It’s fantasy football mock draft season, and things are no different here at Yahoo Sports. Our team recently conducted a 12-team, full-point-per-reception fantasy football mock, and all the picks are in the cool graphic up top. Scroll to the right of the graphic above to see the complete results of the draft.
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Team-by-team results are at the bottom of the article — but first, some interesting findings about the draft’s results from our very own Dalton Del Don.
Check out our 10-team half-PPR mock draft here.
Injuries and holdouts made an impact
• Jonathan Taylor’s ADP has been dropping given his uncertain situation, but he suffered no dip in this mock. Aside from his contract situation (and assuming his back is fine as he says), Taylor has questions regarding targets and raw rookie Anthony Richardson taking over at QB. But he’s also one season removed from totaling 2,200+ yards with 20 touchdowns and could be legitimately the best back in football. Richardson should also open the field for Taylor, so it’s hard to argue with the pick. That said, given that mobile quarterbacks typically don’t throw as much to their running backs, Taylor can be downgraded a bit in PPR formats.
• Breece Hall fell nearly a full round past his Yahoo ADP, likely due to the Dalvin Cook-to-the-Jets rumors swirling during this draft (Hall’s fantasy value should be boosted in PPR). Cook left New York without a deal, and his eventual landing spot remains a mystery. Cook could be better this season after finally undergoing shoulder surgery, but he’d need to improve dramatically to keep a healthy Hall off the field. Hall’s fantasy managers may require a little patience either way, but he’s likely to be a top-five fantasy player over the second half and is my favorite to be the consensus No. 1 overall pick in 2024.
• I rank Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson incredibly close but still went Chase despite Joe Burrow’s injury scare. Given how much time there is before the season, I’m treating Burrow’s calf injury as if he’ll be good to go Week 1. I give Chase the ever so slight edge given his touchdown advantage — Chase has just three fewer TD catches in 21 fewer games than JJ and played injured last season — and being tied to Burrow, but most drafters disagree.
WR is a huge priority in PPR
• As expected in a PPR format, this draft resulted in more wide receivers (18 of the first 34 picks) being drafted early compared to our previous 0.5 PPR mock (14 of the first 35 picks were WRs). While the aggressive drafting left few sleeper receivers available later, Rashee Rice was an exception (says the person who drafted him).
Quarterbacks, on the other hand, aren’t
• Quarterbacks dropped in this draft compared to the previous 10-teamer, which makes sense given the format differences. Wide receiver becomes a bigger priority in a 12-team PPR league. Jalen Hurts and Josh Allen were both steals in round three, while Lamar Jackson and Justin Fields were also strong picks in round four (the QB tier then suffers a big drop thanks to the rushing-upside discrepancy).
That said, it’s also perfectly fine to wait until much later to address quarterback in leagues that start just one, highlighted in this draft by Tua Tagovailoa going at the end of round nine. Tagovailoa got 8.9 (!) YPA last season, when he threw as many touchdowns as Tom Brady in 333 fewer attempts.
• I have Daniel Jones as a top-10 fantasy QB this year (with top-five potential), but he was an afterthought in this draft. Brock Purdy is in the world’s best system and led all QBs in fantasy points per dropback last season — and wasn’t even drafted here. There are multiple strategies to attack QB in 2023 (and they can vary greatly depending on format), so waiting on the position certainly remains viable.
Some undervalued picks to highlight
• Drake London has a top-36 ADP on other PPR sites, so he looks like a steal at pick No. 57 here. London had a historically good rookie season, will no longer have Marcus Mariota throwing to him and has the weakest WR2 competition in the league.
London is the real deal, and Atlanta is likely to pass more in 2023. Questions remain regarding Desmond Ridder, but London gets to play indoors for a Falcons team that projects to have an incredibly favorable schedule. The Drake is good!
• Courtland Sutton already looked like a good value in the 10th round of a PPR draft, but he looks like a great one now that Tim Patrick and KJ Hamler are out indefinitely (the Patrick injury news had just barely broken when we drafted). Sutton was a fantasy bust in 2022, but don’t forget he was being drafted ahead of Jerry Jeudy at this time last year, and Denver’s offense was a dysfunctional mess. With targets now opening (Jeudy has had trouble staying healthy as well), and Javonte Williams unlikely to be himself (he’ll be wearing a knee brace) right away, Sutton is suddenly looking at a real opportunity. He’s still just 27 and is another year removed from his knee surgery.
