As we approach Super Bowl Sunday, and people have not had fantasy football for a few weeks, fantasy players are getting the itch to start a new dynasty startup league. If you are one of those people, then we here at FantasyPros have you covered.
The great news is that if you are starting a new draft soon, the rookies are incredibly overvalued. However, if you are a savvy player, you can build a competitive, young team and get great value on some second, third, and fourth-year players.
Because of this, it is time to look at a PPR mock draft to understand player values and how teams will look from a roster construction point of view.
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Fantasy Football Dynasty PPR Mock Draft: Analysis & Key Takeaways (2023)
Q: What did you learn from this draft?
I was incredibly surprised by the first round. To see Bijan Robinson taken in the first round was quite wild. It shows you the hype for the shiny new running back in fantasy football. There is no value in taking Robinson at the 1.09 without knowing his team, seeing his Scouting Combine performance, and not knowing where he will go in the NFL Draft. Personally, this feels a little rich.
There is the small matter of the two main quarterbacks, Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes, going before and after Robinson, respectively. That makes some sense, given the advantage you get at the position, but it was still a surprise in a 1QB league to see both go in the first round. Expect differently in your startup leagues, especially if you play with a bunch of players who are likely to take a quarterback late.
It was nice to get a Ja’Marr Chase/Joe Burrow stack to start my draft. Those two players will anchor this team for years to come. Also, as I mentioned before, getting a discount on Drake London, Treylon Burks, and Isiah Pacheco was nice. True, not all three of these players delivered in 2022. However, it seems like many are prepared to give up on London and Burks when their situations are only likely to improve in 2023, with an improvement at quarterback likely coming their way.
One thing that did surprise me was that this team was able to draft five capable rookies. It certainly was not the way the roster was intended to be constructed. However, the value was there to take some shots and hope a few of these guys pan out.
Q: What area(s) of your draft are you happy with?
This team’s wide receiver room is absolutely stacked. To get Josh Palmer that late as a WR8 shows you how deep it goes. It’s balanced between having high-performing vets like Ja’Marr Chase, Chris Godwin and Tyler Lockett to second-year players primed for a breakout in Drake London and Treylon Burks. And then you add two impressive rookies in Cedric Tillman and Marvin Mims, who are potentially high-upside players that could produce early if they land on the right team.
This team’s running back room isn’t going to excite many, but personally, it has a nice balance to it. To anchor the team with Derrick Henry and Alvin Kamara, who fell later than expected, and then have Isiah Pacheco and Raheem Mostert in the wings is a solid room. In addition to these four are rookies Chase Brown, who is heading to the NFL after doing it the hard way in college, and Senior Bowl practice player of the week Tyjae Spears, who looks like a steal in the 20th round in this draft. There is a lot of buzz about Spears right now, and he is one player that will pique interest at the Scouting Combine.
Q: What area(s) of your draft would you have liked to improve?
While it is great to grab Joe Burrow, who will anchor this team at the quarterback position, it does feel this team could potentially be one QB light. Anthony Richardson was a flyer who could potentially see Jalen Hurts upside. However, given his lack of playing time in college, he is also a risk. Some quarterbacks in free agency could fill a void for injuries or a bye week. However, if Burrow was to go down, that could end this team’s year.
The tight end room is also lacking any real inspiration. While Greg Dulcich impressed before landing on the injured reserve list (IR) for the Broncos last year, he is still young and in a floundering offense. Having said that, bringing in Sean Payton could be just what helps Dulcich turn into a top NFL tight end and convert the extra production into fantasy points. The backup, Tyler Higbee, doesn’t bring anything to the table other than a “solid backup” tag. There is probably a need for a third tight end on this roster at some point.
Q: What lesson did you learn from today’s mock that you will apply to future drafts you partake in?
Certainly, looking at how high the new draft class is rated, if you have a player you want on your team that is a rookie, you will need to draft him earlier than perhaps his value is. There is also still too high a value on running backs in this draft. That does mean there is some great value to be had stacking your wide receiver room. However, you will need to be brave and resist the temptation to draft a running back due to “position scarcity.” If you stick with value picks, you will be able to construct a championship team, and then you will have to work some trades to strengthen at the right time in the season.
While wide receiver once again runs very deeps, there needs to be an eye kept having the right balance between upside and floor. It can be a very easy trap to fall into, taking many wide receivers. However, if you just have a lot of floor players with limited upside, or you pick a lot of high-upside players, but do not balance them out with more consistent players, then your wide receiver room can be unbalanced and leave you struggling to make the playoffs.
Lastly, many dynasty players will have a set roster construction in mind when selecting their teams. However, as I have mentioned, while I feel this team lacks an extra quarterback and running back, the value was not there to select these players. Free Agency will have these players to add. Meaning I can put a couple of rookies on my taxi squad and then add them straight away. Problem solved! However, if you do not play with taxi squads, do not panic. Just wait until you need to address the problem and search for potential trade partners. Do not worry about having the right number of players per position on your roster. Just select the best value player per round, and you will have an incredibly strong team.
If you want to dive deeper into fantasy football, be sure to check out our award-winning slate of Fantasy Football Tools as you navigate your season. From our Start/Sit Assistant – which provides your optimal lineup based on accurate consensus projections – to our Waiver Wire Assistant – which allows you to quickly see which available players will improve your team and by how much – we’ve got you covered this fantasy football season.
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Adam Murfet is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Murf, check out his archive and follow him @Murf_NFL.