The Super Bowl is over and the Kansas City Chiefs have been crowned this year’s champion. The NFL season might be over, but as fantasy players, we have plenty of work ahead of us to get ready for 2023. It’s never too early to start preparing for next season, so let’s mock draft, shall we? And what better way to do so than through our free fantasy football mock draft simulator?
Obviously, mock drafts in February will be the toughest to conduct, as we have the least amount of information to work with. Franchise tags haven’t been assigned. Players have yet to hit the free agency market. The combine isn’t here yet. And of course, there will surely be some trades that shake things up too.
For that reason, I’ll only be drafting the first 10 rounds in this mock draft. However, we’ll do the best we can with the info we have in this 12-team, half-point PPR mock draft. I was randomly assigned the 12th pick.
- Introduction to Best Ball Leagues
- Underdog Best Ball Strategy
- Erickson’s Best Ball Positional Primers
- Best Ball Roster Construction Strategy
Fantasy Football Mock Draft: 12-Team, Half-PPR
Round 1, Pick 12: D’Andre Swift (RB – DET)
I’m left with the choice of Swift, Joe Mixon, Davante Adams and Stefon Diggs (more on him in a second) with my first pick. I ultimately chose Swift because Mixon was disappointing in 2022, and Adams doesn’t know who’s throwing him the football in 2023. Swift’s biggest concern is usage and injuries. The latter is out of our control, but I could see Detroit giving him the ball more often if Jamaal Williams walks in free agency.
Round 2, Pick 1: Stefon Diggs (WR – BUF)
Diggs is as safe of a pick as it gets. He’s a lock for 90 receptions, 1,200 yards and nine touchdowns so long as Josh Allen is healthy. Diggs’ stability allows me to address my backfield depth and shoot for the moon at receiver in the later rounds.
Round 3, Pick 12: Travis Etienne (RB – JAC)
I’m not sure Etienne will be a late third-round pick by the time next summer arrives. But he’s available to me here and is the perfect high-upside addition for my backfield. Like Swift, Etienne is an electric three-down back who took serious strides this year in his first full season.
Round 4, Pick 1: J.K. Dobbins (RB – BAL)
J.K. Dobbins is a player I can’t quit. He mostly burned me this season, but he rushed for at least 59 yards in each of his final games, with a couple of games breaking 100 yards. With a full offseason to rest, Dobbins should have better injury luck now that he’s a full year removed from ACL surgery. I loved how he finished the year and as my RB3 there’s a lot less risk to inherit, but a whole lot of upside to gain.
Round 5, Pick 12: Drake London (WR – ATL)
When I say shoot for the moon at receiver, this is precisely what I mean. London’s rookie year was rather pedestrian. But he showed enough talent to emerge as one of my favorite year two breakout candidates. All Atlanta needs to do is get him a real quarterback.
Round 6, Pick 1: Garrett Wilson (WR – NYJ)
Again, I’m not sure Wilson will last until the top of Round 6 in most drafts. But it’s at least a possibility if the Jets are left with Mike White or Jimmy Garoppolo at quarterback this coming season. Despite the turmoil under center, Wilson won Offensive Rookie of the Year, catching 83 balls for 1,103 yards and four touchdowns. Putting up that kind of season for the Jets should earn you a Nobel Peace prize too.
Round 7, Pick 12: Brian Robinson (RB – WAS)
There isn’t much that’s sexy about Brian Robinson. But with three dynamic, injury-prone backs leading my team, I need to add someone who can just get me 20 carries for 90 yards and a touchdown when I need some stability.
Round 8, Pick 1: Trevor Lawrence (QB – JAC)
2022 was all about getting Trevor Lawrence back on track. The Jaguars can consider that mission accomplished, as Doug Pederson guided Lawrence to a strong second season in which he finished 8th among QBs in fantasy scoring. I believe 2023 will be the year Lawrence takes the next step as an elite quarterback. I’m happy to take a chance on him in Round 8, which is earlier than I’d normally take a quarterback.
Round 9, Pick 12: Jakobi Meyers (WR – NE)
Meyers might be the biggest name in this year’s free agent class. And while that might come off as an indictment of this year’s group of free agents, Meyers is an intriguing player in his own right. He caught 67 balls for 803 yards and six touchdowns on a dysfunctional Patriots offense. He might not be true WR1 material, but I think a 1,000-yard season is in his future if he finds the right landing spot. I’ll speculate here with my second-to-last pick.
Round 10, Pick 1: Evan Engram (TE – JAC)
Since I’m only drafting 10 rounds here, I want to at least fill out my starting lineup to give you a sense of the players I’m prioritizing at each position. I would most likely not be taking a tight end this early. The position was quite the dumpster fire in 2022, but Engram thrived (by tight end standards) in a prove-it year with the Jaguars. He caught 73 balls on 98 targets for 766 yards and four touchdowns. That made him the TE6 in fantasy, which is exactly what I’m looking for when taking a tight end in the later rounds. The key here is if Engram gets another contract in Jacksonville, as he played on a one-year deal in 2022.
What did you think of my first mock draft of 2023? Let me know on Twitter @RealMattBarbato!
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