Welcome fantasy friends and foes to the Fantasy Football 12 -team Standard Mock Draft.
Please allow me to take you through a mock draft I conducted using our FREE DraftWizard for a 12-team, 1QB, Standard fantasy league. I was randomly assigned the 12th pick.
Check out who I selected and why in the first 12 rounds of the mock draft.
Other fantasy football mock drafts:
- 12-team, 1QB, full-PPR, late pick
- Analyst half-PPR mock draft
- 12-team, 1QB, full-PPR, early pick
- Andrew Erickson’s Live PPR Mock Draft
- 12-team, 1QB, full-PPR
- Analyst full-PPR mock draft
Round 1, Pick 12: Ja’Marr Chase (WR – CIN)
The bromance between Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase won a lot of leagues for fantasy managers in his rookie season. Chase was incredible, finishing with 81 receptions on 128 targets for 1,455 yards and 13 touchdowns. Chase finished as the fantasy WR5 and was the top wide receiver in Production Premium and EPA last season. The former LSU Tiger is a slam dunk first-round selection in any format and is the odds-on favorite to lead the league in receiving yards next season. With Burrow another season removed from reconstructive knee surgery, he will have more confidence in stability with his knee, especially with an improved offensive line. As a result, Chase should continue to develop into a better all-around wide receiver and have a better season in 2022.
Round 2, Pick 1: D’Andre Swift (RB – DET)
With this selection, I need to secure a sure-fire RB1 and grab an R.B. that is my favorite breakout candidate in the Detroit Lions RB D’Andre Swift. It was an agonizing decision with the Saquon Barkley and Javonte Williams still on the board. All signs point to Barkley being healthy and eager to prove that he is still an explosive playmaker for the New York Giants, but his health concerns made me pivot. Admittedly, there is a massive man-crush for Javonte Williams, but the return of Melvin Gordon propelled me enough to hit submit for Swift, who finished as the RB19 last season. His low ranking is primarily due to Swift missing four-plus games due to injury. In Weeks 1-12, Swift was the RB9 and the focal point of a Lions’ offense void of playmakers. Heading into this season, the Lions will have a full season of wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown and tight end TJ Hockenson, along with the addition of playmaking wide receiver Jameson Williams from the 2022 NFL Draft and free-agent signee D.J. Chark. The Lions’ offense should be explosive and worthy of a high draft capital selection.
Round 3, Pick 12: Breece Hall (RB – NYJ)
Fantasy managers have typically avoided New York Jets players due to any player possessing fantasy relevancy. However, starting last season and heading into the 2022 season, fantasy managers should look to target the Jets’ offensive weapons, including rookie running back Breece Hall. Hall is a dynamic playmaker who is a receiving threat and totaled 21 and 20 touchdowns in his last two seasons, respectively. Hall will form a lethal one-two punch combo with second-year RB Michael Carter and run behind an improved offensive line. With playmakers at the skill positions, the Jets’ offense should be explosive, and if quarterback Zach Wilson continues to grow, this offense could be one to watch. Fantasy managers should want a piece of this fantasy pie, and grabbing a running back with Hall’s big-play ability is fantasy gold.
Round 4, Pick 1: Kyle Pitts (TE – ATL)
Speaking of fantasy gold, one player on all my guy’s lists is Atlanta Falcons tight end, Kyle Pitts. Securing a top-flight tight end requires high draft capital, but I am all-in on Pitts this season. Despite scoring only one touchdown last season, Pitts finished as the TE9 in standard formats. Positive touchdown regression is a no-brainer for the second-year T.E., who had 68 receptions on 110 targets for 1,026 yards. New Falcons quarterback Marcus Mariotta will enjoy targeting Pitts on a Falcons’ offense void of offensive playmakers. Look for Pitts to jump to the top of the T.E. rankings and be a cheat code for fantasy managers in 2022.
Round 5, Pick 12: Courtland Sutton (WR – DEN)
With the following two selections, the plan was to look for high-upside players, and the wide receiver who looks to take his game to another level this season is the Denver Broncos wide receiver, Courtland Sutton. Sutton is another year removed from his 2020 ACL tear and finished last season with a 58-776-2 receiving stat line. The former SMU standout showed flashes from his 2019 breakout season but was hindered by shaky quarterback play. However, that will not be the case this season with the arrival of quarterback Russell Wilson. Wilson is a dramatic upgrade, and we should witness an offensive explosion in Mile High City. Wilson boosts everyone on the Broncos’ offense and will provide enough firepower for Sutton and fellow wideout Jerry Jeudy to flourish.