The Sean Payton factor shouldn’t be underestimated, as the Broncos are about to undergo a dramatic upgrade in coaching not unlike what Jacksonville experienced last season. Russell Wilson has worked hard during the offseason after last year’s disastrous performance (and Jarrett Stidham is a more than capable alternative if Payton prefers him). Sutton was extremely undervalued being selected as the WR48 in this draft.
Here are the team-by-team results of the mock draft in order of selection.
Team 1: Scott Pianowski, Yahoo Fantasy Analyst
Team 2: Dalton Del Don, Yahoo Fantasy analyst
Team 3: Mo Castillo, Yahoo Fantasy senior editor
Team 4: Kathryn Buckles, director of social media at Yahoo Sports
Team 5: Lawrence Jackson Jr, NBC Sports fantasy analyst
Team 6: Collin Brennan, Yahoo Fantasy podcast producer
Note: Auto-drafted due to tech issues
|
Round |
Overall pick |
Player |
|
1. |
(6) |
Austin Ekeler (LAC – RB) |
|
2. |
(19) |
Tony Pollard (Dal – RB) |
|
3. |
(30) |
Josh Jacobs (LV – RB) |
|
4. |
(43) |
T.J. Hockenson (Min – TE) |
|
5. |
(54) |
Joe Burrow (Cin – QB) |
|
6. |
(67) |
DeAndre Hopkins (Ten – WR) |
|
7. |
(78) |
Jahan Dotson (Was – WR) |
|
8. |
(91) |
San Francisco (SF – DEF) |
|
9. |
(102) |
Justin Tucker (Bal – K) |
|
10. |
(115) |
Khalil Herbert (Chi – RB) |
|
11. |
(126) |
Daniel Jones (NYG – QB) |
|
12. |
(139) |
Greg Dulcich (Den – TE) |
|
13. |
(150) |
Kenneth Gainwell (Phi – RB) |
|
14. |
(163) |
DJ Chark Jr. (Car – WR) |
|
15. |
(174) |
Denver (Den – DEF) |
Team 7: Jorge Martin, Yahoo Fantasy contributor
|
Round |
Overall pick |
Player |
|
1. |
(7) |
Bijan Robinson (Atl – RB) |
|
2. |
(18) |
Amon-Ra St. Brown (Det – WR) |
|
3. |
(31) |
Najee Harris (Pit – RB) |
|
4. |
(42) |
Terry McLaurin (Was – WR) |
|
5. |
(55) |
Justin Herbert (LAC – QB) |
|
6. |
(66) |
Mike Williams (LAC – WR) |
|
7. |
(79) |
Rashaad Penny (Phi – RB) |
|
8. |
(90) |
Evan Engram (Jax – TE) |
|
9. |
(103) |
Michael Thomas (NO – WR) |
|
10. |
(114) |
Skyy Moore (KC – WR) |
|
11. |
(127) |
Jerick McKinnon (KC – RB) |
|
12. |
(138) |
Jameson Williams (Det – WR) |
|
13. |
(151) |
Gerald Everett (LAC – TE) |
|
14. |
(162) |
Cincinnati (Cin – DEF) |
|
15. |
(175) |
Jake Elliott (Phi – K) |
Team 8: Dan Harris, head of video for Yahoo Fantasy
|
Round |
Overall pick |
Player |
|
1. |
(8) |
Travis Kelce (KC – TE) |
|
2. |
(17) |
Patrick Mahomes (KC – QB) |
|
3. |
(32) |
Keenan Allen (LAC – WR) |
|
4. |
(41) |
Deebo Samuel (SF – WR) |
|
5. |
(56) |
Dameon Pierce (Hou – RB) |
|
6. |
(65) |
James Conner (Ari – RB) |
|
7. |
(80) |
D’Andre Swift (Phi – RB) |
|
8. |
(89) |
Gabe Davis (Buf – WR) |
|
9. |
(104) |
Odell Beckham Jr. (Bal – WR) |
|
10. |
(113) |
Jakobi Meyers (LV – WR) |
|
11. |
(128) |
Tyler Boyd (Cin – WR) |
|
12. |
(137) |
Buffalo (Buf – DEF) |
|
13. |
(152) |
Ezekiel Elliott (Dal – RB) |
|
14. |
(161) |
Romeo Doubs (GB – WR) |
