Fantasy Football Mock Draft: 12-team full-PPR (3 WRs)

Scott Pianowski

Mock Draft Season keeps rolling along at Yahoo Fantasy, and last week we tackled a format close to my heart: a half-point PPR league that requires three starting receivers.

This is the type of league I usually opt for when I assemble my own leagues (with a pinch of Superflex often added in). For last Wednesday's mock, this is what was required:

  • 1 QB

  • 2 RB

  • 3 WR

  • 1 TE

  • 1 Flex (WR, RB, TE)

  • PK

  • DEF

  • Six Bench Spots

  • (Eventually, Two IR Spots)

1. Fred Zinkie, Yahoo Fantasy contributor

2. Dan Titus, Yahoo Fantasy analyst

3. Mo Castillo, Yahoo Fantasy senior editor

4. Katie Braun, Yahoo Fantasy social editor

5. Kate Magdziuk, Yahoo Fantasy editor and contributor

6. Aaron Tan, Yahoo Fantasy social lead

7. Dan Harris, Yahoo Fantasy video lead

8. Dalton Del Don, Yahoo Fantasy analyst

9. Matt Harmon, Yahoo Fantasy analyst

10. Jason Klabacha, head of Yahoo Fantasy content

11. Tera Roberts, Yahoo Fantasy contributor

12. Scott Pianowski, Yahoo Fantasy analyst

Now that we've set the stage, here are some takeaways.

Let's consider how our managers handled the running back position in the first four rounds:

  • Four teams went Robust RB, having two backs in their first four picks.

  • Six teams went with a Hero RB, the concept of taking one anchor back with an early pick somewhere, then attacking the other positions.

  • Two teams went Zero RB, ignoring the RB spot completely in the first four rounds. Those teams eventually got to their first backs in Rounds 5 and 6, respectively.

This is a natural reaction to formats that require three starting receivers. It's also a statement about how the bell cow is an endangered species in the NFL these days, which also means the middle rounds will offer surprisingly competent options at RB, provided you have reasonable expectations. The position might not have the star power it once did, but there are more playable options at the position for RB2/RB3/Flex value.

I know the positional shift might make some anxious, but I've actually found it a refreshing change in recent years. You don't have to panic over this position like we once did.

You surely expected this coming in, but let's run through the data.

  • Eight picks in Round 1 were wide receivers.

  • A modest five picks in Round 2 were receivers, but then we saw a whopping 11 wideouts go in Round 3. Add it up and that makes 24 receivers in the opening 36 picks.

  • The fifth round (six receivers) and the eighth round (six receivers) were also dominated by this position. Round 8 in particular was driven by speculative youth, as two rookies, two second-year players and a third-year receiver were among those six pass-catchers selected.

I can't say enough how important I think it is to draft a team where your receivers start themselves. I want to build the best wideout room possible (while not completely ignoring the other positions; I will be sure to have that Anchor RB as well). Trying to predict spike weeks from WRs outside the top 30 can be difficult. I understand the importance of depth and potential breakout players, but the top of my drafts will generally have a heavy receiver tint.

One of the basic concepts every fantasy manager quickly grasps is the fact that while real-life football is all about the quarterback, fantasy football is not quarterback-dominated. Sure, we need them and we scout them closely and we understand that quarterbacks are the through line for every team's offense, but there's no immediate urgency to draft the position for your fantasy team. The depth at quarterback is exceptional, with something to meet every budget; a style for every manager.

The tight end position is a start-one spot in most fantasy leagues, just like QB, but it's not as deep as the quarterback position. The QBs in the teens all offer tantalizing upside and an obvious pro case; that's not quite the same at tight end. With that in mind, it was interesting that the room was slightly more proactive in drafting its tight ends. I suspect this trend will only intensify as we get deeper into draft season.

The first tight end went in Round 3, Sam LaPorta. Two tight ends went in Rounds 4, 5, 6 and 8.

Josh Allen, everyone's No. 1 quarterback, went in Round 4, with two other QBs also selected in that round. A quartet of QBs went in Round 6. Then there was a trickle-down approach at QB, with four options landing in the next four rounds. I was the last team to take my QB starter, content with Joe Burrow in Round 10.

Missing on an early QB is like missing a train in New York City — there's another one coming in 10 minutes. It's a little more taxing when the tight end you fancy gets sniped out of your queue.

April's draft was historic for its early push on offensive skill players. Six quarterbacks and three receivers were drafted in the first 12 picks. However, the overall class hasn't made a splash in the fantasy market yet. Most of them are speculative picks in the second half of the draft.

Marvin Harrison Jr. was the first pick of Round 2 and Malik Nabers was snagged in the middle of Round 3. They're the two rookie hotshots, the destination picks. After that, we didn't see a freshman until Rome Odunze in Round 7.

Jonathon Brooks landed in Round 8, shortly before news came out about his PUP status. It sounds optimistic to me, but the Panthers are hoping for a Week 3 return. Just remember Brooks will need gradual ramp-up time when he returns, whenever that happens to be.

Dalton Del Don was the rookie-friendly manager on the ground, taking Nabers (Round 3), Xavier Worthy (Round 8), Jayden Daniels (Round 9), Caleb Williams (Round 11), Jaylen Wright (Round 12), Jermine Burton (Round 14) and Deneric Prince (Round 16). Ironically, one of Dalton's rare veteran picks, DeAndre Hopkins, suffered an injury setback shortly after this draft concluded.

Maybe these will be players you steal in late rounds, or maybe these will become helium players who cost a lot more in the teeth of draft season. For now, let's merely note what their current market value appears to be, at least among 12 Yahooligans:

  • Dalton Kincaid, Pick 51

  • Anthony Richardson, Pick 63

  • Hollywood Brown, Pick 73

  • Ladd McConley, Pick 86

  • Xavier Worthy, Pick 89

  • Chase Brown, Pick 101 (Zack Moss went seven picks earlier)

  • Jameson Williams, Pick 102

  • Jayden Daniels, Pick 104

  • Rashid Shaheed, Pick 120

  • Blake Corum, Pick 122

  • Romeo Doubs, Pick 126

  • Dontayvion Wicks, Pick 129

If you're handicapping the Tennessee backfield, Tony Pollard was Pick 90 and Tyjae Spears was Pick 95.

This is a repeat from the last mock-draft writeup I published a few weeks back, but I felt it was worth reiterating:

The editors asked everyone to draft a complete starting lineup, so that's why you'll see 12 kickers and 12 defenses on the board. Peruse and examine as you like. However, many shrewd fantasy managers opt to eschew the lesser positions in early-summer drafts, instead filling their bench with a couple of speculative plays that could come into significant value by September if things break right. The waiver wire in almost every league has very high replacement value for kickers and defenses — especially in a pool that's a modest 10 managers — so filling those spots needn't be a priority.

My D/ST pick was the Bengals, and that's tied to one simple thing: they're the biggest Week 1 favorite (spotting 9.5 points against New England) and D/ST production is correlated with favored teams. If we were playing this league out, I would surely stream the D/ST position, adding and dropping a new defense regularly.

If your league drafts shortly before the season, I would advise you to avoid this DST hack. Just pick one in the late rounds, again with an eye to the early schedule. There isn't enough time for a late-round Hail Mary pick to come into value in 24-72 hours; it's not impossible, but it's not likely.

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