Round 6, Pick 1: AJ Dillon (RB – GB)
Scouring through the available running backs at this point of the draft, the options are limited. However, one R.B. stood out as a player capable of a breakout season. Green Bay Packers RB AJ Dillon is a beast who scored seven touchdowns last season for the Packers. Yes, Dillon is in a timeshare with Aaron Jones, but it is more of a 1A and 1B scenario in the Packers offense. His blend of speed and power reminds you of Derrick Henry. Dillon should be the primary ball carrier, with Aaron Jones assuming more of a receiving role with the trade of Davante Adams this offseason and no proven consistent wide receivers for Aaron Rodgers to target. Getting Dillon here in the sixth round could be a league-winner.
Round 7, Pick 12: Rashod Bateman (WR – BAL)
With my next set of consecutive picks, there was a focus on more upside players with breakout potential. Few players fit this profile better than Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Rashod Bateman. The Ravens displayed plenty of faith in the second-year wideout with the trade of Marquise Brown. The pecking order behind tight end Mark Andrews is wide open, and Bateman projects as the ideal WR1 for Lamar Jackson. Bateman should be a red-zone threat with teams focusing on stopping Andrews, which should lead to Bateman producing eight to 10 touchdowns this season.
Round 8, Pick 1: Jalen Hurts (QB – PHI)
Jalen Hurts is a fantasy cheat code who finished last season as the QB9 on the back of rushing for 784 yards and ten rushing touchdowns. The trade for alpha wideout AJ Brown should propel the Eagles’ passing game and elevate Jalen Hurts to improve his 87.2 quarterback rating. Hurts is not known as a tremendous passing Q.B. In fairness, his weapons in Philadelphia are not precisely screaming elite. Devonte Smith should improve after a productive rookie season, and tight end Dallas Goedert will now take a back seat to Brown. Nevertheless, the breakout potential of Hurts at this juncture of the draft was too hard to pass up. Hurts should boost his fantasy production into a top-five Q.B. finish and deem worthy of this draft capital over Dak Prescott and Trey Lance.
Round 9, Pick 12: Alexander Mattison (RB – MIN)
Looking for a scratch-off lottery ticket, I grabbed Minnesota Vikings running back Alexander Mattison with the first back-to-back picks. Mattison is the ultimate handcuff in fantasy football by providing quality depth behind Dalvin Cook in the Vikings backfield. Cook has yet to play more than 14 games in a season, allowing Mattison to prove himself capable of stepping into a lead role. Mattison was excellent in his four games as a starter last season. He averaged 89 yards per game, produced four total touchdowns, and is a superb depth piece on your fantasy rosters.
Round 10, Pick 1: Michael Gallup (WR – DAL)
Michael Gallup continues to rehab a torn ACL suffered in January and could miss the start of this season. That didn’t stop the Cowboys from signing Gallup to a five-year deal this past offseason. Gallup projects to be the WR2 behind CeeDee Lamb in a Cowboys offense that averaged the most yards per game last season. The trade of Amari Cooper and Cedric Wilson signing with the Miami Dolphins open up 160+ targets in the Cowboys’ offense. Dak Prescott loves the catch radius and Gallup’s ability to make the big play. Fantasy managers should take assure themselves a piece of the Cowboys’ offense, and the explosive Gallup is worth his draft capital.
Round 11, Pick 12: Tyler Boyd (WR – CIN)
Tyler Boyd is not a sexy pick, but he plays in an explosive offense with an elite quarterback Joe Burrow. Boyd finished as the WR33 in standard leagues last season with 67 receptions on 94 targets for 828 yards and five scores. Boyd can be a streaming option in favorable matchups, but he is also an essential insurance plan if the unthinkable happens to either Ja’Marr Chase or Tee Higgins.
Round 12, Pick 1: Jamaal Williams (RB – DET)
Jamaal Williams is another insurance selection as the handcuff to D’Andre Swift in Detroit. Swift has played in only 13 games in his first two NFL seasons, so there is an opportunity for Williams to make a fantasy impact. Williams is a solid, reliable R.B. who can be a strong fantasy producer when called upon.
Final Thoughts
This team has the potential to make some noise with playmakers up and down the roster. However, the selections of Alexander Mattison and Tyler Boyd could have been utilized to gain better value with higher upside players. In sum, this team should be reasonably competitive and playoff-bound.
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Dennis Sosic is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Dennis, check out his archive and follow him @CALL_ME_SOS.