Edwards’ 10-Team 5 Round Fantasy PPR Mock Draft 2.0

By: Scott Edwards

 

Hello all, and welcome to the second addition of my 10 Team, 5 Round Fantasy Football PPR Mock Draft. Here I make picks for ten separate teams, discussing what I think of each pick, and making each team fill needs through five rounds with players on the board. For the first round I discuss why I think these picks must happen where they do to make a good draft, and hopefully help you for your future drafts. Enjoy!

 

This will really help you as we enter true drafting time in the coming weeks. Slight changes will occur, and I will specify who has risen, who has fallen, who I may be high on, and who you may want to leave on the board come draft time. So, without further ado, here is 2.0.

 

Round 1

 

1. RB Le’Veon Bell, Team 1 (1.0 – Same)

Le’Veon Bell remains as my first choice here. Last season, he scored 341.6 points last season, carrying the ball a league lead 321 times for 1291 yards, while catching 85 balls for 655 yards. He added on 11 total TDs, resulting in yet another fantastic season, giving him the edge to be the first overall pick due to consistency. While he has informed the team, he will not report until after the preseason concludes, you know Bell has everything to prove in a legit contract season. I expect Bell to ball out and without a shadow of a doubt, should remain the first pick of the board.

 

2. RB Todd Gurley, Team 2 (1.0 – Same)

I firmly place Gurley and Bell in my top two for both editions simply due to the studs they are. And while everyone worries about the volume Gurley could lose on the offensive side of the ball, I do laugh. Mostly because all they really did was replace Sammy Watkins with Brandin Cooks. Yes a better player, however, not a change that makes Gurley lose touches by any means.  Gurley scored a whopping 383.3 PPR points last season, rushing for 1305 yards, 13 (!) TDs adding on to his great receiving stats of 64 REC for 788 yards and 6 REC TDs. Just comes down to who is more of a guarantee, where I take Bell over him in that, however, Gurley must go in the top two in all drafts.

 

3. WR Antonio Brown, Team 3 (1.0 – Same)

Do not overthink your draft. If you don’t get the top two elite guys at RB, do not become afraid and pass on AB because you feel you need an RB. You can easily get one in the second round. You can lose your league overthinking, while AB can win you your league. He is far and away the most consistent player in fantasy for the past five seasons. Antonio Brown essentially missed three games last season and still finished ahead of the entire rest of the WR field with 310.3 PPR points. Being almost a sure-fire candidate for 100+ catches every season and over 1500+ yards, he is the sure fire, safest pick of the entire draft. Don’t be dumb, draft AB.

 

4. RB David Johnson, Team 4 (1.0 – 5^th Pick: Up 1)

The best overall player in the 2016 Fantasy Football season will make his return this season after breaking his wrist Week 1 last season and missing the rest of the season because of it. David Johnson wants to be a 1,000/1,000 guy, which he came incredibly close to doing in 2016. Johnson will look to bounce back this season and is projected an early first round pick for the 2018 drafts. He makes the jump over Zeke do to weapons on his respectable team compared to the weapons on the Cowboys. Johnson has an edge in pass catching and supporting cast around him. As long as Johnson stays healthy, he may be the best pick in the first round if he can be what he once was.

 

5. RB Ezekiel Elliott, Team 5 (1.0 – 4^th Pick: Down 1)

Zeke is the last of “the Big 5” in this second edition, after being the 4^th choice originally. After further examination and a deeper look, there is a fair chance the Cowboys get behind in a lot of games unless Dak can prove differently this season. Between other teams stacking the box and being down a lot, Zeke will have a tougher time to years prior. Not too tough, as he is still a great choice in drafts, especially early on, but David Johnson has become a better choice in the meantime. However, if Zeke is used more in the pass game, you could see the top scorer in fantasy in the form of Zeke. Take him over everyone else because he certainly is apart of the big 5.

 

6. RB Alvin Kamara, Team 6 (1.0 – Same)

All this stands for Kamara, still a stud who gets four weeks to himself and will continue to make plays for Drew Brees and the Saints. Kamara was winning everyone their championships if he didn’t get hurt in the first week of the playoffs on the first drive. He did not have a main role on the offense until week 4 when he lit the world on fire. Kamara finished with 320.4 PPR points on the season, being a rushing threat, and even more, a receiving threat all season long. He became the safe net for Drew Brees last season, getting 81 receptions that he turned into 826 yards. And with Mark Ingram suspended for the first four games of the season, it only makes Kamara more valuable. Take him with pride.

 

7. RB Saquon Barkley, Team 7 (1.0 – Same)

One preseason game, one beast run, this guy is the real deal. Due to his hamstring injury, he will not hope over Kamara in this edition, but if you were to consider him instead, I wouldn’t question it. Barkley is destined for greatness, take your chance to be apart of it.

