2016 Fantasy Football Mock Draft: 12-Team

In honor of the new Fantasy Footballers Articles section and with fantasy draft season just around the corner, the Footballers and writing staff got together for a friendly mock draft.  We used the Footballers Approved format, 12 teams, half-point per reception.  Our starting line-ups will have 1 QB, 2 RB, 2WR, 1 TE, 1 Flex, Defense, and Kicker.

Round 1

Round 1 saw the big name WRs go early as expected.  All of these players are deserving of 1st Round selections, with no real surprises.  In most drafts this summer, I will be watching for the rookie Ezekiel Elliott.  It almost feels like Ludwig is drafting the entire Dallas Cowboys Offensive Line with that pick.

Round 2

Here, we saw a few fantasy studs who are coming off of season-ending injuries get selected.  If Charles, Nelson, and Ingram can return to form, they could be good values here in the 2nd Round.  You have to love the upside of Lamar Miller in Houston; he should see a career high in touches.

Round 3

Round 3 is where team strategies begin to reveal themselves.  It looks like we have two Zero RB believers in Carmean and Wenrich.  It will be interesting to see which strategy pays off, the traditional approach or the new hotness that is Zero RB.  Also of note is the slide of Devonta Freeman into the middle of Round 3.  At the time of this mock his ADP is sitting in the early 2nd, around pick 14.  I don’t love the player, but you have to love the value.

Round 4

Wenrich and Carmean stuck to their guns in Round 4, each drafting his fourth WR in a row.  They will certainly be stacked at that position.  Jordan Reed stands out to me as the premier risk-reward player in this round and perhaps the entire draft.  When healthy, Reed can be a difference maker.  Sharp-eyed drafters may have also noticed some overlapping bye weeks on my team.  I now have Keenan Allen, Devonta Freeman, and C.J. Anderson all with Week 11 byes.  I am not overly concerned with this when I am drafting, especially when the bye week in question is so late in the season.  There is so much that can happen between now and Week 11, I’m sure I can work something out before it becomes a problem.

Round 5

Wright opted to go with Tyler Lockett in Round 5, although his teammate Doug Baldwin was still on the board, buying into the upside of the young talented receiver.  You can find Mike Wright’s projections, justifying his decision, in the Ultimate Draft Kit. We also saw a mini-run on QBs in the back half of this round.  Personally, I would prefer to wait until the later rounds for a QB, but this is a perfect example of staying water and letting the draft come to you.  Aaron Rodgers was a popular 1st Round pick in 2015. With Jordy Nelson returning and a slimmed down Eddie Lacy, I believe he can return that value if/when he falls this far.  Fantasy Football Calculator has the ADP for both Rodgers and Cam Newton is late in the 3rd round, tough to pass on either in the 5^th.

Round 6

Greg Olsen to me represents a tipping point in the draft.  I see him as one of the last studs at the TE position.  It will be interesting to see if this triggers a run, or if the teams settle in, and wait to grab a value at TE in the later rounds. Round 6 also held some value at RB with Murray, Langford, and Gore all currently pegged for starting roles in their respective offenses.

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Round 7

A pair of stud QBs came off the board to kick off Round 7, followed by Big Ben in the middle of the round.  I may start to sound like a broken record, but again, the starting running backs that are available in the middle rounds this year continues to surprise me.

Round 8

Drafters began to feel the pressure at the TE position this round, with three being picked in the first half. This might also be a good spot to check in on our Zero RB drafters: Wenrich grabbed a pair of pass catching RBs in Woodhead and Sims, backed up by the upside of Tevin Coleman.  While Carmean took a shot on some young backs with some injury history in Jay Ajayi and Duke Johnson Jr.  At face value, Kamar Aiken appears to be the reach of the draft so far. His ADP is pick 160. Here, Mike Wright selected him with pick 93.  Is the public too low on Aiken? Time will tell.

Round 9

I really like the Tyler Eifert pick in this round.  His availability for Week 1 is still unknown, but considering Strickland is only gambling with a 9^th round pick, the upside is enticing when Eifert does return. Cincinnati needs him in the offense.  It is also worth noting, that as of this draft, Arian Foster has yet to sign with an NFL team.

Round 10

Round 10 featured some new faces and new places.  Josh Doctson and Derrick Henry are highly drafted rookies who are expected to contribute early in the NFL, while recent free agent signings Chris Hogan and Mohamed Sanu will look to make an impact in the high powered offenses in New England and Atlanta respectively.

Round 11

If you want proof that waiting to take a QB works, just look at this round.  Three perennial Pro-Bowlers in Rivers, Palmer and Brady were available in the 11^th round.  Once the drama around Brady deflates, his stock may settle into the late rounds, or if the suspension is lifted he will quickly move up draft boards.  I would also like to take a moment to defend my pick.  Yes, I took a kicker in Round 11.  I feel that “The Gost” is as sure a thing at his position as anyone in the league, and I wasn’t in love with the skill position players on the board.

Round 12

If you are drafting in late August or early September, I guarantee that Josh Gordon does not get drafted in the 12^th round of redraft leagues. He will either be out of football and go undrafted or he will be reinstated which will send his ADP skyrocketing.  Wenrich found another nice pass-catching RB in Chris Thompson to add to his stable at the end of the round.

Round 13

It is a little surprising to see C.J. Spiller drafted ahead of Tim Hightower in New Orleans, considering the impact Hightower had down the stretch in 2015.  However, I cannot fault Weisse for going with the upside of Spiller with such a late pick.

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Though this mock draft was scheduled for 15 rounds, in the interest of brevity I will conclude the article here as the final two rounds are more or less a list of Defenses and Kickers.

How did we do? Do you see any strategies that worked, didn’t work, or any players who were selected as values or reaches?  Let us know in the comments section.

Be sure to check out The Fantasy Footballers’ PPR Mock Draft Episode and Standard Mock Draft Episode.