draft. My favorite gamble was drafting Rashaad Penny at the 10.08. The Eagles have an elite offensive line and may want to give Jalen Hurts fewer carries after he suffered a shoulder injury last season. Over the last seasons, Penny is the top running back in the NFL in rushing yards per carry over expected at 1.09. Penny could be a home run fantasy player in 2023.
Dave Kluge (1.06) - I understand the concerns about Marquise Brown on a Kyler Murray-less offense. But with DeAndre Hopkins out of town, he’s the clear WR1 for the Cardinals this year. The team projects as one of the worst in the league, and garbage time should be abundant for Brown. If Murray can return this year, Brown has as high a ceiling as almost any receiver in the league. Last year, with a healthy Murray and a suspended Hopkins, Brown averaged 10.8 targets per game and was the WR5 in PPR scoring. Hitting that high-end range of outcomes to close the season could push fantasy managers to a championship in 2023.
Christian Williams (1.07) - As the 13th running back off the board in the third round, Aaron Jones was my favorite selection. Managers must look back to Jones's sophomore season in 2018 to find the last time he finished outside the top ten at his position, and the transition to Jordan Love at quarterback shouldn't significantly alter his ability to continue that stretch. If anything, the field will shrink without an elite-level quarterback, and Jones could see more targets. As my No. 2 running back, Jones gave me the stability to attack other positions in the draft's middle rounds.
Corey Spala (1.08) - My favorite pick may not be exciting to talk about. I feel like I should talk about a steal here. Sure, Chigoziem Okonkwo (Pick 11.08) had 2.60 yards per route run over his last six weeks and finished the season with a 17.4% target per route run. He can claim the second target in his respective offense. But Marvin Jones (18.05) was brought back by a franchise that has a wide receiver suspended for the first six games. These are six games you may find production from a player you will eventually drop. This may be one of the home run swings I am talking about. I do want to note that I wish these six games would end the season. However, I assumed my young wide receivers (Addison, Flowers, & Downs) may need time to acclimate to the NFL. Jones could provide value for this specific squad to start the season.
Joey Wright (1.09) - My favorite pick wasn’t a single player but rather the double tap I did at quarterback. In the 11th and 12th rounds, I grabbed two of last season’s top ten quarterbacks in Geno Smith (QB5) and Jared Goff (QB10). I am never the one to reach for a quarterback and often find myself as the last one to address the position. I often tout the tandem quarterback strategy as it lets you build such a solid core of receivers and backs. Smith and Goff are my favorite duo for redraft this season. Both offenses added great receiving weapons through the draft and free agency. Both Smith and Goff finishing as top 12 quarterbacks in 2023 would not surprise me at all.
Zareh Kantzabedian (1.10) - Selecting Justin Fields in the fourth round is classified as a steal in any league format that starts quarterbacks. Fields has the highest upside of all the quarterbacks. He has solidified himself as one of the premiere rushing quarterbacks, which puts a premium on him. In 2023, Fields finished as the QB6 in points per game while only ranking 27th in pass attempts which should increase closer to the league average in 2023.
Phil Alexander (1.11) - It wasn't just a single pick, but I was thrilled with the low-cost Broncos stack that I managed to slip past the other Footballguys in Rounds 12-14. After taking a swing from my heels at quarterback with Anthony Richardson in Round 7, I was on the lookout for a dependable backup in case my ambitious plans for a record-breaking rushing season from the rookie backfired. Wilson is considered by Footballguys to be the most undervalued quarterback, according to consensus. If our experts are correct about Wilson's resurgence, the impact on my team should be amplified by my selections of tight end Greg Dulcich in Round 13 and wide receiver Marvin Mims in Round 14. Dulcich had an impressive rookie year and stands to benefit from Sean Payton's strategic play-calling, while Mims is a deep-threat receiver who complements Wilson's accurate downfield passing.
Kevin Coleman (1.12) - Diontae Johnson in the sixth round stands out. Last season he was top 15 in target share in the league and top 10 in red zone targets. Had he scored any touchdowns, he could have easily been a stable WR2 in fantasy. There is an expectation among many that Kenny Pickett will be much better this year, and there is no way that Johnson won’t score this season. If he can return to form, Johnson has top-15 potential, and being a low-end Rr1 isn't out of the question.
What was your least favorite pick?
Alfredo Brown (1.01) - Tyler Boyd, at pick 11.01, as the WR58 seemed like a great value, so I felt like I had to draft him. Unfortunately, that's when a run of eight tight ends got drafted (Evan Engram, Pat Freiermuth, David Njoku, Chig Okonkwo, Dalton Kincaid, Greg Dulcich, Tyler Higbee, and Dalton Schultz), leaving me with Gerald Everett as the TE16. While I know Everett has some upside with Justin Herbert in a Kellen Moore offense, I would have been more comfortable with a better option at tight end.
