Fantasy Football: Early Mock Draft for May 2019
The most recent episode of The Fantasy Footballers Podcast Andy, Mike, and Jason held their first offseason mock draft of the 2019 season (excluding the dynasty startup draft the did in March). Now that nearly all of the significant free agents have signed and we know all of the rookie landing spots this is the perfect time to start mocking. As Jason mentioned during the show, mock drafting is the secret to unlocking your draft. Andy added that mocks are all about training your brain to figure out where guys belong to be drafted, while Mike emphasized that you also get to find out where other people think players should be going.
The Ballers drafted from the 10-spot and are basing their selections off 0.5 PPR scoring. Sleeper was used for this mock draft, where you can view the entire draft board. Here’s how it went down.
Round 1 – Todd Gurley
Other players considered: Odell Beckham Jr., Julio Jones, Joe Mixon, James Conner
As expected, by the time the tenth pick comes around all of the elite running backs are off the board. Todd Gurley has some big health concerns but also has huge potential. He scored 21 touchdowns in just 14 games in 2018, so he still has an elite ceiling.
(Shameless plug: I’ll be dropping an in-depth article exploring Todd Gurley’s 2019 range of outcomes later this month.)
Round 2 – Odell Beckham Jr.
Other players considered: JuJu Smith-Schuster, Travis Kelce
OBJ is the most talented wideout available at this point in the draft, and he’s part of what should be an exciting offense in Cleveland this season led by Baker Mayfield. If Beckham stays healthy he has overall WR1 upside and would offer a huge return on investment at pick 2.3.
Round 3 – Devonta Freeman
Other players considered: Amari Cooper, Derrick Henry, Josh Jacobs
The Ballers go for the value pick here and get Freeman as the 17th running back off the board. Not bad for a player that finished as the overall RB1 in 2015 and no longer has Tevin Coleman to share the backfield with in Atlanta. There are some injury concerns, but a healthy Devonta Freeman will be well worth drafting at 3.10.
Round 4 – Julian Edelman
Others Considered: Robert Woods, Brandin Cooks
Despite age and injury concerns, The Ballers our confident in their selection of Edelman in the fourth round. He performed as the WR8 in 2018 after returning from a four-game suspension. As Mike mentioned, Bill Belichick still believes in Julian Edelman, which is a pretty solid argument for him having another productive season in 2019.
Round 5 – Lamar Miller
Other players considered: Kenyan Drake, Deshaun Watson, Chris Godwin, James White
Even with a highly ranked quarterback still on the board in Deshaun Watson, The Ballers went with the Texans starting running back instead with their fifth round pick. He was one of the few starting running backs remaining, which is a valuable commodity at this point in a fantasy draft.
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Round 6 – Sammy Watkins
Other players considered: Mike Williams
Jason was given control of the sixth round pick, and he stayed true to his rankings by selecting Watkins. As the number one wide receiver for Patrick Mahomes, he has the potential to be a top-15 wide receiver in fantasy football in 2019.
Round 7 – David Montgomery
Others Considered: David Njoku, Trey Burton, Vance McDonald, Dante Pettis
Despite getting needy for a tight end, Mike and Jason are just too sold on David Montgomery to pass on him here in the draft. Montgomery has a three-down skill set and is a perfect fit for Matt Nagy’s offensive scheme. He has a huge opportunity to be the lead running back for the Bears and a productive fantasy player in 2019
This also marks the birth of the David “Mopportunity” nickname, so get ready to vote for it as the best nickname in the 2019 Footies.
Round 8: Vance McDonald
Other players considered: None
The Ballers quickly did the Vance Dance in the eighth round, as they were in need for a tight end and McDonald served as the last tight end before a big tier drop. He should see plenty of targets in 2019 with the departures of Antonio Brown and Jesse James.
Round 9: Larry Fitzgerald
Other players considered: D.K. Metcalk, N’Keal Harry, James Washington, Dede Westbrook, Keke Coutee
While there are some exciting rookie wide receivers available here, they historically take longer to develop and produce in fantasy. Larry Fitzgerald was productive in the worst of scenarios with the Cardinals in 2018, and should be at least as productive in 2019 catching passes from Kyler Murray in Kliff Kingsbury‘s air raid offense.
Christian Petersen/Getty Images
Round 10: Josh Allen
Other players considered: Darrell Henderson
After waiting until the tenth round, The Ballers finally take their quarterback. Josh “Stallion” brings the running ability that could make him a top 10 quarterback in 2019, which is where Andy and Mike are currently projecting him. That type of potential value so late in the draft is exactly why The Ballers advocate waiting so long to select your quarterback.
Round 11: Darrell Henderson
Other players considered: None
This is purely a handcuff pick. If you own Todd Gurley in 2019, it’s a great idea to spend a late pick on Darrell Henderson as an insurance policy.
Round 12: Donte Moncrief
Other players considered: None
This wasn’t discussed on the podcast, but Moncrief is a perfect late round flier to take on a wide receiver. He could end up as the number two receiver in Pittsburgh’s pass-happy offense.