8. WR DeAndre Hopkins, Team 8 (1.0 – Same)

2.0: Nuk remains here, with Watson back, expect elite numbers this season.

1.0: Well would you look what happens when you give DeAndre Hopkins a QB? He delivers. Hopkins proved last season more than ever that he doesn’t need a great QB to be one of the best in football, but what he does need is DeShaun Watson to be totally out of this world. That combo became one of the most fun parts of football for a few weeks there. He finished with 309.8 PPR points, 2^nd best among WRs and can only get better with Watson healthy. He is worthy of your first-round selection.

 

9. WR Odell Beckham Jr, Team 9 (1.0 – 12^th Pick: Up 3)

The health of Odell was in question when I made the first edition of this. Well, if you have known me long enough, I am huge on Odell in fantasy. I firmly believe he is the most talented receiver in this league and I feel there shouldn’t be any question either. His elite status has stuck with him since his rookie year and now that he is back and healthy, he should not be escaping the first round. While I stress the importance of RBs, I also stress the importance of ELITE. He is elite, take him and fly.

 

10. WR Keenan Allen, Team 10 (1.0 – Same)

2.0: Still do believe Keenan Allen is a borderline first round talent with his abilities. If you are taking him with the tenth pick, it could be considered a second round two. Regardless, with the back to back picks, don’t skip over him here.

Like him or hate him, Keenan Allen is one of the best WR when healthy every time he takes the field. The 2015 and 2016 seasons were tough on Keenan Allen, as he had season ending injuries in both, and yet he delivered every time he was on the field. In 2017, when health was on his side, he impressed the masses with multiple big games down the stretch. From Week 11 to Week 17, no other receiver duplicated what he did. Now coming into a season where he is as fresh as can be, Allen looks to have an even bigger season as the overall WR3 this season.

 

Round 2

11. RB Dalvin Cook, Team 10 (1.0 – Same)
12. RB Kareem Hunt, Team 9 (1.0 – 9th Pick: Down 3)
13. RB Melvin Gordon, Team 8 (1.0 – Same)
14. WR Julio Jones, Team 7 (1.0 – 16^th Pick: Up 2)
15. RB Leonard Fournette, Team 6 (1.0 – Same)
16. WR Michael Thomas, Team 5 (1.0 – 14^th Pick: Down 2)
17. WR AJ Green, Team 4 (1.0 – Same)
18. RB Christian McCaffrey, Team 3 (1.0 – Same)
19. WR Davante Adams, Team 2 (1.0 – Same)
20. WR Tyreek Hill, Team 1 (1.0 – 30^th Pick: Up 11)

 

Recap: Lots of changes in this round, with Kareem Hunt falling into the second, the swap of Julio Jones and Michael Thomas, and Tyreek Hill climbing up the ranks into the WR1 role while Adam Thielen tumbles. Jones in the second round has become a choice that I feel is a steal at any time. He is the 4^th overall receiver off the board with this change. Best pick of this one would be CMC once again in my mind. Tyreek Hill’s climb comes from incredible potential with his new QB and his number last season.

 

Round 3

21. RB Jerick McKinnon, Team 1 (1.0 – 28^th Pick: Up 7)
22. RB Devonta Freeman, Team 2 (1.0 – Same)
23. TE Rob Gronkowski, Team 3 (1.0 – Same)
24. WR TY Hilton, Team 4 (1.0 – Same)
25. WR Mike Evans, Team 5 (1.0 – Same)
26. WR Doug Baldwin, Team 6 (1.0 – Same)
27. TE Travis Kelce, Team 7 (1.0 – Same)
28. RB LeSean McCoy, Team 8 (1.0 – 21^st Pick: Down 7)
29. TE Zach Ertz, Team 9 (1.0 – Same)
30. WR Adam Thielen, Team 10 (1.0 – 20^th Pick: Down 11)

 

Recap: The rise of McKinnon is highlighted here, as he has rose more and more as the season approaches. He is a big time PPR RB this coming season. Adam Thielen took the tumble as we simply do not know who Kirk Cousins will be loving this season. Steal of this round will remain TY as long as he and Andrew Luck can stay healthy. I have seen TEs begin to fall in drafts, but Gronk at around the same price as the other TEs makes him a big time get in the third round. A healthy Gronk can win you a championship.