Jay Stein (1.02) - There was no particular player that was my least favorite pick; I'll say that I should have tackled the running back position a little harder in round 10 and on. My RB2 position could be better as it is currently occupied by whoever turns out to be the best of two rookies: De'Von Achane and Zach Charbonnet. Don't get me wrong, I like both those guys' chances to be relevant this season at some point, but it would have been nice to get some depth there to sure up that spot with some experience.
Jeff Bell (1.03) - In retrospect, Breece Hall. Going wide receiver in that pick builds strength through the receiver room, while getting Dameon Pierce and D’Andre Swift would be perfectly fine as RB2 options. It’s tempting to build robust running back rosters in the current market, which can work. But it will leave you chasing at wide receiver, where volume coming in is less predictable and replacement options are fewer.
Daniel Harms (1.04) - While I like the player, I wasn’t thrilled with the position I found myself in, with a few players I was targeting being drafted previously and selected Darnell Mooney in the tenth round. I think he’s relegated to spike week territory as a player, and I’m not thrilled with his upside on an offense that won’t have the passing volume. He’s on a team with a true alpha wide receiver. We’ve already seen him as Fields' primary receiver, and it didn’t leave me feeling comfortable about that as a viable option if it were to happen.
Nick Whalen (1.05) - I got caught with my hand in the cookie jar with my 9.05 pick of Dak Prescott. Multiple teams hadn't drafted a quarterback yet, and I wanted to push the envelope while giving myself a high-quality backup. It wasn't a good strategy in a 1QB league; I should've pivoted to drafting another wide receiver.
Dave Kluge (1.06) - I dislike the Rachaad White pick at 7.06. He was one of the league’s most inefficient running backs last year. But after overlooking the position through the first six picks, White makes for a high-risk option who could pay off if the projected workload sticks. While he could fall into a three-down role and prop up his fantasy production with elite usage, it’s more likely that he sees the fate of a typically dead-zone running back this year. Leaning into a Zero RB strategy is risky, but seeing White in the RB1 slot leaves much to be desired. In hindsight, Cam Akers and D’Andre Swift were better picks a round earlier, but the value of a sliding Marquise Brown was too good to pass.
Christian Williams (1.07) - Jerick McKinnon in the ninth round feels wrong, in retrospect. The odds that McKinnon repeats his RB20 output from 2022 in the absence of Eric Bienemy are reasonably low, and while I took him as the RB38 off the board, there were higher upside picks I could've made there (e.g., Jameson Williams went just a few choices later). Overall, McKinnon is a fine selection at that value, but how I constructed my team made that the wrong pick at the time.
Corey Spala (1.08) - Looking back, J.K. Dobbins (4.05) is a selection I wish I could change. Looking at the wide receivers who followed, I would be comfortable with having another veteran like Terry McLaurin or D.J. Moore. The young wide receivers rostered will make or break this squad. Dobbins looked fully recovered from his ACL injury to end the 2022 season, averaging 14.5 touches and 100 yards per game. A downside is he only has 25 career receptions in 23 games played. Playing in a PPR league, it is worthwhile to select running backs who will also be involved in the passing game.
Joey Wright (1.09) - Deebo Samuel at the 4.04 might seem like a fine pick. However, the receivers I was able to draft with three of my next four picks made me wish I would have passed on Samuel for someone like Dameon Pierce or J.K. Dobbins. Samuel is actually someone I am passing over to take his teammate Brandon Aiyuk, who went almost a whole round later and could easily be the best receiving option in San Francisco this season.
Zareh Kantzabedian (1.10) - Selecting Adam Thielen at any portion of a draft never feels great. He isn't being selected to be a starter for any fantasy rosters, and his only path to upside is a large touchdown share in a Carolina Panthers offense which is projected to be marginal. Thielen is a WR3 who should only be on starting rosters in case of injuries to other players or as a bye-week fill-in.
Phil Alexander (1.11) - If I had known that Alexander Mattison would still be available at pick 5.11, I would have chosen DeAndre Hopkins or Keenan Allen instead of Joe Mixon at pick 4.02. Mixon has been undervalued throughout the off-season, but selecting him ahead of ADP turned out to be unnecessary. Considering the PPR scoring format, my roster needed a reliable target magnet like Allen or Hopkins, especially since my WR1, A.J. Brown, tends to score more from big plays rather than volume.
Kevin Coleman (1.12) - One pick that I should have avoided was Darius Slayton. Truthfully, I didn’t realize I had already drafted two New York Giants wide receivers in this draft, which tells you everything you need to know about that receiver room. I think Slayton can become that downfield threat in that offense if he’s healthy, but there is a ton of risk involved in the selection. The pick I should have made was Michael Wilson, the rookie receiver from the Arizona Cardinals, who looks like he could carve out an excellent role in that offense.
