Fantasy Football: 12-Team PPR Mock Draft

Nov 2, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans running back Arian Foster (23) warms up before the game against the Philadelphia Eagles at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Welcome back to the second in a series of Mock Fantasy Football drafts. This one is for an ESPN, Points Per Reception (PPR), 12 Team League.

I spent last month at Saranac Village–a Young Life camp in Saranac Lake, NY–on a team about 40 college students called ‘Summer Staff.’ My specific job was waterfront, so I did things like lifeguard and drive boats. Others worked in the kitchen, in laundry, on landscape, on the ropes course, etc. We were there to serve the campers.

At the start of the session, our Summer Staff coordinators, Craig and Hannah (shout out to Mom and Dad), wasted no time laying down the ground rules for the month: get lots of rest, serve with joy and excellence, include each other, respect authority, and the overriding rule of the month, considered by most as the golden rule of Summer Staff…

Wait to date.

Yes, believe it or not, a group of 40 college-aged kids spending a month together had the temptation to do a little intermingling. What did Craig and Hannah have to say about it? I vaguely remember, but it went a little something like this:

We understood where Mom and Dad were coming from, but it was definitely easier said than done. There was just something in that Adirondack air, as if Puck flew around putting his love potion on everyone’s eyelids (shout out to English majors). Throw in a month of living and working together in one of the most scenic parts of the eastern seaboard, and you can just forget about it. Sparks were bound to fly.

And that’s exactly why we needed to wait. It wasn’t reality.

Intense eye contact from across the dining hall during meals isn’t enough to distinguish whether or not that cute girl from ropes is wifey material. You don’t find those things out until you spend some time back in the real world, away from the mystique of Saranac Village.

So why am I telling you all of this? Because there is actually a valuable fantasy football lesson to be learned from it. No matter how long you’ve been counting down, no matter how strong the itch has gotten, and no matter how ready you think you are, consider me your sagacious Summer Staff coordinator when I say…

Wait to draft!

I know, I know, easier said than done. I have a hard enough time coordinating a dozen writers’ schedules to do these fake drafts, let alone trying to find a day that works for the real shebang. Not to mention the Christmas-esque anticipation that comes along with draft day (my friends have been saying “Let’s just draft right now” since June).

But Arian Foster going down with a serious groin injury in training camp a couple of days ago shows just how little we know, and this mock, which we did back on July 29, was a perfect example. We drafted about a week before Foster went down, and all of a sudden what looked like a smart first round pick now looks like a waste.

The same thing goes for the depth chart battles going on in training camp and throughout the preseason. Martavis Bryant was fantasy darling and the presumed #2 receiver in Pittsburgh’s high-octane offense heading into training camp, until Big Ben came out at the start of camp and stated that Markus Wheaton is the #2.

You need adequate time to see assess your potential draft picks, just like you need adequate time to assess your potential boo thang. So if everyone’s schedules allow it, then pump the breaks and hold off on drafting until later in the month. Football isn’t going anywhere (for now).

As always, some housekeeping before we start. First off, if you missed the last mock draft, you can check it out here. Secondly, this is a 12-team, PPR scoring draft, with nine starters (QB, 2RB, 2WR, TE, FLEX, D/ST, K) and seven bench spots. The order is as follows:

Now, enough waiting. Let’s get mocking.

Next: Round 1

Oct 26, 2014; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) pats tight end Rob Gronkowski (87) during the second half of New England

Round 1

Analysis: Poor Lange.

Like I mentioned earlier, this draft was conducted before Foster injured his groin, so this is the last time you’ll see Foster’s name in the first round. Luckily for Lange it’s just a mock, but Foster’s injury teaches a valuable lesson: you can’t win your league in the first round, but you sure as heck can lose it. Grabbing a top RB in the first round is the consensus, but there is clear risk there given the volatility of the position.

Just like last mock, Moody steered clear of that risk, and went with arguably the safest player in fantasy, this time six picks earlier. PPR scoring lends itself to high-volume pass catchers, and no one is as high-volume as Brown.

How high, you ask?

That high.

Forte going 10th in a PPR was a surprise (coming from a guy who passed on him), considering he set an NFL record with 102 catches as a RB last season, but he may not be the PPR stud he has been in years past. A couple of days after this mock, he stated that 100 catches is not his goal, which carries some weight with the switch from Marc Trestman’s pass-happy offense to John Fox’s balanced run game, and doesn’t bode well for his fantasy prospects, given how poorly he ran the ball last year, averaging just 5o yards per game over the final six weeks of the season.

My pick: Rob Gronkowski

Passing up C.J. Anderson and DeMarco Murray is never easy, especially when you’ve written at length about both of them, but I wanted to see what a Gronk-in-the-first-round team looks like, and figured I wouldn’t totally hate it in PPR.

There’s no denying the week-to-week positional advantage Gronk provides. In PPR last season, he averaged 3.4 more PPG than the TE2, more than any position from first to second, and I expect this gap to get even bigger. Jimmy Graham is now in a run-heavy offense, Julius Thomas is now in an incompetence-heavy offense, and Antonio Gates is suspended the first four weeks.