|
15. |
(176) |
Jason Myers (Sea – K) |
Team 9: Trevor Lewis, Yahoo Fantasy social editor
|
Round |
Overall pick |
Player |
|
1. |
(9) |
Jonathan Taylor (Ind – RB) |
|
2. |
(16) |
Garrett Wilson (NYJ – WR) |
|
3. |
(33) |
Aaron Jones (GB – RB) |
|
4. |
(40) |
Mark Andrews (Bal – TE) |
|
5. |
(57) |
Drake London (Atl – WR) |
|
6. |
(64) |
Michael Pittman Jr. (Ind – WR) |
|
7. |
(81) |
Deshaun Watson (Cle – QB) |
|
8. |
(88) |
Jordan Addison (Min – WR) |
|
9. |
(105) |
Jamaal Williams (NO – RB) |
|
10. |
(112) |
JuJu Smith-Schuster (NE – WR) |
|
11. |
(129) |
Kadarius Toney (KC – WR) |
|
12. |
(136) |
Kendre Miller (NO – RB) |
|
13. |
(153) |
Rashid Shaheed (NO – WR) |
|
14. |
(160) |
Kansas City (KC – DEF) |
|
15. |
(177) |
Jason Sanders (Mia – K) |
Team 10: Dan Titus, Yahoo Fantasy analyst
|
Round |
Overall pick |
Player |
|
1. |
(10) |
Nick Chubb (Cle – RB) |
|
2. |
(15) |
CeeDee Lamb (Dal – WR) |
|
3. |
(34) |
Calvin Ridley (Jax – WR) |
|
4. |
(39) |
Jahmyr Gibbs (Det – RB) |
|
5. |
(58) |
DJ Moore (Chi – WR) |
|
6. |
(63) |
Alvin Kamara (NO – RB) |
|
7. |
(82) |
Antonio Gibson (Was – RB) |
|
8. |
(87) |
Treylon Burks (Ten – WR) |
|
9. |
(106) |
Tua Tagovailoa (Mia – QB) |
|
10. |
(111) |
Courtland Sutton (Den – WR) |
|
11. |
(130) |
Tank Bigsby (Jax – RB) |
|
12. |
(135) |
Rondale Moore (Ari – WR) |
|
13. |
(154) |
Dalton Schultz (Hou – TE) |
|
14. |
(159) |
New York (NYJ – DEF) |
|
15. |
(178) |
Michael Badgley (Was – K) |
Team 11: Jason Klabacha, head of content for Yahoo Fantasy
|
Round |
Overall pick |
Player |
|
1. |
(11) |
Saquon Barkley (NYG – RB) |
|
2. |
(14) |
Davante Adams (LV – WR) |
|
3. |
(35) |
Josh Allen (Buf – QB) |
|
4. |
(38) |
Joe Mixon (Cin – RB) |
|
5. |
(59) |
Alexander Mattison (Min – RB) |
|
6. |
(62) |
Dallas Goedert (Phi – TE) |
|
7. |
(83) |
Jaxon Smith-Njigba (Sea – WR) |
|
8. |
(86) |
George Pickens (Pit – WR) |
|
9. |
(107) |
Damien Harris (Buf – RB) |
|
10. |
(110) |
Nico Collins (Hou – WR) |
|
11. |
(131) |
Darnell Mooney (Chi – WR) |
|
12. |
(134) |
Jaylen Warren (Pit – RB) |
|
13. |
(155) |
Dallas (Dal – DEF) |
|
14. |
(158) |
Zay Jones (Jax – WR) |
|
15. |
(179) |
Jake Moody (SF – K) |
Team 12: Matt Harmon, Yahoo Fantasy analyst
|
Round |
Overall pick |
Player |
|
1. |
(12) |
Stefon Diggs (Buf – WR) |
|
2. |
(13) |
A.J. Brown (Phi – WR) |
|
3. |
(36) |
Breece Hall (NYJ – RB) |
|
4. |
(37) |
Lamar Jackson (Bal – QB) |
|
5. |
(60) |
Brandon Aiyuk (SF – WR) |
|
6. |
(61) |
Christian Watson (GB – WR) |
|
7. |
(84) |
Pat Freiermuth (Pit – TE) |
|
8. |
(85) |
Javonte Williams (Den – RB) |
|
9. |
(108) |
Zay Flowers (Bal – WR) |
|
10. |
(109) |
Zach Charbonnet (Sea – RB) |
|
11. |
(132) |
De’Von Achane (Mia – RB) |
|
12. |
(133) |
Michael Gallup (Dal – WR) |
|
13. |
(156) |
Dalton Kincaid (Buf – TE) |
|
14. |
(157) |
Baltimore (Bal – DEF) |
|
15. |
(180) |
Brandon McManus (Jax – K) |
