Fantasy Footballers June Live Mock Draft Recap
On Tuesday’s Live Mock Draft episode, hosts Andy, Mike, and Jason dive into (almost literally, in Andy’s case) a mock draft as we gear up for the upcoming 2020 season. Mock drafting is an invaluable exercise, particularly if you’re drafting from an uncomfortable position, such as the last pick. The Footballers experiment with drafting from the 12th position in a 12 round snake draft. Let’s see how their strategies play out when you aren’t guaranteed superstars in the early picks.
Listen to the Live Mock Draft episode to hear their take on today’s quick question, “Are there any sophomores you are targeting for cheap in dynasty?”
Andy, Mike, and Jason also discuss the fantasy implications of COVID-19 and how this season will be different than any other we have seen so far. In addition to experimenting with the last position in the draft, they also discuss a roster construction with the pandemic in mind and the best ways to compensate for an uncertain future in fantasy.
QB/2RB/2WR/TE/Flex/DEF – 0.5 PPR – 12th spot – 12 teams
Round 1: Julio Jones
There are some decisions to make when you are picking at the turn as opposed to picking toward the middle positions. Jason prefers to grab different positions instead of going RB/RB or WR/WR to avoid feeling forced to grab the other in the 3rd Round. Mike sees more value at the WR position in the 4th Round to feel good about going RB/RB. Either way, it’s hard to say no to Jones’ elite WR status.
Other players considered: Chris Godwin, Nick Chubb, DeAndre Hopkins, Josh Jacobs
Round 2: Josh Jacobs
This was a unanimous decision to take Jacobs to avoid being forced to commit to draft either an RB or WR later and also because Jason Moore likes the letter “J”.
Other players considered: Kenyan Drake, Nick Chubb
Round 3: D.J. Moore
After some discussion, the Ballers decided to go with Moore. While each host has an argument for their own WR2, they do agree that there is value for WRs during these rounds. One thing that is significant about drafting at the turn, as Jason points out, is that you cannot play the ADP game. You will inevitably be reaching for the guys you want instead of hoping they fall back to you in 20 plus picks. There is nothing wrong with going after “your guys” when you are at the turn. Reach or don’t get them.
Other players considered: Calvin Ridley, A.J. Brown, Robert Woods
Round 4: Chris Carson
There is an argument to be made looking at the WR options available here like Mike brought uo early when he considered starting the draft RB/RB. It would have worked well if they took Nick Chubb then Kenyan Drake in Rounds 1 and 2 then drafted D.J. Moore and Calvin Ridley, for example, in Rounds 3 and 4. You are sacrificing Julio Jones in this scenario, but your RBs are stronger. As the draft continues, talent at RB gets slimmer whereas there are still better options at WR.
Of course, there was hesitation in drafting Chris Carson due to injury, hence the conversation about taking RB/RB instead of WR/RB to avoid the uncertainty of Carson all together. If your starting running backs are reliable, high volume guys, you can go after a different position in this round.
Other players considered: Mark Andrews, Le’Veon Bell
Round 5: David Montgomery
Montgomery represents a tier break between other players like Kareem Hunt and KeShawn Vaughn who are among the RB names that have dropped to the 5th Round. Montgomery is the RB1 for the Bears and can help counteract any injury concerns that Carson brings with a relatively high volume of touches. If you are unsure about a player’s sustainability, taking a player like Montgomery is a good way to add depth to the position.
Other players considered: Unanimous
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Round 6: Terry McLaurin
This spot will either represent a bench spot or a matchup-based flex option. Mike is looking for someone with upside potential when deciding on who to take. McLaurin, Brown, and Samuel are both WR2 upside players that each Baller likes more than the other. Since this was Mike’s pick, he chose McLaurin since he is more bullish on him than Samuel or Brown.
***Tune in for the first EVER Water Bet Payout on the show***
Other players considered: A.J. Green, Jarvis Landry, Deebo Samuel, Marquis (Hollywood) Brown
Round 7: Jordan Howard
Howard has the opportunity to be a high upside RB2 as the starting RB for the Miami Dolphins with 250 touches in 2020. The Ballers considered Jared Cook at this position, but Howard ended up the unanimous vote for this pick.
Other players considered: Jared Cook
Round 8: Diontae Johnson
After an explosive rookie year, Johnson finally will be able to play with Ben Roethlisberger in 2020, barring injury. He has excellent upside with the veteran QB back under center. If he was able to produce with two rotating rookie QBs last year, there are high expectations for his production this coming year.
Other players considered: Unanimous
Round 9: Drew Brees
When there is a run at the “onesie” position, as Jason calls it, you don’t have to worry about those teams taking that position again. This left Drew Brees available at the end of the 9th round and exactly where the Ballers feel good about drafting him as their starting QB.
Other players considered: Unanimous
Round 10: Jared Cook
Stacked with Brees, there is tremendous upside on a very balanced team, where every player is guaranteed a workload. Mike, who is not high on Jared Cook this year, was even on board with this pick in this particular round.
Other players considered: Unanimous
Round 11: Jalen Raegor
Usually, the Ballers like to use these last two picks as dart throws for upside talent. However, with COVID-19 concerns, it may be worth looking at safety such as handcuffs instead. With the way the team is shaping up, Jason looked at a handcuff like Chase Edmonds while Andy preferred a WR flyer option instead.
Other players considered: Chase Edmonds
Round 12: Antonio Gibson
While Derrius Guice is the starter at Washington and Adrian Peterson is still in the mix, the Gibson pick is probably a headscratcher. However, Mike brings up some compelling reasons why Gibson is worth a shot. With injury concerns to Guice and a new regime in Washington, it’s possible that Gibson may have his moment to shine in 2020.
Other players considered: Noah Fant
Andy also snagged the Chiefs Defense with the final pick of the draft. Don’t forget to listen to the Live Mock Draft episode to get a deeper breakdown of why the Footballers chose these players and their opinions on their upcoming season.