Gronk will be a target monster in the first four weeks of the season as Jimmy Garroppolo’s security blanket, and when Brady comes back, well…just scroll back up to that picture.

Next: Round 2

Nov 9, 2014; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints wide receiver Brandin Cooks (10) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the San Francisco 49ers during the second quarter at Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Round 2

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Analysis: Brandin Cooks saw his stock soar this mock, after going 35th in the last one. The PPR appeal is there. Graham and Kenny Stills accounted for 209 targets last year, 32% of the Saints’ pass attack. With C.J. Spiller and Marques Colston as his only real threats, Cooks will see WR1 amount of targets, so his WR1 potential is real.

My pick: Odell Beckham Jr.

Sorry guys.

I really wanted to draft a completely different team from last mock, but I had to change my pants when I saw Beckham sitting there at 17 in PPR. I just couldn’t say no.

In PPR scoring, Beckham was the #1 player, not just WR, in all of fantasy on a points-per-game basis last season. Like I stated in the last mock, given his talent, I don’t see why Beckham can’t do it again this year, and at 17, it’s worth the shot.

Next: Round 3

Jan 11, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders (10) in the 2014 AFC Divisional playoff football game against the Indianapolis Colts at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

Round 3

Analysis: I love every RB picked in this round. I’ll try to be brief:

Justin Forsett is going to be a PPR monster with Marc Trestman as his new OC. Jeremy Hill led the league in rushing once taking over as starter. Frank Gore goes to offense rife with scoring opportunities, replacing Ahmad Bradshaw, who was on pace for 68 catches and 11 receiving touchdowns last season. I wrote about Melvin Gordon. Lamar Miller was an RB1 last season, and is in line for an uptick in carries.

So I must’ve picked one of them, right?

Wrong.

My pick: Emmanuel Sanders

I had just gone TE/WR, and was itching for a quality RB, so you can imagine my excitement when Forsett and Hill were a mere two picks away from falling right into my lap at 32.

But Inman, who was once the savior of the mock after filling in at the last minute, quickly became public enemy #1 by picking Forsett.

Then came Lange, and in what seemed like the longest 45 seconds of my life, Hill vanished from my queue.

So there I was on my girlfriend’s couch, all my hopes and dreams crushed, but the suffering didn’t end there. I had the bright idea of trying to let one of the three remaining RBs slip to me in the next round, and *spoiler alert* they didn’t. Retweet if you cried.

Martyrdom aside, Sanders was the #5 WR in PPR last season, and while he figures to drop off a tad with the Broncos going more run-heavy, he’s still the #2 receiving option in a Peyton Manning offense, but man I wish I picked one of those RBs.

Next: Round 4

Dec 28, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; Carolina Panthers running back Jonathan Stewart (28) reacts in the fourth quarter against the Atlanta Falcons at the Georgia Dome. The Panthers defeated the Falcons 34-3. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Round 4

More from FanSided

Analysis: While it was the Rams RBs bookending this round, I was intrigued by a different pair of backs.

Shane Vereen and Andre Ellington are much better PPR RBs than standard scoring ones (or actual ones, for that matter). Vereen was fifth in receiving yards among RBs last season, and had 11 catches in the Super Bowl. He’ll be a lethal option on third downs in Ben McAdoo’s offense.

Ellington was PPR’s RB11 in PPG, despite battling foot problems since the beginning of the season. Ironically Ellington seems to be the only healthy skill player in Arizona at the moment (knock on wood), so as long as he’s playing, he’s shown RB1 potential.

My pick: Nelson Agholor

We get it, Max, you like Nelson Agholor. What happened to picking someone a completely different team?

Well here’s the thing…I didn’t pick Agholor. Don’t get me wrong, I love me some Agholor, but I sincerely was trying to form as different of a team from last mock as I could, and had no intentions of picking the rookie here.

Autopick had different plans.

Let me peel back the curtain a little more. We do these drafts live, with 45 seconds per pick. As the draft host, I do a lot of typing in the draft’s chat feature, and I was doing just that while neglecting to see that it was my pick. I ended up realizing I was up…with five seconds left. I scrambled to click on Andre Ellington, (and to this day I swear I picked him in time), but after a long pause, Agholor was added to my roster.

Oh well. Fly Eagles Fly.

Next: Round 7

Nov 30, 2014; Jacksonville, FL, USA; New York Giants running back Rashad Jennings (23) celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the second quarter against the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Field. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Round 7

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Analysis: I rescind all sympathy given to Lange. Jarvis Landry as WR35 in PPR is robbery. He was PPR’s WR15 in the second half of the season last year, with 6.5 catches per game. His role as the possession slot guy fits Bill Lazor’s offense and Ryan Tannehill’s play style to a T, and he should see the lion’s share of targets in Miami with Mike Wallace gonzo, and first round pick DeVante Parker hurt.

My pick: Rashad Jennings

Oops I did it again.