 

Round 4

31. RB Joe Mixon, Team 10 (1.0 – 36^th Pick: Up 5)
32. RB Jordan Howard, Team 9 (1.0 – 31^st Pick: Down 1)
33. WR Larry Fitzgerald, Team 8 (1.0 – 32^nd Pick: Down 1)
34. WR Demaryius Thomas, Team 7 (1.0 – 33rd Pick: Down 1)
35. WR Stefon Diggs, Team 6 (1.0 – 34th Pick: Down 1)
36. WR Allen Robinson, Team 5 (1.0 – 38^th Pick: Up 2)
37. RB Royce Freeman, Team 4 (1.0 – Unranked)
38. WR Josh Gordon, Team 3 (1.0 – 35th Pick: Down 3)
39. WR Golden Tate, Team 2 (1.0 – Same)
40. WR Alshon Jeffrey, Team 1 (1.0 – Same)

 

Recap: A lot of changes here, let me explain. Joe Mixon makes the big hop after looking through this again. He is expected to make a big jump this season, becoming the main horse in the backfield for the Bengals, giving his value a big rise of five spots. The switch of Allen Robinson and Josh Gordon comes from amount of touches in each offense. While Gordon is teamed with Jarvis Landry, who may be the number one for the Browns this season, while the Bears clear cut top guy is ARob. The biggest jump of this edition is Broncos RB Royce Freeman. Freeman has impressed in Training Camp and through preseason so far, proving he should get all the early down work for the new Broncos offense. The 4^th round provides real good value still at this time.

 

Round 5

41. QB Aaron Rodgers, Team 1 (1.0 – Same)
42. WR JuJu Smith Schuster, Team 2 (1.0 – Same)
43. QB Tom Brady, Team 3 (1.0 – 45^th Pick: Up 2)
44. WR Amari Cooper, Team 4 (1.0 – Same)
45. RB Derrick Henry, Team 5 (1.0 – Unranked)
46. WR Jarvis Landry, Team 6 (1.0 – Same)
47. RB Kenyan Drake, Team 7 (1.0 – 36th Pick: Down 11)
48. RB Jay Ajayi, Team 8 (1.0 – 49th Pick: Up 1)
49. RB Alex Collins, Team 9 (1.0 – 48th Pick: Down 1)
50. RB Marshawn Lynch, Team 10 (1.0 – Unranked)

Recap: Lots of changes here as well, as Kenyan Drake comes all the way from the 4^th round, dropping 11 spots due to a committee being in the works down in Miami. Bruisers Derrick Henry and Marshawn Lynch join the draft board after being unranked due to the overall volume they should have compared to the other players who have fallen off completely. I expect both to get a fair amount of early down work and TDs this season.

 

Who has fallen out of the Mock and Why:

– RB Derrius Guice (1.0 – 47^th) Torn ACL, lots of potential, hate to see it happen.

– RB Rashaad Penny (1.0 – 43^rd) Not the starter to be week one, still worth a choice, but not this high

– WR Robert Woods (1.0 – 50^th) With so many hands to feed, Woods should not be a starter for you unless it is a flex option until you know how the Rams will use him, Kupp, and Cooks. Tread lightly

 

Results –

Team 1: RB Bell, WR Hill, RB McKinnon, WR Jeffrey, QB Rodgers

Team 2: RB Gurley, WR Adams, RB D. Freeman, WR Tate, WR Smith-Schuster

Team 3: WR Brown, RB McCaffrey, TE Gronkowski, WR J. Gordon, QB Brady

Team 4: RB D. Johnson, WR Green, WR Hilton, RB R. Freeman, WR Cooper

Team 5: RB Elliott, WR M. Thomas, WR Evans, WR Robinson, RB Henry

Team 6: RB Kamara, RB Fournette, WR Baldwin, WR Diggs, WR Landry

Team 7: RB Barkley, WR J. Jones, TE Kelce, WR D. Thomas, RB Drake

Team 8: WR Hopkins, RB M. Gordon, RB McCoy, WR Fitzgerald, RB Ajayi

Team 9: WR Beckham Jr, RB Hunt, TE Ertz, RB Howard, RB Collins

Team 10: WR Allen, RB D. Cook, WR Thielen, RB Mixon, RB Lynch

 

Mock Draft 2.0 Recap – So there you have it, the second edition of my single person, 10 Team, 5 Round Mock Draft. Once again, it is all in PPR and made to help you come draft day. All these teams bring completely different dynamics, as I do feel I did this even better than last time by blindly looking. Of course, I am not here to change your draft strategy, but give you an opportunity to look at how your strategy make work in your upcoming draft. Certain players and where they were taken were personal favorites of mine, hoping that does work out in mine. 2.0 seems to be a success.

 

So, who was your favorite team? Who was your worst? Where would you like to pick? Let me know!

 

Also, starting next week, I will be doing a mailbag for any fantasy questions, along with different fantasy topics until the season begins. And if this helped you with your draft, let us know how!!!

 

– Scott Edwards, Creator of WTF Sports