This is why I recommend picking in person; there are no autopicks in live drafts. Was I banking on Landry falling to me? Maybe. Did I run out of time again. Yeah. Is Jennings a bad pick? Not really. When he’s on the field, he produces, but he can’t stay on the field. Now much is being made about him taking second team reps, so that’s concerning. I plead the fifth on this one. Stupid autopick.

Next: Rounds 8-10

Nov 9, 2014; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets running back Chris Ivory (33) leaps over Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback William Gay (22) during the first quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports

Round 8

Round 9

Round 10

Analysis: Kendall Wright was the biggest riser from last mock to this one, going from WR54 in round 16 to WR40 in round nine. In hindsight, I would’ve rather had him than Jennings in round 8, and I’m not sure why I didn’t pick him in round 9. He’s going from Jake Locker/Zach Mettenberger to Marcus Mariota. Check. His target competition is Hakeem Nicks and Harry Douglas. Check. In 2013 he was seventh in the league in receptions, but only scored twice. Last season his catches dropped off, but he scored six times. I think he’ll put it all together this season and have tremendous PPR value.

That was a lot of words about Kendall Wright.

More from FanSided

My picks: Chris Ivory, Brandon LaFell, Victor Cruz

I like Ivory more in standard scoring, but he was still an RB2 in PPR last season, and is currently the Jets’ starting running back. I’ll take a starting running back at RB37 any day.

LaFell went on the Patriots’ preseason PUP list prior to this mock draft, which explains why he was available so late, but I decided 104 (89 ADP) was late enough to pull the trigger. He was WR21 in PPR last season, and is the #1 outside receiver in the Pats’ offense, which carries value.

Victor Cruz is coming off a torn patellar tendon, but all reports out of camp have been positive. We won’t really know for sure until he faces real in-game hits, and he has yet to play with Beckham, so there is a lot of unknown, but the upside is always there with Cruz.

Next: Rounds 11-13

Aug 2, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Sam Bradford (7) walks onto the field to start begin training camp at NovaCare Complex. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Round 11

Round 12

Round 13

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Analysis: Marcus Mariota sighting. If you’ve watched five seconds of ESPN lately, you’d know that Mariota hasn’t thrown a pick in training camp yet, so do with that what you may.

My picks: Sam Bradford, Davante Adams, Phillip Rivers

I wasn’t going to let Bradford get sniped this time, so I had to pull the trigger a bit earlier, but I mean, it’s the eleventh round. I think that when Bradford is on the field, he’ll be a top-five fantasy QB, so I’m targeting him in every draft.

I wasn’t expecting to draft a second QB, but I couldn’t pass on Phillip Rivers in the 13th. Granted I think Gates’ suspension hurts Rivers in the first four weeks, and the addition of Gordon will shift to a more balanced offense, but he’s an élite QB available as QB19. Plus, given Bradford’s injury history, it never hurts to have some quality insurance.

Next: Rounds 14-16

Jun 9, 2015; Florham Park, NJ, USA; New York Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis (24) and New York Jets cornerback Antonio Cromartie (31) talk during New York Jets minicamp at Atlantic Health Jets Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports

Round 14

Round 15

Round 16

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Analysis: Even my handcuff gets picked right before me.

Remember when I said Jonathan Stewart hasn’t played a full season since 2011, and DeAngelo Williams is no longer on the team? Exhibits ‘A’ and ‘B’ why Cameron Artis-Payne is worth a late-round flier in any format.

My picks: Matt Jones, Jets D/ST, Matt Bryant

I really wanted Artis-Payne after investing so highly in Stewart, but I’m fine taking a shot on Matt Jones this late. The Redskins want to pound the rock this year, so Jones should get some run even with Morris in, and if Morris ever goes down, he seems to have the clearest path to starting.

Leonard Williams looks like a better pick every day. Even with élite Jets D-linemen dropping like flies, this defense is loaded, and HC Todd Bowles was notorious for his Cardinals defenses being stout regardless of who had to step up. Plus, all I really care about is week 1 since I’m a streamer, and Gang Green opens up with the Browns. Sign me up.

Next: Final Draft Results

Aug 2, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; A Philadelphia Eagles helmet on the field during training camp at NovaCare Complex. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Final Draft Results

Here’s how the teams shook out:

Team Fuqua (@DaveFuqua)

Team Marteny (@MikeMarteny)

Team Matson (@BMatz08)

Team Moody (@EricNMoody)

Team Pelesky (@Rich_Pelesky)

Team Inman (@adaminman)

Team Lange (@FantasyFB_Rob)

Team Dash (@iamMaxDash)

Team Townsend (@ThatLoudKid25)

Team Nicks

Team Moore (@DMooreNFL)

Team Christianson (@mysleepers)

Now we want to hear from you. Cast your vote below for who you feel drafted the best team, and post your thoughts in the comment section at the bottom of the page.

SEE MORE FANTASY FOOTBALL ANALYSIS: Melvin Gordon’s X-Factor

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